
2064-6. Driving tips
warm water over the frozen area to
melt the ice. Wipe away the water
immediately to prevent it from
freezing.
To ensure proper operation of the
climate control system fan, remove
any snow that has accumulated on
the air inlet vents in front of the
windshield.
Check for and remove any excess
ice or snow that may have accumu-
lated on the exterior lights, vehicle’s
roof, chassis, around the tires or on
the brakes.
Remove any snow or mud from the
bottom of your shoes before getting
in the vehicle.
Accelerate the vehicle slowly, keep a
safe distance between you and the
vehicle ahead, and drive at a reduced
speed suitable to road conditions.
Park the vehicle and move the shift
lever to P without setting the park-
ing brake. The parking brake may
freeze up, preventing it from being
released. If the vehicle is parked
without setting the parking brake,
make sure to block the wheels.
Failure to do so may be dangerous
because it may cause the vehicle to
move unexpectedly, possibly lead-
ing to an accident.
When the parking brake is in automatic mode, release the parking brake after shift-
ing the shift lever to P. (
P.137)
If the vehicle is parked without set-
ting the parking brake, confirm that
the shift lever cannot be moved out
of P
*.
*: The shift lever will be locked if it is
attempted to be shifted from P to any
other position with out depressing the
brake pedal. If the shift lever can be
shifted from P, there may be a problem
with the shift lock system. Have the vehi-
cle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately.
Vehicles with front and rear tires of
the same size except for vehicles
with LDH and 19-inch tires
Use the correct tire chain size when
mounting the tire chains.
Chain size is regulated for each tire
size.
Side chain (0.12 in. [3 mm] in diam-
eter)
Cross chain (0.16 in. [4 mm] in
diameter)
When driving the vehicle
When parking the vehicle
Selecting tire chains
A
B

2074-6. Driving tips
4
Driving
Vehicles with front and rear tires of
differing sizes and vehicles with
LDH and 19-inch tires
Tire chains cannot be mounted.
Snow tires should be used instead.
Regulations regarding the use of tire
chains vary depending on location and
type of road. Always check local regu-
lations before installing chains.
■Tire chain installation
Observe the following precautions when
installing and removing chains:
●Install and remove tire chains in a safe
location.
●Install tire chains on the rear tires. Do not
install tire chains on the front tires.
●Install tire chains on rear tires as tightly as
possible. Retighten chains after driving
1/4 1/2 mile (0.5 1.0 km).
●Install tire chains following the instruc-
tions provided with the tire chains.
Regulations on the use of tire
chains
NOTICE
■Fitting tire chains
The tire pressure warning valves and
transmitters may not function correctly
when tire chains are fitted.

241
6
6
Maintenance and care
Maintenance and care
.6-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehi-cle exterior ................................ 242
Cleaning and protecting the vehi- cle interior ................................. 245
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements........................................................ 248
General maintenance ............. 249
Emission inspection and mainte- nance (I/M) programs ......... 252
6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance Do-it-yourself service precautions........................................................ 253
Hood............................................... 255
Positioning a floor jack............ 255
Engine compartment............... 257
Tires ................................................ 265
Tire inflation pressure .............. 273
Wheels........................................... 274
Air conditioning filter...............275
Electronic key battery ............. 277
Checking and replacing fuses ........................................................ 278
Headlight aim.............................. 280
Light bulbs ..................................... 281

2516-2. Maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Seats• Do the seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Does the steering wheel rotate
smoothly?
• Does the steering wheel have the cor-
rect amount of free
play?
•There should not be any strange sounds
coming from the
steering wheel.
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Doors/trunk• Do the doors/trunk operate smoothly?
Engine hood
•Does the engine hood lock system
work properly?
Fluid leaks
•There should not be any signs of fluid
leakage after the
vehicle has been
parked.
ItemsCheck points
Tires
• Is the tire inflation pressure correct?
• The tires should not be damaged or
excessively worn.
• Have the tires been rotated according to
the maintenance
schedule?
•The wheel nuts should not be loose.
Windshield wip-
ers
• The wiper blades should not show any
signs of cracking,
splitting, wear, con-
tamination or defor-
mation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield without
streaking or skip-
ping.
ItemsCheck points

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

2666-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
■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 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.
■Low profile tires
Generally, low profile tires will wear more
rapidly and tire grip performance will be
reduced on snowy and/or icy roads when
compared to standard ti res. 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.
■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.341)
■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 ti res 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.205)
■If the tread on snow tires wears down
below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is
lost.

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