1998 Lexus ES300 Owner's Manuals (in English)

SWITCHES17
HEADLIGHT SWITCH
12E001±1
To turn the lights on, twist the knob on the end of the lever.
FIRST CLICKSTOP: Only the parking, tail, license plate, side marker and
instrument panel lights turn on.
SECOND CLICKSTOP: Headlights also turn on.
THIRD CLICKSTOP (ºAUTOº): The headlights and all other lights
automatically turn on depending on the darkness of the surroundings.
Vehicles sold in U.S.A.: When the headlights are on, the headlight indicator
lights up in the instrument cluster.
Vehicles sold in Canada: When the tail lights are on, the tail light indicator
lights up in the instrument cluster. Manually twist the knob to the second clickstop to turn on the headlights
if they are needed immediately when entering a dark tunnel, parking
structure, etc.
When the headlight switch is turned to the first or second clickstop, the
brightness of the instrument cluster will be reduced slightly unless the
instrument panel light control knob is turned fully on.
12E002
The automatic light control sensor is on top of the driver's side instrument
panel.
Do not place anything on the instrument panel, and/or do not affix anything
on the windshield to block this sensor.
The lights automatically turn off when the driver's door is opened with the
ignition
key turned to the ºACCº or ºLOCKº position. To turn them on again,
turn the ignition key to the ºONº position, or turn the headlight switc\
h off and
then twist the knob until the first or second clickstop. If you are going to park
for over one week, make sure the headlight switch is off.

SWITCHES
18
Daytime Running Light System (Canada only)
The headlights turn on when the parking brake is released with the engine
started,
even with the light switch in the ºOFFº position. They will not g\
o off
until the ignition switch is turned off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and instrument panel lights, twist th\
e knob
to the first clickstop.
Under the daytime running light system, the headlights turn on at reduced
intensity. Twist the knob to the second clickstop to turn to full intensity for
driving at night.
When setting the knob to the third clickstop (ºAUTOº), the headlights will
automatically adjust to full intensity and/or turn on the other lights depending
on the darkness of the surroundings. Likewise, as the surroundings become\
brighter, the headlights will turn to reduced intensity, ultimately turning off
the other lights.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the lights on
longer than necessary when the engine is not running.
HEADLIGHT DIMMER AND TURN SIGNAL SWITCH
12E003±1
For high beam, push the lever forward. Pull it back for low beam. For
the headlight flasher, pull it further back.
A blue light in the instrument cluster indicates high beam or headlight f\
lasher
is on.
The headlight flasher works even when the headlight switch is off.

SWITCHES19
12E004±1
For signaling turns, move the lever up or down in the conventional
manner.
The ignition key must be in the ºONº position.
The turn signal is self±cancelling after a turn, but after a lane change\
, you may
have to cancel it by hand. You can also signal a lane change by moving the
turn signal lever partway and holding it there.
If the green light in the instrument cluster flashes faster than normal, it
indicates that the front or rear turn signal bulb has burned out. If this indicator
light does not come on, the fuse or the indicator light itself has probably failed.
FOG LIGHT SWITCH
12E005±1
To turn on the fog lights, turn the switch to the ºONº position. Th\
e fog
lights come on only when the headlights are on low beam.

SWITCHES
20
WINDSHIELD WIPER AND WASHERSWITCH
12E006

1Interval adjuster 2Washer on
To turn the wipers on, move the lever down until you reach the desired
speed setting.
The ignition key must be in the ºONº position.
There are 3 settings: ºINTº position: Intermittent operation
ºLOº position: Low speed operation
ºHIº position: High speed operation
Twist the interval adjuster upward to increase the wiping time interval
between sweeps, and downward to decrease it.
The wiper lever must be in the ºINTº position. To make the washer squirt, pull the lever toward you and release it.
Also, the wipers will automatically operate a couple of times after the washe\
r
squirts even with the lever in the ºOFFº position.
The low washer fluid warning light in the instrument cluster comes on when
the fluid level in the tank becomes nearly empty. For information on adding
washer fluid, see ºAdding washer fluidº on page 227.
In cold weather, warm the windshield with the defroster before using the
washer. This will help prevent icing, which could block your vision.
NOTICE
Do not operate the wipers if the windshield is dry. It may scratch the glass.

SWITCHES21
Shifting the windshield wiper position
12E027±1

1Rest position 2Retracted position
The wiper blades retract under the hood when the wipers are turned off. If
retraction is obstructed by snow, etc., at the bottom of the windshield, the
wipers should be shifted from the retracted position to the rest position abov\
e
the hood level. When the snow season is over, manually return the wipers to
the retracted position following the procedure given below.
12E028±2
To shift the windshield wipers from retracted to rest position, hold the
connection of the wiper arm and wiper blade and pull it upward along the
windshield glass.
NOTICE
To prevent the wiper blades from being deformed, be sure to hold the
connection of the wiper arm and wiper blade securely.
12E029±1
To return the windshield wipers to retracted position, push the
connection of the wiper arm and wiper blade downward.
NOTICE
To prevent the wiper blades from being deformed, be sure to hold the
connection of the wiper arm and wiper blade securely.

SWITCHES
22
REAR WINDOW AND OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR DEFOGGER SWITCH
12E011±1
To turn the electric rear window and outside rear view mirror defogger
on, push the switch.
The ignition key must be in the ºONº position.
The thin heater wires on the inside of the rear window and the heater pa\
nels
in the outside rear view mirrors will quickly clear the surface. An ind\
icator
light is on when the defogger is operating.
The system will automatically shut off when the defogger has operated about
15 minutes.
CAUTION
Since the mirror surfaces can get hot, keep your hands off
them when the switch is on.
If further defrosting or defogging is desired, simply actuate the switch\
again.
When the surface has cleared, push the switch once again to turn the defogge\
r
off. Continuous use may cause the battery to discharge, especially during
stop±and±go driving. The rear window defogger is not designed to dry rain
water or to melt snow.
If the outside rear view mirrors are heavily coated with ice, use a spray d\
e±icer
before operating the switch.
NOTICE
 When cleaning the inside of the rear window, be careful not to scratch
or damage the heater wires.
 To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not operate the
defogger continuously longer than necessary.

SWITCHES23
POWER WINDOW SWITCHES
12E012±1

1For driver's window
2For front passenger's window
3For left rear window
4For right rear window
To raise or lower the windows, use the switch on each door. The
passengers' windows can also be controlled by the switches on the
driver's door.
The ignition key must be in the ºONº position. However, even if the ignition
key is turned to the ºACCº or ºLOCKº position, the window ca\
n be operated
until a front door is opened (or for about 45 seconds).
12L010
Operating the driver's switch
To lower the window, push the switch halfway down. Pull it up to raise
the window. The window glass moves as long as the switch is operated.
To fully lower the driver's window automatically, push the switch fully
down.
In automatic operation, the window will fully open even if you let go of\
the
switch. To stop the window partway, lightly pull the switch up and then
release it.
Operating the passengers' switches
To lower the window, push the switch down. Pull it up to raise the window.
The window moves as long as the switch is operated.

SWITCHES
24
Operating the window lock switch
12E013±1

Indicator light
With the window lock switch pressed in, only the driver's window can be
raised or lowered.
The indicator lights on the switch tell you which of the switches can be
operated.
CAUTION
To avoid serious personal injury, you must do the following.
 Always make sure the head, hands and other parts of the
body of all occupants are kept completely inside the vehicle
before you close the power windows. If someone's neck,
head or hands gets caught in a closing window, it could
result in a serious injury. When anyone closes the power
windows, be sure that they operate the windows safely.
 When small children are in the vehicle, never let them use
the power window switches without supervision. Use the
window lock switch to prevent them from making
unexpected use of the switches.
 Never leave small children alone in the vehicle, especially
with the ignition key still inserted. They could use the
power window switches and get trapped in a window.
Unattended children can become involved in serious
accidents.