Appearance Care; Maintenance and Care; It will do more harm than good to wet - Page 401

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Maintenance and Care

Appearance Care

 Repairing Damage to the Finish

Deep scratches or chips on the finish 

should be repaired promptly. Exposed 

metal quickly rusts and can lead to major 

repairs.

CAUTION

If your Mazda is damaged and needs 

metal parts repaired or replaced, 

make sure the body shop applies anti-

corrosion materials to all parts, both 

repaired and new. This will prevent 

them from rusting.

 Bright-Metal Maintenance



 Use tar remover to remove road tar and 

insects. Never do this with a knife or 

similar tool.



 To prevent corrosion on bright-

metal surfaces, apply wax or chrome 

preservative and rub it to a high luster.



 During cold weather or in coastal areas, 

cover bright-metal parts with a coating 

of wax or preservative heavier than 

usual. It would also help to coat them 

with noncorrosive petroleum jelly or 

some other protective compound.

CAUTION

Do not use steel wool, abrasive 

cleaners, or strong detergents 

containing highly alkaline or caustic 

agents on chrome-plated or anodized 

aluminum parts. This may result in 

damage to the protective coating 

and cause discoloration or paint 

deterioration.

 Underbody Maintenance

Road chemicals and salt used for ice and 

snow removal and solvents used for dust 

control may collect on the underbody. If 

not removed, they will speed up rusting 

and deterioration of such underbody parts 

as fuel lines, frame, floor pan, and exhaust 

system, even though these parts may be 

coated with anti-corrosive material.

Thoroughly flush the underbody and wheel 

housings with lukewarm or cold water at 

the end of each winter. Try also to do this 

every month.

Pay special attention to these areas 

because they easily hide mud and dirt. 

It will do more harm than good to wet 

down the road grime without removing 

it.

The lower edges of doors, rocker panels, 

and frame members have drain holes that 

should not be clogged. Water trapped there 

will cause rusting.

WARNING

Dry off brakes that have become 

wet by driving slowly, releasing the 

accelerator pedal and lightly applying 

the brakes several times until the brake 

performance returns to normal:

Driving with wet brakes is dangerous. 

Increased stopping distance or the 

vehicle pulling to one side when 

braking could result in a serious 

accident. Light braking will indicate 

whether the brakes have been affected.

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