2003 SUBARU IMPREZA battery

Audio
5-21
– CONTINUED –
How to preset stations
1. Press the “FM/AM” selection button to select AM,
FM1 or FM2 reception.
2. Press the “SCAN” button (3) or tune the radio
manually until the desired station frequency is dis-played.
3. Press one of the preset buttons (5) for at least
1.5 seconds to store the frequency. The frequency
of the station will flash once on the display at this
time. If the button is pressed for less than 1.5 se-
conds, the preceding selection will remain in
memory.
NOTE If the connection between the radio and battery
is broken for any reason such as vehicle mainte- nance or radio removal, all stations stored in the
preset buttons are cleared. If this occurs, it is
necessary to reset the preset buttons.

Interior equipment
6-2
Interior light
When leaving your vehicle, make sure the light goes
out to avoid battery discharge. Dome light
The dome light switch has three positions: ON: The light stays on continuously.
DOOR (middle position): The dome light comes on
when any of the doors (or the rear gate on wagon) is
opened. The light remains on for several seconds
and gradually goes out after all doors (and the rear
gate on the wagon) are closed or if the key is inserted in the ignition switch.
The light also can be turned on by use of the key-
less entry transmitter. See the
“Keyless entry sys-
tem” in chapter 2 for detailed information.
OFF: The light stays off.
Cargo area light (if equipped)DOOR: The light comes on only when the rear gate
is opened. OFF: The light stays off.

Interior equipment
6-3
– CONTINUED –
Map light (if equipped)
To turn on the spotlight, push the switch.
To turn it off, push the switch again.
When leaving the vehicle, make sure the light is
turned off to avoid battery discharge. Sun visorsTo block out glare, swing down the visors.
To use the sun visor at a side window, swing it down and move it sideways.

Interior equipment
6-8
Take care to avoid spills. Beverages, if hot,
might burn you or your passengers. Spilled
beverages may also damage upholstery, car-pets or audio equipment. Accessory power outlet
In the luggage compartment (if equipped)
Electrical power (12V DC) from the battery is on tap at the socket when the ignition switch is either in the
“ACC” or “ON” position.
You can use an in-car use electrical appliance by
connecting it to the accessory power outlet.

Interior equipment
6-11
– CONTINUED –
CAUTION
Do not hold the lighter pushed in, because it will overheat.
Using as an accessory power outlet
Electrical power (12V DC) from the battery is on tapat the socket when the ignition switch is either in the
“ACC” or “ON” position.
If you use the socket as an accessory power outlet,
take the following precautions.When the socket is not in use, always put the cap on
the socket to prevent any foreign object from enter-ing it.
CAUTION
Use only in-car use electrical appliances
which are designed for 12V DC and which
consume less than 120W. Overloading the
socket can cause a short circuit. Do not use
double adapters or more than one electrical appliance. If the plug on your electric appliance is ei-
ther too loose or too tight for the socket, this
can result in a poor contact or cause the plug to get stuck. Only use plugs that fit properly.
Use of an electric appliance in the socket for
a long period of time while the engine is notrunning can cause battery discharge. Before driving your vehicle, make sure that
the plug and the cord on your electrical ap-
pliance will not interfere with your shifting gears and operating the accelerator and brake
pedals. If they do, do not use the electrical ap-
pliance while driving.
If the socket has been used for electrical ap-
pliances, damage may have been done to the inter-
nal mechanism that causes a cigarette lighter to“ pop out ” after its element has been heated. For that
reason, a cigarette lighter, even if it is a genuine
part, should not be used in the socket. If you want to
use the socket for a cigarette lighter again, or to pro-
tect your purchaser before you sell your car, have
your SUBARU dealer replace the socket with a newone.

Starting and operating
7-14
labor.
On steep downgrades, downshift the transmission
to 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear as necessary; this helps to
maintain a safe speed and to extend brake pad life.
In this way, the engine provides a braking effect. Re-
member, if you “ride” (over use) the brakes while de-
scending a hill, they may overheat and not work
properly.
The engine may, on rare occasions, knock when the
vehicle rapidly accelerates or rapidly pulls away
from a standstill. This phenomenon does not indi-
cate a fault. Automatic transmission
The automatic transmission is electronically con-
trolled with 4-forward speeds and 1-reverse speed. NOTE
Immediately after a disconnected battery is re-
connected or ATF (automatic transmission fluid) is replaced, you may feel that the automatic
transmission operation is somewhat unusual.
This results from erasure or invalidation of data
the on-board computer has collected and storedin memory to allow the transmission to shift at the most appropriate times for the current condi- tion of your vehicle. Optimized shifting will be re-stored as the vehicle continues to be driven for awhile.
WARNING
Do not shift from the
“P” or “N” position into
the “D”, “3”, “2”, “1” or “R” position while de-
pressing the accelerator pedal. This may
cause the vehicle to jump forward or back- ward.

Starting and operating
7-24
CAUTION
The ABS system does not always decrease
stopping distance. You should always main- tain a safe following distance from other ve- hicles. When driving on badly surfaced roads, grav-
el roads, icy roads, or over deep newly fallen
snow, stopping distances may be longer for a
vehicle with the ABS system than one without. When driving under these conditions, there-
fore, reduce your speed and leave ample dis-tance from other vehicles. When you feel the ABS system operating,
you should maintain constant brake pedal
pressure. Do not pump the brake pedal since doing so may defeat the operation of the ABS system.
ABS system self-check
You may feel a slight shock in the brake pedal and
hear the operating sound of ABS from the engine
compartment just after the vehicle is started. This iscaused by an automatic functional test of the ABS
system being carried out and does not indicate any
abnormal condition.
ABS warning light
The ABS warning light comes on when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ON” position and goes out
after about two seconds.This is an indication that the ABS system is working
properly.
When driving with an insufficient battery voltage
such as when the engine is jump started, the ABS
warning light may come on. This is due to the low
battery voltage and does not indicate a malfunction.
When the battery becomes fully charged, the lightwill go out.

Driving tips
8-10
it more prone to tip over. If you must rock the vehicle to free it from sand or
mud, depress the accelerator pedal slightly and
move the selector lever back and forth between “D”
and “R” repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the
best possible traction, avoid spinning the wheels
when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slippery, you
can obtain better traction by starting the vehicle withthe transmission in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and
AT). Never equip your vehicle with tires larger than
those specified in this manual. Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle under hard-
driving conditions such as rough roads or off roads
will necessitate more frequent replacement of engine
oil, brake fluid and transmission oil than that specified
in the maintenance schedule described in the “War -
ranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
Remember that damage done to your Subaru while
operating it off-road and not using common sense
precautions such as those listed above is not eligi-ble for warranty coverage. Winter driving

Operation during cold weather
Carry some emergency equipment, such as tire
chains, a window scraper, a bag of sand, flares, a small shovel, and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold temperatures
reduce battery capacity. The battery must be in
good condition to provide enough power for cold
winter starts.
Use an engine oil of proper grade and viscosity for