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Maintenance and care4
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4-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior.........  332
Cleaning and protecting  the vehicle interior..........  338
Cleaning and protecting  the Alcantara
® area .......  342
4-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ..................  344
General maintenance.......  347
Emission inspection and  maintenance (I/M) 
programs........................  350 4-3. Do-it-yourself 
maintenance
Do-it-yourself service  precautions ....................  351
Engine hood .....................  354
Engine compartment ........  356
Tires .................................  370
Tire inflation pressure ......  378
Wheels .............................  382
Air conditioning filter.........  385
Transmitter/access key  battery ............................  388
Checking and replacing  fuses ..............................  393
Light bulbs........................  401 
         
        
        
     
        
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4-1. Maintenance and care
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Maintenance and care
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WARNING
■
When washing the vehicle
● Do not wash the engine compartment.
• Water entering the intake system will cause damage to the engine.
• Water contacting electrical components will cause malfunction of elec-
trical components and in the worst case, they may catch fire.
● 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. 
         
        
        
     
        
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4-2. Maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
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General maintenance
Engine compartment
NOTE 
SUBARU does not endorse the use of non-SUBARU approved flushing sys-
tems and strongly advises against performing these services on a SUBARU
vehicle. Non-SUBARU approved flushing systems use chemicals and/or sol-
vents which have not been tested or approved by SUBARU. 
SUBARU warranties do not cover any part of the vehicle which is damaged
by adding or applying chemicals and/or solvents other than those approved
or recommended by SUBARU.
ItemsCheck points
Battery Check the connections. 
 (→ P. 364)
Brake fluid At the correct level?  ( →P. 362)
Engine coolant At the correct level? ( →P. 360)
Engine oil At the correct level? ( →P. 357)
Exhaust system No fumes or strange sounds?
Radiator/condenser/hoses Not blocked with foreign matter?
 (
→P. 362)
Washer fluid At the correct level? ( →P. 368)
Listed below are the general maintenance items that should be per-
formed at the intervals specified  in the “Warranty and Maintenance
Booklet” (except for Canada) or “Warranty and Service Booklet” (for
Canada). It is recommended that  any problem you notice should be
brought to the attention of your  SUBARU dealer or qualified service
shop for advice. 
         
        
        
     
        
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4-2. Maintenance
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Maintenance and care
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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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4
Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself ser vice precautions
If you perform maintenance yourself, be sure to follow the correct
procedure as given in these sections.
ItemsParts and tools
Battery condition ( →P. 364) •Warm water
• Baking soda
• Grease
• Conventional wrench
(for terminal clamp bolts)
• Distilled water
Brake fluid level ( →P. 362) • FMVSS No.116 DOT 3 or DOT 4 
brake fluid
• Rag or paper towel
• Funnel (used only for adding  brake fluid)
Engine coolant level ( →P. 360) • SUBARU Super Coolant or simi-
lar high-quality ethylene glycol-
based non-silicate, non-amine, 
non-nitrite and non-borate coolant 
with long-life hybrid organic acid 
technology. 
SUBARU Super Coolant is pre-
mixed with 50% coolant and 
50% deionized water.
• Funnel (used only for adding  engine coolant)
Engine oil level ( →P. 357) • SUBARU approved engine oil or 
equivalent
• Rag or paper towel, funnel (used  only for adding engine oil)
Fuses ( →P. 393) • Fuse with same amperage rating 
as original 
         
        
        
     
        
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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. ( →P. 362)
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. ( →P. 362) 
■ 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 element
Driving with the air cleaner element removed may cause excessive engine
wear due to dirt in the air. Also a backfire could cause a fire in the engine
compartment. 
         
        
        
     
        
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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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Engine hood
Release the lock from the inside of the vehicle to open the engine
hood.
Pull the engine hood release
lever.
The engine hood will pop up
slightly.
Push the auxiliary catch lever
to the left and lift the engine
hood.
Hold the hood open by insert-
ing the supporting rod into the
slot.
When holding the supporting
rod, hold it by the grip portion.
STEP 1 
STEP 2 
STEP 3 
Grip 
         
        
        
     
        
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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.