2005 KIA Sportage warning

Maintenance38 7
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Wheel alignment and tire
balance The wheels on your vehicle were
aligned and balanced carefully at the
factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
In most cases, you will not need to
have your wheels aligned again.
However, if you notice unusual tire
wear or your vehicle pulling one way
or the other, the alignment may need
to be reset.
If you notice your vehicle vibrating
when driving on a smooth road, your
wheels may need to be rebalanced.✽ ✽
NOTICEImproper wheel weights can dam-
age your vehicle's aluminum wheels.
Use only approved wheel weights.
WARNING
 When replacing tires, never
mix radial, bias-belted, and
bias-type tires. All four tires
should be of the same size,
design and construction. Use
only the tire sizes listed on the
Tire Label found below the
door striker on the driver’s
side. Make sure that all tires
and wheels are the same size
and have the same load-carry-
ing capacity. Use only tire and
wheel combinations recom-
mended on the Tire Label or
by an Authorized Kia Dealer.
Failure to follow these precau-
tions can adversely affect the
safety and handling of your
vehicle.
(Continued)
(Continued)
 The use of any other tire size
or type may seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clear-
ance, tire clearance, and
speedometer calibration.
 Driving on worn-out tires is
very hazardous and will
reduce braking effectiveness,
steering accuracy, and trac-
tion.
 It is best to replace all four
tires at the same time. If that is
not possible, or necessary,
then replace the two front or
two rear tires as a pair.
Replacing just one tire can
seriously affect your vehicle’s
handling.
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Wheel replacement When replacing the metal wheels for
any reason, make sure the new
wheels are equivalent to the original
factory units in diameter, rim width
and offset.
Tire sidewall labelingFederal law requires tire manufactur-
ers to place standardized information
on the sidewall of all tires. This infor-
mation identifies and describes the
fundamental characteristics of the
tire and also provides the tire identifi-
cation number (TIN) for safety stan-
dard certification. The TIN can be
used to identify the tire in case of a
recall.1. Manufacturer or brand nameManufacturer or Brand name is
shown.
2. Tire size designation A tire’s sidewall is marked with a tire
size designation. You will need this
information when selecting replace-
ment tires for your car. The following
explains what the letters and num-
bers in the tire size designation
mean.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling
characteristics, ground clear-
ance, body-to-tire clearance,
snow chain clearance,
speedometer calibration, head-
light aim and bumper height.
I030B04JM
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3. Checking tire life (TIN : Tire
Identification Number) Any tires that are over 6 years, based
on the manufacturing date, tire
strength and performance, decline
with age naturally (even unused
spare tires). Therefore, the tires
(including the spare tire) should be
replaced by new ones. You can find
the manufacturing date on the tire
sidewall (possibly on the inside of the
wheel), displaying the DOT Code.
The DOT Code is a series of num-
bers on a tire consisting of numbers
and English letters. The manufactur-
ing date is designated by the last four
digits (characters) of the DOT code.
DOT : XXXX XXXX OOOO
The front part of the DOT means a
plant code number, tire size and
tread pattern and the last four num-
bers indicate week and year manu-
factured.
For example:
DOT XXXX XXXX 1602 represents
that the tire was produced in the 16th
week of 2002.
4. Tire ply composition and mate-
rialThe number of layers or plies of rub-
bercoated fabric in the tire. Tire man-
ufacturers also must indicate the
materials in the tire, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
The letter "R" means radial ply con-
struction; the letter "D" means diago-
nal or bias ply construction; and the
letter "B" means belted-bias ply con-
struction.
WARNING
A tire, more than 6 years old,
may sustain separation of cord
layers, inside the tire. Tire fail-
ure, due to separation of cord,
can cause serious accidents
and possibly injuries.
Therefore, make sure to check
the manufacturing date of the
tire and replace it within 6 years
of that date.
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Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified govern-
ment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one-and-a-
half times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions
of their use. However, performance
may differ from the norm because of
variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
These grades are molded on the
side-walls of passenger vehicle tires.
The tires available as standard or
optional equipment on Kia vehicles
may vary with respect to grade.Traction - A, B & C
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are A, B and C. The grades
represent the tires ability to stop on
wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt
and concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Temperature -A, B & C
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B and C. The grades repre-
sent the tire’s resistance to the gener-
ation of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoor labo-
ratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tires to
degenerate and reduce tires life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tires failure. Grade C corre-
sponds to a level of performance
which all passenger vehicle tires
must meet under the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades A and B represent higher lev-
els of performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum required
by the law.
WARNING
- Tire
temperature
The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
build-up and possible sudden
tires failure. This can cause loss
of vehicle control and serious
injury or death.
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Maintenance48 7
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Tire chainsTire chains, if necessary, should be
installed on the drive wheels as fol-
lows.
2WD : Front wheels
4WD : All four wheels
If a full set of chains is not
available for a 4WD vehicle,
chains may be installed on
the front wheels only.
Be sure that the chains are installed
in accordance with the manufactur-
er's instructions.
To minimize tire and chain wear, do
not continue to use tire chains when
they are no longer needed.
WARNING
 Drive at lower speeds when
driving on roads covered with
snow or ice.
 Use the SAE "S" class or wire
& plastic chains.
 If you hear noise caused by
chains contacting the body,
retighten the chain to avoid
contact with the vehicle body.
 To prevent body damage,
retighten the chains after driv-
ing 0.5 ~ 1.0 km (0.3 ~ 0.6 miles).
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EXTERIOR CARE Exterior general caution It is very important to follow the label
directions when using any chemical
cleaner or polish. Read all warning
and caution statements that appear
on the label.Finish maintenanceWashing To help protect your vehicle’s finish
from rust and deterioration, wash it
thoroughly and frequently at least
once a month with lukewarm or cold
water.
If you use your vehicle for off-road
driving, you should wash it after each
off-road trip. Pay special attention to
the removal of any accumulation of
salt, dirt, mud, and other foreign
materials. Make sure the drain holes
in the lower edges of the doors and
rocker panels are kept clear and
clean.Insects, tar, tree sap, bird droppings,
industrial pollution and similar
deposits can damage your vehicle’s
finish if not removed immediately.
Even prompt washing with plain
water may not completely remove all
these deposits. A mild soap, safe for
use on painted surfaces, may be
used.
After washing, rinse the vehicle thor-
oughly with lukewarm or cold water.
Do not allow soap to dry on the fin-
ish.
✽ ✽
NOTICEDo not use strong soap, chemical
detergents or hot water, and do not
wash the vehicle in direct sunlight or
when the body of the vehicle is
warm.
CAUTION
 Water washing in the engine
compartment may cause the
failure of electrical circuits
located in the engine compart-
ment.
 Never allow water or other liq-
uids to come in contact with
electrical/electronic compo-
nents inside the vehicle as
this may damage them.
WARNING
After washing the vehicle, test
the brakes while driving slowly
to see if they have been affected
by water. If braking performance
is impaired, dry the brakes by
applying them lightly while
maintaining a slow forward
speed.
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Bright-metal maintenance To remove road tar and insects,
use a tar remover, not a scraper or
other sharp object.
 To protect the surfaces of bright-
metal parts from corrosion, apply a
coating of wax or chrome preser-
vative and rub to a high luster.
 During winter weather or in coastal
areas, cover the bright metal parts
with a heavier coating of wax or
preservative. If necessary, coat the
parts with non-corrosive petroleum
jelly or other protective compound.
Underbody maintenanceCorrosive materials used for ice and
snow removal and dust control may
collect on the underbody. If these
materials are not removed, acceler-
ated rusting can occur on underbody
parts such as the fuel lines, frame,
floor pan and exhaust system, even
though they have been treated with
rust protection.
Thoroughly flush the vehicle under-
body and wheel openings with luke-
warm or cold water once a month,
after off-road driving and at the end
of each winter. Pay special attention
to these areas because it is difficult
to see all the mud and dirt. It will do
more harm than good to wet down
the road grime without removing it.
The lower edges of doors, rocker
panels, and frame members have
drain holes that should not be
allowed to clog with dirt; trapped
water in these areas can cause rust-
ing.
WARNING
After washing the vehicle, test
the brakes while driving slowly
to see if they have been affected
by water. If braking performance
is impaired, dry the brakes by
applying them lightly while
maintaining a slow forward
speed.
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INTERIOR CARE Interior general precautions Prevent caustic solutions such as
perfume and cosmetic oil from con-
tacting the dashboard because they
may cause damage or discoloration.
If they do contact the dashboard,
wipe them off immediately. See the
instructions that follow for the proper
way to clean vinyl.
Cleaning the upholstery and
interior trim Vinyl Remove dust and loose dirt from
vinyl with a whisk broom or vacuum
cleaner. Clean vinyl surfaces with a
vinyl cleaner.Fabric Remove dust and loose dirt from fab-
ric with a whisk broom or vacuum
cleaner. Clean with a mild soap solu-
tion recommended for upholstery or
carpets. Remove fresh spots imme-
diately with a fabric spot cleaner. If
fresh spots do not receive immediate
attention, the fabric can be stained
and its color can be affected. Also, its
fire-resistant properties can be
reduced if the material is not proper-
ly maintained.
Cleaning the lap/shoulder belt
webbing Clean the belt webbing with any mild
soap solution recommended for
cleaning upholstery or carpet. Follow
the instructions provided with the
soap. Do not bleach or re-dye the
webbing because this may weaken
it.Cleaning the interior window
glass If the interior glass surfaces of the
vehicle become fogged (that is, cov-
ered with an oily, greasy or waxy
film), they should be cleaned with
glass cleaner. Follow the directions
on the glass cleaner container.✽ ✽
NOTICEDo not scrape or scratch the inside
of the rear window. This may result
in damage to the rear window
defroster grid.
CAUTION
Using anything but recommend-
ed cleaners and procedures
may affect the fabric’s appear-
ance and fire-resistant proper-
ties.
WARNING
Never allow water or other liq-
uids to come in contact with
electrical/electronic compo-
nents inside the vehicle as this
may damage them.
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