2006 SUBARU BAJA brake light

8-34
Driving tips
– the trailer tongue is connected properly to the
hitch ball.
– the trailer lights connector is connected properly
and trailer’s brake lights illuminate when the vehi-
cle’s brake pedal is pressed, and that the trailer’s
turn signal lights flash when the vehicle’s turn signal
lever is operated.
– the safety chains are connected properly.
– all cargo in the trailer is secured safety in position.
– the side mirrors provide a good rearward field of
view without a significant blind spot.
y Sufficient time should be taken to learn the “feel” of
the vehicle/trailer combination before starting out on a
trip. In an area free of traffic, practice turning, stopping
and backing up. T Driving with a trailer
y You should allow for considerably more stopping
distance when towing a trailer. Avoid sudden braking
because it may result in skidding or jackknifing and
loss of control. y Avoid abrupt starts and sudden accelerations. If
your vehicle has a manual transmission, always start
out in first gear and release the clutch at moderate en-
gine revolution.y Avoid uneven steering, sharp turns and rapid lane
changes.y Slow down before turning. Make a longer than nor- mal turning radius because the trailer wheels will be
closer than the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn.
In a tight turn, the trailer could hit your vehicle. y
Crosswinds will adversely affect the handling of
your vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Crosswinds
can be due to weather conditions or the passing of large trucks or buses. If sway ing occurs, firmly grip the
steering wheel and slow down immediately but gradu-
ally. y When passing other vehicles, considerable dis-
tance is required because of the added weight and
length caused by attaching the trailer to your vehicle.
1) Left turn
2) Right turn
1 2
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8-35
Driving tips
– CONTINUED –
yBacking up with a trailer is difficult and takes prac-
tice. When backing up with a trailer, never accelerate
or steer rapidly. When turning back, grip the bottom of
the steering wheel with one hand and turn it to the left
for a left turn, and turn it to the right for a right turn.
y If the ABS warning li ght illuminates while the vehicle
is in motion, stop towing the trailer and have repairs
performed immediately by the nearest SUBARU deal-er. T Driving on grades
y Before going down a steep hill, slow down and shift
into lower gear (if necessary, use 1st gear) in order to
utilize the engine braking ef fect and prevent overheat-
ing of your vehicle’s brakes. Do not make sudden
downshifts.y When driving uphill in hot weather, the air condition-
er may turn off automatically to protect the engine from
overheating.y When driving uphill in hot weather, pay attention to
the water temperature gauge pointer (for all vehicles)
and AT OIL TEMP warning light (for AT vehicles) since
the engine and transmission are relatively prone to
overheating under these conditions. If the water tem-
perature gauge pointer approaches the OVERHEAT
zone or the AT OIL TEMP warning light illuminates,
immediately switch off the ai r conditioner and stop the
vehicle at the nearest safe place. Refer to the “Engine overheating” section in chapter 9, and “Warning and indicator lights” se
ction in chapter 3.
NOTE (Turbo models only)
In a vehicle that has an automatic transmission,
the engine is less likely to overheat with the “D”
range selected than it is with the manual mode se-
lected. y If your vehicle has an autom atic transmission, avoid
using the accelerator pedal to stay stationary on an
uphill slope instead of using the parking brake or foot
brake. That may cause the transmission fluid to over-
heat. y Non-turbo models only: If your vehicle has an auto-
matic transmission, place the selector lever as follows:
Uphill slopes: “D” position
Downhill slopes: A low-speed gear position to use en-
gine braking T 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 should take the
following steps:
1. Apply the brakes and hold the pedal down.
2. Have someone place wheel blocks under both the

10-2
Appearance care
Appearance careExterior care „
Washing
yWhen washing the vehicle, the brakes may
get wet. As a result, the brake stopping dis-
tance will be longer. To dry the brakes, drive the
vehicle at a safe speed while lightly pressing
the brake pedal to heat up the brakes. y Do not wash the engine compartment and ar-
eas adjacent to it. If water enters the engine air
intake, electrical parts or the power steering flu-
id reservoir, it will cause engine trouble or
faulty power steering respectively.
NOTE y Before having your vehicle washed in an auto-
matic car wash, retract the pillar mounted antenna
or remove the roof mounted antenna to prevent it
from being damaged.y When having your vehicle washed in an auto-
matic car wash, make sure beforehand that the car
wash is of suitable type.
The best way to preserve your vehicle’s beauty is fre- quent 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, tree sap, and bird
droppings should be washed of
f by using a light deter-
gent, as required. If you use a light detergent, make
certain that it is a neutra l detergent. Do not use strong
soap or chemical detergents. All cleaning agents
should be promptly flushed from the surface and not
allowed to dry there. Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with
plenty of lukewarm water. Wipe the remaining water
off with a chamois or soft cloth. T Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used for deicing road sur-
faces are extremely corrosive , accelerating the corro-
sion of underbody components, such as the exhaust
system, fuel and br ake 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 inter-
vals to reduce the harmful effects of such agents.
Mud and sand adhering to the underbody components may accelerate their corrosion.

10-3
Appearance care
– CONTINUED –
After driving off-road or muddy or sandy roads, wash
the mud and sand off the underbody.
Carefully flush the suspension and axle parts, as they
are particularly prone to mud and sand buildup. Do not
use a sharp-edged tool to remove caked mud.
NOTE
Be careful not to damage brake hoses, sensor har-
nesses, and other parts when washing suspen-
sion components. TUsing a warm water washer
y Keep a good distance of 12 in (30 cm) or more be-
tween the washer nozzle and the vehicle. y Do not wash the same area continuously.
y If a stain will not come out easily, wash by hand.
Some warm water washers are of the high tempera-
ture, high pressure type, and they can damage or de-
form the resin parts such as mouldings, or cause wa-
ter to leak into the vehicle. „ Waxing and polishing
Always wash and dry the vehicle before waxing and
polishing.
Use a good quality polish and wax and apply them ac-
cording to the manufacturer’s instructions. Wax or pol-
ish when the painted surface is cool. Be sure to polish and wax the chrome trim, as well as
the painted surfaces. Loss of
wax on a painted surface
leads to loss of the original luster and also quickens
the deterioration of the surface. It is recommended
that a coat of wax be applied at least once a month, or
whenever the surface no longer repels water.
If the appearance of the paint has diminished to the
point where the luster or tone cannot be restored,
lightly polish the surface with a fine-grained com-
pound. Never polish just the affected area, but include
the surrounding area as well. Always polish in only
one direction. A No. 2000 grain compound is recom-
mended. Never use a coarse-grained compound.
Coarser grained compounds have a smaller grain-size
number and could damage t he paint. After polishing
with a compound, coat with wax to restore the original
luster. Frequent polishing with a compound or an in-
correct polishing technique will result in removing the
paint layer and exposing the undercoat. When in
doubt, it is always best to contact your SUBARU deal-
er or an auto paint specialist.
NOTE
Be careful not to damage brake hoses, sensor har-
nesses, and other parts when washing suspen-
sion components.

11 - 4 2
Maintenance and service
Brake boosterBrake
Booster
If the brake booster does not operate as described in
the following, have it checked by your SUBARU deal-er.
1. With the engine off, depress the brake pedal sever-
al times, applying the same pedal force each time. The
distance the pedal travels should not vary.
2. With the brake pedal depressed, start the engine.
The pedal should move slightly down to the floor.
3. With the brake pedal depressed, stop the engine
and keep the pedal depressed for 30 seconds. The
pedal height should not change.
4. Start the engine again and run for approximately
one minute then turn it off. Depress the brake pedal
several times to check the brake booster. The brake
booster operates properly if the pedal stroke decreas-
es with each depression.
Brake pedalBrake
Pedal
Check the brake pedal free play and reserve distance
according to the maintenance schedule in the “War-
ranty and Maintenance Booklet”. „ Checking the brake pedal free play
„Checking
„ Brake pedal free play
„ Brake pedal
„ Free play
1) 0.04 – 0.12 in (1.0 – 3.0 mm)
Stop the engine and firmly depress the brake pedal
several times. Lightly press the brake pedal down with
one finger to check the free play with a force of less
than 2 lbs (10 N, 1 kg).
If the free play is not within proper specification, con-
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11 - 4 4
Maintenance and service
„
Checking the clutch pedal free play„
Checking
„ Clutch pedal free play
1) 0.16 – 0.51 in (4.0 – 13.0 mm)
Lightly press the clutch pedal down with your finger
until you feel resistance, and check the free play.
If the free play is not with in proper specification, con-
tact your SUBARU dealer.
Replacement of brake pad and liningReplacement
Brake pad and lining
Brake
Pad and lining
If you continue to drive despite the scraping
noise from the audible brake pad wear indica-
tor, it will result in the need for costly brake ro-
tor repair or replacement.
The right front disc brake and the right rear disc brake
have audible wear indicators on the brake pads. If the
brake pads wear close to their service limit, the wear
indicator makes a very audible scraping noise when
1
HSB049BB
HS7012BA

11 -4 5
Maintenance and service
– CONTINUED –
the brake pedal is applied.
If you hear this scraping noise each time you apply the
brake pedal, have the brake pads serviced by your
SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. „Breaking-in of new brake pads and lin- ings
„Breaking
„ Breaking-in of new brake pads and liningsWhen replacing the brake pad or lining, use only gen-
uine SUBARU parts. After replacement, the new parts
must be broken in as follows: T Brake pad and lining
While maintaining a speed of 30 to 40 mph (50 to 65
km/h), step on the brake pedal lightly. Repeat this five
or more times. T Parking brake lining
A safe location and situation should be select-
ed for break-in driving.
Pulling the parking brake lever too forcefully may cause the rear wheels to lock. To avoid
this, be certain to pull
the lever up slowly and
gently.
1. Drive the vehicle at a speed of approximately 22
mph (35 km/h).
2. With the parking brake release button pushed in,
pull the parking brake lever SLOWLY and GENTLY.
(Pulling with a force of appr oximately 33 lbs [147 N, 15
kg].)
3. Drive the vehicle for approximately 220 yards (200
meters) in this condition.
4. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for the parking brake to cool
down. Repeat this procedure.
5. Check the parking brake stroke. If the parking
brake stroke is out of the s pecified range, adjust it by
turning the adjusting nut located on the parking brake
lever.
Parking brake stroke:
7 – 8 notches / 44 lbs (196 N, 20 kg)

11 - 6 6
Maintenance and service
Replace any bulb only with a new bulb of the
specified wattage. Using a bulb of different
wattage could result in a fire.
„ Headlight
„Headlights
„ Replacing bulbs
„ Headlight
Halogen headlight bulbs become very hot while
in use. If you touch the bulb surface with bare
hands or greasy gloves, finger prints or grease
on the bulb surface will develop into hot spots
and cause the bulb to break. If there are finger
prints or grease on the bulb surface, wipe them
away with a soft cloth moistened with alcohol.
NOTE
If headlight aiming is required, consult your
SUBARU dealer for proper adjustment of the head-
light aim.
Wattage Bulb No.
8) License plate light 12V-5W 168
9) Cargo light 12V-13W 912
10) High mount stop light 12V-13W 912
11) Backup light 12V-21W 7440
12) Brake rear turn signal/ tail light 12V-21/ 5W7443
13) Tail light 12V-5W 168
14) Sports activity lights 12V-55W H3