2003 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX oil change

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-27
– CONTINUED –
Seatbelt maintenance
To clean the seatbelts, use a mild soap and luke-
warm water. Never bleach or dye the belts because
this could seriously affect their strength. Inspect the seatbelts and attachments including the
webbing and all hardware periodically for cracks,
cuts, gashes, tears, damage, loose bolts or worn
areas. Replace the seatbelts even if only minor dam- age is found.
CAUTION
Keep the belts free of polishes, oils, chemi-
cals and particularly battery acid. Never attempt to make modifications or
changes that will prevent the seatbelt from op-
erating properly. Front seatbelt pretensioners
The driver
’s and front passenger ’s seatbelts have a
seatbelt pretensioner. The seatbelt pretensioners are designed to be activated in the event of an accident
involving a moderate to severe frontal collision.
The pretensioner sensor also serves as the frontal
SRS airbag sensor. If the sensor detects a certain
predetermined amount of force during a frontal colli-
sion, the front seatbelt is quickly drawn back in by
the retractor to take up the slack so that the belt
more effectively restrains the front seat occupant.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated, an oper-

3
3-1
– CONTINUED –
Ignition switch 3-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LOCK 3-2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ACC 3-4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ON 3-4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
START 3-4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key reminder chime 3-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Key interlock release (AT vehicles only) 3-4 . . . . . .
Hazard warning flasher 3-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Meters and gauges 3-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Speedometer 3-6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Odometer/Trip meter 3-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tachometer 3-7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fuel gauge 3-8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Temperature gauge 3-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ambient temperature gauge (if equipped) 3-9 . . . .
Warning and indicator lights 3-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Seatbelt warning light and chime 3-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SRS airbag system warning light 3-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHECK ENGINE warning light/ Malfunction indicator lamp 3-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Charge warning light 3-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Oil pressure warning light 3-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AT OIL TEMPerature warning light (for AT vehicles) 3-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ABS warning light 3-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brake system warning light 3-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Door open warning lights 3-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front-wheel drive warning light (for AT vehicles – if equipped) 3-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shift position indicator (AT vehicles) 3-15
. . . . . . . . . .
Turn signal indicator lights 3-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
High beam indicator light 3-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clock 3-15
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Light control switch 3-16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Headlights 3-16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
High/low beam change (dimmer) 3-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Headlight flasher 3-17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Daytime running light system 3-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Turn signal lever 3-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Illumination brightness control 3-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parking light switch 3-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fog light switch (if equipped) 3-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wiper and washer 3-21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windshield wiper and washer switches 3-22 . . . . . . .
Rear window wiper and washer switch – Wagon 3-24
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear window defogger switch 3-25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mirrors 3-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inside mirror 3-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Outside mirrors 3-29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tilt steering wheel 3-31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Horn 3-32
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Instruments and controls

Maintenance and service
11-11
– CONTINUED –
If you check the oil level just after stopping the en-
gine, wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back into
the oil pan before checking the level.
Just after driving or while the engine is warm, the
engine oil level reading may be in a range betweenthe upper level and the notch mark. This is caused
by thermal expansion of the engine oil.
To prevent overfilling the engine oil, do not add any
additional oil above the upper level when the engineis cold. Changing the oil and oil filter
Change the oil and oil filter according to the mainte-
nance schedule in the “Warranty and Maintenance
Booklet”.
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed more
frequently than listed in the maintenance schedule
when driving on dusty roads, when short trips are
frequently made, or when driving in extremely cold
whether.
1. Warm up the engine by letting the engine idle for
about 10 minutes to ease draining the engine oil.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop theengine.
3. Remove the oil filler cap.
1) Drain plug
4. Drain out the engine oil by removing the drain
plug while the engine is still warm. The used oil
should be drained into an appropriate container and
disposed of properly.
WARNING
Be careful not to burn yourself with hot en- gine oil.
5. Wipe the seating surface of the drain plug with a
clean cloth and tighten it securely with a new seal-

Maintenance and service
11-50
Aluminum wheels (If equipped)
Aluminum wheels can be scratched and damaged
easily. Handle them carefully to maintain their ap-
pearance, performance, and safety. When any of the wheels is removed and replaced
for tire rotation or to change a flat, always check the
tightness of the wheel nuts after driving approxi-mately 600 miles (1,000 km). If any nut is loose,
tighten it to the specified torque. Never apply oil to the threaded parts, wheel nuts,
or tapered surface of the wheel. Never let the wheel rub against sharp protrusions
or curbs. Be sure to fit tire chains on uniformly and com-
pletely around the tire, otherwise the chains mayscratch the wheel. When wheel nuts, balance weights, or the center
cap is replaced, be sure to replace them with genu-
ine SUBARU parts designed for aluminum wheels. Windshield washer fluid
Check the level of the washer fluid at each fuel stop.
If the level is low, fill the fluid up to the neck of the
reservoir. Use windshield washer fluid. If windshield washer
fluid is unavailable use clean water.
In areas where water freezes in winter, use an anti-
freeze type windshield washer fluid. SUBARU Wind-
shield Washer Fluid contains 58.5% methyl alcohol
and 41.5% surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it is diluted,
as indicated below.