Hyundai i30 Owner's Manual page 621

Maintenance
Corrosion protection
Protecting your vehicle from corro-
sion
By using the most advanced design
and construction practices to combat
corrosion, we produces cars 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 car are:
• Road salt, dirt and moisture that is
allowed to accumulate underneath
the car.
• Removal of paint or protective coat-
ings by stones, gravel, abrasion or
minor scrapes and dents which
leave unprotected metal exposed to
corrosion.
7-108
High-corrosion areas
If you live in an area where your car
is regularly exposed to corrosive
materials, corrosion protection is
particularly important. Some of the
common causes of accelerated cor-
rosion 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
temperatures are just above freezing.
In such conditions, the corrosive
material is kept in contact with the car
surfaces by moisture that is slow to
evaporate.
Mud is particularly corrosive because
it is slow to dry and holds moisture in
contact with the vehicle. Although the
mud appears to be dry, it can still
retain the moisture and promote cor-
rosion.
High temperatures can also acceler-
ate corrosion of parts that are not
properly ventilated so the moisture
can be dispersed. For all these rea-
sons, it is particularly important to
keep your car clean and free of mud
or accumulations of other materials.
This applies not only to the visible sur-
faces but particularly to the underside
of the car.
To help prevent corrosion
You can help prevent corrosion from
getting started by observing the fol-
lowing: