Get Maintenance -> Maintenance and cleaning Guide for Seat Leon 4 Door Third Generation (2012-2020)

Vehicle maintenance

If your SEAT vehicle is immobilised due to a

fault or an accident, our assistance services

will help you keep moving.

Washing the vehicle

Vehicle maintenance

The longer you take to clean the tanks, e.g.

remains of insects, bird excrements, tree resin

or anti frost salt adhered to your vehicle, the

more damage it can cause to the surface.

High temperatures, for instance strong sun-

light, further intensify the damage.

Maintenance and cleaning

Take into account that the SEAT Mobility

Service differs depending on the country in

which the vehicle was purchased. For further

information ask your SEAT dealership or the

SEAT website in your country.

Basic considerations

Regular and careful care helps to maintain

the value of your vehicle. In addition, it may

become a prerequisite to demand the war-

ranty in the event of corrosion damage and

deficiencies in the paint coat of the body-

work.

Before washing the car, soften the dirt using

plenty of water.

To remove encrusted dirt such as insects, bird

droppings or tree resin, use a lot of water and

a microfibre cloth.

Warranty

Fault-free operation warranty

Specialised workshops have the necessary

care products. Please follow the instructions

for application on the packaging.

Have the underside of the vehicle washed af-

ter the end of the anti frost salts in winter.

SEAT Authorised Services ensure the perfect

condition of new vehicles. Check the pur-

chase agreement or complementary addi-

tional documentation provided by your Tech-

nical Service to see the conditions and the

terms of the warranty. Consult further infor-

mation in this regard in your SEAT Official

Service.

High pressure cleaners

WARNING

When washing the vehicle with a high-pres-

sure cleaner, always follow the operating in-

structions for the equipment. This applies

particularly to the operating pressure and the

distance between the spraying water. Do not

aim the jet directly to the side window gas-

kets, doors, covers or the panoramic sun-

roof*; the same applies to tyres, rubber ho-

ses, soundproofing material, sensors* or

camera lenses*. Keep a distance of at least

40 cm.

●

Cleaning products and other materials

used for car care can be damaging to your

health if misused.

●

Always keep care products in a safe

place, out of the reach of children. Danger

of poisoning!

For the sake of the environment

●

When purchasing car care products,

chose products that are compatible with

the environment.

Do not remove snow and ice with a high-

pressure cleaner.

●

The waste from car-care products should

»

not be disposed of with ordinary household

waste.

345

Maintenance

Do not use a nozzle that sprays the water out

in a direct stream or one that has a rotating

jet for forcing off dirt.

Apply the product with a microfibre cloth. To

avoid damaging the surface of the paint, do

not apply too much pressure.

view mirrors must always be folded/de-

ployed electrically!

●

Do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight.

Risk of damaging the paint job!

The water temperature must not exceed

60°C.

Rinse with plenty of water. Then clean it with

a neutral cleaning product and a soft microfi-

bre cloth.

●

Do not use sponges, abrasive household

sponges or similar to clean insect remains.

Risk of damaging the surface!

Automatic car wash tunnels

Rinse the vehicle again with plenty of water

and then leave it to dry. Remove traces of

water with a leather cloth.

●

Vehicle parts with matte paint:

Spray the vehicle before starting the car

wash.

–

Do not use polish or hard wax. Risk of

damaging the surface!

Make sure that the windows and the panor-

amic sunroof* are closed and the windscreen

wipers are deactivated. Bear in mind the in-

structions of the car wash tunnel operator,

especially if your vehicle has detachable

parts.

WARNING

–

Never select washing programs that in-

clude the use of wax. This could dam-

age the appearance of matte paint.

●

Only wash the vehicle with the ignition

switched off or according to the specifica-

tions of the car wash tunnel operator. Risk

of accident!

–

Do not put stickers or magnets on parts

with matte paint, as removing them

may damage the paint.

●

When cleaning the underbody or the in-

Use of car washes without brushes if possible.

side of the wheel arches, protect yourself

from sharp or pointy metal parts. Risk of

cut!

For the sake of the environment

Washing by hand

The car should only be washed in special

wash bays. These places are prepared to

prevent oily water from getting into the

public drains.

Clean your vehicle from top to bottom with a

soft sponge or with a brush. Only use clean-

ing products that do not contain solvents.

●

After cleaning the brakes could act more

slowly due to moisture or, in winter, the ice

on the brake discs and pads. Risk of acci-

dent! In this case the brakes should be

dried by pressing the brake pedal several

times.

Washing vehicles with a matte paint by

hand

Cleaning and maintenance instruc-

tions

To prevent damage to the vehicle when

washing it, first remove the thicker dust and

dirt. To remove traces of insects, grease and

fingerprints, it is best to use a special cleaner

for matte paint.

CAUTION

●

Before washing the vehicle in an auto-

The cleaning and maintenance of individual

components of the vehicle can be checked in

the following tables. The contents should be

understood merely as a recommendation. Go

to your specialised workshop if you have

matic car wash, please make sure to re-

tract the exterior mirrors to prevent them

from being damaged. Electric exterior rear-

346

Vehicle maintenance

Wheels

special questions or parts that are not listed.

Take he general considerations into account

Problem

Solution

Problem

Solution

Have your specialised work-

shop take care of this

in Take special care with... on

›››

Corrosion

page 350.

Anti frost salt

Water

The water does

not create drop-

lets on the clean

paint

Brake abrasion

dust

Acid-free special cleaning

product

Maintain with hard wax (at

least 2 times a year)

Exterior cleaning

End exhausts

Problem

Windscreen wipers

Treat with suitable wax and ap-

ply paint preservative after-

wards if the wax used does not

contain preservative ingredi-

ents

Solution

No shine de-

Problem

Solution

spite sober main-

tenance/paint

Anti frost salt

Water, if a steel cleaning prod-

uct is required

Dirt

Soft cloth with wipers

Headlights / Tail lights

Covers / Trims

Problem

Dirt

Tanks, e.g. insect

remains, bird

Immediately soften with water

and remove with a microfibre

cloth

Problem

Solution

Neutral soap solution^a), if a

steel cleaning product is re-

quired

droppings, tree

sap, road salt

Dirt

Soft sponge with neutral soap

solution^a)

Fat-based dirt,

e.g. cosmetic

products or

sunscreen

Delete immediately with a neu-

tral soap solution^a)and a soft

cloth

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

Sensors / Camera lenses

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

Paint

Problem

Solution

Problem

Solution

Carbon fibre parts

Sensors: soft cloth with clean-

ing product which does not

contain solvents

Check the paint's colour code

in an authorised service and re-

store with a touch-up pencil

Problem

Solution

Flaws in the paint

Spilled fuel

Dirt

Camera lenses - soft cloth with

cleaning product with no alco-

hol content

Dirt

Clean the same way as pain-

»

ted parts page 345

›››

Immediately rinse with water

Apply rust remover and then

Hand brush/Anti frost spray

with no solvents

Snow/ice

Environmental rust apply hard wax. Go you your

tank

specialised workshop if you

have any queries

347

Maintenance

Decoration slides

Problem

Dirt

Displays/instrument panel

Problem

Solution

Apply a neutral soap solution^a)

.

Solution

Problem

Solution

Grease-based

dirt, e.g. oil, make- Absorb the dissolved grease

Soft sponge with neutral soap

solution^a)

Dirt

Soft cloth with a liquid crystal

display cleaner

up, etc.

and paint particles drying with

an absorbent cloth, in case you

must treat it with water after-

wards

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

Control panels

Problem

Dirt

1 litre of water

Solution

Special dirt, e.g.

pens, nail polish,

dispersion paint,

shoe cream etc.

Special stain remove: dry with

an absorbent cloth, if applica-

ble, apply neutral soap solution

afterwards^a)

Soft brush, then soft cloth with

neutral soap solution^a)

Interior cleaning

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

Windows

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

Problem

Solution

Seat belts

Natural leather

Dirt

Apply windscreen cleaner and

then dry with a cloth

Problem

Solution

Problem

Solution

Dirt

Neutral soap solution^a), al-

Covers / Trims

Problem

Recent dirt

Cotton cloth with neutral soap

solution^a)

lowed to dry before retracting

Solution

Neutral soap solution^a)

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

Water-based dirt,

e.g. coffee, tea,

blood etc.

Recent stains: absorbent cloth

Dry stains: leather cleaner

Dirt

a)

Fabrics, artificial, Alcantara leather

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

Grease-based

Recent stains: absorbent cloth

Problem

Solution

dirt, e.g. oil, make- and leather cleaner

Plastic parts

up, etc.

Dry stains: grease dissolving

Dirt particles ad-

hered to the sur-

face

Vacuum cleaner

spray

Problem

Dirt

Solution

Special dirt, e.g.

pens, nail polish,

dispersion paint,

shoe cream etc.

Stain remover suitable for

leather

Damp cloth

Water-based dirt,

e.g. coffee, tea,

blood etc.

Absorbent cloth and neutral

soap solution^a)

Encrusted dirt

Neutral soap solution^a), if pos-

sible solvent-free plastic clean-

er

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

348

Vehicle maintenance

●

Camera lenses

The ambient rust deposits must not be re-

Problem

Solution

moved through friction. Risk of damaging the

paint job!

●

Do not use hot or warm water to remove ice

Care

Apply preservative cream regu-

larly to protect from sunlight.

Use a colour preservative if re-

quired

or snow from the camera lenses. Risk of

cracking the lens!

●

Remove cosmetic products and sunlight

immediately. Risk of damaging the paint job!

●

To clean the camera lens, never use abra-

sive cleaning products or products with alco-

hol. Risk of scratches and cracks!

a)

Neutral soap solution: two tablespoons maximum in

1 litre of water

Displays/instrument panel

●

The screens, the instrument panel and the

Windows

trim around it must not be cleaned dry. Risk of

scratches!

Carbon fibre parts

●

Remove snow and ice from windows and

Problem

Solution

exterior mirrors with a plastic scraper only. To

avoid scratches, the scraper should only be

pushed in one direction and not moved to

and fro.

●

Make sure that the instrument panel is

switched off and cooled down before clean-

ing.

Dirt

Clean like plastic parts

●

Make sure that no liquid leaks between the

●

Never remove snow or ice from windows

instrument panel and the trim. Risk of dam-

age!

Take special care with...

and rearview mirrors with warm or hot water.

Risk of cracks on the windows!

Headlights/tail lights

Control panels

●

To prevent damage to the heating of the

●

Do not clean the headlights/tail lights with

Make sure that no liquid leaks into the con-

rear window, do not put stickers over the

heating elements.

a dry cloth or sponge.

trol panels. Risk of damage!

●

Do not use cleaning products that contain

alcohol. Risk of cracks!

Seat belts

●

Covers/trims

Do not remove the seat belts to clean them.

Seat belts and their components must nev-

●

Do not use cleaning products or chrome

Wheels

based cleaning agents.

●

Do not use for paint wax or other abrasive

er be cleaned with chemical products, nor

should they be allowed to come into contact

with corrosive liquids, solvents or sharp ob-

jects. Risk of damaging the fabric!

products.

Paint

●

If the protective coating on the paint of the

●

The vehicle must be free from dirt and dust

rim has been damaged due to stone impacts,

scratches, etc., the damage should be re-

paired immediately.

before applying wax or care products. Risk of

scratches!

●

If you find any damage to the belt webbing,

●

Do not apply wax or care products if the

belt fittings, the belt retractor or the buckle,

ask your specialised workshop to replace the

belt in question.

vehicle is exposed to direct sunlight. Risk of

damaging the paint job!

»

349

Maintenance

Fabrics/artificial leather/Alcantara leath-

er

longed period in the bright sun, it is best to

cover the leather.

●

Do not treat artificial leather/Alcantara

WARNING

leather with leather cleaning products, sol-

vents, wax polish, shoe cream, stain removers

or similar products.

Do not use water-repellent coatings on the

windscreen. In bad visibility conditions

such as humid weather, darkness or when

the sun is in its lowest point, visibility may

be impacted. Risk of accident! Such coat-

ings can also cause the windscreen wiper

blades to make noise.

●

If the stain is very hard to remove, take the

vehicle to a specialised workshop to have it

removed there. This will prevent damage.

●

Do not use steam cleaners, brushes, hard

sponges, etc. to clean.

●

Do not turn on seat heating* to dry the

Note

seats.

●

Remains of insects can be removed much

more easily with previously treated paint.

Sharp objects on clothing, such as zips, riv-

ets or belts can damage the surface.

●

Regular car care treatments can prevent

deposits of ambient rust.

Open Velcro, e.g. on clothes can damage

the seat upholstery. Make sure that Velcro

fasteners are closed.

Remove the vehicle from traffic

Natural leather

●

Never use solvents, wax polish, shoe cream,

If you want to leave your vehicle stationary

for a long period of time, contact a qualified

workshop. They will gladly inform you about

the necessary measures, such as anti-corro-

sion protection, Service and storage.

spot removers or similar products on leather.

●

Sharp objects on clothing, such as zips, riv-

ets or belts can damage the surface.

●

Do not use steam cleaners, brushes, hard

sponges, etc. to clean.

Also take into account instructions regarding

●

Do not turn on seat heating* to dry the

the vehicle's battery page 329.

›››

seats.

●

Avoid exposing leather to direct sunlight for

long periods, otherwise it may tend to lose

some of its colour. If the car is left for a pro-

350

Maintenance -> Maintenance and cleaning for Your Seat Leon 4 Door Third Generation (2012-2020)

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