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Thanks
1.) Cowl fix kit (did not help at all as applied).
2.) Dash rattle fix kit per Toyota (noise started
about two (2) weeks after being in shop
overnight for fix).
I was contacted by the dealer customer satisfaction dept. about the fix, and I received a
follow-up call from the Service Advisor because of it. They want us to bring the vehicle back in the shop again. Good-sign, but very inconvenient, d/t wife's work schedule. Will try again and report back. My wife is about ready to trade d/t the dash-rattle. Sounds goofey, but she's pretty TO'd. Otherwise she loves the vehicle. For free it's worth a try again.
$500? Does that inlcude a new water pump, pulleys and other belts?
tidester, host
I'd also shop for prices at the most convenient Toyota dealerships, and get the water pump changed out at the same time.
With only 57k miles on it, your RAV might have a lot of life left.
If I thought I might sell the RAV in a year or two, I'd probably take my chances not replacing the belt. Judging by the mileage on it, maybe you don't stray too far from home.
Have you had the '96 RAV since new?
Any problems?
Good luck.
So you have had the '96 since new.
Just imagine all the car payments you aren't making these days.
-ss4
I like the Highlander too, but I rub my head on the roof of the car.....Same with the Lexus RX330.
But it is nothing definitive, just spy photos and speculation, so you're not missing much.
-ss4
I am not saying that this is your fault, but just clarifying what you saw about the 1997-2002.
How many miles on the car, how many miles between oil changes, how long (months) between oil changes, has filter always been changed, who did the oil changes???
As Mcdawgg says, lack of, or extended oil changes
are by far the most common reasons for sludge development.
And yes, there has been considerable discussion about sludge in the past.
In spite of what some insisted, it eventually turned out there was far more hype than substance to the controversy.
When the dust finally settled, it also became clear that Mcdawgg's assessment and experience is as close to the truth as it gets.
In your case it's difficult to provide any kind of helpful information without more information from you AND your dealer.
When an assessment by your dealer is made on what the cause (or causes) might be, it would be interesting to hear what was determined.
The others are right in that the Toyota engine sludge campaign was limited to certain models and years and does not include the Rav-4. If you maintained your engine according to Toyota specifications and developed sludge, then you could have recourse through the new car drive train warranty, if still in effect. Toyota has placed inserts in some vehicles stating specifically that the warranty will not cover sludge. If that is the case, and again, if you maintained your car according to Toyota's specifications, then the next step would be lawsuit or arbitration.
As I understand it, the first mechanic said oil was like "mud", which can mean many things.
The car "stalled out", which can also mean a bunch of possibilities.
Now the vehicle is at the dealer being diagnosed, and the owner apparently hasn't yet received any info as to cause, effect, or repair cost.
Speculating about the color of the "mud", or dispensing advice about sludge at this juncture, might raise unwarranted concerns.
I would like more info, especially what the dealer has to say, before raising any flags. I have some ideas about what might be involved with this problem, but without more details it might unduly confuse things.
These people are (justifiably) worried, and I think it's unwise to create additional concerns at this point.
Also, cindyc, I am still interested in the appearance and consistency of the mud if you have that information.
Your mechanic may be good, but I am a little skeptical of someone who does not record this information. I have a hard time blaming Toyota with anything related to sludge just because no one can provide real proof, and also because of the two guys I talked to who work at a large dealer. Just my opinion.
By the way, the spark plugs on 2001 thru current Ravs do not require (per the manual) spark plug changes until at least 80,000 miles, so that dealer is full of it. Although I would change them sooner, but that's me.
Seriously, I wish you the best of luck. Also, congrats on the new baby.
Also, what about the people who change their own oil? Other than the date of the purchase of the oil (if they keep those receipts) would be documented. Can they deny warranty to someone on the basis of lack of maintenance if they change their own oil?
One other comment, Cindy, the amount they are quoting you is outrageous. I would estimate it is about double what one would expect to pay for a rebuilt or new engine. If you do replace the engine, I would not give the Toyota dealership one penny of that money.
When the dealer finally told us toyota would not warranty it, my husband asked what is the next step. Now, when he first called after the dealer did the initial diagnosis, the service rep said it didn't pay to speculate about price yet, wait and see what toyota would do. My husband pressed for some kind of rough price, even saying could it be a $400 job or $4000? He was told that it could be either, or somewhere in between, but again, wait to hear from Toyota. On Weds, when my husband called the dealer and was told that Toyota said no warranty, my husband again asked what would the price be to fix it. After some lengthy technical jargon about what was wrong, he said basically it will need a new engine, at $8000, or "sometimes they could get a used engine, from a car that didn't have a lot of miles on it" for $6000. Without trying to be argumentitive, my husband basically said $8000 for a 4 cylinder engine on a 2002 car was crazy. And $6000 for a used engine was ridiculous. But this is exactly what he was told by the dealer. We've tried searching online for rebuilt and remanufactured engines for 2002 Rav4's, but couldn't find anything. But most used engines seem to between several hundred to several thousand. But none near as high as $6000.
After speaking with Toyota on Weds (not the dealer, but someone in corporate, who we called after getting the bad news from the dealer) they told us to go back to our mechanic and see if he had records. He did in fact have records, 3 of which had the mileage on it, which we've made copies of. Toyota told us that they put an order in with the dealer and that they are required to call us within 3 business days (monday being the 3rd day), and once they called we will most likely be faxing any other records/receipts. Toyota corporate seemed very friendly and helpful, so perhaps that will make a difference. What we should have done (besides have better records altogether) was simply write the mileage on the reciepts before we faxed it to the dealer, but we assumed that the dates would be enough.
Another thing that the dealer also mentioned as a problem on the receipt was my husbands last name rather than mine. Why this should even be remotely an issue is beyond me, but it seems that from the get-go they were looking to justify not being able to warranty the engine.
I noticed the issue about 6 weeks ago. Her RAV4 is normally relatively quiet, but the excess engine rev was noticeable. The tach registered about 3500-4000 RPM at 60 MPH which is obviously not normal.
We are new to this site. I read through several months of postings on this forum and found nothing related to this issue. We are headed to the dealer tomorrow for an oil change and we plan to bring the issue to their attention. Does anyone have experience with this issue? Is there a solution?
Please advise.
cindy
Just purchased a RAV4 4 Dr. 4WD on Saturday 2/12/05 for a Valentines Day gift for my wife.
I found the engine noise in the interior to be very loud, almost like a Diesel Auto...
I say this because a co-worker of mine purchased a 2004 RAV4 late November 2004 and the engine noise inside and outside doesn't seem anywhere as loud.
Any ideas, please
Any ideas what causes this to happen and only on this one door? Better yet, what might be a fix...
THANKS!!!!!!
clanging together. The NVH tech. took it this time and seemed to fix it right. So far, so good, after one week, no noise from the dash in hot-cold weather, or going over rough-smooth roads, or anything. My wife is elated finally, as these little noises drive her crazy. After the dealer-cowl fix, complete dash-removal and insulation, and instrument panel removal and insulation, it seems that this may have done the trick. If not, then at least I've got a well-insulated dash area. If you have similar noises
under warranty insist that Toyota fix the problem.
Don MCgill Toyota did for me. I know that the service advisor probably got sick of dealing with me, but he never denied hearing the noise and persisted with the tech. until it was fixed. Kudos to Don McGill for not denying a problem and recognizing that it should be fixed.