Cleaning And Care Of The Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz 280 E 1979 Owner's Manual

Cleaning and Care of the Vehicle

In operation, your vehicle is sub­
jected to a great amount of varying
external influences which, if gone
unchecked, can attack the paint­
work as well as the underbody and
cause lasting damage.
Such damage is caused not only
extreme and varying climatic con­
ditions, but also by air pollution,
road salt, tar, gravel and stone
chipping. Grease and oil, fuel,
coolant, brake fluid, bird drop­
pings, tree resins, etc. should be
immediately removed to avoid paint
damage. Frequent washing, how­
ever, reduces and/or eliminates the
aggressivity and potency of the
above adverse influences.
Special car-care measures may be
necessary to deal with unfavorable
conditions; for example, near the
coast, in industrial areas (smoke,
exhaust emissions), or during
winter operation.
You should check over your vehicle
from time to time for stone chipping
or other damage. Any damage
should be repaired as soon as
possible.
In doing so, do not neglect the
underside of the car. A prerequisite
for a thorough check is a washing
of the underbody followed by a
rustproofing treatment.
Your vehicle has been treated at
the factory with a wax-base rest-
proofing in the body cavities.
After every engine cleaning you
should have the engine compart­
ment rustproofed. Before rust-
proofing, all control linkage
bushings have to be lubricated with
hydraulic oil (check with your local
MERCEDES-BENZ dealership for
recommended brands).
We have selected car-care products
and compiled recommendations
which are specially matched to our
vehicles and which always reflect
the newest in technological stand­
ing. You can obtain MB car-care
products at every MERCEDES-BENZ
service center.
Scratches, corrosive deposits,
corrosion or damage due to negli­
gent or incorrect care cannot
always be removed with the car-
care products recommended here.
In such cases it is best to seek aid
at your MERCEDES-BENZ service
center.
The following topics deal with the
cleaning and care of your vehicle
and give important " how-to" in­
formation as well as references to
recommended MB car-care pro­
ducts.