2008 Mercedes CLS-Class Owner's Manual - Page 337

Operation Vehicle care Hand-wash Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle in direct sunlight. Only use a mild car wash detergent, such as Mercedes-Benz approved Car Shampoo. Thoroughly spray the vehicle with a diffused jet of water. Direct only a very weak spray towards the ventilation intake. Use plenty of water and rinse the sponge and chamois frequently. Rinse with clean water and thoroughly dry with a chamois. Do not allow cleaning agents to dry on the finish. Automatic car wash You can have your car washed in an automatic car wash from the start. Automatic car washes without brushes are preferable. To protect the filter system, switch the automatic climate control to air recirculation mode ( page 190) or ( page 191). i After running the vehicle through an automatic car wash, wipe any wax off of the windshield ( page 338). This will prevent smears and reduce wiping noise which can be caused by residual wax on the windshield. When leaving the car wash, make sure that the mirrors are folded out. Otherwise they may vibrate. Ornamental moldings For regular cleaning and care of ornamental moldings, use a damp cloth. ! Do not clean your vehicle in an automatic touchless car wash which uses caustic spray. Otherwise the caustic spray will damage the paint or ornamental moldings. ! Do not use chrome cleaner on ornamental moldings. Although ornamental moldings may have chrome appearance, they could be made of anodized aluminum that will be damaged when cleaned with chrome cleaner. Instead, use a damp cloth to clean those ornamental moldings. For very dirty ornamental moldings of which you are sure are chrome-plated, use a chrome cleaner. If in doubt whether an ornamental molding is chrome-plated, contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. If the vehicle is very dirty, prewash it before running it through the automatic car wash. ! Make sure that the windshield wiper switch is set to 0 ( page 56). Otherwise, e.g. the rain sensor could activate and cause the wipers to move unintentionally. This may lead to vehicle damage. Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in exterior rear view mirrors prior to running the vehicle through an automatic car wash to prevent damage to the mirrors. ! Do not use scouring agents on these parts. Never apply strong force and only use a soft, non-scratching cloth when cleaning the vehicle. Do not attempt to wipe the surface with a dry cloth or sponge. Otherwise you may scratch or damage the paint. 336