Page 649 of 886

Maintenance and care
4
6494-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle exterior............. 650
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle interior .............. 653
4-2. Maintenance
Maintenance
requirements ........................ 656
General maintenance .......... 659
Emission inspection and
maintenance (I/M)
programs................................ 663 4-3. Do-it-yourself
maintenance
Do-it-yourself service
precautions ........................... 664
Hood ........................................... 667
Positioning a floor jack ......... 668
Engine compartment ............ 670
Tires............................................ 684
Tire inflation pressure........... 693
Wheels ....................................... 697
Air conditioning filter ........... 699
Electronic key battery........... 701
Checking and replacing
fuses ........................................ 703
Headlight aim ........................... 716
Light bulbs ................................. 719
Page 650 of 886

6504-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior
■
Automatic car washes ●
Before washing the vehicle:
•Fold the mirrors.
• Turn off the power back door system.●
Brushes used in automatic car washes may scratch the vehicle surface and
harm your vehicle’s paint.●
In certain automatic car washes, the re ar spoiler may interfere with machine
operation. This may prevent the vehicle fr om being cleaned properly or result in
damage to the rear spoiler.
■
High pressure car washes
●
Do not allow the nozzles of the car wash to come within close proximity of the
windows.
●
Before using the car wash, check that the fuel filler door on your vehicle is closed
properly.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.
Page 651 of 886

6514-1. 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 us e 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.
CAUTION■
When cleaning the windshield (vehicles with rain-sensing windshield wipers)
●
When the upper part of the windshield where the raindrop sensor is located is
touched by hand●
When a wet rag or similar is held close to the raindrop sensor●
If something bumps against the windshield●
If you directly touch the ra indrop sensor body or if something bumps into the
raindrop sensor■
Precautions regarding 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. Set the wiper switch to off.
If the wiper switch is in , the wipers
may operate unexpected ly in the following
situations, and may result in hands being
caught or other serious injuries and cause
damage to the wiper blades.OFF
Page 652 of 886

6524-1. Maintenance and care
NOTICE■
To prevent paint deterioration and corros ion 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 in sects, 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 to 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 (vehicle s with rain-sensing windshield wipers)
Set the wiper switch to the off position.
If the wiper switch is in , the wipers may operate and the wiper blades may
be damaged.
Page 661 of 886
6614-2. Maintenance
4
Maintenance and care Items Check points
Indicators/buzzers • Do the indicators and buzzers
function properly?
Lights • Do all the lights come on?
• Are the headlights aimed cor-
rectly? ( P. 7 1 6 )
Pa r k i n g b r a ke • Does the parking brake pedal
move smoothly?
• When parked on a slope and the
parking brake is on, is the vehicle
securely stopped?
Seat belts • Do the seat belts operate
smoothly?
• The seat belts should not be dam-
aged.
Seats • Do the seat controls operate prop-
erly?
Steering wheel • Does the steering wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the
correct amount of free play?
• There should not be any strange
sounds coming from the steering
wheel.
Page 662 of 886
6624-2. Maintenance
Vehicle exterior Items Check points
Doors • Do the doors operate smoothly?
Engine hood • Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks • There should not be any signs of
fluid leakage after the vehicle has
been parked.
Ti r e s • Is the tire inflation pressure cor-
rect?
• The tires should not be damaged or
excessively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated
according to the maintenance
schedule?
• The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wipers/rear window
wiper • The wiper blades should not show
any signs of cracking, splitting,
wear, contamination or deforma-
tion.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield/rear window without
streaking or skipping.
CAUTION
■
If the engine is running
Turn the engine off and ensure that there is adequate ventilation before performing
maintenance checks.
Page 685 of 886

6854-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
When 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 co mputer and the tire pressure warning
system must be initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmit-
ter ID codes registered by your Lexus dealer. ( P. 6 8 7 )
Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■ The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the following
circumstances:
● When rotating the tires
● When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when changing
travelling speed or load weight
● When changing the tire size
When the tire pressure warning sy stem is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.■ The tire pressure warning system
Your Lexus is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses
tire pressure warning valves and tr ansmitters to detec t low tire infla-
tion pressure before serious problems arise. ( P. 74 7 )
Page 687 of 886

6874-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care Registering ID codes
The tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is equipped with a unique
ID code. When replacing a tire pressure warning valve and transmitter, it
is necessary to register the ID code. Ha ve the ID code registered by your
Lexus dealer. ■
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, and 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 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 on snow tires wears down below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is lost.■
Routine tire inflation pressure checks
The tire pressure warning system does not replace routine tire inflation pressure
checks. Make sure to check tire inflation pressure as part of your routine of daily
vehicle checks.