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Maintenance and care4
371
4-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior............. 372
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior .............. 376
4-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ........................ 379
General maintenance ........... 381
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M)
programs............................... 384 4-3. Do-it-yourself
maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precautions ........................... 385
Hood .......................................... 388
Positioning a floor jack ......... 389
Engine compartment ............ 391
Tires............................................ 406
Tire inflation pressure............ 418
Wheels ...................................... 422
Air conditioning filter ........... 424
Electronic key battery.......... 426
Checking and replacing fuses ........................................ 428
Headlight aim ......................... 442
Light bulbs ................................ 444
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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.
■High pressure car washes
●Do not allow the nozzles of the car wash to come within close proximity of the
windows.
●Before car wash, check that the fuel filler door on your vehicle is closed prop-
erly.
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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4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
■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.
●Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, for example after driving
for long distance in the hot weather.
●Wash detergent from the wheels immediately after use.
■Bumpers
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■Front side windows water-repellent coating (vehicles with windshield wiper de-
icer)
●The following precautions can extend the effectiveness of the water-repellent
coating.
• Remove any dirt, etc. from the front side windows regularly.
• Do not allow dirt and dust to accumulate on the windows for a long period.
Clean the windows with a soft, damp cloth as soon as possible.
• Do not use wax or glass cleaners that contain abrasives when cleaning the windows.
• Do not use any metallic objects to remove condensation build up.
●When the water-repellent performance has become insufficient, the coating
can be repaired. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Outside rear view mirror rain -clearing coating (if equipped)
Observe the following precautions in order to retain the rain-clearing properties of
the mirror.
●Clean the mirrors using car shampoo or glass cleaner that does not contain sili-
cone or an abrasive compound, and rinse thoroughly with water.
●Allow the mirrors to be exposed to direct sunlight for 1 to 2 days.
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4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
NOTICE
■To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body and components (alu-
minum wheels etc.)
●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.
●To prevent the wheels from corroding, remove any dirt and store in a place with
low humidity when storing the wheels.
■Cleaning the exterior lights
●Wash carefully. Do not use organic substances or scrub with a hard brush.
This may damage the surfaces of the lights.
●Do not apply wax on the surfaces of the lights.
Wax may cause damage to the lenses.
■To prevent damage to the windshield wiper arms
When lifting the wiper arms away from th e windshield, pull the driver side wiper
arm upward first, and repeat for the passenger side. When returning the wipers to
their original position, do so from the passenger side first.
■When using an automatic car wash (vehicles with rain-sensing windshield wipers
only)
Set the wiper switch to the off position.
If the wiper switch is in “AUTO”, the wipers may operate and the wiper blades may
be damaged.
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4-2. Maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
Vehicle exterior
Steering wheel
• Moves smoothly?
• Has correct free play?
• No strange noises?
ItemsCheck points
Door/trunk• Operates 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 the engine off and ensure that there is adequate ventilation before performing
maintenance checks.
ItemsCheck points
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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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 1 0 )
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 ti re inflation pressure by changing traveling
speed.
● When changing the tire size.
When the tire pressure warning sy stem is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the pressure benchmark.
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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■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 warning 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 blin ks for 1 minute and stays on to indicate a
system malfunction.
■Tire life
Any tire over 6 years old must be checked by a qualified technician even if it has sel-
dom 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 (models not equipped with 16-inch 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 tire chains
* on snowy and/or icy roads and drive carefully at a
speed appropriate for road and weather conditions.
*: Tire chains cannot be mounted on 18-inch tires.
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4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the replacement tire is greater than 1 /2 of the
Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) of either the front axle or the rear axle, which-
ever is greater.
■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 inadequate 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 adequate traction performance compared with
snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Also, al l 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 ic y 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. 2 0 1 )
■Initializing the tire pressure warning system
Initialize the tires with the tire inflatio n pressure adjusted to the specified level.
For the GAWR, see the Certification Label.
For the maximum load of the tire, see the load
limit at maximum cold tire inflation pressure
mentioned on the sidewall of the tire.
(
P. 5 3 0 )