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274 3-5. Other interior features
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may cause the driver's floor mat to slip, possibly interfering
with the pedals while driving. An unexpectedly high speed may result or it may
become difficult to stop the vehicle. This could lead to an accident, resulting in
death or serious injury.
■When installing the driver's floor mat
●Do not use floor mats designed for other models or different model year
vehicles, even if they are SUBARU Genuine floor mats.
●Only use floor mats designed for the driver's seat.
●Always install the floor mat securely using the retaining hooks (clips) pro-
vided.
●Do not use two or more floor mats on top of each other.
●Do not place the floor mat bottom-side up or upside-down.
■Before driving
●Check that the floor mat is securely
fixed in the correct place with all the
provided retaining hooks (clips). Be
especially careful to perform this check
after cleaning the floor.
●With the engine stopped and the select
lever in P (automatic transmission) or
shift lever in neutral (manual transmis-
sion), fully depress each pedal to the
floor to make sure it does not interfere
with the floor mat.
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278 4-1. Maintenance and care
WARNING
■When washing the vehicle
●Do not wash the engine compartment and area adjacent to it. If water
enters the engine air intake or electrical parts it will cause engine trouble or
a malfunction of the power steering.
●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 depressing the brake pedal to heat up the brakes.
■Precautions regarding the exhaust pipes
Exhaust gasses cause the exhaust pipes and rear bumper diffusers to
become quite hot.
When washing the vehicle, be careful not to touch the pipes and diffusers
until they have cooled sufficiently, as touching hot exhaust pipes and rear
bumper diffusers can cause burns.
CAUTION
■To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body and compo-
nents (aluminum wheels etc.)
●Wash the vehicle immediately in the following cases:
• After driving near the sea coast
• After driving on salted roads
• If you see coal tar or tree sap on the paint surface
• If you see dead insects, insect droppings or bird droppings on the paint
• After driving in an area contaminated with soot, oily smoke, mine dust,
iron powder or chemical substances
• If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled in dust or mud
• If liquids such as benzene and gasoline are spilled on the paint surface
●If the paint is chipped or scratched, have it repaired immediately.
●To prevent the wheels from corroding, remove any dirt and store in a place
with low humidity when storing the wheels.
■Protective film for side sill plates
Make sure to remove the protective film. Failure to do so may cause rust,
depending on conditions.
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281 4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
■Caring for leather areas
SUBARU recommends cleaning the interior of the vehicle at least twice a
year to maintain the quality of the vehicle’s interior.
■Shampooing the carpets
There are several commercial foaming-type cleaners available. Use a
sponge or brush to apply the foam. Rub in overlapping circles. Do not apply
water. Excellent results are obtained by keeping the carpet as dry as possi-
ble.
■Seatbelts
Clean with mild soap and lukewarm water using a cloth or sponge. Also
check the belts periodically for excessive wear, fraying or cuts.
WARNING
■Water in the vehicle
●Do not splash or spill liquid in the vehicle.
Doing so may cause electrical components etc. to malfunction or catch
fire.
●Do not get any of the SRS components or wiring in the vehicle interior wet.
( oP. 94)
Electrical malfunction may cause the airbags to deploy or not function
properly, resulting in death or severe injury.
■Cleaning the interior (especially instrument panel)
Do not use polish wax or polish cleaner. The instrument panel may reflect off
the windshield, obstructing the driver's view and leading to an accident,
resulting in death or serious injury.
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288 4-2. Maintenance
WARNING
■If your vehicle is not properly maintained
It could result in serious damage to the vehicle and possible serious injury or
death.
■Warning in handling of battery
●Before beginning work on or near any battery, be sure to extinguish all cig-
arettes, matches, and lighters. Never expose a battery to an open flame or
electric sparks. Batteries give off a gas which is highly flammable and
explosive.
●For safety, in case an explosion does occur, wear eye protection or shield
your eyes when working near any battery. Never lean over a battery.
●Do not let battery fluid contact eyes, skin, fabrics, or paint because battery
fluid is a corrosive acid. If battery fluid gets on your skin or in your eyes,
immediately flush the area with water thoroughly. Seek medical help
immediately if acid has entered the eyes.
If battery fluid is accidentally swallowed, immediately drink a large amount
of milk or water, and seek medical attention immediately.
●To lessen the risk of sparks, remove rings, metal watchbands, and other
metal jewelry. Never allow metal tools to contact the positive battery termi-
nal and anything connected to it WHILE you are at the same time in con-
tact with any other metallic portion of the vehicle because a short circuit
will result.
●Keep everyone including children away from the battery.
●Charge the battery in a well ventilated area.
●Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead and lead
compounds, chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer
and reproductive harm. Batteries also contain other chemicals known to
the State of California to cause cancer. Wash hands after handling.
Page 292 of 490
291 4-2. Maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Door/trunk lid • Operate smoothly?
Engine hood • The lock system works properly?
Fluid leaks• Is there any leakage after park-
ing?
Ti re• Inflation pressure is correct?
• Tire surfaces not worn or dam-
aged?
• Tires rotated according to the
maintenance schedule?
• Wheel nuts are not loose?
Windshield wipers
•The wiper blades should not show
any signs of cracking, splitting,
wear, contamination or deforma-
tion.
•The wiper blades should clear the
windshield without streaking or
skipping.
WARNING
■If the engine is running
Turn the engine off and ensure that there is adequate ventilation before per-
forming maintenance checks.
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295 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
WARNING
The engine compartment contains many mechanisms and fluids that may
move suddenly, become hot, or become electrically energized. To avoid death
or serious injury, observe the following precautions.
■When working in the engine compartment
●Keep hands, clothing, and tools away from the moving fan and engine
drive belt.
●Be careful not to touch the engine, radiator, exhaust manifold, etc. right
after driving as they may be hot. Oil and other fluids may also be hot.
●Do not leave anything that may burn easily, such as paper or rags, in the
engine compartment.
●Do not smoke, cause sparks or expose an open flame to fuel or the bat-
tery. Fuel and battery fumes are flammable.
●Be extremely cautious when working on the battery. It contains poisonous
and corrosive sulfuric acid.
■When working near the electric cooling fans or radiator grille
Vehicles without a keyless access with push button start system: Be sure the
engine switch is off. With the engine switch in the “ON” position, the electric
cooling fans may automatically start to run if the air conditioning is on and/or
the coolant temperature is high. ( oP. 304)
Vehicles with a keyless access with push button start system: Be sure the
push-button ignition switch is off. With the push-button ignition switch in
“ON” mode, the electric cooling fans may automatically start to run if the air
conditioning is on and/or the coolant temperature is high. ( oP. 304)
■Safety glasses
Wear safety glasses to prevent flying or falling material, fluid spray, etc. from
getting in the eyes.
CAUTION
■If you remove the air cleaner filter
Driving with the air cleaner filter removed may cause excessive engine wear
due to dirt in the air. Also a backfire could cause a fire in the engine compart-
ment.
Page 298 of 490
297 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
WARNING
■Pre-driving check
Check that the engine hood is fully closed and locked.
If the engine hood is not locked properly it may open while the vehicle is in
motion and cause an accident, which may result in death or serious injury.
CAUTION
■When opening the engine hood
●Do not lift up or operate the wipers. Doing so may cause the engine hood
and wipers to contact, scratching the engine hood.
●Use caution when opening the engine hood in windy weather as it may
close suddenly in strong wind.
●Do not attach any accessories other than genuine SUBARU products to
the engine hood. Such additional weight on the engine hood may cause it
to be too heavy to be supported by the supporting rod when opened.
■When closing the engine hood
Do not apply excessive weight or force when closing the engine hood as
doing so may result in damage.
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301 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
●When the engine is operated at high engine speeds
●When the engine is operated under heavy loads
●When towing a trailer
●When the engine idles for long periods of time
●When the vehicle is operated in stop and go and/or heavy traffic situa-
tions
●When the vehicle is used under severe thermal conditions
●When the vehicle accelerates and decelerates frequently
Under these or similar conditions, you should check your oil at least every
2nd fuel fill-up and change your engine oil more frequently. If your oil con-
sumption rate is greater than 1 quart every 1,200 miles or 1 liter every 2,000
kilometers, contact your SUBARU dealer who may perform a test under con-
trolled conditions.
WARNING
■Used engine oil
●Used engine oil contains potentially harmful contaminants which may
cause skin disorders such as inflammation or skin cancer, so care should
be taken to avoid prolonged and repeated contact. To remove used engine
oil from your skin, wash thoroughly with soap and water.
●Dispose of used oil and filters only in a safe and acceptable manner. Do
not dispose of used oil and filters in household trash, in sewers or onto the
ground.
Call your SUBARU dealer, service station or auto parts store for informa-
tion concerning recycling or disposal.
●Do not leave used engine oil within the reach of children.