ESP Lexus GX470 2003 Basic Functions / LEXUS 2003 GX470 (OM60A45U) Owner's Guide

AUDIO
199
Each time you push the “AUDIO·TUNE” knob, the display
changes as in the following. To adjust the tone and
balance or turn on or off the automatic sound levelizer,
turn the knob.
BAS: Adjusts low −pitched tones.
MID: Adjusts mid− pitched tones.
TRE: Adjusts high− pitched tones.
FAD: Adjusts the sound balance between the front and rear
speakers.
BAL: Adjusts the sound balance between the right and left
speakers.
ASL: Turns on or off the automatic sound levelizer.
Automatic sound levelizer: When the audio sound becomes
difficult to be heard due to road noise, wind noise, etc. during
driving, the system adjusts to the optimum volume and tone
quality according to the noise level. While the automatic sound
levelizer is on, “ASL” appears on the display. (c) Your radio antennas
The wire antenna is mounted inside the quarter windows.
NOTICE

When cleaning the inside of the quarter windows, be
careful not to scr atch or damage the wire antennas or
connectors.
 Putting a window tint (especially, conductive or
metallic type) on the quarter windows may affect the
reception of radio or mobile telephone. For the
installation of the window tint, consult with your
Lexus dealer.
(d) Your cassette player
When you insert a cassette, the exposed tape should face to
the right.
NOTICE
Do not oil any part of the cassette player, and do not
insert anything except a cassette tape into the slot.

AUDIO
216FM
Fading and
drifting stations − Generally, the ef fective range
of FM is about 40 km (25 miles). Once outside this range, you
may notice fading and drifting, which increase with the distance
from the radio transmitter. They are often accompanied by
distortion.
Multipath − FM signals are reflective, making it possible for
two signals to reach your antenna at the same time. If this
happens, the signals will cancel each other out, causing a
momentary flutter or loss of reception.
Static and fluttering − These occur when signals are blocked
by buildings, trees, or other large objects. Increasing the bass
level may reduce static and fluttering.
Station swapping − If the FM signal you are listening to is
interrupted or weakened, and there is another strong station
nearby on the FM band, your radio may tune in the second
station until the original signal can be picked up again. AM
Fading
− AM broadcasts are reflected by the upper
atmosphere − especially at night. These reflected signals can
interfere with those received directly from the radio station,
causing the radio station to sound alternately strong and weak.
Station interference − When a reflected signal and a signal
received directly from a radio station are very nearly the same
frequency, they can interfere with each other, making it dif ficult
to hear the broadcast.
Static − AM is easily af fected by external sources of electrical
noise, such as high tension power lines, l ightening, or electrical
motors. This results in static.
Caring for your cassette player and tapes
For the best performance for your cassette player and tapes:
Clean the tape head and other parts regularly.
 A dirty tape head or tape path can decrease sound quality
and tangle your cassette tapes. The easiest way to clean
them is by using a cleaning tape. (A wet type is
recommended.)

AUDIO
217
Use high−
quality cassettes:
 Low−quality cassette tapes can cause many problems,
including poor sound, inconsistent playing speed, and
constant auto−reversing. They can also get stuck or tangled
in the cassette player.
 Do not use a cassette if it has been damaged or tangled or
if its label is peeling off.
 Do not leave a cassette in the player if you are not listening
to it, especially if it is hot outside.
 Store cassettes in their cases and out of direct sunlight.
 Avoid using cassettes with a total playing time longer than
100 minutes (50 minutes per side). The tape used in these
cassettes is thin and could get stuck or tangled in the
cassette player. Caring for your compact disc player and discs

Your compact disc player is intended for use with 12 cm (4.7
in.) discs only.
 Extremely high temperature can keep your compact disc
player from working. On hot days, use air conditioning to
cool the vehicle interior before you listen to a disc.
 Bumpy roads or other vibrations may make your compact
disc player skip.
 If moisture gets into your compact disc player, you may not
hear any sound even though your compact disc player
appears to be working. Eject all discs from the player and
wait until the player dries.
CAUTION
Compact disc players use an invisible laser beam which
could cause hazardous radiation exposure if directed
outside the unit. Be sure to operate the player correctly.

AUDIO
219
 Labeled discs
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the player or changer, do not use
special shaped, low quality or labeled discs such as
those shown in the illustrations.
 Correct  Wrong
 Handle compact discs carefully, especially when you set
them into the player. Hold them on the edge and do not bend
them. A void getting fingerprints on them, particularly on the
shiny side.
 Dirt, scrapes, warping, pin holes, or other disc damage
could cause the player to skip or to repeat a section of a
track. (To see a pin hole, hold the disc up to the light.)

AUDIO
272(q) Language code list
Code
Language
1001Japanese
0514English
0618French
0405German
0920Italian
0519Spanish
2608Chinese
1412Dutch
1620Portuguese
1922Swedish
1821Russian
111 5Korean
0512Greek
0101Afar
0102Abkhazian
0106Afrikaans
0113Amharic
0118Arabic
0119Assamese
0125Aymara
0126Azerbaijani
0201Bashkir
0205Byelorussian
0207Bulgarian
0208Bihari
0209Bislama
0214Bengali
0215Tibetan
0218Breton
0301Catalan
0315Corsican
0319Czech
0325Welsh
0401Danish
0426Bhutani
0515Esperanto
0520Estonian
0521Basque
0601Persian
0609Finnish
0610Fiji
0615Faroese

AUDIO
290AM
Fading
− AM broadcasts are reflected by the upper
atmosphere − especially at night. These reflected signals can
interfere with those received directly from the radio station,
causing the radio station to sound alternately strong and weak.
Station interference − When a reflected signal and a signal
received directly from a radio station are very nearly the same
frequency, they can interfere with each other, making it dif ficult
to hear the broadcast.
Static − AM is easily af fected by external sources of electrical
noise, such as high tension power lines, lightening, or electrical
motors. This results in static.
Caring for your cassette player and tapes
For the best performance for your cassette player and tapes:
Clean the tape head and other parts regularly.
 A dirty tape head or tape path can decrease sound quality
and tangle your cassette tapes. The easiest way to clean
them is by using a cleaning tape. (A wet type is
recommended.)
Use high− quality cassettes.
 Low−quality cassette tapes can cause many problems,
including poor sound, inconsistent playing speed, and
constant auto−reversing. They can also get stuck or tangled
in the cassette player.
 Do not use a cassette if it has been damaged or tangled or
if its label is peeling off. 
Do not leave a cassette in the player if you are not listening
to it, especially if it is hot outside.
 Store cassettes in their cases and out of direct sunlight.
 Avoid using cassettes with a total playing time longer than
100 minutes (50 minutes per side). The tape used in these
cassettes is thin and could get stuck or tangled in the
cassette player.
Caring for your compact disc player, DVD player and discs
 Your compact disc player and DVD player are intended for
use with 12 cm (4.7 in.) discs only.
 Extremely high temperatures can keep your compact disc
player and DVD player from working. On hot days, use the
air conditioning to cool the vehicle interior before you use
the players.
 Bumpy roads or other vibrations may make your compact
disc player and DVD player skip.
 If moisture gets into your compact disc player and DVD
player, the players may not play even though they appear
to be working. Remove the disc from the player and wait
until it dries.
CAUTION
Compact disc players and DVD players use an invisible
laser beam which could cause hazardous radiation
exposure if directed outside the unit. Be sure to operate
the players correctly.

AUDIO
293
 Labeled discs
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the player or changer, do not use
special shaped, low quality or labeled discs such as
those shown in the illustrations.
 Correct  Wrong
 Handle compact discs carefully, especially when you are
inserting them. Hold them on the edge and do not bend
them. A void getting fingerprints on them, particularly on the
shiny side.
 Dirt, scrapes, warping, pin holes, or other disc damage
could cause the player to skip or to repeat a section of a
track. (To see a pin hole, hold the disc up to the light.)
 Remove discs from the compact disc player when you are
not listening to them. Store them in their plastic cases away
from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight.

STARTING AND DRIVING
333
CAUTION
Do not overestimate the antilock brake system:
Although the antilock brake system assists in
providing vehicle control, it is still important to drive
with all due care and maintain a moderate speed and
safe distance from the vehicle in front of you, because
there are limits to the vehicle stability and effectiveness
of steering wheel operation even with the antilock
brake system on.
If tire grip performance exceeds its capability, or if
hydroplaning occurs during high speed driving in the
rain, the antilock brake system does not provide
vehicle control.
Antilock brake system is not designed to shorten the
stopping distance: Always drive at a moderate speed
and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of
you. Compared with vehicles without an antilock
brake system, your vehicle may require a longer
stopping distance in the following cases:
 Driving on rough, gravel or snowcovered roads.
 Driving with tire chains installed.
Driving over the steps such as the joints on the road.
 Driving on roads where the road surface is pitted or
has other differences in surface height.
Install all 4 tires of specified size at appropriate
pressure: The antilock brake system detects vehicle
speeds using the speed sensors for respective wheels’
turning speeds. The use of tires other than specified
may fail to detect the accurate turning speed resulting
in a longer stopping distance.

DRIVING TIPS
342
Do not continue normal driving when the brakes are
wet. If they are wet, your vehicle will require a longer
stopping distance, and it may pull to one side when
the brakes are applied. Also, the parking brake will
not hold the vehicle securely.
 If you drive through deep water over about 500 mm
(20 in.) in depth, put the vehicle height in the HI (High)
mode with the active height select switch and then
turn off the active height control suspension by
pushing the height control switch. Drive your vehicle
at 30 km/h (19 mph) or lower speed.OFFROAD DRIVING PRECAUTIONS
When driving your vehicle off −road, please observe the
following precautions to ensure your driving enjoyment and to
help prevent the closure of areas to off −road vehicles.
a. Drive your vehicle only in areas where off −road vehicles are
permitted to travel.
b. Respect private property. Get owner’s permission before
entering private property.
c. Do not enter areas that are closed. Honor gates, barriers
and signs that restrict travel.
d. Stay on established roads. When conditions are wet,
driving techniques should be changed or travel delayed to
prevent damage to roads.
For owners in U.S. mainland, Hawaii and Puerto Rico:
To obtain additional information pertaining to driving your
vehicle off −road, consult the following organizations.
 State and Local Parks and Recreation Departments
 State Motor Vehicle Bureau
 Recreational Vehicle Clubs
 U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management

DRIVING TIPS
343
CAUTION
Always observe the following precautions to minimize
the risk of serious personal injury or damage to your
vehicle:
Drive carefully when off the road. Do not take
unnecessary risks by driving in dangerous places.
 Do not grip the steering wheel spokes when driving
offroad. 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 materials
trapped or adhering to the underbody, a breakdown
or fire could occur.
 In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing
a seat belt. Therefore, the driver and all passengers
should fasten their seat belts whenever the vehicle is
moving.
 When driving offroad or in rugged terrain, do not
drive at excessive speeds, jump, make sharp turns,
strike objects, etc. This may cause loss of control or
vehicle rollover causing death or serious injury. You
are also risking expensive damage to your vehicle’s
suspension and chassis.
NOTICE
 If driving through water, such as when crossing
shallow streams, first check the depth of the water
and the bottom of the river bed for firmness. Drive
slowly and avoid deep water.
 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 can wash the grease from wheel bearings,
causing rusting and premature failure, and may also
enter the differentials, transmission and transfer
case, reducing the gear oil’s lubricating qualities.
 Sand and mud that has accumulated in brake drums
and around brake discs may affect braking ef ficiency
and may damage brake system components.