KKVs Rav4 project

Lowering kit for an SUV :rolleyes:

There doesn't seem to be a lot going on there, really, does there? I'm assuming the Rav on the right has the 'front spats', 'twin headlights', 'front bumper insert' and 'front grille'? (there appears to be two front grills though? One in each photo? Or is the Toyota logo optional?).

I'm guessing the front spats are the plastic pieces at the edge of the front at the very bottom of the rav on the right? They look like they have lights on them? Or am I confusing myself.

All in all, I prefer the Rav4 on the left.. and it doesn't seem to have been messed with too much (not a fan of the lowering though. Prefer the stock alloys, too).

Is the rear spoiler the one that I have on my own car already? Or is that made by someone else (another dept. within Toyota?).


I'll be with Toyota tomorrow at some point (assuming they have my tail light covers in stock) and I'll ask them about that part number and see if they know anything. Googling it seems to bring me mostly back to this thread.


I noticed the thread title, by the way. Haha. I wouldn't really say it's a project (as I've no real end goal :P ) but I'm enjoying mooching around. Just wish I had loads of money to spend on it. Haha. I'd raise it about 6 foot, slap some monster truck wheels on it, and spend all my time driving over lowered RAv4s for the craic.

Glad to have you on here though - Your knowledge has been ridiculously helpful from day 1 (before day 1, even, as I was getting assistance off you before I even owned it!).

Today it's off getting beat by the panel beater. Nudge Bar is being sprayed along with the bumper being fixed. Will hopefully have it back tomorrow in good nick. Depending on how good a job he does of it, I'll get him to look at the bumper at a later date (the bumpers not really that bad, though. I seem to have a habit of picturing it being a lot worse than it really is ).

Oh right, i thought they were the same accessories, but they were just trying to show how they'd look on both models. So each model has it's own version of each accessory? (ie; my grill would have the Toyota logo, the pre-facelift grill wouldn't?).


I still kinda like the Toyota logo on the front, to be honest. And the Silver VVTI lettering. I think they add a bit of pop to panels that would be otherwise a bit dull without them (although i know there is such a thing as too much). I like the smaller subtle things that add to a car without being really 'in your face' (like stickers on boy racer cars.. I know everyones got their own taste and that's fair enough, but I've always found stickers to be very tacky, for example). Whereas things like the tail light covers seem subtle enough to get away with them and they aren't overly flashy or 'look at me' in nature.

The twin exhaust interests me as I'm actually looking at doing something with the exhaust (I've been moaning on the 'today I did something to my car' thread on the main forum about this very thing.. not sure if you seen it or if you mentioning the exhaust was just coincidental?).


I'll have to ask about accessories when I'm in with Toyota tomorrow. Seen as they could find my tail light covers (and shockingly enough, still actually order them), I wonder would they be able to do me a print-off of all the other accessories still in production or available to order, and a price list (even if they havent got photos or such, if i had the part number I reckon i'd get something visual on google).

The page above from the TTE brochure says "Rav4 A2". I googled that and came across this:

http://www.delta4x4.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=366&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=47&lang=en


Presumably nothing to do with Toyota? (I was hoping ot initially find a higher res version of that booklet, or perhaps a website listing the various accessories).

Too dark this evening to get a decent photo (without using my actual photography gear, which I don't have with me at the moment). Here's a shot, from the Panel Beater's FB page, of him spraying the nudge bar and rear bumper.

Feel like I'm spamming the thread at this stage, but a final update until I can get the rear covers on and take some decent photos (Not gonna bother trying to put them on in the rain!).

A few before and afters. Very pleased with the panel beater's work. In the photo it looks like the nudge bar is a different shade to the bumper. Very odd. It's identical in reality.

But anyway;

Nudge Bar sprayed:







Rear Bumper Fix (it's a little dirty in the 'after' photo, but it's brand new looking)






And I don't actually think I have a 'before' for the mirror inserts/trim/whatever it's called, but here's the after:






All in all a very happy camper.

If Hitler was still around, I'd give him a job in a factory, fitting those light protectors onto cars!

Thank god I don't like the look of the headlight ones. What a nightmare. My fingers are in agony. I don't think they'll be lifting off. I accidentally put the right one a bit lower than the left one and the job I had trying to pry it off to go again. Holy mother of Jesus!

In the end, one is still ever so slightly higher than the other, but I don't think it's noticeable, really. You'd have to go looking for it to see it.

Really happy with the mirrors myself, to be honest. A small thing, I know, but they do help with the overall look of the car, I feel.









Can I ask which bumper you're referring to (the back one I had fixed, or the front one?). How can you tell if it was repaired before?

Right, so this is going to sound a bit mad, but...

My front bumper had some scratches/marks on the front right (or left, if you're standing in front of the car, looking at it). It's always been there. Looked like someone tried parking too close or someone rubbed it against something. Can feel the scratches on it and the paint is ever so slightly worn away. But it's nothing terrible.


Yesterday I was looking at the car, and this area is significantly worse, and there's also small bits scratched the whole corner around (from the fog light to where the bumper ends at the side of the car).

I got had the car back on Friday evening. It was dark and cold so I didn't inspect it. Saturday it was poor out and rain so I didn't look at it during the day much either (well, that's not entirely true,I copped the bumper looked worse on Saturday night, but I rubbed it with my hand and it looked a bit better when I wiped the rain away, so I just figured it was my imagination).

I've parked the car out in the wild twice, and neither time could anyone park in front of me (as the car was parallel parked, and the car in front was the same car when I got back, both times), so I'm happy to rule out that someone squeezed in a bit too tight in front and did the damage. There's also no colour streaking that I can see, so no paint has rubbed off against it.


In my head, it looks like my panel beater had the bumper face down on a concrete floor, and lifted the bumper from one side, which caused the other side to 'drag' and scratch on the floor.

Am I a bit insane in thinking this? I can't help but think if a panel beater did damage to a car, then he'd just fix it and say he fixed it out of goodwill or something, rather than leaving it visible?

But at the same time, I can think of no situation where I could have gotten that damage on the car myself. Unfortunately, although I did take pictures of the car before he worked on it, they don't have that part of the bumper visible. The only photos I have with that part of the bumper visible are from 2 weeks ago.


Just not sure how to go about saying it to him. Or if indeed, it was his fault..

The cargo area in the Rav4 is a bit dark (very dark, actually). The lighting on the roof is cut off by the parcel shelf, so I'm looking to do something with it.

In order to keep things as simple as possible, I was considering looking for a battery-operated LED light(s) of some sort. Something I could stick to the underside of the parcel shelf and that had a button to press it on/off (so something that doesn't require wiring, etc. and that's easy to install and forget about).


I seen these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-X-1-45oz-Mini-3-LED-Battery-Powered-Stick-Tap-Touch-Lamp-Light-Silver-ABS-/130984518632?pt=Lamps_US&hash=item1e7f4923e8


And my dad had something similar in the kitchen before that he got in Argos, but the beam of light on them was pretty poor if memory serves me correctly. I'd also rather have just a single light (perhaps something tube-shaped or such, or a string light that'd run the whole length of the shelf... something along those lines anyway).



Anyone have any suggestions at all?


Cheers

YbFocus wrote: »

Yep you can do them individually no problem but please complete the oil change fully

You'll want a set of sockets.

Depending on your oil filter either a huge 30mm like socket, a filter remover or your hand if it's reachable and not buried on.

A set of torx are usually wanted for bits like the airbox and interior trim. Always handy to have.

Sometimes a funnel to direct the new oil is handy.

A can of some sort to hold 5l + of used engine oil

Oh and brake pads are simple, don't be afraid of them. If you manage to change the oil you'll handle pads no probs

So, if i were, for arguments sake, to take a trip to Halfords tomorrow, I'd be on the lookout for;

a Funnel (pretty self explanatory)
Torx - that THIS kinda thing? Is it necessary to buy a set, or would a single car stick to a single size?
Oil Filter Remover - This boyo?



This chap is making it look relatively easy!

Has he the wheel off for the camera, I wonder, or does it actually help. Hmm.

YbFocus wrote: »

Have you a metal filter or a housing with a paper filter?

I don't know what any of that means.


It did cross my mind that the stuff was a tad expensive, but I thought maybe it'd be alright as I'd be saving the money on paying a mechanic..

But I will ask in my motor factors. Truth be told, they've (my Motor Factors) been sound with me since day one, even though I've only a vague idea what I'm asking for most of the time. So I'd rather throw a few euro at them (regardless of whether they're a little more expensive).

toyotaavensis wrote: »

Is it a petrol rav 4?
If so you have the same setup as me.

The oil filter is under the engine. You just pop off the plastic shield that stops stones from the road hitting the engine. Filter is just a little cylinder you screw off.
Screw on the new one after putting some oil on the rubber bit that touches the engine bloc.
Oil drain plug is nearby.
Open this let oil fall out tighten again,

Air filter is in the black plastic box unhook clips pull out and replace.

It is indeed a petrol version. Are you also in a Rav? (or an Avensis, as the name suggests? Are all Toyota Petrols laid out the same/similarly?)


All that stuff you said sounds fairly straight forward, but its stuff i can't really picture in my head (will be a handy post to refer to at the time of actually doing things, though)

colm_mcm wrote: »

Your oil filter is a traditional metal cylinder type. That halfords one is quare fancy, a cheap strap type filter remover will be just fine.

Where would I find one of those thingies?

Should I assume that if i go into my motor factors, they'll have a tool for it, and anything over €20 would be unreasonable?

Yeah; there are two on the Rav and both seem to be 100% functional (one has my sat nav in it a lot, and the other used to charge the phone every once in a while).

Aside from losing steering wheel radio controls, everything seems to be fine. (I have lost both my 'side lights/parking lights', but i blame the panel beater for that, as they were working grand, im pretty sure, after i put the radio in).