Automatic car washes
The vehicle should be washed as soon as it becomes dirty. The longer the dirt remains, the more difficult it will be to keep the vehicle clean. It could also lead to paint damage.
Washing your vehicle in 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. Polestar recommends washing your vehicle by hand or supplementing automatic car washes with a hand wash.
Note
Polestar 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
Information on how to help prevent damage to vehicles with matte paint is provided in a separate section.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Turn off the "Automatic Braking when Stationary" function using the
button in the tunnel console. - Turn off the "Automatic Parking Brake Application" function in the center display's Top view.
- Drive into the automatic car wash.
- Put the gear selector in position N.
- 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.
Note
Note that the keyless locking and unlocking function could cause the vehicle to lock/unlock when it is being washed if the key is within range.
Testing the brakes
Warning
Always test the brakes, including the parking brake, after washing the vehicle to ensure that moisture and corrosion do not attach to the brake pads and impair brake functionality.
Lightly depress the brake pedal from time to time when driving long distances in rain or slush. The heat from the friction will help warm up and dry the brake pads. Do the same after starting the vehicle in very damp or cold weather.