Is jet washing a car’s interior harmful?
Hello Paul, I recently took my Mercedes ML to a car wash to remove the seats and clean the interior. After the wash, the car has electrical glitches and a bad odour due to dampness. What is the danger of hosing or washing a car’s interior and how else can one clean the interior? Caroline
Hello Caroline, cleaning your car’s interior is important because it protects your investment. However, hosing the interior with lots of water can cause severe electrical damage and an unpleasant smell when your carpeting does not dry and develops mold. There is cause to clean your car interior.
A dirty car interior will become unpleasant to the passengers as it develops a foul smell, may host vermin, rodents and cockroaches which come to feast on the food droppings or make the interior a haven.
A dirty and dusty car interior will cause allergies from the pollen or allergens which will affect your health and that of your passengers. Dirty windows may also obscure visibility.
Hosing or thoroughly washing the car interior with a water jet can flood floor mounted electrical control modules or accessories such as electric seat belt harnesses. Electric circuits or sockets will be damaged by the corrosive soapy water.
This will start electrical faults with different accessories or features in your car. Wetting the carpet with water and soap and driving the car before it dries may cause mildew or a harmful foul smelling bacteria. This bacteria can cause serious irritation or chest infections to the passengers.
Here are some useful tips you can follow when cleaning your car. Start by vacuuming the interior with a home vacuum cleaner fitted with a hose and attachment kits. This will help to remove dirt, dust and food particles.
A suitable stain remover or carpet or fabric cleaner can be used thereafter to remover stubborn smudges or droppings from the seats and carpets.
A brush will restore bounce to your carpet. When vacuuming, start at the top with upholstery then lastly with floor carpets to trap dropping dirt particles.
Keep changing vacuum cleaner attachments to suit the upholstery, plastic surfaces and carpets. Cleaning the interior requires specific cleaning solutions for the upholstery, carpets, leather and vinyl plastic surfaces. Test any product you choose to use on a small part.
For the carpets or fabric material, you may use a steam cleaner or spray on carpet and fabric cleaner from a supermarket car section. Leather bound surfaces should be cleaned with a leather cleaner or leather soap using a mildly damp cloth and cotton swabs.
A suitable glass cleaner will help you remove smudges and dirt from the glass windows. A vinyl dashboard cleaner with a mildly damp cloth and light brush will be all you need to clean your dash board and air vents.
There are homemade solutions that can help with car interior cleaning such as vinegar for removal of stubborn stains and baking soda powder for odour removal (sprinkled over the carpet and left overnight before vacuuming).
My engine throttle and cooling system are failing
Hello Paul, thank you for sharing auto repair tips in the Daily Monitor. I drive a Land Rover Freelander 2.5L V6 with a failed throttle unit and a problem of overheating. How do I tackle these problems? Kassim
Hello Kassim, the first generation Land Rover Freelander engine overheating is usually caused by leaking coolant from different points in the cooling system. The throttle potentiometer usually fails because of engine oil intrusion in the air intake chamber.
When the Freelander mileage is close to 100,000 kms, its plastic thermostat housing ought to be replaced as it often starts to leak coolant. There are plastic coolant hoses that need attention or replacement because they too, usually fail at that mileage.
It is a good idea to replace all of them and renew the engine coolant every two years. Coolant prevents corrosion while it lubricates fast moving cooling system parts such as the water pump. Coolant also has a heat inhibiting effect whereby it is designed with a higher boiling point than plain water giving it the ability to act as a good heat transfer medium.
Over a two-year period, coolant additives age which leads to corrosion and heat buildup. Engine oil in the intake system is usually caused by a failing engine venting system called the Positive Crank case Ventilation or PCV. There are PCV valves that act as vents to release after combustion blow by gases while retaining engine oil in the crank case or engine.
The blow by gases help to stabilise the engine while driving. When these plastic PCV valves fail, they release hot oil into the air intake system which ends up in the throttle valve chamber and damages it. You will need to clean or replace the throttle potentiometer and renew the PCV valves to stop the oil intrusion.
Car fluid service tips
Hello Paul, I am a new owner of an old Mercedes Benz C class given to me by my late uncle. I would like to look after this 20-year-old car which seems to be in immaculate condition. Kindly give me some maintenance tips.
Hello Kampe, there is an old adage; if you care for your car, it will care for you. Start by learning how to maintain the engine and transmission fluids. Fluids are important for the operation and protection of hot and fast moving engine and transmission components. You can categorise these fluids as: lubricants and coolants.
Where applicable consider the maintenance replacement of filters. With fluids you need to monitor the levels and quality (colour and viscosity). It is important to know from your car user manual what the manufacturer recommended fluid viscosities and grades are.
These should be secured from a reputable dealer. For instance Mercedes provides information about recommended engine and transmission oil grades in the user manual.
Online Mercedes even lists the different alternative engine and transmission oil brands that meet the service requirements of different Mercedes car models.
Why is my SBC failing?
Hello Paul, I drive a Mercedes E 240 2004 model. It has been running fine until recently when it reported a faulty SBC. I have read about this problem and my mechanic says that the SBC is designed to stop working after a certain mileage and there is no repair solution. He says I have to replace the SBC which costs about Shs8m. Please tell me what the SBC is and why it cannot be serviced or repaired? Medard
Hello Medard, SBC stand for Sensotronic Brake Control. It is an electro hydraulic brake system designed and developed by Daimler Mercedes and Bosch. Before it was discontinued, it was fitted in some Mercedes models such as the E class W211 and the R class.
The SBC brake system, which uses the concept of the Anti-lock brake system (ABS), was designed to provide more efficient braking by use of higher dynamic pressure (60 bars) for the braking of each individual wheel.
The SBC system is designed to have 300,000 excitations or the number of times you apply the brakes. After that, it is considered due to be replaced.
Bosch have an exchange programme where they take the old one and sell you a serviced unit at a slightly discounted price.
There is technology to service and reset the timer for the SBC using a special tool here in Uganda. A subsequent brake fluid renewal is recommended, using the Mercedes brake service power bleeder, which would cost less.
Looking closer at fluids, with engine oil you are safer considering multi grade oil (15W40) from reputable oil companies. The age and mileage of your car is an important factor.
An engine oil drain period of 5,000kms is a good start, if the engine is over 200,000kms or shows signs of leaking or excessive burning of oil then you would have to use a mono grade oil (40 SAE) with a shorter drain interval of 3,000 kms.
Transmission oils are also specific according to the manufacturer. In your case you can use a reputable Dexron ii or iii fully synthetic transmission oil for your gearbox. A good gearbox drain interval is 50,000kms or four years, whichever comes first.
For your car Mercedes gearbox oil is also available at the local Mercedes Benz dealer.
A filter change is mandatory at every oil drain for the engine and gearbox. Other fluids include the steering fluid which uses Automatic Transmission fluid ATF.
This can be drained after three years, depending on the colour of the fluid. Brake hydraulic fluid should be replaced every two to three years because it
moisture as you operate the brakes. Engine coolant fluid should be changed every two years as it loses its protective and performance attributes.
At every service, check or replace the air filter, brake pads (where they do not meet the recommended pad width). Inspect or rotate tyres, test all lights and inspect the suspension at every service.
