3904-6. Driving tips
RX350/RX350L_U
WARNING
■Off-road driving precautions
Always observe the following precautions to minimize the risk of death, serious injury
or damage to your vehicle:
●Drive carefully when off the road. Do not ta ke unnecessary risks by driving in danger-
ous places.
●Do not grip the steering wheel spokes when driving off-road. A bad bump could jerk
the wheel and injure your hands. Keep both hands and especially your thumbs on the
outside of the rim.
●Always check your brakes for effectiveness immediately after driving in sand, mud,
water or snow.
●After driving through tall grass, mud, rock , sand, rivers, etc., check that there is no
grass, bush, paper, rags, stone, sand, etc. adhering or trapped on the underbody.
Clear off any such matter from the underbody. If the vehicle is used with these materi-
als trapped or adhering to the underbody, a breakdown or fire could occur.
●When driving off-road or in rugged terrain , do not drive at excessive speeds, jump,
make sharp turns, strike obje cts, etc. This may cause loss of control or vehicle rollover
causing death or serious injury. You are also risking expensive damage to your vehi-
cle’s suspension and chassis.
NOTICE
■To prevent water damage
Take all necessary safety measures to ensure that water damage to the engine or other
components does not occur.
●Water entering the engine air intake will cause severe engine damage.
●Water entering the automatic transmission will cause deterioration in shift quality,
locking up of your transmission accompanied by vibration, and ultimately damage.
●Water can wash the grease from wheel be arings, causing rusting and premature fail-
ure, and may also enter the differential, transmission and transfer (AWD models only)
case, reducing the gear oi l’s lubricating qualities.
■When you drive through water
If driving through water, such as when cro ssing shallow streams, first check the depth of
the water and the bottom of the riverbed for firmness. Drive slowly and avoid deep
water.
■Inspection after off-road driving
●Sand and mud that has accumulated around brake discs may affect braking efficiency
and may damage brake system components.
●Always perform a maintenance inspection afte r each day of off-road driving that has
taken you through rough terrain, sand, mud, or water. For scheduled maintenance
information, refer to the “Warranty and Services Guide/Owner’s Manual Supple-
ment/Scheduled Maintenance”.
5746-5. Using the other interior features
RX350/RX350L_U
■Availability of service
●Lexus Enform Service Connect is available in the contiguous United States, Washing-
ton D.C., and Alaska.
●Lexus Enform Service Connect is not availa ble in Puerto Rico, Canada, and the United
States Virgin Islands.
■Lexus Enform Service Connect Information
Availability of functions of the Lexus Enform Service Connect is dependent on network
reception level.
■Safety information for Le xus Enform Service Connect
Refer to the safety information for Safety Connect: P. 572
LEXUS Enform Service Connect
: If equipped
Lexus Enform Service Connect uses embedded telematics hardware to col-
lect and transmit vehicle data that allows Lexus to provide:
●Vehicle Health Report (VHR)
(Safety Recalls, Service Campaigns, Current Vehicle Alerts, Required
Maintenance, and Vehicle Condition Status)
●Maintenance Notifications
●Vehicle Alert Notifications
For details about this service and how to register, refer to
http://www.lexus.com/enform/
.
The Lexus Enform Service Connect is achieved by using a Data Communica-
tion Module (DCM) built in the vehicle.
575
7Maintenance and care
RX350/RX350L_U
7-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior ................ 576
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle interior................... 581
7-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements ............................584
General maintenance..............586
Emission inspection and maintenance (I/M)
programs ....................................589
7-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
Do-it-yourself service precautions................................590
Hood ............................................... 592
Positioning a floor jack ............593
Engine compartment ............... 594
Tires .................................................604
Tire inflation pressure................ 613
Wheels ............................................ 616
Air conditioning filter ................ 618
Windshield wiper inserts ..........621
Electronic key battery .............. 623
Checking and replacing fuses .............................................. 625
Headlight aim .............................. 628
Light bulbs.....................................630
576
RX350/RX350L_U7-1. Maintenance and care
●Working from top to bott
om, liberally apply water to the vehicle body, wheel
wells and underside of the vehicl e 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 wa sh soap and rinse thoroughly with
water.
●Wipe away any water.
●Wax the vehicle when the waterproof coating deteriorates.
If water does not bead on a clean surface, apply wax when the vehicle body is cool.
■Self-restoring coat
The vehicle body has a self-restoring coating that is resistant to small surface scratches
caused in a car wash etc.
●The coating lasts for 5 to 8 years from when the vehicle is delivered from the plant.
●The restoration time differs depending on the depth of the scratch and outside tem-
perature. The restoration ti me may become shorter when the coating is warmed by
applying warm water.
●Deep scratches caused by keys, coins, etc. cannot be restored.
●Do not use wax that contain abrasives.
■Automatic car washes
●Before washing the vehicle:
• Fold the mirrors
• Turn off the power back door
Start washing from the front of the vehicle. Extend the mirrors before driving.
●Brushes used in automatic car washes may scratch the vehicle surface and harm your
vehicle’s paint.
●Rear spoiler may not be wash able in some automatic car washes. There may also be an
increased risk of damage to vehicle.
■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 prop-
erly.
Cleaning and protecting the vehicle exterior
Perform the following to protect the ve hicle and maintain it in prime condi-
tion:
5777-1. Maintenance and care
7
Maintenance and care
RX350/RX350L_U
■Note for a smart access system with push-button start
●If the door handle becomes wet while the electronic key is within the effective range,
the door may lock and unlock repeatedly. 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.)
●If the electronic key is inside the vehicle and a door handle becomes wet during a car
wash, a buzzer will sound outside the vehicle. To turn off the alarm, lock all the doors.
●Set the electronic key to battery-saving mode to disable the sm art access system with
push-button start. ( P. 147)
■Aluminum wheels
●Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent.
●Wash detergent off with water immediately after use.
●To protect the paint from damage, make sure to observe the following precautions.
• Do not use acidic, alkaline or abrasive detergent
• Do not use hard brushes
• Do not use detergent on the wheels when they are hot, such as after driving or park-
ing in hot weather
■Bumpers
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■Front side windows water-repellent coating
●The following precautions can extend the effectiveness of the water-repellent coating.
• Remove any dirt, etc. from the front side windows regularly.
• Do not allow dirt and dust to accumulate on the windows for a long period.Clean the windows with a soft, damp cloth as soon as possible.
• Do not use wax or glass cleaners that co ntain abrasives when cleaning the windows.
• Do not use any metallic objects to remove condensation build up.
●When the water-repellent performance has become insufficient, the coating can be
repaired. Contact your Lexus dealer.
5787-1. Maintenance and care
RX350/RX350L_U
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 (vehicles with rain-sensing windshield wipers)
●When the upper part of the windshield 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 bo dy or if something bumps into the raindrop
sensor
■Precautions regarding the exhaust pipes and rear bumper diffusers
Exhaust gasses cause the exhaust pipes and rear bumper diffusers to become quite
hot.
When washing the vehicle, be careful not to touch the pipes and diffusers until they
have cooled sufficiently, as touching hot exhaust pipes and rear bumper diffusers can
cause burns.
■Precautions regarding the rear bumper with Blind Spot Monitor (if equipped)
If the paint of the rear bumper is chipped or scratched, the system may malfunction. If
this occurs, consult your Lexus dealer.
Set the wiper switch to off.
If the wiper switch is in “AUTO”, the wipers may
operate unexpectedly in the following situa-
tions, and may result in hands being caught or
other serious injuries and cause damage to the
wiper blades.
Off
5797-1. Maintenance and care
7
Maintenance and care
RX350/RX350L_U
NOTICE
■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 you see coal tar or tree sap on the paint surface
• If you see dead insects, insect droppings or bird droppings on the paint
• 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)
Set the wiper switch to the off position.
If the wiper switch is in “AUTO”, the wipers may operate and the wiper blades may be
damaged.
5807-1. Maintenance and care
RX350/RX350L_U
NOTICE
■When using a high pressure car wash
●When washing the vehicle, do not let water of the high pressure washer hit directly or
the vicinity of the camera. Due to the shock from the high pressure water, it is possible
the device may not operate as normal.
●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
• Steering parts
• Suspension parts
•Brake parts
●Vehicles with towing package: Do not point
the nozzle of a high pressure washer at the
areas shown in the illustration, as high pres-
sure water may dama ge the oil cooler.