wheel LEXUS LS430 2006 Owner's Guide

245
4-1. Maintenance and care
4
Maintenance and care
■To prevent paint deterioration and corrosion on the body
●Wash the car immediately 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 or in sect dr
oppings on the paint
• After driving in an area contaminated with soot, oily smoke, mine dust, iron po
wder or chemical substances.
• If the vehicle becomes heavily soiled in dust or mud
• If liquids such as benzene and gasoline are spilled on the paint surface
●If the paint is chipped or scratched, have it repaired immediately
■Wheels
Remove any dirt immediately by using a neutral detergent. Do not use hard brushes
or

abrasive cleaners. Do not use strong or harsh chemical cleaners. Use the same
mild detergent and wax as used on the point.
■Plastic bumpers and side moldings
Do not scrub with abrasive cleaners.
■Windshield and front door glass water-repellent coating
The following precautions can extend the e
ffectiveness of the water-repellent coat-
ing.
• Remove any dirt, etc. from the windshield 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 cont
ain abrasires when cleaning the win-
dows.
• Do not use any metallic objects to remove condensation build up.

253
4-2. Maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
Vehicle interior
ItemsCheck points
Accelerator pedal• Moves smoothly
(without uneven pedal effort or catching)?
Automatic transmission
“Park” mechanism• Can hold the vehicle securely on a incline with the selector lever in “P”?
Brake pedal
• Moves smoothly?
• Does it have appropriate clearance and correct amount of free play?
Brakes
• Not pull to one side when applied?
• Loss of brake effectiveness?
• Spongy feeling brake pedal?
• Pedal almost touches floor?
Head restraints• Move smoothly and lock securely?
Indicators/buzzers• Function properly?
Lights• Do all the lights come on?
• Headlights aimed correctly? ( P.311)
Pa r k i n g b r a ke• Moves smoothly?
• Can hold the vehicle securely on a incline?
Seat belts• Does the seat belt system operate smoothly?
• Are the belts undamaged?
Seats• The seat controls operate properly?
Steering wheel
• Moves smoothly?
• Has correct free play?
•No strange noise?

254
4-2. Maintenance
Vehicle exterior
ItemsCheck points
Door/trunk• Do they operate smoothly?
• Do the locks work properly?
Engine hood• Does the hood latch and lock work properly?
Fluid leaks• Are there any leaks when the vehicle is parked?
Ti r e
• Is the inflation pressure correct? ( P. 2 8 3 )
• Are tire surfaces worn or damaged? ( P. 2 7 8 )
• Do the tires need to be rotated according to the mainte- nance schedule? ( P. 2 7 8 )
• Are the wheel nuts loose?

279
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
Initializing the tire pressure warning system
Tire pressure warning system must be initialized after tires or wheels have
been replaced or rotated, or after adjusting tire pressure.
Message
Reset switch
Park the vehicle with the parking br
ake applied and turn the igni-
tion switch to “LOCK”.
Adjust the pressure of all the tir
es to the specified level.
( P.283 )
Turn the ignition switch on.*
Push and hold the reset switch until “P
ressure Initial” appears in
the multi-information display.**
Drive your vehicle for more than one hour or at speeds of 1
9 mph
(30 km/h) or over.
If you make a mistake in the middle of initialization, per
form the operation
again from the beginning.
*: If “Low Tire” appears in the multi- information display
, push the “RESET”
switch for a few seconds and make sure the warning message disap-
pears.
**:If “Pressure Initial” does not appear when the r
eset switch is held down,
the system may be malfunctioning. Ha ve your vehicle checked by your
Lexus dealer as soon as possible
1
2

281
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
■Ty p e s o f t i r e s
1. Summer tires: 
Summer tires are high-speed capability tires best suited to highway driving
un
der dry conditions. Since summer tires do not have the same traction perfor-
mance as snow tires, summer tires are in adequate f
or driving on snow-covered
or icy roads. 
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using snow
t
ires. If installing snow tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
2. All season tires: 
All season tires are designed to provid e better tr
action in snow and to be ade-
quate for driving in most winter conditions , as
well as for use year round. All sea-
son tires, however, do not have adequa te
traction performance compared with
snow tires in heavy or loose snow. Also, a ll season tires fall short in acceleration
and handling performance compared wi th summer tires in highway driving.
3. Snow tires: 
For driving on snow-covered roads or icy roads, we recommend using snow
tir

es. If you need snow tires, select tire s of the same size, construction and load
capacity as the originally installed tires. Since your vehicle has radial tires as
original equipment, make sure your snow tires also have radial construction. Do
not install studded tires without first checking local regulations for possible
restrictions. Snow tires should be installed on all wheels. (P.149 )

282
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
+
CAUTION
■When inspecting or replacing tires
Observe the following instructions, as failure to do so may cause dangerous han-
dling characteristics resulting in loss of contr
ol and could cause death or serious
injury.
• Do not mix radial, bias belted, or bias-ply tir
es on your vehicle, or use tires other
than the manufacturer’s recommended size.
• Do not mix summer and all season tires on your vehicle.
• Do not use tires other than the manufact ur
er’s designated tires, and never mix
tires or wheels of different size to the originals.
NOTICE
■To prevent malfunction of the tire pressure warning system
Do not push the reset switch without adjusting the tire inflation pressure to the spec-
ified level. Otherwise, the low tire pressure warning may not function correctly.
(  P.334 )
■If tire pressure becomes low while driving
Do not continue driving, your ti r
es and/or wheels may be ruined.

286
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
CAUTION
■When inspecting and adjusting tire pressure
Be sure to reinstall the tire valve caps. 
Without the valve caps, dirt or moisture c
ould get into the valve and cause air leak-
age, which could result in an accident. If the caps ha
ve been lost, have new ones put
on as soon as possible.
■Check tire pressure regularly
The tire pressure warning system will warn you when one or more of your tires are
si
gnificantly under-inflated. However, ther e are combinations which the system will
not detect (both tires on the same side or same axle). Thus it is important to check
the tire pressure of all tires regularly.
■Proper inflation is critical to safe tire performance
Keep your tires properly inflated. Otherwise, the following conditions may occur
and r

esult in an accident causi ng in death or serious injury.
•Excessive wear
• Uneven wear
• Poor handling
• Possibility of blowouts from an overheated tire
• Poor sealing of the tire bead
• Wheel deformation and/or tire separation
• A greater possibility of tire damage from road hazards

287
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
4
Maintenance and care
Wheels
If your wheel is bent, cracked or heavily corroded, the wheel should be
replaced.

Otherwise, the tire may separate from t
he wheel or cause loss of handling
control.
■ Wheel selection
When replacing wheels, care should be tak
en to ensure that they are
equivalent to those removed in lo ad capacity, diameter, rim width,
and offset.
Replacement wheels are available at your Lexus dealer.
Lexus does not recommend using:
• A wheel of a different size or type;
• Used wheels; or
• Bent wheels that have been straightened.
■ Aluminum wheel precautions
●Use only Lexus wheel nuts and a wrench designed for your alumi-
num wheels if you have rotated, repaired or changed your tires.
●Check that the wheel nuts are st ill tight after driving 1000 miles
(1600 km).
●Be careful not to damage the aluminum wheels when using tire
chains.
●Use only Lexus balance weights or equivalent and a plastic or rub-
ber hammer when balancing your wheels.

288
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
CAUTION
■When replacing wheels
●Do not use wheels other than the manufacturer’s recommended wheel or wheel
size, as this may result in loss of handling control.
●Never using an inner tube in a leaking wheel which is designed for a tubeless tire.
Doing so may result in an accident, causing death or serious injury.

320
5-1. Essential information
If your vehicle needs to be towed
Never tow your vehicle with a sling
type truck.

We recommend having your vehicle
t
owed with a wheel lift type truck or
flat bed truck by your Lexus dealer
or a commercial tow truck service.
Use a safety chain system for all towing, and abide by the state/provincial and
loca
l laws. 
If towing from the rear, the vehicle’s fr
ont wheels and axles on the ground
must be in good condition. ( P.322)
If they are damaged, use a to wing dolly
or flat bed truck.
■Before towing
In the following cases, there may be a problem with your transmission. Con -
tact your Lexus dealer before towing.
• The engine is running, but the vehicle will not move.
• The vehicle makes an abnormal sound.