08 Car Care; Cleaning - Volvo C30 Owner's Manual

08 Car care

Cleaning

General
Wash the car as soon as it becomes dirty.
Use car shampoo. Dirt and road salt can lead
to corrosion.
• Do not park the car in direct sunlight.
Washing a car with hot paintwork can
cause permanent paintwork damage.
Wash the car in a car wash with waste
water separator.
• Thoroughly rinse dirt off the underbody of
the car.
• Rinse the entire car to remove loose dirt.
When using a pressure washer: Make sure
that the nozzle of the pressure washer is
not closer than 30 cm to the bodywork. Do
not spray directly onto the locks.
• Wash using a sponge, car shampoo and
plenty of lukewarm water.
• If the dirt is difficult to dislodge, wash the
car using a cold degreasing agent.
• Dry the car using a clean, soft chamois or
a water scraper.
• Clean the wiper blades with a lukewarm
soap solution or car shampoo.
Removing bird droppings
Wash away bird droppings from the paint-
08
work as soon as possible. Bird droppings
contain chemicals that affect and discolour
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paintwork very quickly. This discoloration
can only be removed by a specialist.
WARNING
Always have the engine cleaned by a work-
shop. There is a risk of fire if the engine is
hot.
NOTE
Outside lighting such as headlamps, fog
lamps and rear lamps may temporarily have
condensation on the inside of the lens. This
is a natural phenomenon, all outside lighting
is designed to withstand this. Condensation
is normally vented out of the lamp when it
has been switched on for a time.
Automatic car washes
An automatic car wash is a simple and quick
way of washing the car, but it can never
replace a proper handwashing. The brushes
of an automatic car wash cannot reach eve-
rywhere.
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.
IMPORTANT
Washing by hand is gentler to the paintwork
than an automatic car wash. Paintwork is
also more sensitive when it is new. For this
reason, handwashing is recommended dur-
ing the first few months with a new car.
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 col-
oured plastic parts, rubber and trim compo-
nents (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.