Rav2008 auto petrol xtr, service, tyres, help needed

[Helpneeded]

May be acquiring a Rav soon, never owned one before, and especially a automatic

Can I ask what are the big services in a rav, does the auto box if not already done require a service, does anybody have experience of AT tyres and  what make to go for,

anything I should look out for on a 2008 model, can I ask is there a wheel in the boot spare as noticed some models had them on back of door,

 

any advice appreciated

[Kos_ta]

Hi. I've got 2012 (62 reg) 2.0 petrol RAV4 xtr. Bought it in September 2016 with 13k on the clock. Since then I've done 30k and haven't replaced anything apart from tyres (went for Michelin Latitude Sport 3, around £90 per corner) and gearbox selector backlight bulb (£NIL as I had a spare one I'm my shed 😊). Decided to buy a service plan from the dealer which I've bought the car from, it's about £800 for 3 years. It's got CVT gearbox which according to dealer doesn't require servicing or a fluid change (other opinion is that fluid change recommended every 40k miles). I also renew extended warranty with Toyota, it's equivalent to the manufacturer warranty and can be renewed until the car is 12 years old or mileage is below 100k.

From 2008 Toyota abandoned supplying spare wheel for RAV4, so if you haven't got one on the rear door it won't be one under the floor, there are two storage compartments there, that's all (you will get a useless tyre repair kit though 😊). 

I found the car very comfy and overall I'm very happy with it, but have to say that a road noise is rather on excessive side compare to rival brands but reliability compensates for it. 

Hope it helps

[Helpneeded]

Might hav a look at them tyres, I believe the rav don't like AT tyres.

I know it's a  not off roader , but hoping it might do the job.

I used to live in Newcastle but now Berwickshire,  and now need a replacement can't afford a new vehicle now and friends friend selling this, and know it's never been off road and abused  been serviced regularly or so they say they the 2nd owner and has just under 100k miles on ,

how do the petrol autos fair, do they have a haldex unit like a freelander

 

[Kos_ta]

47 minutes ago, Helpneeded said:

how do the petrol autos fair, do they have a haldex unit like a freelander

 

Yes MK3 RAV's have similar system to Haldex, which is essentially a FWD in normal conditions and becomes AWD only when car is struggling. There is also a switch for full-time AWD (only up to 25 mph), but RAV hasn't got a diff lock unfortunately. 

[Grumpy stumpy]

Mine is a 59 plate petrol auto and has been superb. No issues at all, only thing I don’t like there is no spare wheel just can of stuff so I did buy a space saver off eBay and keep in the boot. Gearbox is a CVT box so really smooth and has paddle gear changes if you pop into manual mode for a bit of fun. Tyres i fitted Yokohama G91 £80 +vat each which have been really good. Petrol Rav’s are bullet proof !

[138289_1453892234]

On 2/14/2021 at 7:02 PM, Kos_ta said:

Hi. I've got 2012 (62 reg) 2.0 petrol RAV4 xtr. Bought it in September 2016 with 13k on the clock. Since then I've done 30k and haven't replaced anything apart from tyres (went for Michelin Latitude Sport 3, around £90 per corner) and gearbox selector backlight bulb (£NIL as I had a spare one I'm my shed 😊). Decided to buy a service plan from the dealer which I've bought the car from, it's about £800 for 3 years. It's got CVT gearbox which according to dealer doesn't require servicing or a fluid change (other opinion is that fluid change recommended every 40k miles). I also renew extended warranty with Toyota, it's equivalent to the manufacturer warranty and can be renewed until the car is 12 years old or mileage is below 100k.

From 2008 Toyota abandoned supplying spare wheel for RAV4, so if you haven't got one on the rear door it won't be one under the floor, there are two storage compartments there, that's all (you will get a useless tyre repair kit though 😊). 

I found the car very comfy and overall I'm very happy with it, but have to say that a road noise is rather on excessive side compare to rival brands but reliability compensates for it. 

Hope it helps

Toyota service schedule says cvt transmission fluid should be changed every 40 thousand miles, strange the dealer said it doesn't need changing

[Dippy]

I have a 2008, not auto. I thought I had a diff lock button... maybe it's the 4x4 button. Car not with me right now, having new shocks done.

Just changed my tyres from Bridgestone Dueller HT to Michelin Pilot Sport, partly as it never goes off road it's a family car, and a bit as I got a great deal on the MPS.  Road noise notably quieter! In fairness the previous tyres were from 2013 so probably quite hard rubber by now.

[Kos_ta]

On 2/15/2021 at 7:57 PM, 138289_1453892234 said:

Toyota service schedule says cvt transmission fluid should be changed every 40 thousand miles, strange the dealer said it doesn't need changing

Yep, I had the same info from Russian Toyota service schedule, my dealer insisted according to the UK service schedule CVT fluid is "for life" of the car but can be changed at the extra cost of £260. I'm going to change it on mine, not sure about doing it at the dealer though. I know good transmission specialist in our area. 

[Kos_ta]

17 hours ago, Dippy said:

I have a 2008, not auto. I thought I had a diff lock button... maybe it's the 4x4 button. Car not with me right now, having new shocks done.

Just changed my tyres from Bridgestone Dueller HT to Michelin Pilot Sport, partly as it never goes off road it's a family car, and a bit as I got a great deal on the MPS.  Road noise notably quieter! In fairness the previous tyres were from 2013 so probably quite hard rubber by now.

If you mean the button opposite hazard switch, yes, it's 4x4 button, not the diff lock. I specifically chose Michelin tyres as one of the quieter ones to reduce road noise. I also soundproofed my car and it's now fairly quiet. 

[138289_1453892234]

4 hours ago, Kos_ta said:

Yep, I had the same info from Russian Toyota service schedule, my dealer insisted according to the UK service schedule CVT fluid is "for life" of the car but can be changed at the extra cost of £260. I'm going to change it on mine, not sure about doing it at the dealer though. I know good transmission specialist in our area. 

£260 isn't a bad price to pay for peace of mind knowing its been changed, is that price at a main dealer?

[Kos_ta]

4 hours ago, 138289_1453892234 said:

£260 isn't a bad price to pay for peace of mind knowing its been changed, is that price at a main dealer?

Yes, that's the quote I've got from Stoneacre Toyota at Gateshead (former Hodgson Toyota). Not sure if the gearbox filter change included though. 

[philip42h]

On 2/14/2021 at 6:31 PM, Helpneeded said:

May be acquiring a Rav soon, never owned one before, and especially a automatic

Can I ask what are the big services in a rav, does the auto box if not already done require a service, does anybody have experience of AT tyres and  what make to go for,

anything I should look out for on a 2008 model, can I ask is there a wheel in the boot spare as noticed some models had them on back of door,

any advice appreciated

If we are talking about a 2008MY XTR Auto then the gear-box is a 4-speed conventional torque converter box. That coupled with the 2.0 vvti engine is reckoned to be pretty bullet proof. The only 'issue' will be fuel consumption - expect around 30 mpg if you are careful / lucky.

The XT-R has a tyre repair kit - as does the XT4 and XT5. The XT3 has a full size spare on the back door. The SR180 is on BSR run-flats ...

I wouldn't run AT tyres unless I was never going to run it on the road! Instead I'd go for good All Season SUV tyres certified for winter use over most of the UK. If you live far enough north and do enough winter miles you might want to consider separate summer and winter tyres to do the job properly.

Service pricing is available on the Toyota website but generally it's a service every 10,000 miles or once a year whichever occurs first alternating between an Intermediate (basic oil change type) and a Full service - Toyota spread out the significant work that needs doing between the Full services. But they do also have special pricing for older cars. Generally, see the website ... 😉

[Helpneeded]

I’m used to using general grabber AT2 on my last vehicle but think the discontinued anyway, I live up a track and sometimes it can be a little muddy don’t go driving over fields but farmer can leave a mess, it’s a bit like Glastonbury at the minute.

. I seen somewhere someone recommend Geolander? I believe  the 2008 petrol is chain driven, but nothing can last for ever though surely

is there a reason why AT are no good for the Rav, I just thought you could put any tyre on as long as it matched your wheel😀

 

 

i

[Helpneeded]

Was going to ask I know auto box expensive when going wrong, but when I was considering a freelander there was a place called bells engineering highly regarded in land rover world, he recommended changing transmission fluid and sold kits for it as dealer price for exact same profuct was over 3 times the price, yet land rover said it was for the life of vehicle, wonder who you turn too if the auto box goes wrong in rav is there a specialist like the one for land rover 

[Dippy]

1 hour ago, Helpneeded said:

Is there a reason why AT are no good for the Rav, I just thought you could put any tyre on as long as it matched your wheel

I guess it's not strictly that they are no good, just they are one of the least comfortable options for road driving.  AT is All Terrain, not sure about HT (Half Terrain?!) and even my HT were pretty noisy on the motorway, AT must be awful.  As my car sort of lives on the motorway (we are 5 mins away and junctions are every 5 mins), it was quite noticeable.  I don't even see mud in my tyres, let alone snow or rocks (LOTS of rain though) so I recently chose between Goodyear Eagle and Michelins after reading several reviews. I was all prepared to save 120 with the Goodyears but then got a quote that made the Michelins "only" 30 more, for all 4, so went for them.  Of course, in lockdown I can't really tell you the results of a comprehensive test since...  though there was something eerie on the motorway, until I realised it was the silence!

[philip42h]

2 hours ago, Helpneeded said:

I’m used to using general grabber AT2 on my last vehicle but think the discontinued anyway, I live up a track and sometimes it can be a little muddy don’t go driving over fields but farmer can leave a mess, it’s a bit like Glastonbury at the minute.

. I seen somewhere someone recommend Geolander? I believe  the 2008 petrol is chain driven, but nothing can last for ever though surely

is there a reason why AT are no good for the Rav, I just thought you could put any tyre on as long as it matched your wheel😀

 

It all depends on what you mean by Geolander. The RAV used to be fitted with Yokohama Geolandar G91s as original equipment (rather than Bridgestone Duelers) and there are good reviews of the G91s - but they are not all terrain tyres - like the Bridgestones they are what would be described as Highway Terrain tyres.

I guess that you'd be looking at Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015s as an all terrain option and there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't if that's what you want. Knobby AT tyres will be somewhat noisier on the road and many of us are looking for the quieter on road compromise.

[Helpneeded]

I don’t do much drive on the motorways, if noise is just a issue for fitting AT I could always turn the radio up😀 or does the vehicle shake

just wondered if it was deterimental to the vehicle.

where I go to get my tyres fitted the guy is local so knows where I live, and he says  you best with AT tyres, but that was when I had the L200, and they had in past been fitted with Goodyear wranglers and Bridgestone duellers, before I got the general grabbers AT2 on the truck

[Helpneeded]

Update

ended up parked next to a rav same yr as potentially getting infact same colour model😀

Noticed he had AT tyres general grabber AT2, he found noise not a issue, maybe he deaf

but he lives in same area to me and advised AT, however he said the AT2s are now discontinued ☹️
 

said I should consider bf Goodrich or possibly the new AT3