Cleaning The Exterior - Volvo XC 90 Owner's Manual

MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE

Cleaning the exterior

The car should be washed as soon as it
becomes dirty. Wash the car in a car wash with
oil separator. Use car shampoo.
Handwashing
•
Remove bird droppings from the paintwork
as soon as possible. Bird droppings contain
chemicals that affect and discolour paintwork
very quickly. For example, use soft paper or
sponge soaked in plenty of water. An author-
ised Volvo workshop is recommended for the
removal of any discoloration.
•
Hose down the underbody.
•
Rinse the entire car until the dissolved dirt
has been removed so as to reduce the risk of
scratches from washing. Do not spray directly
onto the locks.
•
If necessary, use cold degreasing agent on
very dirty surfaces. Note that in this case, the
surfaces must not be hot from the sun.
•
Wash using a sponge, car shampoo and
plenty of lukewarm water.
•
Clean the wiper blades with a lukewarm soap
solution or car shampoo.
•
Dry the car using a clean, soft chamois or a
water scraper. If you avoid allowing drops of
water to dry in strong sunlight, you reduce
the risk of water drying stains which may
need to be polished out.
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WARNING
Always have the engine cleaned by a work-
shop. There is a risk of fire if the engine is hot.
IMPORTANT
Dirty headlamps have impaired functionality.
Clean them regularly, e.g. when refuelling.
Do not use any corrosive cleaning agents but
use water and a non-scratching sponge
instead.
NOTE
Outside lighting such as headlamps, fog
lamps and rear lamps may temporarily have
condensation on the inside of the lens. This is
normal, all exterior lighting is designed to
withstand this. Condensation is normally ven-
ted out of the lamp housing when the lamp
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 cannot reach every-
where. Handwashing the car is recommended for
achieving optimum results.
NOTE
The car must only be washed by hand over
the first few months. This is because the paint
is more delicate when it is new.
IMPORTANT
Before driving the car into an automatic car
wash, deactivate the Automatic brake when
stationary function (Auto Hold). If this function
is not deactivated, the brake system will jam
when the car is stationary and the car will not
be able to move.
Proceed as follows to ensure the car cannot roll
in an automatic car wash:
1. Drive into the automatic car wash.
2. Move the gear lever to position N.
3. Stop the engine.
> The car is ready for the automatic car
wash.
IMPORTANT
The system will automatically switch to P
mode unless the above step is followed. The
wheels are locked in P mode, which they
should not be when putting the car through
an automatic car wash.