505
7Maintenance and care
RC200t_RC F_EE(OM24728E)
7-1. Maintenance and care
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle exterior ................506
Cleaning and protecting
the vehicle interior..................... 511
7-2. Maintenance
Maintenance
requirements ............................. 514
7-3. Do-it-yourself
maintenance
Do-it-yourself service
precautions................................. 516
Hood ................................................ 518
Positioning a floor jack ............. 519
Engine compartment ............... 522
Tires .................................................535
Tire inflation pressure .............. 557
Wheels ...........................................559
Air conditioning filter ................ 561
Electronic key battery.............. 563
Checking and replacing
fuses.............................................. 566
Light bulbs..................................... 570
5157-2. Maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
RC200t_RC F_EE(OM24728E)
■Where to go for maintenance service?
In order to maintain your vehicle in the best possible condition, Lexus recommends that maintenance service operations as well as ot her inspections and repairs be carried out by authorized Lexus dealers or repairers or other duly qualified and equipped profes-
sionals. For repairs and services covered by your warranty, please visit an authorized Lexus dealer or repairer, who will use genuine Lexus parts in repairing any difficulties youmay encounter. There can also be advantages in utilizing authorized Lexus dealers or
repairers for non-warranty repa irs and services, as members of the Lexus network will be able to expertly assist you with any difficulties you may encounter.
Your Lexus dealer or repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped professional will
perform all of the scheduled maintenance on your vehicle reliably and economically due to their experience with Lexus vehicles.
■Does your vehicle need repairs?
Be on the alert for changes in performance and sounds, and visual tip-offs that indicate service is needed. Some important clues are:
●Engine missing, stumbling or pinging
●Appreciable loss of power
●Strange engine noises
●A fluid leak under the vehicle (However, water dripping from the air conditioning sys-
tem after use is normal.)
●Change in exhaust sound (This may indicate a dangerous carbon monoxide leak. Drive with the windows open and have the exhaust system checked immediately.)
●Flat-looking tires, excessive tire squeal when cornering, uneven tire wear
●Vehicle pulls to one side when driven straight on a level road
●Strange noises related to suspension movement
●Loss of brake effectiveness, spongy feeling brake pedal, pedal almost touches the floor,vehicle pulls to one side when braking
●Engine coolant temperature continually higher than normal ( P. 118, 124)
If you notice any of these clues, take your vehicle to any authorized Lexus dealer or repairer, or another duly qualified and equipp ed professional as soon as possible. Your vehicle may need adjustment or repair.
WARNING
■If your vehicle is not properly maintained
Improper maintenance could result in serious damage to the vehicle and possible death or serious injury.
■Handling of the battery
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead and lead compounds which are known to cause brain damage. Wash your hands after handling. ( P. 530)
5357-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
RC200t_RC F_EE(OM24728E)
Check if the treadwear indicators are showing on the tires. Also check the tires
for uneven wear, such as excessive wear on one side of the tread.
Check the spare tire condition and pressure if not rotated.
New tread
Worn tread
Treadwear indicator
The location of treadwear indica tors is shown by a “TWI” or “” mark, etc., molded
into the sidewall of each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear indicators are showing on a tire.
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance schedules and
treadwear.
Checking tires
1
2
3
5367-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
RC200t_RC F_EE(OM24728E)
Rotate the tires in the order shown.
To equalize tire wear and help extend tire life, Lexus recommends that tire rotation is
carried out approximately every 10000 km (6000 miles).
Do not fail to initialize the tire pressure warning system after tire rotation.
Tire rotation
Vehicles with front and rear tires of
the same size
Vehicles with front and rear tires of
differing sizes
FrontFront
5377-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
RC200t_RC F_EE(OM24728E)
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire pressure warning system that uses tire pres-
sure warning valves and transmitters to detect low tire inflation pressure before
serious problems arise.
Vehicles without the tire inflation pressure display function
If the tire pressure drops below a predetermined level, the driver is warned by a
warning light. ( P. 593)
Vehicles with the tire inflation pressure display function
●If the tire pressure drops below a predetermined level, the driver is warned by
a screen display and a warning light. ( P. 593, 609)
●The tire pressure detected by the
tire pressure warning system can be
displayed on the multi-information
display. ( P. 131, 139)
The illustration used is intended as an example, and may differ from the image
that is actually displayed on the multi- information display.
◆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 any authorized Lexus dealer or
repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped professional. ( P. 538)
◆Initializing the tire pressure warning system
■The tire pressure warning system must be initialized in the following circum-
stances:
●When rotating the tires.
●When the tire inflation pressure is changed such as when changing
traveling speed.
●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
5397-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
RC200t_RC F_EE(OM24728E)
■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 prop erly repaired due to the size or location of a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult any authorized Lexus dealer or repairer, or another duly qual- ified and equipped professional.
■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 proper ly. After driving for about 10 minutes, the tire pressure warning light blinks for 1 minu te and stays on to indicate a system malfunc-
tion.
■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 re place routine tire inflation pressure checks.
Make sure to check tire inflation pressure as part of your routine of daily vehicle checks.
■When rotating the tires (vehicles with the tire pressure warning system featuring a tire inflation pressure display function)
Make sure that the engine switch is off. If the tires are rotated while the engine switch is in IGNITION ON mode, the tire position information will not be updated.If this accidentally occurs, either turn the en gine switch to off and then to IGNITION ON
mode, or initialize the system after checking th at the tire pressure is properly adjusted.
■Low profile tires (except 17-inch tires)
Generally, low profile tires will wear more ra pidly and tire grip performance will be
reduced on snowy and/or icy roads when comp ared to standard tires. Be sure to use snow tires or tire chains on snowy and/or icy roads and drive carefully at a speed appro- priate for road and weather conditions.
■If the tread on snow tires wears down below 4 mm (0.16 in.)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is lost.
5407-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
RC200t_RC F_EE(OM24728E)
■Situations in which the tire pressure warning system may not operate properly
●In the following cases, the tire pressure warning system may not operate properly.
• If non-genuine Lexus wheels are used.
• A tire has been replaced with a tire that is not an OE (Original Equipment) tire. • A tire has been replaced with a tire that is not of the specified size.• Tire chains etc. are equipped.
• An auxiliary-supported run-flat tire is equipped. • If a window tint that affects the radio wave signals is installed.• If there is a lot of snow or ice on the vehi cle, particularly around the wheels or wheel
housings. • If the tire inflation pressure is extr emely higher than the specified level. • If tires not equipped with tire pressure warning valves and transmitters are used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warning valves and transmitters is not registered in the tire pressure warning computer.
●Performance may be affected in the following situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant, gas station, radio station, large display, air- port or other facility that generates st rong radio waves or electrical noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular phone, cordless phone or other wireless communication deviceVehicles with the tire inflation pressure display function: If tire position information is
not correctly displayed due to the radio wave conditions, the display may be corrected by driving and changing the radio wave conditions.
●When the vehicle is parked, the time taken for the warning to start or go off could be
extended.
●When tire inflation pressure declines rapi dly for example when a tire has burst, the warning may not function.
■The initialization operation
●Make sure to carry out initialization af ter adjusting the tire inflation pressure.
Also, make sure the tires are cold before carry ing out initialization or tire inflation pres- sure adjustment.
●If you have accidentally turned the engine swit ch off during initialization, it is not neces-
sary to press the reset switch again as init ialization will restart automatically when the engine switch has been turned to IGNITION ON mode for the next time.
●If you accidentally press the reset switch when initialization is not necessary, adjust the
tire inflation pressure to the specified leve l when the tires are cold, and conduct initial- ization again.
■Warning performance of the tire pressure warning system
The warning of the tire pressure warning syst em will change in accordance with the con- ditions under which it was initialized. For this reason, the system may give a warning even if the tire pressure does not reach a low enough level, or if the pressure is higher than the
pressure that was adjusted to when the system was initialized.
5417-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
7
Maintenance and care
RC200t_RC F_EE(OM24728E)
■When initialization of the tire pressure warning system has failed
Initialization can be co mpleted in a few minutes. However, in the following cases, the set- tings have not been recorded and the syst em will not operate properly. If repeated
attempts to record tire inflation pressure settings are unsuccessful, have the vehicle inspected by any authorized Lexus dealer or repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped professional.
●When operating the tire pressure warning re set switch, the tire pressure warning light does not blink 3 times.
●After carrying out the initializat ion procedure, the tire pressure warning light blinks for 1
minute then stays on after driving for 20 minutes.
■Registering ID codes
The ID codes of the tire pressure warning valve and transmitters for two sets of wheels
can be registered.
It is not necessary to register the ID codes wh en replacing normal tires with snow tires, if the ID codes for the wheels of both normal tires and snow tires are registered before-
hand.
For information about changing ID codes, as k any authorized Lexus dealer or repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped professional.