Picking Up A T180 Tomorrow...

[mcroy313]

Hi all,

Newbie here, recently joined as I will being taking ownership of my 1st toyota tomorrow - a Rav 4 T180 06 Plate. It's done 35k and looks fantastic in black...

I've been browsing this forum over the last week and have read numerous reports of problems and am now a little worried about owning what I initially thought was a top of the range reliable motor

I've contacted my local dealer and the dealership that originally supplied the car, they checked their records and have confirmed that apart from servicing and tyre repairs the car also had an ECU upgrade...

A few of the problems i've read about are:

1. RF Tyres - not concerned about this as have read about fitting standard tyres
   
2. Leather Seat splits - Will inspect the seats tomorrow before I part with the cash.
   
3. Anti-freeze & Head gasket - The car has only done 35k, assuming it is still possible that this problem may rear its head! Does any know for how long or how many miles this is covered as a warranty issue with toyota gb?
   
4. Poor mpg - I had read the promotional blurb, various road test reports all of which quote the magically combined mpg figure of 40! I could live with that but i've seen 25mpg quoted, arrrggghhhh that just wont do!!!
   
5. EGR Valve / Pipe - Have read the tech tips (thanks), should be ok with this one...
   

So, what's the verdict on the T180 for you owners that have had one for some amount of time? Am i flapping about things that only happen to the odd car or will it turn out to be nightmare for me???

Are there any other problems I should know about??

Many thanks

Tom

PS: Thanks to 'wardude' for passing on the tyre info - much appreciated...

[DjRav]

Hi Tom, and welcome! I can't speak for T180's but I have a 57 plate xtr and I too was worried about all the problems you read! However so far it's been faultless and by far the best car I've ever had. I'm sure you'll get best advice here but as for mpg you'll only ever dream of 40 if you drive like an absolute angel!! I get 43-44mpg in the xtr but it's expected to deliver better as it's compromised in other areas (like power!). I don't think you'll regret your purchase and if you look in any forum you'll see horror stories.

Best of luck.

Dave

[Monitorlizard]

Hi mcroy313,& welcome.I am sure that you will have many miles of enjoyment,driving your T180,as I have.I had the head gasket problem,which was rectified by Toyota,at no cost to me.My local Toyota dealership has been excellent.To give me peace of mind,,I acquired a spare wheel & tyre,which is stowed in the boot,just for long journeys.

As regards mpg,I use only Shell V Power diesel,as recommended by others on this illustrious forum,& combined with www.whatismympg.co.uk,check my mpg on tank to tank fillups.On board computer is extremely inaccurate.I regularly get 38 - 40 mpg,so it is possible.Obviously with the cost of fuel spiraling,some times you have to drive like an absolute angel,as DjRav implies.But it`s nice to have that power & acceleration when you want it,& it is powerful.Enjoy.

BJK

[wardude]

hows the car then Tom?? I get around 380 miles on a full tank. The computer varies from about 30-40 mpg but I dont think its too accurate. Pretty sure the head gaskets warranty is 5 years or 100k miles. My bro in laws car is same age as yours and his is currently in getting this job done under warranty

[freestyle]

First of all, congratulations on your purchase!

I've had my T180 about 5 months now and it is a great motor.

As for mpg, my onboard computer reads on average around 28mpg, this is from city driving. As others have said the computer can be very inaccurate, i've yet to actually work out the real usuage, but will give the website monitorlizard mentioned a go.

[Timelord]

Hi Tom

I have owned a 2008 T180 from new - and had trouble free motoring in that time.

It is a great car and I do not think you regret your purchase.You will need to eco drive to get good mpg figures - but the car does deliver amazing power so horses for courses.

I would recommend premium fuel - it does not like the stuff sold from supermarkets.

Enjoy.

Timelord

[mcroy313]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies...

I picked up the car on sat and drove it approx 90miles home, mostly motorway... Drove lovely and the power is on tap should I need it... As the car has done 35k I thought I'd inspect / clean the EGR valve as the pinned guide, it was totally clogged up! Re-fitted it and filled the tank up with some Vpower diesel, 1.38 / litre compared to 1.29/litre at sainsburys... I can live with that price if the engine likes it...

I'll try a few tanks and see how the mpg works out, like you say though, it's a bit of a sacrifice for the power which gives a big smile factor!!!

I need to fit some mudflaps to it now as I visit alot of farms, guessing it's best to give Kingo a shout for them? I'm going to order a spare wheel and tyre to carry on longer trips for that peace of mind...

Thank again....

Tom

[mcroy313]

Update:

Having just checked the service history I've found out that the previous owner took it to a different dealership for the 10k & 20k service... I've just called the service centre and they have confirmed that the pistons, EGR valve & Cat were replaced in Jan 2010 under warranty as it was using oil...

[bothwell_buyer]

Take it round to Kingo and he'll sort it in his lunchtime for the price of a pie :lol:

[Parts-King]

Take it round to Kingo and he'll sort it in his lunchtime for the price of a pie :lol:

Oi .... I'm not that cheap......2 x pies at least

[stewyinpagham]

Hi

Had mine from new in 2006 and still have it, now @ 42K. I bought a T180 just to 'rag it about' till the 'FT86' was released in 2008.. what year is it now?

I've not yet had the head gasket / carbon build-up on the pistons problem asI'm not worried as TGB have pushed this repair to seven years. I've had a few issues, but my local Mr T (WKB in Chichester) is very accommodating The fact that I give it some beans regularly has probably saved the build up.

As for MPG anything with 180BHP, oodles of torque and as aerodynamic as a breeze-block will guzzle V-power and Optimax when you boot it, but if I wanted MPG I'd drive an Aygo! (no offense Aygo owners)

....... Now when is that FT86 Toyobaru actually released.