Exterior Picanto Care helps preserve your car’s beauty. Dirt and grit can scratch the paint, while tree sap and bird droppings can damage your vehice finish.
Washing
To help protect your vehicle’s finish from rust and deterioration, wash it thoroughly and frequently at least once a month with lukewarm or cold water.
If you use your vehicle for off-road driving, you should wash it after each off-road trip. Pay special attention to the removal of any accumulation of salt, dirt, mud, and other foreign materials. Make sure the drain holes in the lower edges of the doors and rocker panels are kept clear and clean. Insects, tar, tree sap, bird droppings, industrial pollution and similar deposits can damage your vehicle’s finish if not removed immediately.
Caution: Do not use strong soap, chemical detergents or hot water, and do not wash the vehicle in direct sunlight or when the body of the vehicle is warm.
- Be careful when washing the side windows of your vehicle. Especially, with high-pressure water, water may leak through the windows and wet the interior.
- To prevent damage to the plastic parts and lamps, do not clean with chemical sol- vents or strong detergents.
- Water washing in the engine compartment including high pressure water washing may cause the failure of electrical circuits located in the engine compartment.
- Never allow water or other liquids to come in contact with electrical/electronic components inside the vehicle as this may damage them.
Waxing
Wax the vehicle when water will no longer bead on the paint.Always wash and dry the vehicle before waxing. Use a good quality liquid or paste wax, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Wax all metal trim to protect it and to maintain its luster.
Removing oil, tar, and similar materials with a spot remover will usually strip the wax from the finish. Be sure to re-wax these areas even if the rest of the vehicle does not yet need waxing. Do not apply wax on embossed unpainted unit, as it may tarnish the unit.
Caution:
- Wiping dust or dirt off the body with a dry cloth will scratch the finish.
- Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, acid detergents or strong detergents containing high 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.
Finish damage repair
Deep scratches or stone chips in the painted surface must be repaired promptly. Exposed metal will quickly rust and may develop into a major repair expense.
If your vehicle is damaged and requires any metal repair or replacement, be sure the body shop applies anti-corrosion materials to the parts repaired or replaced.
Bright-metal maintenance
- To remove road tar and insects, use a tar remover, not a scraper or other sharp object.
- To protect the surfaces of bright metal parts from corrosion, apply a coating of wax or chrome preservative and rub to a high luster.
- During winter weather or in coastal areas, cover the bright metal parts with a heavier coating of wax or preservative. If necessary, coat the parts with non-corrosive petroleum jelly or other protective compound.
Underbody maintenance
Corrosive materials used for ice and snow removal and dust control may collect on the underbody. If these materials are not removed, accelerated rusting can occur on underbody parts such as the fuel lines, frame, floor pan and exhaust system, even though they have been treated with rust protection.
Thoroughly flush the vehicle underbody and wheel openings with lukewarm or cold water once a month, after off-road driving and at the end of each winter. Pay special attention to these areas because it is difficult to see all the mud and dirt. It will do more harm than good to wet down the road grime without removing it. The lower edges of the doors, rocker panels, and frame members have drain holes that should not clog with dirt; trapped water in
Aluminum wheel maintenance
The aluminum wheels are coated with a clear protective finish.
- Do not use any abrasive cleaner, polishing compound, solvent, or wire brushes on aluminum wheels. They may scratch or damage the finish.
- Clean the wheel when it has cooled.
- Use only a mild soap or neutral detergent, and rinse thoroughly with water. Also, be sure to clean the wheels after driving on salted roads. This helps prevent corrosion
- Avoid washing the wheels with high-speed car wash brushes.
- Do not use any alkaline or acid detergent. It may damage and cor- rode the aluminum wheels coated with a clear protective finish.
Interior care
Prevent chemicals such as perfume, cosmetic oil, sun cream, hand cleaner, and air freshener from contacting the interior parts because they may cause damage or discoloration. If they do contact the interior parts, wipe them off immediately. If necessary, use a vinyle cleaner, see instructions for correct usage.
Cleaning the upholstery and interior trim
Vinyl
Remove dust and loose dirt from vinyl with a whisk broom or vacuum cleaner. Clean vinyl surfaces with a vinyl cleaner.
Fabric
Remove dust and loose dirt from fabric with a whisk broom or vacuum cleaner. Clean with a mild soap solu- tion recommended for upholstery or carpets. Remove fresh spots immediately with a fabric spot cleaner. If fresh spots do not receive immediate attention, the fabric can be stained and its colour can be affected. Also, its fire-resistant properties can be reduced if the material is not properly maintained.
Cleaning the lap/shoulder belt webbing
Clean the belt webbing with any mild soap solution recommended for cleaning upholstery or carpet. Follow the instructions provided with the soap. Do not bleach or re-dye the webbing because this may weaken it.
Cleaning the interior window glass
If the interior glass surfaces of the vehicle become fogged (that is, covered with an oily, greasy or waxy film), they should be cleaned with a glass cleaner. Follow the directions on the glass cleaner container.