roof SUBARU BAJA 2003 1.G User Guide

Interior and exterior equipments6-21
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Bed cover (if equipped)
The bed cover is designed to cover the cargo area of the bed. The bed
cover is water resistant, but not waterproof.
CAUTION
Do not place cargo on top of the bed cover.
Do not use the hard bed cover section as a step.
Do not use the bed cover to secure cargo.
To avoid damage, clean the bed cover with only soap, water
and a soft brush. Remove the soft portion of the bed cover before taking the ve-
hicle through a car wash.
Securing the cover
HB6034BA
HB6033AA
To secure the soft portion of the bed cover to the bed, simply start
from either side of the vehicle and place the plastic strip under the
rail. Slide your hand down the side of the vehicle pushing the plastic
strip under the rail as you go. Continue this around the entire length of
the bed. Fasten both closeout wraps with Velcro around the rear
chrome bars so that they are secure. Your cover should be tight and
ready to conceal items in the bed from view.

Interior and exterior equipments6-23
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HB6038BA
As you insert (and pull) the soft portion of the bed cover into the bed
cover’s hard section, make sure the next 10 to 15 inches (250 to 380
mm) of the soft portion are straight and ready to enter the flared out
portion of the hard section.
Once you have pulled the soft portion of the bed cover onto the bed
cover’ s hard section, make sure the soft portion is equally centered on
both sides. To complete the installation, refer to “Securing the cover ”.
Roof rail and crossbar
CAUTION
For cargo carrying purposes, the roof rail must be used to-
gether with a roof crossbar kit and the appropriate carrying at-tachment. The roof rail must never be used alone to carry cargo.Otherwise, damage to the roof or paint or a dangerous road haz-ard due to loss of cargo could result. When using the roof crossbar kit, make sure that the total
weight of the crossbars, carrying attachment and cargo does not
exceed the maximum load limit. Overloading may cause damageto the vehicle and create a safety hazard.

6-24
HB8037BB
The roof rail is not designed to carry cargo by itself. Cargo can be car-
ried after securing the roof crossbar kit to the roof rail and installing the
appropriate carrying attachment. When installing the roof crossbar kit,
follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
When you carry cargo on the roof using the roof crossbar kit and a carry-
ing attachment, never exceed the maximum load limit explained below.
You should also be careful that your vehicle does not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and front and rear Gross Axle Weight Rat-
ing (GAWR). See the “Loading your vehicle ” section in Chapter 8 for in-
formation on loading cargo into or onto your vehicle. The maximum load
limit of the cargo, crossbars and carrying attachment must not exceed
100 lb. (45 kg). Place the heaviest load at the bottom, nearest the roof,
and evenly distribute the cargo. Always properly secure all cargo.
Installing carrying attachments on the crossbars
When installing any carrying attachment such as a bike carrier, ski
carrier, kayak carrier, cargo basket, etc. on the crossbars, follow the
manufacturer’ s instructions and make sure that the attachment is se-
curely fixed to the crossbars. Use only attachments designed specifi-
cally for the crossbars. A set of the crossbars is designed to carry
loads (cargo and attachment) of not more than 100 lb. (45 kg). Before
operating the vehicle, make sure that the cargo is properly securedon the attachment.

Interior and exterior equipments6-25
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NOTE Remember that the vehicle ’s center of gravity is altered with the
weight of the load on the roof, thus affecting the driving charac- teristics.
Drive carefully. Avoid rapid starts, hard cornering and abruptstops. Crosswind effects will be increased. Removal and installation of the crossbars CAUTION
Do not carry cargo on the roof when the crossbars are removed. Luggage on the roof will be thrown forward or backward in sud-den stops or rapid accelerations, resulting in a dangerous roadhazard.
The crossbars can be removed when you do not use the roof to carrycargo. n To remove the crossbar
HB6047BAHB6048BA
1. Loosen and remove the T –30 torx head screw from the side of
each crossbar end support.
2. Move the end support and inner clamp to unhook each side of the
crossbar from the roof rail.
3. Carefully raise the crossbar from roof rails.

6-26
NOTE It may be necessary to move the Front crossbar rearward, near the center of the roof rail for easier removal. Use care not tocross-thread the screw in the insert if it has been removed. nTo install the crossbar
NOTE Both Crossbars have a label indicating the direction of mount. If they are not present, orient with the larger section of the Cross-
bar towards the front of vehicle (see below). The Front Crossbaralso has a MAXIMUM LORD Label affixed to it.
HB6046BB
Front crossbar:
Front crossbar has 100 LBS. Load Label on left-hand side.

Interior and exterior equipments6-27
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HB6051BBHB6052BB
1. Before placing the crossbar on the roof rails, make sure that the
T-30 torx head screw is fully loosened from each end support.
2. Spread the inner clamp and the end support as far apart as pos-sible.
3. With the front direction arrow label on the top right side of the
crossbar pointing toward the front of the vehicle, carefully place the
crossbar across the top of the vehicle so that the crossbar end sup-
ports rest on the top of the roof rails 7 inches (180 mm) rearward in
the front radius of the roof rail.
4. Move the end support and inner clamp to hook under the end of
the roof rail on both sides and loosely assemble the T-30 torx head
screw with the tool provided into the threaded insert in the inner
clamp on each end of the crossbar. NOTE It may be necessary to start the inner clamp and end support at the center of the roof rail for easier installation, then move the
crossbar forward. Use care not to cross-thread the screw in theinsert if it has been removed.

6-28
HB6053BA
5. Adjust the alignment of the crossbar on the roof rails, and if avail-
able, use a T-30 torx bit and torque wrench and tighten the T-30
torx head screws to 30 to 35 inch lbs. (3.4 to 4.0 N-m, 0.35 to 0.41
kg-m) of torque (or tighten securely with the torx wrench provided).
Rear crossbar:
HB6049BBHB6050BA
Install the rear crossbar in the same manner as the front crossbar. NOTE
The rear crossbar should be positioned just in front of the rear radius in the roof rail.
NOTE
Before each use of the roof crossbar, make sure the four T-30 cross-

6-30
HB3019AA
The sport activity lights mount to the vehicle front cross bar. The sport
activity lights cross bar wire harness connects to the roof wire harnessand then to the vehicle’s electrical system.
A tool is provided which will enable the sport activity lights ’ positioning to
be modified, so that each lamp can be aimed or rotated. The lamps can
be mounted in two positions, upright (normal) or forward (downward).
The lamps should be rotated to the forward (downward) position whenwashing your vehicle.
If you choose to remove sport activity lights, the following sequenceshould be utilized:
1. Disconnect the roof harness from the cross bar harness connector.
2. Attach the water proof connector cap to the roof harness connector.
3. Care should be used when removing or installing this electrical prod-uct.

Driving tips8-9
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After driving through tall grass, mud, rock, sand, rivers, etc., check
that there is no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones, sand, etc. adhering to
or trapped on the underbody. Clear off any such matter from the under-
body. If the vehicle is used with these materials trapped or adhering to
the underbody, a mechanical breakdown or fire could occur. Secure all cargo carried inside the vehicle and make certain that it is
not piled higher than the seatbacks. During sudden stops or jolts, unse-
cured cargo could be thrown around in the vehicle and cause injury. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof. Those loads raise the vehicle ’s
center of gravity and make it more prone to tip over. Cargo should be evenly distributed over the cargo bed. Keep heavier
items as low and far forward as possible. Loading the vehicle improperly
can deteriorate handling capability and contribute to loss of vehicle con-
trol. Be sure the cargo is secured properly. Unsecured cargo in the cargo
bed can be thrown around when driving on off-road. To prevent loose
cargo from entering the passenger compartment, always close the
switchback door while driving off-road. Always close the tailgate while driving off-road. Also remove the bed
extender (if so equipped) to avoid damage. If you must rock the vehicle to free it from sand or mud, depress the
accelerator pedal slightly and move the selector lever back and forth be-tween “D” and “R” repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the best pos-
sible traction, avoid spinning the wheels when trying to free the vehicle. When the road surface is extremely slippery, you can obtain better
traction by starting the vehicle with the transmission in 2nd than 1st (both
for MT and AT). Never equip your vehicle with tires larger than those specified in this
manual. Frequent driving of an AWD vehicle under hard-driving conditions such
as rough roads or off roads will necessitate more frequent replacement of
engine oil, brake fluid and transmission oil than that specified in the main-
tenance schedule described in the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet ”.
Remember that damage done to your Subaru while operating it off-road
and not using common sense precautions such as those listed above is

Driving tips8-15
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When driving with tire chains, drive at speeds below 19 mph (30 km/h).
When a temporary spare tire is on a front wheel, replace the temporary
spare tire with the rear tire on the same side of the vehicle, and then fit
chains on the front tires.
Always use the utmost care when driving with tire chains – overconfi-
dence because you are driving with tire chains could easily lead to a se-rious accident. Rocking the vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from snow, sand, or mud, depress the
accelerator pedal slightly and move the selector lever back and forth be-
tween “D” and “R” repeatedly. Do not race the engine. For the best possible
traction, avoid spinning the wheels when trying to free the vehicle.
When the road surface is extremely slippery, you can obtain better trac-
tion by starting the vehicle with the transmission in 2nd than 1st (both for
MT and AT). Refer to the “Automatic transmission ” section in Chapter 7 for information
on holding the transmission in 2nd position.
Loading your vehicle
WARNING
Never allow passengers to ride on the folded rear seatback or
in the cargo bed. Doing so may result in serious injury. Never stack luggage or other cargo higher than the top of the
seatback because it could tumble forward and injure passengersin the event of a sudden stop or accident. Keep luggage or cargo
low, as close to the floor as possible. When you carry something inside the vehicle, secure it when-
ever you can to prevent it from being thrown around inside the
vehicle during sudden stops, sharp turns or in an accident. Do not pile heavy loads on the roof. These loads raise the
vehicle’ s center of gravity and make it more prone to tip over.