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274
2-5. Driving information
Dinghy towing
Your vehicle is not designed to be dinghy towed behind a motor
home or other vehicle with the wheels (2 or 4) on the ground. Serious
damage can result.
Page 315 of 540
Maintenance and care4
313
4-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle exterior......... 314
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle interior.......... 318
Cleaning and protecting
the Alcantara
® area ....... 3224-2. Maintenance
Maintenance
requirements .................. 324
General maintenance....... 327
Emission inspection and
maintenance (I/M)
programs ........................ 330
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service
precautions .................... 331
Engine hood ..................... 334
Engine compartment ........ 336
Tires ................................. 350
Tire inflation pressure ...... 357
Wheels ............................. 361
Air conditioning filter......... 364
Transmitter/access key
battery ............................ 367
Checking and replacing
fuses .............................. 372
Light bulbs........................ 380
Page 316 of 540
314
4-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior
Perform the following to protect the vehicle and maintain it in prime
condition.
●Working from top to bottom, liberally apply water to the vehicle
body, wheel wells and underside of the vehicle to remove any
dirt and dust.
●Wash the vehicle body using a sponge or soft cloth, such as a
chamois.
●For hard-to-remove marks, use car wash soap and rinse thor-
oughly with water.
●Wipe away any water.
●Wax the vehicle when the waterproof coating deteriorates.
If water does not bead on a clean surface, apply wax when the vehicle
body is cool.
Page 317 of 540

315 4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
■Automatic car washes
●Fold the mirrors before washing the vehicle. Start washing from the front
of the vehicle. Make sure to and extend the mirrors before driving.
●When having your vehicle washed in an automatic car wash, make sure
beforehand that the car wash is of suitable type to avoid scratches to the
vehicle surface and harm to your vehicle’s paint.
●Vehicles with a rear spoiler: In certain automatic car washes, the rear
spoiler may interfere with machine operation. This may prevent the vehi-
cle from being cleaned properly or result in damage to the rear spoiler.
■High pressure car washes
●Do not allow the nozzles of the car wash to come within close proximity
of the windows and door frames as water may enter the cabin.
●Before using the car wash, check that the fuel filler lid on your vehicle is
closed properly.
■Aluminum wheels
●Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent. Do not use
hard brushes or abrasive cleaners. Do not use strong or harsh chemical
cleaners. Use the same mild detergent and wax as used on the paint.
●Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, for example after
driving for long distance in the hot weather.
●Wash detergent from the wheels immediately after use.
■Parts containing resin such as the bumper
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■When washing the vehicle
Wear rubber gloves and use a hand brush when washing down underbody,
inner fenders and suspension to effectively remove mud and dirt off.
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316 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.
●When washing inner fenders, underbody, bumpers and protruding objects
such as exhaust pipes and exhaust finishers, be careful to prevent injuries
from contacting sharp ends.
■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.
Page 330 of 540
328 4-2. Maintenance
Vehicle interior
ItemsCheck points
Accelerator pedal• Moves smoothly (without uneven
pedal effort or catching)?
Automatic transmission “Park”
mechanism• Can the vehicle be held securely
on an incline with the select lever
in P?
Brake pedal• Moves smoothly?
• Does it have appropriate clear-
ance and correct amount of free
play?
Brakes• Not pull to one side when
applied?
• Loss of brake effectiveness?
• Spongy feeling brake pedal?
• Pedal almost touches floor?
Clutch pedal • Moves smoothly?
Head restraints• Move smoothly and lock
securely?
Indicators/buzzers • Function properly?
Lights • Do all the lights come on?
Parking brake• Moves smoothly?
• Can hold the vehicle securely on
an incline?
Seatbelts• Does the seatbelt system oper-
ate smoothly?
• Are the belts undamaged?
Seats• Do the seat controls operate
properly?
Steering wheel• Moves smoothly?
• Has correct free play?
• No strange noises?
Page 331 of 540
329 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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351 4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters (vehicles
with a tire pressure monitoring system)
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are
installed, new tire pressure warning valve and transmitter ID codes
must be registered in the tire pressure warning computer and tire
pressure monitoring system must be initialized. Have tire pressure
warning valve and transmitter ID codes registered by your SUBARU
dealer. ( oP. 352)
Vehicles with a spare tire of the same wheel type as the
installed tires
Rotate the tires in the order
shown.
To equalize tire wear and
extend tire life, SUBARU rec-
ommends that tire rotation is
carried out at the same inter-
val as tire inspection.
■The tire pressure monitoring system (if equipped)
Your SUBARU is equipped with a tire pressure monitoring sys-
tem that uses tire pressure warning valves and transmitters to
detect low tire inflation pressure before serious problems arise.
( oP. 406)
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