2018 LEXUS LS500 Owners Manual

3856-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LS500_OM_OM50F54U_(U) 6
Maintenance and care battery was disconnect ed. Make sure to
turn off the engine before disconnecting
the battery. Take extra care when con-
necting the battery if the engine switch
mode prior to discharge is unknown.
If the system will not st art even after multiple
attempts, contact your Lexus dealer.
Make sure that the battery terminals
are not corroded and that there are no
loose connections, cracks, or loose
clamps.WARNING■
Chemicals in the battery
The battery contains poisonous and cor-
rosive sulfuric acid and may produce
hydrogen gas which is flammable and
explosive. To reduce the risk of death or
serious injury, take the following precau-
tions while working on or near the bat-
tery: ●
Do not cause sparks by touching the
battery terminals with tools.●
Do not smoke or light a match near the
battery.●
Avoid contact with eyes, skin and
clothes.●
Never inhale or swallow electrolyte.●
Wear protective safety glasses when
working near the battery.
●
Keep children away from the battery.
■
Where to safely charge the battery
Always charge the battery in an open
area. Do not charge the battery in a
garage or closed room where there is
insufficient ventilation.
■
Emergency measures regarding
electrolyte
●
If electrolyte gets in your eyes
Flush your eyes with clean water for at
least 15 minutes and get immediate
medical attention. If possible, continue
to apply water with a sponge or cloth
while traveling to the nearest medical
facility. ●
If electrolyte gets on your skin
Wash the affected area thoroughly. If
you feel pain or burning, get medical
attention immediately. ●
If electrolyte gets on your clothes
It can soak through clothing on to your
skin. Immediately take off the clothing
and follow the procedure above if nec-
essary. ●
If you accidentally swallow electrolyte
Drink a large quantity of water or milk.
Get emergency medical attention
immediately. ■
When replacing the battery
Use a battery designed for this vehicle.
Failure to do so may cause gas (hydro-
gen) to enter the passenger compart-
ment, causing a fire or explosion.
For replacement of the battery, contact
your Lexus dealer.
NOTICE■
When recharging the battery
Never recharge the battery while the
engine is running. Also, be sure all acces-
sories are turned off.
Exterior

386 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LS500_OM_OM50F54U_(U) Terminals
Hold-down clamp
Check the battery condition by indica-
tor color.
Blue: Good condition
Red: Charging is necessary.
Have the vehicle inspected by your
Lexus dealer.
Clear: Replacement is necessary.
Have the battery checked by your
Lexus dealer. Check if the treadw ear indicators are
showing on the tires. Also check the
tires for uneven wear, such as excessive
wear on one side of the tread.
New tread
Worn tread
Treadwear indicator The location of treadwear indicators is
shown by a “TWI” or “ ” mark, etc.,
molded into the sidewall of each tire.
Replace the tires if the treadwear indica-
tors are showing on a tire.Checking the battery condition A
B
A
B
C Tires Replace or rotate tires in accor-
dance with maintenance schedules
and treadwear.
Checking tires
A
B
C

3876-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LS500_OM_OM50F54U_(U) 6
Maintenance and care ■
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 loca-
tion of a cut or other damage
If you are not sure, consult with your Lexus
dealer. ■
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. ■
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.
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.459)
■
Tire types
●
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 performance 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 recom-
mended. When installing snow tires, be
sure to replace all four tires. ●
All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide
better traction in snow and to be adequate
for driving in most winter conditions as well
as for use year-round. All season tires,
however, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow tires in
heavy or loose snow. Also, all season tires
fall short in accelerati on and handling per-
formance compared with summer tires in
highway driving. ●
Snow tires
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy
roads, we recommend using snow tires. If
you need snow tires, select tires of the
same size, construction and load capacity
as the originally instal led tires. Since your
vehicle has radial tires as original equip-
ment, make sure your snow tires also have
radial construction. Do not install studded
tires without first checking local regula-
tions for possible restrictions. Snow tires
should be installed on all wheels.
( → P.299) ■
If the tread on snow tires wears down
below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is
lost.
WARNING
■
When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to
prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to
parts of the drive train as well as danger-
ous handling characteristics, which may
lead to an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.

388 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LS500_OM_OM50F54U_(U) 
Vehicles with front and rear tires of
the same size
Rotate the tires in the order shown. To equalize tire wear and extend tire life,
Lexus recommends that tire rotation is car-
ried out at the same in terval as tire inspec-
tion.
Do not fail to initialize the tire pressure
warning system after tire rotation. 
Vehicles with front and rear tires of
differing sizes
Tires cannot be rotated.
When run-flat tires are installed, the
vehicle can be driven for a maximum of
100 miles (160 km) at a speed below
50 mph (80 km/h) after any tire goes
flat. (However, the vehicle speed may
not increase to near 50 mph [80
km/h] depending on weather or driv-
ing conditions.)
A run-flat tire has a mark on
the side wall. Make sure to replace the flat tire before the
vehicle has been driven for near 100 miles
(160 km). Also, do not use a repaired tire.
■
Run-flat tires ●
The run-flat tires are for only this vehicle.
Do not use the tires on other vehicles. ●
Do not mix run-flat tires and normal tires.
●
If non-genuine Lexus wheels are used, it
may be impossible to sufficiently demon-
strate the performance of run-flat tires.
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure warning system that uses tire
pressure warning valves and transmit-
ters to detect low ti re inflation pressure WARNING●
Do not mix tires of different makes,
models or tread patterns.
Also, do not mix tires of remarkably
different treadwear.●
Do not use tire sizes other than those
recommended by Lexus.●
Do not mix differently constructed
tires (radial, bias-b elted or bias-ply
tires).●
Do not mix summer, all season and
snow tires.●
Do not use tires that have been used
on another vehicle.
Do not use tires if you do not know
how they were used previously.
NOTICE■
Driving on rough roads
Take particular care when driving on
roads with loose surfaces or potholes.
These conditions may cause losses in tire
inflation pressure, reducing the cushion-
ing ability of the tires. In addition, driving
on rough roads may cause damage to
the tires themselves, as well as the vehi-
cle’s wheels and body.
Tire rotation Run-flat tires
Tire pressure warning system

3896-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LS500_OM_OM50F54U_(U) 6
Maintenance and care before serious problems arise.
 The tire pressure detected by the
tire pressure warning system can be
displayed on the multi-information
display. ( → P.76)
 If the tire pressure drops below a
predetermined level, the driver is
warned by a screen display and a
warning light. ( → P.422)
■
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.
■
Tire inflation pressure
●
It may take a few minutes to display the
tire inflation pressure after the engine
switch is turned to IGNITION ON mode.
It may also take a few minutes to display
the tire inflation pres sure after inflation
pressure has been adjusted.
●
Tire inflation pressu re changes with tem-
perature. The displayed values may also be different from the values measured
using a tire pressure gauge. ■
Situations in which the tire pressure
warning system may not operate prop-
erly ●
In the following cases, the tire pressure
warning system may not operate prop-
erly.
• If non-genuine Lexus wheels are used.
• If a tire has been replaced with a tire that
is not an OE (Original Equipment) tire.
• If a tire has been replaced with a tire that
is not of the specified size.
• If tire chains, etc. are installed.
• 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 much higher
than the specified level.
• If wheels not equipped with tire pressure
warning valves and transmitter are used.
• If the ID code on the tire pressure warn-
ing valves and transmitters is not regis-
tered in the tire pressure warning
computer. ●
Performance may be af fected in the fol-
lowing situations.
• When driving near a TV tower, electric
power plant, gas stat ion, radio station,
large display, airport or other facility that
generates strong radi o waves or electri-
cal noise
• When carrying a portable radio, cellular
phone, cordless phone or other wireless
communication device
If tire position information is not correctly
displayed due to the radio wave conditions,
the display may be corrected by changing
the location of the vehicle as the radio wave
conditions may change.
●
When the vehicle is stopped, the time
taken for the warning to start or turn off
may be longer.
●
When the inflation pressure of a tire
drops rapidly, for example when a tire has
burst, the warning may not operate.

390 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LS500_OM_OM50F54U_(U) ■
Warning performance of the tire pres-
sure warning system
The warning of the tire pressure warning
system will change in accordance with driv-
ing conditions. 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 initial-
ized.■
Tire pressure warning system certification 
For vehicles sold in the U.S.A. , Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico

3916-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LS500_OM_OM50F54U_(U) 6
Maintenance and care 
For vehicles sold in Canada

392 6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
LS500_OM_OM50F54U_(U) When replacing the tires or wheels, the
tire pressure warning valve and trans-
mitters must be installed to the wheels
which will be installed to the vehicle.
When new tire pressure warning
valves and transmitte rs are installed,
new ID codes must be registered in the
tire pressure warning computer and
the tire pressure warning system must
be initialized. ( → P.394)■
Replacing tires and wheels
If the ID codes of the tire pressure warning
valve and transmitters are not registered,
the tire pressure warning system will not
work properly. In this case, after driving for
about 20 minutes, the tire pressure warning
light will blink for ap proximately 1 minute
and then illuminate to indicate a system
malfunction. ■
The tire pressure warning system
must be initialized in the following
circumstances:
 When the tire inflation pressure is
changed such as when changing
traveling speed or load weight.
 When the tire inflation pressure is
changed such as when the tire size
is changed.
 When rotating the tires.
 After performing the transmitter ID
code registration procedure.
( → P.394)
When the tire pressure warning system
is initialized, the current tire inflation
pressure is set as the benchmark pres-
sure. ■
How to initialize the tire pressure
warning system
1 Park the vehicle in a safe place and
turn the engine switch off. The initialization pr ocedure cannot be
started while the vehicle is moving.
2 Adjust the tire inflation pressure to
the specified cold tire inflation pres-
sure level. Make sure to adjust the tire pressure to the
specified cold tire infl ation pressure level.
The tire pressure warning system will oper-
ate based on this pressure level.
3 Turn the engine switch to IGNI-
TION ON mode.
4 Press or of the meter con-
trol switch to select .Installing tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters
NOTICE■
Repairing or replacing tires, wheels,
tire pressure warning valves, trans-
mitters and tire valve caps●
When removing or fitting the wheels,
tires or the tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters, contact your
Lexus dealer as the tire pressure warn-
ing valves and transmitters may be
damaged if not handled correctly.
●
Make sure to install the tire valve caps.
If the tire valve caps are not installed,
water may enter the valves of the tire
pressure warning valve and transmit-
ters and the valves may become stuck.
●
When replacing tire valve caps, do not
use tire valve caps other than those
specified. The cap may become stuck. Initializing the tire pressure
warning system