2000 SUBARU IMPREZA ESP

7-50eq uip ment manufac turers.
SUBARU assumes no resp onsib ility for injuries or ve
hic le d amag e that
result from trailer towing eq uip ment, or from any e rrors or omissions in
the instruc tions ac c omp anying suc h eq uip ment or for your failure to fol-
low the p rop er instruc tions.
Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties d o not ap p ly to vehic le d amag e or malfunc tion
c aused b y trailer towing . If you use your vehic le t o tow a trailer, more
freq uent maintenanc e will b e req uired d ue to the ad d itional load .
Und er no c irc umstanc es should a trailer b e towed wi th a new vehic le
or a vehic le with any new p ower train c omp onent (en g ine, transmis-
sion, d ifferential, wheel b earing s, etc .) for the f irst 1,000 miles (1,600
km) of d riving . Maximum load limits CAUTION
Never exceed the maximum load limits explained below. Exceed- ing the maximum load limits could cause personal injury and/or
vehicle damage.
The total trailer weig ht (trailer weig ht p lus its c arg o weig ht) with
b rakes must never exc eed 1,500 lb s (681 kg ).
The Gross Vehic le Weig ht (i.e., the c omb ined weig ht of vehic le, d river,
p asseng ers, lug g ag e, trailer hitc h, trailer tong ue load and any other
op tional eq uip ment installed on your vehic le) must never exc eed the
Gross Vehic le Weig ht Rating (GVWR). GVWR is shown o n the c ertifi-
c ation p late loc ated on the left c enter p illar of y our vehic le.
The total weig ht ap p lied to eac h axle must never ex c eed the Gross
Axle Weig ht Rating (GAWR). The front and rear GAWR are also shown
on the c ertific ation p late.
The maximum trailer tong ue load must never exc eed 1 50 lb s. (68 kg ).
The tong ue load c an b e ad justed b y p rop er d istrib ut ion of the load in
the trailer. Never load the trailer with more weig h t in the b ac k than the
front; ap p roximately 60 p erc ent of the trailer load should b e in the

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 electrical parts or the power steering fluid reser-
voir, it will cause engine trouble or faulty power steering respec-
tively.
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. NOTE When having your vehicle washed in an automatic car wash, make
sure beforehand that the car wash is of suitable type. If the vehicle
is equipped with a rear spoiler, it may be damaged by the brush, etc.
Washing the underbody
Chemic als, salts, and g ravel used for d eic ing road surfac 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

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

10-12Cooling system
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radiator cap until the engine has
been shut off and has cooled down completely. Since the coolantis under pressure, you may suffer serious burns from a spray ofboiling hot coolant when the cap is removed.
CAUTION
The cooling system has been filled at the factory with a high
quality, corrosion-inhibiting, year-around coolant which providesprotection against freezing down to –33F ( –36 C). For adding,
use genuine SUBARU coolant or an equivalent: a mixture of 50%
soft water and 50% ethylene-glycol basis coolant. Use of improp-er coolants may result in corrosion in the cooling system. It is im-portant to maintain protection against freezing and corrosion,
even if freezing temperatures are not expected. Never mix differ-ent kinds of coolant. Do not splash the engine coolant over painted parts. The alco-
hol contained in the engine coolant may damage the paint sur-face.
Hose and connections
Your vehic le emp loys an elec tric c ooling fan whic h is thermostatic ally
c ontrolled to op erate when the eng ine c oolant reac h es a sp ec ific tem-
p erature.
If the rad iator c ooling fan d oes not op erate even w hen the eng ine
c oolant temp erature g aug e exc eed s the normal op erat ing rang e, the
c ooling fan c irc uit may b e d efec tive. Chec k the fus e and rep lac e it if
nec essary. If the fuse is not b lown, have the c ooli ng system c hec ked
b y your SUBARU d ealer.
If freq uent ad d ition of c oolant is nec essary, there may b e a leak in the
eng ine c ooling system. It is rec ommend ed that the c ooling system
and c onnec tions b e c hec ked for leaks, d amag e, or lo oseness.

Maintenance and service10-37
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CONTINUED –
Replacement of brake pad and lining
CAUTION
If you continue to drive despite the scraping noise from the audi-
ble brake pad wear indicator, it will result in the need for costlybrake rotor repair or replacement.
OM-H0163
The front d isc b rake has an aud ib le wear ind ic ator on the b rake p ad s.
For RS mod els, the rig ht sid e rear d isc b rake also has a aud ib le wear
ind ic ator. If the b rake p ad s wear c lose to their se rvic e limit, the wear ind i-
c ator makes a very aud ib le sc rap ing noise when the b rake p ed al is ap -
p lied .
If you hear this sc rap ing noise eac h time you ap p ly the b rake p ed al,
have the b rake p ad s servic ed b y your SUBARU d ealer as soon as p os-
sib le.
Breaking-in of new brake pads and linings
When rep lac ing the b rake p ad or lining , use only g e nuine SUBARU
p arts. After rep lac ement, the new p arts must b e b ro ken in as follows:
n Brake pad and lining
While maintaining a sp eed of 30 to 40 mp h (50 to 65 km/h), step on
the b rake p ed al lig htly. Rep eat this five or more t imes.

10-44Aluminum wheels (if equipped)
Aluminum wheels c an b e sc ratc hed and d amag ed easily
. Hand le them
c arefully to maintain their ap p earanc e, p erformanc e , and safety.
When any of the wheels is removed and rep lac ed for tire rotation or to
c hang e a flat, always c hec k the tig htness of the wh eel nuts after d riving
ap p roximately 600 miles (1,000 km). If any nut is l oose, tig hten it to the
sp ec ified torq ue. Never ap p ly oil to the thread ed p arts, wheel nuts, or tap ered surfac e
of the wheel. Never let the wheel rub ag ainst sharp p rotrusions o r c urb s.
Be sure to fit tire c hains on uniformly and c omp let ely around the tire,
otherwise the c hains may sc ratc h the wheel. When wheel nuts, b alanc e weig hts, or the c enter c ap are rep lac ed ,
b e sure to rep lac e them with g enuine SUBARU p arts d esig ned for alumi-
num wheels. Fuses
HG0127
HS0202
The fuses are d esig ned to melt d uring an overload t o p revent d amag e to
the wiring harness and elec tric al eq uip ment. The fu ses are loc ated in
two fuse b oxes.
If any lig hts, ac c essories or other elec tric al c ont rols d o not op erate, in-
sp ec t the c orresp ond ing fuse. If a fuse has b lown, rep lac e it.

Consumer information and Reporting safety defects12-3
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CONTINUED –

Temperature A, B, C
The temp erature g rad es are A (hig hest), B and C, re p resenting the tire’s
resistanc e to g eneration of heat and its ab ility to d issip ate heat when
tested und er c ontrolled c ond itions on a sp ec ified i nd oor lab oratory test
wheel. Sustained hig h temp erature c an c ause the mat erial of the tire to
d eg enerate and red uc e tire life, and exc essive temp erature c an lead to
sud d en tire failure. Grad e C c orresp ond s to a level of p erformanc e
whic h all p asseng er c ar tires must meet und er the F ed eral Motor Vehic le
Safety Stand ard s No. 109. Grad es B and A rep resent hig her levels of
p erformanc e on the lab oratory test wheel than the m inimum req uired b y
law.
WARNING
The temperature grade for a tire is established for one that is
properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, under
inflation or excessive loading, either separately or in combina-tion, can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.