08 Car Care; Cleaning - Volvo XC90 Owner's Manual

08 Car care

Cleaning

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.
•
Rinse the whole car until the loose dirt
has been removed in order to reduce the
risk of scratches from washing. Do not
spray directly onto the locks.
•
If necessary, use cold degreasing agent
on very dirty surfaces. Note that the sur-
faces must not then be warmed up by the
sun!
•
Wash using a sponge, car shampoo and
plenty of lukewarm water.
•
Clean the wiper blades with a lukewarm
soap solution or car shampoo.
•
Dry the car using a clean, soft chamois or
a water scraper. If you avoid allowing
water droplets to dry in strong sunlight
then the risk of water stains that may
08
need to be polished away is reduced.
200
WARNING
Always have the engine cleaned by a
workshop. There is a risk of fire if the
engine is hot.
IMPORTANT
Dirty headlamps have impaired functional-
ity. Clean them regularly, when refuelling
for example.
Do not use any corrosive cleaning agents
but use water and a non-scratching
sponge instead.
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 out-
side lighting is designed to withstand this.
Condensation is normally vented out of the
lamp when it has been switched on for a
time.
Cleaning the wiper blades
Asphalt, dust and salt residue on wiper
blades, as well as insects, ice etc. on the
windscreen, impair the service life of wiper
blades.
NOTE
Wash the wiper blades and windscreen
regularly with lukewarm soap solution or
car shampoo.
Do not use any strong solvents.
Removing bird droppings
Wash away bird droppings from the paint-
work as soon as possible. Bird droppings
contain chemicals that affect and discolour
paintwork very quickly. This discoloration can
only be removed by a specialist.
Chromed wheels
IMPORTANT
Rim cleaning agents can cause stains on
chrome-plated wheels. Wash using a
sponge, car shampoo and plenty of luke-
warm water.
Automatic car washes
An automatic car wash is a simple and quick
way of washing the car, but it can never
replace a proper handwashing. The brushes
of an automatic car wash cannot reach every-
where.