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6Maintenance and care
6-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior .......... 512
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior ........... 516
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ................... 520
General maintenance........ 523
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M)
programs......................... 527
6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance Do-it-yourself service precautions ..................... 528
Hood ................................. 533
Positioning a floor jack ...... 535
Engine compartment ......... 537
Tires .................................. 551
Tire inflation pressure ....... 562
Wheels .............................. 565
Air conditioning filter.......... 568
Wireless remote control/electronic
key battery ...................... 570
Checking and replacing fuses ............................... 573
Light bulbs......................... 584
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6-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle
exterior
● 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 thoroughly
with water.
● Wipe away any water.
● Wax the vehicle when the wate rproof coating deteriorates.
If water does not bead on a clean surface, apply wax when the vehicle
body is cool.
Perform the following to protect the vehicle and maintain it in
prime condition:
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6-1. Maintenance and care
■Aluminum wheels (if equipped)
●Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent. Do not use hard
brushes or abrasive cleaners. Do not use strong or harsh chemical clean-
ers.
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 washing the vehicle
Do not apply water to the inside of the engine compartment. Doing so may
cause the electrical components etc. to catch fire.
■ Precautions regarding the exhaust pipes
Exhaust gases cause the exhaust pipes to become quite hot.
When washing the vehicle, be careful not to touch the pipes until they have
cooled sufficiently, as touching hot exhaust pipes can cause burns.
■ Precautions regarding the Blind Spot Monitor (if equipped)
If the paint of the rear bumper is chipped or scratched, the system may mal-
function. If this occurs, consult your Toyota dealer.
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RAV4_OM_OM42A78U_(U)
5156-1. Maintenance and care
6
Maintenance and care
NOTICE
■To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body and compo-
nents (aluminum wheels etc.)
● Wash the vehicle immediately in the following cases:
• After driving near the sea coast
• After driving on salted roads
• If coal tar or tree sap is present on the paint surface
• If dead insects, insect droppings or bird droppings are present on the
paint surface
• After driving in an area contaminated with soot, oily smoke, mine dust, iron powder or chemical substances
• If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled with 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.
■ Antenna installation and removal precautions
● Before driving, ensure that the antenna is installed.
● When the antenna is removed, such as before entering an automatic car
wash, make sure to store it in a suitable place so as not to lose it. Also,
before driving, make sure to reinstall the antenna in its original position.
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RAV4_OM_OM42A78U_(U)
5256-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Head restraints• Do the head restraints movesmoothly and lock securely?
Indicators/buzzers• Do the indicators and buzzersfunction properly?
Lights• Do all the lights come on?
Parking brake
• Does the parking brake levermove smoothly?
• When parked on a slope and the parking brake is on, is the vehicle
securely stopped?
Seat belts
• Do the seat belts operatesmoothly?
• The seat belts should not be dam- aged.
Seats• Do the seat controls operate prop-erly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steering wheel rotatesmoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the correct amount of free play?
• There should not be any strange sounds coming from the steering
wheel.
ItemsCheck points
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6-2. Maintenance
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors• Do the doors operate smoothly?
Engine hood• Does the engine hood lock systemwork properly?
Fluid leaks
• There should not be any signs offluid leakage after the vehicle has
been parked.
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure cor-rect?
• The tires should not be dam- aged 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 per-
forming maintenance checks.
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RAV4_OM_OM42A78U_(U)
5536-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses
tire pressure warning valves and tr ansmitters to detect low tire infla-
tion pressure before serious problems arise.
If the tire pressure drops below a predetermined level, the driver is
warned by a warning light. ( P. 616)
◆Installing tire pressure warning valves and transmitters
When replacing tires or wheels, tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are
installed, new ID codes must be registered in the tire pressure
warning computer and the tire pressure warning system must be
initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmitter ID
codes registered by your Toyota dealer. ( P. 555)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized when
changing the tire size:
When the tire pressure warning system is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
Tire pressure warning system (if equipped)
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RAV4_OM_OM42A78U_(U)
5556-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
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. Have the ID code
registered by your Toyota 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 Toyota dealer.
■Replacing tires and wheels (vehicles with the tire pressure warning
system)
If the ID code of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitter is not reg-
istered, the tire pressure warning system will not work properly. After driv-
ing for about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning light blinks 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 seldom or never been used or damage is not obvious.
■Routine tire inflation pressure checks (vehicles with the tire pressure
warning system)
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.