2009 SUBARU FORESTER window

10-2Appearance care
Exterior care &Washing
CAUTION
. When washing the vehicle, the
brakes may get wet. As a result,
the brake stopping distance 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.
. Do not wash the engine compart-
ment and area adjacent to it. If
water enters the engine air in-
take, electrical parts or the power
steering fluid reservoir, it will
cause engine trouble or faulty
power steering respectively.
. Since your vehicle is equipped
with a rear wiper, automatic car-
wash brushes could become
tangled around it, damaging the
wiper arm and other compo-
nents. Ask the automatic car-
wash operator not to let the
brushes touch the wiper arm or
to fix the wiper arm on the rear
window glass with adhesive tape
before operating the machine. NOTE
When having your vehicle washed in
an automatic car wash, make sure
beforehand that the car wash is of
suitable type.
The best way to preserve your vehicle
’s
beauty is frequent 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 lukewarm 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
off by using a light detergent, as required.
If you use a light detergent, make certain
that it is a neutral 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 softcloth. ! Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used for
deicing road surfaces are extremely cor-
rosive, accelerating the corrosion of un-
derbody components, such as the exhaust system, fuel and brake lines, brake
cables, floor pan and fenders, and sus-pension.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and in-
side of the fenders with lukewarm or cold
water at frequent intervals to reduce the
harmful effects of such agents.
Mud and sand adhering to the underbody
components may accelerate their corro-sion.
After driving off-road or on muddy or
sandy roads, wash the mud and sand off
the underbody. Carefully flush the suspen-
sion and axle parts, as they are particu-
larly 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 harnesses, and other parts
when washing suspension compo-nents. !
Using a warm water washer
. Keep a good distance of 12 in (30 cm)
or more between the washer nozzle and
the vehicle. . Do not wash the same area continu-
ously.. If a stain will not come out easily, wash

Cleaning the interior
Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the climate
control panel, audio equipment, instru-
ment panel, center console, combination
meter panel, and switches. (Do not use
organic solvents.) &Seat fabric
Remove loose dirt, dust or debris with a
vacuum cleaner. If the dirt is caked on the
fabric or hard to remove with a vacuum
cleaner, use a soft brush then vacuum it.
Wipe the fabric surface with a tightly
wrung cloth and dry the seat fabric
thoroughly. If the fabric is still dirty, wipe
using a solution of mild soap and luke-
warm water then dry thoroughly.
If the stain does not come out, try a
commercially-available fabric cleaner. Use
the cleaner on a hidden place and make
sure it does not affect the fabric adversely.
Use the cleaner according to its instruc-tions. NOTE
When cleaning the seat, do not use
benzine, paint thinner, or any similarmaterials. &
Leather seat materials
The leather used by SUBARU is a high
quality natural product which will retain its
distinctive appearance and feel for many
years with proper care.
Allowing dust or road dirt to build up on the
surface can cause the material to become
brittle and to wear prematurely. Regular
cleaning with a soft, moist, natural fiber
cloth should be performed monthly, taking
care not to soak the leather or allow water
to penetrate the stitched seams.
A mild detergent suitable for cleaning
woolen fabrics may be used to remove
difficult dirt spots, rubbing with a soft, dry
cloth afterwards to restore the luster. If
your SUBARU is to be parked for a long
time in bright sunlight, it is recommended
that the seats and headrests be covered,
or the windows shaded, to prevent fading
or shrinkage.
Minor surface blemishes or bald patches
may be treated with a commercial leather
spray lacquer. You will discover that each
leather seat section will develop soft folds
or wrinkles, which is characteristic of
genuine leather. &
Synthetic leather upholstery
The synthetic leather material used on the
SUBARU may be cleaned using mild soap
or detergent and water, after first vacuum-
ing or brushing away loose dirt. Allow the
soap to soak in for a few minutes and wipe
off with a clean, damp cloth. Commercial
foam-type cleaners suitable for synthetic
leather materials may be used when
necessary. NOTE
Strong cleaning agents such as sol-
vents, paint thinners, window cleaner
or gasoline must never be used on
leather or synthetic interior materials. & Climate control panel, audio
panel, instrument panel,
console panel, and switches
Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the climate
control panel, audio equipment, instru-
ment panel, center console, combination
meter panel, and switches. NOTE
Do not use organic solvents such as
paint thinners or gasoline, or strong
cleaning agents that contain thosesolvents. Appearance care
10-5
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Maintenance and serviceTire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)(U.S.-spec. models) ........................................ 11-31
Tire inspection ................................................. 11-33
Tire pressures and wear ................................... 11-33
Wheel balance .................................................. 11-35
Wear indicators ................................................ 11-35
Tire rotation direction mark .............................. 11-36
Tire rotation ..................................................... 11-36
Tire replacement .............................................. 11-37
Wheel replacement ........................................... 11-37
Aluminum wheels ............................................. 11-38
Windshield washer fluid .................................. 11-38
Replacement of wiper blades .......................... 11-39
Windshield wiper blade assembly ..................... 11-40
Windshield wiper blade rubber ......................... 11-40
Rear window wiper blade assembly .................. 11-41
Rear window wiper blade rubber ....................... 11-41Battery
.............................................................. 11-43
Fuses ................................................................ 11-44
Main fuse .......................................................... 11-45
Installation of accessories .............................. 11-45
Replacing bulbs ............................................... 11-46
Headlights (vehicles with HID headlights) ......... 11-47
Headlights (vehicles without HID headlights) .................................................... 11-48
Position light ................................................... 11-50
Front turn signal light ...................................... 11-50
Rear combination lights ................................... 11-50
License plate light ........................................... 11-51
Dome light, map light, cargo area light and door step light ....................................................... 11-51
Other bulbs ..................................................... 11-52

level gauge or the“FULL ”mark on the
tank.
Use windshield washer fluid. If windshield
washer fluid is unavailable use clean
water.
In areas where water freezes in winter,
use an anti-freeze type windshield washer
fluid. SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid
contains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5%
surfactant, by volume. Its freezing tem-
perature varies according to how much it
is diluted, as indicated in the followingtable.
Washer Fluid
Concentration Freezing
Temperature
30% 10.48F( 12 8C)
50% 48F( 20 8C)
100% 49 8F( 45 8C)
CAUTION
Never use engine coolant as washer
fluid because it could cause paintdamage.
In order to prevent freezing of washer
fluid, check the freezing temperatures in
the table above when adjusting the fluid
concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with a different concentration from the one
used previously, purge the old fluid from
the piping between the reservoir tank and
washer nozzles by operating the washer
for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if
the concentration of the fluid remaining in
the piping is too low for the outside
temperature, it may freeze and block thenozzles.
CAUTION
Adjust the washer fluid concentra-
tion appropriately for the outside
temperature. If the concentration is
inappropriate, sprayed washer fluid
may freeze on the windshield and
obstruct your view, and the fluid
may freeze in the reservoir tank. Replacement of wiper blades
Grease, wax, insects, or other material on
the windshield or the wiper blade results in
jerky wiper operation and streaking on the
glass. If you cannot remove the streaks
after operating the windshield 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 windshield and wiper
blades with clean water. The windshield is
clean if beads do not form when you rinse
the windshield with water.
CAUTION
Do not clean the wiper blades with
gasoline or a solvent, such as paint
thinner or benzine. This will cause
deterioration of the wiper blades.
If you cannot eliminate the streaking even
after following this method, replace the
wiper blades using the following proce-dures: Maintenance and service
11-39
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grooves in the rubber and slide the blade
rubber assembly into the support until itlocks.
1) Claw
2) Stopper
4. Be sure to position the claws at the
end of the support between the stoppers
on the rubber as shown. If the rubber is
not retained properly, the wiper blade may
scratch the windshield. &
Rear window wiper blade assembly
1. Raise the wiper arm off the rear
window.
2. Turn the wiper blade assembly coun- terclockwise.
3. Pull the wiper blade assembly toward
you to remove it from the wiper arm. & Rear window wiper blade rubber
Maintenance and service 11-41
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11-42Maintenance and service
1. Pull out the end of the blade rubber
assembly to unlock it from the plasticsupport.
2. Pull the blade rubber assembly out of
the plastic support.
1) Metal spines 3. If the new blade rubber is not provided
with two metal spines, remove the metal
spines from the old blade rubber and
install them in the new blade rubber.
4. Align the claws of the plastic support
with the grooves in the blade rubber
assembly, then slide the blade rubber
assembly into place.
Securely retain both ends of the rubber
with the stoppers on the plastic support
ends. If the rubber is not retained properly,
the wiper may scratch the rear windowglass.
5. Install the wiper blade assembly to the
wiper arm. Make sure that it locks in place.
6. Hold the wiper arm by hand and slowly
lower it in position.

Fuse
panel Fuse
rating Circuit
16 10A .Illumination
17 15A .Seat heaters
18 10A .Back-up light
19 Empty
20 10A .Accessory power outlet
(instrument panel)
21 7.5A .Starter relay
22 15A .Air conditioner
. Rear window defogger
relay coil
23 15A .Rear wiper
. Rear window washer
24 15A .Audio unit
. Clock
25 15A .SRS airbag system
26 7.5A .Power window relay
. Radiator main fan relay
. Tail and illumination re-
lay
27 15A .Blower fan
28 15A .Blower fan
29 15A .Fog light
30 30A .Front wiper
31 7.5A .Auto air conditioner unit
. Integrated unit Fuse
panel Fuse
rating Circuit
32 Empty
33 7.5A .ABS/Vehicle dynamics
control unit Specifications
12-7
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12-8Specifications
&Fuse panel located in the engine compartment
A) Main fuse Fuse
panel Fuse
rating Circuit
1 30A .ABS unit
. Vehicle dynamics con-
trol unit
2 25A .Main fan
3 10A .Secondary air combina-
tion valve (turbo models)
4 25A .Sub fan
5 Empty
6 10A .Audio
7 30A .Headlight (low beam)
8 15A .Headlight (high beam)
9 20A .Back-up light
10 15A .Horn
11 25A .Rear window defogger
. Mirror heater
12 15A .Fuel pump
13 10A .Automatic transmission
control unit
14 7.5A .Engine control unit
15 15A .Turn and hazard warn-
ing flasher
16 15A .Tail and illumination re-
lay
17 7.5A .Alternator