SUBARU FORESTER 2006 Owners Manual

3-18
Instruments and controls
Light control switchThe light switch operates only when the
ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
„HeadlightsTo turn on the headlights, turn the knob on
the end of the turn signal lever.
first position:
Parking lights, instrument panel illumina-
tion, front side marker lights, tail lights and
license plate light are on.
second position:
Headlights, parking lights, instrument pan-
el illumination, front side marker lights, tail
lights, and license plate light are on.
„ High/low beam change (dim-
mer)To change from low beam to high beam,
push the turn signal lever forward. When
the headlights are on high beam, the high
beam indicator light “ ” on the instru-
ment panel is also on.
To switch back to low beam, pull the lever
back to the detent position.
To prevent battery discharge result-
ing from accidentally leaving your
lights on when your vehicle is
parked, the light switch operates
only when the ignition switch is in
the “ON” position. In any other posi-
tion, the vehicle’s lights will be out.If you park your vehicle on a road-
side at night, use the hazard warn-
ing flasher to alert the other drivers.
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Instruments and controls
3-19
„Headlight flasherTo flash the headlights, pull the lever to-
ward you and then release it. The high
beam will stay on for as long as you hold
the lever. The headlight flasher works
even though the lighting switch is in the
“OFF” position.
When the headlights are on high beam,
the high beam indicator light “ ” on
the instrument panel also comes on.
„Daytime running light systemT Canada-spec. 2.5XTThe low beam headlights and tail lights
will automatically come on when the en-
gine has started, under the following con-
ditions:
yThe parking brake is fully released.
y The light switch is in the “OFF” or
“ ” position.
y The automatic transmission selector le-
ver is set at other than the “P” position. T
All models except Canada-spec.
2.5XT
The low beam headlights will automatical-
ly come on at reduced brightness when
the engine has started, under the follow-
ing conditions:
yThe parking brake is fully released.
y The light switch is in the “OFF” or
“ ” position.
y The automatic transmission selector le-
ver is set at other than the “P” position.
Do not hold the lever in the flashing
position for more than just a few
seconds.
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The parking lights, and side marker
lights are not turned on by the day-
time running light system. The light
switch must always be turned to the
“ ” position when it is dark out-
side.
The tail lights, parking lights, and
side marker lights are not turned on
by the daytime running light system.
The light switch must always be
turned to the “ ” position when
it is dark outside.
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3-20
Instruments and controls
Turn signal lever1) Right turn
2) Left turn
3) Lane change for right
4) Lane change for leftTo activate the right turn signal, push the
turn signal lever up. To activate the left
turn signal, push the turn signal lever
down. When the turn is finished, the lever
will return automatically. If the lever does
not return after cornering, return the lever
to the neutral position by hand.
To signal a lane change, push the turn sig-
nal lever up or down slightly and hold it
during the lane change. The turn signal in-
dicator lights will flash in the direction of
the turn or lane change. The lever will re-turn automatically to the neutral position
when you release it.
Illumination brightness con-trolWhen the headlight switch is in the
“ ” or “ ” position, you can ad-
just brightness of the instrument panel illu-
mination for better visibility.
To brighten, turn the control dial upward.
To darken, turn the control dial downward.
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2 3
4
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Instruments and controls
3-21
Headlight beam leveler (Canada-spec. 2.5XT)The 2.5XT has High-Intensity Discharge
(HID) headlights on the low beam setting.
The HID headlights generate more light
than conventional halogen headlights.
Therefore a driver of an oncoming vehicle
may experience too much glare when
your headlight beam height adjustment is
high due to the vehicle carrying a heavy
load.
The headlight beam leveler can be used
to adjust beam height to avoid such a con-
dition.
The higher the number the switch is
turned to, the lower the beam height be-
comes.
Parking light switchThe parking light switch operates regard-
less of the ignition switch position.
By pushing the front end of this switch, fol-
lowing lights will come on.
– Parking lights
– Front side marker lights
– Tail lights
– License plate lights
To turn off, push the rear end of the park-
ing light switch.
Avoid leaving these lights on for a long
time because that will run down the bat-
tery.
Front fog light buttonThe front fog lights operate only when the
headlights are on low beam. Push the
front fog light button to turn the front fog
lights on.
However, the front fog lights turn off when
the headlights are switched to high beam.
Press the button again to turn them off.
The indicator light located on the button
will illuminate when the front fog lights are
on.
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3-22
Instruments and controls
Wiper and washer
NOTEyThe wiper operates only when the ig-
nition switch is in the “ON” or “ACC”
position.
y Clean your wiper blades and window
glass periodically with a washer solu-
tion to prevent streaking, and to re-
move accumulations of road salt or
road film. Keep the washer button de-
pressed at least for 1 second so that
washer solution will be sprinkled all
over the windshield or rear window.
y Grease, wax, insects or other materi-
al on the windshield or the wiper blade
results in jerky wiper operation and
In freezing weather, do not use the
windshield washer until the wind-
shield is sufficiently warmed by the
defroster.Otherwise the washer fluid can
freeze on the windshield, blocking
your view.
y Do not operate the washer contin-
uously for more than ten seconds,
or when the washer fluid tank is
empty. This may cause overheat-
ing of the washer motor. Check
the washer fluid level frequently,
such as at fuel stops.
y Do not operate the wipers when
the windshield or rear window is
dry. This may scratch the glass,
damage the wiper blades and
cause the wiper motor to burn out.
Before operating the wiper on a
dry windshield or rear window, al-
ways use the windshield washer.
yIn freezing weather, be sure that
the wiper blades are not frozen to
the windshield or rear window be-
fore switching on the wipers. At-
tempting to operate the wiper with
the blades frozen to the window
glass could cause not only the
wiper blades to be damaged but
also the wiper motor to burn out. If
the wiper blades are frozen to the
window glass, be sure to operate
the defroster, windshield wiper
deicer (if equipped) or rear win-
dow defogger before turning on
the wiper.
y If the wipers stop during opera-
tion because of ice or some other
obstruction on the window, the
wiper motor could burn out even if
the wiper switch is turned off. If
this occurs, promptly stop the ve-
hicle in a safe place, turn the igni-
tion switch to the “LOCK” posi-
tion and clean the window glass
to allow proper wiper operation.
yUse clean water if windshield
washer fluid is unavailable. In ar-
eas where water freezes in winter,
use SUBARU Windshield Washer
Fluid or the equivalent. (See the
“Windshield washer fluid” section
in chapter 11.)
Also, when driving the vehicle
when there are freezing tempera-
tures, use non-freezing type wiper
blades.
y Do not clean the wiper blades with
gasoline or a solvent, such as
paint thinner or benzene. This will
cause deterioration of the wiper
blades.
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streaking on the glass. If you cannot
remove those streaks after operating
the washer or if the wiper operation is
jerky, clean the outer surface of the
windshield or rear window and the wip-
er blades using a sponge or soft cloth
with a neutral detergent or mild-abra-
sive cleaner. After cleaning, rinse the
window glass and wiper blades with
clean water. The glass is clean if no
beads form on the glass when you
rinse with water.
yIf you cannot eliminate the streaking
even after following this procedure, re-
place the wiper blades with new ones.
Refer to the “Replacement of wiper
blades” section (chapter 11) for re-
placement instructions.
„ Windshield wiper and washer
switchesT Windshield wipersOFF : Park
: Intermittent
LO : Low speed
HI : High speedTo turn the wipers on, push the wiper con-
trol lever down.
To turn the wipers off, return the lever to
the “OFF” position. T
Wiper intermittent time control (if
equipped)
When the wiper switch is in the “ ” po-
sition, turn the dial to adjust the operating
interval of the wiper.
The operating interval can be adjusted
continuously from the shortest interval to
the longest.
Two click stop positions of the dial may
help you to aim at your desired interval.
OFF LO
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3-24
Instruments and controls
TMist (for a single wipe)
For a single wipe of the wipers, pull the le-
ver toward you. The wipers operate until
you release the lever.
T Washer To wash the windshield, push the washer
button at the end of the wiper control le-
ver. The washer fluid sprays until you re-
lease the washer button. The wipers oper-
ate while you push the button.
„
Rear window wiper and wash-
er switch
: Washer (accompanied by wiper
operation)
ON : Normal
INT : Intermittent
OFF : Park
:Washer
TRear wiper
To turn the rear wiper on, turn the knob on
the end of the wiper control lever upward. INT: Intermittent
ON: Normal
To turn the wiper off, return the knob on
the end of the lever to the “OFF” position.
T
Washer
To wash the rear window while the rear
wiper is operating, turn the knob on the
end of the wiper control lever counter-
clockwise to the “ ” position. The
washer fluid sprays until you release the
knob.
To wash the rear window when the rear
wiper is not in use, turn the knob on the
end of the wiper control lever clockwise to
the “ ” position. The washer fluid
sprays and the wiper operates until you
release the knob.
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ONOFFINTINT
ON
INTOFF
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Windshield wiper deicer (if equipped)The windshield wiper deicer operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” po-
sition.
Before turning on the windshield wiper de-
icer, remove any snow from the wind-
shield. To turn on the windshield wiper de-
icer, push the button. The indicator light
located on the button lights up while the
windshield wiper deicer is operating.
The windshield wiper deicer will automati-
cally shut off after approximately 15 min-
utes. If the wiper blades have been deiced
completely before that time, push the but-
ton to turn it off. It also turns off when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position. If deicing is not com-
plete, you have to push the button to turn
the deicer on again.
NOTEIf your vehicle is equipped with the out-
side mirror defogger, the outside mir-
ror defogger operates while the wind-
shield wiper deicer is operating.
Rear window defogger but-tonManual climate control system
Automatic climate control system
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To prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the
windshield wiper deicer continuous-
ly for any longer than necessary.
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3-26
Instruments and controls
The rear window defogger operates only
when the ignition switch is in the “ON” po-
sition.
The rear window defogger button is locat-
ed on the climate control panel.
To turn on the defogger, push the button.
To turn it off, push the button again.
The indicator light located on the button
lights up while the rear window defogger is
operating.
The defogger will automatically shut off af-
ter approximately 15 minutes. If the win-
dow clears before that time, push the but-
ton to turn it off. It also turns off when the
ignition switch is turned to the “ACC” or
“LOCK” position. If defrosting or defogging
is desired when you restart your vehicle,
you have to push the button to turn it on
again.
Turn on the rear window defogger if the
wiper is frozen to the glass.
MirrorsAlways check that the inside and outside
mirrors are properly adjusted before you
start driving.„Inside mirrorThe inside mirror has a day and night po-
sition. Pull the tab at the bottom of the mir-
ror toward you for the night position. Push
it away for the day position. The night po-
sition reduces glare from headlights.
y
Do not use sharp instruments or
window cleaner containing abra-
sives to clean the inner surface of
the rear window. They may dam-
age the conductors printed on the
window.
yTo prevent the battery from being
discharged, do not operate the de-
fogger continuously for any long-
er than necessary.
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Instruments and controls
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TAuto-dimming mirror/compass (if
equipped)1) Left button
2) Auto dimming indicator
3) Photosensor
4) Right buttonThe inside electronic compass mirror has
an anti-glare feature which automatically
reduces glare coming from headlights of
vehicles behind you. It also contains a
built-in compass.
yBy pressing and releasing the left but-
ton, the automatic dimming function is tog-
gled on or off. When the automatic dim-
ming function is on, the auto dimming indi-
cator light (green) located to the right of
the button will illuminate.
y By pressing and releasing the right but- ton, the compass display is toggled on or
off. When the compass is on, an illuminat-
ed compass reading will appear in the
lower part of the mirror.
Even with the mirror in anti-glare mode,
the mirror surface turns bright if the trans-
mission is shifted into reverse. This is to
ensure good rearward visibility during re-
versing.
V
Photosensors
The mirror has a photosensor attached on
both the front and back sides. If the glare
from the headlights of vehicles behind you
strikes the mirror, these sensors detect it
and make the reflection surface of the mir-
ror dimmer to help prevent you from being
blinded. For this reason, use care not to cover the sensors with stickers, or other
similar items. Periodically wipe the sen-
sors clean using a piece of dry soft cotton
cloth or an applicator.
V
Compass calibration
1. For optimum calibration, switch off all
nonessential electrical accessories (rear
window defogger, heater/air conditioning
system, spotlight, etc.) and ensure all
doors are shut.
2. Drive to an open, level area away from
large metallic objects or structures and
make certain the ignition switch is in the
“ON” position.
3. Press and hold the left button for 3 sec-
onds then release, and the compass will
enter the calibration mode. “CAL” and di-
rection will be displayed.
4. Drive slowly in a circle until “CAL” dis-
appears from the display (approximately
two or three circles).
5. The compass is now calibrated. Fur-
ther calibration is not required. The com-
pass will automatically calibrate from this
point forward.
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