Exterior Maintenance

In the following cases, wash and maintain the car as soon as possible. Leaving the vehicle unwashed may cause paint damage or corrosion.

• The vehicle was driven along a coastline or on a snow-covered road where deicing agent was used.

• Soot, dust, sand, iron dust, coal tar, paint, or chemicals have adhered to the vehicle.

• Bird droppings, dead insects, tree sap, or fruit have adhered to the vehicle.

Before lifting the windshield wiper blades off the windshield, always follow the procedure for moving the windshield wiper blades. Otherwise, a wiper blade, wiper arm, or the hood could be damaged.

Refer to the Replacing Windshield Wiper Blade Rubbers section (Search) for the procedure on how to move the windshield wiper blades to the service position.

When lowering the wipers, slowly lower the wiper arms while supporting them with your hand. Lowering the wiper arms without supporting them could damage the wiper arms and blades, and may scratch or crack the windshield.

When the vehicle power is switched ON and the wiper lever is in the AUTO position, the windshield wipers may operate automatically in the following cases:

• The area of the windshield above the rain sensor is touched or wiped with a cloth.

• The windshield or the rain sensor area in the cabin is hit.

When the vehicle power is switched ON and the wiper lever is in the AUTO position, do not touch the windshield or the windshield wipers Otherwise, the windshield wipers will operate automatically which could catch your fingers or damage the windshield wipers.

When removing ice or snow, or cleaning the windshield, always make sure the wiper lever is in the OFF position.

Make sure that the fuel-filler lid is closed and lock the doors. Otherwise, the fuel-filler lid may be forcefully opened by water pressure causing damage to the vehicle or fuel-filler lid.

Do not spray water in the engine compartment. Otherwise, it could result in engine-starting problems or damage to electrical parts.

When washing and waxing the vehicle, be careful not to apply excessive force to any single area of the vehicle roof. Otherwise, you could dent the vehicle.

When cleaning the window glass or mirrors, gently wipe along the thermal filaments. Use of glass cleaning products could damage the thermal filaments.

Do not use wax containing compounds, organic solvents such as gasoline or benzene, alcohols, acidic or alkaline detergents, or bleach for cleaning.

If organic solvents such as gasoline, oil, engine coolant, or battery fluid, get on the exterior, wipe it off immediately.

Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, or strong detergents containing highly alkaline or caustic agents on chrome-plated or anodized aluminum parts. This may damage the protective coating; also, cleaners and detergents may discolor or deteriorate the paint.

(Vehicles with hands-free liftgate)

When washing or waxing the vehicle, turn off the hands-free liftgate using the Mazda Connect or do not bring the transmitter into the area around the liftgate. Otherwise, the liftgate could open unexpectedly resulting in an accident. Refer to Power Liftgate section (Search).

When using an automatic car wash

• Retract the door mirrors.

• The automatic car wash brushes could reduce the paint luster or hasten paint deterioration.

• For vehicles with a spoiler, a part of the car wash equipment may get caught in the spoiler making it impossible to wash the car or damaging the spoiler.

• To prevent damaging the antenna, remove it before entering a car wash facility or passing beneath a low overhead clearance.

• (When using a belt conveyor type automatic car wash)

  Perform the following operations.

  • For automatic car washes, such as those that move the vehicle by placing either the left or right tires on a belt conveyor, it is necessary to release the parking brake and change the shift position to the N position. Use neutral hold mode when using a belt conveyor type automatic car wash with the engine stopped. Refer to How to Use the Selector Lever (Search).

  • Do not depress the brake pedal during a car wash. Otherwise, the wheels could come off the belt conveyor.

  • Turn off all the i-ACTIVSENSE systems. Otherwise, it could cause a mis-operation. Refer to Active Safety Technology (Search) and Pre-crash Safety Technology (Search).

  • Stop the electric parking brake (EPB) automatic operation. Refer to Convenient Ways to Use the Electric Parking Brake (EPB) (Search).

When using a high water pressure car wash

High water temperature and high water pressure car washers are available depending on the type of car wash machine. If the car washer nozzle is put too close to the vehicle, the force of the spray could damage or deform the molding, affect the sealability of parts, and allow water to penetrate the interior. Keep a sufficient space (30 cm (12 in) or more) between the nozzle and the vehicle. In addition, do not spend too much time spraying the same area of the vehicle, and be very careful when spraying between gaps in doors and around windows.