Out of State service

[DevinL]

One more thing about out of state service. If you need to top up the G48 coolant, it can be hard to find and Toyota dealers won't buy it for you because they have a case minimum order that they'll never be able to sell through. Probably the easiest way is to go to the nearest Tesla service center. They will sell you one jug of G48. You may even be able to talk them into topping you off so you don't have to buy the whole gallon.

I believe the G48 is actually a fairly common BMW fluid, so a BMW service center should also be a good source.

 

[jimbo69ny]

How frequently does that need to be topped off? Id imagine less often in NY than in Cali based on temps.

 

[Larry_in_Seattle]

I'd be willing to be the point-man to coordinate owners in WA. I think we have 10-12 in the area, but I may be double counting some people as I actually only know a few of the owners personally.

At least one local Toyota dealer has expressed a keen interest in being EV certified, saying he wouldn't hesitate to send his folks to CA for training and to buy the required equipment...if only Toyota would permit it. Or, he might try to coordinate having a roving tech from CA come up to do the work. Or even be party to trying to work with the local Tesla service center.

In my mind, the goal is to get SOMETHING set up so that we have the peace-of-mind knowing we'll be able to get our cars serviced, updated, cared for by someone locally.

Another good reason would be for those who plan to do the JdeMO fast charge option. If Tony's folks come to Seattle to do the upgrade, it would make sense to do as many as possible at the same time.

If you're interested and from the area, contact me through the forum or PM me.

Larry

 

[reeler]

Well, it happened. One of my RAV4s died. I bought this one used so there was no signing any statement that I wouldn't take it out of state.

When starting it would go from charged to zero range / turtle and put the car in neutral. After a couple start-cycles, it would get going, but had the yellow exclamation light with a message that says "Check EV System. Have you vehicle checked by a dealership immediately."

This happened three times in a row so I took it to my local dealership in Denver. They had never seen one and checked it in no problem. Later in the day, they said Toyota says they cannot work on it. A regional tech will be there on Thursday to update the firmware with the proper cable, which is what they thought was the issue. I had this one in California last year and I think it got the latest firmware so I doubt that will fix things.

I have the extended warranty with the rental car option, but didn't push for that as I have a spare LEAF to drive. I will update when I hear more. It is unseemly to beg Toyota to stand behind their vehicles and honor their warranty.

 

[jimbo69ny]

Oh no Jim! That sucks! Definitely keep us posted! Good luck!

 

[TonyWilliams]

It is unseemly to beg Toyota to stand behind their vehicles and honor their warranty.

That is so sad. Toyota was one of my first cars way back when, a 1980 SR-5 pickup. When it had 100,000 with a bad exhaust, the dealer replaced the entire exhaust system, FOR FREE, no questions asked !!!

The total opposite of present day RAV4 EV service.

 

[reeler]

Well, the dealership called today and they think the ECU has gone bad. They expect a new one in a few days. They think installing that with the updated firmware will do the trick. I searched and found many that had the ECU problem. It sounds like an expensive part so I am glad it is covered under warranty.

 

[reeler]

Well, the dealership called today and they think the ECU has gone bad. They expect a new one in a few days. They think installing that with the updated firmware will do the trick. I searched and found many that had the ECU problem. It sounds like an expensive part so I am glad it is covered under warranty.

Picked-up the car today and it works great. One week turn-around on an ECU swap out-of-state. No warranty hassles at all. Thanks, Toyota!

 

[jimbo69ny]

Dont forget to update the spreadsheet Jim!

Im glad its working better for you, again.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SRbGy1BE8i2XRuejbNURNkWLdIi0T5OGUJiksah6mQ0/edit#gid=0

 

[jspearman]

Well, the dealership called today and they think the ECU has gone bad. They expect a new one in a few days. They think installing that with the updated firmware will do the trick. I searched and found many that had the ECU problem. It sounds like an expensive part so I am glad it is covered under warranty.

Picked-up the car today and it works great. One week turn-around on an ECU swap out-of-state. No warranty hassles at all. Thanks, Toyota!

Great news Thanks for keeping us updated.

 

[SeattleRav4]

Sadly I am now testing the current state of Out-of-State warranty service. After scheduling to have my 6 month service done, my Rav4 decided it needed new boots.
While backing up, it developed a very pronounced shudder, like the CV joints were locking.
I took it into Kirkland Toyota to have it looked at. They called to say it was a failed CV seal (which I think they may not yet have the root cause), it would take a couple of days to get parts, and it was not covered under warranty since it was out of state. I corrected them by saying the Toyota parts were certainly covered by the Toyota warranty, only a limited set of Tesla parts were not covered.
They are currently working on it.
I wonder if the Toyota warranty approach will change when all the new ones are sold out?

 

[Kohler Controller]

Sadly I am now testing the current state of Out-of-State warranty service. After scheduling to have my 6 month service done, my Rav4 decided it needed new boots.
While backing up, it developed a very pronounced shudder, like the CV joints were locking.
I took it into Kirkland Toyota to have it looked at. They called to say it was a failed CV seal (which I think they may not yet have the root cause), it would take a couple of days to get parts, and it was not covered under warranty since it was out of state. I corrected them by saying the Toyota parts were certainly covered by the Toyota warranty, only a limited set of Tesla parts were not covered.
They are currently working on it.
I wonder if the Toyota warranty approach will change when all the new ones are sold out?

Sorry to hear about the troubles. How many miles are on your car? Everything should be covered (Toyota and Tesla parts) if under 36k miles. Getting the dealer to be able to submit for warranty claim out of state might not be immediately approved, but call Kevin Spillane at Toyota Corporate to have him help you out. If it is mechanical in nature, I'm sure they are much more willing to let NON-EV Certified technicians perform the work.

 

[Larry_in_Seattle]

SeattleRav4,
Let us know how it all works out. I'm in the Seattle Metro area, too, (Shoreline) and obviously VERY interested in knowing how both corporate Toyota and the local dealer(s) will deal with our cars and us. May have a couple of issues for them to look at with my 2013. Good luck!

Kohler Controller,
Can you give us the contact details for Kevin Spillane at corporate? Telephone number and email would be great. If you don't feel comfortable posting, please send a private message.

 

[jimbo69ny]

SeattleRav4,
Let us know how it all works out. I'm in the Seattle Metro area, too, (Shoreline) and obviously VERY interested in knowing how both corporate Toyota and the local dealer(s) will deal with our cars and us. May have a couple of issues for them to look at with my 2013. Good luck!

Kohler Controller,
Can you give us the contact details for Kevin Spillane at corporate? Telephone number and email would be great. If you don't feel comfortable posting, please send a private message.

It would probably be good to add his contact info to the "Owners List" document.

 

[SeattleRav4]

25 months and 22,000 miles with no prior issues.
I will post when I find out more.
Thanks for the pointer on Toyota Corporate. So far I just have, "I will research that".

 

[Kohler Controller]

Kohler Controller,
Can you give us the contact details for Kevin Spillane at corporate? Telephone number and email would be great. If you don't feel comfortable posting, please send a private message.

Kevin Spillane
310-974-7545

kevin_spillane at toyota.com

Kevin is very polite/considerate and will help you work through any logistics. He has never responded to any of my emails, only over the phone. I don't know if that's his way of a personal touch, or the fact that he doesn't want to leave a record/trace of events.

If Toyota can help, Kevin is your best conduit.

 

[SeattleRav4]

I gave Kevin's contact info to the local dealer and then called him. Super nice guy. He said he had talked with the service tech and had made all the arrangements to have the Corporate EV guys helping the local tech. I should know more later today.

 

[SeattleRav4]

Since the Out-of-Staters are waiting with baited breath, I will keep a running log.
Rod from Kirkland Toyota called last night to say the parts had arrived but needed permission to put them in. Why?
Because they did not yet have approval from Corporate that the install would be covered under warranty.
I asked what the specific problem was. "The left rear axle seal".
Um, first it definitely felt like a front end problem. And certainly not like a "seal". But more importantly, why would there be any discussion on whether it was covered by the Toyota warranty? The left rear axle seal is certainly not a "Drivetrain component".
I will update as the drama unfolds.

 

[SeattleRav4]

Update,
Dealer Service called on Fri to say my Rav4 was fixed, so I went in on Saturday to pick it up.
They still have not worked out the warranty part and are insisting that the rear wheels are part of the drive train.
Any way I paid them and went to drive away.
The problem is still there.
So it is back in the shop. Hopefully I will hear more today.

 

[fromport]

They still have not worked out the warranty part and are insisting that the rear wheels are part of the drive train.
Any way I paid them and went to drive away.
The problem is still there.
So it is back in the shop. Hopefully I will hear more today.

WTF ?
a) you paid how much for what exactly ?
b) they didn't fix anything ?!

This is gross ....