2003 Saab 9-3 Owner's Manual - Page 220

220 Car care Two-coat enamel As the name implies, two-coat enamel is applied in two operations. The first coat, the base color, contains the pigment, metal flakes and binder. The second coat consists of a clear enamel, which provides the final gloss for the paintwork and protects the base from moisture and environmental contaminants. Touch-up stone-chip damage as follows: 1 Thoroughly clean the damaged area. 2 Then apply the primer, base colour and finally, the clear enamel. To achieve the best finish, apply two or three coats of primer. Anti-corrosion treatment The entire car undergoes a series of anticorrosion processes during production. These include electrophoretic priming, polyester-based coating to protect against stone chip damage and corrosion, and treatment of body cavities and members with thin, penetrating rustproofing oil. In addition, most body panels, such as the hood, doors and floor pan are galvanized. The anti-corrosion treatment on some parts of the car is constantly exposed to wear and prone to damage. This applies particularly to the underside of the car and inside the wheel arches, where grit, road salt and the like that are thrown up can give rise to corrosion where the underseal has worn away. The extent of this obviously depends on the conditions in which the car is used. Accordingly, make it a habit to hose the underside of the car often and to inspect the condition of the underseal. The anti-corrosion warranty does not relieve the car owner of the need to carry out normal maintenance to the rustproofing and to make good any damage. Surface treatment composition 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Body panel Zinc (certain components only) 7.5 µm Phosphate coating 3 -5 µm Cathodic ED 30 µm Intermediate coat 40 -45 µm Metallic base/solid base 13 µm Clear enamel 45 µm