Subaru Forester: Operation during cold weather
Carry some emergency equipment, such as a window scraper, a bag of sand, flares, a small shovel and jumper cables.
Check the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce battery capacity.
The battery must be in good condition to provide enough power for cold winter starts.
It normally takes longer to start the engine in very cold weather conditions. Use an engine oil of a proper grade and viscosity for cold weather. Using heavy summer oil will make it harder to start the engine.
Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them with deicer or glycerin.
Forcing a frozen door open may damage or separate the rubber weather strips around the door. If the door is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards thoroughly wipe the water away.
Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an antifreeze solution. Do not use engine antifreeze or other substitutes because they may damage the paint of the vehicle.
SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid contains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5% surfactant, by volume. Its freezing temperature varies according to how much it is diluted, as indicated in the following table.
In order to prevent freezing of washer fluid, check the freezing temperatures in the table above when adjusting the fluid concentration to the outside temperature.
If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with a different concentration from the one used previously, purge the old fluid from the piping between the reservoir tank and washer nozzles by operating the washer for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if the concentration of the fluid remaining in the piping is too low for the outside temperature, it may freeze and block the nozzles.
- Adjust the washer fluid concentration appropriately for the outside temperature. If the concentration is inappropriate, sprayed washer fluid may freeze on the windshield and obstruct your view, and the fluid may freeze in the reservoir tank.
- State or local regulations on volatile organic compounds may restrict the use of methanol, a common windshield washer antifreeze additive. Washer fluids containing non-methanol antifreeze agents should be used only if they provide cold weather protection without damaging your vehicle’s paint, wiper blades or washer system.
Winter driving
...
Before driving your vehicle
Before entering the vehicle, remove any
snow or ice from your shoes because that
could make the pedals slippery and
dangerous.
While warming up the vehicle before
driving, check that the acce ...
See also:
If your engine overheats
In any of the following situations, you can reduce the
potential for overheating your engine by taking the
appropriate action.
• On the highways — slow down.
• In city traffic — while ...
Rear Differential Fluid
4WD model only
The rear differential should be
drained and refilled with new fluid
according to the maintenance
messages shown on the information
display. Have your dealer replace the
rear ...
Change intervals
The oil and oil filter change intervals for your
engine are based on the use of the specified
quality oils and filters. Using an engine oil and
filter other than the specified quality, or exceed ...