Kia Niro Owner's Manual page 546

Maintenance
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.
8 104
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.
High temperatures can also acceler-
ate corrosion of parts that are not
properly ventilated so the moisture
can be dispersed.
For all these reasons, it is particular-
ly important to keep your vehicle
clean and free of mud or accumula-
tions 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
getting started by observing the fol-
lowing:
corrosive