1998 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manual - Page 278

Sheet Metal Damage If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal repair orreplacement, make sure the body repair shop applies anti-corrosion material to the parts repaired or replaced to restore corrosion protection. At least every spring, flush these materials from the underbody with plain water. Clean any areas where mud and other debriscan collect. Dirt packed in closed areas of the frame should be loosened before being flushed. Your retailer or an underbody car washing system can do this for you. Finish Damage Any stone chips, fractures or deep scratches the finish in should be repaired right away. Bare metal will corrode quickly and may develop into amajor repair expense. Minor chips and scratches can be repaired with touch-up materials available from your retailer or other service outlets. Larger areas of finish damage can be corrected in your retailer's body and paint shop. Chemical Paint Spotting Some weather and atmospheric conditions can create a chemical fallout. Airborne pollutants can fall upon and attack painted surfaces on your vehicle. This damage can take two forms: blotchy, ringlet-shaped discolorations, and small irregular dark spots etched into the paint surface. Although no defect in the paint job causes this, Oldsmobile will repair, at no charge to the owner, the surfaces of new vehicles damaged by this fallout condition within 12 months or 1.2,OOO miles (20 000 k ) m of purchase, whichever occurs first. Underbody Maintenance Chemicals used for iceand snow removal and dust control can collect on the underbody. If these arenot removed, accelerated corrosion (rust) can occur on the underbody parts such as fuel lines, frame, floor pan and exhaust system even though they have corrosion protection. 6-50