Suzuki XL7 - Manual (Page 234)

5-50
SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
78J00-03E
The best way to preserve the vehicle’s fin-
ish is to keep it clean by washing it often
with lukewarm or cold water.
Do not wash the vehicle in the direct rays
of the sun. Use a car washing soap. Do not
use strong soaps or chemical detergents.
Be sure to rinse the vehicle well, removing
all soap residue completely. Approved
cleaning products can be obtained from
your dealer. Refer to “Vehicle Care/
Appearance Materials” in this section. Do
not use cleaning agents that are petroleum
based, or that contain acid or abrasives.
All cleaning agents should be flushed
promptly and not allowed to dry on the sur-
face, or they could stain. Dry the finish with
a soft, clean chamois or an all-cotton towel
to avoid surface scratches and water spot-
ting.
High pressure car washes may cause
water to enter the vehicle.
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses
Use only lukewarm or cold water, a soft
cloth and a car washing soap to clean
exterior lamps and lenses. Follow instruc-
tions under “Washing Your Vehicle” in this
section.
Finish Care
Occasional waxing or mild polishing of the
vehicle by hand may be necessary to
remove residue from the paint finish.
Approved cleaning products can be
obtained from your dealer. Refer to “Vehi-
cle Care/Appearance Materials” in this
section.
The vehicle has a basecoat/clearcoat paint
finish. The clearcoat gives more depth and
gloss to the colored basecoat. Always use
waxes and polishes that are non-abrasive
and made for a basecoat/clearcoat paint
finish.
Foreign materials such as calcium chloride
and other salts, ice melting agents, road oil
and tar, tree sap, bird droppings, chemi-
cals from industrial chimneys, etc., can
damage the vehicle’s finish if they remain
on painted surfaces. Wash the vehicle as
soon as possible. If necessary, use non-
abrasive cleaners that are marked safe for
painted surfaces to remove foreign matter.
Exterior painted surfaces are subject to
aging, weather, and chemical fallout that
can take their toll over a period of years.
To help keep the paint finish looking new,
keep the vehicle in a garage or covered
whenever possible.
Windshield and Wiper Blades
If the windshield is not clear after using the
windshield washer, or if the wiper blade
chatters when running, wax, sap, or other
material may be on the blade or wind-
shield.
Clean the outside of the windshield with a
glass cleaning liquid or powder and water
solution. The windshield is clean if beads
do not form when it is rinsed with water.
Grime from the windshield will stick to the
wiper blades and affect their performance.
Clean the blade by wiping vigorously with
a cloth soaked in full-strength windshield
washer solvent. Then rinse the blade with
water.
Check the wiper blades and clean them as
necessary; replace blades that look worn.
Aluminum Wheels
Keep the wheels clean using a soft clean
cloth with mild soap and water. Rinse with
CAUTION
Machine compounding or aggres-
sive polishing on a basecoat/
clearcoat paint finish may damage it.
Use only non-abrasive waxes and
polishes that are made for a
basecoat/clearcoat paint finish on
your vehicle.
CAUTION
If you use strong soaps, chemicals,
abrasive polishes, cleaners, brushes,
or cleaners that contain acid on alu-
minum or chrome-plated wheels, you
could damage the surface of the
wheel(s). The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Use only
SUZUKI-approved cleaners on alumi-
num or chrome-plated wheels.