Exterior Care; Washing - Subaru Impreza 2016 Manual

10-2
Appearance care/Exterior care

Exterior care

& Washing
CAUTION
. 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.
. Do not wash the engine compart-
ment and area adjacent to it. If
water enters the engine air in-
take, electrical parts or the power
steering fluid reservoir (if
equipped), it will cause engine
trouble or a malfunction of the
power steering.
. Do not use organic solvents
when washing the surface of the
bulb assembly cover. However, if
a detergent with organic solvents
is used to wash the surface,
completely rinse off the deter-
gent with water. Otherwise, the
surface may be damaged.
. Models with automatic rain sen-
sing windshield wipers: When
washing the vehicle, turn off the
wiper. If the wiper switch is in the
"AUTO" position, the wipers may
operate unexpectedly while
washing the vehicle and cause
injury.
. (5-door models only) Since your
vehicle is equipped with a rear
w i p e r, a u t o m a t i c c a r - w a s h
brushes could become tangled
around it, damaging the wiper
arm and other components. Ask
the automatic car-wash operator
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.
NOTE
When having your vehicle washed in
an automatic car wash:
. Make sure beforehand that the car
wash is of suitable type.
. When washing a vehicle equipped
with automatic rain sensing windshield
wipers, make sure that the wiper is
turned off. If the wiper switch is in the
"AUTO" position, the wipers may oper-
ate unexpectedly while washing the
vehicle and the wiper blades could be
damaged.
The best way to preserve your vehicle s
beauty is frequent washing. Wash the
vehicle at least once a month to avoid
contamination 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.
! Washing the underbody
Chemicals, salts and gravel used for
deicing road surfaces are extremely cor-
rosive, accelerating the corrosion of un-
derbody components, such as the exhaust
system, fuel and brake lines, brake
cables, floor pan and fenders, and sus-
pension.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and in-