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2006 Toyota RAV4

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Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's not even broken in. I would give it at least a few K miles.

    19mpg is pretty disappointing and just goes to show how badly the EPA tests are in need of changes.

    -juice
  • hannahsmummyhannahsmummy Member Posts: 20
    I've got almost 2000 on my V6 base with 3rd row seat, and I've filled it up 7 times and got consistently around 24 mpg each time. My commute is about 80% highway and 20% city.
  • beth10beth10 Member Posts: 15
    What type of gas are you using?
  • bikejackbikejack Member Posts: 12
    Anyone know how difficult it is for one to install Toyota mudguards on Limited (non flare). Any drilling required???
  • nickelpetenickelpete Member Posts: 21
    My wife has a suprisingly short list of things her next car MUST have. At the top of that list are a sunroof/moonroof and a seat height (a.k.a. step-in height), above ground level, that is somewhere between that of her Mazda 626 (20") and my Dodge Ram (33").

    She runs a lot of errands during a normal day. Falling down into, and climbing up out of her 626, is exhausting. The truck has the opposite effect, but is not as objectionable and she doesn't use it as much.

    I cannot find this measurement for any car/suv on the web and I am disinclined to visit all of the dealerships with my yardstick. I estimate it by subtracting the front headroom value from the overall vehicle height value, but I think this is wildly inaccurate.

    Since the list of possible-next cars includes the subject of this forum, I was hoping that somebody would, in their spare time, measure the height above ground to the middle (more or less) of the seat cushion (i.e. the top-center of the horizontal seating surface) and post that value here.

    I have read these forums extensively over the past few weeks and I have not seen any discussion of this. I beg your pardon if I missed it and am being redundant.

    Thanks in advance.
  • hannahsmummyhannahsmummy Member Posts: 20
    Probably sounds silly, but I've been alternating between 87 octane and 91 octane - don't really know why, just a thing I've been doing!
  • noneillnoneill Member Posts: 11
    True there is profit in the paint seals - just as there is in the $6 bottle of wax (much more if someone else applies it for you) - BUT - what happens when your paint starts peeling from the insect acid even after the wax? Is there a warranty that comes with the purchase? Cause there sure is with the application of the "mop and glow" from the dealership.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    With my luck, the dealer would deny the warranty claim because I didn't clean the bug juice off in a prompt manner.

    I've yet to experience any paint problems with any of my cars since my first one in 1973. Even the '82 Toyota I drove for 17 years barely faded.

    "Car paint is protected with coatings right in the factory ... making additional sealants redundant."

    Rip-off room revisited (CNN Money)

    Sorry, none of it looks worth it to me.

    Steve, Host
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    Check back a ways on posts, there is a guy named "flying" who did it on sport I think. It seemed easy, apparently the hole locations are dimpled in already. May a post from 6 weeks ago. Buy the way dealers sell the mudflaps on Ebay for about $39. Ones for Sport are wider I think
  • martin16martin16 Member Posts: 11
    I'm using 87 (regular) octane to get my 19 mpg.

    I was considering trying a tank of premium though because under light acceleration I hear something that sounds alarmingly like engine knock.

    - Martin
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    Well while your waiting for someone to measure, you could scale it off one of the RAV4 outlines on the Toyota web site. The ground clearance is 7.5 inches and the distance from the ground to the top of the roof is 66.3 inches. So you could scale to the window height where an arm would rest on the window sill and guestumate where your wife's bottom would be. It would be rough but would give you an idea.

    I have driven 6+ RAV4s and rememember it as easy to get into, no down and not much up. But really, go try one.
  • toga333toga333 Member Posts: 11
    We own a I4 4x4 Sport w/Four speed, here is the running tally on our gas mileage the last 3 fillups. My wife drives (with somwhat of a heavy foot) on mostly highways. the distance from home to work is about 13 miles.
    Tank 1-22.5
    Tank 2-22.9
    Tank 3-23.5
    I'm unsure if the increase is a direct result of warmer weather here in Albany, NY or just the engine breaking in. We have 1500 miles on our RAV now. I'll update again in a month.
  • scottyg1234scottyg1234 Member Posts: 25
    I wish I was getting mileage like that on my V6 limited 4wd, without 3rd row...I am consistently getting around 18-19 mpg.
  • prash1prash1 Member Posts: 32
    I forgot to mention it is a 4WD.
    The invoice is 23130 + 400 = 23530
    Dealer quote 24208.
    I wiil be paying 678 above invoice correct ?
    I am planning to offer 23800 and see if they accept.
    Fitzmall do not have my choice of color in stock and I need it ASAP.
  • jimbresjimbres Member Posts: 2,025
    Do you work for a company that makes this stuff? Yesterday, you posted pro-sealant messages on 3 unrelated boards.
  • cruiserbruisercruiserbruiser Member Posts: 14
    It comes with no flat tires and no spare. OAL is shorter because there's no spare.
  • cruiserbruisercruiserbruiser Member Posts: 14
    Toyota has responded. I'm to be contacted by my dealer. I have not had a recurrance of the problem, nor have I experienced the extreme conditions (high cross winds at highway speeds running behind a truck) that caused it. Only time will tell. I can't believe my car is any different than all the rest, but I know what I heard was not normal.
  • hit_the_roadhit_the_road Member Posts: 65
    Check in with Frank (flyingn). He's intalled some.

    Click here.
    -------------------------
    image
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Seems like Toyota applied their "EPA Magic" with both engines, people aren't nearly matching the EPA numbers. Maybe they will once it breaks in.

    -juice
  • noneillnoneill Member Posts: 11
    No - but I work for a dealership and I sell a paint seal as well as the fabric, carpet and leather seal. When I first began to sell it I was also skeptical. Not anymore -many of my customers are repeat buyers and swear by the difference it makes in - water spots and the acid from bug and bird droppings. As well as - the paint is much smoother after the seal is applied and much easier to keep clean.

    The stories I have been told by the consumers themselves - re: damage to the bare factory paint from love bugs and tree sap etc. has convinced me that the product works. And I have only seen one warranty come across my desk in 6 years. It was for tree sap that had stripped an unprotected portion of his roof. The problem was corrected and we paid ALL the bill AND a rental as well. No questions asked.

    The interior seals work almost all the time - with the exception of red dyes (juices). The beauty is that the purchase of the interior protection provides the WARRANTY - that will pay the expense of removing any stains that may remain after an attempt is made to clean the area by the customer.

    By the way - I have NEVER turned down a claim. And though the warranty is only for edibles and drinkables, it is the policy of the company who provides the product and warranty to pay the expense on all claims for the interior stains regardless of the cause. (Another reason the customers are repeat buyers)
  • mike1111mike1111 Member Posts: 93
    from what i've seen the numbers are pretty close the v6 seems to be better than the i4 for what you get anyway with the power of the v6
  • cat11cat11 Member Posts: 1
    I just got a 2006 Rav4 2 days ago. When I turns the AC on and my car was idoled for the traffic light, the engine speed was jumping up and down (every 3 or 5 seconds). Is this normal?

    Thanks!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You think?

    Martin: "I'm using 87 (regular) octane to get my 19 mpg"

    scotty: "I am consistently getting around 18-19 mpg"

    hannahsmummy: "V6 base with 3rd row seat, and I've filled it up 7 times and got consistently around 24 mpg each time"

    silverphx: 20.2 MPG, 21.4 MPG, 22.7 MPG

    Those are the V6 reports I've seen lately. Half the people are average in the teens and the EPA is 20/27 even with AWD. Only hannasmummy is where she should be.

    I did a similar poll for the Subaru Tribeca when it came out, and we observed a similar pattern, i.e. half the reports over 20 mpg. But the EPA numbers are much lower, just 18/23.

    It's early, let's see if the numbers improve.

    -juice
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    Well I do not believe that any RAV4 (or any modern car) will get EPA hwy numbers in mixed driving. And to get close you need a smooth, lite foot on the throttle and a minimum of speed changes and accelerations. By the way I think the RAV4 Toyota/EPA average number is 24 MPG.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Maybe they will once it breaks in.

    I'm curious - does anyone happen to know whether the EPA tests are done on vehicles that are broken in?

    tidester, host
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I'll stick to my $5 can of Scotchgard. Here's a great post about waxing btw:

    Mr_Shiftright, "Teflon Paint Sealants Revisited" #4, 9 Jul 2003 9:50 pm

    Steve, Host
  • hit_the_roadhit_the_road Member Posts: 65
    I don't know about "broken in" but they're fully warmed up
    and strictly done in the lab. No hills to climb, wind resistance or any other real world conditions. Consumer Reports are usually more accurate in their MPG ratings.
    Their full review of the I4 and the V6 is due out in a few months.
  • hannahsmummyhannahsmummy Member Posts: 20
    I have to say that I've been very particular about recording my MPG each time I've filled up. It's become habit for me to write the miles from the odometer on my receipt when I fill up and then do the maths when I get home to see how well I did on the tank of gas. I have all my receipts from day one! Maybe I'm obsessed????? :P

    I went from a very small, very fuel efficient car, to what for me is quite a bit bigger vehicle, and since my commute is 30 miles to work each way, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going too crazy on gas consumption.
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    So are you happy with the RAV4 so far and the MPG?
  • bikejackbikejack Member Posts: 12
    I purchased Toyota mudguards for my 2006 RAV Limited. I purchased them from my local dealer and with my discount the price was close to what people are paying on E-Bay after one takes into account shipping charges. Front mudguard installation was very straight forward. All you have to do is to pop in a plastic screw grommit in a existing hole and screw on the mudguard with supplied screws. Four attach points

    The rear is more complicated. Toyota's instructions are to remove the rear bumper cover so one has room and access to drill 2 new holes in the bumper. The wheel gets in the way. There are are 2 dimples identifying where to drill. I was concerned about damage to the bumper and body during removal so I deviated from the Toyota procedure and removed the rear wheel instead for drilling. You put in 2 spring clips on the new holes and they attach the mudguard with 4 screws utilizing existing holes as well.

    The black mudguards look extremely sharp and the black matches the window trim.

    Sport model mudguards installation is different and does not require drilling. Make sure you get the right mudguard part number for your particualar model for their is different mounting hardware involved.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Should be interesting to see what they have to say about it. Forester is currently their top rated small SUV, let's see if the RAV4 knocks it off that crown. The previous model tied for the top spot for a while there, but the Subaru won it back.

    hannahsmummy: hey, I'm the same way. I actually have a mileage chart in Excel, I keep entering data, I even graph it. You can find out all sorts of things.

    For instance, I average my MPG by the seasons, and spring and fall are best. I lose about 1 mpg in the summer (A/C) but I lose 2mpg in the winter (extreme cold).

    I think it's very useful, keep doing that! :)

    -juice
  • hannahsmummyhannahsmummy Member Posts: 20
    Absolutely. I didn't expect the MPG to be as good as it has been thus far, so I'm very happy with that. I love my Rav4. I keep cars, so my old one was pretty basic, had a lot of miles on it, had no oomph, so this is quite a step up for me. And as trivial as this sounds, my most favourite thing about the Rav is that I can play my ipod in there without using one of those lame FM transmitter things!!!!
  • jtajta Member Posts: 17
    I'm am about to purchase a '06 Rav4 Sport I4 2x4, and want the JBL radio. My local dealer is telling me I will need to special order this combination. He tells me that in the midwest that they will not get any Sport models with the "optional" JBL radio upgrade. :(

    Has anyone else heard this?

    Also, has anyone compared the JBL to the upgraded std stereo? I am mainly interested in getting the subwoofer. My current vehicle has a Sub Tube that tends to take up usable space. The JBL upgrade has the sub tucked nicely in the side panel. But, if the sound quality is not "noticably" better, maybe I shouldn't pay the extra $$.

    They are also telling me 3-4 months for delivery. That puts me into August, and the 2007's will be shipping in (2) more months (October). Maybe I should wait for a 2007? :confuse:
  • clementosisclementosis Member Posts: 3
    Don't be fooled. first the the regular system (6 cd) is above average, next call around to different dealerships, smaybe other states(chances are that someone will have your combo)
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    Yes, the regional districts decide what dealers get, not the dealers. In NY you cannot get Sport now with JBL . You could get the dealer try to find one out of your region.

    I have not heard JBL but did hear 6cd, thought it was average. Also the JBL thing is in the rear door. And several people here have been reporting noise and vibration from it If you go to the Toyota site and do a build and buy, for your zip code, you can see what options can be had with what models in your region Good luck
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    Only have the frontal available though, I've never seen them release partial data before, stay tuned I guess??
    http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=654

    Updated, (5 minutes later) the test criteria has changed see "Nine vehicles for verification"
    http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr033006.html
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    I saw the federal tests on a site yesterday but cannot find link. They were good, that car had no curtain bags.

    The Yellow A is not that great...:(
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    Maybe we can print this out and use it for $$$ negotiation leverage.....just kidding ;)
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    your creative, but doubt it will do much
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    If you read the release it's a new procedure that the IIHS is using. On the frontal impacts since nearly every auto maker is the same and has mastered the design techniques to build a very safe vehicle they are declaring victory and moving onward in this catagory. They are letting the automakers do the tests and then veryifying the data subject to audit.

    It's the on the side impact and whiplash minimization criteria that they concentrate all their efforts now.
  • wizzobutterwizzobutter Member Posts: 72
    I ordered a 2006 RAV4 Sport V6 with the base radio. They said 4 to 6 weeks. A week later, I asked if I could get the JBL added. He looked it up and said that it would be late June before I could get it. That was 3 weeks ago. I haven't heard the JBL yet, but I hear it is worth the extra money. The salesman, however, said that for $590, I could get an aftermarket stereo even better than the JBL.
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    Yes it's good to see this organization had such a positive impact for the consumer, I'll miss the video takes on Dateline though...nothing like a good crash! Without anyone getting hurt ;)
  • neox223neox223 Member Posts: 8
    Hi there,

    Can someone please tell me what is a good deal on a 2006 V6 Sport 4x4 w/ moonroof, side airbags...I'm negotiating with a dealer and not sure how much is reasonable. I've looked on Kelly Blue Book and the invoice for this car with options I want..is around $25,000. Is this accurate? If so, how much over invoice is reasonable?

    thanks~
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Check out the Toyota RAV4: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion for recent deals. And check out the Buying Tips articles while waiting for responses.

    Have fun shopping!

    Steve, Host
  • alinlalinl Member Posts: 8
    I noted the same jerk, but shifting from rear to drive. It happen only when the engine is cold.

    I am a bit disappointed of this.
  • neox223neox223 Member Posts: 8
    Hey thanks for the info! :D This definetly helps! I'll be going to the dealers in the morning. I'll need the luck. haha~ Car Salesmen scare me. :(
  • neox223neox223 Member Posts: 8
    Thanks for the info!! Appreciate it! :D
  • jimd4jimd4 Member Posts: 877
    Well don't know much about the test but I did not think much about result of "drivers head hit steering wheel through airbag"!!!! And that is acceptable?
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    I can't find it on the IIHS site anymore, but I recall a minivan tested had the airbag deploy too late, so the manufacturer adjusted the sensor and re-tested with better results. I wouldn't be surprised if Toyota is doing the same and may have a recall soon. At least the steering wheel didn't move upward into the occupants face like my 99' Trooper did :sick:

    Check out the small picture on the right, notice the position of the wheel afterwards.......not good!
    http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=28
  • prash1prash1 Member Posts: 32
    This bothers me because I am ready to buy a Limited 4 cyl RAV4. Does others who own RAV4 noticed this problem ?
    Does this happen only in 4 speed box. ?
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