Out of State service

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TonyWilliams said:
Richard C. said:
If any problems, I'll have no issue with hiring an attorney to make it right. Hope it doesn't come to that.

Did you tell the dealership that yet?

:twisted:

My local Toyota dealership confirmed with me before I bought my vehicle that they have trained technicians for the Rav EV, and promise complete service for it. I even got it in writing first. So I'm (fairly) confident I'll have no issues with them. Still, I'm ready for anything. It sounds like Doug401 is getting the same assurances in his local area.

I also notified them about the plug issue for the firmware updates ... just in case they weren't aware the Rav uses a different plug than the Prius Plug-in. I hope for no unpleasant surprises when I have my first service in about 6 weeks.
 
amped up said:
How did an out of state (CA) dealer get RAV4 EV certified? That's interesting.

That was my concern too, but the service manager assured me they have 3 techs with Rav EV certification. She provided written confirmation for my peace of mind, so I could proceed with the purchase from Carson Toyota. We'll see what happens. :shock:
 
doug401 said:
With my iphone 5 with version 6.1.2
"settings"
"bluetooth"
select "car multimedia" menu arrow... Note: do this while out of range of your vehicle.
"show notifications" to "on"

Yes, simple, however my car is renamed, so it doesn't say "car multimedia", but the actual name I gave the car for Bluetooth "RuvMyRav".
 
amped up said:
How did an out of state (CA) dealer get RAV4 EV certified? That's interesting.

Why wouldn't they? Maybe somebody will have a Rav4 EV that needs servicing? Just because they're sold in California, there's not much they can do once the ink dries on the California sales contract.

You might get a job out of state, visit grandma out of state (and the car need service), have allergies to California taxes that you decide to move out of state, etc. Or just buy one from out of state and have it shipped, which will allow Toyota to claim their 2012-2014 CARB-ZEV credits for the car.
 
I have a reply to an alternate topic in this thread:
http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=68&start=10

That has a part that pertains to this discussion. I'm not sure how true this is, but it is what I was told:
I know that there is a thread going on about this here, but I wanted to add the response in the same spot instead of making two different posts. Essentially, I was told that while there are some dealers that are allowing Warranty repairs and regular service outside of California, Toyota has made no obligations to do so and it is purely at the discretion of those dealers. Strange... because I don't understand why they would provide said training if they aren't planning on expanding? Especially since a different EV car is in their "concept car" section on their website. I dunno why they wouldn't make more of them and get more dealers in other states ready.
 
TonyWilliams said:
amped up said:
How did an out of state (CA) dealer get RAV4 EV certified? That's interesting.

Why wouldn't they? Maybe somebody will have a Rav4 EV that needs servicing? Just because they're sold in California, there's not much they can do once the ink dries on the California sales contract.

You might get a job out of state, visit grandma out of state (and the car need service), have allergies to California taxes that you decide to move out of state, etc. Or just buy one from out of state and have it shipped, which will allow Toyota to claim their 2012-2014 CARB-ZEV credits for the car.
I honestly wanted to know 'How', so I can share this info with my dealer, and help them help me, wasn't being sarcastic.
 
TonyWilliams said:
doug401 said:
With my iphone 5 with version 6.1.2
"settings"
"bluetooth"
select "car multimedia" menu arrow... Note: do this while out of range of your vehicle.
"show notifications" to "on"

Yes, simple, however my car is renamed, so it doesn't say "car multimedia", but the actual name I gave the car for Bluetooth "RuvMyRav".
Yes... "car multimedia" is the default name. "RuvMyRav" is the default Scooby Doo name. ;)
 
i want a used rav4 ev too. but after all credits/discounts. (i can understand some mark up, but not MSRP for a used car).

like this place.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tab=photos&listingId=116064989

$45k used.
 
The problem with that, such as the example you provided, is your not going to get the 10 K or any Other incentives that may come up later in the year. You also won't qualify for the California rebate or the 7500 dollar tax incentive. You have to really push the dealer to give you some good deals otherwise you may actually save money getting a new car.
 
yea i know, i've seen some as low as $34k, and others here have said they've seen 32k,

$29,999 (out the door + sales tax in my home state) i may jump on.



i may sale my leaf for that deal. lol
 
Not common knowledge, but you can still qualify for the CVRP (the $2,500) and the $7,500 tax credit if a used car meets the following criteria:

A) Lease/Finance rollback (Someone bought the car and the bank denied them at a later date).
B) Used only as Dealer Demonstrator (registered or unregistered)
C) Registered Dealer service vehicle used only for motion between dealer locations.
D) Under 500 miles used.

D is really hard to get approval on, but CVRP is pretty good about handling that stuff. The reason why I know any of this is because I just had to deal with it myself on a current deal.

Used, I doubt they'd over go for 30k or less... if you find that 32k/34k (depending on miles) I'd jump on that. That's effectively 20k off and if you meet any of the above criteria you can have your cake and eat it too.
 
Vach said:
Not common knowledge, but you can still qualify for the CVRP (the $2,500) and the $7,500 tax credit if a used car meets the following criteria:

A) Lease/Finance rollback (Someone bought the car and the bank denied them at a later date).
B) Used only as Dealer Demonstrator (registered or unregistered)
C) Registered Dealer service vehicle used only for motion between dealer locations.
D) Under 500 miles used.

Hi Vach,

Where is this info documented? There are a couple used 2012s with under 100 miles on them being sold by a dealer in Santa Rosa for just under $36K each. That would be a great deal if you can get the $10K government cash back.
 
My apologies... I was delayed by... something...

The website lists the main limitations, needing a "new" vehicle by California standards, which is mostly exactly what it sounds like. I looked over the website for about 30 minutes and couldn't find the detail I was looking for: but I have an approval letter for my vehicle so know that it isn't just hopeful speculation.

I would contact someone here: http://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project/contact-cvrp

That's where I spoke with someone over the phone about the special circumstances. Just keep in mind you absolutely need the dealer to comply with the requirements - IE you need a Used Vehicle Declaration from the dealer, signed by a sales manager or someone, meeting the requirements that they say, as well as all the other forms they require.

When you first apply, they'll run the VIN and see if any checks were sent out for that car already, so that isn't an issue either.
 
Back to service
I took mine into the local Toyota dealer for its 5K/ 6 mo service.
Michael's Toyota in Bellevue, WA
This is the dealer that assured me they had trained EV techs and could service my Rav4 EV before I bought it 7 months ago.
To their credit, they did exactly as advertised. It took a while longer mostly because the techs were all abuzz playing with a car they had read about but never seen.
The service manager did relay that while the techs were certified he was surprised to discover that the dealership wasn't and therefore there was some problem with them getting paid by Toyota. To his credit he sent me on my way with no hassles.
I did volunteer to find out who else in WA state was providing service so he could figure out what he needed to do. For any WA owners besides, who has done service? I am assuming Rodland in Lynnwood and somebody in Vancouver. Richard C. ?
 
SeattleRav4 said:
Back to service
For any WA owners besides, who has done service? I am assuming Rodland in Lynnwood and somebody in Vancouver. Richard C. ?
I will have my 5K in a few weeks. We will see if Rodland can walk-the-walk... not just talk-the-talk. My Rav4 Ev co-worker is also due for his 5k. I spoke to him this morning suggesting that we schedule them both around the same time. Sure... anyone can rotate tires, but this is really about getting them to perform the latest software updates. I plan on giving them plenty of time to order any plug/harness adapters for the update. I will keep you updated with the outcome ;)
 
SeattleRav4 said:
Back to service
I took mine into the local Toyota dealer for its 5K/ 6 mo service.
Michael's Toyota in Bellevue, WA
This is the dealer that assured me they had trained EV techs and could service my Rav4 EV before I bought it 7 months ago.
To their credit, they did exactly as advertised. It took a while longer mostly because the techs were all abuzz playing with a car they had read about but never seen.
The service manager did relay that while the techs were certified he was surprised to discover that the dealership wasn't and therefore there was some problem with them getting paid by Toyota. To his credit he sent me on my way with no hassles.
I did volunteer to find out who else in WA state was providing service so he could figure out what he needed to do. For any WA owners besides, who has done service? I am assuming Rodland in Lynnwood and somebody in Vancouver. Richard C. ?

Hi Seattle, Doug & all,

I wrote my experience on another thread (Out of state service in the General/Main forum), but I'll give a quick review here. The bottom line (for me anyway) was not good. Before actually purchasing my Rav EV, I contacted Toyota USA about purchasing. They initially told me out of state purchases would not be allowed, but weeks later relented and told me I should do two things first. See if there was a CA dealership willing to sell to an out of state buyer, and to verify my local Toyota dealership would commit to servicing my vehicle. Carson Toyota was willing to sell (they were great) and my local dealership confirmed they had 3 technicians trained to service my EV. I discussed the whole thing with them at length, making sure they were aware that the Rav EV was a unique vehicle, with Tesla powertrain, etc. They confirmed it all, and guaranteed me they would commit to full service for my vehicle. I asked for their guarantee in writing, which they supplied to me. So, feeling good about the whole thing, I ordered my Rav (back in January).

Then comes the kick in the backside. As my 6 month first service approached, I contacted my local dealership to verify I was soon to make an appointment, but wanted to make sure they were ready, since I had learned from this forum that the Rav required a unique plug for software updates, different from the one used for the PIP. They seemed unaware, and said they would check into it and get right back to me. After 2 weeks and no response, I stopped by the dealership. The service manager then sheepishly told me that while they would do any regular servicing for my vehicle, any EV related work would require it being shipped back to CA at my expense. This in spite of their verbal and written assurances to me before the purchase. They kept babbling about "doing whatever it took to make me satisfied" but I would still be out of luck for EV servicing. I was livid.

Bottom line is ... after grieving over the issue for a few days, my wife and I decided to sell the Rav (at a steep loss, of course). I didn't want to risk having an EV related issue, with no local options for service. I'm planning to make an appointment with a local attorney to discuss options for a lawsuit against our local dealership and possibly national Toyota. I have plenty of documentation to back up my argument. Funny thing too ... I never signed a form from Toyota about CA servicing, and I have since received calls from CA trying to get me to sign a belated form. No chance.

I wish the very best to Seattle, Doug, Madcow, Birddog, and the rest of you "out of staters", and hope you don't get screwed by Toyota like I did. I've learned a lot from all of you, and appreciate the camaraderie.
 
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