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8-4Driving tips
Periodic inspections
To keep your vehicle in the best conditionat all times, always have the recom-mended maintenance services listed inthe maintenance schedule in the“War-ranty and Maintenance Booklet”per-formed at the specified time or mileageintervals.
Driving in foreign countries
When planning to use your vehicle inanother country:
.Confirm the availability of the correctfuel. Refer to“Fuel requirements”F7-2.
.Comply with all regulations and re-quirements of each country.
Driving tips for AWD models
WARNING
.Always maintain a safe drivingspeed according to the road andweather conditions in order toavoidhaving an accident on asharp turn, during sudden brak-ing or under other similar condi-tions.
.Always use the utmost care indriving–overconfidence be-cause you are driving an All-Wheel Drive model could easilylead to a serious accident.
.When replacing a tire, you mustuse a tire that is of the same size,circumference, speed symboland load index as the originaltires listed on the tire placard.Using tires of other sizes, cir-cumferences or constructionsmay result in severe mechanicaldamage to the drive train of yourvehicle and may affect ride,handling,braking, speedometer/odometer calibration, and clear-ance between the body and tires.It also may be dangerous andlead to loss of vehicle control.
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Maintenance schedule
The scheduled maintenance items re-quired to be serviced at regular intervalsare shown in the“Warranty and Main-tenance Booklet”.
For details of your maintenance schedule,read the separate“Warranty and Main-tenance Booklet”.
Maintenance precautions
When maintenance and service are re-quired, it is recommended that all work bedone by an authorized SUBARU dealer.
If you perform maintenance and serviceby yourself, you should familiarize yourselfwith the information provided in thissection on general maintenance andservice for yourSUBARU.
Incorrect or incomplete service couldcause improper or unsafe vehicle opera-tion. Any problems caused by impropermaintenance and service performed byyou are not eligible for warranty coverage.
WARNING
.Te s t i n g o f a n A l l - W h e e l D r i v emodel must NEVER be per-formed on a single two-wheeldynamometer or similar appara-tus. Attempting to do so willresult in transmission damageand in uncontrolled vehiclemovement and may cause anaccident or injuries to personsnearby.
.Always select a safe area whenperforming maintenance on yourvehicle.
.Always be very careful to avoidinjury when working on the vehi-cle. Remember that some of thematerials in the vehicle may behazardous if improperly used orhandled, for example, batteryacid.
.Your vehicle should only be ser-viced by persons fully competentto do so. Serious personal injurymay result to persons not experi-enced in servicing vehicles.
.Always use the proper tools andmake certain that they are wellmaintained.
.Never get under the vehicle sup-ported only by a jack. Always usea safety stands to support thevehicle.
.Never keep the engine running ina poorly ventilated area, such asa garage or other closed areas.
.Do not smoke or allow openflames around the fuel or battery.This will cause a fire.
.Because the fuel system is underpressure, replacement of the fuelfilter should be performed onlyby your SUBARU dealer.
.Wear adequate eye protection to
Maintenance and service11-3
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7. Remove the oil filter with an oil filterwrench.
8. Clean the rubber seal seating area ofthe bottom of engine and install the oilfilterby hand turning. Be careful not totwist or damage the seal.
9. Tighten the oil filter by the amountindicatedin the following table after theseal makes contact with the bottom ofengine.
Oil filter color Part numberAmount of ro-tation
Black 15208AA0313/4 rotation
CAUTION
.Never over tighten the oil filterbecause that can result in an oil
leak.
.Thoroughly wipe off any engineoil that has spilled over theexhaust pipe and/or under-cover.If left unremoved, the oil couldcatch fire.
10. Reinstall thecover under the oil filter.
11. Pour engine oil through the filler neck.
For the oil capacity guideline, refer to“Engine oil”F12-4. The necessary quan-tity of oil depends on the quantity of oil thathas been drained. The quantity of drainedoil differs slightly depending on the tem-perature of the oil and the time the oil isleft flowing out. After refilling the enginewith oil, therefore, you must use the levelgauge to confirm that the level is correct.
12.Start the engine and make sure that nooil leaks appear around the filter’s rubberseal and drain plug.
13. Run the engine until it reaches thenormal operating temperature. Then stopthe engine and wait a few minutes to allowthe oil drain back. Check the oil levelagain and if necessary, add more engineoil.
&Recommended grade and
viscosity
CAUTION
Use only engine oil with the recom-mended grade and viscosity.
Refer to“Engine oil”F12-4.
NOTE
Engine oil viscosity (thickness) affectsfuel economy. Oils of lower viscosityprovide better fuel economy. However,in hot weather, oil of higher viscosity isrequired to properly lubricate the en-gine.
&Synthetic oil
You should use synthetic engine oil thatmeets the samerequirements given forconventional engine oil. When usingsynthetic oil, you must use oil of the sameclassification,viscosity and grade shownin this Owner’s Manual. Refer to“Engineoil”F12-4. Also, you must follow the oiland filter changing intervals shown in theWarranty and Maintenance booklet.
NOTE
Synthetic oil of the grade and viscositynoted in chapter 12 is the recom-
Maintenance and service11-9
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11-10Maintenance and service
mended engine oil for optimum engineperformance. Conventional oil may beused if synthetic oil is unavailable.
Cooling system
WARNING
Never attempt to remove the radia-tor cap until the engine has beenshut off and has cooled downcompletely. Since the coolant isunder pressure, you may sufferserious burns from a spray of boil-ing hot coolant when the cap isremoved.
CAUTION
.Vehicles are filled at the factorywith SUBARU Super Coolant thatdoes not require the first changefor 11 years/137,500 miles (11years/220,000 km). This coolantshould not be mixed with anyother brand or type of coolantduring this period. Mixing with adifferent coolant will reduce thelife of the coolant. Should it benecessary to top off the coolantfor any reason, use onlySUBARU Super Coolant.
If the SUBARU Super Coolant isdiluted with another brand ortype, the maintenance interval is
shortened to that of the mixingcoolant.
.Do not splash the engine coolantover painted parts. The alcoholcontained in the engine coolantmay damage the paint surface.
&Hose and connections
Your vehicle employs an electric coolingfan which is thermostatically controlled tooperate when the engine coolant reachesa specific temperature.
If the radiator cooling fan does not operateeven when the engine coolant tempera-ture gauge exceeds the normal operatingrange, the cooling fan circuit may bedefective.Check the fuse and replace itif necessary. If the fuse is not blown, havethe cooling system checked by yourSUBARU dealer.
If frequent addition of coolant is neces-sary, there may be a leak in the enginecooling system. It is recommended thatthe cooling system and connections bechecked for leaks, damage, or looseness.