2008 SUBARU OUTBACK light

3-48Instruments and controls
NOTE
When the control dial is turned fully
upward, the illumination brightness
becomes the maximum and the auto-
matic 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,
following 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
parking light switch.
Avoid leaving these lights on for a long
time because that will run down the
battery. 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
upward to the “
”position. To turn off the
front fog lights, turn the switch back down
to the “OFF ”position.

Vehicle with SI-DRIVE
Vehicle without SI-DRIVE
The indicator light located on the combi-
nation meter will illuminate when the front
fog lights are on. Wiper and washer
WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use the
windshield washer until the wind-
shield is sufficiently warmed by the
defroster.
Otherwise the washer fluid can
freeze on the windshield, blocking
your view.
CAUTION
. Do not operate the washer con-
tinuously for more than 10 sec-
onds, or when the washer fluid
tank is empty. This may cause
overheating of the washer motor.
Check the washer fluid level
frequently, such as at fuel stops.
. 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 motor to burn
out. Before operating the wiper
on a dry windshield or rear
window, always use the wind-
shield washer. .
In freezing weather, be sure that
the wiper blades are not frozen to
the windshield or rear window
before switching on the wipers.
Attempting 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 mo-
tor to burn out. If the wiper
blades are frozen to the window
glass, be sure to operate the
defroster, wiper deicer (if
equipped) or rear window defog-
ger before turning on the wiper.
. If the wipers stop during opera-
tion 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 op-eration.
. Use clean water if windshield
washer fluid is unavailable. In
areas where water freezes in
winter, use SUBARU Windshield
Washer Fluid or the equivalent.
Refer to the “Windshield washer
Instruments and controls
3-49
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speed is low; shorter when the vehicle
speed is high).
When you subsequently move the selec-
tor lever of the automatic transmission tothe“R ”position, the rear wiper will switch
to continuous operation. When you move
the selector lever from the “R ”position to
some other position, the rear wiper will
return to intermittent operation. ! Washer
To wash the rear window while the rear
wiper is operating, turn the knob on the
end of the wiper control lever upward tothe “
”position. The washer fluid sprays
until you release the knob.
To wash the rear window when the rear
wiper is not in use, turn the knob on the
end of the wiper control lever downward tothe “
”position. The washer fluid sprays
and the wiper operates until you release
the knob. Windshield wiper deicer (if equipped)
The windshield wiper deicer operates only
when the ignition switch is in the
“ON ”
position.
Before turning on the windshield wiper
deicer, remove any snow from the wind-
shield. To turn on the windshield wiper
deicer, push the button. The indicator light
located on the button lights up while the
windshield wiper deicer is operating.
The windshield wiper deicer will automa-
tically shut off after approximately 15
minutes. 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 fordetails.
Once the windshield wiper deicer has
been set for continuous operation, press-
ing the button results in continuous opera-
tion. The windshield wiper deicer auto-
matically stops operating if any one of the
following conditions occurs during contin-
uous operation. . The outside temperature becomes
41 8F(5 8C) or higher.
. The vehicle speed remains at 9 mph
(15 km/h) or lower for 15 minutes.. The battery voltage decreases below
the permissible level. Instruments and controls
3-53

3-54Instruments and controls
Rear window defogger but- ton
Vehicle with manual climate control sys- tem
Vehicle with automatic climate control system
The rear window defogger operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON ”
position.
The rear window defogger button is
located on the climate control panel.
To turn on the defogger, push the button.
To turn it off, push the button again.
The indicator light located on the button
lights up while the rear window defogger isoperating.
The defogger will automatically shut off
after approximately 15 minutes. If the
window 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 desired when you restart your vehicle,
you have to push the button to turn it onagain.
Your SUBARU dealer can set your rear
window defogger for continuous opera-
tion. Contact your SUBARU dealer fordetails.
Once the rear window defogger has been
set for continuous operation, the rear
window defogger repeatedly operates for
15 minutes, stops for two minutes, and
again operates for 15 minutes. If the
battery voltage drops below the permis-
sible level, continuous operation is can-
celed and operation stops as described in
the following. .
If the battery voltage drops below the
permissible level within 15 minutes of
depression of the button, continuous
operation is canceled and the rear window
defogger stops operating 15 minutes later. . If the battery voltage drops below the
permissible level after the rear window
defogger has, following depression of the
button, operated for 15 minutes, stopped
operating for two minutes, and started
operating again, the rear window defogger
immediately stops operating.

CAUTION
. Do not use sharp instruments or
window cleaner containing abra-
sives to clean the inner surface
of the rear window. They may
damage the conductors printed
on the window.
. To prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the
defogger continuously for any
longer than necessary.
NOTE
If your vehicle is equipped with the
outside mirror defogger, the outside
mirror defogger operates while the rear
window defogger is operating. 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
position. Pull the tab at the bottom of the
mirror toward you for the night position.
Push it away for the day position. The
night position reduces glare from head-lights. &
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
vehicles behind you. It also contains a
built-in compass. . By pressing and releasing the left
button, the automatic dimming function is
toggled on or off. When the automatic
dimming function is on, the auto dimming
indicator light (green) located to the right
of the button will illuminate. . By pressing and releasing the right Instruments and controls
3-55
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3-56Instruments and controls
button, the compass display is toggled on
or off. When the compass is on, an
illuminated 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
transmission is shifted into reverse. This
is to ensure good rearward visibility duringreversing. ! 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
mirror dimmer to help prevent you from
being blinded. For this reason, use care
not to cover the sensors with stickers, or other similar items. Periodically wipe the
sensors clean using a piece of dry soft
cotton cloth or an applicator. !
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
seconds then release, and the compass
will enter the calibration mode. “CAL ”and
direction will be displayed.
4. Drive slowly in a circle until “CAL ”
disappears from the display (approxi-
mately 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. !
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 location.
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
correct zone setting for your location isdisplayed.
4. Releasing the button for 3 seconds will
exit the zone setting mode.

&Outside mirrors
! Convex mirror (Passenger side)
WARNING
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
distance of vehicles behind you
when changing lanes. Use the inside
mirror (or glance backwards) to
determine the actual size and dis-
tance of objects that you view in
convex mirror.
! Remote control mirror switch
The remote control mirrors operate only 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
adjust 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 manu-
ally. ! 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 ”
position.
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 isoperating.
The defogger will automatically shut off
after 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
Instruments and controls
3-57
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Ventilator.............................................................. 4-2
Air flow selection ................................................ 4-2
Center and side ventilators .................................. 4-3
Manual climate control system (if equipped) ..................................................... 4-3
Control panel ...................................................... 4-3
Heater operation ................................................. 4-5
Air conditioner operation ..................................... 4-7
Automatic climate control system (if equipped) ..................................................... 4-8
Control panel ...................................................... 4-8
Temperature sensors .......................................... 4-11
Operating tips for heater and air conditioner ....................................................... 4-12
Cleaning ventilator grille ..................................... 4-12 Efficient cooling after parking in direct
sunlight ........................................................... 4-12
Lubrication oil circulation in the refrigerant circuit .............................................................. 4-12
Checking air conditioning system before summer season ............................................................ 4-12
Cooling and dehumidifying in high humidity and low temperature weather condition ................... 4-12
Air conditioner compressor shut-off when engine is heavily loaded .............................................. 4-13
Refrigerant for your climate control system ... ..... 4-13
Air filtration system (if equipped) ..................... 4-13
Climate control
4