Kia PICANTO 2023 Manual page 532

Maintenance
and dirt. It will do more harm than good
to wet down the road grime without
removing it. The lower edges of the
doors, rocker panels, and frame mem-
bers have drain holes that should not
clog with dirt; trapped water in these
areas can cause rusting.
WARNING
After washing the vehicle, test the
brakes whilst driving slowly to see if they
have been affected by water. If braking
performance is impaired, dry the brakes
by applying them lightly whilst maintain-
ing a slow forward speed.
Aluminum wheel maintenance
The aluminum wheels are coated with a
clear protective finish.
僅 Do not use any abrasive cleaner, pol-
ishing compound, solvent, or wire
brushes on aluminum wheels. They
may scratch or damage the finish.
僅 Clean the wheel when it has cooled.
僅 Use only a mild soap or neutral deter-
gent, and rinse thoroughly with water.
Also, be sure to clean the wheels after
driving on salted roads.This helps pre-
vent corrosion.
僅 Avoid washing the wheels with high-
speed car wash brushes.
僅 Do not use any alkaline or acid deter-
gent. It may damage and corrode the
aluminum wheels coated with a clear
protective finish.
Corrosion protection
Protecting your vehicle from cor-
rosion
By using the most advanced design and
construction practices to combat corro-
sion, we produce vehicles of the highest
8 110
quality. However, this is only part of the
job. To achieve the longterm 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:
僅 Road salt, dirt and moisture that is
allowed to accumulate underneath
the vehicle.
僅 Removal of paint or protective coat-
ings by stones, gravel, abrasion or
minor scrapes and dents which leave
unprotected metal exposed to corro-
sion.
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 tem-
peratures 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 mois-
ture and promote corrosion.
Appearance care