Page 363 of 604
GS350_300_OM_OM30G96U_(U)
3636-1. Maintenance and care
6
Maintenance and care
NOTICE
■Application of coatings to the vehicle body (GS F)
Do not apply any kind of coating to the vehicle body as doing so may damage the paint
or reduce its durability.
■To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body and components (aluminum
wheels etc.)
●Wash the vehicle immediatel y in the following cases:
• After driving near the sea coast
• After driving on salted roads
• If coal tar, pollen 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 wi th soot, oily smoke, mine dust, iron pow-
der or chemical substances
• If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled with dust or mud
• If liquids such as benzene and gasoli ne 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 subs tances 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.
■When using an automatic car wash (vehicle s with rain-sensing windshield wipers)
Turn off AUTO mode of the wiper to prevent the wiper from operating. (P. 229)
If AUTO mode is selected, the wipers may operate and the wiper blades may be dam-
aged.
■When using a high-pressure car wash
●When washing the vehicle, do not let water from the high-pressure washer directly hit
the camera or the area around the camera. Due to the shock from high-pressure
water, it is possible that the device may not operate normally.
●Do not bring the nozzle tip close to boots (rubber or resin manufactured cover), con-
nectors or the following parts. The parts may be damaged if they come into contact
with high-pressure water.
• Traction related parts
• Suspension parts •Steering parts
• Brake parts
●GS F: Do not point the nozzle of a high pres-
sure washer at the areas shown in the illustra-
tion, as high pressure water may damage the
oil coolers.
Page 370 of 604
370
GS350_300_OM_OM30G96U_(U)6-2. Maintenance
*: Vehicles with sing
le-beam headlights
Vehicle interior
ItemsCheck points
Accelerator pedal• The accelerator pedal should move smoothly
(without uneven pedal effort or catching).
Automatic transmission “Park”
mechanism• When parked on a slope and the shift lever is in P,is the vehicle securely stopped?
Brake pedal
• Does the brake pedal move smoothly?
• Does the brake pedal have appropriate clearance
from the floor? ( P. 531)
• Does the brake pedal have the correct amount of
free play? ( P. 531)
Brakes
• The vehicle should not pull to one side when the
brakes are applied.
• The brakes should work effectively.
• The brake pedal should not feel spongy.
• The brake pedal should not get too close to the floor when the brakes are applied.
Head restraints• Do the head restraints move smoothly and lock
securely?
Indicators/buzzers• Do the indicators and buzzers function properly?
Lights• Do all the lights come on?
• Are the headlights aimed correctly?
* ( P. 418)
Parking brake• Moves 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 damaged.
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
•Does the steering wh eel 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 427 of 604
427
GS350_300_OM_OM30G96U_(U)
7
When trouble arises
7-1. Essential information
If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency
Steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet and firmly depress it.
Do not pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the effort required to
slow the vehicle.
Shift the shift lever to N.
If the shift lever is shifted to N
After slowing down, stop the vehicle in a safe place by the road.
Stop the engine.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted to N
Keep depressing the brake pedal with both feet to reduce vehicle speed as
much as possible.
To stop the engine, press and hold
the engine switch for 2 consecutive
seconds or more, or press it briefly 3
times or more in succession.
Stop the vehicle in a safe place by the road.
Only in an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the vehicle in
the normal way, stop the vehicl e using the following procedure:
1
2
3
4
3
Press and hold for 2 seconds or more
or press briefly 3 times or more
4
WARNING
■If the engine has to be turned off while driving
Power assist for the brakes and steering wheel will be lost, making the brake pedal
harder to depress and the steering wheel heav ier to turn. Decelerate as much as possi-
ble before turning off the engine.
5
Page 430 of 604
4307-2. Steps to take in an emergency
GS350_300_OM_OM30G96U_(U)
If your vehicle is transported by a flatbed truck, it should be tied down at the loca-
tions shown in the illustration.
If you use chains or cables to tie down your vehicle, the angles shaded in black
must be 45 .
Do not overly tighten the tie downs or the vehicle may be damaged.
If a tow truck is not available in an emergency, your vehicle may be temporarily
towed using cables or chains secured to the emergency towing eyelets. This
should only be attempted on hard surf aced roads for at most 50 miles (80 km)
at under 18 mph (30 km/h).
A driver must be in the vehicle to st eer and operate the brakes. The vehicle’s
wheels, drive train, axles, steering an d brakes must be in good condition.
Using a flatbed truck
GS350/GS300GS F
GS350/GS300GS F
Emergency towing
Page 432 of 604
4327-2. Steps to take in an emergency
GS350_300_OM_OM30G96U_(U)
Tighten down the towing eyelet
securely using a wheel nut wrench
or hard metal bar.
Securely attach cables or chains to the towing eyelet.
Take care not to damage the vehicle body.
Enter the vehicle being towed and start the engine.
If the engine does not start, turn the engine switch to IGNITION ON mode.
Shift the shift lever to N and release the parking brake.
When the shift lever cannot be shifted: P. 214
■While towing
If the engine is not running, the power assist for the brakes and steering will not function,
making steering and br aking more difficult.
■Wheel nut wrench
Wheel nut wrench is installed in trunk. ( P. 476, 488)
4
5
6
7
Page 433 of 604
4337-2. Steps to take in an emergency
GS350_300_OM_OM30G96U_(U)
7
When trouble arises
WARNING
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When towing the vehicle
■While towing
●When towing using cables or chains, avoid sudden starts, etc. which place excessive
stress on the towing eyelets, cables or chains. The towing eyelets, cables or chains
may become damaged, broken debris ma y hit people, and cause serious damage.
●Do not turn the engine switch off.
There is a possibility that the steering wheel is locked and cannot be operated.
■Installing towing eyelets to the vehicle
Make sure that towing eyel ets are installed securely.
If not securely installed, towing ey elets may come loose during towing.
2WD models:
Be sure to transport the vehicle with all four
wheels raised off the ground. If the vehicle is
towed with the tires contacting the ground, the
drivetrain and related parts may be damaged
or an accident may occur due to a change in
direction of the vehicle.
AWD models:
Be sure to transport the vehicle with all four
wheels raised off the ground. If the vehicle is
towed with the tires contacting the ground, the
drivetrain or related parts may be damaged,
the vehicle may fly off the truck.
Page 434 of 604
4347-2. Steps to take in an emergency
GS350_300_OM_OM30G96U_(U)
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the vehicle when towing using a wheel-lift type truck
●Do not tow the vehicle from the rear when the engine switch is off. The steering lock
mechanism is not strong enough to hold the front wheels straight.
●When raising the vehicle, ensure adequate ground cleara nce for towing at the oppo-
site end of the raised vehicle. Without ad equate clearance, the vehicle could be dam-
aged while being towed.
■To prevent damage to the vehicle wh en towing with a sling-type truck
Do not tow with a sling-type truck, either from the front or rear.
■To prevent damage to the ve hicle during emergency towing
Do not secure cables or chains to the suspension components.
■Recreational towing (behind motor home, etc.)
Never dinghy tow your vehicle to prevent caus-
ing serious damage to the transfer (AWD mod-
els) and transmission.
Page 442 of 604
4427-2. Steps to take in an emergency
GS350_300_OM_OM30G96U_(U)
■Warning buzzer
In some cases, the buzzer may not be heard because of noisy place or an audio sound.
■Customization
The vehicle speed linked seat belt reminder buzzer can be disabled.
(Customizable features: P. 549)
WARNING
■If both the ABS and the brake sy stem warning lights remain on
Stop your vehicle in a safe place immediat ely and contact your Lexus dealer. The vehi-
cle will become extremely unstable during br aking, and the ABS system may fail, which
could cause an accident resultin g in death or serious injury.
■When the electric power steering system warning light comes on
The steering wheel may become extremely heavy.
If the steering wheel becomes heavier than usual when operating, hold firmly and oper-
ate using more force than usual.
■If the tire pressure warning light comes on
Be sure to observe the following precaution s. Failure to do so could cause a loss of
vehicle control and result in death or serious injury.
●Stop your vehicle in a safe place as soon as possible. Adjust the tire inflation pressure
immediately.
●If the tire pressure warning light comes on even after tire inflation pressure adjust-
ment, it is probable that you have a flat tire . Check the tires. If a tire is flat, change it
with the spare tire and have the flat tire repaired by the nearest Lexus dealer.
●Avoid abrupt maneuvering and braking. If the vehicle tires deteriorate, you could lose
control of the steering wheel or the brakes.
■If a blowout or sudden air leakage should occur
The tire pressure warning system may not activate immediately.
