Get CORROSION PREVENTION AND APPEARANCE CARE -> Cleaning the interior Guide for Toyota Avalon 4 Door Second Generation (2000-2004)

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)

Cleaning the interior

Road tar: Remove with turpentine or

cleaners that are marked safe for painted

surfaces.

Waxing your Toyota

CAUTION

Polishing and waxing is recommended

to maintain the original beauty of your

Toyota’s finish.

D Be careful not to splash water or

spill liquid on the floor. This may

prevent the side airbags from acti-

vating correctly, resulting in serious

injury.

NOTICE

Once a month or if the vehicle surface

does not repel water well, apply wax.

Do not use organic substances (gaso-

line, kerosene, benzine or strong sol-

vents), which may be toxic or cause

damage.

1. Always wash and dry the vehicle be-

fore you begin waxing, even if you are

using a combined cleaner and wax.

D Do not wash the vehicle floor with

water, or allow water to get onto

the floor when cleaning the vehicle

interior or exterior. Water may get

into audio components or other

electrical components above or un-

der the floor carpet (or mat) and

2. Use a good quality polish and wax. If

the finish has become extremely weath-

3. Rinse

thoroughly—dried

soap

can

cause streaking. In hot weather you

may need to rinse each section right

after you wash it.

ered, use

car−cleaning polish, fol-

lowed by a separate wax. Carefully fol-

low the manufacturer’s instructions and

precautions. Be sure to polish and wax

the chrome trim as well as the paint.

cause malfunction; and it may

cause body corrosion.

4. To prevent water spots, dry the vehicle

using a clean soft cotton towel. Do not

rub or press hard—you might scratch

the paint.

3. Wax the vehicle again when water

does not bead but remains on the sur-

face in large patches.

Vinyl interior

Automatic car wash

The vinyl upholstery may be easily

cleaned with a mild soap or detergent

and water.

Your vehicle may be washed in an auto-

matic car wash, but remember that the

paint can be scratched by some type of

brushes, unfiltered washing water, or the

washing process itself. Scratching reduces

paint durability and gloss, especially on

darker colors. The manager of the car

wash should be able to advise you wheth-

er the process is safe for the paint on

your vehicle.

NOTICE

Always remove the plastic bumpers if

your vehicle is re−painted and placed

in a high heat paint waxing booth.

High temperatures could damage the

bumpers.

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’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)

First vacuum over the upholstery to re-

move loose dirt. Then, using a sponge or

soft cloth, apply the soap solution to the

vinyl. After allowing it to soak in for a few

minutes to loosen the dirt, remove the dirt

and wipe off the soap with a clean damp

cloth. If all the dirt do not come off, re-

peat the procedure. Commercial foaming−

type vinyl cleaners are also available

which work well. Follow the manufacturer’s

instructions.

Do not apply water—the best results are

Air conditioning control panel, car au-

dio, instrument panel, console panel,

and switches

obtained by keeping the carpet as dry as

possible. Read the shampoo instructions

and follow them closely.

Use a soft damp cloth for cleaning.

Seat belts

Soak a clean soft cloth in water or luke-

warm water then lightly wipe off dirt.

The seat belts may be cleaned with

mild soap and water or with lukewarm

water.

NOTICE

Use a cloth or sponge. As you are clean-

ing, check the belts for excessive wear,

fraying, or cuts.

z Do not use organic substances (sol-

vents, kerosene, alcohol, gasoline,

etc.) or alkaline or acidic solutions.

These chemicals can cause discol-

oring, staining or peeling of the

surface.

NOTICE

Do not use solvent, thinner, gasoline

or window cleaner on the interior.

z Do not use dye or bleach on the

belts—it may weaken them.

z If you use cleaners or polishing

agents, make sure their ingredients

do not include the substances men-

tioned above.

Carpets

z Do not use the belts until they be-

come dry.

Use

clean the carpets.

good foam−type shampoo to

z If you use a liquid car freshener, do

not spill the liquid onto the ve-

hicle’s interior surfaces. It may con-

Windows

Begin by vacuuming thoroughly to remove

as much dirt as possible. Several types of

foam cleaners are available; some are in

aerosol cans and others are powders or

liquids which you mix with water to pro-

duce a foam. To shampoo the carpets,

use a sponge or brush to apply the foam.

Rub in overlapping circles.

The windows may be cleaned with any

household window cleaner.

tain

the

ingredients mentioned

above. Immediately clean any spill

using the method mentioned above.

NOTICE

When cleaning the inside of the rear

window, be careful not to scratch or

damage the heater wires or connec-

tors.

2003 AVALON (OM41401U)

259

’03 AVALON U (L/O 0206)

Leather Interior

z Mildew may develop on soiled leath-

The leather upholstery may be cleaned

with neutral detergent for wool.

er upholstery. Be especially careful

to avoid oil spots. Try to keep your

upholstery always clean.

Remove dirt using a soft cloth dampened

with 5% solution of neutral detergent for

wool. Then thoroughly wipe off all traces

of detergent with a clean damp cloth.

z Long exposure to direct sunlight

may cause the leather surface to

harden and shrink. Keep your ve-

hicle in a shaded area, especially in

the summer.

After cleaning or whenever any part of the

leather gets wet, dry with a soft clean

cloth. Allow the leather to dry in a venti-

lated shaded area.

z The interior of your vehicle is apt

to heat up on hot summer days, so

avoid placing on the upholstery

items made of vinyl or plastic or

containing wax as these tend to

stick to leather when warm.

NOTICE

z If a stain should fail to come out

with

neutral detergent, apply

cleaner that does not contain an

organic solvent.

z Improper cleaning of the leather up-

holstery could result in discolor-

ation or staining.

z Never use organic substances such

as benzine, alcohol or gasoline, or

alkaline or acid solutions for clean-

If you have any questions about the

cleaning of your Toyota, your local

Toyota dealer will be pleased to answer

them.

ing

could cause discoloring.

the

leather

these

z Use of a nylon brush or synthetic

fiber cloth, etc. may scratch the

fine grained surface of the leather.

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CORROSION PREVENTION AND APPEARANCE CARE -> Cleaning the interior for Your Toyota Avalon 4 Door Second Generation (2000-2004)

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