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4-1. Maintenance and
care .............................. 388
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle exterior............ 388
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle interior ............... 391 4-2. Maintenance .................. 394
Maintenance
requirements........................ 394
General maintenance .......... 396
Emission inspection and
maintenance (I/M)
programs ............................... 399
4-3. Do-it-yourself
maintenance ................ 400
Do-it-yourself service
precautions ........................... 400
Hood .......................................... 403
Positioning a floor jack ......... 404
Engine compartment ........... 406
Tires............................................. 421
Tire inflation pressure............ 431
Wheels ...................................... 435
Air conditioning filter ........... 437
Electronic key battery.......... 440
Checking and replacing
fuses ........................................ 442
Headlight aim .......................... 467
Light bulbs ................................ 470
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4-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior
■Automatic car washes
●Fold the mirrors back before washing the vehicle.
●Brushes used in automatic car washes may scratch the vehicle surface and
harm your vehicle’s paint.
●Before entering an automatic car wash, check that the fuel filler door is closed.
■High pressure washers
Do not allow the nozzles of the washers to come within close proximity of the win-
dows and fuel filler door.
Perform the following to protect the vehicle and maintain it in prime condi-
tion.
● Working from top to bottom, liber ally apply water to the vehicle
body, wheel wells and underside of the vehicle to remove any dirt
and dust.
Wash the vehicle body using a sponge or soft cloth, such as a chamois.
● For hard-to-remove marks, use car wash soap and rinse thor-
oughly with water.
● Wipe away any water.
● Wax the vehicle when the waterproof coating deteriorates.
If water does not bead on a clean surface, apply wax when the vehicle
body is cool.
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Maintenance and care
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■Aluminum wheels
Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent. Do not use hard brushes
or abrasive cleaners. Do not use strong or harsh chemical cleaners. Use the same
mild detergent and wax as used on the paint.
■Bumpers and side moldings
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body
●Wash the vehicle immediately in the following cases:
• After driving near the sea coast
• After driving on salted roads
• If you see coal tar or tree sap on the paint surface
• If you see dead insects, insect droppings or bird droppings on the paint
• After driving in an area contaminated with soot, oily smoke, mine dust, iron
powder or chemical substances
• If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled in dust or mud
• If liquids such as benzene and gasoline are spilled on the paint surface
●If the paint is chipped or scratched, have it repaired immediately.
CAUTION
■Caution about the exhaust pipe
Exhaust gasses cause the exhaus t pipe to become quite hot.
When washing the vehicle, be careful not to touch the pipe until it has cooled suffi-
ciently, as touching a hot exhaust pipe can cause burns.
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Maintenance and care
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Vehicle interior
ItemsCheck points
Accelerator pedal• Moves smoothly (without uneven pedal effort or catching)?
Automatic transmission
“Park” mechanism• Can the vehicle be hold securely on an incline with the shift lever in “P”?
Brake pedal
• Moves smoothly?
• Does it have appropriate clearance and correct amount of free play?
Brakes
• Pulls to one side when applied?
• Loss of brake effectiveness?
• Spongy feeling brake pedal?
• Pedal almost touches floor?
Head restraints• Move smoothly and lock securely?
Indicators/buzzers• Function properly?
Lights• Do all the lights come on?
• Headlights aimed correctly? ( P. 4 6 7 )
Pa r k i n g b r a ke
• Moves smoothly?
• Can hold the vehicle securely on an
incline?
Seat belts
• Does the seat belt system operate smoothly?
• Are the belts undamaged?
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Moves smoothly?
• Has correct free play?
• No strange noises?
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Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors/trunk• Operate smoothly?
Engine hood• The lock system works properly?
Fluid leaks• Is there any leakage after parking?
Ti r e
• Inflation pressure is correct?
• Tire surfaces not worn or dam-aged?
• Tires rotated according to the
maintenance schedule?
• Wheel nuts are not loose?
CAUTION
■If the engine is running
Turn off the engine and ensure that there is adequate ventilation before performing
maintenance checks.
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Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmittersWhen replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves and trans-
mitters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning va lves and transmitters are installed,
new tire pressure warning valve and transmitter ID codes must be regis-
tered in the tire pressure warning computer and tire pressure warning
system must be initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmit-
ter ID codes registered by your Lexus dealer. ( P. 4 2 4 )
Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■ The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the following
circumstances:
● When rotating the tires on vehicles differing with front and rear tire
inflation pressures.
● When changing the tire inflation pressure by changing traveling
speed or load weight, etc.
When the tire pressure warning sys tem is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the pressure benchmark.
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■When to replace your vehicle’s tires
Tires should be replaced if:
●You have tire damage such as cuts, splits, cracks deep enough to expose the
fabric or bulges indicating internal damage
●A tire goes flat repeatedly or cannot be properly repaired due to the size or
location of a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult with your Lexus dealer.
■Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID code of the tire pressure warn ing valve and transmitter is not registered,
the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. After driving for about 20
minutes, the tire pressure warning light comes on after blinking for 1 minute to indi-
cate a system malfunction.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even if they
have seldom or never been used or damage is not obvious.
■If the tread wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm) on snow tires
The effectiveness of snow tires is lost.
■Low profile tires (245/40R18, P245/40R18 and 245/40ZR18 tires)
Generally, low profile tires will wear more rapidly and tire grip performance will be
reduced on snowy and/or icy roads when co mpared to standard tires. Be sure to
use snow tires or snow chains on snowy and/or icy roads and drive carefully at a
speed appropriate for road and weather conditions.
■Initializing the tire pressure warning system
Initialize the tires with the tire inflatio n pressure adjusted to the specified level.
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■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the replaced tire is greater than 1 /2 of the Gross
Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axle or the rear axle, whichever is
greater.
As for the maximum load of the tire, see the load limit at maximum cold tire inflation
pressure mentioned on the sidewall of the tire, and as for the Gross Axle Weight
Ratings (GAWR), see the Certification Label. (
P. 4 3 1 , 5 5 6 ) .
■Tire types
1 Summer tires
Summer tires are high-speed performance tires best suited to highway driving
under dry conditions. Since summer tires do not have the same traction perfor-
mance as snow tires, summer tires are in adequate for driving on snow-covered
or icy roads. For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, the use of snow tires
is recommended. When installing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
2 All season tires All season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow and to be ade-
quate for driving in most winter conditions , as well as for use year round. All sea-
son tires, however, do not have adequa te traction performance compared with
snow tires in heavy or loos e snow. Also, all season tires fall short in acceleration
and handling performance compared with summer tires in highway driving.
3Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using snow tires.
If you need snow tires, select tires of the same size, construction and load capac-
ity as the originally installed tires. Since your vehicle has radial tires as original
equipment, make sure your snow tires also have radial construction. Do not install
studded tires without first checking loca l regulations for possible restriction.
Snow tires should be installed on all wheels. ( P. 1 9 9 )
