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Another episode of my car show has just gone live. Thanks for watching.

Not to sound harsh but its a older car and well out of any warranty so any dealership will not be interested - no point in getting wound up about just move on these things happen for no reason, All marques have there issues with diesels inc bmw what can have catastrophic failures As for diesels of that age technology has moved on - and that is very low miles for a diesel im suprised it hasn't had to have a dpf regen/replacement, on another contentious point fuel quality may of been a issue has the fuel filter ever been changed ? you need to find the real cause of the failure, pistons dont just let go - a wild stab in the dark i would say it has suffered with oil dilution due to low miles and constant failed regen's Imho if your doing less than 20k miles a year, forget diesel its just not worth it when a petrol can return the same mpg,and is cheaper to run and tax

Some seem to be getting a bit hung up on the 'moose' - we're unlikely to come across many of those on UK motorways! The test is simply to see how the vehicle behaves during a high speed evasive manoeuvre - and the new RAV doesn't appear to perform that well. In a previous car I had two 'bad' experiences of this kind before I simply got rid of the car. The first was when exiting the M25 (IIRC) when some ******* decided to leave the motor after missing the exit and use the piece of road I was in. An evasive manoeuvre was required to avoid getting side-swiped ... and to say that the car became 'unsettled' would have been a major understatement. The second was on a country lane when an oncoming car came around the corner 'at speed' and on the wrong side of the road. The incidents were 'memorable' because I pretty much lost control of the car through the manoeuvre and it took a worrying amount of time to settle down again. Braking wouldn't have help at all in either case. Note that the car in question wasn't a RAV but my faith in it was shot to the extent that I wasn't going to give it a third chance! So, a car should be capable of making an emergency lane change, safely, at motorway speeds - and the new RAV doesn't appear to accomplish that as well as it should ...

Very interesting experiment and it validates what I have always thought about Toyota/Lexus hybrids, just bung it in D or R and let the computers do the rest.

2 comments: the Hybrid system is less efficient in reverse than going forward because while reversing the MG alone has to propel the car and work against the engine while it is generating electricity due to the way the planetary gear system works, therefore it will take more electric energy to do the same distance in reverse than forwards. It obviously makes sense for this to be most efficient while going forwards. the 8th bar was possibly nowhere near full when you started your first test - the very few times I've seen the 8th bar lit, it's gone out very quickly too. The only times I've experienced a truly 'maxed out' HV battery (i.e. 8th bar 'full') was on very long, steep hills in Scotland and Devon, and it took quite a while after the last bar lit up before the noticeable effects of the Hybrid System refusing any further regenerated power. The chart in the link below (for an older Prius version) gives an idea of how the graph display works:

I have been thinking about my Avensis Valvematic and a few other variables about cat thefts. These variables are, where a majority of the the thefts are happening? A lot are happening in Greater London and the South East, where there are a large number of cars like the Prius. Other makes of car are also targeted. Next is the access to the cat. The thieves want to be able to remove the cat within a few minutes, so the cat needs to be under the car with no obstructions to delay them. The one in your photo will hardly be touched, unless they have plenty of time and know that they will not be disturbed! Now with the Avensis T27, most are diesels (mine is petrol), and the target cars seem to be petrol hybrid which makes it easy being a Prius, and the Auris have the Hybrid badges as a giveaway. I think the thieves have not targeted the Yaris or Avensis (to my knowledge), because they don't know as much about them. Hope it stays that way. The Auris and Prius hybrid have a similar layout, that makes them a popular target. What we need is a database of the cars which had their cats stolen. Go to the Catlocks web page and you will get an idea of the cars they are making the Catlock for - https://www.catlocks.co.uk/ If I had concerns with my car, I would fabricate my own underfloor shielding, fitted to the under car bracing. Anyway enjoy your Yaris. I drove a loan 2018 loan car and it is a great car. Only a couple very minor negatives for the spec I drove. No auto lights and manual rear window winders. I would get the spec which includes those. I liked everything else including the fact it had a spare wheel!

Hi Nick, sorry I couldn't say for sure if your EGR valve is different to mine. Matt

Personally i am not a fan of them, but it's yours and you make it your own 🙂 I get why you fit them as some people don't know how to park and just don't care about other people property. I tend to park the further point away as they are always the emptiest places. But I never take up two spaces... hate those people 😛

Fair enough. Everyone has different experiences. Let me share some more detail on why I will never buy Goodyear again myself. On my Gen3, I went from from 17" wheels on Michelin Primacy to 15" on Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance. Running both at my usual 39psi, fuel economy was immediately noticeably worse by around 5mpg, despite the reduction in size. This failed to improve after scrubbing in - I could only get close to the mileage I was getting on the 17" Michelins if I pushed them all the way up to 45psi which had the added benefit of improving the awful jelly-like handling. I am one of the least 'sporty' drivers on the road these days and actively dislike fast cornering, but I still found the Goodyears to be unbearably imprecise at standard pressures. As time went on, I wasn't comfortable with running pressures so much higher than recommended, so I dropped back to 40 as a compromise. I can state categorically that those tyres did not get quieter with extra wear, and after 20,000 miles the fronts were worn down on the outside edges (despite the overinflation) which was absolutely appalling given how gently I drive. By comparison, the Michelins had gone past 60k. That wasn't enough to put me off Goodyear completely, though. I subsequently put 17" Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 3s on my wife's Auris hybrid, again replacing Michelin Primacy. They actually delivered only slightly worse economy, similar cabin noise and similar comfort and although they woollied up the handling a bit that wasn't a concern. I actually thought they were decent tyres at first. However, the sidewalls proved to be horrendous and, in my view, a serious danger. Over two years, two of the four needed replacement because they'd developed bulges. Then, when my wife hit a pothole with the offside front, the sidewall actually tore straight through so the whole tyre ripped completely off the rim. Fortunately she managed to retain control and no serious damage was done to anyone. However, I was shocked at how the entire tyre had simply disintegrated just from hitting a hole in the road. Unfortunately, during that initial period when I'd thought the F1s were decent, I'd decided to fit a set of Asymmetric 2s to my GS. Perhaps because of the lower-profile 18" size, the sidewalls weren't so much of a problem. The issue instead was a catastrophic reduction in fuel economy, despite replacing similarly E-rated Bridgestones. I lost a full 10mpg, which translated into somewhere around £5-7 per week. I finally got shot of the things as they'd worn out after two years and a mere 30,000 miles. However, I worked out that I'd lost so much money in fuel over that time it would actually have been cheaper to throw them in the bin immediately after purchase! I'm sticking to Michelin from now on. The OE Primacies on the Auris and Gen3 were fantastic tyres for both economy and wear, and weren't any noisier than the Goodyears I replaced them with on either car. I've put CrossClimates on the GS, which has returned economy to more reasonable levels.

Goodyear efficient grip performance tyres are one of the best in its class touring tyres, they are quiet, comfortable and if car been carefully driven can last long mileage too. Yes , they have soft side walls but this is what actually make them different from most other tyres, and this has more benefits than negatives but different people likes different things. Despite are soft tyres they corner well, provide excellent grip in dry and particularly wet plus great water displacement, low aquaplaning risks , and braking performance is one of the best. If you push them to the limit they may loose against Continental in corners but comfort is way better. They have positive reviews for a reason . I personally get from them over 50k miles as if I don’t rotate can do over 100k on rear ones and around 60 k on front. Something important to note: they don’t loose performance characteristics when getting low on treads, in comparison with other brands those Goodyear’s can be good till almost no treads left on them, only risks of aquaplaning will go higher but lower speed should prevent any dangerous situations. Also with the time they become even quieter and not the other way around like most other tyres brands including some premium names. What the negatives are: obviously the soft walls, easily kerbing and damage beyond repair, plus faster wear if driven under correct pressures and pushed to the limits. I buy them every year and I am happy driver, I think they do suit perfectly a hybrid cars. Just sharing my personal experience, I don’t work for Goodyear or represent them in any way. Regards

So, the computer recognised what was required, kicked in at 2 bars and put enough into the battery to keep you going. Computer programmers at Toyota must of been thinking of you, Mick, when they did the design.

I've been a keen collector of, Toyota workshop manuals, brochures and press packs for many years, some items take years to find, but the 2006 press pack i got from a brochure dealer , that had a contact at the launch of the new RAV4, as soon as he got his hands on it, he sold it onto me....at a price :) .

I have Press launch pack for the 2006 RAV4,a few quotes from the Body section..... 1) "All major body panels are now made of galvanised steel for better anti-corrosion performance" 2) "Wax is injected into closed outer panels" 3) "Anti-chip coating is applied to the bonnet edge, lower door sills and front edge of wheel arches" :) .