SUBARU BRZ 2019 Owners Manual

Maintenance and care4
331
BRZ_U
4-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior......... 332
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior.......... 337
Cleaning and protecting the Alcantara
® area ....... 341
4-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements .................. 343
General maintenance....... 346
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M)
programs........................ 349 4-3. Do-it-yourself
maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precautions .................... 350
Engine hood ..................... 353
Engine compartment ........ 355
Tires ................................. 369
Tire inflation pressure ...... 377
Wheels ............................. 381
Air conditioning filter......... 384
Transmitter/access key battery ............................ 387
Checking and replacing fuses .............................. 392
Light bulbs........................ 400

332
BRZ_U
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.

333
4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
■
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.
■ Alloy wheels
● Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent.
● Wash detergent off with water immediately after use.
● To protect the paint from damage, make sure to observe the following
precautions.
• Do not use acidic, alkaline or abrasive detergent
• Do not use hard brushes
• Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, such as after
driving or parking in hot weather

334 4-1. Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
■Parts containing resin such as the bumper
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■ Brake (vehicles with brembo brake)
●Painted brake calipers
• When using detergent, use neutral detergent. Do not use hard brushes
or abrasive cleaners, as they will damage the paint.
• Do not use detergent on the brake calipers when they are hot.
• Wash detergent off immediately after use.
● Rust may form if the vehicle is parked with wet brake pads or disc rotors,
causing them to stick. Before parking the vehicle after it is washed, drive
slowly and apply the brakes several times to dry the parts.
■ 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.
WARNING
■ When washing the vehicle
●Do not wash the engine compartment and area adjacent to it. If water
enters the engine air intake or electric al 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, under body, 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.

335
4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
CAUTION
■
To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body and compo-
nents (alloy 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.
■ Cleaning the exterior lights
● Wash carefully. Do not use organic subs tances or scrub with a hard brush.
This may damage the surfaces of the lights.
● Do not apply wax on the surfaces of the lights.
Wax may cause damage to the lenses.
■ To prevent damage to the windshield wiper arms
When lifting the wiper arms away from the windshield, pull the driver side
wiper arm upward first, and repeat for the passenger side. When returning
the wipers to their original position, do so from the passenger side first.

336 4-1. Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
CAUTION
■When using a high pressure car wash
Do not bring the nozzle tip close to boots (rubber or resin manufactured
cover), connectors or the following parts. The parts may be damaged if they
come into contact with high-pressure water.
• Traction related parts
• Steering parts
• Suspension parts
•Brake parts

337
4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior
The following procedures will help protect your vehicle's interior and
keep it in top condition:
■Protecting the vehicle interior
●Remove dirt and dust using a vacuum cleaner. Wipe dirty sur-
faces with a cloth dampened with lukewarm water.
● If dirt cannot be removed, wipe it off with a soft cloth damp-
ened with neural detergent diluted to approximately 1%.
● Wring out any excess water from the cloth and thoroughly
wipe off remaining traces of detergent and water.
■ Cleaning the leather areas
●Remove dirt and dust using a vacuum cleaner.
● Wipe any excess dirt and dust with a soft cloth dampened with
diluted detergent.
Use a diluted water solution of approximately 5% neutral wool
detergent.
●Wring out any excess water from the cloth and thoroughly
wipe off all remaining traces of detergent.
● Wipe the surface with a dry, soft cloth to remove any remain-
ing moisture. Allow the leather to dry in a shaded ventilated
area.
■ Cleaning the synthetic leather areas
●Remove dirt and dust using a vacuum cleaner.
● Wipe it off with a soft cloth dampened with neutral detergent
diluted to approximately 1%.
● Wring out any excess water from the cloth and thoroughly
wipe off remaining traces of detergent and water.

338 4-1. Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
■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 foam ing-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.
(→ P. 98)
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.

339
4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
CAUTION
■
Cleaning detergents
● Do not use organic substances such as benzene or gasoline, acidic or
alkaline solutions, dye, bleach or other detergent. Doing so may discolor
the vehicle interior or cause streaks or damage to painted surfaces.
● Do not use polish wax or polish cleaner. The instrument panel's or other
interior part’s painted surface may be damaged.
● Do not use a chemical agent containing silicone (highly-polymerized sili-
con compound) when cleaning any of the electrical appliances such as the
air conditioning, all switc hes and their surrounding areas.
If silicon (highly-polymerized silicon compound) contacts these compo-
nents, it may cause the electrical appliances to malfunction.
■ Preventing damage to leather surfaces
Observe the following precautions to avoid damage to and deterioration of
leather surfaces.
● Remove any dust, dirt, sand, oil spots etc. on leather surfaces immedi-
ately.
● Do not expose the vehicle to direct sunlight for extended periods of time.
Park the vehicle in the shade, especially during summer.
● Do not place items made of vinyl, plastic, or that contain wax on the uphol-
stery, as they may stick to the leather surface if the vehicle interior heats
up significantly.
■ Water on the floor
Do not wash the vehicle floor with water.
Vehicle systems such as the audio system may be damaged if water comes
into contact with electrical components under the floor of the vehicle, and
may also cause the body to rust.

340 4-1. Maintenance and care
BRZ_U
CAUTION
■Cleaning the inside of the rear window
●Be careful not to scratch or damage the heater wires.
● Do not use glass cleaner to clean the rear window, as this may cause
damage to the rear window defogger heater wires. Use a cloth dampened
with lukewarm water to gently wipe the window clean. Wipe the window in
strokes running parallel to the heater wires.
■ When cleaning the instrument panel
When small grains of sand and so forth have gotten into instrument panel’s
surface and cannot be wiped away using a cloth, use a clay bar without add-
ing water. Forcibly trying to wipe the surface clean with a brush or sponge
may scratch the surface or fragments of the cloth may be left in the surface.