To Rav Or Not To Rav

[Nickd57]

Am on the verge of buying a RAV 4 (never owned a Toyota before) and was thinking of a 2009 2.2 diesel with less than 40k on the clock. However having had a look at the forum am now concerned about engine problems and run flat tyres!

Do engine issues relate to all diesels of this vintage or is the 180 more liable? And is there a way to tell whether the car(s) I am considering have had engine replacements or not?

Had thought the extra power of a 180 would be nice (along with run flat tyres!) but am now wondering whether I'm about to make a big mistake?

Would really appreciate some help and advice!

Nick

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hello Nick - welcome to Toyota Owners Club.

Only a percentage of engines appear to be affected, though actual numbers are not in the public domain.

See http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/132178-charliefarlies-guide-to-the-toyota-2ad-diesel-engine-and-its-issues/

Given appropriate information (reg number or VIN), a Toyota dealer should be able to confirm whether or not a car has had a replacement engine under the goodwill measure mentioned in the topic above

[philip42h]

The runflats aren't really that much of an issue but iirc only feature on the T180 and SR180. The 180 versions of the D4D engine are the most likely to have problems - a lot of fun but perhaps best avoided. Engines manufactured after 2008 don't suffer from the reported problems so it would be wise to look for a later car (if your budget will allow). The later 150 BHP engine in a 4.3.5 from late 2009 / 2010 onwards would be a good choice.

[Nickd57]

Thanks for that; most helpful.

[Nickd57]

Philip, would a 2009 180 engine be OK or is it best to go for the 150?

[philip42h]

A 2009 registered SR180 - like my previous car - would have been built in 2008 ... I don't believe there is a risk free 180. The 150 is the safe bet.

[Nickd57]

Many thanks; the 150 it is!

[Mike169]

Hi Nick.

I have a 4.3.5 150 X-TR automatic and this is the model i feel you should go for if your budjet can afford it. There is more than enough power and they are surprisingly quick/fast. I would recommend an automatic as the 6 speed garbox is silky smooth and you hardly notice the gear changes where as a manual, when the clutches need changing they are expensive to get replaced. The X-TR is the trim level and the car is half leather, lots of toys in the car and all said is a good car. Personally i would not be tempted to fit a tuning/chip box as it makes the car less reliable. The run flat tyres you mentioned just about everyone i know who had them took them off and replaced with normal tyres as these suit the car much better and if you get the X-TR model it should come with standard tyres anyway, often Yokohama Geolander 91A ones which are a good all round tyre. If you see the car you like you can give the reg. no. to a dealer and they can of course tell you the history of the car. Just about the only minus i can think of is as standard the car only comes with 4 wheels/tyres and a tin of gunge incase of punctures, myself and many others just bought a complete spare wheel and leave it in the floor of the boot although this is not recommended on safety grounds, some people 'box them in' but personally mine has never moved once.....others store it upright behind the rear seat and a bar the fits horizontally that supports the boot cover.

Regards Mike.

[Nickd57]

Thanks Mike. A planning on buying in the next week or two so will focus my search on that model. For some reason auto diesels seem very rare.

Nick

[Mike169]

Hi Nick.

Just to give you another thought there are advantages to buying a petrol automatic as running a diesel isn't much cheaper to run and they have a couple of valves that carbon up and unless you do frequent high speed runs they will get blocked. Unleaded is cheaper than diesel too and the petrol engine is pretty bullet proof. If i knew then what i know now i would of bought a petrol variant instead of my diesel purely as i only use it to potter around doing short runs and i am lucky to get 30mpg out of it which is much the same as a petrol. The D-Cat diesel has a 5th injector to burn off noxious particles which of course you are paying for, a petrol has a different system is my understanding.

Regards Mike.

[NORTHERN_LAD]

I have a 2009, 150 bhp diesel and it does not have a dpf or the fifth injector. It is one of the first of the 150's registered in December 2009.

I believe that 2010 models prior to the facelift are the same, my brother has a 2012 facelift and his does have a dpf and fifth injector.

Mine is a manual which I use to tow a caravan. Once you get used to the gear change between 1st and 2nd it is silky smooth, especially since I changed the transmission fluids.

Keith

[Nickd57]

Thanks again. Couple of questions in reply:

- How can I tell if it's a D-Cat diesel with a 5 injector?

- What do you mean by 4.3.5 and again, how can I tell (Are all diesel 150s 4.4.5?)

- Has the petrol engine engine been around for ages or did they introduce a new one?

Am looking to buy a car from around 2008 2009 and dont want to buy the wrong one!

Decisions decisions!

[Mike169]

The D-Cat bit is easy, it will have badges on the front wings and the rear door.

The latest brand new Rav is a 4.4 so prior to that was the 4.3, then they brought out a facelift and it was known as a 4.3.5, prior to that was the 4.2, and of course the original was a 4.1.

From what you are saying money wise you are looking for a 4.3 or a 4.3.5.

The 180's had the problem engines, they are ok if they have been renewed but i would still go for a 150 model.

The petrol version the engine has been made for years and is pretty bullet proof overall.

You mentioned a 4.4.5, it has not been released yet as it will be the facelift of the current new model.

Just do not buy a 2006-2009 180 which has not had an engine change as they are out of warranty now and a new engine fitted is around £7K but the 150 would still be my preference.

On manual transmission 1st to 2nd can be a bit chunky but they are ok after that but clutches are very expensive to get changed, hence my preference to auto's.

Regards Mike.