Toyota CH-R: Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior

Perform cleaning in a manner appropriate to each component and its material.

Cleaning instructions

• Working from top to bottom, liberally apply water to the vehicle body, wheel wells and underside of the vehicle to remove any dirt and dust.
• Wash the vehicle body using a sponge or soft cloth, such as a chamois.
• For hard-to-remove marks, use car wash soap and rinse thoroughly with water.
• Wipe away any water.
• Wax the vehicle when the waterproof coating deteriorates.

If water does not bead on a clean surface, apply wax when the vehicle body is cool.

■Self-restoring coat

The vehicle body has a self-restoring coating that is resistant to small surface scratches caused in a car wash, etc.

• The coating lasts for 5 to 8 years from when the vehicle is delivered from the plant.
• The restoration time differs depending on the depth of the scratch and outside temperature. The restoration time may become shorter when the coating is warmed by applying warm water.
• Deep scratches caused by keys, coins, etc., cannot be restored.
• Do not use wax that contain abrasives.

■Automatic car washes

• Before washing the vehicle:
  • Fold the mirrors.

Start washing from the front of the vehicle.

Extend the mirrors before driving.

• Turn off the power back door (if equipped).
• Brushes used in automatic car washes may scratch the vehicle surface, parts (wheel, etc.) and harm your vehicle's paint.
• In certain automatic car washes, the rear spoiler may interfere with machine operation. This may prevent the vehicle from being cleaned properly or result in damage to the rear spoiler.
• When needed to keep the parking brake off, do not open the driver door.

  If you open the door, the parking brake automatically locked.

If you need to release the parking brake, turn off the brake hold system, release the parking brake, and set the power switch to ACC while holding the N position.

• When the shift position needs to be held in N.

■High pressure car washes

As water may enter the cabin, do not bring the nozzle tip near the gaps around the doors or perimeter of the windows, or spray these areas continuously.

■When using a car wash

If the door handle becomes wet while the electronic key is within the effective range, the door may lock and unlock repeatedly. In that case, follow the following correction procedures to wash the vehicle:

• Place the key in a position 2 m (6 ft.) or more separate from the vehicle while the vehicle is being washed.

  (Take care to ensure that the key is not stolen.)

• Set the electronic key to battery-saving mode to disable the smart entry & start system.

■Wheels and wheel ornaments (vehicles without matte black painted wheels)

• Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent.
• Wash detergent off with water immediately after use.
• To protect the paint from damage, make sure to observe the following precautions.
  • Do not use acidic, alkaline or abrasive detergent
  • Do not use hard brushes
  • Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, such as after driving or parking in hot weather

■Aluminum wheels (vehicles with matte black painted wheels)

As matte black painted wheels require different cleaning methods than conventional aluminum wheels, be sure to observe the following. For details, consult any authorized Toyota retailer or Toyota authorized repairer, or any reliable repairer.

• Remove dirt using water. If the wheels are excessively dirty, use a sponge or soft cloth dampened with a diluted neutral detergent to remove the dirt.
• When using detergent, make sure to rinse it off with water immediately.

  Then use a soft cloth to wipe off the water.

• To prevent the matte black paint from being damaged, make sure to observe the following precautions:
  • Do not scrub or polish the wheels using a brush or dry cloth.
  • Do not use any wheel coatings or abrasive detergents.
  • When using an automatic car wash, disable/do not select the wheel brush function (if such an option is available).

■Brake pads and calipers

Rust may form if the vehicle is parked with wet brake pads or disc rotors, causing them to stick. Before parking the vehicle after it is washed, drive slowly and apply the brakes several times to dry the parts.

■Bumpers

Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.

■Plated portions (if equipped)

If dirt cannot be removed, clean the parts as follows:

• Use a soft cloth dampened with an approximately 5% solution of neutral detergent and water to clean the dirt off.
• Wipe the surface with a dry, soft cloth to remove any remaining moisture.
• To remove oily deposits, use alcohol wet wipes or a similar product.

WARNING

■When washing the vehicle

Do not apply water to the inside of the engine compartment. Doing so may cause the electrical components, etc. to catch fire.

■When cleaning the windshield (vehicles with rain-sensing windshield wipers)

Set the wiper switch to off. If the wiper switch is in "AUTO", the wipers may operate unexpectedly in the following situations, and may result in hands being caught or other serious injuries and cause damage to the wiper blades.

1. Off
2. AUTO

• When the upper part of the windshield where the raindrop sensor is located is touched by hand
• When a wet rag or similar is held close to the raindrop sensor
• If something bumps against the windshield
• If you directly touch the raindrop sensor body or if something bumps into the raindrop sensor

■Precautions regarding the exhaust pipe

Exhaust gasses cause the exhaust pipe to become quite hot.

When washing the vehicle, be careful not to touch the pipe until it has cooled sufficiently, as touching a hot exhaust pipe can cause burns.

■Precaution regarding the rear bumper

If the paint of the rear bumper is chipped or scratched, the following systems may not function correctly. If this occurs, consult with any authorized Toyota retailer or Toyota authorized repairer, or any reliable repairer.

• BSM
• Automatic Rear Flashing Hazard Lights (if equipped)
• RCTA
• PKSB (if equipped)
• Toyota parking assist sensor (if equipped)

NOTICE

■To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body and components (aluminum wheels, etc.)

• Wash the vehicle immediately in the following cases:
  • After driving near the sea coast
  • After driving on salted roads
  • If coal tar or tree sap is present on the paint surface
  • If dead insects, insect droppings or bird droppings are present on the paint surface
  • After driving in an area contaminated with soot, oily smoke, mine dust, iron powder or chemical substances
  • If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled with dust or mud
  • If liquids such as benzene and gasoline are spilled on the paint surface
• If the paint is chipped or scratched, have it repaired immediately.
• To prevent the wheels from corroding, remove any dirt and store in a place with low humidity when storing the wheels.

■Cleaning the exterior lights

• Wash carefully. Do not use organic substances or scrub with a hard brush.

  This may damage the surfaces of the lights.

• Do not apply wax to the surfaces of the lights.

  Wax may cause damage to the lenses.

■To prevent damage to the windshield wiper arms

When lifting the wiper arms away from the windshield, pull the driver side wiper arm upward first, and repeat for the passenger side. When returning the wipers to their original position, do so from the passenger side first.

■When using an automatic car wash (vehicles with rain-sensing windshield wipers)

Set the wiper switch to the off position.

If the wiper switch is in "AUTO", the wipers may operate and the wiper blades may be damaged.

■When using a high pressure car wash

• When washing the vehicle, do not spray the camera or its surrounding area directly with a high pressure washer. Shock applied from high pressure water may cause the device to not operate normally.
• Do not spray water directly on the radar which is equipped behind the emblem. Otherwise it may cause the device to be damaged.
• Do not bring the nozzle tip close to boots (rubber or resin manufactured cover), connectors or the following parts. The parts may be damaged if they come into contact with high-pressure water.
  • Traction related parts
  • Steering parts
  • Suspension parts
  • Brake parts
• Keep the cleaning nozzle at least 30 cm (11.9 in.) away from the vehicles body. Otherwise resin section, such as moldings and bumpers, may be deformed and damaged.

  Also, do not continuously hold the nozzle in the same place.

• Do not spray the lower part of the windshield continuously. If water enters the air conditioning system intake located near the lower part of the windshield, the air conditioning system may not operate correctly.
• Do not wash the underside of the vehicle using a high pressure car washer.

Sun visorsCleaning and protecting the vehicle interior