2005 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX Owners Manual

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Instruments and controls
Light control switch
The light switch operates only when the ignition switch
is in the “ON” position.
To prevent battery discharge resulting from ac-
cidentally leaving your lights on when your ve-
hicle is parked, the light switch operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” posi-
tion. In any other position, the vehicle’s lights
will be out.
If you park your vehicle on a roadside at night,
use the hazard warning flasher to alert the other
drivers.
„
Headlights
To turn on the headlights, turn the knob on the end of
the turn signal lever. first position
Parking lights, instrument panel illumination, tail lights
and license plate light are on.
second position
Headlights, parking lights, instrument panel illumina-
tion, tail lights, and license plate light are on.
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„High/low beam change (dimmer)
To change from low beam to high beam, push the turn
signal lever forward. When the headlights are on high
beam, the high beam indicator light “ ” on the in-
strument panel is also on.
To switch back to low beam, pull the lever back to the
detent position. „
Headlight flasher
To flash the headlights, pull the lever toward you and
then release it. The high beam will stay on for as long
as you hold the lever. The headlight flasher works
even though the lighting switch is in the “OFF” posi-
tion.
When the headlights are on high beam, the high beam
indicator light “ ” on the instrument panel alsocomes on.
Do not hold the lever in the flashing position for
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Instruments and controls
more than just a few seconds.
„ Daytime running light system (except
U.S.-spec. WRX-STi)
The low beam headlights will automatically come on at
reduced brightness when the engine has started, un-
der the following conditions: y The parking brake is fully released.
y The light switch is in the “OFF” or “ ” position.
y The automatic transmission selector lever is set at
other than the “P” position.
The tail lights, parking lights, and side marker
lights are not turned on by the daytime running
light system. The light switch must always be
turned to the “ ” position when it is dark
outside.
Turn signal lever
1) Right turn
2) Left turn
3) Lane change for right
4) Lane change for left
To activate the right turn signal, push the turn signal le-
ver up. To activate the left turn signal, push the turn
signal lever down. When the turn is finished, the lever
will return automatically. If the lever does not return af-
ter cornering, return the lever to the neutral position by
hand.
To signal a lane change, push the turn signal lever up
1 2 3
4
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Instruments and controls
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or down slightly and hold it during the lane change.
The turn signal indicator lights will flash in the direction
of the turn or lane change. The lever will return auto-
matically to the neutral position when you release it.Illumination brightness control
When the headlight switch is in the “ ” or “ ”
position, you can adjust brightness of the instrument
panel illumination for better visibility.
To brighten, turn the control dial upward.
To darken, turn the control dial downward.
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Instruments and controls
Illumination brightness control
(WRX-STi)
The brightness of the combination meter can be ad-
justed in five steps with the headlight switch either the
OFF position or the “ ” or “ ” position.
When the control dial is turned upward or downward,
the instrument panel’s illumination brightness is indi-
cated by the trip meter. The brightness is shown in five
steps from “ ” (dimmest) to “ ” (brightest).
If the control dial is not turned for three seconds, the
trip meter returns to its original trip meter indication.
Headlight beam leveler (U.S.-spec. WRX-STi)
The WRX-STi version has High-Intensity Discharge
(HID) headlights on the low beam setting. The HID
headlights generate more light than conventional halo-
gen headlights. Therefore a driver of an oncoming ve-
hicle may experience too much glare when your head-
light beam height adjustment is high due to the vehicle
carrying heavy load.
The headlight beam leveler can be used to adjust
beam height to avoid such a condition.
The higher the number the knob is turned to, the lower
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Instruments and controls
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the beam becomes.Parking light switch
The parking light switch operates regardless of the ig-
nition switch position.
By pushing the front end of this switch, following lights
will come on.
– Parking lights
– Tail lights
– License plate lights
To turn off, push the rear end of the parking light switch.
Avoid leaving these lights on for a long time because
that will run down the battery.
P
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Instruments and controls
Fog light button (if equipped)
The fog lights operate only when the headlights are on
low beam. Push the fog light button to turn the fog
lights on.
Press the button again to turn them off.
The indicator light located on the button will illuminate
when the fog lights are on.Wiper and washer
In freezing weather, do not use the windshield
washer until the windshield is sufficiently
warmed by the defroster.
Otherwise the washer fluid can freeze on the
windshield, blocking your view.
y
Do not operate the washer continuously for
more than ten seconds, or when the washer flu-
id tank is empty. This may cause overheating of
the washer motor. Check the washer fluid level
frequently, such as at fuel stops. y Do not operate the wipers when the wind-
shield or rear window is dry. This may scratch
the glass, damage the wiper blades and cause
the wiper motor to burn out. Before operating
the wiper on a dry windshield or rear window,
always use the windshield washer.y In freezing weather, be sure that the wiper
blades are not frozen to the windshield or rear
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tempting to operate the wiper with the blades
frozen to the window glass could cause not
only the wiper blades to be damaged but also
the wiper motor to burn out. If the wiper blade
is frozen to the window glass, be sure to oper-
ate the defroster, windshield wiper deicer (if
equipped) or rear window defogger before turn-
ing on the wiper.yIf the wipers stop during operation because
of ice or some other obstruction on the window,
the wiper motor could burn out even if the wiper
switch is turned off. If this occurs, promptly
stop the vehicle in a safe place, turn the ignition
switch to the “LOCK” position and clean the
window glass to allow proper wiper operation. y Use clean water if windshield washer fluid is
unavailable. In areas where water freezes in
winter, use SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid
or the equivalent. (See the “Windshield washer
fluid” section in chapter 11.)
Also, when driving the vehicle when there are
freezing temperatures, use non-freezing type
wiper blades.y Do not clean the wiper blades with gasoline
or a solvent, such as paint thinner or benzene.
This will cause deterioration of the wiperblades.
NOTE y The wiper operates only when the ignition
switch is in the “ON” or “ACC” position. y Clean your wiper blades and window glass peri-
odically with a washer solution to prevent streak-
ing, and to remove accumulations of road salt or
road film. Keep the washer button depressed at
least for 1 second so that washer solution will be
sprinkled all over the windshield or rear window. y Grease, wax, insects or other material on the
windshield or the wiper blade results in jerky wip-
er operation and streaking on the glass. If you can-
not remove those streaks after operating the
washer or if the wiper operation is jerky, clean the
outer surface of the windshield or rear window
and the wiper blades using a sponge or soft cloth
with a neutral detergent or mild-abrasive cleaner.
After cleaning, rinse the window glass and wiper
blades with clean water. The glass is clean if no
beads form on the glass when you rinse with wa-ter. y If you cannot eliminate the streaking even after
following this procedure, replace the wiper blades
with new ones. Refer to the “Replacement of wiper