2006 SUBARU OUTBACK light

3-32 Instruments and controls
„ Headlight flasher
To flash the headlights, pull the lever to-
ward 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” position.
When the headlights are on high beam,
the high beam indicator light “ ” on
the instrument panel also comes on. „ Daytime running light system
The low beam headlights will automatical-
ly come on at reduced brightness when
the engine has started, under the follow-
ing conditions:
y The parking brake is fully released.
y The light switch is in the “OFF” or
“ ” position. Turn signal lever
To activate the right turn signal, push the
turn signal lever 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 after corner ing, return the lever
to the neutral position by hand.
To signal a lane change, push the turn sig-
nal lever up or down slightly and hold it
during the lane change. The turn signal in-
dicator lights will flash in the direction of
the turn or lane change. The lever will re-
turn automatically to the neutral position
when you release it.Do not hold the le ver in the flashing
position for more than just a few
seconds. 300508
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. 300509

Instruments and controls
3-33
Illumination brightness con-
trol
The brightness of clock display, audio, air
conditioner, information display and in-
strument panel illumination dims when the
light switch is in the “ ” or “ ” po-
sitions. You can adjust brightness of the
instrument panel illumination for better
visibility.
In turbo models, you can also adjust the
brightness of the instrument panel illumi-
nation when the lighting switch is in the
OFF position.
To brighten, turn the control dial upward.
To darken, turn the control dial downward.
NOTE
When the control dial is turned fully up- ward, the illumination brightness be-
comes the maximum and the automatic
dimming function does not work at all.
Parking light switch
The parking light switch operates regard-
less of the ignition switch position.
By pushing the front end of this switch, fol-
lowing lights will come on.
– Parking lights
– Front and rear side marker lights
– Tail lights
– License plate lights
To turn off, push the rear end of the park-
ing light switch.
Avoid leaving these lights on for a long
time because that will run down the bat-
tery.300510 300178

3-34 Instruments and controls
Front fog light switch (if
equipped)
The front fog lights operate only when the
light switch is in the “ ” position.
However, the front fog lights turn off when
the headlights are switched to high beam.
To turn on the front fog lights, turn the front
fog light switch on the turn signal lever up-
ward to the “ ” position. To turn off the
front fog lights, turn the switch back down
to the “OFF” position. The indicator light located on the combi-
nation meter will illuminate when the front
fog lights are on. Wiper and washer300512 300282
In freezing weather, do not use the
windshield washer until the wind-
shield is sufficien tly warmed by the
defroster.
Otherwise the washer fluid can
freeze on the windshield, blocking
your view.
y Do not operate the washer contin-
uously for more than ten seconds,
or when the washer fluid tank is
empty. This may cause overheat-
ing of the washer motor. Check
the washer fluid level frequently,
such as at fuel stops.
y Do not operate the wipers when
the windshield or rear window is
dry. This may scratch the glass,
damage the wiper blades and
cause the wiper mo tor to burn out.
Before operating the wiper on a
dry windshield or rear window, al-
ways use the windshield washer.

3-38 Instruments and controls
Windshield wiper deicer (if
equipped)
The windshield wiper deicer operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” po-
sition.
Before turning on the windshield wiper de-
icer, remove any snow from the wind-
shield. To turn on the windshield wiper de-
icer, push the button. The indicator light
located on the button lights up while the
windshield wiper deicer is operating.
The windshield wiper deicer will automati-
cally shut off after approximately 15 min-
utes. If the windshield wiper blades have
been deiced completely before that time,
push the button to turn it off. It also turns
off when the ignition switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position. If deicing is not
complete, you have to push the button to
turn the deicer on again.
Your SUBARU dealer can set your wind-
shield wiper deicer for continuous opera-
tion. Contact your SUBARU dealer for de-
tails.
Once the windshield wiper deicer has
been set for continuous operation, press-
ing the button results in continuous opera-
tion. The windshield wi per deicer automat-
ically stops operating if any one of the fol-
lowing conditions occurs during continu-
ous operation.
y The outside temperature becomes 41 ° F
(5 ° C) or higher.
y The vehicle speed remains at 9 mph (15
km/h) or lower for 15 minutes.
y The battery voltage decreases below
the permissible level. Rear window defogger but-
ton
Vehicle with manual climate control sys-
tem300515 300291

Instruments and controls
3-39
Vehicle with automatic climate control
system
The rear window defogger operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” po-
sition.
The rear window defogger button is locat-
ed on the climate control panel.
To turn on the defogger, push the button.
To turn it off, pu sh the button again.
The indicator light located on the button
lights up while the rear window defogger is
operating.
The defogger will automatic ally shut off af-
ter approximately 15 minutes. If the win-
dow clears before that time, push the but-
ton to turn it off. It also turns off when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position. If defrosting or defogging
is desired when you restart your vehicle,
you have to push the button to turn it on
again.
Your SUBARU dealer can set your rear
window defogger for continuous opera-
tion. Contact your SUBARU dealer for de-
tails.
Once the rear window defogger has been
set for continuous operation, the rear win-
dow defogger repeatedly operates for 15
minutes, stops for two minutes, and again
operates for 15 minutes. If the battery volt-
age drops below the permissible level,
continuous operation is canceled and op-
eration stops as described in the follow-
ing.
y If the battery voltage drops below the
permissible level within 15 minutes of de-
pression of the button, continuous opera-
tion is canceled and the rear window de-
fogger stops operating 15 minutes later.
y If the battery voltage drops below the
permissible level after the rear window de-
fogger has, following depression of the
button, operated for 15 minutes, stopped
operating for two minutes, and started op-
erating again, the rear window defogger
immediately stops operating. NOTE If your vehicle is equipped with the out-
side mirror defogger, the outside mir-
ror defogger operates while the rear
window defogger is operating.300598
y Do not use sharp instruments or
window cleaner containing abra-
sives to clean the inner surface of
the rear window. They may dam-
age the conductors printed on the
window.
y To prevent the ba ttery from being
discharged, do not operate the de-
fogger continuously for any long-
er than necessary.

3-40 Instruments and controls
Mirrors Always check that the inside and outside
mirrors are properly adjusted before you
start driving.
„ Inside mirror
The inside mirror has a day and night po-
sition. Pull the tab at the bottom of the mir-
ror toward you for t he night position. Push
it away for the day position. The night po-
sition reduces glare from headlights. „ Auto-dimming mirror/com-
pass (if equipped)
1) Left button
2) Auto dimming indicator
3) Photosensor
4) Right button
The auto-dimming mirror/compass has an
anti-glare feature which automatically re-
duces glare coming from headlights of ve-
hicles behind you. It also contains a built-
in compass.
y By pressing and releasing the left but-
ton, the automatic dimm ing function is tog-
gled on or off. When the automatic dim-
ming function is on, the auto dimming indi-
cator light (green) located to the right of
the button will illuminate.
y By pressing and releasing the right but- ton, the compass display is toggled on or
off. When the compass is on, an illuminat-
ed compass reading will appear in the
lower part of the mirror.
Even with the mirror in anti-glare mode,
the mirror surface turns bright if the trans-
mission is shifted into reverse. This is to
ensure good rearward visibility during re-
versing.
T Photosensors
The mirror has a photosensor attached on
both the front and back sides. If the glare
from the headlights of vehicles behind you
strikes the mirror, these sensors detect it
and make the reflection surface of the mir-
ror dimmer to help prevent you from being
blinded. For this reason, use care not to300293 1
23 4 300517
300518

Instruments and controls
3-41
– CONTINUED –cover the sensors with stickers, or other
similar items. Periodically wipe the sen-
sors clean using a piece of dry soft cotton
cloth or an applicator.
T Compass calibration
1. For optimum calibration, switch off all
nonessential electrical accessories (rear
window defogger, heater/air conditioning
system, spotlight , etc.) and ensure all
doors are shut.
2. Drive to an open, level area away from
large metallic objects or structures and
make certain the ignition switch is in the
“ON” position.
3. Press and hold the left button for 3 sec-
onds then release, and the compass will
enter the calibration mode. “CAL” and di-
rection will be displayed.
4. Drive slowly in a circle until “CAL” dis-
appears from the di splay (approximately
two or three circles). The compass is now
calibrated.
5. Further calibration may be necessary
should outside influences cause the mirror
to read inaccurately. You will know that
this has occurred if your compass begins
to read in only limited directions. Should
you encounter this situation, return to step
one of the above procedure and recali-
brate the mirror. T Compass zone adjustment
1. The zone setting is factory preset to
Zone 8. Refer to the “Compass calibration
zone” map attached to the end of this
manual to verify that the compass zone
setting is correct for your geographical lo-
cation.
2. Press and hold the right button for 3
seconds then release, and the word
“ZONE” will briefly appear and then the
zone number will be displayed.
3. Press the right-hand button repeatedly
to cycle the display through all possible
zone settings. Stop cycling when the cor-
rect zone setting for your location is dis-
played.
4. Releasing the button for 3 seconds will
exit the zone setting mode. „ Outside mirrors T Convex mirror (Passenger side)
T Remote control mirror switch
The remote control mirrors operate only Objects look smaller in a convex
mirror and farther away than when
viewed in a flat mirror. Do not use
the convex mirror to judge the dis-
tance of vehicles behind you when
changing lanes. Use the inside mir-
ror (or glance backwards) to deter-
mine the actual size and distance of
objects that you view in convex mir-
ror.
300519

3-42 Instruments and controls
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” or
“ACC” position.
1. Turn the knob to the “L” side to adjust
the left-hand mirror or to the “R” side to ad-
just the right-hand mirror.
2. Move the knob in the direction you
want to move the mirror.
3. Return the knob to the neutral position
to prevent unintentional operation.
The mirrors can also be adjusted manual-
ly.
T Outside mirror defogger (if
equipped)
Vehicle with manual climate control sys-
tem Vehicle with automatic climate control
system
The outside mirror defogger shares the
button with rear window defogger.
The outside mirror defogger operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” po-
sition.
To turn on the outside mirror defogger,
push the button.
To turn it off, push the button again. The
indicator light located on the button lights
up while the outside mirror defogger is op-
erating.
The defogger will automatically shut off af-
ter approximately 15 minutes. If the mirror
clears before that time, push the button to
turn it off. It also turns off when the ignition
switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position. If defrosting or defogging is de-
sired when you restart your vehicle, you
have to push the button to turn it on again.
NOTE y While the outside mirror defogger is
operating, the rear window defogger
also operates.
y When the rear window defogger has
been set for continuous operation, the
outside mirror defogger also operates
continuously. Refer to the “Rear win-
dow defogger button” section in this
chapter.
300291 300598
To prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the de-
fogger continuously for any longer
than necessary.