2001 Mercedes C-Class Owner's Manual - Page 349

Instruments and controls Operation Driving Instrument cluster display Practical hints Car care Technical data Index Cleaning and care of the vehicle Cleaning and care of the vehicle Warning! Many cleaning products can be hazardous. Some are poisonous, others are flammable. Always follow the instructions on the particular container. Always open your vehicle's doors or windows when cleaning the inside. Never use fluids or solvents that are not designed for cleaning your vehicle. In operation, your vehicle is subjected to varying external influences which, if gone unchecked, can attack the paintwork as well as the underbody and cause lasting damage. Such damage is caused not only by extreme and varying climatic conditions, but also by air polution, road salt, tar, gravel and stone chipping. Grease and oil, fuel, coolant, brake fluid, bird droppings, insects, tree resins etc. should be removed immediately to avoid paint damage. Frequent washing reduces and/or eli minates the aggressiveness and potency of the above adverse influences. 340 More frequent washings are necessary to deal with unfavorable conditions; for example, near the ocean, in industrial areas (smoke, exhaust emissions), or during winter operation. You should check your vehicle from time to time for stone chipping or other damage. Any damage should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent the start of corrosion. In doing so, do not neglect the underside of the vehicle. A prerequisite for a thorough check is a washing of the underbody followed by a thorough inspection. Damaged areas need to be reundercoated. Your vehicle has been treated at the factory with a waxbase rustproofing in the body cavities which will last for the lifetime of the vehicle. Post-production treatment is neither necessary nor recommended by Mercedes-Benz because of the possibility of incompatibility between materials used in the production process and others applied later. We have selected car-care products and compiled recommendations which are specially matched to our vehicles and which always reflect the latest technology. You can obtain Mercedes-Benz approved car-care products at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.