Self Confessed Criminal Activity with RAV4 EV

[TonyWilliams]

Al Savage of Duvall WA, VIN 2T3YL4DV4EW002609
License plate BFR9022

The Duvall Police Dept was provided a link to the original thread. The case is assigned to Shelly Rowe.


posted by "asavage"

Post subject: Re: Bull barPostPosted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:39 pm

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=26484#p26484

I was wedged-in again yesterday when I left work and walked to my car. 20" in rear, 26" in front.

I backed into the Lexus behind and pushed it four feet (no car behind it) to get out, but there was a bumper mis-match. There is no visible damage to either vehicle (I wouldn't care a whit if their car was damaged!) but when I opened my rear door, the lower garnish panel (the plastic panel that is full-width of the door and about the lower 1/4 of the metal lower half) rubs on the hinge side of the bumper. All the interior-side plastic anchors for the push pins are broken off.

That panel is 76802-42100-J2 Garnish Sub-Assembly (the "J2" is blue; other colors have different suffixes) and I just ordered one for $530. It just snaps into place.

I've also ordered an adjustable-height ball mount for my existing receiver hitch. It'll accept any 2" square tube in the vertical position instead of the actual ball mount. I'll keep it and a 18" section of 2" square tube in the back, and next time this happens, I'll slide both parts together and into my receiver, then use that to push the errant vehicle away.

I wish this RAV4 had more traction. I was driving an AWD van previously, no problem pushing them out of the way with that! But the RAV4's lack of front tire traction limits my pushing ability.

I suppose I could get a different job . . . soon, all too soon now!

 

[TonyWilliams]

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=26972#p26972

asavage
Post subject: Re: Bull barPostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:57 pm
Offline

Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:55 am
Posts: 41
Location: Duvall, Wash.
I do have better traction in reverse, yes.

That $530 panel? It's just plastic. It snaps in place. The damage I sustained was that around six of the plastic tabs' mountings broke from the panel. Here's what it looked like before I bought the vehicle:

(click on most pictures for larger)

Image

The garnish panel with broken mounting points. Notice NO damage to the visible finish; I literally couldn't tell by looking that it was damaged, but it was interfering the jamb on the right side by about 1/8" when opening the door. Other than that, the door opened/closed fine.

Image

Image

Image

If I had to, I could have epoxied the mount points back to the panel and it would have been a very effective repair. It would have looked fine.

Comparison of the mounting points of the damaged original and the replacement:

Image

That garnish panel did come to me painted correctly, so if I'd had to only replace it, it would have snapped in place and looked great.

However, look at what was underneath the garnish panel:

Image
Image


That triggered purchasing 67005-0R140 PANEL SUB-ASSY, BACK for $527 (which arrived in primer: not body color), and then $975 at the body shop to R&R the rear door, transferring the glass, wiper motor, latch, electrics, etc. and paint to match.

So, call it around $2,200 total for my mistake.

[During that, the car was sideswiped by an old Honda Odyssey when he was passing me too closely. His insurance paid to have that damaged fixed, so I had both done at the shop at the same time. It was a light sideswipe, but there was damage on both doors and both panels as well as the mirror. Ugh. It all looks new, now.]

_________________
Regards,
Al Savage
2014 Rav4 EV, Shoreline Blue Pearl, #2609, first use 04Jun2014, 49k miles (Aug2017), OpenEVSE 40A
1999 E300 on B100, Tourmaline Green
http://nissandiesel.dyndns.org

 

[TonyWilliams]

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=26981#p26981

asavage
Post subject: Re: Bull barPostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:06 am

Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:55 am
Posts: 41
Location: Duvall, Wash.

Thanks for relating your experience.

None of my cars, except the RAV4, have a rear camera, including my Infiniti and Mercedes.

However, I regard less than 3' of clearance between bumpers is "too close". I routinely, routinely as in twice a week, used to push cars out of the way to create 3' or more space in order to depart. Lexus or Civic, I'll continue to do that. Assuming that everybody has better technology these days is no excuse for parking less than 3' away from the next car. Now that I'm driving this puddle-jumper RAV4, I look harder for parking spots next to driveways so I'm not in that situation. That means parking a block further away some days [shrug]; I can walk.

I didn't come of age living in cities, and I consider close parking rude and I feel no shame in my risk management behavior. I understand your position, being used to this rude parking behavior in others, but it's not my viewpoint. Where I park for work, there is always parking available, you just must be willing to walk another block, and as I see it there's not non-rude excuse for parking so closely as to require scraping bumpers or reliance on proximity technology to depart.

(A couple of years ago, I had some joker park with his bumper actually deforming my license plate, in front of me and blocking the crosswalk. That Saturn I pushed into the intersection . . . and left it there. I assume it had to be towed away.

Thanks for your feedback.

_________________
Regards,
Al Savage
2014 Rav4 EV, Shoreline Blue Pearl, #2609, first use 04Jun2014, 49k miles (Aug2017), OpenEVSE 40A
1999 E300 on B100, Tourmaline Green
http://nissandiesel.dyndns.org