Vinyl Trim-Maintenance; Upholstery And Carpets-Maintenance; Body Repair-Minor Damage - Jeep cherokee 1989 Owner's Manual

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3 At the same time, clean the engine and the engine compartment
with a steam cleaner or water soluble degreaser.
4
The wheel wells should be given close attention, since undercoating
can peel away and stones and dirt thrown up by the tires can cause
the paint to chip and flake, allowing rust to set in. If rust is found, clean
down to the bare metal and apply an anti-rust paint.
5
The body should be washed about once a week. Wet the vehicle
thoroughly to soften the dirt, then wash it down with a soft sponge
and plenty of clean soapy water. If the surplus dirt is not washed off
very carefully, it can wear down the paint.
6 Spots of tar or asphalt thrown up from the road should be removed
with a cloth soaked in solvent.
7
Once every six months, wax the body and chrome trim. If a chrome
cleaner is used to remove rust from any of the vehicle's plated parts,
remember that the cleaner also removes part of the chrome, so use
it sparingly.
3 Vinyl trim -
maintenance
Don't clean vinyl trim with detergents, caustic soap or petroleum-
based cleaners. Plain soap and water works just fine, with a soft brush
to clean dirt that may be ingrained. Wash the vinyl as frequently as
the rest of the vehicle.
After cleaning, application of a high quality rubber and vinyl protec-
tant will help prevent oxidation and cracks. The protectant can also
be applied to weatherstripping, vacuum lines and rubber hoses, which
often fail as a result of chemical degradation, and to the tires.
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4 Upholstery and carpets maintenance
1 Every three months remove the carpets or mats and clean the in-
terior of the vehicle (more frequently if necessary). Vacuum the up-
holstery and carpets to remove loose dirt and dust.
2 Leather upholstery requires special care. Stains should be removed
with warm water and a very mild soap solufion. Use a clean, damp
cloth t o remove the soap, then wipe again with a dry cloth. Never use
alcohol, gasoline, nail polish remover or thinner to clean leather
upholstery.
3 After cleaning, regularly treat leather upholstery with a leather wax.
Never use car wax on leather upholstery.
4 In areas where the interior of the vehicle is subject t o bright
sunlight, cover leather seats with a sheet if the vehicle is to be left
out for any length of time.
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Body repair minor damage
5
See photo sequence
Repair of minor scratches
1 If the scratch is superficial and does not penetrate to the metal
of the body, repair is very simple. Lightly rub the scratched area with
a fine rubbing compound to remove loose paint and built up wax. Rinse
the area with clean water.
2 Apply touch-up paint to the scratch, using a small brush. Continue
to apply thin layers of paint until the surface of the paint in the scratch
is level with the surrounding paint. Allow the new paint at least t w o
weeks t o harden, then blend it into the surrounding paint by rubbing
with a very fine rubbing compound. Finally, apply a coat of wax to
the scratch area.
If the scratch has penetrated the paint and exposed the metal of
the body, causing the metal to rust, a different repair technique is re-
quired. Remove all loose rust from the bottom of the scratch with a
pocket knife, then apply rust inhibiting paint to prevent the formation
of rust in the future. Using a rubber or nylon applicator, coat the
scratched area with glaze-type filler. If required, the filler can be mixed
with thinner to provide a very thin paste, which is ideal for filling narrow
scratches. Before the glaze filler in the scratch hardens, wrap a piece
of smooth cotton cloth around the tip of a finger. Dip the cloth in thinner
and then quickly wipe it along the surface of the scratch. This will en-
sure that the surface of the filler is slightly hollow. The scratch can
now be painted over as described earlier in this section.
The Motor Manual Guy
Chapter 11 Body
Repair of dents
4 When repairing dents, the first job is to pull the dent out until the
affected area is as close as possible to its original shape. There is no
point in trying to restore the original shape completely as the metal
in the damaged area will have stretched on impact and cannot be re-
stored t o its original contours. It is better to bring the level of the dent
up to a point which is about 118-inch below the level of the surrounding
metal. In cases where the dent is very shallow, it is not worth trying
to pull it out at all.
5 If the back side of the dent is accessible, it can be hammered out
gently from behind using a soft-face hammer. While doing this, hold
a block of wood firmly against the opposite side of the metal to absorb
the hammer blows and prevent the metal from being stretched.
6 If the dent is in a section of the body which has double layers,
or some other factor makes it inaccessible from behind, a different
technique is required. Drill several small holes through the metal inside
the damaged area, particularly in the deeper sections. Screw long, self
tapping screws into the holes just enough for them to get a good grip
in the metal. Now the dent can be pulled out by pulling on the pro-
truding heads of the screws with locking pliers.
7 The next stage of repair is the removal of paint from the damaged
area and from an inch or so of the surrounding metal. This is easily
done with a wire brush or sanding disk in a drill motor, although it can
be done just as effectively by hand with sandpaper. To complete the
preparation for filling, score the surface of the bare metal with a screw-
driver or the tang o i a file or drill small holes in the affected area. This
will provide a good grip for the filler material. To complete the repair,
see the Section on filling and painting.
Repair of rust holes or gashes
8 Remove all paint from the affected area and from an inch or so
of the surrounding metal using a sanding disk or wire brush mounted
in a drill motor. If these are not available, a few sheets of sandpaper
will do the job just as effectively.
9 With the paint removed, you will be able to determine the severity
of the corrosion and decide whether to replace the whole panel, if pos-
sible, or repair the affected area. New body panels are not as expensive
as most people think and it is often quicker to install a new panel than
to repair large areas of rust.
1 0 Remove all trim pieces from the affected area except those which
will act as a guide to the original shape of the damaged body, such
as headlight shells, etc. Using metal snips or a hacksaw blade, remove
all loose metal and any other metal that is badly affected by rust. Ham-
mer the edges of the hole inward to create a slight depression for the
filler material.
1 1 Wire brush the affected area to remove the powdery rust from the
surface of the metal. If the back of the rusted area is accessible, treat
it with rust inhibiting paint.
12 Before filling is done, block the hole in some way. This can be done
with sheet metal riveted or screwed into place, or by stuffing the hole
with wire mesh.
13 Once the hole is blocked off, the affected area can be filled and
painted. See the following subsection on filling and painting.
Filling and painting
1 4 Many types of body fillers are available, but generally speaking,
body repair kits which contain filler paste and a tube of resin hardener
are best for this type of repair work. A wide, flexible plastic or nylon
applicator will be necessary for imparting a smooth and contoured finish
to the surface of the filler material. Mix up a small amount of filler on
a clean piece of wood or cardboard (use the hardener sparingly). Follow
the manufacturer's instructions on the package, otherwise the filler
will set incorrectly.
1 5 Using the applicator, apply the filler paste t o the prepared area.
Draw the applicator across the surface of the filler to achieve the desired
contour and to level the filler surface. As soon as a contour that ap-
proximates the original one is achieved, stop working the paste. If you
continue, the paste will begin t o stick to the applicator. Continue to
add thin layers of paste at 20-minute intervals until the level of the
filler is just above the surrounding metal.
16 Once the filler has hardened, the excess can be removed with a
body file. From then on, progressively finer grades of sandpaper should
be used, starting with a 180-grit paper and finishing with 600-grit wet-
or-dry paper. Always wrap the sandpaper around a flat rubber or