Automatic car washes

The vehicle should be washed as soon as it becomes dirty. This makes the vehicle easier to clean because dirt does not attach as strongly. It also reduces the risk of scratches and keeps the vehicle looking new.

Automatic car washes

An automatic car wash is a fast and easy way to keep your vehicle clean, but it does not reach all areas of the vehicle. For best results, Volvo recommends hand washing your vehicle or supplementing automatic car washes with a hand wash.

 Note

Volvo recommends not washing the vehicle in an automatic car wash during the first few months; the paintwork on new vehicles takes some time to fully harden.

 Important

Before driving the vehicle into a car wash, deactivate the Automatic Braking when Stationary and Automatic Parking Brake Application functions. If the functions are not deactivated, the brake system will seize when the vehicle is stationary and the vehicle will not be able to roll.

 Important

For automatic car washes in which the vehicle is pulled forward on rolling wheels:

  1. Before washing the vehicle, make sure that the automatic rain sensor is deactivated. If it is not deactivated and inadvertently starts, the wiper arms could be damaged.
  2. To help prevent damage from the automatic car wash machinery, make sure that the door mirrors are folded in, antennas retracted or removed, and any auxiliary lights secured.
  3. Drive into the automatic car wash.
  4. Turn off the "Automatic Braking when Stationary" function using the switch in the tunnel console.
  5. Turn off the "Automatic Parking Brake Application" function in the center display's Top view.
  6. Turn off the engine by turning the start knob in the tunnel console clockwise. Hold the knob in position for at least 2 seconds.

The vehicle is now ready for the automatic car wash.

 Important

The system will automatically change to P mode if the above steps are not followed. In P mode, the wheels are locked, which they should not be when the vehicle is being washed in a car wash.