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1. Rinse off loose dirt with a hose. Re-
move 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.
Aluminum wheels: Use only a mild soap
or neutral detergent.
Plastic bumpers: Wash carefully. Do not
scrub with abrasive cleaners. The bumper
faces are soft.
Road tar: Remove with turpentine or
cleaners that are marked safe for painted
surfaces.
NOTICE
Do not use gasoline or strong sol-
vents, 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 auto-
matic 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 wheth-
er the process is safe for the paint on
your vehicle. Waxing your Toyota
Polishing and waxing is recommended
to maintain the original beauty of your
Toyota’s finish.
Once a month or if the vehicle does not
repel water well, apply wax.
1. Always wash and dry the vehicle be- fore 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 weath-
ered, use a car −cleaning polish, fol-
lowed by a separate wax. Carefully fol-
low 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 sur-
face in large patches.
NOTICE
Always remove the plastic bumpers if
your vehicle is re −painted and placed
in a high heat paint waxing booth.
High temperatures could damage the
bumpers.
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If you perform maintenance by yourself,
be sure to follow the correct procedure
given in this part.
You should be aware that improper or in-
complete servicing may result in operating
problems.
Performing do −it−yourself maintenance
during the warranty period may affect your
warranty coverage. Read the separate
Toyota Warranty statement for details and
suggestions.
This part gives instructions only for those
items that are relatively easy for an owner
to perform. As explained in Part 6, there
are still a number of items that must be
done by a qualified technician with special
tools.
For information on tools and parts for do −
it −yourself maintenance, see ”Parts and
tools”.
Utmost care should be taken when work-
ing on your vehicle to prevent accidental
injury. Here are a few precautions that
you should be especially careful to ob-
serve:CAUTION
When the engine is running, keep
hands, clothing, and tools away
from the moving fan and engine
drive belts. (Removing rings,
watches, and ties is advisable.)
Right after driving, the engine
compartment—the engine, radiator,
exhaust manifold and spark plug
boots, etc.—will be hot. So be care-
ful not to touch them. Oil, fluids
and spark plugs may also be hot.
If the engine is hot, do not remove
the radiator cap or loosen the drain
plugs to prevent burning yourself.
Do not smoke, cause sparks or al-
low open flames around fuel or the
battery. Their fumes are flammable.
Be extremely cautious when work-
ing on the battery. It contains poi-
sonous and corrosive sulfuric acid.
Do −it −yourself service
precautions
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