Kia Cerato Owner's Manual page 621

Aluminum wheel maintenance
The aluminum wheels are coated
with a clear protective finish.
• Do not use any abrasive cleaner,
polishing compound, solvent, or wire
brushes on aluminum wheels. They
may scratch or damage the finish.
• Clean the wheel when it has cooled.
• Use only a mild soap or neutral
detergent, and rinse thoroughly
with water. Also, be sure to clean
the wheels after driving on salted
roads. This helps prevent corrosion.
• Avoid washing the wheels with
high-speed car wash brushes.
• Do not use any alkaline or acid
detergent. It may damage and cor-
rode the aluminum wheels coated
with a clear protective finish.
Corrosion protection
Protecting your vehicle from corrosion
By using the most advanced design
and construction practices to combat
corrosion, we produce vehicles of the
highest quality. However, this is only
part of the job. To achieve the long-
term corrosion resistance your vehi-
cle can deliver, the owner's coopera-
tion and assistance is also required.
Common causes of corrosion
The most common causes of corro-
sion on your vehicle are:
• Road salt, dirt and moisture that is
allowed to accumulate underneath
the vehicle.
• Removal of paint or protective
coatings by stones, gravel, abra-
sion or minor scrapes and dents
which leave unprotected metal
exposed to corrosion.
Maintenance
High-corrosion areas
If you live in an area where your vehi-
cle is regularly exposed to corrosive
materials, corrosion protection is par-
ticularly important. Some of the com-
mon 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, partic-
ularly when temperatures are just
above freezing. In such conditions,
the corrosive material is kept in con-
tact with the vehicle's surface by
moisture that evaporate slowly.
Mud is particularly
because it dries slowly and holds
moisture in contact with the vehicle.
Although the mud appears to be dry,
it can still retain moisture and pro-
mote corrosion.
corrosive
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