Cleaning And Care Of The Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz 300TD 1980 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 un­
checked, can attack the paintwork as
well as the underbody and cause
lasting damage.
Such damage is caused not only
extreme and varying climatic condi­
tions, but also by air pollution, road
salt, tar, gravel and stone chipping.
Grease and oil, fuel, coolant, brake
fluid, bird droppings, tree resins,
etc. should be immediately removed
to avoid paint damage. Frequent
washing, however, reduces and/or
eliminates the aggressivity and
potency of the above adverse in­
fluences.
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 under­
side of the car. A prerequisite for a
thorough check is a washing of the
underbody followed by a rustproof-
ing treatment.
Your vehicle has been treated at the
factory with a wax-base rustproofing
in the body cavities.
After every engine cleaning you
should have the engine compartment
rustproofed. Before rustproofing, 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 standing.
You can obtain MB car-care products
at every MERCEDES-BENZ service
station.
Scratches, corrosive deposits, cor­
rosion or damage due to negligent or
incorrect care cannot always be re­
moved with the car-care products
recommended here. In such cases
it is best to seek aid at your
MERCEDES-BENZ service station.
The following topics deal with the
cleaning and care of your vehicle and
give important " how-to" information
as well as references to recom­
mended MB car-care products.