Rav4 Flywheel Problem

[zipppydj]

I've opened this as a new topic as I would like to hear from anyone who has had the dreaded RAV4 flywheel problem and from anyone who has managed to get it fixed FOC under the extended warranty (flywheel extended warranty 5 years/60k miles).

I own a 2002 RAV4 NRG D4D that recently had it's 60k service at my local Toyota dealers in Peterborough. I had noticed that when the car was standing still/idling the engine appeared to be racing a bit fast (forgive my terminology as I am only a woman and my knowledge of cars is limited to driving) and asked if they would look at this for me. There weren't any noises that I noticed and it didn't appear to effect the driving of the car otherwise I would have taken my car in sooner. Already expecting a hefty bill of nearly £700 for the 60k service, including a new cam belt, I was surprised when they told me that I had a faulty flywheel and absolutely gobsmacked when they quoted £1,800 to repair it.

To add insult to injury they then proceeded to tell me that this was a known fault and Toyota had extended the warranty for this part to 5 years/ 60k miles. My RAV being 5 years 3 months old and having done 60,400 miles, just outside the extended warranty period. I asked when the fault and extended warranty was made public knowledge, only to be told that "it hasn't been as we would get lots of people bringing their cars in when nothing was wrong with them". This statement was later changed to say that as this wasn't a recall they didn't have instruction/ permission from Toyota to notify their customers.

Having purchased the car from new at a cost of £18,000, having regular 10k services costings hundreds of pounds more over the five years. I feel completely ****** off at the way I have been treated by Toyota.

My dealer has raised this with Toyota but I'm being told that I will have to pay for the car to be stripped down so that Toyota can inspect the flywheel and that there are still no guarantees that they will agree to repair it free of charge. Having read some of the other posts on this forum, they can easily turn around and blame the fault on something else. I wouldn't have a clue if what they said could be proved or not and then be left with yet another bill.

My manager also has a RAV4 and broke down on the motorway due to a faulty flywheel. She had it repaired by her local garage as she was unaware of the known fault and has since sent her repair bills off to Toyota to see if there is any chance of reimbursement from them. I don't hold out much hope for her but it's worth a try.

I understand that cars are only recalled if the fault is a safety issue. If breaking down on the motorway or anywhere for that matter isn't a safey issue then I don't know what is.

I would like to gather as much evidence as possible as to how many cars have been effected and as to whether Toyota have coughed up or not. Depending on the results, I can then decide what course of action to take, whether it be Watchdog, the national press or just dumping a load of manure in the entrance of the showroom (that's how I feel at this precise moment). Please include details of the RAV model and year and any other information that you think would be helpful. Many thanks.

[bothwell_buyer]

I think looking back through this forum and others that theres a fair amount of evidence.

In situations where service is obviously poor, and parts longetivity are far less than one would expect, then one action is to get hold of email addresses for the Toyota Corporate body; press journals and magazines and copy your story around so toyota know that you're not going to be messed with. By raising doubt over the credibility of the model hits them where hurts most - car sales.

You'll see from the age of my RAV that I don't have a dual mass flywheel. My clutch was changed at 60,000 some years ago and the garage/dealer had never done one before. I ended up paying for their practice. And the number of discs I've gone thru is amazing. But then the latter is just that I thrash a car.

I asked my friendly garage guy (who specialises in Jap cars) (and knows more about Jap cars than the dealers do) and he said there are some cars which have had problems with dual mass flywheels. Not just the RAV. It must come down to quality of manufacture / quality control which is something Toyota reputation thrives on.

I'd write their PR department a good long letter and send it to any Executive you can find on any of their corporate sites; copied of course to the car mags. Criticism in the local press and involvement with Trading Standards all puts pressure on too.

It does work - I got an apology from Stansted Airport over the way I was shabbily treated recently. I copied my letter to my local MP too - he hasn't replied but Stansted have !! Also sent it to the Telegraph and Times. Even the Sunday Post.

Had a good chuckle when my brother and his partner from France were refused to carry kippers onto a Mega Bus (Stagecoach own them) from Aberdeen to Glasgow. Despite the fish being vacuum packed. You should have read the news story printed by the Aberdeen paper!! So give it your best shot and good luck.

:thumbsup:

Ian

[dave.m]

Zippy, your best bet may be to do a search on here for dual mass flywheel problems.

When you get the members screen names who answered the threads, send them a PM

and see if they respond. Catalog all your responses with names dates etc. This should

hopefully give you a lot of evidence to take back to Toyota or whoever you intend getting

involved. Good luck, I agree with you its a national disgrace the way Toyota are shirking

their responsibility on this.

Dave. ;)

[llith]

Hi

Would it be useful that everyone who has had a problem with the flywheel to post the details as part of a quick survey using the following headings :

Model (XT3 , XT4 ...) -

Registration year -

Mileage when failed -

Replaced under warranty - yes/no

If not , cost - £

Used for towing - yes/no

Regards

Llith

[anchorman]

Hello Zippy - welcome to the club.

Sorry to hear about your problems and frustrations with yet another DMF problem.

If you have a browse around the forum you will find that in general members have nothing but good to say about their Toyotas but this particular subject is one that has caused a lot of dissatisfaction.

Firstly, I don't want to sound patronising in any way but your explanation of the problem is just fine and there are both women and men who correspond on this forum who are not mechanically minded so don't worry.

Just reading through your post there are a couple of observations that I have made.

If the engine was racing I don't understand how they have arrived at the conclusion that the DMF is faulty, they cannot possibly be allied to each other. If you say that there were no other noises or symptoms that caused you any concern then frankly I would thank them for there opinion and just bring it away. Kingo (our friendly Toyota parts contact) will not thank me for saying this but some of these so called experts are quite capable of telling you there is something wrong but when it comes down to it are not really very well qualified or knowledgeable and are purely stating gut feeling without the ability to substantiate thier diagnosis. I have been told some utterly bewildering tales by service staff in the past.

So. Your racing or fast idling. The idling speed for your engine should be 850 to 950 rpm in other word it should be just below the 1000 mark on your rev counter ( it might be marked up 10 with *100 in small letters) but essentially the first increment on the clock. If it is only slightly above, don't worry about it but let me know if it is much higher. Some of those vehicles of your era are fitted with an "idle up" switch. This is a switch that is usually marked in that way and is on the little panel to the right of the key. Make sure it is switched off as that is designed to pick up the engine speed if for instance you have a lot of electrical things and the aircon switched on (they would otherwise slow the engine down towards stalling speed with the additional load they impose). If it has been inadvertantly switched on it will generate your symptoms.

Ask the service advisor how they have arrived at the conclusion that the DMF is faulty. All other owners have described symptoms of vibrations, rattling or screeching from the transmission. You have suggested that there is nothing untoward so I am a bit sceptical.

With regard to the warranty, this is not going to be easy. You might have some success by gathering historical data but to be honest they have no legal obligation to accept your plea and anything they do as a gesture or "Policy Warranty Claim" is entirely at their discretion. However frustrating it may be, if they have decided that the cut off point for claims is 5 years or 60k then they are going to use that as a benchmark and all the bad publicity, solicitors letters or if it comes to that, loyal customers that will understandably tell them to shove it and buy something else are unlikely to phase them. Don't get me wrong, anybody that regularly reads these posts will tell you that Toyota really p*ss me off with this subject as I see the DMF as something that should last the life of the car unless it has been severely abused. Yours and the testimonials of several others confirm to me that they fail prematurely and if Toyota have any scruples they would open the warranty up to something more like 100k or 10 years. However, that is my opinion, your opinion but not theirs. I would advise caution if you are to lock horns with them as their corporate lawyers are head and shoulders bigger than yours and I personally would not spend any money in doing so.

My advice for what it is worth is the course you have started. If you have had your car regularly serviced by them, go and see the dealer manager and ask him to arrange for the zone service manager to come and assess the vehicle and then if they maintain it is faulty ask the dealer manager to write a letter to Toyota asking for a concession - you never know your luck!

It might not be what you want to hear but I am trying to be realistic and not see you go to a huge amount of trouble and expense to end up even more dissapointed.

If you feel uncomfortable or unqualified to deal with them please feel free to pm me and I will gladly discuss it with them on your behalf - just to see if I can get to the bottom of where they are coming from. I am qualified and can use the letters LAE MIMI and MIRTE with my name (motor industry qualifications).

Zippy, if it doesn't actually bother you you could always keep running it and monitor it for yourself - you are not obliged to have it done. When or if it starts to make some noise or vibration it could be another few years away so worry about it then.

On the other hand if you prefer to plod on and tackle them I'm sure I echo the thoughts of all the regulars here when I say we are all behind you and wish you the best.

Regards

[Fujisan]

Hi Zippy

Welcome to the TOC

I am very sorry and sad to read your post. DMF's really are the black spot in Toyota's copybook.

Having read the whole tread, I would ask you to consider what Anchorman suggested. His advice, based on years of experience, is generally considered gospel among RAV owners in the TOC.

I just wonder did you plant the seed of flywheel failure with your Toyota dealer by mentioning to them the problems your manager had unfortunately had with her RAV and from there your dealer has been lazy and just jumped to conclusions (right age, right mileage, right car). And them not bothered to try track down the real reason why your car is idling fast. Just a thought.

Anyway, I hope all your problems are sorted out soon, without too much trouble, stress and expense.

[zipppydj]

Hi Zippy

Welcome to the TOC

I am very sorry and sad to read your post. DMF's really are the black spot in Toyota's copybook.

Having read the whole tread, I would ask you to consider what Anchorman suggested. His advice, based on years of experience, is generally considered gospel among RAV owners in the TOC.

I just wonder did you plant the seed of flywheel failure with your Toyota dealer by mentioning to them the problems your manager had unfortunately had with her RAV and from there your dealer has been lazy and just jumped to conclusions (right age, right mileage, right car). And them not bothered to try track down the real reason why your car is idling fast. Just a thought.

Anyway, I hope all your problems are sorted out soon, without too much trouble, stress and expense.

Hi Fujisan and everyone else who has taken the time to post a reply.

I didn't even know the reason for my manager's car breaking down until I went back to the office and told her of my plight. The penny dropped when she said that this was what she had to have replaced on her car.

I loved my RAV and am really sad and shocked that a reputable manufacturer like Toyota can treat it's customer's in this way. My biggest gripe is that they haven't been upfront and told their customers about the fault. I obviously should have started reading posts on this forum a lot sooner.

I've calmed down a bit from yesterday and will take Anchorman up on his offer of help in talking to the dealer.

I'll keep you all posted.

Thanks again.

[NikkiBourne]

Hi all. I am new to this site and wonder if anyone can help me. I have had the same problem - I have a 2003 Rav 4 D4D which I bought 2yrs ago. Just before Christmas, it broke down on the motorway with no warning (I was revving and going nowhere!) and I was told that I needed to replace the flywheel and clutch, which turned out to be a very costly job - as I know many of you know! I've since been told that there was a fault on flywheels around this time, so I contacted my local branch and was told that as I didn't take it to them for repair that there was nothing they can do (I couldn't take it to them - it was 2 days before Christmas and I'd been towed to the closest garage as it was not drivable!!). I was directed to Customer Relations, who I called and was assured that my car was not within the recall/fault. I am going to follow this up with an email, although I'm not sure what good it will do!

I have been pretty unlucky with my car to say the least. First there was a problem with the steering rack, which was thankfully repaired under warranty, and in the last couple of days its felt like my turbo isn't kicking in. A warning light came on which according to the RAC is the engine management system. I booked into Toyota today and was told that my fuel pump is on its way out and it will be 1800 pounds brand new, or 1200 if they send my existing pump away to be repaired. As you can tell, I have no clue about cars but I'm sure these prices are ludicrous!! Has anyone else had any problems like this?

I absolutely love my Rav and bought it with the advice that they rarely break down - I feel like my car is jinxed!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

Nikki

[chatman]

Hi all. I am new to this site and wonder if anyone can help me. I have had the same problem - I have a 2003 Rav 4 D4D which I bought 2yrs ago. Just before Christmas, it broke down on the motorway with no warning (I was revving and going nowhere!) and I was told that I needed to replace the flywheel and clutch, which turned out to be a very costly job - as I know many of you know! I've since been told that there was a fault on flywheels around this time, so I contacted my local branch and was told that as I didn't take it to them for repair that there was nothing they can do (I couldn't take it to them - it was 2 days before Christmas and I'd been towed to the closest garage as it was not drivable!!). I was directed to Customer Relations, who I called and was assured that my car was not within the recall/fault. I am going to follow this up with an email, although I'm not sure what good it will do!

I have been pretty unlucky with my car to say the least. First there was a problem with the steering rack, which was thankfully repaired under warranty, and in the last couple of days its felt like my turbo isn't kicking in. A warning light came on which according to the RAC is the engine management system. I booked into Toyota today and was told that my fuel pump is on its way out and it will be 1800 pounds brand new, or 1200 if they send my existing pump away to be repaired. As you can tell, I have no clue about cars but I'm sure these prices are ludicrous!! Has anyone else had any problems like this?

I absolutely love my Rav and bought it with the advice that they rarely break down - I feel like my car is jinxed!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

Nikki

Niki,

My RAV suffered with the HP Fuel Pump about a year and half ago....took it to TOYOTA as they are the only garage that can read the onboard computer thingy and yes it was the fuel pump...they wanted £1200 quid just for parts not including labour and as it turns out most of the engine has to come apart just to get to it :( :( . So I said thanks but no thanks and took it to my local garage who also happen to specialize in 4X4 (Land rRovers so they have plenty of work experience :P :P to Dave_M)

Any way they sent off the pump to a specialist Diesel pump place and they re-conditioned it, new seals and valve's and casing etc. Had some other work done and changed the Cam Belt as everything was out any way...all in including Pump re-condition, new cambelt, 60K service and labour cost me £1200ish so had more work and other parts at half MR T prices....

[Parts-King]

I am qualified and can use the letters LAE MIMI and MIRTE with my name (motor industry qualifications).

Good post Anchorman

Didn't know you were a member of my club as well

Kingo MIMI

[anchorman]

I am qualified and can use the letters LAE MIMI and MIRTE with my name (motor industry qualifications).

Good post Anchorman

Didn't know you were a member of my club as well

Kingo MIMI

Same club Kingo but I don't know if it was by the same means. LAE (Licentiate Automotive Engineer) means I got my membership by sitting 4 years of examinations - Law, Garage and Workshop Organisation, Finacial and Commercial and Management.

Did you serve your time as a mechanic too?

[Parts-King]

I am qualified and can use the letters LAE MIMI and MIRTE with my name (motor industry qualifications).

Good post Anchorman

Didn't know you were a member of my club as well

Kingo MIMI

Same club Kingo but I don't know if it was by the same means. LAE (Licentiate Automotive Engineer) means I got my membership by sitting 4 years of examinations - Law, Garage and Workshop Organisation, Finacial and Commercial and Management.

Did you serve your time as a mechanic too?

I did, but got out after 4 years to move over to parts. I got my MIMI through manufacturer qualifications (Law Financial etc) and about 20 years experience in a senior management post, albeit non technical.

Kingo

[Tony F]

Another new forum member with probably the same question that's been asked previously........sorry if it has.

After reading the threads on this and many other forums I begin to get the feeling that the flywheel problems might not be as bad on post 2004 vehicles ???

Could somebody confirm / clarify before I become another statistic of the disgruntled D4D club :o

[anchorman]

I have had a discussion with Toyota PR (who were very helpful) and at some stage I am hoping to be able to clarify these issues but I have to write a detailed account and they will try to respond so sit tight and hopefully we can get to understand things a bit better. I certainly don't want to speculate at this time.

Regards

[pursy]

I've opened this as a new topic as I would like to hear from anyone who has had the dreaded RAV4 flywheel problem and from anyone who has managed to get it fixed FOC under the extended warranty (flywheel extended warranty 5 years/60k miles).

I own a 2002 RAV4 NRG D4D that recently had it's 60k service at my local Toyota dealers in Peterborough. I had noticed that when the car was standing still/idling the engine appeared to be racing a bit fast (forgive my terminology as I am only a woman and my knowledge of cars is limited to driving) and asked if they would look at this for me. There weren't any noises that I noticed and it didn't appear to effect the driving of the car otherwise I would have taken my car in sooner. Already expecting a hefty bill of nearly £700 for the 60k service, including a new cam belt, I was surprised when they told me that I had a faulty flywheel and absolutely gobsmacked when they quoted £1,800 to repair it.

To add insult to injury they then proceeded to tell me that this was a known fault and Toyota had extended the warranty for this part to 5 years/ 60k miles. My RAV being 5 years 3 months old and having done 60,400 miles, just outside the extended warranty period. I asked when the fault and extended warranty was made public knowledge, only to be told that "it hasn't been as we would get lots of people bringing their cars in when nothing was wrong with them". This statement was later changed to say that as this wasn't a recall they didn't have instruction/ permission from Toyota to notify their customers.

Having purchased the car from new at a cost of £18,000, having regular 10k services costings hundreds of pounds more over the five years. I feel completely ****** off at the way I have been treated by Toyota.

My dealer has raised this with Toyota but I'm being told that I will have to pay for the car to be stripped down so that Toyota can inspect the flywheel and that there are still no guarantees that they will agree to repair it free of charge. Having read some of the other posts on this forum, they can easily turn around and blame the fault on something else. I wouldn't have a clue if what they said could be proved or not and then be left with yet another bill.

My manager also has a RAV4 and broke down on the motorway due to a faulty flywheel. She had it repaired by her local garage as she was unaware of the known fault and has since sent her repair bills off to Toyota to see if there is any chance of reimbursement from them. I don't hold out much hope for her but it's worth a try.

I understand that cars are only recalled if the fault is a safety issue. If breaking down on the motorway or anywhere for that matter isn't a safey issue then I don't know what is.

I would like to gather as much evidence as possible as to how many cars have been effected and as to whether Toyota have coughed up or not. Depending on the results, I can then decide what course of action to take, whether it be Watchdog, the national press or just dumping a load of manure in the entrance of the showroom (that's how I feel at this precise moment). Please include details of the RAV model and year and any other information that you think would be helpful. Many thanks.

[chatman]

Pursy..... :unsure: what are you trying to say??????

[pursy]

We had the wifes 2002 Rav diagnosed as possibly having a faulty dual mass flywheel by our local Toyota dealer and the labour alone would be in the region of £800.The car was booked for its MOT so we decided to get it tested before fixing it and lo and behold the thing failed on its test. So having a concrete ramp and a lot of jacks,blocks of wood and determination not to be ripped off i got the box out.The clutch pressure plate was dished by about .005" the friction material was good but the inner part of the DMF turned separate to the outer hence no drive. i managed to get a Valeo clutch kit and fly wheel for less than Toyotas and fitted it and all seemed well untill we got it into 4th and the new clutch started to slip so thats where i am at the moment. I have spoke to Valeo and they said it could be a faulty pressure plate but obviously the box has got to come out again to see,before you say i should have bought genuine parts this clutch was made by the same folks as the original.By the way the Valeo tech guy said some Avensis taxi owners are fitting solid flywheels but he didnt know how that affected the smoothness of the motor.I will repost with the outcome of the clutch fault.

[chatman]

We had the wifes 2002 Rav diagnosed as possibly having a faulty dual mass flywheel by our local Toyota dealer and the labour alone would be in the region of £800.The car was booked for its MOT so we decided to get it tested before fixing it and lo and behold the thing failed on its test. So having a concrete ramp and a lot of jacks,blocks of wood and determination not to be ripped off i got the box out.The clutch pressure plate was dished by about .005" the friction material was good but the inner part of the DMF turned separate to the outer hence no drive. i managed to get a Valeo clutch kit and fly wheel for less than Toyotas and fitted it and all seemed well untill we got it into 4th and the new clutch started to slip so thats where i am at the moment. I have spoke to Valeo and they said it could be a faulty pressure plate but obviously the box has got to come out again to see,before you say i should have bought genuine parts this clutch was made by the same folks as the original.By the way the Valeo tech guy said some Avensis taxi owners are fitting solid flywheels but he didnt know how that affected the smoothness of the motor.I will repost with the outcome of the clutch fault.

Thanks Pursy... for the update.

Keep us posted on the outcome and diagnosis. Anchorman and Kingo may chip into this as well...

[anchorman]

Pursy

I definitely applaud you for having a go yourself. It is exactly what I would do but unfortunately a lot of members don't have the courage, dtermination, knowledge or facilities to do it.

I read through the process of removing the box some time ago and it did look relatively straight forward although I wouldn't be too thrilled at doing it twice.

I can only think that if it is slipping that it is either the pressure plate or the slave cylinder. I also once saw clutch slipping soon after fitting on an old Sierra of my neighbour who had paid to have the clutch renewed at a local garage. They had fitted the drive plate the wrong way around (with the boss to the flywheel). The result was that when a small amount of material wore off the friction linings, the pressure plate contacted the boss and prevented it from clamping.

When you fitted the pressure plate did you feel the spring tension clamping the drive plate up as you tightened the bolts? Also the release fork hasn't got dislodged preventing it to fully clear?

Just a couple of thoughts.

Good luck mate.

[Hildretha]

I posted a thread on here a few weeks ago. my car was a 2004 with only 31K miles on it and a week and a half out of warrenty!! After lots of twoing and froing (and a LOT of help from Minories) Toyota agreed to pay for the parts but I was still hit with a 600 labour bill and 55 towing charge. I have since wrote to Toyota expressing my disgust.

Not only that but whilst the cluctch gave up on me, I was pulling out onto a Dual Carriageway with my one year old son in the car, now if a car had come up behind me it could have had serious consequences. If THATS not a reason for a safety recall I dont know what is.

Minories admitted there were known faults with the flywheels.

I like you am left fuming that they can get away with it and I have been left to pay for a mistake that they have made, and they also tried to blame my driving!

I would also like to point out that Toyota's "goodwill" of paying for the parts is a joke anyway as when they get the parts from Valeo or other suppliers the clutches are guarnteed for LIFE!! so they get there money back or the parts replaced for free anyway.

I've opened this as a new topic as I would like to hear from anyone who has had the dreaded RAV4 flywheel problem and from anyone who has managed to get it fixed FOC under the extended warranty (flywheel extended warranty 5 years/60k miles).

I own a 2002 RAV4 NRG D4D that recently had it's 60k service at my local Toyota dealers in Peterborough. I had noticed that when the car was standing still/idling the engine appeared to be racing a bit fast (forgive my terminology as I am only a woman and my knowledge of cars is limited to driving) and asked if they would look at this for me. There weren't any noises that I noticed and it didn't appear to effect the driving of the car otherwise I would have taken my car in sooner. Already expecting a hefty bill of nearly £700 for the 60k service, including a new cam belt, I was surprised when they told me that I had a faulty flywheel and absolutely gobsmacked when they quoted £1,800 to repair it.

To add insult to injury they then proceeded to tell me that this was a known fault and Toyota had extended the warranty for this part to 5 years/ 60k miles. My RAV being 5 years 3 months old and having done 60,400 miles, just outside the extended warranty period. I asked when the fault and extended warranty was made public knowledge, only to be told that "it hasn't been as we would get lots of people bringing their cars in when nothing was wrong with them". This statement was later changed to say that as this wasn't a recall they didn't have instruction/ permission from Toyota to notify their customers.

Having purchased the car from new at a cost of £18,000, having regular 10k services costings hundreds of pounds more over the five years. I feel completely ****** off at the way I have been treated by Toyota.

My dealer has raised this with Toyota but I'm being told that I will have to pay for the car to be stripped down so that Toyota can inspect the flywheel and that there are still no guarantees that they will agree to repair it free of charge. Having read some of the other posts on this forum, they can easily turn around and blame the fault on something else. I wouldn't have a clue if what they said could be proved or not and then be left with yet another bill.

My manager also has a RAV4 and broke down on the motorway due to a faulty flywheel. She had it repaired by her local garage as she was unaware of the known fault and has since sent her repair bills off to Toyota to see if there is any chance of reimbursement from them. I don't hold out much hope for her but it's worth a try.

I understand that cars are only recalled if the fault is a safety issue. If breaking down on the motorway or anywhere for that matter isn't a safey issue then I don't know what is.

I would like to gather as much evidence as possible as to how many cars have been effected and as to whether Toyota have coughed up or not. Depending on the results, I can then decide what course of action to take, whether it be Watchdog, the national press or just dumping a load of manure in the entrance of the showroom (that's how I feel at this precise moment). Please include details of the RAV model and year and any other information that you think would be helpful. Many thanks.

[Hildretha]

XT3

Sep 04

21K

Parts only replaced as warrenty expired week before

£600 Labour Bill

Not towed once Ever!!

Hi

Would it be useful that everyone who has had a problem with the flywheel to post the details as part of a quick survey using the following headings :

Model (XT3 , XT4 ...) -

Registration year -

Mileage when failed -

Replaced under warranty - yes/no

If not , cost - £

Used for towing - yes/no

Regards

Llith

[traceyjones50]

I recently took my Rav4 (51 plate) to Toyota as my engine was vibrating on idle, although once past 1000 revs, drives like a dream.

They had the car only 45 minutes but told me the problem was the fly wheel and the repair bill would be £1600, excluding a new clutch which they stated I did not need.

I took my car to Mr Clutch who had quoted me over the phone £1200 for both the fly wheel and clutch. However, on taking it in to them, they have said it is not the fly wheel and they dont know how Toyota diagnosed it was in the 45 minuted that they had it. They have stated that the engine is vibrating because the engine is loose (I can rock the engine myself) and it may possibly be an engine mount. They also stated that if it was the flywheel, I would get vibration when I change gear?

Does anyone know if this sounds practible as I no longer trust Toyota but having always taken my car to them for servicing and repairs, dont really know where to go from here?

[Fujisan]

Hi Tracey.

Welcome to the TOC

What would you like to tell us? I guess you have had a problem with your flywheel, if so I am sorry to hear that.

Please try again

[chatman]

Hi Tracey.

Welcome to the TOC

What would you like to tell us? I guess you have had a problem with your flywheel, if so I am sorry to hear that.

Please try again

Tracey,

If your Duel Mass Fly Wheel and Clutch were on there way out, you would not be able to drive the RAV...You did not say that your RAV is a diesel, but as you mentioned Toyota said the Fly Wheel was the problem It take it as is.

Toyota may have only plugged in the computer...did you get any engine management light on the dash. How many miles has your RAV done. They may have also just gone for the easiest option...."Kick the tyres" make assumption on your comments and reach a decision.... ;) ;)

Is your RAV still in warranty or have any. And as it's a 51 plate you don't have to go to Toyota and pay there exasperated cost's.... :P :P You could take you RAV to another garage and get them to look at it...may cost you the expense of the check but at least your know if MR Clutch place was right (as they fit clutches all the time I would believe there diagnosis)

Just my 2pence worth.....

[traceyjones50]

Hi Tracey.

Welcome to the TOC

What would you like to tell us? I guess you have had a problem with your flywheel, if so I am sorry to hear that.

Please try again

Tracey,

If your Duel Mass Fly Wheel and Clutch were on there way out, you would not be able to drive the RAV...You did not say that your RAV is a diesel, but as you mentioned Toyota said the Fly Wheel was the problem It take it as is.

Toyota may have only plugged in the computer...did you get any engine management light on the dash. How many miles has your RAV done. They may have also just gone for the easiest option...."Kick the tyres" make assumption on your comments and reach a decision.... ;) ;)

Is your RAV still in warranty or have any. And as it's a 51 plate you don't have to go to Toyota and pay there exasperated cost's.... :P :P You could take you RAV to another garage and get them to look at it...may cost you the expense of the check but at least your know if MR Clutch place was right (as they fit clutches all the time I would believe there diagnosis)

Just my 2pence worth.....

Thanks for your reply. This is an excellent forum and although I have not posted before, regularly read postings

It is a diesel and has done 46,000 miles and unfortunately I do not have any warranty :( . I am not even sure that they plugged it in as they did not charge me for their diagnosis? Mr Clutch said that they normally charge if they do.

I havent had any warning lights and it has not got any worse since they checked it 2 weeks ago. Is the failure of the flywheel gradual as it was fine one day and not the next?

I am very disappointed that they may have given me the incorrect diagnosis as despite being out of warranty, I have continued to have my car serviced by then, believing them to be the experts!!!!

I will find a local garage and get them to have a look at it ... I will post my results.