Which Model

[Muttley123]

I;m looking at buying a Rav 4 for about £8000 to £11000 but the petrol version is a bit to juicy but iv'e seen a lot of topics about the diesel engines having a lot of problems.

Iv'e searched the forums but can't figure out if it's all rav4 diesel enginse or just a certain year or model !

[Fizzbang]

I am pretty surenit is all 2AD engines up to 2008. After that it seems to be ok.

[dwilson]

I;m looking at buying a Rav 4 for about £8000 to £11000 but the petrol version is a bit to juicy but iv'e seen a lot of topics about the diesel engines having a lot of problems. Iv'e searched the forums but can't figure out if it's all rav4 diesel enginse or just a certain year or model !

Do you do 12000 miles or more a year - if so diesel probably makes sense but my wife's RAV will probably do 5000 miles at the most in a year so for us the petrol option made more sense.

David

[CharlieFarlie]

As above the petrol is the best bet if Your miles are low,, I would advise against a Diesel unless its a post 2009....

Problem with the petrol is that apart from being noisy and of course thirsty is that it is not so nice a car to drive as the diesel due to the fact it needs to be revved and lacks real torque and go low down in the rev band.. Still a better bet than a diesel especially if You intend to keep the car for a long time... HTH.

[DjRav]

Everyone keeps advising NOT to buy a certain age diesel, but what are the odds of it going wrong?

Mines a 57 plate and I'm well happy with it. Am I "definitely" going to get an engine problem, "likely" to get an engine problem or is it just a "possibility".

We can't blank a whole era of Ravs for something that may never happen can we?

Concerned Dave

[Gods_gift]

Im of the same opinion my 56 plate 2.2 diesel manual is solid and does 42mpg on long runs. Best car I've ever bought it tows like a van, cruises nicely on the motorway and its leather seats are uber comfortable. Mines an XT4 doesnt have Satnav but has tons of other toys.

A few appear to have had an issue but I think they are in the minority. I'd avoid T180 due to run flats and high insurance and SR as no full size spare on the back door.

I'd look for the lowest mileage XT4/5 with leather seats, aircon, tyre on the back door, sunroof, tonuea cover, manual diesel (better economy). Dont worry about cruise control you can fit the stalk an it works!

[Big Kev]

Everyone keeps advising NOT to buy a certain age diesel, but what are the odds of it going wrong?

Mines a 57 plate and I'm well happy with it. Am I "definitely" going to get an engine problem, "likely" to get an engine problem or is it just a "possibility".

We can't blank a whole era of Ravs for something that may never happen can we?

Concerned Dave

Gotta agree harwholetedly with Dave on this.....mine is a 2009 SR180 (Build Date 7/2008) so I haven'y got a scooby if I have a future problematical engine....I can only speak for the present at 26k miles....it seems to get better if anything. Usually "familiarity breeds contempt" with me, and I start to hear things and find faults (same as Charlie....some annoying squeaks and rattles but they might go away in warmer weather...)

It is 3 years old next Tuesday (MOT) SO LOCAL HERO PLEASE NOTE.....and thus far uses no oil (check tomorrow)

I would recommend it to anybody as long as their mileage merits a diesel (mine doesn't....just like the torquey dieselly Lindop Chippedness) but can see why so many questions now being asked of diesel Ravs on here..

Edit after a Gift from God.......and even betterer withoot them Far King Runflats....!!!!!

Big Kev

[Hoovie]

My 2cents .....

I would avoid the T180/SR180 PURELY due to run flats compared to other RAVs of a similar vintage.

RAV4s manage their miles with ease. I saw Gods_Gifts RAV yesterday and I just had to read his earlier post a couple of times as he said it was a 2006. No way does it look coming up to 6 years old.

If possible I would go for 2010 onwards vehicles as the engines and gearboxes ARE better as advances were made in their power delivery AND that was the introduction of the 5 year warranty (July onwards)

Personally, I would extend that further to 2011 or later as that was the introduction of the face lift front which to me makes the RAV4 look a LOT Better

[CharlieFarlie]

My 2cents .....

I would avoid the T180/SR180 PURELY due to run flats compared to other RAVs of a similar vintage.

RAV4s manage their miles with ease. I saw Gods_Gifts RAV yesterday and I just had to read his earlier post a couple of times as he said it was a 2006. No way does it look coming up to 6 years old.

If possible I would go for 2010 onwards vehicles as the engines and gearboxes ARE better as advances were made in their power delivery AND that was the introduction of the 5 year warranty (July onwards)

Personally, I would extend that further to 2011 or later as that was the introduction of the face lift front which to me makes the RAV4 look a LOT Better

The T180/SR 180 are indeed a nightmare Re the tyres.. But the equipment levels are the highest ever fitted to a Rav4.. Plus the power is great for this type of car.. Combine that with very decent fuel economy and the later cars make less sense..

What are the chances of a Diesel going wrong ? Well Westlands Toyota have a technician that does nothing else but engine swaps...

They average 4 cars per week so not a great set of statistics is it........

With the information We now have why would anyone want to buy a car like My one ?? Especially if the car is to be kept a long time ??

11K is not going to buy a 2010 car..

Best bet is a petrol if The OP does not do a big mileage.. Frankly if He does He would be better of with a different brand ...

[Gods_gift]

I do 25,000 miles a year and think 42mpg is decent out of a 2.2 diesel.

[CharlieFarlie]

I do 25,000 miles a year and think 42mpg is decent out of a 2.2 diesel.

I also do the same 25K miles per Year and get very good consumption figures.... Great all round car and no mistake ! Shame about the engines....................

[DjRav]

I do 25,000 miles a year and think 42mpg is decent out of a 2.2 diesel.

Between me and the Wife, we do 25k a year as well. Part in the 42mpg Rav and part in the sub (never been over) 29mpg Discovery. Guess which one we try to do the most miles in! (apart from when towing 2 tonnes!)

Dave

[Gods_gift]

Bit of a generic sweeping statement about engines there Charlie. We all know you've had your troubles with yours but theres many of us that havent had an issue. Lets not start another engine thread.

[anchorman]

I don't do the mileage and bought the diesel because of the pulling power and performance. They cost a bit more but that is reflected in the resale value.

Charlie. You devalue yours by telling everyone how bad it is despite it running normally with the engine since your dealer corrected whatever they should have corrected in the first place. I keep seeing them on forecourts and they seem to be marked up at the going rate.

I might buy a petrol if I could find a decent one but if not I would have ne reservations about an early RAV. There can't be many left with the original engine if dealers are swapping them continuously and if I did buy one and it used oil I would just get the dealer to put it on his re-production line.

All the ones I have been involved with getting engines changed are running perfectly with little or no noticeable oil consumption.

Sorted.

[CharlieFarlie]

Bit of a generic sweeping statement about engines there Charlie. We all know you've had your troubles with yours but theres many of us that havent had an issue. Lets not start another engine thread.

There IS a fundamental design flaw with the 2.2 2AD Diesel engines fitted up until around late 2009. This is why the dealers are changing so many... In a recent poll on here 17 Members had had engine rebuilds or replacements so I think We can safely say there is a major problem..

So a New Guy comes on and asks the question which car or engine...... What are We supposed to say ??

A car is as You well know a major purchase and its only fair to give someone who asks the full SP..

If You get a good one yes great...NO ....Fantastic car. But a bad one can be a pain. As these extended warranties draw to an end the risk becomes far greater as of course the cost of replacing an engine if it was to fall on the Owner would be very expensive ....

So do We point out just the good points or tell the truth ? Some are happy as they have not been affected by the obvious flaws with the engine.. But lets be honest here there is something very wrong indeed for so many engines to fail......................

Don. I tell the truth as I see it ! Having had 2 engines and still have to watch the car go away on the recovery truck is not exactly confidence inspiring....

You pays Yer money and takes Yer chance .............. Why load the dice ??

[Gods_gift]

Hang on how can it be a flaw if only 17 people have been affected, how many did they build between 2006-2009, how many did this hit? Also your dealer might have a bloke replacing 4 a week because they keep !Removed! up the rebuilds (your eng number2 for instance!?).

[CharlieFarlie]

Hang on how can it be a flaw if only 17 people have been affected, how many did they build between 2006-2009, how many did this hit? Also your dealer might have a bloke replacing 4 a week because they keep !Removed! up the rebuilds (your eng number2 for instance!?).

Perhaps You should do a little research before making comments like the above ?

The 17 replacements/rebuilds were just the members on this forum... The Dealers no longer rebuild the engines that is done by Toyota . The engines are shipped to Japan for the rebuilding process..

Toyota have either rebuilt or replaced hundreds and hundreds NOT JUST 17 of these engines and are continuing to do so.. As I said Westlands are replacing 4 units a week on average.. Now surely that is indicative of a problem ????

Whether We like it or not ( I don't) the 2AD engine up to late 2009 is a liability and anyone considering buying one is at least entitled to know this if they are after buying one especially if they ask !! After all surely that is why they ask ???

[Mistermena]

Charlie makes a very good pont here!... People who come to this forum have a lot of un-answered question about different topics. I believe that the truth should be told, which is what Charlie is in my eyes doing. When I 1st joined here I wanted to know about the engine that was fitted to my car and was happy to find out the info that helped me make my mine up.

I've been unfortunate (Like Charlie) to have 2 engines replaced under the Toyota's fantastic extended goodwill warranty! If it wasn't for the likes of Don, Ormi and other members I would have never known about the issues with the 2AD engine and the warranty that was in place.

I belong to quite a few forums... But none are as informative and friendly as this one!... I hope it stays that way with open discussions detailing what really goes on with Toyota vehicles! good and bad...

[Gods_gift]

What I was trying to get across is that we dont know the full facts and we dont know the true facts.

17 forum members have been affected - that is not a true representation of how many people have these cars in the UK. An it also means thats not a fair and balanced view for the thousands that have these engines that are working fine.

It's a bit like say a manufacturer made 6000 toasters and 20 of them had issues. Now I get there has been an issue but it needs to be put into perspective. Can you really trust the 4 engines a week figure at one dealer? I'd have thought if the issue was that serious they'd have launched a recall. Are they all from the same model year/range/manufacture batch/model, did they all fail in the same way? Have we got verification of the things you've been told. We just don't know.

Now yes lets have honest and open debates but lets keep them in context of our own user experi

ence. I have an XT4 with a 2AD 2.2 it's solid as are many many many others. Im just trying to get across your initial sweeping statement regarding the engines needs to be kept in context.

[Big Kev]

What I was trying to get across is that we dont know the full facts and we dont know the true facts.

17 forum members have been affected - that is not a true representation of how many people have these cars in the UK. An it also means thats not a fair and balanced view for the thousands that have these engines that are working fine.

It's a bit like say a manufacturer made 6000 toasters and 20 of them had issues. Now I get there has been an issue but it needs to be put into perspective. Can you really trust the 4 engines a week figure at one dealer? I'd have thought if the issue was that serious they'd have launched a recall. Are they all from the same model year/range/manufacture batch/model, did they all fail in the same way? Have we got verification of the things you've been told. We just don't know.

Now yes lets have honest and open debates but lets keep them in context of our own user experi

ence. I have an XT4 with a 2AD 2.2 it's solid as are many many many others. Im just trying to get across your initial sweeping statement regarding the engines needs to be kept in context.

Yipeeee !!!!!!! Another Far King engine thread !!!! I was going out in the sunshine today, but now ah'm staying in with ma laptop and a wee glass of 5/30 fully semi synthetic oil.......

Big Kev

[DjRav]

What I was trying to get across is that we dont know the full facts and we dont know the true facts.

17 forum members have been affected - that is not a true representation of how many people have these cars in the UK. An it also means thats not a fair and balanced view for the thousands that have these engines that are working fine.

It's a bit like say a manufacturer made 6000 toasters and 20 of them had issues. Now I get there has been an issue but it needs to be put into perspective. Can you really trust the 4 engines a week figure at one dealer? I'd have thought if the issue was that serious they'd have launched a recall. Are they all from the same model year/range/manufacture batch/model, did they all fail in the same way? Have we got verification of the things you've been told. We just don't know.

Now yes lets have honest and open debates but lets keep them in context of our own user experi

ence. I have an XT4 with a 2AD 2.2 it's solid as are many many many others. Im just trying to get across your initial sweeping statement regarding the engines needs to be kept in context.

Yipeeee !!!!!!! Another Far King engine thread !!!! I was going out in the sunshine today, but now ah'm staying in with ma laptop and a wee glass of 5/30 fully semi synthetic oil.......

Big Kev

Is that glass of oil Thick or Thin?

[Gods_gift]

Anyone know the difference between the xt4 and xt5?

[dwilson]

Anyone know the difference between the xt4 and xt5?

On my wife's petrol xt4 there is leather but no cruise control (although I previously had a diesel xt4 and I think that did have cruise) and no sat nav. BUt it has electric sunroof and climate.

Have a look on the Toyota website under Used Cars - they have data sheets archived.

David

[Gods_gift]

My xt4 has sunroof, leather, fogs, cd changer. It's a manual that had no cruise, but I think the auto did. Ive since retro fitted that oem switch style so not sure apart from sat nav maybe heated seats is the difference?

[Big Kev]

What I was trying to get across is that we dont know the full facts and we dont know the true facts.

17 forum members have been affected - that is not a true representation of how many people have these cars in the UK. An it also means thats not a fair and balanced view for the thousands that have these engines that are working fine.

It's a bit like say a manufacturer made 6000 toasters and 20 of them had issues. Now I get there has been an issue but it needs to be put into perspective. Can you really trust the 4 engines a week figure at one dealer? I'd have thought if the issue was that serious they'd have launched a recall. Are they all from the same model year/range/manufacture batch/model, did they all fail in the same way? Have we got verification of the things you've been told. We just don't know.

Now yes lets have honest and open debates but lets keep them in context of our own user experi

ence. I have an XT4 with a 2AD 2.2 it's solid as are many many many others. Im just trying to get across your initial sweeping statement regarding the engines needs to be kept in context.

Yipeeee !!!!!!! Another Far King engine thread !!!! I was going out in the sunshine today, but now ah'm staying in with ma laptop and a wee glass of 5/30 fully semi synthetic oil.......

Big Kev

Is that glass of oil Thick or Thin?

Yes Dave....it is.....