Rav4 - Unreliable Or Just Unlucky?

[jjchoi]

Hi - wonder if some Rav4 experts can help.

Brought a used Rav4 from a well known garage with 3 mths warranty. Car was fine for the first 6 months, but since then - over the last 8 months it's been nothing but trouble including

1) New Alternator

2) Cambelt Change (twice!!!)

3) New Catalitic Convertor

4) New Water Pump

5) New DMF

6) New Gearbox

7) New Battery

Now we only got the Rav because it was sold to us as a very reliable car - but I noticed it had 5 owners before us (2001 D4D 2.0) - so my question is do we ditch it or do we preserver and hope to have at least a year or two trouble free motoring with it? Is there such thing as a bad car, as in a bad Apple?

We do around 25,000 miles a year, a lot of that on rural country roads. Current mileage is about 85k

[Jamesbelfast]

It may well be worth considering if the faults that have occurred are due to poor maintenance rather than poor manufacture. If this is the case then you may well want to ask yourself what other aspects of the vehicle have been neglected, abused or improperly maintained or serviced. Overall Toyota would seem to have a fairly good manufacturing record. It is always difficult to know when to stop throwing money at what seems a bottomless pit and whether can you afford to change the vehicle. As always it's entirely your decision but if it were mine I think I would have walked away long ago.

As a matter of interest shy has the engine needed new cambelts twice??:)

[MarsKy]

Hi - wonder if some Rav4 experts can help.

Brought a used Rav4 from a well known garage with 3 mths warranty. Car was fine for the first 6 months, but since then - over the last 8 months it's been nothing but trouble including

1) New Alternator

2) Cambelt Change (twice!!!)

3) New Catalitic Convertor

4) New Water Pump

5) New DMF

6) New Gearbox

7) New Battery

Now we only got the Rav because it was sold to us as a very reliable car - but I noticed it had 5 owners before us (2001 D4D 2.0) - so my question is do we ditch it or do we preserver and hope to have at least a year or two trouble free motoring with it? Is there such thing as a bad car, as in a bad apple?

We do around 25,000 miles a year, a lot of that on rural country roads. Current mileage is about 85k

6 owners in 9 years. Any service history, or associated invoices? Did you always go back to the same garage for repairs - or second opinions? And two cambelts! Crikey! What was the garage doing?

[jjchoi]

Hi - wonder if some Rav4 experts can help.

Brought a used Rav4 from a well known garage with 3 mths warranty. Car was fine for the first 6 months, but since then - over the last 8 months it's been nothing but trouble including

1) New Alternator

2) Cambelt Change (twice!!!)

3) New Catalitic Convertor

4) New Water Pump

5) New DMF

6) New Gearbox

7) New Battery

Now we only got the Rav because it was sold to us as a very reliable car - but I noticed it had 5 owners before us (2001 D4D 2.0) - so my question is do we ditch it or do we preserver and hope to have at least a year or two trouble free motoring with it? Is there such thing as a bad car, as in a bad apple?

We do around 25,000 miles a year, a lot of that on rural country roads. Current mileage is about 85k

6 owners in 9 years. Any service history, or associated invoices? Did you always go back to the same garage for repairs - or second opinions? And two cambelts! Crikey! What was the garage doing?

1st cambelt was overdue (80,000 without chnage) then 3 months later the water pump broke and coolant was all over the cambelt so changed again. Faily full service history to be fair.

Has been maintained in so much as services it seems - we have had one done ourselves too.

Not sure how much maintenance one should need to do to stop the DMF breaking, or the alternator wearing out, or the exhaust rusting away?

[mabozar]

Hi - wonder if some Rav4 experts can help.

Brought a used Rav4 from a well known garage with 3 mths warranty. Car was fine for the first 6 months, but since then - over the last 8 months it's been nothing but trouble including

1) New Alternator

2) Cambelt Change (twice!!!)

3) New Catalitic Convertor

4) New Water Pump

5) New DMF

6) New Gearbox

7) New Battery

Now we only got the Rav because it was sold to us as a very reliable car - but I noticed it had 5 owners before us (2001 D4D 2.0) - so my question is do we ditch it or do we preserver and hope to have at least a year or two trouble free motoring with it? Is there such thing as a bad car, as in a bad apple?

We do around 25,000 miles a year, a lot of that on rural country roads. Current mileage is about 85k

6 owners in 9 years. Any service history, or associated invoices? Did you always go back to the same garage for repairs - or second opinions? And two cambelts! Crikey! What was the garage doing?

1st cambelt was overdue (80,000 without chnage) then 3 months later the water pump broke and coolant was all over the cambelt so changed again. Faily full service history to be fair.

Has been maintained in so much as services it seems - we have had one done ourselves too.

Not sure how much maintenance one should need to do to stop the DMF breaking, or the alternator wearing out, or the exhaust rusting away?

well my Rav 4 is a 2001 model had it 4 years great car the only trouble I have is the Battery as soon as its cold weather it packs in so new Battery every year

[AndyLewis]

For me - UNRELIABLE. In the last 3 months: New Turbo, Cat, DMF and SCV's. Total cost: £3,600. Car is an '02 with only 75K on the clock.

And yes, I understood Toyota's, espcially a diesel to be 'reliable'. All the above were 'known' faults.

Andy

[anchorman]

Hi - wonder if some Rav4 experts can help.

Brought a used Rav4 from a well known garage with 3 mths warranty. Car was fine for the first 6 months, but since then - over the last 8 months it's been nothing but trouble including

1) New Alternator

2) Cambelt Change (twice!!!)

3) New Catalitic Convertor

4) New Water Pump

5) New DMF

6) New Gearbox

7) New Battery

Now we only got the Rav because it was sold to us as a very reliable car - but I noticed it had 5 owners before us (2001 D4D 2.0) - so my question is do we ditch it or do we preserver and hope to have at least a year or two trouble free motoring with it? Is there such thing as a bad car, as in a bad apple?

We do around 25,000 miles a year, a lot of that on rural country roads. Current mileage is about 85k

6 owners in 9 years. Any service history, or associated invoices? Did you always go back to the same garage for repairs - or second opinions? And two cambelts! Crikey! What was the garage doing?

1st cambelt was overdue (80,000 without chnage) then 3 months later the water pump broke and coolant was all over the cambelt so changed again. Faily full service history to be fair.

Has been maintained in so much as services it seems - we have had one done ourselves too.

Not sure how much maintenance one should need to do to stop the DMF breaking, or the alternator wearing out, or the exhaust rusting away?

well my Rav 4 is a 2001 model had it 4 years great car the only trouble I have is the Battery as soon as its cold weather it packs in so new Battery every year

I can assure you that you shouldn't need a new Battery every time it gets cold. It sounds like the windings are getting tired in the starter but it can easily be checked. Are you any good with a multimeter?

[rpaterson]

You might want to change your mechanic as well. It's well-known good working practise to change the water pump at the same time as a cambelt change along with the tensioner and idler pulley(s) as well.