Volvo XC90 Owner's Manual page 188

Testing the brakes
WARNING
Always test the brakes after washing the
car, including the parking brake, to ensure
that moisture and corrosion do not attack
the brake linings and reduce braking per-
formance.
Lightly depress the brake pedal now and then
when driving long distances in rain or slush.
This heats and dries the brake pads. 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 coloured
plastic parts, rubber and trim components
(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.
Polishing and waxing
Polish and wax the car if the paintwork is dull
or to give the paintwork extra protection.
The car does not need to be polished until it is
at least one year old. However, the car can be
waxed before this time. Do not polish or wax
the car in direct sunlight.
Wash and dry the car thoroughly before you
begin polishing or waxing. Clean off asphalt
and tar stains using Volvo tar remover or white
spirit. More stubborn stains can be removed
using fine rubbing paste designed for car paint-
work.
Polish first with a polish and then wax with liq-
uid or solid wax. Follow the instructions on the
packaging carefully. Many preparations con-
tain both polish and wax.
08 Car care
IMPORTANT
Paint treatment such as preserving, sealing,
protection, lustre sealing or similar could
damage the paintwork. Paintwork damage
caused by such treatment is not covered by
Volvo warranty.
Cleaning door mirrors and front door
windows with water-repellent coating*
Never use products such as car wax,
degreaser or similar on mirror/glass surfaces
as this could ruin their water-repellent proper-
ties.
Take care when cleaning so as not to damage
the glass surface.
To avoid damaging glass surfaces when
removing ice – only use plastic ice scrapers.
There is natural wear of the water-repellent
coating.
NOTE
Treatment with a special finishing agent
available from Volvo dealers is recom-
mended in order to maintain the water-
repellent properties. This should be used
first after three years and then each year.
*
Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Cleaning
08
187