Kia Seltos 2019 Owner's Manual page 455

Maintenance
Corrosion protection
Protecting your vehicle from corro
sion
By using the most advanced design
and construction practices to com
bat corrosion, we produce vehicles
of the highest quality. However, this
is only part of the job. To achieve
the long-term corrosion resistance
your vehicle can deliver, the owner's
cooperation 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 under
neath 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.
High-corrosion areas
If you live in an area where your
vehicle is regularly exposed to cor
rosive materials, corrosion protec
tion is particularly important. Some
of the common causes of acceler
ated 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, par
ticularly when temperatures are
just above freezing. In such condi
tions, the corrosive material is kept
in contact with the vehicle's surface
by moisture that evaporates slowly.
Mud is particularly corrosive
because it dries slowly and holds
moisture in contact with the vehicle.
Although the mud appears to be
dry, it can still retain the moisture
and promote corrosion.
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 vehicle clean and free of
mud or accumulations of other
materials. This applies not only to
the visible surfaces but particularly
to the underside of the vehicle.
To help prevent corrosion
You can help prevent corrosion from
beginning by observing the follow
ing:
Appearance care
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