2000 SUBARU FORESTER Owners Manual

8-14
HS0163
We d o not rec ommend this method of towing . Use this method only
when towing servic e b y a SUBARU d ealer or a c ommerc ial towing
servic e is not availab le.
1. Chec k the transmission and d ifferential oil level s and ad d oil to
b ring it to the up p er level if nec essary.
2. Release the p arking b rake and p ut the transmissio n in neutral.
3. The ig nition switc h should b e in the “ACC ” p osition while the ve-
hic le is b eing towed .
4. Take up slac k in the towline slowly to p revent d a mag e to the ve-
hic le.
Towing eyelets
CAUTION
Never use the tie-down eyelet closest to the muffler under the
vehicle for towing purposes. Do not apply excessive lateral load to the towing eyelets.

In case of emergency8-15
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CONTINUED –
HS0165
HS0164Towing and tie-down eyelets
Towing and tie-down eyelet
HS0166
Never use tie-down eyelet for towing purpose.
The towing eyelets should b e used only in an emerg e nc y (e.g ., to free a
stuc k vehic le from mud , sand or snow).

9
Appearance care Exterior care9-2
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Washing 9-2
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Waxing and polishing 9-3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corrosion protection 9-4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cleaning the interior 9-5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cleaning aluminum wheels 9-6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cleaning fog light lens 9-6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-2
Exterior care
Washing
CAUTION
When washing the vehicle, the brakes may get wet. As a result,
the brake stopping distance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe speed while lightly pressing the brakepedal to heat up the brakes. Do not wash the engine compartment and areas adjacent to it.
If water enters the engine air intake, electrical parts or the power
steering fluid reservoir, it will cause engine trouble or faulty pow-
er steering respectively.
The b est way to p reserve your vehic le ’s b eauty is freq uent washing .
Wash the vehic le at least onc e a month to avoid c on tamination b y road
g rime.
Wash d irt off with a wet sp ong e and p lenty of lukew arm or c old water. Do
not wash the vehic le with hot water and in d irec t s unlig ht.
Salt, c hemic als, insec ts, tar, soot and b ird d rop p i ng s should b e washed
off b y using a lig ht d eterg ent, as req uired . If you use a lig ht d eterg ent,
make c ertain that it is a neutral d eterg ent. Do not use strong soap or
c hemic al d eterg ents. All c leaning ag ents should b e p romp tly flushed
from the surfac e and not allowed to d ry there. Rins e the vehic le thor-
oug hly with p lenty of lukewarm water. Wip e the rema ining water off with a
c hamois or soft c loth.
Washing the underbody
Chemic als, salts and g ravel used for d eic ing road s urfac es are ex-
tremely c orrosive, ac c elerating the c orrosion of un d erb od y c omp o-
nents, suc h as the exhaust system, fuel and b rake l ines, b rake
c ab les, floor p an and fend ers, and susp ension.
Thoroug hly flush the und erb od y and insid e of the fe nd ers with luke-
warm or c old water at freq uent intervals to red uc e the harmful effec ts
of suc h ag ents.

Appearance care9-3
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CONTINUED –

Using a warm water washer
Keep a g ood d istanc e of 12 inc hes (30 c m) or more b etween the
washer nozzle and the vehic le. Do not wash the same area c ontinuously.
If a stain will not c ome out easily, wash b y hand . Some warm water
washers are of the hig h temp erature, hig h p ressure typ e and they c an
d amag e or d eform the resin p arts suc h as mould ing s, or c ause water
to leak into the vehic le.
Waxing and polishing
Always wash and d ry the vehic le b efore waxing and p olishing .
Use a g ood q uality p olish and wax and ap p ly them ac c ord ing to the
manufac turer ’s instruc tions. Wax or p olish when the p ainted surf ac e is
c ool.
Be sure to p olish and wax the c hrome trim, as well as the p ainted sur-
fac es. Loss of wax on a p ainted surfac e lead s to lo ss of the orig inal lus-
ter and also q uic kens the d eterioration of the surf ac e. It is rec ommend ed
that a c oat of wax b e ap p lied at least onc e a month , or whenever the
surfac e no long er rep els water.
If the ap p earanc e of the p aint has d iminished to th e p oint where the lus-
ter or tone c annot b e restored , lig htly p olish the surfac e with a fine-
g rained c omp ound . Never p olish just the affec ted ar ea, b ut inc lud e the
surround ing area as well. Always p olish in only one d irec tion. A No. 2000
g rain c omp ound is rec ommend ed . Never use a c oarse-g rained c om-
p ound . Coarser g rained c omp ound s have a smaller g ra in-size numb er
and c ould d amag e the p aint. After p olishing with a c omp ound , c oat with
wax to restore the orig inal luster. Freq uent p olish ing with a c omp ound or
an inc orrec t p olishing tec hniq ue will result in rem oving the p aint layer
and exp osing the und erc oat. When in d oub t, it is al ways b est to c ontac t
your SUBARU d ealer or an auto p aint sp ec ialist.

9-4
Corrosion protection
Your SUBARU has b een d esig ned and b uilt to resist c
orrosion. Sp ec ial
materials and p rotec tive finishes have b een used on most p arts of the
vehic le to help maintain fine ap p earanc e, streng th, and reliab le op era-
tion.
Most common causes of corrosion
The most c ommon c auses of c orrosion are:
1. The ac c umulation of moisture retaining d irt and d eb ris in b od y
p anel sec tions, c avities, and other areas.
2. Damag e to p aint and other p rotec tive c oating s c au sed b y g ravel
and stone c hip s or minor ac c id ents.
Corrosion is ac c elerated on the vehic le when:
1. It is exp osed to road salt or d ust c ontrol c hemic als, or used in
c oastal areas where there is more salt in the air, or in areas where
there is c onsid erab le ind ustrial p ollution.
2. It is d riven in areas of hig h humid ity, esp ec iall y when temp eratures
rang e just ab ove freezing .
3. Damp ness in c ertain p arts of the vehic le remains for a long time,
even thoug h other p arts of the vehic le may b e d ry.
4. Hig h temp eratures will c ause c orrosion to p arts o f the vehic le
whic h c annot d ry q uic kly d ue to lac k of p rop er vent ilation.
To help prevent corrosion
Wash the vehic le freq uently. If you d rive on salted road s in the winter
or if you live in a c oastal area, you should flush the und erb od y with
fresh water freq uently.
After the winter has end ed , it is rec ommend ed that the und erb od y b e
g iven a very thoroug h washing .
Before the b eg inning of winter, c hec k the c ond ition of und erb od y
c omp onents, suc h as the exhaust system, fuel and b r ake lines, b rake
c ab les, susp ension, steering system, floor p an, and fend ers. If any of
them are found to b e rusted , they should b e g iven a n ap p rop riate rust
p revention treatment or should b e rep lac ed . Contac t your SUBARU

Appearance care9-5
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CONTINUED –
d ealer to p erform this kind of maintenanc e and trea
tment if you need
assistanc e.
Rep air c hip s and sc ratc hes in the p aint as soon as you find them.
Chec k the interior of the vehic le for water and d ir t ac c umulation und er
the floor mats b ec ause that c ould c ause c orrosion. Oc c asionally
c hec k und er the mats to make sure the area is d ry.
Keep your g arag e d ry. Do not p ark your vehic le in a d amp , p oorly
ventilated g arag e. In suc h a g arag e, c orrosion c an b e c aused b y
d amp ness. If you wash the vehic le in the g arag e or p ut the vehic le
into the g arag e when wet or c overed with snow, that c an c ause
d amp ness.
If your vehic le is op erated in c old weather and /or in areas where road
salts and other c orrosive materials are used , the d oor hing es and
loc ks, trunk lid loc k, and hood latc h should b e ins p ec ted and lub ri-
c ated p eriod ic ally.
Cleaning the interior
Use a vac uum c leaner to g et rid of the d ust and d ir t. Wip e the vinyl areas
with a c lean, d amp c loth.
Seat fabric
Remove loose d irt, d ust or d eb ris with a vac uum c le aner. If the d irt is
c aked on the fab ric or hard to remove with a vac uum c leaner, use a
soft b lush then vac uum it.
Wip e the fab ric surfac e with a tig htly wrung c loth and d ry the seat
fab ric thoroug hly. If the fab ric is still d irty, wi p e using a solution of mild
soap and lukewarm water then d ry thoroug hly.
If the stain d oes not c ome out, try a c ommerc ially- availab le fab ric
c leaner. Use the c leaner on a hid d en p lac e and make sure it d oes not
affec t the fab ric ad versely. Use the c leaner ac c ord ing to its instruc -
tion.

9-6
Synthetic leather upholstery
The synthetic leather material used on the SUBARU m ay b e c leaned
using mild soap or d eterg ent and water, after first vac uuming or
b rushing away loose d irt. Allow the soap to soak in for a few minutes
and wip e off with a c lean, d amp c loth. Commerc ial f oam-typ e c lean-
ers suitab le for synthetic leather materials may b e used when nec es-
sary. NOTE Strong cleaning agents such as solvents, paint thinners, window
cleaner or gasoline must never be used on leather or syntheticinterior materials.
Cleaning aluminum wheels Promp tly wip e the aluminum wheels c lean of any kind of g rime or
ag ent. If d irt is left on too long , it may b e d iffi c ult to c lean off.
Do not use soap c ontaining g rit to c lean the wheels . Be sure to use a
neutral c leaning ag ent, and later rinse thoroug hly with water. Do not
c lean the wheels with a stiff b rush or exp ose them to a hig h-sp eed wash-
ing d evic e. Clean the vehic le (inc lud ing the aluminum wheels) w ith water as soon
as p ossib le when it has b een sp lashed with sea wate r, exp osed to sea
b reezes, or d riven on road s treated with salt or ot her ag ents.
Cleaning fog light lens
If the fog lig ht p rotec tor oug ht to b e removed for c leaning the fog lig ht
lens, follow then the instruc tion g iven in “Fog lig ht ” sec tion (Rep lac ing
b ulb s) und er Chap ter 10.
When c leaning the fog lig ht lens, p ark the vehic le on a safe p lac e, stop
the eng ine and c onfirm that the fog lig ht lens is n ot hot b efore p roc eed -
ing with the work.