2011 rav4 ltd 4wd v6

DK327

Member
I've had my 00 T4R for over a year now and seeing how well it performs even after 17 years, the girlfriend also wanted to jump on the Yota 4WD wagon and so we started our search...

Of course, my 1st instinct was another 3rd gen T4R but she insisted on "something a bit more modern," so I mentioned a 4th gen T4R... She countered with "a bit smaller than a 4Runner and better gas mileage" so I started looking at other options, until I came across the Toyota RAV4.

After joining rav4world forums to ask some basic questions and checking out multiple vehicle service histories and carfax reports, I decided to go with a 2011 RAV4.3 (3rd gen) 4WD V6 and ended up finding one locally, so we went for a test drive yesterday and she loved it, so we ended up getting it.

I traded in my 00 Grand Am SE1 V6 (151K miles) which had served me well since 2012. It was hard to let go but we can't afford 4 vehicles and it was the older with more miles than the 02 Mitsu Galant (100K miles) which will probably spend the most of the rest of it's life in the garage, on standby.

So far I'm impressed by how well the 3.5L V6 engine performs. It's real peppy @ 269hp and vehicle weighs around 3670lbs. Needless to say, I kinda wish my 3rd gen had those figures!

After we get situated with the insurance, registration and title, I'll start getting some filters and fluids to start the whole drain and refill process. The vehicle has 71.5K miles and according to it's service history, it was serviced at Toyota dealership at every 5K miles like clockwork so I'm pretty confident it was well taken care of.

Hoping to reach 100K miles with no issues and aiming for 200K and beyond!

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Revival.

We have an '11 Rav4 4 cyl 4wd base for my wife. The V6 would've been nice as the MPG difference is nil, but it was harder to find. The "4wd" label is a joke, but it gets the cars off the lot in the snow belt.

It's at 87k now. Rear axle seal gave out at 55k and fixed by warranty. Replaced rear shocks at 60k with KYB (driver rear spewed all over garage). Just got done replacing front struts with KYB again (driver front spewed). Did serpentine belt at 85k. OEM still looked good, but belts are cheap insurance. Completed 2x ATF drain and fills (60k with WS and 85K with Maxlife). 5k oil changes with whatever syn is on sale (NAPA stash for the moment) and K&N filters off Amazon. Replaced brake pads at 70k due to squeaking, but OEM pads still had life on them.

Looking to doing plugs and coolant drain/fill at 100k.

The only thing I would mark up as "major" would be the axle seal, but luckily it happened right before the warranty expired. Everything else has been normal wear and tear items.

Otherwise it should keep chugging away.
 
[MENTION=142282]ZebRuaj[/MENTION] I just saw your review, thanks for all the info. We're currently looking at a transmission replacement since it's making a whining noise and there is a TSB out for it. We had purchased the extended 30-month warranty from the dealership when we bought the vehicle luckily.

It's TSB 0130-12 (Transaxsle Whine Noise.) I had a print out of the whole TSB and even highlighted the parts that pertained to our vehicle. Dealer kept the vehicle for a couple of hours and when we picked it up the customer copy stated "INF DIAGNOSED NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSAXLE, NEEDS TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY"

Replacement Trans part number is 30510-4H202-84. It's known as the "H" trans which stands for one with "honed gear set." Our extended warranty is now in full affect so we'll get it done soon as we find some time.
 

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