2007 Lexus GS350 service

365
4-2. Maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
General maintenance
Engine compartment
ItemsCheck points
Battery• Maintenance-free (P. 3 8 6 )
Brake fluid• At the correct level? (P. 3 8 5 )
Engine coolant• At the correct level? ( P. 3 8 3 )
Engine oil• At the correct level? ( P. 3 7 8 )
Exhaust system• No fumes or strange sounds?
Radiator/condenser/hoses• Not blocked with foreign matter? 
( P. 3 8 4 )
Wa s h e r f l u i d• At the correct level? ( P. 3 8 9 )
Listed below are the general maintenance items that should be performed
at the intervals specified in the “Warranty and Services Guide/Owner’s
Manual Supplement”. It is recommend ed that any problem you notice
should be brought to the attention of your Lexus dealer or qualified service
shop for advice.

368
4-2. Maintenance
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs
Some states have vehicle emission inspection programs which include
OBD (On Board Diagnostics) checks. The OBD system monitors the oper
-
ation of the emission control system.
■ If the malfunction indicator lamp comes on
The OBD system determines that a pr
oblem exists somewhere in
the emission control system. Your vehicle may not pass the I/M test
and may need to be repaired. Contact your Lexus dealer to service
the vehicle.
■ Y
our vehicle may not pass the I/M test:
●When the batter
y is disconnected or discharged
Readiness codes that are set during ordinary driving are erased. 
Also, depending on your driving habits, the r
eadiness codes may
not be completely set.
● When the fuel tank cap is loose
The malfunction indicator lamp comes on as a tempor
ary mal-
function and your vehicle may not pass the I/M test.
■ When the malfunction indicator la mp goes off after se
veral driv-
ing trips
The error code in the OBD system will not be clear
ed unless the
vehicle is driven 40 or more times.
■ If y
our vehicle does not pass the I/M test
Contact your Lexus dealer to prep ar
e the vehicle for re-testing.

369
4
Maintenance and care
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precautions
If you perform maintenance yourself, be sure to follow the correct proce-
dure given in these sections.
ItemsPa r t s a n d t o o l s
Battery condition ( P. 3 8 7)
•Warm water
• Baking soda
•Grease
• Conventional wrench
(for terminal clamp bolts)
Brake fluid level ( P. 3 8 6 )
• FMVSS No.116 DOT 3 or SAE
J1703 brake fluid
•Rag or paper towel
• Funnel (used only for adding brake
fluid)
Engine coolant level 
(P. 3 8 4 )
• “Toyota Super Long Life Coolant”
or similar high quality ethylene gly-
col based non-silicate, non-amine,
non-nitrite and non-borate coolant
with long-life hybrid organic acid
technology.
For the U.S.A.: 
“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant”
is pre-mixed with 50% coolant and
50% deionized water.
For Canada: 
“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant”
is pre-mixed with 55% coolant and
45% deionized water.
• Funnel (used only for adding cool-
ant)

382
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
CAUTION
■Used engine oil
●Used engine oil contains potentially harmful contaminants which may cause skin
disorders such as inflammation or skin cancer, so care should be taken to avoid
prolonged and repeated contact. To remove used engine oil from your skin, wash
thoroughly with soap and water.
●Dispose of used oil and filters only in a safe and acceptable manner. Do not dis-
pose of used oil and filters in househol d trash, in sewers or onto the ground.
Call your Lexus dealer, service station or auto parts store for information con-
cerning recycling or disposal.
●Do not leave used engine oil within the reach of children.
NOTICE
■To prevent serious engine damage
Check the oil level on regular basis.
■When replacing the engine oil
●Be careful not to spill engine oil on the vehicle components.
●Avoid overfilling, or the engine could be damaged.
●Check the oil level on the dipstick every time you refill the vehicle.
●Be sure the engine oil filler cap is properly retightened.

405
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
CAUTION
■When replacing wheels
●Do not use wheels that are a different size from those recommended in the
Owner’s Manual, as this may result in loss of handling control.
●Never use an inner tube in a leaking wheel which is designed for a tubeless tire.
Doing so may result in an accident, causing death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■Replacing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
●Because tire repair or replacement may affect the tire pressure warning valves
and transmitters, make sure to have tires serviced by your Lexus dealer. In addi-
tion, make sure to purchase your tire pressure warning valves and transmitters at
your Lexus dealer.
●Ensure that only genuine Lexus wh eels are used on your vehicle.
Tire pressure warning valves and transmitters may not work properly with non-
genuine wheels.

438
5-1. Essential information
If your vehicle needs to be towed
Before towing
The following may indicate a problem with your transmission. Contact
your Lexus dealer before towing.
● The engine is running, but the v
ehicle will not move.
● The v
ehicle makes an abnormal sound.
Emergency towing
If a tow truck is not available, in an emergency your vehicle may be tem -
porarily towed using a cable or ch ain secur
ed to the emergency towing
eyelet. This should only attempted on hard, surfaced roads for short dis-
tances at low speeds. 
A driver must be in the vehicle to steer and oper
ate the brakes. The vehi-
cle’s wheels, drive train, axles, steering and br
akes must be in good condi -
tion.
If towing is necessary, we recommen d having your vehicle towed by your
Lexus dealer or a commercial towing service, using a lift-type truck or a flat
bed truck.

Use a safety chain system for all towing , a
nd abide by all state/provincial
and local laws.
The wheels and axle on the ground must be in good condition. 
If they are damaged, use a to wing dolly
or flat bed truck.

509
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
■Gasoline quality standards
●Automotive manufacturers in the US, Europe and Japan have developed a
specification for fuel quality called World-Wide Fuel Charter (WWFC) that is
expected to be applied worldwide.
●The WWFC consists of four categories that are based on required emission
levels. In the US, category 3 or 4 has been adopted.
●The WWFC improves air quality by lowering emissions in vehicle fleets, and
customer satisfaction th rough better performance.
■Lexus recommends the use of gasoline containing detergent additives
●Lexus recommends the use of gasoline that contains detergent additives to
avoid build-up of engine deposits.
●All gasoline sold in the US contains de tergent additives to clean and/or keep
clean intake systems.
■Lexus recommends the use of cleaner burning gasoline
Cleaner burning gasoline, including reform ulated gasoline that contains oxygen-
ates such as ethanol or MTBE (Methyl Tert iary Butyl Ether) is available in many
areas.
Lexus recommends the use of cleaner burning gasoline and appropriately blended
reformulated gasoline. These types of gasoline provide excellent vehicle perfor-
mance, reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.
■Lexus does not recommend blended gasoline
●Lexus allows the use of oxygenate blended gasoline where the oxygenate con-
tent is up to 10% ethanol or 15% MTBE.
●If you use gasohol in your Lexus, be sure that it has an octane rating no lower
than 87.
●Lexus DOES NOT recommend the use of gasoline containing methanol.
■Lexus does not recommend gasoline containing MMT
Some gasoline contains octane enhancin g additive called MMT (Methylcy clopen-
tadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl).
Lexus DOES NOT recommend the use of gasoline that contains MMT. If fuel con-
taining MMT is used, your emission control system may be adversely affected.
The malfunction indicator lamp on the inst rument cluster may come on. If this hap-
pens, contact your Lexus dealer for service.

515
6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
■Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative r
ating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controll ed conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (1 - 1 /2) times as
well on the government course as a tire graded 100. 
The relative performance of tires de pends upon the actual conditions of
their
use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to varia -
tions in driving habits, service practices
and differences in road characteris-
tics and climate.
■ Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lo
west, are AA, A, B and C, and
they represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled condit ions on specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade assigned to t
his tire is based on braking
(straight ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turning) trac-
tion.
■ Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the hi ghest), B
, and C, representing
the tire’s resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire fail -
ure.
The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passenger car
tir
es must meet under the Federal Mo tor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum r
equired by law.