Get CORROSION PREVENTION AND APPEARANCE CARE Guide for Toyota Prius 4 Door First Generation (1997-2003)

SECTION

6

CORROSION PREVENTION AND

APPEARANCE CARE

Protecting your Toyota from corrosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Washing and waxing your Toyota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Cleaning the interiorr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

185

Protecting your Toyota from

corrosion

Toyota, through its diligent research, de-

sign and use of the most advanced

technology available, has done its part to

help prevent corrosion and has provided

you with the finest quality vehicle

construction. Now, it is up to you. Proper

care of your Toyota can help ensure long−

term corrosion prevention.

D Wetness or dampness to certain parts

of your vehicle for an extended period

of time, may cause corrosion even

though other parts of the vehicle may

be dry.

D Pay particular attention to the vehicle’s

underside and wheel housings as it is

difficult to see all the mud and dirt. It

will do more harm than good to simply

wet the mud and debris without remov-

ing them. The lower edge of doors,

rocker panels and frame members have

drain holes which should not be al-

lowed to clog with dirt as trapped wa-

ter in these areas can cause corrosion.

D High ambient temperatures can cause

corrosion to those components of the

vehicle which are prevented from

quick−drying due to lack of proper ven-

tilation.

The most common causes of corrosion

to your vehicle are:

D Wash the underside of the vehicle thor-

D The accumulation of road salt, dirt and

moisture in hard−to−reach areas under

the vehicle.

The above signifies the necessity to keep

your vehicle, particularly the underside, as

clean as possible and to repair any dam-

age to paint or protective coatings as

soon as possible.

oughly when winter is over.

See “Washing and waxing your Toyota” for

more tips.

D Chipping of paint, or undercoating

caused by minor accidents or by

stones and gravel.

Check the condition of your vehicle’s

paint and trim. If you find any chips or

scratches in the paint, touch them up im-

mediately to prevent corrosion from start-

ing. If the chips or scratches have gone

through the bare metal, have a qualified

body shop make the repair.

To help prevent corrosion on your

Toyota, follow these guidelines:

Care is especially important if you live

in particular areas or operate your ve-

hicle under certain environmental condi-

tions:

Wash your vehicle frequently. It is, of

course, necessary to keep your vehicle

clean by regular washing, but to prevent

corrosion, the following points should be

observed:

D Road salt or dust control chemicals will

accelerate corrosion, as will the pres-

ence of salt in the air near the sea−

coast or in areas of industrial pollution.

D If you drive on salted roads in the

winter or if you live near the ocean,

you should hose off the undercarriage

at least once a month to minimize cor-

rosion.

D High humidity accelerates corrosion es-

pecially when temperatures range just

above the freezing point.

186

Washing and waxing your

Toyota

Check the interior of your vehicle. Wa-

ter and dirt can accumulate under the

floor mats and could cause corrosion. Oc-

casionally check under the mats to make

sure the area is dry. Be particularly care-

ful when transporting chemicals, cleans-

ers, fertilizers, salt, etc.; these should be

transported in proper containers. If a spill

or leak should occur, immediately clean

and dry the area.

NOTICE

Before washing your Toyota, be sure

to observe the following in order to

avoid the risk of damage to your ve-

hicle.

60p001b

z Do not bring the tip of the nozzle

of the highly−pressurized car wash

closer to the air vent on your

Toyota. If water enters, the hybrid

vehicle battery assembly might be

damaged.

Keep your vehicle in a well ventilated

garage or a roofed place. Do not park

your vehicle in a damp, poorly venti-

lated garage. If you wash your vehicle in

the garage, or if you drive it in covered

with water or snow, your garage may be

so damp it will cause corrosion. Even if

your garage is heated, a wet vehicle can

corrode if the ventilation is poor.

z Do not splash water on the electric

components in the engine compart-

ment. This may cause the malfunc-

tion of the electric components.

Your Toyota is

a

hybrid vehicle. Pay

particular attention when washing your

Toyota.

Washing your Toyota

Keep your vehicle clean by regular

washing.

The following cases may cause weakness

to the paint or corrosion to the body and

parts. Wash your vehicle as soon as pos-

sible.

187

D When driving in a coastal area

2. Wash with

a

mild car−wash soap,

NOTICE

mixed according to the manufacturer’s

instructions. Use a soft cotton mitt and

keep it wet by dipping it frequently into

the wash water. Do not rub hard—let

the soap and water remove the dirt.

D When driving on a road sprinkled with

Do not use organic substances (gaso-

line kerosene, benzine or strong sol-

vents) which may be toxic or cause

damage.

antifreeze

D When having coal tar, tree sap, bird

droppings and carcass of an insect

D When driving in the areas where there

are a lot of smoke, soot, dust, iron

dust and chemical substance

Plastic wheel ornaments: The plastic

wheel ornaments are damaged easily by

organic substances. If any organic sub-

stances splashes an ornament, be sure to

wash it off with water and check if the

ornament is damaged.

3. Rinse

thoroughly—dried

soap can

cause streaking. In hot weather you

may need to rinse each section right

after you wash it.

D When the vehicle becomes remarkably

dirty with dust and mud

Hand−washing your Toyota

4. To prevent water spots, dry the vehicle

using a clean soft cotton towel. Do not

rub or press hard—you might scratch

the paint.

Work in the shade and wait until the

vehicle body is not hot to the touch.

CAUTION

Do not attach the heavily damaged

plastic wheel ornament. It may fly off

the wheel and cause accidents while

the vehicle is moving.

CAUTION

Automatic car wash

Your vehicle may be washed in an auto-

matic car wash, but remember that the

paint can be scratched by some type of

brushes, unfiltered washing water, or the

washing process itself. Scratching reduces

paint durability and gloss, especially on

darker colors. The manager of the car

wash should be able to advise you wheth-

er the process is safe for the paint on

your vehicle.

When cleaning under floor or chassis,

be careful not to injure your hands.

Aluminum wheels: Use only a mild soap

or neutral detergent.

1. Rinse off loose dirt with a hose. Re-

move any mud or road salt from the

underside of the vehicle or in the

wheel wells.

Plastic bumpers: Wash carefully. Do not

scrub with abrasive cleaners. The bumper

faces are soft.

Road tar: Remove with turpentine or

cleaners that are marked safe for painted

surfaces.

188

Cleaning the interior

Waxing your Toyota

NOTICE

CAUTION

Polishing and waxing is recommended

to maintain the original beauty of your

Toyota’s finish.

To prevent damage to the antenna,

make sure to remove it before driving

your Toyota through an automatic car

wash.

D Do not wash the vehicle floor with

water, or allow water to get onto

the floor when cleaning the vehicle

interior or exterior. Water may get

into audio components or other

electrical components above or un-

der the floor carpet (or mat) and

cause fire or malfunction; and it

may cause body corrosion.

Once a month or if the vehicle surface

does not repel water well, apply wax.

1. Always wash and dry the vehicle be-

fore you begin waxing, even if you are

using a combined cleaner and wax.

2. Use a good quality polish and wax. If

the finish has become extremely weath-

D Vehicles with side airbags:

Be careful not to splash water or

spill liquid on the floor. This may

prevent the side airbags from acti-

vating correctly, resulting in serious

injury.

ered, use

a

car−cleaning polish, fol-

lowed by a separate wax. Carefully fol-

low the manufacturer’s instructions and

precautions. Be sure to polish and wax

the chrome trim as well as the paint.

3. Wax the vehicle again when water

does not bead but remains on the sur-

face in large patches.

Vinyl interior

The vinyl upholstery may be easily

cleaned with a mild soap or detergent

and water.

NOTICE

Always remove the plastic bumpers if

your vehicle is re−painted and placed

in a high heat paint waxing booth.

High temperatures could damage the

bumpers.

189

First vacuum over the upholstery to re-

move loose dirt. Then, using a sponge or

soft cloth, apply the soap solution to the

vinyl. After allowing it to soak in for a few

minutes to loosen the dirt, remove the dirt

and wipe off the soap with a clean damp

cloth. If all the dirt do not come off, re-

peat the procedure. Commercial foaming−

type vinyl cleaners are also available

which work well. Follow the manufacturer’s

instructions.

Do not apply water—the best results are

obtained by keeping the carpet as dry as

possible. Read the shampoo instructions

and follow them closely.

Windows

The windows may be cleaned with any

household window cleaner.

NOTICE

Seat belts

The seat belts may be cleaned with

mild soap and water or with lukewarm

water.

When cleaning the inside of the win-

dows, be careful not to scratch or

damage the heater wires on the rear

window.

Use a cloth or sponge. As you are clean-

ing, check the belts for excessive wear,

fraying, or cuts.

Air conditioning control panel, car au-

dio, instrument panel, console panel,

and switches

NOTICE

Do not use solvent, thinner, gasoline

or window cleaner on the interior.

z Do not use dye or bleach on the

Use a soft damp cloth for cleaning.

belts−it may weaken them.

Soak a clean soft cloth in water or luke-

warm water then lightly wipe off dirt.

Carpets

z Do not use the belts until they be-

come dry.

Use

a

good foam−type shampoo to

clean the carpets.

Begin by vacuuming thoroughly to remove

as much dirt as possible. Several types of

foam cleaners are available; some are in

aerosol cans and others are powers or

liquids which you mix with water to pro-

duce a foam. To shampoo the carpets,

use a sponge or brush to apply the foam.

Rub in overlapping circles.

190

Leather interior

NOTICE

z Mildew may develop on soiled leath-

er upholstery. Be especially careful

to avoid oil spots. Try to keep your

upholstery always clean.

The leather upholstery may be cleaned

with neutral detergent for wool.

z Do not use organic substances (sol-

vents, kerosene, alcohol, gasoline,

etc.) or alkaline or acidic solutions.

These chemicals can cause discol-

oring, staining or peeling of the

surface.

Remove dirt using a soft cloth dampened

with 5% solution of neutral detergent for

wool. Then thoroughly wipe off all traces

of detergent with a clean damp cloth.

z Long exposure to direct sunlight

may cause the leather surface to

harden and shrink. Keep your ve-

hicle in a shaded area, especially in

the summer.

After cleaning or whenever any part of the

leather gets wet, dry with a soft clean

cloth. Allow the leather to dry in a venti-

lated shaded area.

z If you use cleaners or polishing

agents, make sure their ingredients

do not include the substances men-

tioned above.

z The interior of your vehicle is apt

to heat up on hot summer days, so

avoid placing on the upholstery

items made of vinyl or plastic or

containing wax as these tend to

stick to leather when warm.

z If you use a liquid car freshener, do

not apply the liquid onto the ve-

hicle’s interior surfaces. It may con-

ingredients mentioned

above. Immediately clean any spill

using the method mentioned above.

NOTICE

z If a stain should fail to come out

with

a

neutral detergent, apply

a

tain

the

cleaner that does not contain an

organic solvent.

z Improper cleaning of the leather up-

holstery could result in discolor-

ation or staining.

z Never use organic substances such

as benzine, alcohol or gasoline, or

alkaline or acid solutions for clean-

ing the leather as these could

cause discoloring.

If you have any questions about the

cleaning of your Toyota, your local

Toyota dealer will be pleased to answer

them.

z Use of a nylon brush or synthetic

fiber cloth, etc. may scratch the

fine grained surface of the leather.

191

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CORROSION PREVENTION AND APPEARANCE CARE for Your Toyota Prius 4 Door First Generation (1997-2003)

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