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Maintenance
G230107AHMCorrosion protectionProtecting your vehicle from corrosion
By using the most advanced design and
construction practices to combat corro-
sion, we produce vehicles of the highest
quality. However, this is only part of the
job. To achieve the long-term corrosion
resistance your vehicle can deliver, the
owner's cooperation and assistance is
also required.
Common causes of corrosion
The most common causes of corrosion
on your vehicle are:
Road salt, dirt and moisture that isallowed to accumulate underneath the
vehicle.
Removal of paint or protective coatings by stones, gravel, abrasion or minor
scrapes and dents which leave unpro-
tected metal exposed to corrosion. High-corrosion areas
If you live in an area where your vehicle
is regularly exposed to corrosive materi-
als, corrosion protection is particularly
important. Some of the common causes
of accelerated corrosion are road salts,
dust control chemicals, ocean air and
industrial pollution.
Moisture breeds corrosion
Moisture creates the conditions in which
corrosion is most likely to occur. For
example, corrosion is accelerated by
high humidity, particularly when tempera-
tures are just above freezing. In such
conditions, the corrosive material is kept
in contact with the vehicle’s surface by
moisture that evaporate slowly.
Mud is particularly corrosive because it
dries slowly and holds moisture in con-
tact with the vehicle. Although the mud
appears to be dry, it can still retain the
moisture and promote corrosion.
High temperatures can also accelerate
corrosion of parts that are not properly
ventilated so the moisture can be dis-
persed. For all these reasons, it is partic-
ularly important to keep your vehicle
clean and free of mud or accumulations
of other materials. This applies not only
to the visible surfaces but particularly to
the underside of the vehicle.
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Do not operate the engine in confinedor closed areas (such as garages) any
more than what is necessary to move
the vehicle in or out of the area.
When the vehicle is stopped in an open area for more than a short time
with the engine running, adjust the
ventilation system (as needed) to draw
outside air into the vehicle.
Never sit in a parked or stopped vehi- cle for any extended time with the
engine running.
When the engine stalls or fails to start, excessive attempts to restart the
engine may cause damage to the
emission control system.
G270303AAMOperating precautions for catalyticconverters (if equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with a catalytic
converter emission control device.
Therefore, the following precautions
must be observed:
Use only UNLEADED FUEL for gaso- line engines.
Do not operate the vehicle when there are signs of engine malfunction, such
as misfire or a noticeable loss of per-
formance.
Do not misuse or abuse the engine. Examples of misuse are coasting with
the ignition off and descending steep
grades in gear with the ignition off.
Do not operate the engine at high idle speed for extended periods (5 minutes
or more).
Do not modify or tamper with any part of the engine or emission control sys-
tem. All inspections and adjustments
must be made by an authorized KIA
dealer.
Avoid driving with a extremely low fuel level. Running out of fuel could cause
the engine to misfire, damaging the
catalytic converter.
Failure to observe these precautions
could result in damage to the catalytic
converter and to your vehicle.
Additionally, such actions could void your
warranties.
WARNING
- Fire
A hot exhaust system can ignite flammable items under your vehi-
cle. Do not park, idle or drive the
vehicle over or near flammable
objects, such as grass, vegeta-
tion, paper, leaves, etc.
The exhaust system and catalytic system are very hot while the
engine is running or immediately
after the engine is turned off.
Keep away from the exhaust sys-
tem and catalytic, you may get
burned.
Also, do not remove the heat sink
around the exhaust system, do
not seal the bottom of the vehicle
or do not coat the vehicle for cor-
rosion control. It may present a
fire risk under certain conditions.
766Maintenance
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