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.
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
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Use tar remover to remove road tar and insects. Never do this with a knife or similar tool.
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To prevent corrosion on bright-metal surfaces, apply wax or chrome preservative and rub it to a high luster.
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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.
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.
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.
Interior Care
Do not spray water into the vehicle cabin:
Spraying water into the vehicle cabin is dangerous as electrical devices such as the audio and switches could get wet resulting in a malfunction or vehicle fire.
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Do not wipe the interior using alcohol, chlorine bleach, or organic solvents such as thinner, benzene, and gasoline. Otherwise, it may cause discoloration or stains.
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Rubbing hard with a stiff brush or cloth may cause damage.
If the vehicle interior becomes soiled by any of the following, wipe it off immediately using a soft cloth.
Leaving it uncleaned could cause discoloration, stains, cracks, or peeling of the coating, and it will make it hard to wipe off later.
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Beverage or fragrance
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Grease or oil
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Soiling
Seat Belt Maintenance
Active Driving Display Maintenance (Some Models)
The dust-proof sheet has a coating. When cleaning, do not use a hard or rough-surface cloth, or cleaning detergent. In addition, if a chemical solvent gets on the active driving display, wipe it off immediately. The dust-proof sheet could be damaged and the surface coating could be scratched. Use a fine, soft cloth such as those used for cleaning eyeglasses.
