1999 Lexus LS400 lexus LS400 1999 Electrical Components / LEXUS 1999 LS400 OWNER'S MANUAL (OM50514U)

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473
WASHING AND WAXING
Washing your Lexus
Keep your vehicle clean by regular washing.
The following cases may cause weakness to the paint
or corrosion to the body and parts. Wash your vehicle
as soon as possible.

When driving in a coastal area

When driving on a road sprinkled with antifreeze

When having stuck of coal tar, tree sap, bird
droppings and carcass of an insect

When driving in the areas where there is a lot of
smoke, soot, dust, iron dust and chemical substance

When the vehicle becomes remarkably dirty with dust
and mud
Hand±washing your Lexus
Work in the shade and wait until the vehicle body is
not hot to the touch.
1. Rinse off loose d irt with a hose. Remove any mud or
road salt from the underside of the vehicle or in the wheel
wells.
2. Wash with a mild car±wash soap, mixed according to
the manufacturer's instructions. Use a soft cotton mitt
and keep it wet by dipping it frequently into the wash
water. Do not rub hard ± let the soap and water remove
the dirt.

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474Aluminum wheels:
Use only a mild soap or neutral
detergent.
Urethane bumpers and side moldings: Wash
carefully. Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners. The
bumper and side molding faces are soft.
Road tar: Remove with turpentine or cleaners that are
marked safe for painted surfaces.
NOTICE
Do not use gasoline or strong solvents, which may be toxic or cause damage.
3. Rinse thoroughly ± dried soap can cause streaking.
In hot weather you may need to rinse each section right
after you wash it.
4. To prevent water spots, dry the vehicle using a clean
soft cotton towel. Do not rub or press hard ± you might
scratch the paint.
Automatic car wash
Your vehicle may be washed in an automatic car wash,
but remember that the paint can be scratched by some
type of brushes, unfiltered washing water, or the
washing process itself. Scratching reduces paint
durability and gloss, especially on darker colors. The
manager of the car wash should be able to advise you
whether the process is safe for the paint on your vehicle.
Waxing your Lexus
Polishing and waxing is recommended to maintain
the original beauty of your Lexus' finish.
Once a month or if the vehicle does not repel water well,
apply wax.
1. Always wash and dry the vehicle before you begin
waxing, even if you are using a combined cleaner and
wax.
2. Use a good quality polish and wax. If the finish has
become extremely weathered, use a car±cleaning
polish, followed by a separate wax. Carefully follow the
manufacturer's instructions and precautions. Be sure to
polish and wax the chrome trim as well as the paint.
3. Wax the vehicle again when water does not bead but
remains on the surface in large patches.

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475
CLEANING THE INTERIOR
CAUTION

Be careful not to splash water or spill liquid on the
floor. This may prevent the side airbags from
activating correctly, resulting in serious injury.

Do not wash the vehicle floor with water, or allow
water to get onto the floor when cleaning the vehicle
interior or exterior. Water may get into audio
components or other electrical components above or
under the floor carpet (or mat) and cause a
malfunction; and it may cause body corrosion.

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476
Leather Interior
The selected leather is used in your Lexus. Due to a
leather product, some parts of leather may be rough,
uneven or scratched originally.
To keep good appearance, we recommend you to clean
it periodically twice a year.
Remove dirt on the leather in the following ways:
1. Wipe it off lightly using a soft cloth (e.g. gauze)
dampened with 5% solution of neutral detergent for
wool.
2. Wring water from a clean cloth and thoroughly wipe
off all traces of detergent with it.3. Wipe off
the surface of the leather with a dry soft cloth.
Allow the leather to dry in a ventilated shaded area.
Excess of wet may cause the hardening or shrinking of
the leather.
NOTICE

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477


Dirt or sand adhered to the leather may damage
the treated surface and cause it to wear earlier.Remove dirt or sand using a vacuum cleaner.

If a stain should fail to come out with a neutraldetergent, apply a cleaner that does notcontain an organic solvent.

Never use organic substances such asbenzine, alcohol or gasoline, or alkaline or acid
solutions for cleaning the leather as these could cause discoloring.

Use of a nylon brush or synthetic fiber cloth,etc. may scratch the fine grained surface of the
leather.

Mildew may develop on soiled leather upholstery. Be especially careful to avoid oil
spots. Try to keep your upholstery alwaysclean.

Long exposure to direct sunlight may causethe leather surface to harden and shrink. Keepyour vehicle in a shaded area, especially in thesummer.

The interior of your vehicle is apt to heat up onhot summer days, so avoid placing on theupholstery items made of vinyl or plastic orcontaining wax as these tend to stick to leather
when warm.

Improper cleaning of the leather upholstery could result in discoloration or staining.
Synthetic Leather Areas
(Dash and sun visors)
The synthetic leather areas may be easily cleaned
with a mild soap or detergent and water.
First vacuum over the upholstery to remove loose dirt.
Then, using a sponge or soft cloth, apply the soap
solution to the synthetic leather. After allowing it to soak
in for a few minutes to loosen the dirt, remove the dirt and
wipe off the soap with a clean damp cloth. If all the dirt
does not come off, repeat the procedure. Commercial
foaming±type cleaners are also available which work
well. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
NOTICE
Do not use solvent, thinner, gasoline or windowcleaner on the interior.
Carpets, Windows and Seat Belts
Begin by vacuuming thoroughly to remove as much dirt
as possible. Several types of foam cleaners are
available; some are in aerosol cans and others are
powders or liquids which you mix with water to produce
a foam. To shampoo the carpets, use a sponge or brush

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478to apply the foam. Rub in overlapping circles. Do not
apply water ± the best results are obtained by keeping
the carpet as dry as possible. Read the shampoo
instructions and follow them closely.
The seat belts may be cleaned with mild soap and
water or with lukewarm water.
Use a cloth or sponge. As you are cleaning, check the
belts for excessive wear, fraying or cuts.
NOTICE

Use a good foam±type shampoo to clean the
carpets.

Do not use dye or bleach on the belts ± it mayweaken them.

Do not use the belts until they become dry.

The windows may be cleaned with anyhousehold window cleaner.

When cleaning the inside of the rear window, be
careful not to scratch or damage the heater
wires.
Air Conditioning Control Panel, Car
Audio, Instrument Panel, Console Panel,
and Switches
Use a soft damp cloth for cleaning.
Soak a clean soft cloth in water or lukewarm water then
lightly wipe off any dirt.
NOTICE

Do not use organic substances (solvents,kerosene, alcohol, gasoline, etc.) or alkaline oracidic solutions. These chemicals can causediscoloring, staining or peeling of the surface.

If you use cleaners or polishing agents, makesure their ingredients do not include thesubstances mentioned above.

If you use a liquid car freshener, do not spill theliquid onto the vehicle's interior surfaces. Itmay contain the ingredients mentioned above.Immediately clean any spill using the method
mentioned above.
If you have any questions about the cleaning of your
Lexus, your local Lexus dealer will be pleased to
answer them.

SECTION 7
479
REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS
FOR U.S. OWNERS
Reporting safety defects for U.S. owners479
. . . . . . . . .
REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS
FOR U.S. OWNERS
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause
injury or de ath, you should immediately inform
the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) in addition to
notifying Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
(Toll±free: 1±800±25±LEXUS).
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a
safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it
may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you, your dealer,
or Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the
Auto Safety Hotline toll±free at 1±800±424±9393 (or 366±0123 in
Washington.D.C. area) or write to: NHTSA,
U.S. Department of Transportation,
Washington.
D.C. 20590. You can also obtain
other information about motor vehicle safety
from the Hotline.