Kia Sportage 2023 Owner's Manual page 496

Maintenance
NOTICE
Matte paint finish vehicle (if eqipped)
In case of matte paint finish vehicles, it is
impossible to modify only the damaged
area and repair of the whole part is nec-
essary.
If the vehicle is damaged and painting is
required, have your vehicle maintained
and repaired by an authorized Kia
dealer. Take extreme care, as it is diffi-
cult to restore the quality after the
repair.
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 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 preservative.
If necessary, coat the parts with non-cor-
rosive petroleum jelly or other protective
compound.
Underbody maintenance
Road salt and other corrosive chemicals
are used in cold weather states to melt
snow and prevent ice accumulation. If
these chemicals are not regularly
removed, they will corrode the vehicle
underbody and, over time, damage
many parts: the fuel lines, the fuel tank
retention system, the vehicle's suspen-
sion, the exhaust system, and even the
body frame.
7 58
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has warned all vehicle
owners of all brands of the need to take
the following steps:
僅 Wash the undercarriage of your vehi-
cle regularly during the winter and
whenever your vehicle has been
exposed to such salts or chemicals.
僅 Do a thorough washing of the under-
carriage at the end of the winter.
僅 Use professional service technicians
or governmental inspection stations
to annually inspect for corrosion.
僅 Immediately seek an inspection of
your vehicle if you become visually
aware of corrosion flaking or scaling
or if you become aware of a change in
vehicle performance, such as soft or
spongy brakes, fluids leaking, impair-
ment of directional control, suspen-
sion noises or rattling metal straps.
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
prevent corrosion.
僅 Avoid washing the wheels with high
speed vehicle wash brushes.
僅 Do not use any alkaline or acid deter-
gents It may damage and corrode the
aluminum wheels coated with a clear
protective finish.
Appearance care