Tech Tips November 2015 (TIPS 1115)

TECH TIPS NOVEMBER 2015

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN

14 STOPPER TOOL FOR CVT AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS

Please be advised it is necessary to leave the supplied stopper bracket in place while installing a remanufactured or new transmission assembly to the engine. The stopper is to be removed after the engine mounting bolts have been properly tightened. Always refer to the suitable Service Manual for proper procedure.

For repairs when the stopper is not already attached, special tool 498277200  must be used for the removal and installation of transmission assemblies. Failure to follow instructions may result in permanent damage to the torque converter or transmission assembly. Damages resulting from improper installation are not a matter for warranty.

15 ACCESSORY FLOOR MAT REMINDERS AND PRECAUTIONS

As we approach the winter months in most areas of the country, some Subaru owners will be installing all-weather floor mats in their vehicles to give their carpets some extra protection against water and salt damage and the elements. As a reminder, although there are plenty of purportedly quality aftermarket mats available to choose from, Subaru of America, Inc. strongly recommends using only Genuine Subaru Accessory floor mats as they are specifically designed and engineered for each individual vehicle application. When purchasing a vehicle which is award-winning in terms of safety, why sacrifice peace of mind by using anything other than products engineered specifically to ensure the safe operation of that vehicle?

When installing Genuine Subaru Accessory floor mats, they MUST  be installed directly on top of the vehicle's carpet and NEVER  "stacked" on top of an existing floor mat. Stacking floor mats can be dangerous. If not properly secured, a "loose" floor mat can work its way forward enough to interfere with proper operation of the brake and accelerator pedals. Genuine Subaru accessory floor mats have grommets or reinforced holes designed to attach to a retention device which keeps them secured in the proper position, away from the vehicle's pedals. Examples of the consumer warning statements used on Genuine Subaru floor mats are shown in the photos below.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS TO RETAILERS: 

• Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) does not endorse the use of any floor mats other than those developed and supplied by SOA's Parts and Accessories Group.
• NEVER  double-stack floor mats in any new, used or SSLP loaner vehicle.
• Whenever a vehicle is in for service, all Retailer personnel entering a customer vehicle should inspect the condition of the floor mats and retention hooks and notify customers in writing of any concerns identified. 

15 ACCESSORY BUMPER COVER / INSTALLATION TIPS AND BEST PRACTICES

As a result of a warranty claim investigation, it was noted that the accessory Bumper Cover may not have been installed correctly. Proper alignment, pressure, procedure or even cleaning may not have been followed. As a result, we have listed key points when installing a Subaru Genuine Bumper Protector. A detailed installation video is linked below.

Bumper Cover Installation Tips & Best Practices 

03 REMINDER-CLEANING AND LUBRICATION OF CLUTCH RELEASE COMPONENTS

To avoid customer concerns of a creaking, squeaking or clicking sound possibly accompanied by increased pedal effort (stiffness) when operating the clutch pedal after performing a clutch-related repair, it is important to remember to always thoroughly clean and re-lubricate the clutch release components. Where applicable, the release lever, shaft, pivot, release bearing contact points on both the release lever and pressure plate along with the input shaft splines should all be properly lubricated and checked for smooth operation before re-installing the transmission assembly. It is also important to apply the grease sparingly, especially on the input shaft splines to avoid any grease contamination of the clutch disc friction material.

In addition, if you receive a customer concern of a squeaking or creaking sound when operating the clutch pedal, review TSB 12-190-15 to make sure the source of the sound is properly identified and addressed on the first repair visit. As always, when attempting to identify the location of an unusual sound, chassis ears or a similar tool can be helpful in isolating the source.

12 GLASS AUTHORIZATION REQUEST - ADDITIONAL PHOTO REQUIRED

When completing a Glass Authorization Request going forward, you will notice there is an additional required photo that must be submitted with the Authorization Request. The new Required File Type is named, "Glass Identification Marking", see Illustration 1.

The Glass Identification Marking is located in the lower left corner of the windshield. See Illustration 2 for examples of what is required.

Illustration 1 

Illustration 2 

06 HILL HOLDER OR ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE (EPB) WON'T RELEASE

If a customer presents with either complaint, the first step should be a thorough interview by the Service Advisor to find out the when and how either condition is occurring. Both concerns may have the same root cause. Recently, our Engineers performed an inspection on a vehicle with a reported concern of the EPB setting by itself and upon acceleration, the EPB would not release until the button was pressed. The customer also reported the green Hill Holder indicator was illuminated. The investigation found the customer would back out of their driveway and proceed a short distance up an incline to a stop sign. When they came to a stop, (still on an incline) the EPB (actually the Hill Holder) engaged but would not release without an input from the driver. After ruling out any mechanical or electronic fault, a review of the Owner's Manual provided some insight and, after an interview with the customer confirmed what had occurred. The cause for automatic engagement of the EPB was the customer did not have their seat belt fastened by the time they arrived at the stop sign. The Hill Holder function operated as expected because of stopping on the incline but, the EPB (as part of the Hill Holder function), did not release automatically as expected because the driver's seat belt was not fastened. The driver, not recognizing this, kept pushing the EPB release and driving away (after buckling their seatbelt). See the 2016MY Legacy / Outback Owner's Manual information on the right as an example.

Automatic release function by accelerator pedal 

The electronic parking brake system has an automatic release function. The parking brake will be automatically released by depressing the accelerator pedal. However, the automatic release function does not operate under the following conditions.

• Any door (other than the trunk lid or rear gale) is open.
• The driver's seatbelt is not Fastened.
• The clutch pedal is released from the fully depressed position to partially engaged position (MT models).

Hill Holder function 

The electronic parking brake system has a Hill Holder function. If the Hill Holder function is activated, the parking brake will be automatically applied when stopping on an uphill slope with the brake pedal depressed. In this case, the electronic parking brake indicator light and the indicator light on the parking brake switch illuminate.

The Hill Holder function also operates while driving uphill in reverse.

15 IDENTIFYING FUJITSU-TEN NAVIGATION UNITS

New for select 2016 Model Year vehicles is the release of the Fujitsu-Ten 2.1 Audio / Navigation System. Fujitsu-Ten 2.1  offers several new features including the ability to use Siri with your compatible Apple Inc. device. To the right is an applicability chart to help identify which generation is being utilized on each moel / model year.

For more detailed information refer to Technical Service Bulletin 15-172-14R  on STIS.

	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Legacy & Outback		Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 2.0	Gen 2.1
Impreza & Crosstrek	Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 2.0	Gen 2.1
WRX & STI		Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 2.0
Forester	Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 2.0
XV Crosstrek Hybrid			Gen 1	Gen 2.0	Gen 2.1
BRZ		Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 1	Gen 2.0

15 NEW F-10 GEN. 2.1 AUDIO / NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND SIRI

For 2016 model year, the Fujitsu Ten (F-10) Audio and Audio/Navigation systems used in Legacy & Outback models have been enhanced with the addition of some new user-friendly features. This version of the Audio and Audio/Navigation systems are referred to as Gen 2.1 systems. One of these new features is the integration with Siri, the "Intelligent Personal Assistant" feature included with most Apple iPhone models currently in use along with some iPod Touch devices. It is important for all Retailer personnel to understand that although Siri will interface with the new F-10 Gen 2.1 systems, the feature will only operate when an iOS-based (Apple) device equipped with Siri is paired to the Head Unit (H/U). Siri features will not operate with any Android-based devices or when an Apple device is not paired.

HERE ARE SOME OPERATIONAL KEY POINTS TO BE AWARE OF: 

• A "long press" (press and hold) of the talk switch on the steering wheel will initiate Siri when an iOS (Apple) device equipped with Siri is paired. Once Siri responds, all of her voice recognition capabilities will operate normally, just as if the device was being used outside the car.

• The same long press of the talk switch with an Android device paired to the system will cause a message to display on the H/U screen which reads "feature only works with an IOS device".
• A long press with no phone paired will cause a message to display on the H/U screen which reads "no phones are paired, would you like to add one now?".
• A "short press" (brief press and release) of the talk switch will activate the built-in voice recognition function of the H/U. Siri will not be activated.