Purchased 2013 Rav4 EV - a few questions

[derekmw]

Hi everyone, I'm a long time EV owner (I've owned a Volt, Leaf, Model S, Model 3 (mid range), and now Model 3 Performance)...and decided to get a Rav4EV for my wife who is finally wanting to switch over to EV's.

It's most likely an interim car until better SUV options come out that have larger batteries.

So we found this 2013 Rav4 EV with 42k miles. I did the Tony test to see the capacity and was a bit surprised and skeptical. I got 142 miles displayed in the morning when I reconnected the battery. Do you guys think this must mean that the batteries were replaced recently? After 6 years, having 97% battery capacity is probably not possible.

Another question I had was regarding the noises. I read about the noises people should expect or noises that could indicate motor issues:
1. when charging, there is a loud buzz which sounds like is normal sound the pump makes - I just never heard such loud continuous sounds on any of my other EV's
2. when driving low speeds (35mph or under), light acceleration makes a sound like a manual/stick car going in reverse. If you accelerate a bit harder, the noise goes away, and also once above around 35mph the sound goes away.

Anything about these two that I should be concerned with and need to get checked out?

 

[miimura]

Welcome to the "club".

It is entirely possible that your car really does still have that much battery capacity with that few miles.

The charging noise is normal, yet surprisingly loud.

The motor noise is typical. With that few miles, it is entirely possible that the drive unit has not been replaced due to the noise. I had mine replaced for the noise just before the 5 year 60,000 mile Powertrain Warranty ran out. You can sign up for the Toyota Owner's web site and see the vehicle service history. That should indicate what work was done at any Toyota dealer on your car.

https://www.toyota.com/owners/

 

[TonyWilliams]

Welcome!

Loud buzzing, unfortunately, is "normal" for the RAV4 EV when charging on AC (home) power.

Motor noise is "normal", but not to be overlooked. If it's making noise, there's already a problem with the bearings. That can turn into a more sinister issue that destroys the seal that keeps coolant out of the motor, and when that happens, it's "light out" for the motor. It cannot be rebuilt, and they aren't making any more RAV4 motors (since 2014, when they stopped). We can look up the history of the car, and let you know what Toyota has done with it.

It's entirely possible to be at over 90% battery capacity, particularly if the car wasn't exposed to high heat. We currently have a car with 141,000 miles that is super quiet (new motor) and has 90% capacity in the Tony-Test. I'd suggest this one is outside the norm, since it spent its entire life in a mild climate.

Our guidelines for battery capacity are:

90% capacity at 50,000 miles
80% capacity at 100,000 miles
70% capacity at 150,000 miles

All RAV4 EVs have an original battery warranty for failure (but not degradation) for 8 years / 100,000 miles from when sold new.

We recommend the Toyota Platinum used car extended warranty, available for all cars under 9 years and 150,000 miles. The oldest RAV4 EV will be 8 years old this year (2020).

under 100,000 miles - up to 5 years/60,000 miles available from warranty purchase date
under 125,000 miles - up to 3 years/36,000 miles available from warranty purchase date
under 150,000 miles - up to 1 years/12,000 miles available from warranty purchase date

As the worldwide leader in 2012-2014 Toyota RAV4 EVs, we can handle all aspects of the RAV4 EV user experience; pre-purchase, sales, Tesla related parts, repairs, maintenance, charging products, and of course our world famous JdeMO fast charging product that permits charging the RAV4 EV in 30-45 minutes at over 27,000 DC fast charge stations on 5 continents and over 100 countries. All cars that we sell are equipped with JdeMO.

Don't be bashful to call or write! If you're on Facebook, please join us at the following group:

Toyota RAV4 EV Tesla Powered

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToyotaRAV4evTeslaPowered

Thanks,

Tony Williams
QC Charge
1780-104 La Costa Meadows Drive
San Marcos, California 92078 USA
[email protected]
http://www.QCcharge.com
Twitter: QCPower
1-844-EV-PARTS
1-844-387-2787
1-760-798-0342 Office
Hours M-F, 9-5 Pacific Time

 

[derekmw]

Thanks for the replies!

I signed up for the toyota owners and pulled the maintenance history. Not a lot in there besides standard maintenance and recall, but I do see the last item I posted which was the motor replaced in 2015:
5/1/2015 ELECTRICAL1
ELECTRICAL1 ~|~CUSTOMER STATES WON'T CHARGE OVER NIGHT. ~|~OUT OF CALIBRATION ~|
~REPROGRAM POWER MANAGMENT CTR ECU & EV GATEWAY CTR ECU 0010-14

5/27/2015 ELECTRICAL1
ELECTRICAL1 ~|~CUSTOMER STATES WARNING MESSAGE COMES ON THAT EV BATTERY HAS LOW
RANGE THEN GOES OFF. ALSO HEARS A CLUNK FROM LF WHEEL AREA ~|~INTERNAL FAILURE OF
GATEWAY ECU GATEWAY ECU FAULTY ~|~REPL GATEWAY ECU / TAS# 151180846
Parts
Name Part # Qty
COMPUTER, EV GATEWAY 898810R011 1

5/27/2015 ELECTRICAL
ELECTRICAL ~|~UPON INSPECTION TECHNICIAN FOUND BATTERY HAS LOW VOLTAGE ~|~LOW
VOLTAGE ~|~REPL BATTERY
Parts
Name Part # Qty
TRUESTART BATTERY 0054435060550 1
TRUESTART BATTERY 0054435060550 1

6/16/2015 ELECTRICAL1
ELECTRICAL1 ~|~CUSTOMER STATES EV MOTOR IS TOO NOISEY ~|~EV ELECTRIC MOTOR NOISY ~|
~SCAN TEST. INSPECTED EV ELECTRIC MOTOR. CONTACTED T.A.S.. T.A.S. SENT REPLACEMENT
TESTLA ELECTRIC MOTOR. REPLACED EV ELECTRIC MOTOR. ROAD TEST. COMPLETE.


Regarding Toyota extended warranty, how much does this cost? I bought the car through carvana and bought their extended warranty which is through silverrock, but I would much more prefer to have one directly through Toyota. I remember when buying the car, I was told you can get a refund at anytime and depending on the timeline, the refund just gets reduced....so it still may be worth it for me to cancel this warranty, get as much refund as possible and buy the Toyota extended one instead.

Also, Tony, I appreciate your post, we're not too far from each other so I look forward to working with you for any future repairs/maintenance. I called the few Toyota dealerships around my area here in San Diego and they did not give me any confidence of knowing how to work on these. It's not a good sign when after talking to multiple service reps, you find out you know more about the car than they do!

 

[TonyWilliams]

Also, Tony, I appreciate your post, we're not too far from each other so I look forward to working with you for any future repairs/maintenance. I called the few Toyota dealerships around my area here in San Diego and they did not give me any confidence of knowing how to work on these. It's not a good sign when after talking to multiple service reps, you find out you know more about the car than they do!

Don't go to ANY other Toyota dealer in San Diego county EXCEPT Carlsbad Toyota. We have contacts there who absolutely know the RAV4 EV.

 

[derekmw]

Also, Tony, I appreciate your post, we're not too far from each other so I look forward to working with you for any future repairs/maintenance. I called the few Toyota dealerships around my area here in San Diego and they did not give me any confidence of knowing how to work on these. It's not a good sign when after talking to multiple service reps, you find out you know more about the car than they do!

Don't go to ANY other Toyota dealer in San Diego county EXCEPT Carlsbad Toyota. We have contacts there who absolutely know the RAV4 EV.

Thanks for this info. Very helpful to know.

Do you know about the Toyota Platinum Extended Warranty and whether I can even get this, being that I did not purchase the car through a Toyota dealership? From reading about it online, I can't find pricing or even a way to buy it since I did not buy the car through Toyota dealerships. If so, it sounds like I will have to stick with my Carvana extended warranty I purchased.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Do you know about the Toyota Platinum Extended Warranty and whether I can even get this, being that I did not purchase the car through a Toyota dealership? From reading about it online, I can't find pricing or even a way to buy it since I did not buy the car through Toyota dealerships. If so, it sounds like I will have to stick with my Carvana extended warranty I purchased.

The information is in my post above:

The Toyota Platinum used car extended warranty is available for all Toyota cars under 9 years and 150,000 miles in the USA. The oldest RAV4 EV will be 8 years old this year (2020).

If your car qualifies (under 9 years, under 150,000 miles), then these are the warranties available. If the RAV4 has under:

100,000 miles - up to 5 years/60,000 miles available from warranty purchase date
125,000 miles - up to 3 years/36,000 miles available from warranty purchase date
150,000 miles - up to 1 years/12,000 miles available from warranty purchase date

I recommend calling the Toyota dealer in Bozeman, Montana, and ask for the finance department. Tell them that you want to buy the Toyota Used Vehicle Platinum Extended Warranty for 1, 3, or 5 years. Also, make sure you ask for $0 deductible.

Good luck.

 

[asavage]

I do see . . . the motor replaced in 2015

No replacement DUs are new (as far as anybody has reported); all are rebuilt.

Unfortunately, Tesla was not "getting it right" on the DU rebuilds until 2016. Many, many Model S DUs were replaced multiple times for both noise and failure, until the mid-2016 rebuilt DUs ("Rev Q") proved durable.

 

[mhobby]

Hi everyone, I similarly just bought a used Rav4 EV (2014). I'm chiming in because I just bought a Platinum Warranty for mine from Toyota of Glendale, from Artur Kirakosyan. He didn't ask to see the vehicle or inspect, just wanted to know the mileage. We knocked the whole thing out in 15 minutes. I am located in LA, so I did it in person.

Best of luck, and thanks to everyone in the forum for all the helpful insights into this vehicle. I just adore it. It's my first electric and I'm never going back.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Hi everyone, I similarly just bought a used Rav4 EV (2014). I'm chiming in because I just bought a Platinum Warranty for mine from Toyota of Glendale, from Artur Kirakosyan. He didn't ask to see the vehicle or inspect, just wanted to know the mileage. We knocked the whole thing out in 15 minutes. I am located in LA, so I did it in person.

Best of luck, and thanks to everyone in the forum for all the helpful insights into this vehicle. I just adore it. It's my first electric and I'm never going back.

We just sold a beautiful blue RAV4 EV to one of your neighbors in the Los Angeles area. Welcome to the club!