10-4Appearance care
Corrosion protection
Your SUBARU has been designed and
built to resist corrosion. Special materials
and protective finishes have been used on
most parts of the vehicle to help maintain
fine appearance, strength, and reliableoperation. &Most common causes of corrosion
The most common causes of corrosion are:
1. The accumulation of moisture retain-
ing dirt and debris in body panel sections,
cavities, and other areas.
2. Damage to paint and other protective
coatings caused by gravel and stone
chips or minor accidents.
Corrosion is accelerated on the vehicle when:
1. It is exposed to road salt or dust
control chemicals, or used in coastal
areas where there is more salt in the air,
or in areas where there is considerable
industrial pollution.
2. It is driven in areas of high humidity,
especially when temperatures range just
above freezing.
3. Dampness in certain parts of the
vehicle remains for a long time, even though other parts of the vehicle may be
dry.
4. High temperatures will cause corro-
sion to parts of the vehicle which cannot
dry quickly due to lack of proper ventila-tion.
& To help prevent corrosion
Wash the vehicle regularly to prevent
corrosion of the body and suspension
components. Also, wash the vehicle
promptly after driving on any of the
following surfaces. . roads that have been salted to prevent
them from freezing in winter. mud, sand, or gravel
. coastal roads
After the winter has ended, it is recom-
mended that the underbody be given a
very thorough washing.
Before the beginning of winter, check the
condition of underbody components, such
as the exhaust system, fuel and brake
lines, brake cables, suspension, steering
system, floor pan, and fenders. If any of
them are found to be rusted, they should
be given an appropriate rust prevention
treatment or should be replaced. Contact
your SUBARU dealer to perform this kind
of maintenance and treatment if you need assistance.
Repair chips and scratches in the paint as
soon as you find them.
Check the interior of the vehicle for water
and dirt accumulation under the floor mats
because that could cause corrosion.
Occasionally check under the mats to
make sure the area is dry.
Keep your garage dry. Do not park your
vehicle in a damp, poorly ventilated
garage. In such a garage, corrosion can
be caused by dampness. If you wash the
vehicle in the garage or put the vehicle
into the garage when wet or covered with
snow, that can cause dampness.
If your vehicle is operated in cold weather
and/or in areas where road salts and other
corrosive materials are used, the door
hinges and locks, trunk lid lock, and hood
latch should be inspected and lubricated
periodically.
&When checking or servicing
in the engine compartment
while the engine is running
WARNING
A running engine can be dangerous.
Keep your fingers, hands, clothing,
hair and tools away from the cooling
fan, belts and any other moving
engine parts. Removing rings,
watches and ties is advisable. Engine hood
To open the hood:
1. If the wiper blades are lifted off the
windshield, return them to their originalposition.
2. Pull the hood release knob under the
instrument panel.
3. Release the secondary hood release
by moving the lever between the front
grille and the hood toward the left.
4. Lift up the hood.
To close the hood:
1. Lower the hood to a height of approxi-
mately 5.9 in (15 cm) above its closed
position and then let it drop.
2. After closing the hood, be sure the
hood is securely locked.
If this does not close the hood, release it
from a slightly higher position. Do not push
thehoodforciblytocloseit.Itcould
deform the metal.Maintenance and service
11-5
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11-6Maintenance and service
WARNING
Always check that the hood is
properly locked before you start
driving. If it is not, it might fly open
while the vehicle is moving and
block your view, which may cause
an accident and serious bodily in-
jury.
11-30Maintenance and service
Replacement of brake pad
and lining
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 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.
CAUTION
If you continue to drive despite the
scraping noise from the audible
brake pad wear indicator, it will result in the need for costly brake
rotor repair or replacement.
& Breaking-in of new brake
pads and linings
When replacing the brake pad or lining,
use only genuine SUBARU parts. After
replacement, the new parts must be
broken in as follows. ! 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 moretimes. ! Parking brake lining
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 approximately 33 lbf [147 N, 15kgf]).
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 proce-dure.
5. Check the parking brake stroke. If the
parking brake stroke is out of the specified range, adjust it by turning the adjusting nut
located on the parking brake lever.
Parking brake stroke: 7–8 notches / 45 lbf (200 N, 20.4 kgf)
WARNING
A safe location and situation should
be selected for break-in driving.
CAUTION
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.
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 concen-
tration appropriately for the out-
side temperature. If the concen-
tration is inappropriate, sprayed
washer fluid may freeze on the
windshield and obstruct your
view, and the fluid may freeze in
the reservoir tank.
. State or local regulations on
volatile organic compounds may
restrict the use of methanol, a
common windshield washer anti-
freeze additive. Washer fluids
containing non-methanol anti-
freeze agents should be used
only if they provide cold weather
protection without damaging
your vehicle ’s paint, wiper blades
or washer system. 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.
. While removing the wiper blades
from the wiper arms, do not
return the wiper arms to the
original positions. Otherwise,
the windshield surface may bescratched.
. When returning the raised wiper
arms to the original positions, Maintenance and service
11-39
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11-40Maintenance and service
carefully return the wiper arms
on the windshield by hand. You
should not return the wiper arms
to the windshield only by the
return spring. Otherwise, the wi-
per arms may be deformed and/
or the windshield surface may bescratched.
If you cannot eliminate the streaking even
after following this method, replace the
wiper blades using the following proce-dures. &
Windshield wiper blade as- sembly
! Type A
1. Raise the wiper arm off the windshield.
1) Stopper
2. Remove the wiper blade assembly by
holding its pivot area and pushing it in the
direction shown by the arrow while de-
pressing the wiper blade stopper.
3. Install the wiper blade assembly to the
wiper arm. Make sure that it locks in place.
4. Hold the wiper arm by hand and slowly
lower it in position. !
Type B
1. Raise the wiper arm off the windshield.
1) Open the cover
2) Pull down the wiper blade
2. Remove the wiper blade assembly by
opening the cover and pulling it down in
the direction shown in the illustration.
3. Install the wiper blade assembly to the
wiper arm. Make sure that it locks in place.
4. Hold the wiper arm by hand and slowly
lower it in position.
&Windshield wiper blade rub-
ber (type A and type B)
NOTE
The following illustrations show the
replacement procedures of the blade
rubber for a type A wiper blade assem-
bly, however the replacement proce-
dures are the same for a type B wiper
blade assembly.
1) Metal support
1. Grasp the locked end of the blade
rubber assembly and pull it firmly until the
stoppers on the rubber are free of the
metal support.
1) Metal spines
2. 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.
3. Align the claws of the metal support with the grooves in the rubber and slide
the blade rubber assembly into the metal
support until it locks.
1) Stopper
4. Be sure to position the claws at the
end of the metal support between the
stoppers on the rubber as shown. If the
rubber is not retained properly, the wiper
blade may scratch the windshield. NOTE
The illustration shows the replacement
procedure for type A rubber wiper
blades, however the replacement pro-
cedure is the same for type B. Perform
the replacement of type B wiper blades
following the procedure in this section. Maintenance and service
11-41
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11-42Maintenance and service
& 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.
4. Install the wiper blade assembly to the
wiper arm. Make sure that it locks in place.
5. Hold the wiper arm by hand and slowly
lower it in position. &
Rear window wiper blade rubber
1. Pull out the end of the blade rubber
assembly to unlock it from the plasticsupport.