Automatic car washes

It is important to prepare the vehicle before washing it in an automatic car wash. Carefully follow the instructions for vehicle handling before and during the car wash.

Automatic car washes can be a fast and easy way to clean the vehicle, but they do not reach all the parts of the vehicle that need regular cleaning. Volvo recommends supplementing automatic car washing with hand-washing.

 Note

Avoid washing a brand new vehicle in automatic car washes for the first few months after it leaves the factory. This will allow the paintwork to fully set.

Preparations before washing

In automatic car washes in which the vehicle is pulled through the car wash, it is important to switch off functions that prevent the vehicle from rolling freely.

  • Secure or remove protruding exterior parts such as retrofitted auxiliary lights, antennas, etc.
  • Make sure that the automatic rain sensor function is switched off. The windshield wipers must be switched off throughout the car wash to avoid the risk of damage.
  • Choose the parking camera view iCup-2037-Camera view symbol in the center display and deactivate the Park Assist sensors and automatic brake while backing up. They may be reactivated if the vehicle is restarted, and must then be deactivated again.

During the car wash

 Important

Keep the vehicle's windows, doors, panoramic roof* and tailgate closed throughout the car wash.

If the vehicle is equipped with keyless locking and unlocking*:

Take out the key and place it in the open in the front section of the vehicle during the car wash. This minimizes the risk of unintentionally pressing the button that opens the tailgate, or of the key being incorrectly detected outside of the vehicle.

Keep your seat belt buckled for the entire car wash.
Drive into the car wash and stop at the designated place.
Put the gear selector in N.

 Important

The system will automatically activate the parking brake if the above steps are not followed. Do not activate the parking brake when washing the vehicle in an automatic car wash.

 Important

Do not switch off the vehicle via the center display. The parking brake is activated if the vehicle is switched off.

 Important

Do not use tow mode in an automatic car wash.
The vehicle goes through the automatic car wash.
Don't forget to reset the adjustments made before the car wash.

After the car wash

 Important

Wipe the brakes after washing to reduce the risk of corrosion. During braking, shift to N to heat up the friction brakes. The friction heats up the brakes so that they dry more quickly. Ensure that other road users are not subjected to danger during braking.
  1. * Option/accessory.