Corrosion protection and paint care

The tips below come from a manufacturer's owner's manual, rewritten in our own words.

The most common causes of corrosion

• salt, dust or moisture settling on the underbody;
• the car or some of its parts spending a long time in high humidity and heat;
• paint or coating scratched in minor collisions or by stones and gravel.

How to protect the body

• Wash the car more often.
• If you drive on salted roads in winter or live by the sea, wash the running gear at least once a month, and rinse the underbody and wheel arch liners with a high-pressure jet or steam. After winter, wash the underbody thoroughly.
• Check the paint and body finish. Repair every chip or crack straight away; if the paint flakes down to bare metal, see a dealer or workshop.
• Check the interior trim — moisture and dust trapped under the mats can cause corrosion, so look under them often and keep them dry.
• When carrying chemicals, cleaning products, fertiliser, salt and similar substances, take care and keep them in proper containers; if anything spills or leaks, clean up and dry the area at once.
• Use mudguards and splash guards — especially on gravel roads and where roads are salted. The larger and closer to the ground, the better.
• Park in a well-ventilated, dry place.

Paint care

• Wash the car regularly.
• Do not repaint if there are no obvious scratches — this avoids a colour mismatch.
• For long periods without use, park in a garage or ventilated place, and use a car cover in winter; for a short stop choose shade.
• Avoid hard knocks and scratching the body. Scratches, dents and peeling paint should be repaired promptly — ideally by a professional paint specialist.
• Do not touch the paint with a greasy cloth; do not put greasy tools on the body or wipe it with organic solvents, to avoid chemical reactions.
• Once a month, or whenever there is a problem, inspect the paint, and apply wax every three months.
• Use good-quality polish and wax. If the paint has dulled badly, use a cleaning polish separately from the wax. Follow the product maker's instructions closely. Treat chrome trim like the paint — polish and wax it.

A note on repainting

The plastic bumper must be removed if a repaint is planned — the high temperatures in a paint booth can damage it.