2021 LEXUS RX350 tires

343
6
6
Maintenance and care
Maintenance and care
.6-1. Maintenance and careCleaning and protecting the vehi-cle exterior ................................ 344
Cleaning and protecting the vehi- cle interior ................................. 347
6-2. Maintenance Maintenance requirements........................................................ 350
General maintenance .............. 351
Emission inspection and mainte- nance (I/M) programs ......... 354
6-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance Do-it-yourself service precautions........................................................ 355
Hood............................................... 357
Positioning a floor jack............ 357
Engine compartment............... 359
Tires ................................................ 365
Tire inflation pressure .............. 373
Wheels........................................... 374
Air conditioning filter...............376
Windshield wiper inserts........ 378
Electronic key battery ............. 379
Checking and replacing fuses ......................................................... 381
Headlight aim.............................. 382
Light bulbs .................................... 384

3536-2. 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• Do the doors oper-ate 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/rear window
wiper
• The wiper blades should not show any
signs of cracking,
splitting, wear, con-
tamination or defor-
mation.
• The wiper blades should clear the
windshield/rear win-
dow without streak-
ing or skipping.
ItemsCheck points

3656-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
Check 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

3666-3. 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 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.
■Proper storage of the spare tire
(RX350L)
As an improperly stored spare tire may
cause damage to the wi re cable that holds
it, check that the spare tire is stored prop-
erly on a daily basis.
●If the stored spare tire appears to be
slanted or rattles while driving, the spare
tire may not be properly stored. Store the
spare tire again by performing the follow-
ing tire change procedure correctly:
1 If the spare tire is slanted, the hoist
assembly may be stuck in the wheel
opening. If the spare tire rattles while
driving, it may not be fully raised. Lower
the spare tire to the ground and make
sure that the hoist assembly is perpen-
dicular to the wheel opening.
2 Raise the tire slowly and steadily until a
click is heard and the jack handle skips.
If the spare tire cannot be lowered, the wire
cable may be severed. Have the vehicle inspected at your Lexus dealer.
■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.452)
■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

3676-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
roads, we recommend using snow tires. If
you need snow tires, select tires of the
same size, construction and load capacity
as the originally installed 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.280)
■If the tread on snow tires wears down
below 0.16 in. (4 mm)
The effectiveness of the tires as snow tires is
lost.
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.
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
before serious problems arise.
 The tire pressure detected by the
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.
●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
■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.
■If tire inflation pressure of each tire
becomes low while driving
Do not continue driving, or your tires
and/or wheels may be ruined.
Tire rotation
Tire pressure warning system

3706-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
For vehicles sold in Canada
When replacing tires or wheels, tire
pressure warning valves and transmit-
ters must also be installed.
When new tire pressure warning
valves and transmitters are installed,
new ID codes must be registered in the
tire pressure warning computer and
the tire pressure warning system must
be initialized. Have tire pressure warn-
ing valve and transmitter ID codes reg-
istered by your Lexus dealer.
(  P.372)
■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.
Installing tire pressure warning
valves and transmittersNOTICE
■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.

3716-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
6
Maintenance and care
■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.
 When the tire inflation pressure is
changed such as when the tire size
is changed.
 When rotating the tires.
When the tire pressure warning system
is initialized, the cu rrent 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.
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
Turn the engine switch to IGNI-
TION ON mode.
4 Select on the multi-information
display.
5 Press or of the meter con-
trol switch, select the “Vehicle Set-
tings” screen and then press the
.
6 Press or of the meter con-
trol switch, select the “TPMS”
screen and then press and hold the
until the tire pressure warn-
ing light blinks slowly 3 times.
“- -” will be displayed for inflation pressure
of each tire on the multi-information dis-
play while the tire pr essure warning system
determines the position of each tire.
7 Drive the vehicle at approximately
25 mph (40 km/h) or more for
approximately 10 to 30 minutes
until the inflation pressure of each
tire is displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display.
When position of each tire is determined,
the inflation pressure of each tire will be
displayed on the multi-information display.
If tire inflation pressure becomes low
before the inflation pressure is displayed,
the tire pressure warning light will come
NOTICE
■To avoid damage to the tire pressure
warning valves and transmitters
When a tire is repaired with liquid seal-
ants, the tire pressu re 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. Make sure to replace
the tire pressure warning valve and trans-
mitter when replacing the tire. ( P.370)
Initializing the tire pressure
warning system

3726-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
on.
Depending on the vehicle and driving con-
ditions, initialization may take up to
approximately 1 hour to complete.
■Initializing the tire pressure warning sys-
tem
Initialize the system with the tire inflation
pressure adjusted to the specified level.
■If you press the tire pressure warning
reset switch accidentally
If initialization is performed, adjust the tire
inflation pressure to the specified level and
initialize the tire pr essure warning system
again.
■Initialization procedure
●Make sure to carry ou t initialization after
adjusting the tire inflation pressure.
Also, make sure the tires are cold before
carrying out initializat ion 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 pr ess the reset switch
when initialization is not necessary, adjust
the tire inflation pres sure to the specified
level when the tires are cold, and conduct
initialization again.
●While the position of each tire is being
determined and the inflation pressures
are not being displayed on the
multi-information display, if the inflation
pressure of a tire drops, the tire pressure
warning light will come on.
■When initialization of the tire pressure
warning system has failed
Initialization may take lo nger to complete if
the vehicle is driven on an unpaved road.
When performing initialization, drive on a
paved road if possible. Depending on the
driving environment and condition of the
tires, initialization will be completed in
approximately 10 to 30 minutes. If initializa-
tion is not complete after driving approxi- mately 10 to 30 minutes, continue driving
for a while.
If the inflation pressure of each tire is not
displayed after driving for approximately 1
hour, perform the following procedure.
●Park the vehicle in a safe place for
approximately 20 minutes. Then drive
straight (with occasional left and right
turns) at approximately 25 mph (40
km/h) or more for approximately 10 to
30 minutes.
However, in the following situations, the tire
inflation pressure will not be recorded and
the system will not operate properly. Per-
form initialization again.
●When operating the tire pressure warn-
ing reset switch, the tire pressure warning
light does not blink 3 times.
●After performing init ialization, the tire
pressure warning light blinks for 1 minute
then stays on while driving.
If the inflation pressure of each tire is still not
displayed, have the vehicle inspected by
your Lexus dealer.
The tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter is equipped with a unique
ID code. When replacing a tire pres-
sure warning valve and transmitter, it is
necessary to register the ID code.
Have the ID code registered by your
Lexus dealer.
WARNING
■When initializing the tire pressure
warning system
Do not initializing tire inflation pressure
without first adjusting the tire inflation
pressure to the spec ified level. Other-
wise, the tire pressu re warning light may
not come on even if the tire inflation pres-
sure is low, or it may come on when the
tire inflation pressure is actually normal.
Registering ID codes