Maintenance
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Corrosion protection
Protecting your vehicle from corrosion
By using advanced design and con-
struction practices to combat corro-
sion, we produce vehicles of excel-
lent 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 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. High-corrosion areas
If you live in an area where your vehi-
cle 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, 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 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.WARNING
After washing the vehicle, test
the brakes while driving slowly
to see if they have been affected
by water. If braking performance
is impaired, dry the brakes by
applying them lightly while
maintaining a slow forward
speed.
