Traction Battery Coolant System Leak

[SeattleRav4]

I finally got an email on Monday saying my car is finally done. It wasn't a problem since I was out of town. I will pick it up tonight and hopefully find out what repairs were done.

 

[asavage]

I am very interested in the rest of your experience with ToK, since they are the closest dealer to me, and I'm planning on a DU replacement someday.

 

[Larry_in_Seattle]

asavage: Toyota of Kirkland did all 3 recalls on my RAV4 EV as well as a drive unit replacement.

Each time I 'tried' simply calling the service department or dropping by to see if they would lift a finger to help a Toyota customer with a service need. Each time they flatly refused to help in ANY way, shape or form.

So I called Kevin and then Thorn who took the info from me and voila, ToK calls and nice-as-pie, and oh-so helpfully set up appointments for each item.

Of course THEY didn't actually DO any of the work except for the seatbelt cover recall which apparently they got the OK to do or 'went out on a limb' for me to do it. At first, though, they swore up and down that since they weren't certified EV techs, they couldn't get in the back seat and replace the cover - a 5 or so minute job.

How different I would feel if they'd instead said something like, "Larry, we have to jump through additional hoops to help with your car since it was a CA only car, but we're so pleased you're a Toyota customer and will gladly make the call to HQ for the service assistance. Is there anything else we can do to help?"

In the end, I keep going back to ToK simply because it's convenient to my work, and I keep HOPING that they'll change their tune and warmly welcome owners of any and ALL Toyotas....even us horrible people who bought one of Toyota's EVs out of state.

 

[asavage]

Thanks for that report, Larry.

I had Toyota of Seattle perform the wiper recall, just to dip my toe into those waters. They seemed . . . OK. As I commute from Duvall (NE of Redmond, east of Kirkland for those following along out-of-state) to the Central District (just east of downtown), it's just possible for me to drop my car off at ToS before work, catch two buses to work, and reverse that after work. So, I really do have a viable alternative to ToK.

SeattleRAV4's experience with having left the bottom cover unfastened, and later the LR wheel well liner coming off and flattening the tire, really scares me away from ToK more than their unwillingness to extend a helpful attitude to you because you've got an "unsupported" vehicle with the Toyota brand on it.

Paramount, who sold me my RAV4, told me that they'd had two separate RAV4 EVs in to ToS for DU replacements (for noise) and Robert didn't have any positive or negative to report from their experience doing that, except to relate the delays involved (one week, and one month, respectively, for the two vehicles' DU replacements). ToK had the better price for the Toyota used car warranty ($2525 vs $3200 @ ToS) but unless/until I hear counterbalancing stories about ToS and the RAV4 EV, I think I'll plan to have them perform service work.

 

[SeattleRav4]

I received an email saying my car was done on Mon, so on Wed I arranged to pick up my car. Late in the day I received another email saying the service manager had noticed that my service paperwork mentioned that I wanted the 40,000 mile coolant change done. Did I still want that?
Um, duh, that was where this all started.
So, yes please.
Next email, the service manual calls for a scan tool to do the coolant change and we don't have the tool, or the fluid. We will have to schedule another appt on the 27 to do that work. !!!!
OK, so I go pick up the car and ask, what do they think happened to the fender shroud. No guess. So I ask if they EV tech had any guesses because I did not want it happening again. "that is a good idea, I will ask him".

What actually happened? I cannot prove it but the data is pretty conclusive. The non EV tech got the car, was all excited to work on something new and started taking of shrouds. When he say the leaking fluid (which is called coolant but was drive unit) he wrote it up and put the shrouds back on with just a couple of hand tightened screws. This is reasonable assuming the car will be parked in the lot until new parts arrive.
Later, after several phone calls, they figured out it would take quite a while to get the seals and arrange for the EV tech. So a different tech was told to return the car to service. He looks underneath, all looks fine so off it goes.
The next day the motor cover screws drop out and it drags on the ground. I tie it up with my shoelace but don't think to check the wheel shroud.
A few tens of miles later, the top wheel shroud screw lets go while going down the freeway. The top of the shroud drops, putting the screw in contact with the spinning tire. The tire whips the screw, with the end of the shroud, around and runs over it, driving the screw into the tire. With the shroud now attached to the tire, and the tire spinning, the shroud is ripped from the other end and proceeds to thrash the side of the car. A few seconds of that and the screw pulls out, sending the shroud flying across the freeway.
I though the motor shroud had come loose. When I stopped, the motor shroud was fine, still tied with my shoelace. The fender shroud was gone and the tire was going flat.

 

[asavage]

Ow ow ow!

That hurts.

"Oh, do you still want that done?"

Yeah, I think I'll try Toyota of Seattle when the DU gets replaced.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Mossy Toyota in San Diego made the same blunder:

1) I took car in for "milling sound" (and other things)

2) Dealer informs me that they need almost $400 for "diagnosis"

3) I decline their extortion attempt, and pick up the car

4) I receive the car absolutely filthy (probably sitting outside for a week) and within a few days, the lower plastic panel fell off

5) Thankfully, I have hundreds of these buttons, so I put it back together.

When I took it to the new dealer (Carlsbad Toyota), I took off all the underbody panels, the underhood plastic cover, and the High Voltage battery disconnect cover. Nothing for them to lose / break / put on wrong.

 

[SeattleRav4]

Good news update
The scheduled tool / technician / coolant service came together on Wed.
They even "biffed up" the paint in the spot where it was marked from the flying shroud.
It took some patience but in the end ToK got it done.
$170 for the coolant change.

 

[asavage]

If that's $170 for both the battery and motor coolant changes, that's a good number.

 

[SeattleRav4]

typo "buffed up"

 

[SeattleRav4]

Actually they were separate, the $170 was just for the traction battery coolant.
the motor coolant was done before, something like $130.

And then of course the wheel shroud, that was another $115. "The EV tech could find no reason why the shroud let go. All the bolts were still in the fender with the plastic ripped free."

I should have taken detailed pictures. I am pretty sure the top bolt was loosened and vibrated free.