My lease on my Ford C-Max is coming to an end and I really wanted to get a full ev. I drove the bolt and it just didn't seem like a $30,000 car to me. And I drive to Modesto from concord often so the Nissan Leaf just wasn't an option either. The RAV4 is though. I have a place to charge in Modesto so the 70 miles freeway drive is all I had to cover. I've been viewing the forums here for a while pretty much convinced me the car will do the job I got a 2013 with 40000 miles and was able to get the platinum warranty so I'm good to roughly 125000 miles. No money down and 375 a month. I think it was a good buy. I am excited about the car!
Just bought a used RAV4 ev
- Thread starter Golfpilot
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TonyWilliams
Well-known member
Welcome!
Did I read that correct that you don't have a place to charge at home?
Did I read that correct that you don't have a place to charge at home?
I have a 240 40Amp charger at home in concord. I have a garage and a 110 plug in Modesto. I go there ~ once a week overnight and the car will be plugged in for 10-12 hours while I am there (have a car to drive there already if I need all the time to charge.
The 70 mile drive from concord to Modesto ONE way is all I needed for range. I don't think the leaf could do that
The 70 mile drive from concord to Modesto ONE way is all I needed for range. I don't think the leaf could do that
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
Golfpilot said:
Yep. You could drive any speed with the heater blasting for only 70 miles!!!
Day2 with the RAV4 EV. I missed a checklist item.... check heater, not working. I know this is a common issue. I can't believe I missed it while going through the car.
I still have my cmax energi until late feb so it isn't a big deal. Walnut Creek Toyota is 5 minutes away and they were very easy to talk to, seems like I'm not going to have to have fights to get work done.
Initial impressions of the car are amazing. Thing is massive inside and it drives really well!
I still have my cmax energi until late feb so it isn't a big deal. Walnut Creek Toyota is 5 minutes away and they were very easy to talk to, seems like I'm not going to have to have fights to get work done.
Initial impressions of the car are amazing. Thing is massive inside and it drives really well!
Now I'm starting to get concerned. The service advisor just told me that I need the D.C.-D.C. Replacement along with the heater and one other part. Since I am at 40,000 miles I am not covered under the factory warranty and because I have owned the car for less than 30 days I am NOT covered under the platinum extended warranty I bought with the car . The repair is $5600. Called Toyota corporate and they pushed me to the Toyota dealer that sold me the car. I feel like I just got scammed. Seeing how it plays out..
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
Golfpilot said:
Very confusing... if you have the Toyota Platinum warranty, this is covered. Why do you think its not?
Also, this repair is very normal. It's PRECISELY why I and others strongly recommend getting the warranty.
Tony, it sounds like a used car warranty.
I would gladly wait the 30 days before going out of pocket.
However if this was a certified pre-owned vehicle with Toyota bragging about the 100+ point inspection I think they missed something and need to get 'er done.
I would gladly wait the 30 days before going out of pocket.
However if this was a certified pre-owned vehicle with Toyota bragging about the 100+ point inspection I think they missed something and need to get 'er done.
Yes, used car warranty. I had concern the Extended warranty would be denied. Dealership assured me the financing is already accepted and they will try to express the warranty to me. I think they did feel a little bad about missing that.
I really don't mind waiting 30 days. It's not like the heater is 100% necessary. I just had some concern about the repair needing to be made right away and the warranty wasn't "approved" yet. I've never owned a Toyota before so I really didn't know what to expect. Things play out right I'll probably be getting a Tacoma too.
I really don't mind waiting 30 days. It's not like the heater is 100% necessary. I just had some concern about the repair needing to be made right away and the warranty wasn't "approved" yet. I've never owned a Toyota before so I really didn't know what to expect. Things play out right I'll probably be getting a Tacoma too.
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
Golfpilot said:
Why is that?
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
Golfpilot said:
Toyota has a solid warranty (which is why I ONLY recommend a Toyota Platinum warranty).
The DC-DC converter takes 300 volts (guesstimate) from the HV battery and steps it down before sending lower voltage to the 12v battery, A/C compressor, cabin heater, and the HV battery coolant heater. Usually it's just the heater that needs replacing, but sometimes the part inside the DC-DC converter that operates the heater gets taken out by a faulty heater. The parts of the DC-DC that send voltage to the other components will still work, so the car should still be driveable.
Also, could just be lazy diagnosis... the technician doesn't really know which part is faulty, but knows if both get replaced it will work again =) And if it's all covered by warranty, then why not get yourself a newer DC-DC while the heater is being replaced?
Also, could just be lazy diagnosis... the technician doesn't really know which part is faulty, but knows if both get replaced it will work again =) And if it's all covered by warranty, then why not get yourself a newer DC-DC while the heater is being replaced?
miimura
Well-known member
IIRC, this kind of repair to the DC/DC is needed because it acts as a high voltage junction box. When the heater fails, it frys a diode or something in the DC/DC and even if the heater is replaced it still won't work properly. The portion of the DC/DC that charges the 12V battery still works, so the car will be drivable indefinitely, albeit without cabin heating.
IMHO, somebody at Toyota should be paying for this repair. It seems that the dealer sold you a substantially broken car and they should pay for it or the extended warranty should cover it. It would really suck to be stuck in some kind of pre-existing condition limbo because the car was diagnosed before the 30 days passed and now won't be covered because it was discovered that way. I don't see how they could allege some kind of fraud like buying the warranty just to fix this problem because the car and the warranty were purchased in the same transaction. IMHO, the 30-day clause should not apply if the vehicle and service agreement are simultaneously sold by a Toyota dealer.
IMHO, somebody at Toyota should be paying for this repair. It seems that the dealer sold you a substantially broken car and they should pay for it or the extended warranty should cover it. It would really suck to be stuck in some kind of pre-existing condition limbo because the car was diagnosed before the 30 days passed and now won't be covered because it was discovered that way. I don't see how they could allege some kind of fraud like buying the warranty just to fix this problem because the car and the warranty were purchased in the same transaction. IMHO, the 30-day clause should not apply if the vehicle and service agreement are simultaneously sold by a Toyota dealer.
miimura said:
The way it was worded to me at the service center sounded (possibly at my own fault) like I was just SOL. After talking to quite a bit of people it turns out that the warranty plan can't take effect until the financing was confirmed. Dealer said my financing was accepted and the warranty will cover me once that is submitted. If not the dealer would pay for it. I'm not going to throw a fit having to wait a few weeks to get a heater. It really isn't even necessary around here. I just want to have everything working eventually. I paid a low price for this thing. I bought it from an Toyota dealer that knew nothing about evs, I knew I was going to have things to fix and still would have bought this thing knowing the heater wasn't working, since I got the warranty
davewill
Well-known member
That sounds much more like it. They really should have been clearer from the outset. Selling you a warranty and then NOT fixing the car is just silly.Golfpilot said:
