Gasoline for cleaner air
Your use of gasoline with detergent additives will help prevent deposits from forming in your engine and fuel system.
This helps keep your engine in tune and your emission control system working properly, and is a way of doing your part for cleaner air. If you continuously use a high quality fuel with the proper detergent and other additives, you should never need to add any fuel system cleaning agents to your fuel tank.
Many gasolines are now blended with materials called oxygenates. Use of these fuels can also help keep the air cleaner.
Oxygenated blend fuels, such as MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl ether) or ethanol (ethyl or grain alcohol) may be used in your vehicle, but should contain no more than 15% MTBE or 10% ethanol for the proper operation of your SUBARU.
In addition, some gasoline suppliers are now producing reformulated gasolines, which are designed to reduce vehicle emissions. SUBARU approves the use of reformulated gasoline.
If you are not sure what the fuel contains, you should ask your service station operators if their gasolines contain detergents and oxygenates and if they have been reformulated to reduce vehicle emissions.
As additional guidance, only use fuels suited for your vehicle as explained in the following description.
- Fuel should be unleaded and have an octane rating no lower than that specified in this manual.
- Methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) is sometimes mixed with unleaded gasoline.
Methanol can be used in your vehicle ONLY if it does not exceed 5% of the fuel mixture AND if it is accompanied by sufficient quantities of the proper cosolvents and corrosion inhibitors required to prevent damage to the fuel system. Do not use fuel containing methanol EXCEPT under these conditions.
- If undesirable driveability problems are experienced and you suspect they may be fuel related, try a different brand of gasoline before seeking service at your SUBARU dealer.
- Fuel system damage or driveability problems which result from the use of improper fuel are not covered under the SUBARU Limited Warranty.

Do not let fuel spill on the exterior surfaces of the vehicle. Because fuel may damage the paint, be sure to wipe off any spilled fuel quickly.
Paint damage caused by spilled fuel is not covered under the SUBARU Limited Warranty.
See also:
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Recommended grade and viscosity
Use only engine oil with the recommended
grade and viscosity.
Refer to “Engine oil”.
NOTE
Engine oil viscosity (thickness) affects
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Catalytic converter
Turbo models
Non-turbo models
The catalytic converter is installed in the
exhaust system. It serves as a catalyst to
reduce HC, CO and NOx in exhaust
gases, thus providing cleaner exha ...
