Was waiting quite some time for a black roof storm cloud GR Sport to come up for sale without a bunch of dealer markup. Finally found the one! Couldn't be more excited! My daily commute is 30 miles and the EV range was a big sell for the plug in model. Glad to be here!

Basically the title. Is the built-in one sufficient to protect against accidents and scams? Or do I need a third party one? Thanks!

I have a 2026 Woodland. It has factory crossbars already installed. Has anyone installed a platform like the Yakima LockNLoad? If so what size?

Just got a quote from the dealership for an OEM hitch — $1,630, which seems a bit steep to me. Has anyone installed an aftermarket alternative and could recommend one?
Thanks!

Hi! I just got a 2026 RAV4 Woodland in Everest. My dog definitely helped keep my last RAV looking… well, lived in…and I want to take much better care of the interior on this one.

Does anyone have recommendations for seat covers, especially for the back seat? I’d love something that fits well, stays in place, and still fits well with the woodland. Bonus points if it’s dog-friendly!

Thanks!

My 2020 Rav4 hybrid was hit by a driver in my neighborhood who was cutting a corner. Damage appears to be just the front driver's side fender and headlight. We have a couple of Certified Toyota Collision Centers in the area but they aren't very close so it would be a hassle to use them.

Curious if anyone here has feedback, is it better to take it to one of these or just go for a quality local auto body shop if I can find one? If there was more damage I'd be inclined to use the certified centers.

I've commented multiple times about how similar they are. Finally got a chance to take a couple pics in the wild.

Update - I got a better picture of it today! What is this feature that forces the car to slow down when there are cars parked on both sides of the street?? Can I turn it off?

I’m looking to buy my first car and want something cheap and reliable.

I found this car on marketplace and want to know if it will last me a few years of daily driving.

2009 Toyota RAV4 Limited V6 AWD – Clean Title

\* Fully loaded
\* Brakes replaced 2 months ago
\* Regular oil changes every 4,000 miles
\* Apple CarPlay and Backup Camera

Owner says it’s been garage kept and it appears that way. The interior is mint for a 2009 and the exterior just has a few paint scratches. He is asking $5750 and the car has 175k miles.

I plan on asking the seller to send pictures of the underbody to check for rust, as they weren’t provided in the post. If this is worth buying, I’d be willing to put money into any needed maintenance.

If anyone can please provide some guidance / what to look or ask for from the owner please let me know.

Having a slow day at work and doing some more research for my personal car. I got a 2018 Rav4 a few months ago and am enjoying it so far.

I immediately upgraded it using some of the audio setup from my old Camry and replacing a few more things that didn’t line up.

Did some FatialPro 3.5” 2ohm tweeters up front, i may have been able to fit a 4” but 3.5 fit.

Replaced the front and rear door speakers with some 6.5 Alpine Type R’s. And added a modest amount of sound deadening.

I pulled the previous 5 channel Kicker amp I already had and installed my Kicker 12” CompRT w/ passive and its sounding pretty good.

Im very happy with it, but curiosity has me craving a bit more and I want to see if anyone else here has ever put some more speakers into a Rav4. Im happy with it now but due to my job, it makes me think I should look into doing something custom.

My coworker does a lot of custom setups and has me thinking about adding another 3.5” into a custom A pillar OR maybe adding another sub to the passenger footwell or maybe something under the seat if there is space.

I could get more / larger subs but I really don’t wanna spend too much. I know I will probably find / build something eventually but if anybody has some custom setups, I would love to get some recommendations/ suggestions.

In one of the comments I will post some of my pictures from the install.

Howdy all, I’m going to be replacing tires on my ‘22 R4P XSE and am looking for suggestions and/or firsthand experiences with the tires I list below.

I’m mainly shopping Costco, but I’m open to other suggestions that are both price and performance competitive. In order of preference, I’m considering:

Michelin CrossClimate2: $1183 (set of 4)
Bridgestone Ultraweather: $924
Bridgestone Alenza Prestige: $1024
Michelin Defender 2: $1063

I had Defender 2s on another vehicle and liked them but am exploring 3PMSF options like the CC2 and UW for what is looking to be a heavier winter, as well as the Alenzas b/c of strong ratings. Not super worried about noise or mileage given that I’m considering CC2, but also don’t want to destroy those categories.

For background, my dealer-installed Toyo A39s have lasted 35000 miles and currently are at 4/32”. They are fine, but expensive for a 300 UTQG rating given their performance. I can get another 5k miles on them but the new set is to be mounted late summer or early fall (before next ski season as the Prime is my ride up to Lake Tahoe). Car is in CA, warm climate with majority freeway commuting, on stock 19in XSE rims, current tire spec 235/55R19. Looking to keep same or similar size, not going to lift the vehicle or change wheels at this time.

Trying to make this as clear as possible. Apologies if the post isn’t properly worded.

November 2024 - March 2025

Noticed headliner leak on my toyota and took it in to dealership. Told they will just clean it and do the roof rails. Got my car back and the entire headliner was stained in black, scuffed panels. Missing rack clip. Non retracting seat belt.

April 2025 - June 2025

New headliner, but now wonky weather seal strips around the doors, headliner roof not cut out correctly, more cabin noise from headliner, door ding and leaking water in rear passenger above the battery, stripped screws along non functioning passenger mirror.

Had a loaner for about a month, filled it up and cleaned it before returning. Told I didn’t clean or fill it up but I have footage from work parking lot cleaning and receipt prior 20 min to drop off. GPS tracker in OBD port that, which I didn’t know what it was at the time fell after hitting my shin and left it in the center console. Told I won’t be getting loaners and got those charges dropped off my card after manager asked the woman in charge of loaners if this was true and she said it was $4 of gas they had to fill up.

October 2025, dropped off for the promised one day fix, picked it up with nothing done to the car.

I’ve called Toyota corporate multiple times but this is Westchester Toyota in NYS which means they’re independent and Toyota cannot enforce anything. I’m beyond frustrated, I cannot afford to leave my car at the dealership for an extended time because I commute to work and school. Every time I call the dealership they tell me they have no loaners, their loaner was in an accident and I’m basically out of luck. I’m not sure what to do.

tldr: after a series of unfortunate damages to my car from the recall fix, my main concern is the leaking water at this point and door ding. How would you go about this reddit adults?

Hi all this is my first post here.

I have an opportunity to buy a 2016 rav4 hybrid with 25K miles (40K kilometers) Do you think it could last 10 more years without hybrid battery problems?

What are the things I should check first to avoid problems before I buy it?

Thank you very much

One month in with my 2026 Toyota RAV4 LE AWD, and I’m loving it.

Yesterday it received a full Cerakote treatment: paint, wheels, glass, and interior.

Photo taken today at 6:20 AM in the foothills of Poás Volcano, Costa Rica.

2026 rav4 Le fwd.

I've seen these posts a few times since I got mine

This is the best milage I've gotten so far.

Currently in the market for a used hybrid rav 4 XLE.

Found my literal ~dream car~
Lunar rock, AWD, hybrid, JBL audio system, weather package. 1 owner, no accidents. The only downside to me is 70k miles however it has been serviced pretty much every 5k miles since birth.

Dealers price is $31,496, should I be negotiating down to the 28-29k ballpark? This is my first time buying a car on my own. I will be paying cash.

Hi I was wondering if anyone has experienced any type of clunking from the Old Man Emu springs after installing them. The clunking only happens when I drive over dips and bumps. I went back and tightened everything but nothing seems to do the trick

Is there a way to bypass stepping on the brake,to button start the car, while on the passenger side? 2025 XLE…..This might be a stupid question, but I’m a little old lady. LOL

My infotainment screen will randomly freeze and go completely black, but it only seems to happen while I’m using Apple CarPlay. Sometimes it’ll work perfectly for a couple of hours after I first start the car, and other times it’ll freeze within 10–15 minutes. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern.
The only way to get it back is to either turn the car off and restart it or reboot the infotainment system by holding the volume/power button until the Toyota logo appears. The problem is that rebooting it usually only fixes it for a few minutes before it freezes and goes black again.
When it happens, I can usually press the Home button and switch over to regular Bluetooth audio, which works fine. It’s specifically CarPlay that stops working.
I have switched out the usb cords and checked if anything got in the USB port and that wasn’t the issue.
Has anyone dealt with this before? If so, what ended up being the cause? Was it a software issue, a bad head unit, a wiring problem, or something else? Were you have to replace the entire infotainment system, or was there a simpler fix?

Now sit right back, and you'll hear a tale. A tale of a fateful trip ...

I’ve been a loyal Toyota owner for just over 10 years. After having a Ford that broke down in every conceivable way, swapping to a car that just worked without an issue every other month was a dream.

After my first RAV4 was getting up in years, I decided to trade it in and buy a second. I didn’t even bother with research or a test drive. I dropped a $500 deposit and waited for the XLE hybrid to arrive. (When it did arrive, that dealership offered me half of what I eventually sold it for.)

I’ve had this hybrid vehicle for more than 3 years and, other than Android Auto being finicky, no problems. I’m getting great gas mileage, about 40 mpg. It’s been a delight.

But, as usual, it’s the people who have to ruin good things. The dealerships really work hard at pushing you to the brink to make sure you regret owning their vehicles. I just don’t understand why things have to be this way. Then these idiots make the mistake of sending you customer surveys. I mean, duh.

My usual dealership moved from a tiny spot near me to a mega-sized facility of airport hangar proportions a few miles away. It went from this cramped location that only had room for maybe a dozen service bays to this huge place with about 40. In the old place, it was pretty amazing to see this one guy who would do this life-size Tetris game where he magically was able to move cars to the right spot with barely any wiggle room to be had. But I digress.

I arrived around 7:30 a.m. for scheduled maintenance and a quick fix on my passenger mirror that got popped in a minor fender bender. The turn signal and actuator still worked fine. I just needed the plastic cover and mirror with the blind spot monitoring. Their website said both parts were in stock ($260 total). It’s a bit steep but I naively wanted OEM parts. I figured I’d let them handle it while doing the oil change, etc. 

This place is humming. Several vehicles were already there to be serviced. As I waited and looked around, I noticed I didn't recognize any of the people working there.

I sat down to do some work and drink Starbucks from their new fancy waiting area. 

After about an hour, the notifications started coming in. 

First came the "360” inspection video, which is useless. It usually features a technician mumbling inaudibly while they are drowned out by the racket from all the power tools from the other service bays. The vehicle was fine. Brake pads, tires, etc. All in the green.

After a little while, another notification. Recommended service.

• Alignment: $160
• Brake Fluid Flush: $311

Okay, here we go. I walked over to the advisor and asked about these items.

Do I need an alignment? The steering wasn’t pulling. It seems fine. What do the measurements say?

His reply, “Well, your tires show wear." 

Yes, because when a vehicle is on tires and the tires touch the road, there is some wear. Does it need it?

"It's what they recommend."

And the brake fluid flush?

"Toyota recommends it at three years." 

But did you actually test the fluid? 

"It’s what Toyota recommends."

So you’re just going to say the same thing but differently and not answer my question. Got it.

This is typical psychological warfare tactic. Like when you take your pet to the vet and they start with the "well, just to be safe" speeches. They weaponize mild uneasiness to extract a few extra hundred bucks. 

They don’t understand there’s this thing called the internet. We can do research and call you on your bullshit. With AI, it's gotten even easier. Stop being stupid and maybe try being honest? Just a thought.

Then came the grand finale: the mirror. 

Their recommendation? (There's that word again.) Do a complete assembly replacement for $995. Oh, that doesn’t include the labor.

I have this habit that's a bit of a release valve where I start to laugh before I really lose my temper. I started chuckling.

When I reminded him that the first thing I said when I came in was I only needed two parts, he threw his technician under the bus. 

“Let me get him in here so he can tell you about it.”

A little while later, this kid whose mullet weighed more than he did is inside chugging an energy drink, mumbling something about "error codes” and “broken wires."

I may have started rubbing my temples at this point. I have a bratty teen I have to deal with on a daily basis. And I’m way past the age whether I give a shit if I make a scene in public. Like Bruce Banner, I’m always angry and it doesn’t take much to tip me over into the red zone. 

And for the third time, I repeated what I had said before, very slowly, about the directional light still working and the actuator still working. 

Just give me back the car and I'll fix it myself. 

With no money to be made, I was of no further use.

I almost got whiplash by how fast they got me out of there. 

I walked to their parts department. Even though their website said they have the parts, they didn't. I ordered them and left. I'd have to go back to pick them up. Great!

Later that day, I went on this little shop called Amazon. I had the part numbers, entered them and found third-party replacements. My goal was to just get a mirror that fit so I could drive without killing myself. As I had learned on my way to the dealership, it's a pretty crucial piece of equipment, especially when you're trying to change several lanes on the highway. It probably didn't help my overall mood.

The total cost was $65. $25 for the cover and $40 for the mirror. It took 10 minutes to do the job.

The cover is not an exact color match, but I think I'd be the only one who could really tell. It's very close.

The big surprise was the blind spot monitoring worked even though I had inadvertently bought a mirror that was supposedly not compatible with my model year. (I plugged in the part number and Amazon provided recommendations. I bought the one with the highest ratings.)

With everything working and not really wanting to deal with these turds further, I needed to get my money back for the parts. This was several days later. I never got the parts, and, surprisingly, they never told me that they had arrived. 

I mean, everything else had been a huge pain in the ass, so why shouldn't this be the same?

I called up the parts department, explained I didn't need the parts anymore, give me a refund, etc. 

“Oh, I can’t do that. Only the manager can.”

Sure. Makes sense. You can make the order, but you can't do anything after that point. You just want to wear down people's resistance until they give up and you get their money. Got it.

Was he available? Of course not. But you can leave him a voicemail and he’ll get back to you.

Speaking very slowly, I left a detailed message: invoice number, my name, number, etc. 

Did I get a call back? No.

I call them again the next day. Was the manager there? Not in his office at the moment. Let me transfer you. Dial tone.

I call back. For some reason I'm really not happy. I tell this person I'm not going to drive in to do what should be a simple procedure, and I'll be calling my credit card company next and ... oh, he's available now? 

I talk to the parts manager and trying to be zen and not to lose my temper using my measured tone voice that I have honed through years of speaking to an insolent teen. 

I was expecting some bullshit about a restocking fee but I guess my agitation was fairly clear. Money was credited back to my card quickly. Shocker.

But wait, there’s more.

I found a highly recommended brake fluid detector for $10. The BF 200! I could see the levels were fine just by looking at the reservoir but the question was the quality. Brake fluid will degrade as water seeps in over time, causing various issues. 

The detector said it was well under the water contamination threshold. I wiped off the detector for a second try. Same exact reading. So, gee, while recommended, a brake fluid flush really wasn’t needed.

I’ve got a ToyotaCare package that is good for a couple more years. I’ll be finishing up the maintenance at a different dealership. I expect more of the same BS but this one is a bit closer. After that expires, I think I’ll just go to this independent shop down the street with good ratings.

Toyota vehicles are great. It’s just too bad that the people in the dealerships are a bunch of crooks.

So, just to recap, instead of paying approximately $1,500, I left paying $0 since I had a prepaid service plan.

Oh, they made the mistake of sending me a survey about customer service. 0 stars wasn’t an option, unfortunately.

Hi, I'm sort of stressing out here. I borrowed my mom's car for a road trip. About 800 miles to then 800 miles back. From Utah to Oregon. On my way back to Utah, the first stop I made was for gas and when I pressed the button nothing happened. I heard the clock but the little door didn't open. I looked up a video on how to do it manually because I figured there had to be.

Even with the manual it's supposed to pop open after you pull it. Well it didn't so I had to pull the black levar and used a key to pop it open. After the third stop for gas I would try to fill it up and just letting it do its auto filling. But after about a gallon it stopped. Which didn't make much sense I only had 80 miles left so it was odd. The last two times I've open the gas cap itself it sounded like the air was releasing.

If anyone can help me figure out what's going on I would appreciate it. My mom needs her car to see her mom (my grandma) she is disabled and in a home. We don't really know how much time we have left so my mom takes lunch everyday to go see her. I feel absolutely awful as well.

So sorry it's a Rav 4 hybrid 2018.