Understanding The Origins of The Subaru Brand

Executive Summary about Used Subaru by Brett Middleton

It may come as a surprise to learn that Subaru and parent company Fuji Heavy Industries, can trace its roots back to the obscurely named “Aircraft Research Laboratory” founded by Chikuhei Nakijima in 1917. This quickly led to Nakijima working on the production of aircraft for the Japanese navy. Ultimately less than satisfied with simply building aircraft, Nakijima became more and more absorbed in the development aspects of aircraft, culminating in leaving the Naval academy to found the aforementioned Aircraft Research Laboratory.

Following the defeat of Japan in 1945, and the total collapse of the domestic aircraft industry, Nakijima Aircraft was renamed Fuji Sangyo Co. Ltd., and began the task of adapting design and production techniques learned from aircraft production into the manufacture of motor scooters and bus body building.

In 1953 Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) was formed as an aircraft manufacturing, maintenance and sales company through the combined investment of five of the original companies formed from the break-up of Fuji Sangyo. It is interesting to note that FHI was created out of the merger of six different companies, demonstrating what an evocative name Subaru is for the Japanese.

15 Tips to Prolong the Life of Your New Or Used Subaru

Executive Summary about Used Subaru by Sarah Klopp

1. Buy gas at reputable service stations

Find out if the gas you buy is filtered at the pump and if the station has a policy about changing the pump filters regularly. If you get a song and dance, find another gas station. Other stations may not mix alcohol and fuel properly — or worse, water down their product.

2. Avoid filling up your tank if you see the tanker

If you happen to see a gasoline tanker filling the tanks at your local gas station, come back another day or go to a different station.

3. Lighten up your key chain

Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? Drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key “sticks” when you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail.

4. Park in the shade

A garage is always the ideal place to park your car; but if one isn’t available, always try to park your car in the shade to minimize interior damage from UV sunlight and heat. If no shade is available or if you find parking under a tree results in bird droppings, use a car shade to minimize the sun’s impact.

5. Preserve door and window seals

Wipe a rubber protectant (such as Armor-All) or silicone on door and window weatherstripping to keep it in good condition.

6. Fix bad weatherstripping immediately

If your weatherstripping is letting rainwater leak into the interior of your car, take a look at it and decide if you can repair it or if it needs to be replaced. Resecure loose sections, not otherwise damaged, with trim adhesive. Torn sections may be repaired with special caulking available at auto parts stores.

7. Touch up nicks right away

Touch-up paint won’t adhere well to rust. So be sure to keep some matching touch-up paint on hand so you can touch up any minor nicks, often found around door edges, before rust has a chance to form.

8. Use tape as a temporary fix on damaged light covers

A cracked taillight or turn-signal cover, if left alone, may allow your light compartment to fill with water and cause some real damage.

9. Lube your lug nuts

Lug nuts, if not lubricated occasionally, can seize or “freeze” to the studs due to corrosion. If a lug nut does freeze to a stud, try spraying the nut and stud with WD-40 or Liquid Wrench.

10. Seal a leaky radiator

Save the high expense of a new radiator by trying to seal a leak with a radiator sealer, such as Alumaseal from Gold Eagle Co.

11. Dilute your coolant

Your cooling system needs both coolant- antifreeze and water, so don’t pour undiluted coolant into your cooling system.

12. Change oil frequently

Most owner’s manuals recommend a more frequent interval for “severe conditions.”

13. Check power-steering fluid

In addition to making your car difficult to steer, low power-steering fluid will damage the power-steering pump.

14. Care for anti-lock brakes

An anti-lock brake system is sensitive to moisture, which can ruin the expensive ABS pump and rot the brake lines from the inside.

15. Check wheel alignment

Have your car’s wheel alignment checked every 30,000 miles (48,000 km), or as recommended in your owner’s manual. Improper tire alignment will shorten the life of your tires as well as cause poor handling.