2006 Toyota RAV4

jimd4

If you go to the VW Passat forums here you will find probably 10 millions lines regarding oil etc. It is a cause celeb on oil. I hope it does not carry over to the RAV4 site.
My two cents (no science behind it) you do not need synthetic as long as you change oil regularly or you do extended high speed driving with heavy loads.

stever

I don't think there's any science behind the 3,000 miles oil change "standard" that many dealers and lube joints push either. I think some GI running a WWI motor pool plucked that number out of thin air. :shades:

Love the oil wars:

Engine Oil - A slippery subject Part 2

Synthetic motor oil

moonrooves

Where have the 6 cylinder Rav4 Limited's been produced- Japan or some state in the U.S.? What about the 2007 Rav4 Limited v6's? Anyone know where the 2007 Honda CRV will be manufactured- and what about towing capacity. When the Honda CRV comes out with a hybrid, what's anyone's guess what the towing capacity will be? I love my boat and trailer!! :shades:

quickdtoo

2007 RAv4s will still be made in Japan, Canadian production doesn't start until 2008. None are made in the US.

2008 Canadian Production

wwest

PAY ATTENTION.....!!!

Almost all of these engine/transaxle delay/hesitation complaints, if not all of them, involve FWD or front biased AWD vehicles.

When you are coming to a stop, coasting down to a stop, if the roadbed happens to be quite slippery there is a real danger that almost any level of engine compression braking will/can result in complete loss of directional control.

What is, will be, the very first thing you would do, instinctively, if you felt the vehicle was not following the direction set by your stearing inputs?

Lift the accelerator pedal..QUICKLY...!!

If you are very near coming to a full and complete stop and the transaxle has already downshifted into 1st gear the level of engine compression braking could well be high enough to cause the front wheels/tires to completely break traction with the slippery roadbed.

I have been involved in moderately slippery roadbed conditions with a RWD wherein the ABS was so active the vehicle would literally not come to a complete stop. I'm quite sure that had it been a FWD with just a slight level of engine compression braking the ABS would have been ineffective, maybe totally so.

It is in these conditions that the AAA is currently recommending that drivers practice and learn to quickly shift a clutchless FWD vehicle's transaxle into neutral in order to increase the probability of maintaining directional control.

It is hard for me to believe that Toyota would go to these measures to increase the safety factor of their FWD and front biased AWD vehicles and then silently endure the adverse publicity without speaking up with an explanation.

So let's suppose that the insurance industry held a meeting with the automotive industry executives and told them that if they didn't in some way act to reduce or alleviate the number of accidents, injuries and deaths due to FWD engine braking they would go public and start charging a premium for policies involving operation of FWD and/or front biased AWD vehicles.

We all know that BA, Brake Assist, involves monitoring the rate at which the brake pedal is applied and ASSISTING the level of braking if the application rate indicates a PANIC stop.

So what if they are now also monitoring the RATE at which you lift the throttle and then quickly upshifting the transaxle accordingly. A simulation of the AAA recommendation.

And no individual company dare go public absent an agreement amongst all FWD manufacturers.

Look at Honda/Acura, the SH-AWD system specifically, who among us would have ever thought of that marque to the first to break ranks and begin the move away from FWD??

stever

Not all the reports involve FWD or front biased AWD vehicles apparently:

"A search of NHTSA records and interviews with Consumer Reports magazine also show owners of other car makes are suffering from the same hesitation problem, including BMW's 3 Series, Ford Explorers and Escapes, and Dodge Durango 4x4." (From the Post Gazette story JimD linked earlier today).

Interesting thread here (not aimed at you Wwest - you're already there :shades:) :

FWD, AWD, RWD and the Luxury Performance Sedans

jimd4

All Rav4s are made in Japan. I think the V6 engines are made in China

meesh1947

There was a sticker on my V6 Sport when I first saw it that said what the Country of origin of the parts was. I believ it said Japan.....100% I certainly would have noticed if it said China. It didn't!

Bob

jimd4

I keep track of cars in or coming in at the Southeast region (zip 34423 for example). Everytwo weeks they get a batch of cars and have on average 1117 RAV4s of all types at the start of a two week period. The turnover in cars seems to be slowing over the last month. More interesting is that for the most recent jump in cars (8/3/06) the total number of V6s jumped up to 28% from an average of 16%. And the number of limited v6 AWD jumped up also to 4.3% from an average of 2.0% Not big increases but maybe Toyota is addrssing the difficulty in getting V6 models. Only time will tell for sure. Sport V6 AWD has leveled out at about 1%.The SE region has a very high percentage of 2wd cars. I assume this is because the region is mostly a mild winter area.

jimd4

Well Japan might have been the last stop before it came to the USA. I know there have been several articles in the press over the least year of Toyota opening large v6 production capacity in China and one mentioned the 3.5 L V6.

andrelaplume

I'd be surprised if so many folks were wrong and it is not anti-freeze. I will say the reserve is filled to the max so maybe at times some antifreeze comes out as a vapour through this little valve-like thing I see on the tank...maybe they overfilled the Ravs. If not we'll get a recall eventually....

jimd4

This is some data from poll at another RAV4 site. Not totally scientific and only small number of reports but kind of blows your 2wd theory. I won't be so rude as to tell you to pay attention as you did in your post. Lighten up!

------------------------------------------------------

Does your RAV4 have this hesitation issue?
Yes, I4, 2wd
9% [ 8 ]
No, I4, 2wd
5% [ 5 ]
Yes, I4, 4wd
22% [ 19 ]
No, I4, 4wd
14% [ 12 ]
Yes, V6, 2wd
3% [ 3 ]
No, V6, 2wd
10% [ 9 ]
Yes, V6, 4wd
11% [ 10 ]
No, V6, 4wd
21% [ 18 ]

wwest

"...blows your 2wd theory..."

I have one.....??

FWD or front biased AWD contitutes my "theory".

mike1111

Well hopefully we'll know more about the hesitation problem before the 07's come out.I'm getting the Limited 4x4 V6 and have been looking forward to it.I;m glad i waited to see what the problems were before i bought when they first came out.From jims link it looks like a few auto makers are having the same problems.Hopefully i get one of the good ones (wink wink)

jimd4

Wonder of wonders! Toyota is offering a special on the 2006 RAV4 Base I4 AWD with FE,AA,DR and RL options. $269/mo with $1999 due at signing with a 36 month lease. No idea if this is a good deal or not.

Not sure if it is in all regions but it is the NY area.

ateixeira

For the CR-V my guess it the towing capacity will stay at 1500 lbs. Get the V6 RAV4 if you want something in this class need to tow (3500 lbs).

-juice

jimd4

From another buyer at Fitzmall. PS I do not work there or for Toyota but I do pay attention!

"I've had my RAV4 Limited V6 4X4 for two weeks now. It's silver with the cloth interior, moonroof, JBL system, tow package, and the accessory package (cargo mats, net). I absolutely love it!

Thanks to everyone on this forum who recommended Fitzmall. I first attempted to purchase my car through CarsDirect. My "salesman" told me that he placed an order for the car, but then I never heard from him again. By that time, the price on their site was no longer competitive. After that, I did the usual car dealer negotiating. I placed a deposit with a local dealer for the same package as above, but with the leather package and the heated seats. After four weeks of being promised that my car would definitely be in that weekend, the dealer finally admitted that he would have to place an order for the car.

In the meantime, I had continued my research online and was impressed with Fitzmall. They had the exact car I wanted listed on their site, but without the leather package. Since the leather package was a nice-to-have on my list, I was ready to buy! It turned out that particular one was presold, but they were able to locate another one for me within 10 days. Even though it was close to a 3 hour drive, it was worth it! The price was great, the service was friendly, and I couldn't be more pleased. I picked up the car with only 3 miles on it and took my time driving it home, with a huge smile on my face the whole time. This is Fitzmall in PA, and I worked with XXXXX. The whole process took less than two hours.

The cloth seats are great and I don't regret compromising on the leather package. My previous car didn't have the automatic climate control, so I'm enjoying that new feature, especially during this heat wave. My old car had zero cargo space, so my first trip to the grocery store was a real pleasure. I actually had enough room for the bags without having to pile them into the passenger seat!

I love the power and AUX ports in the center console for my iPod. In the morning, I just select a playlist and go. In my old car, I had the cassette adapter and power cords dangling from the dashboard, so I love how neatly everything is tucked away. The volume and selection controls on the steering wheel are very convenient.

The cupholders could be improved, of course. It's a small price to pay! I just ordered the mudguards, so I'll be installing them next week.

Thanks again for all of the great advice and valuable contributions all of you have made to this forum! It was very helpful to hear about your experiences. "

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altared

Not apparently from Toyota in Canada. Toyota dealers have told me that Toyota Canada holds the new MY vehicles in storage at their main storage yards (in Canada's case in Vancouver, BC) and will not release them until existing MY vehicles clear dealer lots.

silverphx

I recently "overfilled" my tires with too much air. The tire pressure warning light came on in the dash. I deflated the pressure on all of the tires to about 42psi (the tire pressure recomendation on the outside of the tire says "MAX 44psi"). Anyway, even after doing this, the warning light would not go off? Any insight?

quickdtoo

You may need to deflate well below the max threshold then reinflate to 42lbs to extinguish the lamp.

silverphx

I'll try that, although that seems like a total pain to have to go through (i.e., another trip to the gas station to reinflate). I can't imagine why Toyota would design it that way. Does anyone know what the PSI #'s are at which point the warning light is programmed to go on at (i.e., what is the high/low PSI at which the lights are programmed to light up)? Just curious because I would guess different tires would have different psi ranges and I am wondering how this will affect future tire changes, etc? Will the Toyota dealer have to reprogram the default settings with each tire change?

quickdtoo

They can't reprogram any settings on the TPMS, low threshold is 24-27lbs, don't know the upper threshold, but I know some owners are running 40lbs without any problems other than eventual uneven wear since they're overinflated, the 17" are supposed to be run at 32lbs and that's what the TPMS is calibrated for. 70lbs will disable the system, that's the only high limit spec I know of.

TPMS

librarian35

My tire inflation warning light went on last week. I brought my 2006 RAV4 (5 months old) to local gas station. They checked the tires, said they were little low,and put some more air in them. The light stayed on. I called the dealer. At first the lady who answered the phone said they would have to re-program the settings, but then said it would go off automatically when the problem was corrected. Also, she told me if the air in the spare tire was low, it would cause the light to come on. She then told me to bring the RAV4 in and they would take a look. My dealer told me that I could not make an appt, it is first come, first serve.

Yesterday morning, I drove 30 minutes to the dealer. The manager took a quick look under the dashboard (under the steering wheel). It looked like he was trying to locate something to press. He told me that they would have to re-program it and it would take a while. He then told me he was very sorry but that they were extremely busy and were short handed. They would not have time to look at it and I would have to come back. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper!

This evening, I talked to a neighbor who has a 2007 Camry (about 4 months old). She told me that her warning light has come on for the 2nd time. She bought her car at a dealer 2 hrs away. They had to re-program her car and said the spare tire caused the light to go on. She is driving back to the dealer tomorrow.

Hopefully when I bring the RAV back next week, the dealer will have time to look at it. I have also had a few "hesitation problems". I will ask about that as well.

jimd4

I doubt that they reprogram anything. There is probably a way to reset the system just like your maintnance lite. Look in the manual.

jimd4

Let me see, the logic is, lets loose sales on 2007 while we wait to selll 2006 leftovers. I doubt it.

raviola4

Okay, i give up. Can't find out what the 2 small round things are/do on the top of the dash towards windshield on drivers side. ?????????????

raviola4

Friend of ours has a 2005 Highlander, similar, light came on and it was the spare. But went out after filling. One thing, i'd be very interested in hearing what they say about hesitation. Not sure if yours is as pronounced as mine on a few occasions where virtually no pedal response. Hesitation itself sucks, but those few experiences were dangerous (in the right situation). I've reported concerns to NHTSA. If it's to save gas, i'll take 22 versus 23 mpg if thats what it takes.

petl

I believe they are sensors for the auto-light system.

raviola4

I have daytime running lights, but as far as i know nothing automatic. Could be "BIG BROTHER WATCHING ME" thru a tiny camera.

scottyg1234

Check back through earlier postings, I believe someone had the answer. I think one of the is for the alarm. If you have a Limited, I think the other one has something to do with the automatic climate control.

kdhspyder

I think that this may be a misunderstanding of Toyota's system. If you go to a site like Donlen now you can see when the '07's will hit the stores. The exact date may be decided soon.

For all vehicles there is a central marshalling yard for each region. For the RAV it's Port Newark for the Boston, NY and CAT regions. The vehicles may begin to arrive and wait there until just before the official launch date. It's up to the local stores to make sure that all the previous MY inventory is gone by the launch date of the new MY vehicles.

petl

You may not have it, but one of the buttons (the larger one) is a sensor for the auto-light feature (not DRLs). It will sense the exterior lighting and turn on your headlights when required. Check your headlight button to see if you have the setting (it's one little turn past headlight on). The manual indicates that nothing should be placed on the sensor (pretty logical). The other button may be for the remote keyless entry. Placing a rag over it and trying the remote could confirm it.

typesix

Don't have RAV4 but on Highlanders the tire warning light is activated not by tire pressure but rotation. The anti-lock wheel speed sensors are used to detect if a tire has a different rotation speed than the others. If so, the tire warning light will come on. This system will not detect if all 4 tires are low on pressure.This may be same system in RAV4. Reset prodedure would be in owner's manual.

quickdtoo

The '06 Rav4 wheel transmitters work on pressure, read the TPMS link from the factory service manual I posted yesterday.

DESCRIPTION
 A direct-sensing type tire pressure warning system has been newly provided as standard equipment on the U.S.A. models.
 If the vehicle continues to be driven with one or more of the five tires inflated to a low tire pressure that
could cause problems in driving, this system will illuminate the tire pressure warning light to inform the
driver of the low tire pressure.
 Furthermore, this system directly senses the each tire pressure through a tire pressure warning valve and
transmitter that is attached to each wheel.

quickdtoo

Excluding DRL equipped vehicles, the '06 Rav4 does NOT have auto-on lights in any way, shape or form. They will turn off by themselves 30 seconds after the last door is closed or if you hit the lock button twice after exiting the vehicle.

The remote works on RF, putting a rag over any sensor isn't going to tell you anything!!

cbmorton

I read another post maybe on R4W where someone had his dashboard apart at the dealer for some reason and turned out those two round "sensors" were just dummies and not connected to anything. I wish they weren't there as they reflect in the windshield under some conditions. Maybe in overseas markets something goes there that has some function.

jimd4

They are not dummies.

cbmorton

At least one is likely to be, since we don't have the auto or "dusk sensing" lights here in North America that they do overseas. Jury's still out on the other one.

moonrooves

Thanks for the informative post. How do you like the 4x4 on your V6 limited?? What kind of gas mileage are you getting. I am in the Southeast, but am thinking of the 4x4 since just maybe it may prove to be helpful sometime while towing my boat- also, occasionally I have to drive down rain drenched unpaved roads with muddy puddles. Do you think the 4x4 option might be helpful- I read that it is not a four wheel drive for off road, but still it might prove to be helpful sometimes. How do you like the 4x4????? :shades:

quickdtoo

I would never consider a front wheel drive only rig to tow a boat with, you're asking for trouble on slippery ramps, even with the limited slip front axle of the Rav4. Get the 4x4 Rav4 and you'll be happy you did!!

http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/howto/articles/44921/page001.html

http://www.boatus.com/gov/suvs.htm

moonrooves

Thanks- very helpful. I welcome comments from anyone else about 4X4 on the V6 Rav4.

wwest

Anyone who thinks the AWD RAV4 is anything more, basically, than a FWD is a damn fool. Pulling traction is 95/5 F/R. The rear drive only comes into "play" with front wheel/spin/slip, TOO LATE...!!!

quickdtoo

Do a little research before you make claims such as yours since you obviously don't know what you're talking about! Torque split is front biased at 55-45 at start with the 4x4 and has a manual lock that automatically unlocks at speeds above 25mph.

The available four-wheel-drive system operates in front-drive mode for optimum fuel-efficiency until a situation (such as quick acceleration from a stop or while driving on slippery roads) demands four-wheel drive, at which point up to 45 percent of the torque is transferred to the rear wheels. A "4WD Lock" switch allows one to manually select that maximum torque output to the rear wheels.


2006 Rav4

2006 Rav4 4WD System

moonrooves

Who needs you around?? Your tone is so crude and unreceptive. We don't imply that others are fools on this forum- we just share information as we enlighten each other. So please ask the waitress for your tab now, and leave the restaurant. (Don't forget the 15 % mininum tip).
:P

joe_d

I have the same problem with my Rav, and it's a known issue. It actually confirms this in the 2006 Rav4 manual. There is a section in the manual about the auxillary input and it says that you may hear noise while plugged into the aux input and the DC power. The solution in the manual says to use the MP3 player on it's own power. I think that's a lazy way for Toyota to resolve a problem when it's obviously a design flaw and they could have just grounded it properly. I had a 2004 Corolla with an afermarket radio with auxillary inputs, and my same ipod never produced any noise when used on DC power, but my new Rav does. What a disappointment.

wwest

Toyota 2007 RAV4 owners manual, page 408, left column....

"....Use of winter tires on the front only can lead to excessive traction on the front vs the rear which can result in loss of direction control....."

Toyota 2007 RAV4 owners manual, page 408, right/third column...

"...Do not install snow/tire chains on the rear, ONLY on the front..."

No attempt to replicate exact phasing.

FWD and admittedly unsafe/hazardous to boot...!!

Nuff said...!!

thecat

You've got to be a Troll. The 07 RAV isn't being sold yet and you have access to the owners manual? I don't think so Scooter.

mark19

A lot of the new toyota vehicles with the aux in have this problem too. it's a ground loop that is created, making the noise. Yes I agree they should've grounded it better. The solution now is to buy one of these (if you want to use the power outlet at the same time)

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-u0HLYHM8bil/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=890&I=127SNI135&- search=ground+loop+isolator

From the people who have purchased this, it does work. and elimiated that noise. hope that helps..

jimd4

Sometimes it is good to just igore rude children and other malcontents I think..................... :P

Keep those RAV4s rolling.

jbollt

I use my iPod in my 07 Camry Hybrid with no extranious noise. 12V Belkin adaptor (from Best Buy) plugged into the 12V outlet..It attaches via cable (mini plug to plug) into the aux outlet. The Belkin then plugs into the port on the iPod...Keeps the iPod charged also.

The iPod will pause, and go to sleep, when the car is shut down. When i get back in the car, just a push or 2 of the play button on the iPod resumes the play right where it left off...