Mazda 3 Owners Manual: 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 aff ected. |
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 brightmetal
surfaces, apply wax or chrome
preservative and rub it to a ...
Aluminum Wheel Maintenance
A protective coating is provided over the
aluminum wheels. Special care is needed
to protect this coating.
CAUTION
Do not use any detergent other than
mild detergent. Before using any
...
Other materials:
Combination Switch Removal/Installation
CAUTION:
Handling the air bag module improperly can accidentally deploy the air bag
module, which may seriously injure you. Read the air bag system service warnings
and cautions before handling the air bag module..
1. Switch the ignition to off.
2. Disconnect the negative batte ...
Automatic Transaxle Controls
Various Lockouts:
Indicates that you must depress
the brake pedal and hold in the lock-release
button to shift (The ignition must be switched ON).
Indicates the shift lever can be
shifted freely into any position.
Indicates that you must hold in
the lock-release button to shift.
NO ...
Operational Range
The system operates only when the driver
is in the vehicle or within operational
range while the key is being carried.
Starting the Engine
NOTE
Starting the engine may be possible
even if the key is outside of the vehicle
and extremely close to a door and
window, however, always start ...
