suspension SUBARU FORESTER 2006 User Guide

10-2
Appearance care
Appearance care
Exterior care„Washing
NOTEWhen having your vehicle washed in
an automatic car wash, make sure be-
forehand that the car wash is of suit-
able type.
The best way to preserve your vehicle’s
beauty is frequent washing. Wash the ve-
hicle at least once a month to avoid con-
tamination by road grime.
Wash dirt off with a wet sponge and plenty
of lukewarm or cold water. Do not wash
the vehicle with hot water and in direct
sunlight.
Salt, chemicals, insects, tar, soot, tree sap
and bird droppings should be washed off
by using a light detergent, as required. If
you use a light detergent, make certain
that it is a neutral detergent. Do not use
strong soap or chemical detergents. All
cleaning agents should be promptly
flushed from the surface and not allowed
to dry there. Rinse the vehicle thoroughly
with plenty of lukewarm water. Wipe the
remaining water off with a chamois or soft
cloth.
T Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used for deic-
ing road surfaces are extremely corrosive,
accelerating the corrosion of underbody components, such as the exhaust system,
fuel and brake lines, brake cables, floor
pan and fenders, and suspension.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and in-
side of the fenders with lukewarm or cold
water at frequent intervals to reduce the
harmful effects of such agents.
Mud and sand adhering to the underbody
components may accelerate their corro-
sion.
After driving off-road or muddy or sandy
roads, wash the mud and sand off the un-
derbody.
Carefully flush the suspension and axle
parts, as they are particularly prone to
mud and sand buildup. Do not use a
sharp-edged tool to remove caked mud.
NOTEBe careful not to damage brake hoses,
sensor harnesses, and other parts
when washing suspension compo-
nents.
T
Using a warm water washer
y Keep a good distance of 12 in (30 cm)
or more between the washer nozzle and
the vehicle.
y Do not wash the same area continuous-
ly.
y If a stain will not come out easily, wash
by hand. Some warm water washers are
y
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 pressing the brake pedal to
heat up the brakes.
y Do not wash the engine compart-
ment and area adjacent to it. If wa-
ter enters the engine air intake,
electrical parts or the power steer-
ing fluid reservoir, it will cause en-
gine trouble or faulty power steer-
ing respectively.
y Since your vehicle is equipped
with a rear wiper, automatic car-
wash brushes could become tan-
gled around it, damaging the wip-
er arm and other components.
Ask the automatic car-wash oper-
ator not to let the brushes touch
the wiper arm or to fix the wiper
arm on the rear window glass with
adhesive tape before operating
the machine.
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10-4
Appearance care
other parts of the vehicle may be dry.
4. High temperatures will cause corrosion
to parts of the vehicle which cannot dry
quickly due to lack of proper ventilation.„To help prevent corrosionWash the vehicle regularly to prevent cor-
rosion of the body and suspension com-
ponents. Also, wash the vehicle promptly
after driving on any of the following surfac-
es:
yroads that have been salted to prevent
them from freezing in winter
y mud, sand, or gravel
y coastal roads
After the winter has ended, it is recom-
mended that the underbody be given a
very thorough washing.
Before the beginning of winter, check the
condition of underbody components, such
as the exhaust system, fuel and brake
lines, brake cables, suspension, steering
system, floor pan, and fenders. If any of
them are found to be rusted, they should
be given an appropriate rust prevention
treatment or should be replaced. Contact
your SUBARU dealer to perform this kind
of maintenance and treatment if you need
assistance.
Repair chips and scratches in the paint as soon as you find them.
Check the interior of the vehicle for water
and dirt accumulation under the floor mats
because that could cause corrosion. Oc-
casionally check under the mats to make
sure the area is dry.
Keep your garage dry. Do not park your
vehicle in a damp, poorly ventilated ga-
rage. In such a garage, corrosion can be
caused by dampness. If you wash the ve-
hicle in the garage or put the vehicle into
the garage when wet or covered with
snow, that can cause dampness.
If your vehicle is operated in cold weather
and/or in areas where road salts and other
corrosive materials are used, the door
hinges and locks, trunk lid lock, and hood
latch should be inspected and lubricated
periodically.
Cleaning the interiorUse a soft, damp cloth to clean the climate
control panel, audio equipment, instru-
ment panel, center console, combination
meter panel, and switches. (Do not use or-
ganic solvents.)„
Seat fabricRemove loose dirt, dust or debris with a
vacuum cleaner. If the dirt is caked on the
fabric or hard to remove with a vacuum
cleaner, use a soft blush then vacuum it.
Wipe the fabric surface with a tightly
wrung cloth and dry the seat fabric thor-
oughly. If the fabric is still dirty, wipe using
a solution of mild soap and lukewarm wa-
ter then dry thoroughly.
If the stain does not come out, try a com-
mercially-available fabric cleaner. Use the
cleaner on a hidden place and make sure
it does not affect the fabric adversely. Use
the cleaner according to its instructions.NOTEWhen cleaning the seat, do not use
benzine, paint thinner, or any similar
materials.
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11 - 3 2
Maintenance and service
„Wheel balanceEach wheel was correctly balanced when
your vehicle was new, but the wheels will
become unbalanced as the tires become
worn during use. Wheel imbalance caus-
es the steering wheel to vibrate slightly at
certain vehicle speeds and detracts from
the vehicle’s straight-line stability. It can
also cause steering and suspension sys-
tem problems and abnormal tire wear. If
you suspect that the wheels are not cor-
rectly balanced, have them checked and
adjusted by your SUBARU dealer. Also
have them adjusted after tire repairs and
after tire rotation.NOTELoss of correct wheel alignment* caus-
es the tires to wear on one side and re-
duces the vehicle’s running stability. Contact your SUBARU dealer if you no-
tice abnormal tire wear.
*: The suspension system is designed to hold
each wheel at a certain alignment (relative to
the other wheels and to the road) for optimum
straight-line stability and cornering perfor-
mance.„
Wear indicators1) New tread
2) Worn tread
3) Tread wear indicatorEach tire incorporates a tread wear indica-
tor, which becomes visible when the depth
of the tread grooves decreases to 0.063 in
(1.6 mm). A tire must be replaced when
the tread wear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
NOTEFor safety, inspect tire tread regularly
and replace the tires before their tread
wear indicators become visible.„Tire rotation
Driving at high speeds with exces-
sively low tire pressures can cause
the tires to deform severely and to
rapidly become hot. A sharp in-
crease in temperature could cause
tread separation, and destruction of
the tires. The resulting loss of vehi-
cle control could lead to an acci-
dent.
12 3
B00327
When a tire’s tread wear indicator
becomes visible, the tire is worn be-
yond the acceptable limit and must
be replaced immediately. With a tire
in this condition, driving at high
speeds in wet weather can cause
the vehicle to hydroplane. The re-
sulting loss of vehicle control can
lead to an accident.
B00054
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Consumer information and Reporting safety defects
13-11
suspension, axles and other parts of
the body.
Therefore, this means that the vehicle
cannot necessarily be loaded up to
the tire’s maximum load rating on the
tire sidewall.„Adverse safety consequenc-
es of overloading on handling
and stopping and on tiresOverloading could affect vehicle han-
dling, stopping distance, vehicle and
tire as shown in the following. This
could lead to an accident and possibly
result in severe personal injury.yVehicle stability will deteriorate.yHeavy and/or high-mounted loads
could increase the risk of rollover.yStopping distance will increase.yBrakes could overheat and fail.ySuspension, bearings, axles and
other parts of the body could break or
experience accelerated wear that will
shorten vehicle life.yTires could fail.yTread separation could occur.yTire could separate from its rim.
„ Steps for Determining Cor-
rect Load Limit1. Locate the statement “The com-
bined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX pounds” on
your vehicle’s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers from XXX
kilograms or XXX pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example, if
the “XXX” amount equals 1,400 lbs
(635kg). and there will be five- 150 lbs
(68 kg) passengers in your vehicle,
the amount of available cargo and
luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1,400 – 750 (5 × 150) = 650 lbs)
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not safe-
ly exceed the available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity calculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trail-
er, load from your trailer will be trans- ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduc-
es the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
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14-6
Index
Battery (remote keyless entry) ....................................... 2-8
Bulbs ......................................................................... 11-43
Transmitters ................................................................... 2-9
Rocking the vehicle .......................................................... 8-11
Roof rail and crossbar ...................................................... 8-13
S
Safety Precautions when driving .................................................. 4
Symbol .............................................................................. 2
Warnings ........................................................................... 2
Seat height adjustment (drivers seat) ................................. 1-4
Seatbelt .................................................................................. 4 Extender ...................................................................\
... 1-19
Maintenance ................................................................ 1-19
Pretensioners ..........................................................\
.... 1-20
Safety tips .................................................................... 1-10
Warning light and chime ....................................... 1-12, 3-9
Seatbelts .......................................................................... 1-10
Seats Fabric .......................................................................... 10-4
Heater ............................................................................ 1-6
Selector lever (AT vehicles) ............................................. 7-11
Self-leveling rear suspension ........................................... 7-29
Shift lock release .............................................................. 7-14
Shift position indicator ...................................................... 3-16
Shopping bag hook .......................................................... 6-13
Snow tires ........................................................................ 8-10
Snowy and icy roads .......................................................... 8-9
Spark plugs .................................................................... 11-17
Specifications ................................................................... 12-2
Speedometer ............................................................\
.......... 3-6 SRS
Airbag system warning light ......................................... 3-10
Frontal airbag ............................................................... 1-41
Side airbag ................................................................... 1-53
SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System airbag) ... 4, 1-36
Steering wheel Power ........................................................................... 7-15
Tilt wheel ...................................................................... 3-29
Storage compartments ....................................................... 6-4
Sun visors ........................................................................... 6-3
Supplemental Restraint System airbag ............................ 1-36
Synthetic leather upholstery ............................................. 10-5
T
Tachometer ........................................................................ 3-7
Temperature gauge ............................................................ 3-8
Temperature warning (AT OIL TEMP) .............................. 3-12
Tie-down hooks ................................................................ 9-11
Tilt steering wheel ............................................................. 3-29
Tire Chains .......................................................................... 8-10
Inspection .................................................................. 11-30
Pressures and wear ................................................... 11-30
Replacement .............................................................. 11-33
Rotation ..................................................................... 11-32
Types ......................................................................... 11-29
Top tether anchorages ..................................................... 1-34
Towing .............................................................................. 9-10 All wheels on the ground ............................................. 9-12
Flat-bed truck ............................................................... 9-12
Trailer Connecting .............................................................\
...... 8-16
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