Maintenance
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8
Finish damage repair
Deep scratches or stone chips in the
painted surface must be repaired
promptly. Exposed metal will quickly
rust and may develop into a major
repair expense.
If your vehicle is damaged and
requires any metal repair or replace-
ment, be sure the body shop applies
anti-corrosion materials to the parts
repaired or replaced.
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 maintenance
Road salt and other corrosive chemi-
cals are used in cold weather states to
melt snow and prevent ice accumula-
tion. If these chemicals are not regu-
larly removed, they will corrode the
vehicle underbody and over time dam-
age fuel lines, the fuel tank retention
system, the vehicle suspension, the
exhaust system, and even the body
frame. The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration has warned all
vehicle owners of all brands of the
need to take the following steps: Wash the undercarriage of your
vehicle regularly during the winter
and whenever your vehicle has
been exposed to such salts or
chemicals.
Do a thorough washing of the undercarriage at the end of the
winter.
Use professional service techni- cians or governmental inspection
stations to annually inspect for cor-
rosion.
Immediately seek an inspection of your vehicle if you become visually
aware of corrosion flaking or scal-
ing or if you become aware of a
change in vehicle performance,
such as soft or spongey brakes,
fluids leaking, impairment of direc-
tional control, suspension noises
or rattling metal straps.
CAUTION - Drying vehicle
Wiping dust or dirt off the body with a dry cloth willscratch the finish.
Do not use steel wool, abra- sive cleaners, acid detergentsor strong detergents contain-ing high alkaline or causticagents on chrome-plated oranodized aluminum parts.This may result in damage tothe protective coating andcause discoloration or paintdeterioration.
