Toyota RAV4 Problems

It all sounds a bit counter-intuitive, doesn’t it: That a smaller engine could use more fuel thana larger one? But, in fact, it’s all down to the hybrid driveline in the 2.5-litre version of the RAV4. Because the hybrid version also has an electric motor to help propel the vehicle, the petrol engine has less work to do. So, it uses less fuel, particularly on the official test cycle that determines these numbers.

In fact, in the hybrid RAV4, the petrol engine isn’t even running a lot of the time, especially in stop-start traffic. The electric motor can draw from the batteries on board to get the vehicle rolling, and when it’s slowing down, the electric motor recharges those batteries for the next green light. And when the car is running on electric power, it’s not using any petrol at all.

By contrast, the non-hybrid RAV4 is running its petrol engine the whole time (apart from when it’s at a complete standstill). And that, in a nutshell, is how a bigger engine can use less fuel than a smaller one in the same make and model.

It all depends on what you call the serpentine belt. If you mean the toothed rubber belt that drives the camshafts, then yes, the engine will need to have its valve timing re-set before it will run again with a new belt. If this is what has happened, you’re lucky that the 3S-FE engine in your car is what’s called a non-interference engine. That is, if the belt brakes, the pistons will not crash into the valves, destroying the engine. In an interference design, you’d be looking at a whole new engine.

If, however, the belt you refer to is the one that drives the power-steering pump, water pump and alternator, then you should be able to simply replace the belt and be back in business.

Flushing a transmission is a practice that mechanics around the world just can't agree on in terms of its benefits. Either way, it would be pretty dangerous to do it with something as flammable as petrol. Also, unlike transmission fluid, petrol is not a lubricant so internal damage would possibly occur if you ran the car with only petrol in the transmission.

Most transmission flushing is done by using fresh automatic transmission fluid (ATF) which displaces most of the old ATF. A fluid change is the other service option, but this will usually only replace the ATF in the transmission's pan. A flush, meanwhile, will replace the stuff in the pan as well as in the torque converter and the transmission lines.

Your problem, however, sounds more like a lack of fluid in the first place. The inability of an automatic transmission to select gears and/or produce any forward movement is often down to depleted ATF rather than dirty or old fluid. Check the fluid level on the transmission's dipstick and, if it's low, add some more. The job then is to work out where the ATF is going missing, because the transmission is a sealed system that shouldn't need topping up. You may have a leak somewhere. And definitely check this first before spending lots of money on repairs when a quick ATF top-up will bring the car back to full health.

These are quite different vehicles in terms of their physical size. While older generations of the RAV4 were known as compact SUVs, the current model is resolutely mid-sized. None of which is to say that the Yaris is cramped but it is a size-division smaller, so if you often carry people in the back seat or your family is growing, the RAV4 might be a bit more future-proof.

However, in driveline terms, the Yaris is the one that is truly future-proof thanks to its hybrid driveline. If most of your driving is around the city and suburbs, you might be surprised at just how efficient a modern hybrid can be. On the highway, there's less to be gained form the hybrid layout, so take that into account, too.

The other thing to consider is what happens a few years down the track at trade-in time. The RAV4 is question is already one generation older than the Yaris, and the hybrid Yaris is almost certain to be worth more as a second-hand proposition five years from now. Which means the latter will probably be the cheapest to own over that time in a wholistic sense.

Not really sure what you consider a normal sedan's length to be, but I'll presume you have a relatively short parking space to deal with. Also, your minimum height requirement suggests you're sick of climbing up out of cars and want something with a higher seat to make entering and leaving the car easier. With that in mind, something like the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid springs to mind. It's high enough at 1685mm (with decent seat height) and at 4600mm long, it's quite a bit shorter than the Toyota Camry sedan (4885mm long).

But, really, there are plenty of choices out there with just about every mainstream manufacturer offering an SUV of similar size, and many of them in a hybrid format. Which is great, because the big catch with the RAV4 is that it's so popular, there are long waiting lists. What you really need to do is invest a little shoe leather and visit some dealerships where you can try the candidates on for size. Or check out this website for the latest mid-sized SUV comparison tests.

The default purchase for somebody looking for a mid-sized hybrid SUV is the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. But if that’s too big, there’s the Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid, C-HR Hybrid and even the Corolla Cross Hybrid which sounds like the marketplace is getting crowded but is really just a reflection of the appetite right now for cars like these. And that’s the catch; the waiting times for a brand-new example of some of these cars is out to many months and even years. So your plan to shop second-hand makes plenty of sense, but don’t expect any bargains in a market currently being dominated by lots of demand and less supply.

Beyond the Toyota brand (which has been doing hybrids longer than just about anybody else) there’s also the Mazda CX-30, Subaru XV Hybrid, Haval Jolion Hybrid, Kia Niro, Subaru Forester Hybrid, Nissan Qashqai e-Power, MG HS, Honda HR-V e and more. For something a bit bigger, try the Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe hybrids. There are others out there, too, that are probably bigger or more expensive than you need, but it's very much a growing scene in the Australian marketplace.

These add-ons have traditionally been a huge cash-cow for new-car dealers who will urge you into buying paint protection, interior treatments, window tint and more at huge mark-ups in their favour. It's your choice, obviously, but here's the reality: If a car maker can't sell you a car, in 2022, that has a painted exterior finish that will survive in the world, it doesn't deserve to sell you, or anybody else, that car. Fundamentally, any brand-new car should be as durable as possible, fresh from the factory. And if these add-on treatments are so good, why don't car-makers use them at the factory?

Again, it's your money, so your choice, but not buying them won't affect your warranty if something does go wrong with the paint and you need to make a claim.

This could be a fault with the engine and/or transmission but it could just as easily be a fault with a sensor or even a poor earth or other electrical connection somewhere in the vehicle. Scanning the vehicle should show up any faults the on-board computer has logged.

The fix? That’s easy: Your car is still covered by the factory warranty, so Toyota is obliged to make things right. Take it back to the dealer as it’s Toyota’s problem, not yours.

While it’s much less common to see a leaking rear main seal these days, it’s certainly not unheard of and definitely not an impossibility. While ever cars have seals and gaskets, they can fail, even if it’s not a common occurrence.

The rear main oil seal is the one located at the rear of the engine and is designed to allow the crankshaft to spin inside the engine without leaking oil through the rear main bearing to the outside world. When this seal wears or becomes hard with age and heat cycles, oil can get past it and that’s when you’ll start to find oily patches on the driveway under the car.

This seal is sandwiched between the engine and gearbox, so it’s quite a bit of work to separate those two components to gain access to the seal and replace it. It can easily be one of those $5 parts that costs $1500 to replace.

But before you commit to this, you need to make absolutely sure the rear main seal is the culprit. The best way to do that is to thoroughly clean the engine to remove any oil and then take it for a drive where it gets fully up to temperature. From there, you should be able to see where the oil is coming from and whether that place is the rear main seal. It might take a couple of journeys before the oil leak starts to show up again.

Don’t be surprised if the leak actually turns out to be from some external plumbing or even a seal or gasket at the back of the engine near the top, where the oil is escaping, running down the back of the engine and appearing to come from the rear main seal. Oil leaks can be tricky little devils, so take the time to diagnose the source carefully or you may find you’re replacing a seal that is perfectly fine. At which point you’ll have spent your money and still have an oil leak.

Of all the technology you’re considering right now, the only one that sounds any real alarm bells is that of the double-clutch transmission. It’s not that Kia’s version of the DCT is worse than many others – nor is it the worst of the lot – but there have been complaints over the operation and lifespan of these units generally. Sometimes the fault is a software glitch, but in other DCTs – particularly the dry-clutch variety – the problems are mechanical and can lead to catastrophic failures.

With that said, it’s also true that Kia in Australia offers a fantastic factory warranty, so you should have no worries for at least the first seven years. It’s also the case that Kia Australia takes its reputation very seriously and is one of the better companies when it comes to sorting out faults and problems with its products. We’re pretty big fans here at Carsguide of the current Toyota hybrid technology, and it’s looking like the new Kluger Hybrid will be just as popular as Toyota’s other hybrid offerings. Perhaps more so as the non-hybrid Kluger can be thirsty.

As for the requirement for premium ULP, when you consider that the Kluger Hybrid will, around the city and suburbs where most of them will spend the vast majority of their lives, use about two thirds of the fuel of the V6 Kluger (maybe even a bit less than that) then the extra cost per litre is more than compensated for by the reduced cost per kilometre. And in case you were worried about Toyota’s hybrid tech, the new Kluger Hybrid comes with up to 10 years of warranty on the battery-pack provided the vehicle is serviced correctly and inspected once a year.

The other thing you might consider is the next-size-down Toyota hybrid, the RAV4. This is quite a spacious vehicle these days and offers excellent fuel efficiency and driveability. It’s cheaper than the Kluger, too. Definitely worth a look. Overall, the broader view is that a petrol hybrid vehicle is more future-proof than a conventional turbo-diesel.