2011 KIA Optima brake light

75
Maintenance
OWNER MAINTENANCE
The following lists are vehicle checks and
inspections that should be performed by
the owner or an authorized KIA dealer at
the frequencies indicated to help ensure
safe, dependable operation of your vehi-
cle.
Any adverse conditions should be
brought to the attention of your dealer as
soon as possible.
These Owner Maintenance Checks are
generally not covered by warranties and
you may be charged for labor, parts and
lubricants used.Owner maintenance schedule
When you stop for fuel:
Check the engine oil level.
Check the coolant level in coolantreservoir.
Check the windshield washer fluid level.
Look for low or under-inflated tires.
While operating your vehicle:
Note any changes in the sound of the exhaust or any smell of exhaust fumes
in the vehicle.
Check for vibrations in the steering wheel. Notice any increased steering
effort or looseness in the steering
wheel, or change in its straight-ahead
position.
Notice if your vehicle constantly turns slightly or “pulls” to one side when trav-
eling on smooth, level road.
When stopping, listen and check for unusual sounds, pulling to one side,
increased brake pedal travel or “hard-
to-push” brake pedal.
If any slipping or changes in the oper- ation of your transaxle occurs, check
the transaxle fluid level.
Check the automatic transaxle P (Park) function.
Check the parking brake.
Check for fluid leaks under your vehicle (water dripping from the air condition-
ing system during or after use is nor-
mal).
WARNING
Be careful when checking your
engine coolant level when the
engine is hot. Scalding hot coolant
and steam may blow out under
pressure. This could cause burns
or other serious injury.

Maintenance
67
At least monthly:
Check the coolant level in the enginecoolant reservoir.
Check the operation of all exterior lights, including the stoplights, turn sig-
nals and hazard warning flashers.
Check the inflation pressures of all tires including the spare.
At least twice a year (i.e., every Spring and Fall) :
Check the radiator, heater and air con- ditioning hoses for leaks or damage.
Check the windshield washer spray and wiper operation. Clean the wiper
blades with clean cloth dampened with
washer fluid.
Check the headlight alignment.
Check the muffler, exhaust pipes, shields and clamps.
Check the lap/shoulder belts for wear and function.
Check for worn tires and loose wheel lug nuts.
At least once a year :
Clean the body and door drain holes.
Lubricate the door hinges and checks,and hood hinges.
Lubricate the door and hood locks and latches.
Lubricate the door rubber weather- strips.
Check the air conditioning system.
Check the power steering fluid level.
Inspect and lubricate automatic transaxle linkage and controls.
Clean the battery and terminals.
Check the brake/clutch fluid level.

739
Maintenance
Compact spare tire replacement
A compact spare tire has a shorter
tread life than a regular size tire.
Replace it when you can see the
tread wear indicator bars on the tire.
The replacement compact spare tire
should be the same size and design
tire as the one provided with your
new vehicle and should be mounted
on the same compact spare tire
wheel. The compact spare tire is not
designed to be mounted on a regular
size wheel, and the compact spare
tire wheel is not designed for mount-
ing a regular size tire.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.(Continued)
Using tires and wheel other
than the recommended sizes
could cause unusual handling
characteristics and poor vehi-
cle control, resulting in a seri-
ous accident.
Wheels that do not meet KIA’s specifications may fit poorly
and result in damage to the
vehicle or unusual handling
and poor vehicle control.
The ABS works by comparing the speed of the wheels. Tire
size can affect wheel speed.
When replacing tires, all 4
tires must use the same size
originally supplied with the
vehicle. Using tires of a differ-
ent size can cause the ABS
(Anti-lock Brake System) and
ESC (Electronic Stability
Control) (if equipped) to work
irregularly.
WARNING
A wheel that is not the correct
size may adversely affect wheel
and bearing life, braking and
stopping abilities, handling char-
acteristics, ground clearance,
body-to-tire clearance, snow
chain clearance, speedometer
and odometer calibration, head-
light aim and bumper height.

759
Maintenance
APPEARANCE CARE
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 maintenance
Washing
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 driv-
ing, 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 finish.
WARNING - Wet brakes
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 for-
ward speed.
CAUTION
Do not use strong soap, chemicaldetergents or hot water, and donot wash the vehicle in direct sunlight or when the body of thevehicle is warm.
Be careful when washing the side windows of your vehicle.Especially, with high-pressurewater. Water may leak through the windows and wet the interior.
To prevent damage to the plastic parts and lamps, do not cleanwith chemical solvents or strongdetergents.

761
Maintenance
Bright-metal maintenance
To remove road tar and insects, use atar 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 preservative 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 preserva-
tive. If necessary, coat the parts with
non-corrosive petroleum jelly or other
protective compound.
Underbody maintenance
Corrosive materials used for ice and
snow removal and dust control may col-
lect on the underbody. If these materials
are not removed, accelerated 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 underbody
and wheel openings with lukewarm 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
rusting.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 for-
ward speed.

Index
2I
Active eco ··················\
··················\
··················\
················5-36
Air bags··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
··3-40Air bag warning label ··················\
··················\
··············3-66
Air bag warning light ··················\
··················\
··············3-43
Curtain air bag ··················\
··················\
··················\
·······3-58
Driver's and passenger's front air bag··········\
················3-52
Occupant detection system ··················\
··················\
······3-46
Side impact air bag ··················\
··················\
··················\
3-56
SRS components and functions ··················\
·················3-43\
Air cleaner ··················\
··················\
··················\
···············7-23
Alarm system ··················\
··················\
··················\
···········4-10
Antenna (Glass) ··················\
··················\
··················\
·····4-120
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) ··················\
··················\
··5-26
Appearance care··················\
··················\
··················\
·······7-59 Exterior care ··················\
··················\
··················\
··········7-59
Interior care ··················\
··················\
··················\
···········7-64
Audio system ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········4-120 Glass antenna ··················\
··················\
··················\
·······4-120
Steering wheel audio control ··················\
··················\
·4-121
Aux, USB and iPod port··················\
··················\
········4-122
Auto defogging system ··················\
··················\
············4-112
Automatic climate control system ··················\
·············4-101 Air conditioning ··················\
··················\
··················\
··4-107
Automatic heating and air conditioning ··················\
··4-102
Manual heating and air conditioning··················\
·······4-103 Automatic transaxle ··················\
··················\
··················\
·5-15
Ignition key interlock system ··················\
··················\
··5-20
Paddle shifter ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········5-19
Shift lock system ··················\
··················\
··················\
···5-19
Sports mode ··················\
··················\
··················\
···········5-18
Aux, USB and iPod port ··················\
··················\
··········4-122
Battery··················\
··················\
··················\
··················\
····7-31
Battery saver function ··················\
··················\
················4-80
Before driving ··················\
··················\
··················\
············5-3
Bottle holders, see cup holders ··················\
··················\
4-116
Brake system··················\
··················\
··················\
············5-23 Anti-lock brake system (ABS) ··················\
··················\
5-26
Electronic stability control (ESC) ··················\
·············5-28
Parking brake ··················\
··················\
··················\
·········5-24
Power brakes··················\
··················\
··················\
··········5-23
Hill-start assist control (HAC) ··················\
··················\
5-32
Vehicle stability management··················\
··················\
··5-33
Brakes/clutch fluid ··················\
··················\
··················\
···7-20
Bulb wattage ··················\
··················\
··················\
··············8-2
Button start/stop, see engine start/stop button ·················5-6
A
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