Car Care; Washing The Car; Automatic Car Washes; Rims - Volvo XC70 Owner's Manual

Washing the car

Wash the car as soon as it becomes dirty.
Wash the car in a car wash with oil separator.
Use car shampoo.
• Remove bird droppings from the paint-
work as soon as possible. Bird droppings
contain chemicals that affect and discol-
our paintwork very quickly. An authorised
Volvo workshop is recommended for the
removal of any discoloration.
• Hose down the underbody. If using a
pressure washer, keep the nozzle at least
30 cm from the painted surfaces.
• Rinse the entire car to remove loose dirt.
Do not spray directly onto the locks.
• Wash using a sponge, car shampoo and
plenty of lukewarm water.
• Clean the wiper blades with a lukewarm
soap solution or car shampoo.
• Use cold degreasing agent on very dirty
surfaces.
• Dry the car using a clean, soft chamois or
a water scraper.
WARNING
Always have the engine cleaned by a work-
shop. There is a risk of fire if the engine is
hot.
06 Maintenance and specifications
NOTE
Outside lighting such as headlamps, fog
lamps and rear lamps may temporarily have
condensation on the inside of the lens. This
is a natural phenomenon, all outside lighting
is designed to withstand this. Condensation
is normally vented out of the lamp housing
when it has been switched on for a time.

Automatic car washes

An automatic car wash is a simple and quick
way of washing the car, but it cannot reach
everywhere. Handwashing the car is recom-
mended for achieving optimum results.
NOTE
During the first few months a new car must
only be handwashed. This is because the
paintwork is more sensitive when it is new.
WARNING
Always test the brakes after washing the
car, including the parking brake, to ensure
that moisture and corrosion do not attack
the brake pads and reduce braking per-
formance.
Lightly depress the brake pedal now and
then when driving long distances in rain or
slush. The heat from the friction causes the
brake linings to warm up and dry. Do the
same thing after starting in very damp or cold
weather.
Exterior plastic, rubber and trim
components
A special cleaning agent available from Volvo
dealers is recommended for cleaning col-
oured plastic parts, rubber and trim compo-
nents, such as glossy trim mouldings. When
using such a cleaning agent the instructions
must be followed carefully.
IMPORTANT
Avoid waxing and polishing on plastic and
rubber.
Polishing glossy trim mouldings could wear
away or damage the glossy surface.
Polishing agent that contains abrasive must
not be used.

Rims

Only use cleaning agent recommended by
Volvo. Strong rim cleaning agents can dam-
age the surface and cause stains on chrome-
plated aluminium rims.

Car care

06
217