Considering buying a RAV4 EV in New York State

[mikegerard]

The delay took awhile but was worth it. It's a very nice ride.

If I get another one (maybe next year) I would take my cute 8 year old with me to the DMV and see if he could work his magic.

Mike

 

[Dianne]

...you're gonna have to change your sig line!!!

 

[cronosxone]

Has anyone had success in figuring out if their local dealer can service these vehicles? I am looking to purchase one in New York State, it looks like there is chatter around a joint Tesla/Toyota servicing agreement, is there any truth to this? I am very interested.

Thanks

 

[amped up]

My dealer (which is Prius Plug-in certified) said they couldn't commit to maintenance and repairs due to lack of training and access to the right tools, so I had to give up on that little dream.

Some sort of agreement would be awesome!

 

[TonyWilliams]

My dealer (which is Prius Plug-in certified) said they couldn't commit to maintenance and repairs due to lack of training and access to the right tools, so I had to give up on that little dream.

Some sort of agreement would be awesome!

Unless Toyota was going to pay Tesla for the agreement, why would they do it? Also, why would Toyota do it for cars they don't want to build and don't want to sell?

 

[eplantz]

Has anyone had success in figuring out if their local dealer can service these vehicles? I am looking to purchase one in New York State, it looks like there is chatter around a joint Tesla/Toyota servicing agreement, is there any truth to this? I am very interested.

Thanks

I called 4 dealers in suburban Chicago. The first 3 said no. The fourth said "sure, we can service it". He is 16 miles away so i decided to risk it.

 

[amped up]

My dealer (which is Prius Plug-in certified) said they couldn't commit to maintenance and repairs due to lack of training and access to the right tools, so I had to give up on that little dream.

Some sort of agreement would be awesome!

Unless Toyota was going to pay Tesla for the agreement, why would they do it? Also, why would Toyota do it for cars they don't want to build and don't want to sell?

Oh I totally agree with you, just saying it would be awesome

 

[mikegerard]

I've taken the car in to have some basic service at the nearest Toyota Dealer....NY State inspection sticker and to turn off the stupid and annoying back up beep. They mentioned afterwards that there is a firmware update but wanted it for an hour to do the update. I've been too busy to take it back and probably won't until I get to the 5k service (rotate the tires). If someone could tell me how the firmware update improves my range or makes the car go faster then maybe I'll rush out quicker.

I talked to one of the guys in the parts department. The Tesla parts show up in the computer. The electric motor has "Tesla" on the side of it. They can order parts if necessary.

Here's my view. 98% of the parts are just standard car parts. Shocks, brakes, tires, fans, pumps, etc. The only parts that you're service department has not worked on in another car is the battery pack and the main drive motor. The drive motor is a big motor. Maybe a few tricky things there but I bet it's easier to change out than a gas engine. The battery pack is more difficult because it's really heavy and there is a LOT of energy stored in it. Other parts are no big deal and can be replaced at Toyota or one of the other million service centers in the world.
Mike

 

[amped up]

hey Mike,

Has your Toyota dealer said how they plan to interface the Tesla hardware? Did they purchase the hardware, or did Toyota send it to them? Do you know if they are working on becoming RAV4 EV certified?

 

[dipper]

The problem with the out of state dealer right now is.... Toyota going paying these dealers for the firmware upgrade?

Someone from Washington state got that exact same issue (in one of the out of state thread). Dealer said they could do it. Then when they went to Toyota to understand how to get paid, their story changed.

Until there is enough court cases to settle this issue, I would worry about getting a "grey" market car. Dang, I am worry even though I live in CA knowing there are known issues.... lucky these are covered under the 8yr/100k warranty EV components.

 

[Dianne]

I'm personally looking into see if there's a specific connection needed between the techstream laptop and the car.
I could buy one, and we'd just fedex it around the country and it was needed to do service and updates.
If it's not terribly awfully pricy, it might be worth even a group purchase?

I'm not 100% up on the motor-tech end of things but am getting there. I totally love my car and am really jazzed about getting back and forth to work being a non-polluter and not using fuel... and cannot tell you how many unsuspecting Euro-brats I have blown off the line (LOL) just to see their faces when they catch up... so if anyone knows what's needed to help outta state folks interface with the system whilst I am trying to get that same info from my service geeks... feel free to add your 2 cents worth. I think all dealers have this techstream... I know we have more than 1 for sure.

 

[amped up]

I definitely would love to know what exactly is required to be RAV4 EV certified/trained, and what hardware/software interfaces are needed. I talked to my local Toyota dealer again today, and am trying to convince them to consider doing this, so any info you can share would be appreciated!