Body - Volvo 164 Instruction Book

SERVICING

BODY

40 Washing
The car should be washed often since
dust, dirt, dead insects, tar spots, etc.
adhere firmly to the body and may damage
the paintwork. Washing is also important
to counteract rusting. During the winter,
special care should be taken to ensure
that all road salt residue is washed off
as soon as possible, otherwise corrosion
can occur. A vehicle, the bodywork of
which has been well taken care of, has
of course a higher second-hand value,
should the owner consider selling it.
When washing the car, make sure that it
i s not exposed to direct sunlight since
this can cause drying patches. Begin by
softening up the dirt on the underside of
the body with a jet of water and use if
necessary a soft brush. Then rinse down
the whole body with a light jet until the
dirt has loosened up. After this, wash off
the dirt with a sponge using plenty of
water. Start at the roof of the vehicle and
work down the body. Use preferably
l ukewarm but not hot water.
Washing is facilitated with the help of a
reliable car washing agent. Ordinary fluid
dish washer can also be used. A suitable
mixture is 5-10 cm (2-4") fluid dish washer
to 10 litres (2.2 Imp. galls=2.6 US galls)
5 2
of water. Asphalt spots and tar splash can
be removed with white spirit or similar.
This should be done after the washing.
When a washing agent is used, the car
should be well rinsed down with clean
water afterwards. Begin with the roof of
the car and work down the body. Then
dry carefully with a soft clean chamois
l eather. Use different leathers for the
windows and the remainder of the car,
since using the same leather can cause
greasy smears on the windows. When
washing the car, remember to clean the
drainage holes in the doors and bottom
rail.
41 Polishing (waxing)
The vehicle does not need polishing until
the surface finish begins to lose its lustre
and normal washing is no longer sufficient
to make it shine again and remove the
l ayer of dirt on the surface. Under normal
conditions it is sufficient to polish the
vehicle a couple of times a year on condi-
tion that it is carefully looked after and
thoroughly washed as soon as it has be-
come dirty or dusty.
Before the vehicle is polished, it should be
carefully washed and dried to avoid
scratches on the paintwork.
When about to apply wax, make sure that
the surface is absolutely clean before
application. It is often necessary to use
cleaning naphtha for cleaning.
Waxing is no substitute for polishing. Nor
i s it necessary as a protection for the
paintwork against unfavourable weather.
Very often waxing should first be carried
out at the earliest one year after delivery
of the car.