Toyota RAV4 Problems

So many things affect road noise, which makes it difficult to fix. There’s the road surface itself, the tyres, and the noise insulation in the vehicle. The Honda CR-V might well be quieter, but could still be noisy on the roads you drive on. If the road noise is the thing that is making you switch vehicles, then it might be worth talking to a tyre dealer about a tyre that might be quieter than the ones on your Kluger. If you want to go down that road, you could try a Mazda CX-5 or CX-7, a Kia Sorento or Sportage, Toyota RAV4.

Depending on what spec model RAV4 you have they were either sold with 235/55-18 tyres (on models with 18-inch wheels), or 225/65-17 (for models with 17-inch wheels). If you read the writing on the side of your tyres you should see similar numbers written there, which will tell you what size tyres the RAV4 has on it now. The first three numbers (225 or 235) refers to how wide the tyre is in millimetres, the second numbers (55 or 65) are how tall the profile of the tyre is, with the lower number referencing a thinner tyre sidewall. The final numbers (17 or 18) refer to the size of the wheel the tyre fits to.

I assume you want to buy a new car, so I would suggest a Suzuki Grand Vitara. It too is small, but you sit up high, and it’s a good car.

Either one would do the job, but I would choose the Forester over the RAV4, it’s a better all round all-wheel drive that should serve your son well.

It’s usually the clear coat that is coming away from the painted surface on those areas most exposed to the sun. The problem is related to the quality of the painting process when it was done at the factory, and short of repainting affected areas there is nothing you can do about it.

The fifth-generation RAV4 model, coded XA50, has just been launched so it shouldn't have an update for a few years yet.

Having ruled out an SUV your choices are fairly limited. If you were prepared to buy used you could buy a late model Falcon, but if you want to buy new you’re really limited to an SUV. Most SUVs have good performance, they’re certainly not sluggish, and they aren’t all bulky. Something like a Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, or a Subaru Forester should be able to comfortably handle your towing needs.

No doubt there are 4WDs available for $3100, but they will be old, worn out, and probably unroadworthy. Try something like a 2000-2001 Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail, Subaru Forester, or Suzuki Grand Vitara, and buy the best one you can find.

Take it to the dealer, sit down, have a coffee, wait a couple of hours, then pay the bill and drive away. If you're not experienced with working on your own car you're best off taking your car to a qualified mechanic or dealership and paying them to do it, as it rarely works out significantly cheaper to change fluids yourself at home despite the risk of scaling yourself with hot oil or having the car fall off the jack and kill you.

You have a CVT transmission. Take it to a Toyota dealer, or an automatic transmission specialist and have them assess the transmission. It could be that it needs to be serviced.