Winter Driving; Operation During Cold Weather - Subaru Legacy 2021 Owner's Manual

424

Winter Driving

exhaust system is very hot while the
engine is running and right after the engine
stops. This could create a fire hazard.
Precautions when driving under espe-
cially dangerous situations:
. If driving through water, such as when
crossing shallow streams:
– First, check the depth of the water
and the bottom of the stream bed for
firmness.
– Next, ensure that the bed of the
stream is flat.
– Then, drive slowly and completely
through the stream. The water should
be shallow enough that it does not
reach the vehicle's undercarriage.
. Water entering the engine air intake or
the exhaust pipe or water splashing onto
electrical parts may damage your vehicle
and may cause it to stall. Never drive
through rushing water. Regardless of its
depth, it can wash away the ground from
under your tires, resulting in possible loss
of traction and even vehicle rollover.
. If you must rock the vehicle to free it
from sand or mud, depress the accelerator
pedal slightly and move the select lever
back and forth between "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 traction by
starting the vehicle with the transmission in
2nd than 1st. Refer to "Selection of Manual
Mode" FP351.
! After driving
. Always check your brakes for effective-
ness immediately after driving in sand,
mud or water. Do this by driving slowly and
stepping on the brake pedal. Repeat that
process several times to dry out the brake
discs and brake pads.
. After driving through tall grass, mud,
rocks, sand, rivers, etc., check that there is
no grass, bush, paper, rags, stones, sand,
etc. adhering to or trapped on the under-
body. Clear off any such matter from the
underbody. If the vehicle is used with these
materials trapped or adhering to the
underbody, a mechanical breakdown or
fire could occur.
. Wash the vehicle's underbody after off-
road driving. Suspension components are
particularly prone to dirt buildup, so they
need to be washed thoroughly.
8-9. Winter Driving
& 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 tem-
peratures 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 con-
tains an antifreeze solution. Do not use
engine antifreeze or other substitutes
because they may damage the paint of
the vehicle.