6–64
Maintenance and Care
Appearance Care
Water Marks
Occurrence
Rain, fog, dew, and even tap water can
contain harmful minerals such as salt and
lime. If moisture containing these minerals
settles on the vehicle and evaporates, the
minerals will concentrate and harden to
form white rings. The rings can damage
your vehicle's fi nish.
Prevention
It is necessary to wash and wax your
vehicle to preserve its fi nish according to
the instructions in this section. These steps
should be taken immediately after you fi nd
water marks on your vehicle's fi nish.
Paint Chipping
Occurrence
Paint chipping occurs when gravel thrown
in the air by another vehicle's tires hits
your vehicle.
How to avoid paint chipping
Keeping a safe distance between you and
the vehicle ahead reduces the chances
of having your paint chipped by fl ying
gravel.
NOTE
y
The paint chipping zone varies with the
speed of the vehicle. For example, when
traveling at 90 km/h (56 mph), the paint
chipping zone is 50 m (164 ft).
y
In low temperatures a vehicle's fi nish
hardens. This increases the chance of
paint chipping.
y
Chipped paint can lead to rust forming
on your Mazda. Before this happens,
repair the damage by using Mazda
touch-up paint according to the
instructions in this section. Failure to
repair the affected area could lead to
serious rusting and expensive repairs.
Follow
all
label and container directions
when using a chemical cleaner or polish.
Read all warnings and cautions.