Cleaning And Protecting The Vehicle Exterior - Toyota RAV4 Owner's Manual

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7-1. Maintenance and care
7-1.Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle exterior
Perform the following to pro-
tect the vehicle and maintain it
in prime condition:
Cleaning instructions
 Working from top to bottom, lib-
erally apply water to the vehicle
body, wheel wells and underside
of the vehicle to remove any dirt
and dust.
 Wash the vehicle body using a
sponge or soft cloth, such as a
chamois.
 For hard-to-remove marks, use
car wash soap and rinse thor-
oughly with water.
 Wipe away any water.
 Wax the vehicle when the water-
proof coating deteriorates.
If water does not bead on a clean sur-
face, apply wax when the vehicle body
is cool.
■ Automatic car washes
●
Before washing the vehicle:
• Fold the mirrors
• Turn off the power back door (if
equipped)
Start washing from the front of the vehi-
cle. Make sure to extend the mirrors
before driving.
● Brushes used in automatic car
washes may scratch the vehicle sur-
face, parts (wheel, etc.) and harm
your vehicle's paint.
● Rear spoiler may not be washable in
some automatic car washes. There
may also be an increased risk of dam-
age to vehicle.
■ High pressure car washes
As water may enter the cabin, do not
bring the nozzle tip near the gaps
around the doors or perimeter of the
windows, or spray these areas continu-
ously.
■
Note for a smart entry & start sys-
tem (if equipped)
If the door handle becomes wet while
the electronic key is within the effective
range, the door may lock and unlock
repeatedly. In that case, follow the fol-
lowing correction procedures to wash
the vehicle:
● Place the key in a position 2 m (6 ft.)
or more separate from the vehicle
while the vehicle is being washed.
(Take care to ensure that the key is
not stolen.)
●
Set the electronic key to battery-sav-
ing mode to disable the smart entry &
start system. (P.170)
■ Wheels and wheel ornaments (if
equipped)
●
Remove any dirt immediately by using
a neutral detergent.
● Wash detergent off with water immedi-
ately after use.
● To protect the paint from damage,
make sure to observe the following
precautions.
• Do not use acidic, alkaline or abrasive
detergent.
• Do not use hard brushes.
• Do not use detergent on the wheels
when they are hot, such as after driv-
ing or parking in hot weather.
● For vehicles with 19-inch matte
painted wheels: The wheels are not
maintained in the same way as nor-
mal aluminum wheels. For details,
contact your Toyota dealer.
• When washing the vehicle, use water
to wash off dirt.