10-2Appearance care
Exterior care
&Washing
CAUTION
.When washing the vehicle, thebrakes may get wet. As a result,the brake stopping distance willbe longer. To dry the brakes,drive the vehicle at a safe speedwhile lightly pressing the brakepedal to heat up the brakes.
.Do not wash the engine compart-ment and areas adjacent to it. Ifwater enters the engine air in-take, electrical parts or the powersteering fluid reservoir, it willcause engine trouble or a mal-functionof the power steering.
.Do not use any organic solventswhen washing the surface of thebulb assembly cover. However, ifa detergent with organic solventsis used to wash the cover sur-face, completely rinse off thedetergent with water. Otherwise,the cover surface may be da-maged.
.Since your vehicle is equippedwith a rear wiper, automatic car-wash brushes could become
tangled around it, damaging thewiper arm and other compo-nents. Ask the automatic car-wash operator not to let thebrushes touch the wiper arm orto fix the wiper arm on the rearwindow glass with adhesive tapebefore operating the machine.
NOTE
When having your vehicle washed inan automatic car wash, make surebeforehand that the car wash is ofsuitable type.
The best way to preserve your vehicle’sbeauty is frequent washing. Wash thevehicleat least once a month to avoidcontamination by road grime.
Wash dirt off with a wet sponge and plentyof lukewarm or cold water. Do not washthe vehicle with hot water and in directsunlight.
Salt, chemicals, insects, tar, soot, treesap, and bird droppings should be washedoff by using a light detergent, as required.If you use a light detergent, make certainthat it is a neutral detergent. Do not usestrong soap or chemical detergents. Allcleaning agents should be promptlyflushed from the surface and not allowed
to dry there. Rinse the vehicle thoroughlywith plenty of lukewarm water. Wipe theremaining water off with a chamois or softcloth.
!Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used fordeicing road surfaces are extremely cor-rosive, accelerating the corrosion of un-derbody components, such as the exhaustsystem, fuel and brake lines, brakecables, floor pan and fenders, and sus-pension.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and in-side of the fenders with lukewarm or coldwater at frequent intervals to reduce theharmful effects of such agents.
Mud and sand adhering to the underbodycomponents may accelerate their corro-sion.
Afterdriving off-road or muddy or sandyroads, wash the mud and sand off theunderbody.
Carefully flushthe suspension and axleparts, as they are particularly prone tomud and sand buildup. Do not use asharp-edged tool to remove caked mud.
NOTE
Be careful not to damage brake hoses,sensor harnesses, and other partswhen washing suspension compo-
&Engine coolant
!Checking the coolant level
Check the coolant level at each fuel stop.
1. Check the coolant level on the outsideof the reservoir while the engine is cool.
2. If the level is close to or lower than the“LOW”level mark, add coolant up to the“FULL”level mark. If the reserve tank isempty, remove the radiator cap and refillas required.
3. After refilling the reserve tank and theradiator, reinstall the caps and check thatthe rubber gaskets inside the radiator capare in the proper position.
CAUTION
.Be careful not to spill enginecoolant when adding it. If coolanttouches the exhaust pipe, it maycause a bad smell, smoke, and/ora fire. If engine coolant gets onthe exhaust pipe, be sure to wipeit off.
.Do not splash the engine coolantover painted parts. The alcoholcontained in the engine coolantmay damage the paint surface.
!Changing the coolant
It may be difficult to change the coolant.Have the coolant changed by yourSUBARU dealer if necessary.
The coolant should be changed accordingto the maintenance schedule in the“Warranty and Maintenance Booklet”.
Maintenance and service11-11
