2013 Lincoln MKZ Owner Manual Printing 2 - Page 290

Vehicle Care When washing and waxing, park your vehicle in a shaded area out of direct sunlight. Always wash your vehicle before applying wax. • • Use a quality wax that does not contain abrasives. Follow the manufacturer 's instructions to apply and remove the wax. Apply a small amount of wax in a back-and-forth motion, not in circles. Do not allow wax to come in contact with any non-body (low-gloss black) colored trim. The wax will discolor or stain the parts over time. • Roof racks. • Bumpers. • Grained door handles. • Side mouldings. • Mirror housings. • Windshield cowl area. Do not apply wax to glass areas. After waxing, your car's paint should feel smooth, and be free of streaks and smudges. When washing: • Take care when using a power washer to clean the engine. The high-pressure fluid could penetrate the sealed parts and cause damage. • Do not spray a hot engine with cold water to avoid cracking the engine block or other engine components. • Spray Motorcraft® Engine Shampoo and Degreaser on all parts that require cleaning and pressure rinse clean. In Canada, use Motorcraft® Engine Shampoo. • Never wash or rinse the engine while it is hot or running; water in the running engine may cause internal damage. • Never wash or rinse any ignition coil, spark plug wire or spark plug well, or the area in and around these locations. • Cover the battery, power distribution box, and air filter assembly to prevent water damage when cleaning the engine. • • • • CLEANING THE WINDOWS AND WIPER BLADES Clean your windows and wiper blades regularly. If the wipers do not wipe properly, substances on the vehicle's glass or the wiper blades may cause squeaking or chatter noise from the blades, and streaking and smearing of the windshield. CLEANING THE ENGINE Engines are more efficient when they are clean because grease and dirt buildup keep the engine warmer than normal. 288 MKZ (CC9)