2004 SUBARU OUTBACK brake

8-2
Driving tips
Driving tipsNew vehicle break-in driving – the
first 1,000 miles (1,600 km)
The performance and long life of your vehicle are de-
pendent on how you handle and care for your vehicle
while it is new. Follow these instructions during the
first 1,000 miles (1,600 km):y
Do not race the engine. And do not allow engine
speed to exceed 4,000 rpm except in an emergency.y Do not drive at one constant engine or vehicle
speed for a long time, either fast or slow. y Avoid starting suddenly and rapid acceleration, ex-
cept in an emergency. y Avoid hard braking, except in an emergency.
The same break-in procedures should be applied to a
newly installed or overhauled engine or when brake
pads or brake linings are replaced with new ones.
Fuel economy hints
The following suggestions will help to save your fuel. y Select the proper gear position for the speed and
road conditions. y Avoid sudden acceleration or deceleration. Always
accelerate gently until you reach the desired speed.
Then try to maintain that speed for as long as possible. y Do not pump the accelerator and avoid racing the
engine. y Avoid unnecessary engine idling.
y Keep the engine properly tuned.
y Keep the tires inflated to the correct pressure shown
on the tire placard, which is located under the door
latch on the driver’s side. Low pressure will increase
tire wear and fuel consumption.y Use the air conditioner only when necessary.
y Keep the front and rear wheels in proper alignment.
y Avoid carrying unnecessary luggage or cargo.

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Driving tips
y
Always check your brakes for effectiveness immedi-
ately after driving in sand, mud or water. Do this by
driving slowly and stepping on the brake pedal. Re-
peat that process several times to dry out the brake
discs and brake pads.y Do not drive or park over or near flammable materi-
als such as dry grass or fallen leaves, as they may
burn easily. The exhaust system is very hot while the
engine is running and right after engine stops. This
could create a fire hazard. y After driving through tall grass, mud, rocks, sand,
rivers, etc., check that there is no grass, bush, paper,
rags, stones, sand, etc. adhering to or trapped on the
underbody. Clear off any such matter from the under-
body. If the vehicle is used with these materials
trapped or adhering to the underbody, a mechanical
breakdown or fire could occur.y Secure all cargo carried inside the vehicle and make
certain that it is not piled higher than the seatbacks.
During sudden stops or jolts, unsecured cargo could
be thrown around in the vehicle and cause injury. Do
not pile heavy loads on the roof. Those loads raise the
vehicle’s center of gravity and make it more prone totip over. y 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 pos-
sible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when trying to
free the vehicle. y
When the road surface is extremely slippery, you
can obtain better traction by starting the vehicle with
the transmission in 2nd than 1st (both for MT and AT). y Never equip your vehicle with tires larger than those
specified in this manual. y Wash the vehicle’s underbody after off-road driving.
Suspension components are particularly prone to dirt
buildup, so they need to be washed thoroughly.y Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle under hard-driv-
ing conditions such as rough roads or off roads will ne-
cessitate more frequent replacement of engine oil,
brake fluid and transmission oil than that specified in
the maintenance schedule described in the “Warranty
and Maintenance Booklet”.
Remember that damage done to your SUBARU while
operating it off-road and not using common sense pre-
cautions such as those listed above is not eligible for
warranty coverage.

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Driving tips
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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 re-
duce battery capacity. The battery must be in good
condition to provide enough power for cold winterstarts.
Use an engine oil of proper grade and viscosity for
cold weather. Heavy summer oil will cause harder starting.
Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them
with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage or separate
the rubber weather strips around the door. If the door
is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards
thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an anti-
freeze solution. Do not use engine antifreeze or other
substitutes because they may damage the paint of the
vehicle. T
Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any snow or ice
from your shoes because that could make the pedals
slippery and dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before driving, check
that the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and all other
controls operate smoothly.
Clear away ice and snow that has accumulated under
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 periodically.
UB3010AA

8-12
Driving tips
T
Parking in cold weather
Snow can trap dangerous exhaust gases under
your vehicle. Keep snow clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around your vehicle if you park
the vehicle in snow with the engine running.
Do not use the parking brake when parking for long
periods in cold weather since it could freeze in that po-
sition. Instead, observe the following:
1. Place the shift lever in “1” or “R” for manual trans-
mission vehicles, and in “P” for automatic transmission
vehicles.
2. Use tire stops under the tires to prevent the vehicle
from moving.
When the vehicle is parked in snow or when it snows,
raise the wiper blades off the glass to prevent 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 on the
brake system, which could cause poor braking action.
Check for snow or ice buildup on the suspension, disc
brakes and brake hoses underneath the vehicle. If there is caked snow or ice, remove it, being careful
not to damage the disc brakes and brake hoses andABS harness. T
Refueling in cold weather
To help prevent moisture from forming in the fuel sys-
tem and the risk of its freezing, use of an antifreeze ad-
ditive in the fuel tank is recommended during cold
weather.
Use only additives that are specifically designed for
this purpose. When an antifreeze additive is used, its
effect lasts longer if the tank is refilled whenever the
fuel level reaches half empty.
If your SUBARU is not going to be used for an extend-
ed period, it is best to have the fuel tank filled to capac-
ity. „ Driving on snowy and icy roads
Do not use the cruise control on slippery roads
such as snowy or icy roads. This may cause
loss of vehicle control.
To prevent skidding and slipping, avoid sudden brak-

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Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
ing, abrupt acceleration, high-speed driving, and
sharp turning when driving on snowy or icy roads.
Always maintain ample distance between your vehicle
and the vehicle ahead of you to avoid the need for sud-
den braking.
To supplement the foot brake, use the engine brake
effectively to control the vehicle speed. (Shift into a
lower gear when necessary.)
Avoid shifting down abruptly. Such behavior can
cause the wheels to lock, possibly leading to loss of vehicle control.
An anti-lock brake system (ABS) enhances your vehi-
cle’s braking performance on snowy and icy roads.
Refer to the “ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)” and “VDC
(Vehicle Dynamics Control) system (if equipped)” sec-
tion in chapter 7 for information on braking on slippery surfaces. TWiper operation when snowing
Before driving in cold weather, make sure the wiper
blades are not frozen to the windshield or rear window.
If the wiper blades are frozen to the windshield or rear
window, use the defroster with the airflow control but-
ton/dial in the “ ” position and the temperature
control dial set for maximum warmth until the wiper
blades are completely thawed out. If your vehicle is
equipped with a wiper deicer, it is helpful to thaw the windshield wiper blades. To thaw out the rear wiper
blade, use the rear window defogger.
When driving in snow, if frozen snow starts to stick on
the surface of the windshield despite wiper operation,
use the defroster with the airflow control button/dial in
“ ” and the temperature control dial set for maxi-
mum warmth. After the windshield gets warmed
enough to melt the frozen snow on it, wash it away us-
ing the windshield washer.
Snow stuck on the wiper arm prevents the wiper from working effectively. If snow is stuck on the wiper arm,
pull off the road to a safe place, then remove it. If you
stop the car at road side, use the hazard warning
flasher to alert other drivers.
We recommend use of non-freezing type wiper blades
(winter blades) during the seasons you could have
snow and sub-zero temperatures. Blades of this type
give superior wiping performance in snowy conditions.
Be sure to use blades that are suitable for your vehi- cle. „
Corrosion protection
Refer to the “Corrosion protection” section (chapter 10).

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Driving tips
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Trailer hitch (if equipped)
yNever exceed the maximum weight specified
for the trailer hitch. Exceeding the maximum
weight could cause an accident resulting in se-
rious personal injuries. Permissible trailer
weight changes depending on the situation. Re-
fer to the next section “Trailer towing” for pos-
sible recommendations and limitations. y Trailer brakes are required when the towing
load exceeds 1,000 lbs (453 kg). Be sure your
trailer has safety chains and that each chain
will hold the trailer’s maximum gross weight.
Towing trailers without safety chains could cre-
ate a traffic safety hazard if the trailer separates
from the hitch due to coupling damage or hitch
ball damage. y Be sure to check the hitch pin and safety pin
for positive locking placement before towing a
trailer. If the ball mount comes off the hitch re-
ceiver, the trailer could get loose and create a
traffic safety hazard.y Use only the ball mount supplied with this
hitch. Use the hitch only as a weight carrying
hitch. Do not use with any type of weight dis-
tributing hitch.
The trailer hitch is designed to tow a Class 1 rated
load. A maximum of 2,400 lbs (1,087 kg) gross trailer
weight and a maximum of 200 lbs (90 kg) gross
tongue weight are permissible for the trailer hitch.
When you tow a trailer, follow the instructions in the
next section “Trailer towing”. „ Connecting a trailer
1. Remove the receiver cover from the hitch receiver
tube. Then insert the ball mount into the hitch receiver
tube.
UB8018BA

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Driving tips
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ground.
Do not connect safety chains to part of the ve-
hicle other than the safety chain hooks. Hitch harness connector
8. Connect the hitch wire harness’s black four-pin
wire connector to the towing trailer’s wire harness.
9. Confirm proper function of the hitch wire harness
by individually activating the brake, right turn signal,
left turn signal, stop, and parking lights on the trailer.
NOTE
Always disconnect the trailer wire harness before
launching or retrieving a watercraft. „ When you do not tow a trailer
y Remove the ball mount from the hitch receiver tube
UG8034BA
HS8015BA

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Driving tips
and insert the receiver cover onto the hitch receiver tube.y
Place the dust cap over the four-pin connector of the
hitch wire harness to protect against possible damage.y Occasionally lubricate terminals of the four-pin con-
nector using the terminal grease.Trailer towing
Your car is designed and intended to be used primarily
as a passenger-carrying vehicle. Towing a trailer puts
additional loads on your car’s engine, drivetrain,
brakes, tires and suspension and has an adverse ef-
fect on fuel economy.
If you do decide to tow a trailer, your safety and satis-
faction depend upon proper use of correct equipment
and cautious operation of your vehicle. Seek the ad-
vice of your SUBARU dealer to assist you in purchas-
ing a hitch and other necessary towing equipment ap-
propriate for your vehicle. In addition, be sure to follow
the instructions on correct installation and use provid-
ed by the trailer and other towing equipment manufac- turers.
SUBARU assumes no responsibility for injuries or ve-
hicle damage that result from trailer towing equipment,
or from any errors or omissions in the instructions ac-
companying such equipment or for your failure to fol-
low the proper instructions. „ Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties do not apply to vehicle damage
or malfunction caused by trailer towing. If you use your
vehicle to tow a trailer, more frequent maintenance will
be required due to the additional load. (Refer to “Main-