Get CORROSION PREVENTION AND APPEARANCE CARE -> Cleaning the interior Guide for Toyota Prius 4 Door First Generation (1997-2003)

Cleaning the interior

Waxing your Toyota

NOTICE

CAUTION

Polishing and waxing is recommended

to maintain the original beauty of your

Toyota’s finish.

To prevent damage to the antenna,

make sure to remove it before driving

your Toyota through an automatic car

wash.

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

cause fire or malfunction; and it

may cause body corrosion.

Once a month or if the vehicle surface

does not repel water well, apply wax.

1. Always wash and dry the vehicle be-

fore you begin waxing, even if you are

using a combined cleaner and wax.

2. Use a good quality polish and wax. If

the finish has become extremely weath-

D Vehicles with side airbags:

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.

ered, use

a

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.

3. Wax the vehicle again when water

does not bead but remains on the sur-

face in large patches.

Vinyl interior

The vinyl upholstery may be easily

cleaned with a mild soap or detergent

and water.

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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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

obtained by keeping the carpet as dry as

possible. Read the shampoo instructions

and follow them closely.

Windows

The windows may be cleaned with any

household window cleaner.

NOTICE

Seat belts

The seat belts may be cleaned with

mild soap and water or with lukewarm

water.

When cleaning the inside of the win-

dows, be careful not to scratch or

damage the heater wires on the rear

window.

Use a cloth or sponge. As you are clean-

ing, check the belts for excessive wear,

fraying, or cuts.

Air conditioning control panel, car au-

dio, instrument panel, console panel,

and switches

NOTICE

Do not use solvent, thinner, gasoline

or window cleaner on the interior.

z Do not use dye or bleach on the

Use a soft damp cloth for cleaning.

belts−it may weaken them.

Soak a clean soft cloth in water or luke-

warm water then lightly wipe off dirt.

Carpets

z Do not use the belts until they be-

come dry.

Use

a

good foam−type shampoo to

clean the carpets.

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 powers 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.

190

Leather interior

NOTICE

z Mildew may develop on soiled leath-

er upholstery. Be especially careful

to avoid oil spots. Try to keep your

upholstery always clean.

The leather upholstery may be cleaned

with neutral detergent for wool.

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.

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 If you use cleaners or polishing

agents, make sure their ingredients

do not include the substances men-

tioned above.

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.

z If you use a liquid car freshener, do

not apply the liquid onto the ve-

hicle’s interior surfaces. It may con-

ingredients mentioned

above. Immediately clean any spill

using the method mentioned above.

NOTICE

z If a stain should fail to come out

with

a

neutral detergent, apply

a

tain

the

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-

ing the leather as these could

cause discoloring.

If you have any questions about the

cleaning of your Toyota, your local

Toyota dealer will be pleased to answer

them.

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 Prius 4 Door First Generation (1997-2003)

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