Cleaning And Care Of The Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz 380 SL Owner's Manual

Cleaning and Care of the Vehicle

In operation, your vehicle is subjec­
ted to a great amount of varying
external influences which, if gone
unchecked, can attack the paint­
work as well as the underbody and
cause lasting damage.
Such damage is caused not only
extreme and varying clim atic 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, redu­
ces and/or eliminates the aggres-
sivity and potency of the above
adverse influences.
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 w in­
ter operation.
You should check over your vehicle
from tim e to tim e for stone chipping
or other damage. Any damage
should be repaired as soon as
possible.
In doing so, do not neglect the
underside of the car. A prerequisite
for a thorough check is a washing
of the underbody followed by a
rustproofing treatment.
Your vehicle has been treated at
the factory with a wax-base rust-
proofing in the body cavities.
After every engine cleaning you
should have the engine com part­
ment rustproofed. Before rustproof­
ing, all control linkage bushings
have to be lubricated with hydrau­
lic oil (check with your local
MERCEDES-BENZ dealership for
recommended brands).
We have selected car-care pro­
ducts and compiled recommenda­
tions 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
removed 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" infor­
mation as well as references to
recommended MB car-care pro­
ducts.