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323
Maintenance and care6
AVALON_HV_U (01999-07002)6-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior .......... 324
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior ........... 327
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ................... 330
General maintenance........ 332
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M)
programs ......................... 336
6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precautions ..................... 337
Hood ................................. 339
Positioning a floor jack ...... 340
Engine compartment ......... 341
12-volt battery ................... 350
Tires .................................. 354
Tire inflation pressure ....... 364
Wheels .............................. 367
Air conditioning filter.......... 370
Electronic key battery........ 372
Checking and replacing fuses ............................... 374
Light bulbs......................... 377
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324
AVALON_HV_U (01999-07002)
6-1. Maintenance and care
●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.
■Automatic car washes
●Fold the mirrors before washing the vehi cle. Start washing from the front of
the vehicle. Make sure to extend the mirrors before driving.
● 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 using the car wash, check that the fuel filler door on your vehicle is
closed properly.
■ When using a car wash
If the door handle becomes wet while the electronic key is within the ef\
fective
range, the door may lock and unlock repeatedly. In that case, follow the fol-
lowing correction procedures to wash the vehicle:
●Place the key in a position 6 ft. (2 m) or more separate from the vehicle
while the vehicle is being washed. (Take care to ensure that the key is not
stolen.)
● Set the electronic key to battery-saving mode to disable the smart key sys-
tem. ( P. 125)
Cleaning and prot ecting the vehicle
exterior
Perform the following to protect the vehicle and maintain it in
prime condition:
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3256-1. Maintenance and care
6
Maintenance and care
AVALON_HV_U (01999-07002)■
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 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.
WARNING
■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.
■ When cleaning the windshield (veh icles with rain-sensing windshield
wipers)
● When the upper part of the windshi eld 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 raindrop sensor body or if something bumps into
the raindrop sensor
■ 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.
■ Precaution 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.
Set the wiper switch to off.
If the wiper switch is in “AUTO”, the wip-
ers may operate unexpectedly in the fol-
lowing situations, and may result in
hands being caught or other serious inju-
ries and cause damage to the wiper
blades.
off
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3266-1. Maintenance and care
AVALON_HV_U (01999-07002)
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.
■ To prevent damage to the windshield wiper arms
When lifting the wiper arms away from the 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 wind-
shield wipers)
Set the wiper switch to off.
If AUTO mode is selected, the wipers may operate and the wiper blades
may be damaged.
■ When using a high pressure car wash
Do not bring the nozzle tip close to boots (rubber or resin manufactured
cover), connectors or the following parts. The parts may be damaged if they
come into contact with high-pressure water.
• Traction related parts
• Steering parts
• Suspension parts
• Brake parts
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3346-2. Maintenance
AVALON_HV_U (01999-07002)
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
• Moves smoothly?
• When parked on a slope and theparking 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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3356-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
AVALON_HV_U (01999-07002)
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors/trunk• Do the doors/trunk operatesmoothly?
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
• The wiper blades should not show
any signs of cracking, splitting,
wear, contamination or deforma-
tion.
• The wiper blades should clear the windshield without streaking or
skipping.
WARNING
■If the hybrid system is operating
Turn the hybrid system off and ensure that there is adequate ventilation
before performing maintenance checks.
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3556-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
AVALON_HV_U (01999-07002)
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 screen display and a warning light. ( P. 399)
◆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 pr essure warning system must be
initialized. Have tire pressure warning valve and transmitter ID
codes registered by your Toyota dealer. ( P. 357)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the fol-
lowing circumstances:
● When changing the tire size.
● When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when chang-
ing traveling speed or load weight.
● When rotating the tires.
When the tire pressure warning system is initialized, the current tire
inflation pressure is set as the benchmark pressure.
Tire pressure warning system
● The tire pressure detected by the
tire pressure warning system can
be displayed on the multi-informa-
tion display.
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3576-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
AVALON_HV_U (01999-07002)
◆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:
●The treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
●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
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
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.
■Maximum load of tire
Check that the maximum load of the re placement 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.
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. 448)