2656-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
RC300Check 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 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.
WARNING
■When adding washer fluid
Do not add washer fluid when the engine
is hot or running as washer fluid contains
alcohol and may catch fire if spilled on
the engine, etc.
NOTICE
■Do not use any fluid other than
washer fluid
Do not use soapy water or engine anti-
freeze instead of washer fluid.
Doing so may cause streaking on the
vehicle’s painted surfaces, as well as
damaging the pump leading to problems
of the washer fluid not spraying.
■Diluting washer fluid
Dilute washer fluid with water as neces-
sary.
Refer to the freezing temperatures listed
on the label of the washer fluid bottle.
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in accor-
dance with maintenance schedules
and treadwear.
Checking tires
A
B
C
2676-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
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 rotating the tires
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
WARNING
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following precautions to
prevent accidents.
Failure to do so may cause damage to
parts of the drivetrain as well as danger-
ous handling characteristics, which may
lead to an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.
●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.
●Do not tow if your vehicle has a com-
pact spare tire installed.
NOTICE
■Low profile tires
Low profile tires may cause greater dam-
age than usual to the tire wheel when
sustaining impact from the road surface.
Therefore, pay attention to the following:
●Be sure to use proper tire inflation
pressure. If tires are under-inflated,
they may be damaged more severely.
●Avoid potholes, uneven pavement,
curbs and other road hazards. Failure
to do so may lead to severe tire and
wheel damage.
■If tire inflation pressure of each tire
becomes low while driving
Do not continue driving, or your tires
and/or wheels may be ruined.
■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
2686-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
information will not be updated.
If this accidentally occurs, either turn the
engine switch to off and then to IGNITION
ON mode, or initialize the system after
checking that the tire pressure is properly
adjusted.
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure warning system that uses tire
pressure warning valves and transmit-
ters to detect low tire inflation pressure
before serious problems arise.
The tire pressure detected by the
tire pressure warning system can be
displayed on the multi-information
display. ( P.71)
The illustration used is intended as an
example, and may differ from the image
that is actually displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display.
If the tire pressure drops below a
predetermined level, the driver is
warned by a screen display and a
warning light. ( P.300)
■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 pressu re after the engine
switch is turned to IGNITION ON mode.
It may also take a few minutes to display
the tire inflation pressure after inflation
pressure has b een adjusted.
●Tire inflation pressure changes with tem-
perature. The displaye d 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.
• 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 extremely
higher than the specified level.
• If tires not equipped with tire pressure
Tire pressure warning system
2696-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
warning valves and transmitters 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 affected in the fol-
lowing situations.
• Near a TV tower, electric power plant,
gas station, radio stat ion, large display,
airport or other faci lity that generates
strong radio waves or electrical 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 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 rap-
idly for example when a tire has burst, the
warning may not function.
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.271)
■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
properly. After driving for about 20 min-
utes, the tire pressure warning light blinks
for 1 minute and stays on to indicate a sys- tem malfunction.
■The tire pressure warning system
must be initialized in the following
circumstances:
When rotating the tires.
When the tire inflation pressure is
changed such as when changing
traveling speed or load weight.
When changing the tire size.
Installing tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters
NOTICE
■Repairing or replac ing 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 could enter the tire pressure
warning valves and the tire pressure
warning valves could be bound.
●When replacing tire valve caps, do not
use tire valve caps other than those
specified. The cap may become stuck.
■To avoid damage to the tire pressure
warning valves and transmitters
When a tire is repaired with liquid seal-
ants, the tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter may not operate properly. If a
liquid sealant is used , contact your Lexus
dealer or other qualified service shop as
soon as possible. After use of liquid seal-
ant, make sure to re place the tire pres-
sure warning valve and transmitter when
repairing or replacing the tire. ( P.269)
Initializing the tire pressure
warning system
2706-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
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, turn
the engine switch off and wait 20
minutes or more.
Initialization cannot be performed while
the vehicle is moving.
2 Adjust the tire inflation pressure to
the specified cold tire inflation pres-
sure level.
Make sure to adjust th e 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 Start the engine. ( P.127)
4 Press and hold the tire pressure
warning reset switch until the tire
pressure warning light blinks slowly
3 times.
Then a message will be displayed on the
multi-information display.
5Drive straight (with occasional left
and right turns) at approximately
25 mph (40 km/h) or more for
approximately 10 to 30 minutes.
Initialization is complete when the position
of each tire is determined and the inflation pressure of each tire
is displayed on the
multi-information display.
■Initialization procedure
●Make sure to carry out initialization after
adjusting the tire inflation pressure.
Also, make sure the tires are cold before
carrying out initialization or tire inflation
pressure adjustment.
●If you have accidentally turned the engine
switch off during initialization, it is not
necessary to press the reset switch again
as initialization 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
level when the tires are cold, and conduct
initialization again.
■If the tire pressure warning system is not
initialized properly
●In the following situations, initialization
may take longer than usual to be com-
pleted or may not be possible. (Usually,
the vehicle will need to be driven for
approximately 10 to 30 minutes to com-
plete initialization.) If initialization is not
complete after drivin g approximately 30
minutes, continue driving for a while.
• If the vehicle is driven on an unpaved road, it may take longer to complete ini-
tialization.
• If the vehicle is backed up while perform-
ing initialization, data collected during ini-
tialization will be cleared and it will take
longer than normal to complete.
• If the vehicle is driven in heavy traffic or another situation where other vehicles
are driven close by, it may take time for
the system to recognize the tire pressure
warning valve and transmitters of your
vehicle over those of other vehicles.
If initialization is not complete after driving
for approximately 1 hour, park the vehicle in
a safe place for approximately 20 minutes
and then drive the vehicle again.
●In the following situations, initialization
will not be started or was not completed
properly and the system will not operate
2716-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
properly. Perform the initialization proce-
dure again.
• If, when attempting to start initialization,
the tire pressure warning light does not
blink 3 times.
• If, when the vehicle has been driven for
about 20 minutes after performing ini-
tialization, the tire pressure warning light
blinks for approximately 1 minute and
then illuminates.
●If initialization cannot be completed after
performing the above procedure, con-
tact your Lexus dealer.
Every tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter has a unique ID code.
When replacing a tire pressure warn-
ing valve and transmitter, it is necessary
to register the ID codes.
1 Park the vehicle in a safe place, turn
the engine switch off, wait 20 min-
utes or more, and then start the
engine.
2 Start the engine. ( P.127)
3 Press the tire pressure warning
reset switch 3 times quickly.
The tire pressure wa rning light will blink
slowly 3 times.
Sensor registration mode will be entered
and ID codes registration will begin. A message will be displayed on the
multi-information display and “- -” will be
displayed for the tire
inflation pressure of
each tire.
After this, the tire pr essure warning light
will blink for 1 minute and then illuminate.
4Wait approximately 2 minutes.
If the ID codes are already registered, the
tire pressure warning light will turn off.
If the tire pressure warning light
turns off
5 Initialize the tire pressure warning
system. ( P.269)
If the tire pressure warning light
does not turn off
5 Drive at approximately 25 mph
(40 km/h) or more until the tire
pressure warning light turns off.
6 Initialize the tire pressure warning
system. ( P.270)
■When registering ID codes
●Before performing ID code registration,
make sure that no wheels with tire pres-
sure warning valve and transmitters
installed are near the vehicle.
●Make sure to initializ e the tire pressure
warning system after registering the ID
codes. If the system is initialized before
registering the ID codes, the initialized
values will be invalid.
●As the tires will be warm when registra-
tion is completed, ma ke sure to allow the
tires to cool before performing initializa-
WARNING
■When initializing the tire pressure
warning system
Do not operate the ti re pressure warning
reset switch without first adjusting the tire
inflation pressure to the specified level.
Otherwise, the tire pressure warning
light may not come on even if the tire
inflation pressure is low, or it may come
on when the tire inflation pressure is
actually normal.
Registering ID codes
2726-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
tion.
■Canceling ID code registration
●To cancel ID code registration after it has
been started, turn the engine switch off
before driving the vehicle.
If the vehicle is driven after ID code regis-
tration is started, to cancel registration,
perform the ID code registration start
procedure again and turn the engine
switch off before driving.
●If ID code registration has been canceled,
the tire pressure warning light will blink
for approximately 1 minute when the
engine switch is turned to IGNITION
ON mode and then illuminate. The tire
pressure warning system will be opera-
tional when the tire pressure warning
light turns off.
●If the warning light does not turn off even
after several minutes have elapsed, ID
code registration may not have been can-
celled correctly. To ca ncel registration,
perform the ID code registration start
procedure again and th en turn the engine
switch off before driving.
■If ID codes are not registered properly
●In the following situations, ID code regis-
tration may take longer than usual to be
completed or may not be possible. (Usu-
ally, the vehicle will need to be driven for
approximately 10 to 30 minutes to com-
plete ID code registration.)
If ID code registration is not complete
after driving for approximately 30 min-
utes, continue driving for a while.
• If the vehicle is driven on an unpaved road, it may take longer than normal to
complete registration.
• If the vehicle is backed up while perform- ing registration, data collected during
registration will be cleared, and it will take
longer than normal to complete.
• If the vehicle is driven in heavy traffic or
another situation where other vehicles
are driven close by, it may take time for
the system to recognize the tire pressure
warning valve and tran smitters of your
vehicle over those of other vehicles.
• If a wheel with a tire pressure warning valve and transmitter installed is inside or
near the vehicle, registration of the ID codes for the installed wheels may not be
possible.
If ID registration is not complete after driv-
ing for approximately 1 hour, park the vehi-
cle in a safe place for approximately 20
minutes and then perform the ID code reg-
istration procedure again.
●In the following situations, ID code regis-
tration will not be started or was not com-
pleted properly and the system will not
operate properly. Pe rform the ID code
registration procedure again.
• If, when attempting to start ID code regis-
tration, the tire pressure warning light
does not blink slowly 3 times.
• If, when the vehicle has been driven for
about 20 minutes after performing ID
code registration, the tire pressure warn-
ing light blinks for approximately 1 minute
and then illuminates.
●If ID code registration cannot be com-
pleted after performing the above proce-
dure, contact your Lexus dealer.
2746-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
ing.
●Always use a tire pressure gauge.
It is difficult to judge if a tire is properly
inflated based only on its appearance.
●It is normal for the tire inflation pressure
to be higher after driving as heat is gen-
erated in the tire. Do not reduce tire infla-
tion pressure after driving.
●Never exceed the vehicle capacity
weight.
Passengers and luggage weight should
be placed so that the vehicle is balanced.
When replacing wheels, care should
be taken to ensure that they are equiv-
alent to those removed in load capac-
ity, diameter, rim width and inset
*.
Replacement wheels are available at
your Lexus dealer.
*: Conventionally referred to as offset.
Lexus does not recommend using the
following:
Wheels of different sizes or types
Used wheels
Bent wheels that have been straight-
ened
■When replacing wheels
The wheels of your vehicle are equipped
with tire pressure wa rning valves and trans-
mitters that allow the tire pressure warning
system to provide advance warning in the
event of a loss in tire inflation pressure.
Whenever wheels are replaced, tire pres-
sure warning valves an d transmitters must
be installed. ( P.269)
WARNING
■Proper inflation is critical to save tire
performance
Keep your tires properly inflated.
If the tires are not properly inflated, the
following conditions may occur which
could lead to an accident resulting in
death or serious injury:
●Excessive wear
●Uneven wear
●Poor handling
●Possibility of blowouts resulting from
overheated tires
●Air leaking from between tire and
wheel
●Wheel deformation and/or tire dam-
age
●Greater possibility of tire damage
while driving (due to road hazards,
expansion joints, sharp edges on the
road, etc.)
NOTICE
■When inspecting and adjusting tire
inflation pressure
Be sure to put the tire valve caps back on.
If a valve cap is not installed, dirt or mois-
ture may get into the valve and cause an
air leak, resulting in decreased tire infla-
tion pressure.
Wheels
If a wheel is bent, cracked or heavily
corroded, it should be replaced.
Otherwise, the tire may separate
from the wheel or cause a loss of
handling control.
Wheel selection
WARNING
■When replacing wheels
●Do not use wheels that are a different
size from those recommended in the
Owner’s Manual, as this may result in a
loss of handling control.