2012 SUBARU FORESTER headlights

&Daytime running light system
(if equipped)
WARNING
The brightness of the illumination of
the high beam headlights is reduced
by the daytime running light system.
The light switch must always be
turned to the “
”position when it
is dark outside.
The high beam headlights will automati-
cally illuminate at reduced brightness
when the engine has started, under the
following conditions: . The select lever is in a position other
than the “P ”position (AT models).
. The parking brake is fully released.
. The light switch is in the “OFF ”or “
”
position.
NOTE
When the light switch is in the “
”
position, the front side marker lights,
tail lights and license plate lights are
also illuminated. &
Automatic headlight beam
leveler (models with HID headlights)
The HID headlights generate more light
than conventional halogen headlights.
Therefore a driver of an oncoming vehicle
may experience too much glare when your
headlight beam height adjustment is high
due to the vehicle carrying heavy load.
The automatic headlight beam leveler
adjusts the headlight beam height auto-
matically and optimally according to the
load being carried by the vehicle.
The automatic headlight beam leveler has
a warning light on the combination meter.
Refer to “Automatic headlight beam leve-
ler warning light (models with HID head-lights) ”F 3-22. 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 cornering, return the lever
to the neutral position by hand.
To signal a lane change, push the turn
signal lever up or down slightly and hold it
during the lane change. The turn signal
indicator lights will flash in the direction of
the turn or lane change. The lever will
return automatically to the neutral position
when you release it.Instruments and controls
3-31

3-32Instruments and controls
Illumination brightness con- trol
The brightness of clock display, audio, air
conditioner, information display and instru-
ment panel illumination dims automatically
when the light switch is in the “
”or
“” position.
In addition, you can adjust brightness of
the instrument panel illumination for better
visibility.
To brighten, turn the control dial upward.
To darken, turn the control dial downward. 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.
Front fog light switch (if
equipped)
The front fog lights operate only when the
low beam headlights are illuminated.
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.

&Auto-dimming mirror/com-
pass (if equipped)
1) Auto dimming indicator
2) Left (mirror) button
3) Photosensor
4) Right (compass) button
5) Compass display
The auto-dimming mirror has an anti-glare
feature which automatically reduces 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 on the left
button will illuminate. . By pressing and releasing the right button, the compass display is toggled on
or off. When the compass is on, an
illuminated compass reading will appear
in the upper right corner 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 zone adjustment
Compass calibration zones
1. The zone setting is factory preset to
Zone 8. Refer to the “Compass calibration
zones ”map shown above 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 is Instruments and controls
3-37
– CONTINUED –

3-38Instruments and controls
displayed.
4. Releasing the button for 3 seconds will
exit the zone setting mode. ! 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 right button for 6 - 7
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 to 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. &
Auto-dimming mirror/com-
pass with HomeLink
®(if
equipped)
1) HomeLink®button 1
2) HomeLink®button 2
3) LED
4) HomeLink
®button 3
5) Sensor
6) Automatic dimming on/off button
7) Compass display button
8) Compass display
The auto-dimming mirror has an anti-glare
feature which automatically reduces glare
coming from headlights of vehicles behind
you. It also contains a built-in compass
and HomeLink
®wireless control system.
. By pressing the automatic dimming on/
off button, the automatic dimming function
is toggled on or off. When the automatic dimming function is on, the LED indicator
will illuminate.
Even with the mirror in the automatic
dimming mode, the mirror surface turns
bright if the transmission is shifted into
reverse. This is to ensure good rearward
visibility during reversing. .
By pressing the compass display but-
ton, the compass display is toggled on or
off. When the compass is on, an illumi-
nated compass reading will appear in the
upper right corner of the mirror.
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper
towel or similar material dampened with
glass cleaner. Do not spray glass cleaner
directly on the mirror as that may cause
the liquid cleaner to enter the mirror
housing and damage the mirror.

!Photosensors
The mirror has a photosensor attached on
both the front and back sides. During
nighttime driving, these sensors detect
distracting glare from vehicle headlights
behind you and automatically dim the
mirror to eliminate glare and preserve
your vision. For this reason, use care not
to 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. !
Compass zone adjustmentCompass calibration zones
1. Refer to the “Compass calibration
zones ”map shown above to verify that
the compass zone setting is correct for
your geographical location.
2. Press and hold the compass display
button for 3 seconds until the zone
selection comes up (a number will be
displayed in the mirror compass window).
3. Press the compass display button
repeatedly until the correct zone setting
for your location is displayed.
4. Releasing the button for 5 seconds will
exit the zone setting mode. !
Compass calibration
1. If a “C ” is displayed in the compass
window, the compass needs to be cali-brated.
2. Drive the vehicle in a circle at 5 mph (8
km/h) or less until the display reads a direction.
3. You can also calibrate the compass by
driving your vehicle on your everyday
routine. The compass will be calibrated
once it has tracked a complete circle.
4. To recalibrate your compass, push and
hold the compass display button for 9
seconds until a “C ” appears in the
compass window.
5. Calibrate the compass according to
step 2 or step 3. ! HomeLink
®Wireless Control Sys-
tem
The HomeLink
®Wireless Control System
can be used to activate remote control
devices such as gate operators, garage
door openers, door locks, home lighting
and security systems.
There are three HomeLink
®buttons on the
mirror, each of which can be programmed
for operation of one desired device. For
details on the device types which can be
operated by this system, consult the HomeLink
®website at:
Instruments and controls
3-39
– CONTINUED –

Maintenance and serviceTires and wheels .............................................. 11-29
Types of tires ................................................... 11-29
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) (U.S.-spec. models) ........................................ 11-29
Tire inspection ................................................. 11-31
Tire pressures and wear ................................... 11-31
Wheel balance .................................................. 11-33
Wear indicators ................................................ 11-34
Tire rotation direction mark .............................. 11-34
Tire rotation ..................................................... 11-35
Tire replacement .............................................. 11-35
Wheel replacement ........................................... 11-36
Wheel covers (if equipped) ............................... 11-36
Aluminum wheels ............................................. 11-37
Windshield washer fluid .................................. 11-37
Replacement of wiper blades .......................... 11-39
Windshield wiper blade assembly ..................... 11-39Windshield wiper blade rubber
......................... 11-40
Rear window wiper blade assembly .................. 11-41
Rear window wiper blade rubber ... ................... 11-41
Battery .............................................................. 11-43
Fuses ................................................................ 11-44
Installation of accessories .............................. 11-45
Replacing bulbs ............................................... 11-45
Headlights (models with HID headlights) ........... 11-45
Headlights (models without HID headlights) ...... 11-46
Position light ................................................... 11-48
Front turn signal light ...................................... 11-48
Rear combination lights ................................... 11-48
License plate light ........................................... 11-49
Dome light, map light, cargo area light and door step light ............................................... 11-50
Other lights on the vehicle ............................... 11-51

corresponding fuse. If a fuse has blown,
replace it.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the“LOCK ”
position and turn off all electrical acces- sories.
2. Remove the cover.
3. Determine which fuse may be blown.
Look at the back side of each fuse box
cover and refer to “Fuses and circuits ”
F 12-11.
4. Pull out the fuse with the fuse puller.
5. Inspect the fuse. If it has blown,
replace it with a spare fuse of the samerating.
6. If the same fuse blows again, this
indicates that its system has a problem.
Contact your SUBARU dealer for repairs. Installation of accessories
Always consult your SUBARU dealer
before installing fog lights or any other
electrical equipment in your vehicle. Such
accessories may cause the electronic
system to malfunction if they are incor-
rectly installed or if they are not suited for
the vehicle.
Replacing bulbs
WARNING
Bulbs may become very hot while
illuminated. Before replacing bulbs,
turn off the lights and wait until the
bulbs cool down. Otherwise, there is
a risk of burn injury.
CAUTION
Replace any bulb only with a new
bulb of the specified wattage. Using
a bulb of different wattage could
result in a fire. For the specified
wattage of each bulb, refer to “Bulb
chart ”F 12-15.
& Headlights (models with HID headlights)
WARNING
High-intensity-discharge (HID) bulbs
are used for the low beams of the
headlights. These HID bulbs use an
extremely high voltage. To avoid the
risk of an electric shock that could
result in serious injury, observe the Maintenance and service
11-45
– CONTINUED –

11-46Maintenance and service
following precautions. .Do not replace any headlight
bulbs (both low beam and high
beam) by yourself.
. Do not remove/restore the head-
light assemblies by yourself.
. Do not remove any headlight-
assembly components by your-self.
For replacement, contact your
SUBARU dealer.
& Headlights (models without
HID headlights)
CAUTION
Halogen headlight bulbs become
very hot while in use. If you touch
the bulb surface with bare hands or
greasy gloves, fingerprints or
grease on the bulb surface will
develop into hot spots, causing 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, con-
sult your SUBARU dealer for proper adjustment.. It may be difficult to replace the
bulbs. Have the bulbs replaced by your
SUBARU dealer if necessary. !
Low beam light bulbs
Right-hand side
1. Use a screwdriver to undo the clips on
the air intake duct, then remove the air
intake duct (right-hand side).
Left-hand side