Get Appearance and care Guide for Nissan Qashqai SUV Third Generation (2021-2026)

7 Appearance and care

Cleaning exterior........................................................................... 7-2

Washing ......................................................................................... 7-2

Waxing ............................................................................................ 7-2

Removing spots ...................................................................... 7-3

Underbody................................................................................... 7-3

Glass ................................................................................................. 7-3

Wheels ............................................................................................. 7-3

Aluminum alloy wheels ..................................................... 7-3

Chrome parts ............................................................................ 7-4

Tire dressing .............................................................................. 7-4

Cleaning interior ........................................................................... 7-4

Air fresheners ......................................................................... 7-5

Floor mats ................................................................................. 7-5

Seat belts ................................................................................... 7-6

Cleaning the seat tracks ............................................... 7-6

Corrosion protection ................................................................ 7-7

Most common factors contributing to

vehicle corrosion.................................................................. 7-7

Environmental factors influence the rate

of corrosion.............................................................................. 7-7

To protect your vehicle from corrosion............ 7-7

CarManuals2.com

CLEANING EXTERIOR

Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with plenty

of clean water.

In order to maintain the appearance of

your vehicle, it is important to take proper

care of it.

CAUTION

Inside flanges, seams and folds on the

doors, hatches and hood are particularly

vulnerable to the effects of road salt.

Therefore, these areas must be regularly

cleaned. Make sure that the drain holes in

the lower edge of the door are open.

Spray water under the body and in the

wheel wells to loosen the dirt and wash

away road salt.

Avoid leaving water spots on the paint

surface by using a damp chamois to dry

the vehicle.

WAXING

Regular waxing protects the paint surface

and helps retain new vehicle appearance.

Polishing is recommended to remove

built-up wax residue and to avoid a

weathered appearance before reapplying

wax.

.

Do not use car washes that use

acid in the detergent. Some car

washes, especially brushless

ones, use some acid for cleaning.

The acid may react with some

plastic vehicle components, caus-

ing them to crack. This could

affect their appearance, and also

could cause them not to function

properly. Always check with your

car wash to confirm that acid is

not used.

Do not wash the vehicle with

strong household soap, strong

chemical detergents, gasoline or

solvents.

Do not wash the vehicle in direct

sunlight or while the vehicle body

is hot, as the surface may become

water-spotted.

To protect the paint surfaces, wash your

vehicle as soon as you can:

.

after a rainfall to prevent possible

damage from acid rain

.

after driving on coastal roads

when contaminants such as soot, bird

droppings, tree sap, metal particles or

bugs get on the paint surface

.

when dust or mud builds up on the

surface

Whenever possible, store or park your

vehicle inside a garage or in a covered

area.

When it is necessary to park outside, park

in a shady area or protect the vehicle with

a body cover.

Be careful not to scratch the paint

surface when putting on or removing

the body cover.

WASHING

Wash dirt off the vehicle with a wet

sponge and plenty of water. Clean the

vehicle thoroughly using a mild soap, a

special vehicle soap or general purpose

dishwashing liquid mixed with clean, lu-

kewarm (never hot) water.

.

A NISSAN dealer can assist you in choos-

ing the proper product.

Avoid using tight-napped or

rough cloths, such as washing

mitts. Care must be taken when

removing caked-on dirt or other

foreign substances so the paint

surface is not scratched or da-

maged.

.

Wax your vehicle only after a thorough

washing. Follow the instructions sup-

plied with the wax.

Do not use a wax containing any

abrasives, cutting compounds or clea-

ners that may damage the vehicle

finish.

Machine compound or aggressive polish-

7-2 Appearance and care

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ing on a base coat/clear coat paint finish

may dull the finish or leave swirl marks.

REMOVING SPOTS

Remove tar and oil spots, industrial dust,

insects, and tree sap as quickly as possi-

ble from the paint surface to avoid lasting

damage or staining. Special cleaning

products are available at a NISSAN dealer

or any automotive accessory stores. It is

recommended that you visit a NISSAN

dealer for these products.

ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEELS

CAUTION

Wash regularly with a sponge dampened

in a mild soap solution, especially during

winter months in areas where road salt is

used. Salt could discolor the wheels if not

removed.

When cleaning the inside of the

windows, do not use sharp-edged

tools, abrasive cleaners or chlorine-

based disinfectant cleaners. They

could damage the electrical conduc-

tors, radio antenna elements or rear

window defroster elements.

CAUTION

Follow the directions below to avoid

staining or discoloring the wheels:

WHEELS

UNDERBODY

.

Do not use a cleaner that uses

strong acid or alkali contents to

clean the wheels.

Wash the wheels when washing the

In areas where road salt is used in winter,

the underbody must be cleaned regularly.

This will prevent dirt and salt from build-

ing up and causing the acceleration of

corrosion on the underbody and suspen-

sion. Before the winter period and again

in the spring, the underseal must be

checked and, if necessary, re-treated.

vehicle to maintain their appearance.

.

Clean the inner side of the wheels

when the wheel is changed or the

underside of the vehicle is washed.

Inspect wheel rims regularly for dents

or corrosion. Such damage may cause

loss of pressure or poor seal at the tire

bead.

NISSAN recommends that the road

wheels be waxed to protect against

road salt in areas where it is used

during winter.

.

Do not apply wheel cleaners to

the wheels when they are hot.

The wheel temperature should be

the same as ambient tempera-

ture.

.

Rinse the wheel to completely

remove the cleaner within 15

minutes after the cleaner is ap-

plied.

GLASS

.

Use glass cleaner to remove smoke and

dust film from the glass surfaces. It is

normal for glass to become coated with a

film after the vehicle is parked in the hot

sun. Glass cleaner and a soft cloth will

easily remove this film.

CAUTION

Do not use abrasive cleaners when

washing the wheels.

Appearance and care 7-3

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CLEANING INTERIOR

Occasionally remove loose dust from the

interior trim, plastic parts and seats using

a vacuum cleaner or soft bristled brush.

Wipe the vinyl and leather surfaces with a

clean, soft cloth dampened in mild soap

solution, then wipe clean with a dry soft

cloth.

Regular care and cleaning is required in

order to maintain the appearance of the

leather.

Before using any fabric protector, read

the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Some fabric protectors contain chemicals

that may stain or bleach the seat materi-

al.

CHROME PARTS

CAUTION

Clean chrome parts regularly with a non-

abrasive chrome polish to maintain the

finish.

.

Never use benzine, thinner, or any

similar material.

TIRE DRESSING

For cleaning, use a soft cloth,

dampened with water. Never use

a rough cloth, alcohol, benzine,

thinner or any kind of solvent or

NISSAN does not recommend the use of

tire dressings. Tire manufacturers apply a

coating to the tires to help reduce dis-

coloration of the rubber. If a tire dressing

is applied to the tires, it may react with

the coating and form a compound. This

compound may come off the tire while

driving and stain the vehicle paint.

paper towel with

a

chemical

cleaning agent. They will scratch

or cause discoloration to the lens.

.

Do not spray any liquid such as

water on the meter lens. Spraying

liquid may cause the system to

malfunction.

Small dirt particles can be abra-

sive and damaging to the leather

surfaces and should be removed

promptly. Do not use saddle soap,

car waxes, polishes, oils, cleaning

fluids, solvents, detergents or

ammonia-based cleaners as they

may damage the leather’s natural

finish.

If you choose to use a tire dressing, take

the following precautions:

Use a cloth dampened only with water, to

.

Use a water-based tire dressing. The

coating on the tire dissolves more

easily with an oil-based tire dressing.

Apply a light coat of tire dressing to

help prevent it from entering the tire

tread/grooves (where it would be

difficult to remove).

clean the meter and gauge lens.

WARNING

Do not use water or acidic cleaners

(hot steam cleaners) on the seat. This

can damage the seat or occupant

classification sensors. This can also

affect the operation of the air bag

system and result in serious perso-

nal injury.

.

Wipe off excess tire dressing using a

dry towel. Make sure the tire dressing

is completely removed from the tire

tread/grooves.

Allow the tire dressing to dry as

recommended by tire dressing manu-

facturer.

.

Never use fabric protectors un-

less recommended by the manu-

facturer.

Do not use glass or plastic cleaner

on meter or gauge lens covers. It

7-4 Appearance and care

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may damage the lens cover.

.

NEVER place a floor mat on top of

another floor mat in the driver

front position or install them up-

side down or backwards.

It is recommended that you use

only genuine NISSAN floor mats

specifically designed for use in

your vehicle model and model

year.

Properly position the mats in the

floorwell using the floor mat po-

sitioning hooks. See “Floor mat

installation” (P.7-5).

AIR FRESHENERS

Most air fresheners use a solvent that

could affect the vehicle interior. If you use

an air freshener, take the following pre-

cautions:

.

Hanging-type air fresheners can

cause permanent discoloration when

they contact vehicle interior surfaces.

Place the air freshener in a location

that allows it to hang free and not

contact an interior surface.

Liquid-type air fresheners typically clip

on the vents. These products can

cause immediate damage and disco-

loration when spilled on interior sur-

faces.

.

JVA0018X

.

Make sure the floor mat does not

.

interfere with pedal operation.

Floor mat installation

Periodically check the floor mats

to make sure they are properly

installed.

After cleaning the vehicle interior,

check the floor mats to make

sure they are properly installed.

Your vehicle is equipped with floor mat

positioning hook(s). The number and

shape of the floor mat positioning hook

(s) for each seating position varies de-

pending on the vehicle.

Carefully read and follow the manufac-

turer’s instructions before using air fresh-

eners.

FLOOR MATS

.

When installing genuine NISSAN floor

mats, follow the installation instructions

provided with the floor mat and the

following:

1. Position the floor mat in the floorwell

so that the floor mat grommet holes

are aligned with the hook(s).

The use of genuine NISSAN floor mats can

extend the life of your vehicle carpet and

make it easier to clean the interior. Mats

should be maintained with regular clean-

ing and replaced if they become exces-

sively worn.

WARNING

To avoid potential pedal interference

that may result in a collision, injury

or death:

2. Secure the grommet holes into the

hook(s) and ensure that the floor mat

Appearance and care 7-5

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is properly positioned.

dye, or chemical solvents to clean

the seat belts, since these materials

may severely weaken the seat belt

webbing.

3. Make sure the floor mat does not

interfere with pedal operation. With

the ignition in the OFF position and

the shift lever in the P (Park) position

(Continuously Variable Transmission

(CVT) models) or the shift lever in the

N (Neutral) position (Manual Transmis-

sion (MT) models), fully apply and

release all pedals. The floor mat must

not interfere with pedal operation or

prevent the pedal from returning to its

normal position. It is recommended

you see a NISSAN dealer for details

about installing the floor mats in your

vehicle.

CLEANING THE SEAT TRACKS

CAUTION

Periodically clean the seat tracks to

prevent reduction of ability to move

the seats.

JVA0031X

Clean periodically with a high-powered

vacuum cleaner. Dirt and debris may

reduce the ability to adjust the seat. A

wet cleansing agent may be used if

necessary.

Positioning hook(s)

The illustration shows the location of the

floor mat positioning hook(s).

SEAT BELTS

The seat belts can be cleaned by wiping

them with a sponge dampened in a mild

soap solution. Allow the belts to dry

completely in the shade before using

them.

See “Seat belts” (P.1-12).

WARNING

Do not allow wet seat belts to roll up

in the retractor. NEVER use bleach,

7-6 Appearance and care

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CORROSION PROTECTION

MOST COMMON FACTORS CON-

TRIBUTING TO VEHICLE CORRO-

SION

Temperature

cleaner.

A temperature increase will accelerate

the rate of corrosion to those parts which

are not well ventilated.

.

Never allow water or other liquids

to come in contact with electronic

components inside the vehicle as

this may damage them.

.

The accumulation of moisture-retain-

ing dirt and debris in body panel

sections, cavities, and other areas.

Air pollution

Industrial pollution, the presence of salt in

the air in coastal areas, or heavy road salt

use will accelerate the corrosion process.

Road salt will also accelerate the disin-

tegration of paint surfaces.

.

Damage to paint and other protective

coatings caused by gravel and stone

chips or minor traffic accidents.

Chemicals used for road surface deicing

are extremely corrosive. They accelerate

corrosion and deterioration of underbody

components such as the exhaust system,

fuel and brake lines, brake cables, floor

pan and fenders.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLU-

ENCE THE RATE OF CORROSION

TO PROTECT YOUR VEHICLE FROM

CORROSION

Moisture

In winter, the underbody must be

cleaned periodically.

Accumulation of sand, dirt and water on

the vehicle body underside can acceler-

ate corrosion. Wet floor coverings will not

dry completely inside the vehicle, and

should be removed for drying to avoid

floor panel corrosion.

.

Wash and wax your vehicle often to

keep the vehicle clean.

For additional protection against rust and

corrosion, which may be required in some

areas, it is recommended you consult a

NISSAN dealer.

Always check for minor damage to the

paint and repair it as soon as possible.

Keep drain holes at the bottom of the

doors open to avoid water accumula-

tion.

Check the underbody for accumula-

tion of sand, dirt or salt. If present,

wash with water as soon as possible.

Relative humidity

.

Corrosion will be accelerated in areas of

high relative humidity, especially those

areas where the temperatures stay above

freezing where atmospheric pollution ex-

ists, or where road salt is used.

CAUTION

.

NEVER remove dirt, sand or other

debris from the passenger com-

partment by washing it out with a

hose. Remove dirt with a vacuum

Appearance and care 7-7

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MEMO

7-8 Appearance and care

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Appearance and care for Your Nissan Qashqai SUV Third Generation (2021-2026)

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