Honda Civic/Acura Integra

since 1994 release

Repair and operation of the car

Care of components of a body and bottom of the car

It is necessary to remember that the main factor determining the selling cost of the used car is the condition of its body. Procedures of care of body panels are extremely simple, but have to be carried out on a regular basis. Negligence to the smallest mechanical damages and defects of a paint and varnish covering can lead to bystry development of corrosion and need of performance of expensive body repair. It is also regularly important to check a condition of the surfaces and details hidden from a look, such as arches of wheels, lower part of partitions of a motive compartment, etc.

Basic procedure for care of a body of the car is its sink, preferably plentiful amount of water, given under pressure from a hose. Rather powerful stream easily softens and forces down the dried-up dirt and that is important, allows to avoid damage of a paint and varnish covering at friction about it separate grains of sand and other abrasive particles. Do not forget to wash out also arches of wheels and the bearing car bottom elements. Strangely enough, the best time for performance of a sink of elements of a suspension bracket and the bottom of the car is damp rainy weather when the most part of the accumulated mud deposits is washed away automatically during the movement. Try not to miss opportunities and, taking an opportunity, you make external survey of the components located under the car.

Once a year, or through each 20 000 km (12 000 miles) of a run it is necessary to make check of a condition of an anticorrosive covering of the bottom of the car. Previously it is necessary to subject the car bottom, including a motive compartment, to steam cleaning during which multilayered oil deposits, sticky slime and dense dirt especially well are removed. If the possibility of application of steam cleaning is absent, it is necessary to process by means of a brush surfaces one of a set of the solvents produced now which is subject to cleaning of components.

Such annual survey of the car should be made before a winter season after a good soaking of mud and oil deposits in the conditions of the increased humidity, characteristic of autumn season. The damaged anticorrosive covering has to be immediately restored. Ideally, once a year it is necessary to make full anticorrosive processing of the car at which the protective structure downloads in cavities of door panels, thresholds, box-shaped sections of the bearing body elements and other available volumes.

Having completely washed away dirt from a paint and varnish covering, wipe the surfaces of body panels with soft suede, returning to polishing initial gloss. Processing of surfaces the polish containing wax provides additional protection of a paint and varnish covering against atmospheric actions and allows to restore locally lost polishing. Remember that tarnishing of a paint and varnish covering is most often connected with negligence to a regular wash of the car.

It is necessary to make wax polishing of body panels approximately time in half a year. Paint and varnish "metallic" coverings need special leaving with application of the special, not containing abrasives of polishes. Try to check regularly passability of drainage and air vents of body panels. Do not forget to wipe glasses from time to time, by means of the special cleaning structures deleting a road film from their surface. Do not use for processing of glasses the polishes containing wax or means for care of the chromeplated finishing elements at all.