Important Subaru Car Wash Tips

In today's video I show examples of the Subaru safety features you might want to turn off before driving through an automatic car wash. These tips will show you how to turn off and on the safety features for all subaru models including the Outback, Forester, Ascent, Crosstrek, Legacy, and Impreza.
Comment below with any questions you have!
🥾 Best Outdoor Equipment:
🚲 Best Subaru Bike Rack: bit.ly/3nzLQdS
🤑 Save money shopping online with Honey: joinhoney.com/ref/q21uily
🚘 CAR WASHING ITEMS
Pressure Washer: amzn.to/3MLaaDy
Soap: amzn.to/3L2cLaV
Short pressure washer nozzle/Foam cannon combo: amzn.to/3oGjRsZ
Wash mitt: amzn.to/40h5lF7
Microfiber cloth: amzn.to/3mEhjLi
Interior detail spray: amzn.to/40cxrkY
Tire Shine: amzn.to/3Ij9XBY
Bucket: amzn.to/41rjxfK
Chamois cloth: amzn.to/3upp7Rh
Thanks for watching!
Instagram: @alex_pmo
For business inquiries: [e-mail]
As an Amazon Associate & partner for other affiliate programs I earn from qualifying purchases
0:00 Subaru Car Wash Tips
3:29 Outback Waive Sensor on Power Rear Gate
4:49 Forester, Ascent, Crosstrek
5:34 AVH in Action

[@cecho9367]

There should be a car wash button that shuts off everything that needs to be off when going thru a car wash. That would really simplify the process. Maybe in a future software update.

[@alexpmo]

True!

[@stephenrosenfeld833]

Exactly. Just like a cell phone has airplane mode. I've moved from a 2019 Forester to a 2022 Outback Wilderness. I miss the dedicated buttons of the Forester.

[@saramae9878]

@@stephenrosenfeld833 My old car had poor timing in when it decided to die and all I could afford was a base crosstrek - who knew there was a silver lining with carwashes lol

[@ruthcanterbury7738]

Great idea

[@stephenrosenfeld833]

@@saramae9878 I hope it proves to be a great car that serves you well. The hatchback on my Outback Wilderness decided to open while I was washing it (by hand) the other day. Whatever happened to the KISS principle?

[@kauaimanks]

I think I've learned 10 times more watching your videos that reading the guides. Just got a 2022 Forester Prem....my first Subaru.....and enjoying it thanks to you.

[@alexpmo]

Happy to help! Thanks for watching

[@PLefevre95]

Same here!

[@mattmorrisson9607]

I just purchased a Forester and would never have thought about it until my car started freaking out in the car wash, lol! Great video! Thanks Alex

[@davidkendall7675]

Really appreciate all of your videos! Just purchased a 2023 Outback Onyx XT,yesterday. The manuals are huge,and these videos are so much more helpful!

[@williamhanna2247]

Alex Thank you for knowledge of this vehicle and the willingness to share it. The dealers around here could learn from you. Thank you bhanna

[@tracieandthemachine]

Love your videos! I’ve had my Forester Sport for one month and I love it! I watched your videos for researching and deciding what to buy. I knew I wanted a Forester and your videos helped me make my decision. 🎉 Now I’m off to the the car wash! 😅

[@barbaragalordi9630]

I use your videos quite a lot. They are VeRY helpful. Thanks for posting!

[@darrellsephus5378]

Man I am reading this after I went through the car wast today. I've been using Mr. Car Wash in California with my cars with no problems. I did not have any problems with my 24 Outback today. I will follow your instructions in the future as a precaution. Thanks.

[@meiyiyan1910]

Thank you very much! You just have all the answers to the questions I have about my Subaru.

[@snippiet]

thanks so much for these videos. I am getting a new 2023 forester and this helped me out a lot. Not so nervous.

[@slik560]

I hope to never use an automatic car wash on our new Crosstrek, but this is really valuable info - just in case. We just picked up the car today, and in the glove box I found a very nice folder with the owner's manuals - a package as thick as a Chicago phone book. Your videos are a very nice shortcut for impatient people. :)

[@cherylgearhart7732]

It has less to do with patience...than available time. 🙂

[@danielskomp9072]

What’s a phone ‘book’?

[@han.c0401]

Thank you so much for sharing these tips!

[@cathyolin4563]

Thank you! There are so many things to learn about my new Outback and your videos are helpful and very much appreciated!

[@alexpmo]

Glad to help!

[@newmoonenergetics6728]

Thanks for the info. I am driving a loaner 21 Outback while my Forester is worked on. Boy do I love my 2011 Forester with very few of these bells and whistles. The Outback is just overloaded with them and I needed this!

[@alexpmo]

You’re welcome!

[@d.bayles1155]

Great job on your videos. They've been very helpful.

[@colevedan7631]

Thanks all your vids are super helpful.

[@crispusa7042]

U, my friend, are excellent. I bought my wife a 2021 Subaru Forester Premium in Jan.. So many features, but they don't have a site for u to search a video that shows the use of specific options, like these here. I'm taking it to a non-abrasive car wash 4 1st time tomorrow, so I needed this info. U explained it quite well, so i'm all set. I appreciate how u present urself. U even enlightened me on the use of the AVH, which is a feature that allows u to relax on an incline if u r stopped in a spot for an extended time. U can remove ur foot from the brake. Nice. Thank u 4 being u Alex. P.S., I bought it in CT & the guy who shows u how to use some of ur new car features suggested I look u up on Utube. He said u r excellent. He got that right.

[@alexpmo]

The AVH is a life saver! One of my favorites. Thanks for the compliment and I appreciate you taking the time to check out my channel! That was really nice of them to suggest my channel 😊

[@carolebrammer4575]

Thank you for the car wash and other info. Have only hand washed my new Forester so far, but need to know this info when I do go thru an auto wash. I've been a bit nervous about that, so thanks.

[@alexpmo]

You’re welcome! I always hand wash my cars too. It might sound crazy but I actually enjoy it 🤣 either way, it’s always good to know how to turn specific features off

[@Fiereflye]

Extremely helpful! I just bought a 23 Forester Wilderness and this helps immensely. I’m hoping you can do the rest of it eventually, such as the buttons on the rearview mirror, the cruise control, using the phone, keeping the radio from turning on every time I get in the car, opening the gas cap (OMG, I almost panicked the first time I needed to put gas in it!)😂and all the rest it. Much as I loved it, my 2008 Outback was archaic compared to this! Keep them coming! I’ll just add that I consider myself a “Subaru snob.”😅

[@tonyantoniadis8767]

All of your videos are excellent. This one was very helpful. Thank you.

[@alexpmo]

Thanks Tony!

[@babaksafavisohi9804]

Could you make a video and explain dual x mode in forester. what is changing in x mode in the vehicles and when we need to use either of them. Thanks

[@breynolds376]

Very helpful! Thanks!

[@Suemansion]

You have explained very useful information in this video and thank you. I too wish there is a single button click for car washing! I am getting my outback limited by next week finally after a long wait! Can you please make a video of which buttons or controls I should be keeping on for daily city driving and which ones I should be keeping on long crowed high ways during bad weather conditions for the long drive to other states?

[@shawnsmith3894]

Subaru should have put 1 button that puts the car in "wash mode"...... that would be nice on the next model

[@chadbizeau5997]

Or disengage them when the car is in Neutral.

[@johnkkkj]

I would never have thought of taking auto breaking off! Thank god for this Chanel thank you bro!

[@cmabbott315]

Your videos are full of great information. I got my 2021 Forester last week and had a quick run-through on all the systems with an advisor yesterday. Could I remember any of this stuff by the time I got home?! NOPE! Whatever I need to find is on one of your videos--thank you!

[@alexpmo]

Happy to hear that Christie! I'm glad you find them helpful. Feel free to reach out with any questions you have. Enjoy your new Forester!

[@armeddiver]

Thank you for this video it was a huge help. I just bought a 2024 CrossTrek with a Wilderness. The touch screen is the same as the your Outback. Again, thank you for the video.

[@johnbethke7102]

Useful, Interesting, helpful, keep it up. Just got my Outback yesterday, so within that framework...it would have been helpful for me to first understand that I can successfully go through a carwash without performing any of these activities. Initially all I want to do is keep the car clean. I really didn't find out that failing to do any of this stuff wouldn't cause damage to my Subaru experience until your response to a remark 50 +/- down in the comment list. Thank you.

[@valcheung5747]

@Alex Pmo, thank you very much for this video. Highly appreciate your help.

[@visualsciencelabkirktuck3834]

Excellent. Thanks!

[@chrismoon5653]

I have a 2019 Ascent with AVH. One night my AVH wasn't working in a busy parking lot after a concert. Of course I wanted the AVH to work with the stop and go traffic. I pressed all sorts of buttons to try to make it work, but no luck. Later I found out the AVH won't work unless you have your seat belt click in. Also if you have the AVH activated and you unbuckle the seat belt, the break will disengage and you will start rolling.

[@mdimranulislam815]

Hi Alex, thanks for making all these cool Subaru related videos. I have recently bought Ascent 2023 Onyx Limited Edition. Does it have auto start stop option and the option to open back hatch with waving hand on top of the Subaru logo?

[@Doc1855]

Alex, thanks so much for being so informative about Subaru’s. Our sales rep doesn’t have as much knowledge about our Subie as you. For some reason we can’t get our garage door opener to work with our 19 Outback and our dealer can’t get it to work either. Our Outback is still under warranty so should I schedule an appointment for Subaru to find out if it’s a warranty issue or not?

[@prabaharansabanayagam7936]

Excellent video .

[@Bullzeye1000yds]

Howdy Alex. I just wanted to let Suby drivers know that out here in western Texas, the lane departure, when armed, will falsely recognize hot pavement dark "lane" marks as the lane stripes or fog line, because the sun makes it shiny. Just FYI. I LOVE MY OUTBACK!!! 2010, 2012 and 2017.

[@soraactualize5464]

outback things to turn off when going to a car wash 1. Click car icon button (denoted as a car icon literally), click on Driving Assistance Tab then click on Pre Collision Breaking and turn it off. 2. Click on car icon button, click on Driving Assistance Tab then click on Lane Departure prevention function and turn it off. 3. Click on car icon button, Check to make sure you are on Vehicle Control Tab or click into it then find and click on Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH) to turn it off. 4. Right below the steering wheel should be a button on the dash area that denotes the tailgate (trunk) icon with off written beneath it, push it to disable the auto-sensing tailgate feature. 5. finally make sure your windshield wipers are in the "o" position so they do not turn on while your windshield is being washed. simply move the lever all the way to the top most position and it should release all the way to the "o" position to keep that feature off. All these features can be turned back on immediately after completing the car wash but folling the steps and turning them back on! gluck subaru bros!

[@NomusaMagical]

🫶🏽Screenshot u list! New to Subie (22 OBL). No other car I had needed 30min pre car wash prep!🤣

[@catheytrimnal4126]

Thank you for posting this list!

[@ginac7235]

Forester starts at 4:54 :) ... I just purchased a Forester and have been pouring over the multi-volume manuals, lol! (Thank you for this video)

[@alexpmo]

Thanks for watching and I appreciate the timestamp! Just added it to the video :)

[@valcheung5747]

Lol lol, I just purchased the forester, last week and thanks to Alex’s videos I am able to understanding my car now lol lol .

[@sabukol]

thanks ! got my crosstrek today :)

[@alexpmo]

Enjoy! :)

[@fjohnson5933]

Yes, thank you for video. I just bought forester as well.

[@alexpmo]

Thanks for watching. Enjoy your new Forester! Let me know if you have any questions

[@fjohnson5933]

Thanks

[@NomusaMagical]

On way to car wash. NEW 2022 Outback for first time. Never thought I needed “crib notes” just to wash a car 🤣

[@musings2022]

Thank you!!

[@CStephenKeklak-xx5hm]

Thanks!

[@nancyshuck6499]

after you talk about what to turn off before carwash, would you show a written list? I am an older driver and can’t retain what you say (you move along too fast for me) :) Thank you!

[@6StringJoyStick]

For a Forester, here is a list! - Forester car wash settings - Turn these off. Eyesite automatic braking off and pre-collision warning off. - Top right button. (Turns both off) Lane departure. - Top left button AVH - auto vehicle hold, Near electric parking brake. Auto start/stop - Located on dash, left side, bottom row. Hope this helps, good luck!

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

I've owned Subarus since the 1990s...very reliable and fantastic for our long Alaskan winters. Car wash? We live on a dirt road and its below freezing from Oct. - Apr. thus I have never taken my subarus to a car wash. Great cars though...one of the most popular car up here in interior Alaska.

[@BimmerWon]

I wish there was just a “car wash” mode that would just automatically change all the settings temporarily until you switch it back off.

[@TheAmazonamy]

you would think that would be an easy software update. Like if they would let us keep something on/off until we change it like turning off auto stop start and keeping on avh

[@DkpProductions]

It's incredible that nobody thought of that with the millions of dollars involved in R&D

[@stephenpowstinger733]

I’ve run my Outback through the carwash a few times without incident. I didn’t know about these precautionary moves. I am most worried the hatch would open. I have a 2023 but it’s interesting how the buttons have changed somewhat since this video was made.

[@cBodhi]

same, ive brought my forester thru the car was many many times and never had a problem with any of the sensors going off

[@theamazinggoldfish8713]

I just picked up an 2021 impreza "sport" which doesn't have many of these annoying features "including" Auto Start/Stop. Love this vehicle my only wish is that it had an 2.5 boxer engine.

[@judybago556]

Thanks for the info as I didn’t know about it. Do you have to do this at a serviced car wash where you wait outside and someone dries off your car? Or do they know about it. I hate to go to a car wash!

[@Mel-md6cb]

Alex. This is super helpful. Thanks! Would it also work if you leave the car in neutral and shut the car off? Or will that trigger something else?

[@alexpmo]

Are you asking if AVH will still work with the car in neutral and engine shut off?

[@charlesmiller3910]

Alex Found your Channel. Very helpful. I subscribed. Charlie

[@ussreeves]

I have a 2018 Forester Touring I and have never had to turn anything off when I went through the car wash. It has all the safety features associated with eyesight. I’m guessing the newer vehicles are different.

[@theamazinggoldfish8713]

My Impreza doesn't have the eyes "or" the lane departure warning, but does have an clutch LoL. And it's totally worth the trade off ☺️..

[@6StringJoyStick]

For a Forester, here is a list! - Forester car wash settings - Turn these off. Eyesite automatic braking off and pre-collision warning off. - Top right button. (Turns both off) Lane departure. - Top left button AVH - auto vehicle hold, Near electric parking brake. Auto start/stop - Located on dash, left side, bottom row. Hope this helps, good luck! 🙂

[@RyanCrase1]

I love my 2021 Outback Limited, I just wish they would have done a better job with the touch screen. They need to update it and allow pinch to zoom. Also, the seat heating buttons should be physical buttons, or they should just work immediately upon touching the screen icon. It’s pretty clunky to touch the icon on the screen only to have a new menu open. Other than that, I love the Outback. We have a 2019 Tesla Model X, and I enjoy the Subaru much more…

[@PH-md8xp]

How about a car wash mode that turns off all the appropriate things based on precise GPS location, ie entering car wash, and then auto turns them back on at say 15 mph or when out of car wash?

[@Cousins43]

Please go over Car Wash directions for new 2023 Ascent Touring. There seems to be a lot of buttons to turn off.

[@TXL-BER]

Thanks for the video and helpful tips. Still, this shows that the use of many of the controls depends too much on the screen and requires one to tap, tap, tap.

[@alexpmo]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching

[@dallasrasmussen9206]

I had a question on my 2020 forester when I go through the car wash and you want to turn off the car there is this beep that sounds the whole time unless you leave the car running, is there a way to stop that also? Thanks for all the great videos!!

[@DougBruneau-wn5xy]

How do I turn off the steering assist on my 2020 Outback. I agree that there should be a one button car wash OFF button. We old people have a very short MEMORY.

[@DEXTVHD]

Great info, alternatively couldn’t you just put the car in neutral and then off the vehicle?

[@NomusaMagical]

When I got 1st drive thru car wash, despite turning off wipers, vacuum TORE OFF rear wiper. They did replace next day for FREE.

[@jenniferwalsh4725]

I love our 2020 Subaru Forester. ❤ It's already a year old this October.😥

[@alexpmo]

Glad to hear you’re still enjoying it 😀

[@rhondam]

I have a 2024 Crosstrek and went through the automatic car wash no problem and I didn’t turn anything off.

[@hphillips7425]

Thanks the wife made notes to put in the sunglasses holder for future reference

[@christiwellsbelliston4293]

I have a 2019 that is need to know more about

[@T-Rex-nm1se]

I work at a hand done car wash and i always see one of my coworkers always tape up the eyesight camera and i always wondered why that has be taped, now i know why from this video

[@alexpmo]

Now they're moving to an enclosed camera so you're not at risk of getting them dirty. The 2022 Forester is the first model to have the new cameras.

[@leedavis8055]

Fantastic! do you have any videos on driving in snow?

[@alexpmo]

Thanks Lee! I don't have one yet, but if we get snow this year in the midwest I might be able to do that!

[@stevehenderson1474]

Alec can you make a video how to install the cargo net on 2024 outback. My net came with no instructions or template were to mount the top mounts

[@Doc1855]

We don’t have that option on our 19 Outback, but we’ve never had any problems with the automatic car wash

[@timheenan8859]

Ive had outbacks for 10 years and i dont turn anything off at carwashs. Never have had a problem.

[@DallasLL]

I don’t know how I ever survived without AVH, my legs don’t tire out anymore, it’s brilliant!!! Safer too, so you don’t accidentally launch forward by slipping off the break! Just love it if you can’t tell lol

[@alexpmo]

My current car doesn't have it and that's the one feature I wish I had lol. It makes a big difference!

[@keithfaulkner6319]

Aw gee. It really is SO HARD to keep your foot pushing the power brake pedal.

[@jamesedwards8049]

Just started watching your vids and realized you in my hometown.

[@alexpmo]

Near Louisville? Feel free to stop by Bachman anytime to say hi!

[@jamesedwards8049]

@@alexpmo I work for County Animal Hospital on Watterson Trail. I’ll stop in sometime.

[@mrt4575]

Just put the gear on neutral and press the start button, that will turn the car off but keep the electrical system on, pull the hand break button and turn off the auto wipers and sit in the car... You dont need to deal with turning off all the sensors... Older models have a push button for opening the back gate that only works on gear on park position so i don't have to deal with it neither...

[@derekstephens2022]

thanks

[@TwoAlaskans]

How about a new video updating this information for the 2023 Outback? Thanks! Do appreciate your clear and informative videos.

[@alexpmo]

I’ll work on an updated video! Thanks

[@TwoAlaskans]

Great! I will be looking forward to that.

[@Mistertudball]

I have a 2021 Outback Touring and turn nothing off when going thru the car wash. No probs. I think all the Eyesight stuff is inactive when the car is in neutral, which it is in a car wash. I still turn the tailgate button off but probably don't need to do that either.

[@alexpmo]

Most of the time you are fine to keep everything on as is. However, sometimes your auto braking will work while in the carwash. I didn't think it worked in neutral but it does. Still good to know how to turn it on and off either way.

[@davidharrick469]

Can you comment on how to fix the rear hatch door so I don't have to keep doing a reset on my 2019 outback touring?

[@chitownjoe67]

Are all of these affected when you're in Neutral gear? I'm not sure how the automatic emergency braking works as I've yet to get my Forester, so I have nothing to base it off of. I'm assuming you're speaking of an automatic car wash that pulls you through the car wash, but I guess it would also affect certain things if you simply pull into the car wash and the machine portion passes over the car. Thanks

[@tamaraorourke2117]

Dear lord, car wash is gona be a pain in the ass! I will definitely be watching this each time I was my car

[@savethebees2506]

Friend, what about levorg? Thank you.

[@bassetpa]

We have a 2022 Ascent. We have had several times where the Apple car play does not activate for some time using the usb cable

[@williamhanna2247]

Alex When entering the car wash the attendants turn off the engine while vacuuming. Then start the engine. The Pre-Collision braking comes on. At that point I am away from the vehicle. Any tips on how to correct that so the Pre-Collision braking can be restored when the car wash is complete. Thank you

[@joachimm3980]

Hey is this the reason why my Subaru Forester has the eye sight light on? Is there a way to recalibrate it? Thanks

[@moeshabrown734]

Can you do 2019 subaru legacy limited 2.5 please

[@conniekadansky9093]

Please up date to 2023 Crosstrek!

[@murphdog8519]

Been through car wash many times without turning anything off -zero issues.

[@michaelfredmon4748]

What year and model ? TIA

[@ericyoungstrom3634]

Same here. 2023 Legacy and I’ve taken it through automatic car washes 5-6 times without turning these features off and never had an issue. It could be because the place I use has you put the car in neutral, which probably disables these features. Maybe other car washes don’t?

[@ebeb516]

Is this necessary when using a brushless car wash ? So far I haven’t had any issues.

[@enemyofaveragedotcom]

Heya Alex. Thanks for the videos. I saw in this video that you have the auto stop-start button as a little icon at the bottom of the screen next to the vehicle icon. My Outback does not have that! How do I get that added???? PLEASE!

[@alexpmo]

What year is your outback?

[@enemyofaveragedotcom]

@@alexpmo 2021. I'm in Australia, so I don't know if that makes it an issue...

[@briankelly6113]

On an unrelated subject: Rear lift gate height - 2015 Outback When we first bought the vehicle, it seemed like I could walk under the lift gate without bumping my head but now I hit my head regularly so I'm wondering what the max height is. I have tried to reset the height using the memory button procedure but I can't seem to get it any higher than about 5' 10" and that's an inch or two too low. Thanks

[@user-rj6ze8bq5p]

Can a shortcut icon be created for car wash function in a 2024 Impreza Touring(Canada)?

[@user-tz4nk5sk8b]

Wow Alex, you make it so complicated. Drive into the car wash. switch off the engine and all the features can remain in their normal modes. I have most of the baby-sitting turned off all of the time because I like to think. Even the tail lift can be solved by simply not having your key in your pocket whilst washing the car. Try it sometime.

[@judimac9943]

Alex I need to disable my 2024 forester Ltd I just bought. I want to open manually like my 2015. I have to back it into a small garage and don’t think there’s room for the hatch to open so don’t want it to hit the shelf behind it can you tell me how? 7:24 I mean disable the BACK HATCH. Thanks!!

[@NZLight]

Would it be easier to turn off the engine once in the car wash?

[@savannamillen7276]

Doesn’t putting the car in Neutral bypass these function?

[@aptc77]

When you are at a stand still when is the AVH activated where you can let off the brake? Is there a time limit that activates it?

[@odalysferrer]

Maybe Subaru could do something in the programming, like a car wash profile, that disables everything that needs to be disabled before entering one, and then deactivating the profile returns everything to normal.

[@RanGer-498]

They should put a carwash mode in the selection.

[@d.bayles1155]

Is there a way to set music volume to increase/decrease according to the speed of the vehicle?

[@janwebb8043]

Forgot to say I have a 2016 outback 3.6r. Thanks

[@terryokeeffe6911]

Does going through tunnel wash with ignition off and gear in neutral negate all of the Subaru functions so there is no need to turn them off?