2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX fluid

Starting and operating
7-17
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WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the selector lever in the “N” (neutral) position. Engine braking
has no effect in this condition and the risk ofan accident is consequently increased.
D (Drive)
This position is for normal driving.The transmission automatically shifts into a suitable
gear from 1st to 4th according to the vehicle speed
and the acceleration you require.
When more acceleration is required in this position,
press the accelerator pedal fully to the floor andhold that position. The transmission will automatical-
ly downshift to 3rd, 2nd or 1st gear. When you re-
lease the pedal, the transmission will return to the
original gear position.
n While climbing a grade
When driving up hill, undesired upshift to 4th gear is
prevented from taking place when the accelerator
pedal is released. This minimizes the chances of subsequent downshifting to a lower gear when ac-
celerating again. This prevents repeated upshifting
and downshifting resulting in a smoother operation of the vehicle.
NOTE The transmission may downshift to 2nd or 1st
gear, depending on the way the accelerator pedalis pressed to accelerate the vehicle again. n While going down a hill
When descending a steep hill, depressing the brake
pedal will cause the transmission to downshift to 3rd
gear, thus applying engine braking. Reacceleration
for a short time will cause the transmission to upshift
normally. NOTE In some cases, depressing the brake pedal on a downhill grade does not result in an automatic
downshift to 3rd gear. This can happen when theautomatic transmission fluid temperature is very
low, for example, during driving shortly after the
vehicle has been parked for an extended period
of time. When the ATF temperature has risen to a
certain level, automatic downshift normally takes
place. In the meantime, downshift manually forengine braking as required.Also, downshifting when braking downhill willnot occur at speeds above approximately 48 mph(78 km/h).

Starting and operating
7-22
Braking Braking tips
WARNING
Never rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. This can cause dangerous overheat- ing of the brakes and needless wear on thebrake pads and linings.
When the brakes get wet
When driving in rain or after washing the vehicle, the
brakes may get wet. As a result, brake stopping dis-
tance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the ve-
hicle at a safe speed while lightly depressing thebrake pedal to heat up the brakes.
Use of engine braking
Remember to make use of engine braking in addi-
tion to foot braking. When descending a grade, if
only the foot brake is used, the brakes may start
working improperly because of brake fluid overheat-
ing, caused by overheated brake pads. To help pre-
vent this, shift into a lower gear to get stronger
engine braking.
Braking when a tire is punctured
Do not depress the brake pedal suddenly when a
tire is punctured. This could cause a loss of controlof the vehicle. Keep driving straight ahead while
gradually reducing speed. Then slowly pull off the
road to a safe place. Brake system
Two separate circuits
Your vehicle has two separate circuit brake systems.
Each circuit works diagonally across the vehicle. If
one circuit of the brake system should fail, the other
half of the system still works. If one circuit fails, thebrake pedal will go down much closer to the floor
than usual and you will need to press it down much
harder. And a much longer distance will be needed to stop the vehicle.
Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine manifold vacuum to
assist braking force. Do not turn off the engine while
driving because that will turn off the brake booster,
resulting in poor braking power. The brakes will continue to work even when the brake booster completely stops functioning. If this
happens, however, you will have to push the pedal

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

Driving tips
8-11
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cold weather. Heavy summer oil will cause harder
starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting themwith deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage or sepa-
rate the rubber weather strips around the door. If the
door is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and af-
terwards thoroughly wipe the water away. Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an anti-
freeze solution. Do not use engine antifreeze or oth-
er substitutes because they may damage the paint of the vehicle.
Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any snow or ice
from your shoes because that could make the ped-
als slippery and dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before driving, check that the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and all oth-
er controls operate smoothly. Clear away ice and snow that has accumulated un-
der the fenders to avoid making steering difficult.
During severe winter driving, stop when and where it is safe to do so and check under the fenders peri-
odically.
Parking in cold weather
Do not use the parking brake when parking for long
periods in cold weather since it could freeze in that
position. Instead, observe the following:
1. Place the shift lever in “1” or “R” for manual trans-
mission vehicles, and in “P” for automatic transmis-
sion vehicles.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to prevent the ve-
hicle from moving.
When the vehicle is parked in snow or when it
snows, raise the wiper blades off the glass to pre-vent damage to them.
When the vehicle has been left parked after use on
roads heavily covered with snow, or has been left
parked during a snowstorm, icing may develop onthe brake system, which could cause poor braking
action. Check for snow or ice buildup on the sus-
pension, disc brakes and brake hoses underneath the vehicle.
If there is caked snow or ice, remove it, being care-ful not to damage the disc brakes and brake hoses
and ABS harness.

Driving tips
8-18
load. Therefore, the GVW changes depending on
the situation. The GVWR equals Curb Weight (actualweight of your vehicle – including standard equip-
ment, fluids, emergency tools and spare tire assem-bly) plus the vehicle capacity weight. In addition, the total weight applied to each axle
(GAW) must never exceed the GAWR. The front and
rear GAWs can be adjusted by relocating luggageinside the vehicle.Even if the total weight of your luggage is lower than
the vehicle capacity weight, either front or rear GAW
may exceed the GAWR, depending on the distribu-
tion of the luggage.
If you carry heavy loads in the vehicle, you should
confirm that GVW and front and rear GAWs are with-
in the GVWR and GAWR by putting your vehicle on
a vehicle scale, found at a commercial weighing sta- tion.
Do not use replacement tires with a lower load range than the originals because they may lower the
GVWR and GAWR limitations. Replacement tireswith a higher load range than the originals do not in-
crease the GVWR and GAWR limitations.
Roof rail and crossbar (if equipped)
1) Crossbar kit
The roof rail is not designed to carry cargo by itself.
Cargo can be carried after securing the roof cross-
bar kit to the roof rail and installing the appropriate
carrying attachment. When installing the roof cross-
bar kit, follow the manufacturer ’s instructions.
When you carry cargo on the roof using the roof
crossbar kit and a carrying attachment, never ex-
ceed the maximum load limit explained below. You
should also be careful that your vehicle does not ex-
ceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and

Driving tips
8-38
If your vehicle has an automatic transmission,
avoid using the accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an uphill slope instead of using the parking brakeor foot brake. That may cause the transmission fluid
to overheat. Also, if your vehicle is equipped with an
automatic transmission, avoid driving with the gear selector lever in “D” when towing a heavy trailer to
prevent fluid overheating. A lower gear should be used.
Parking on a grade
Always block the wheels under both vehicle and
trailer when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly.
You should not park on a hill or slope. But if parking on a hill or slope cannot be avoided, you shouldtake the following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under boththe vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel blocks are in place, release the
regular brakes slowly until the blocks absorb theload.
4. Apply the regular brakes and then apply the
parking brake; slowly release the regular brakes.
5. Shift into 1st or reverse gear (manual transmis- sion) or “P” (automatic transmission) and shut off the
engine.

In case of emergency
9-14
WARNING
Never place a tire or tire changing tools in the
passenger compartment after changing
wheels. In a sudden stop or collisions, looseequipment could strike occupants and cause
injury. Store the tire and all tools in the proper place.Jump starting
WARNING

Battery fluid is SULFURIC ACID. Do not let it
come in contact with the hooks, skin, clothing or the vehicle. If battery fluid gets on you, thoroughly flush
the exposed area with water immediately. Get
medical help if the fluid has entered your hooks.
If battery fluid is accidentally swallowed, im-
mediately drink a large amount of milk or wa-
ter, and obtain immediate medical help. Keep everyone including children away from
the battery. The gas generated by a battery explodes if a
flame or spark is brought near it. Do not
smoke or light a match while jump starting. Never attempt jump starting if the dis-
charged battery is frozen. It could cause thebattery to burst or explode. Whenever working on or around a battery,
always wear suitablehookprotectors, and re- move metal objects such as rings, bands or
other metal jewelry.

Appearance care
10-2
Exterior care Washing
The best way to preserve your vehicle ’s beauty is
frequent washing. Wash the vehicle at least once a
month to avoid contamination by road grime.
Wash dirt off with a wet sponge and plenty of luke-
warm or cold water. Do not wash the vehicle with hot
water and in direct sunlight.
Salt, chemicals, insects, tar, soot and bird droppings
should be washed off by using a light detergent, as
required. If you use a light detergent, make certain
that it is a neutral detergent. Do not use strong soap or chemical detergents. All cleaning agents should
be promptly flushed from the surface and not al-
lowed to dry there. Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with
plenty of lukewarm water. Wipe the remaining water
off with a chamois or soft cloth. NOTE When having your vehicle washed in an auto- matic car wash, make sure beforehand that thecar wash is of suitable type. If the vehicle is
equipped with a rear/roof spoiler or rear wiper, itmay be damaged by car wash brushes or otherequipment.
CAUTION
When washing the vehicle, the brakes may
get wet. As a result, the brake stopping dis-
tance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drivethe vehicle at a safe speed while lightly press- ing the brake pedal to heat up the brakes. Do not wash the engine compartment and
area adjacent to it. If water enters the engineair intake, electrical parts or the power steer-
ing fluid reservoir, it will cause engine trouble
or faulty power steering respectively.
Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used for deicing road
surfaces are extremely corrosive, accelerating the
corrosion of underbody components, such as theexhaust system, fuel and brake lines, brake cables,floor pan and fenders, and suspension.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and inside of the
fenders with lukewarm or cold water at frequent in-
tervals to reduce the harmful effects of such agents.
Using a warm water washer
Keep a good distance of 12 in (30 cm) or more
between the washer nozzle and the vehicle.