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Nothing old fashioned about running in. The Hand book advises it with details on how to do this for the Corolla, and depending on how long you keep your car, it will thank you for it. Strangely, the dealer never mentioned a running in period, I had to find the details in the handbook myself.

For the first time, I had problems with the 12 V battery today. I am doing less miles than in the first and second lock downs, last time I drove the car was Saturday, 16 miles. I used my Noco jump starter and was up and running in no time . https://bearmach.com/product/electrical-charging-toelelec/jump-starter-genius-boost-sport-500a-ultrasafe-lithium-gb20?glCountry=UK&glCurrency=GBP&gclid=Cj0KCQiAst2BBhDJARIsAGo2ldVxmso9f-FrKPMcztUEm4gptkBx9ZRafi53I_yCN0YRwfP0ead4NkUaArLkEALw_wcB I would not upgrade the battery without discussing with the dealer. The Hybrid system is complex and is set to charge the battery supplied. Putting in a different spec battery may not solve the problem, as the system may not be able to charge a different spec battery. I say this through researching on the web, other owners experiences all round the world with Hybrids. Apparently, it is not uncommon for Hybrid owners to have 12 volt battery problems, and putting in a replacement battery that is not expected by the charging system causes further problems. As Andru says, in the long run, a charger is a good solution, as any battery is going to discharge during lockdown, anyway. Maybe with warmer days ahead, the problem will get less in the next few weeks.

Hello, Just thought I’d post this, to help anyone ‘googling’ in future. Last night I had a puncture, so removed the wheel and put the space saver on (which saved the day!), and can report that the full size wheel that I removed (alloy & tyre) *easily* fits in the wheel well in the boot, and still allows the boot floor to be on the lower setting. The ‘hollow’ shape of the alloy also means there’s plenty of space inside the wheel once secured in the wheel well, to store all the tools. Useful to know for anyone going touring who will want to take a full sized spare with them.

I'm like that with house work! Carpets last much longer if you vacuum less frequently.

I think you are over thinking the oil situation, the whole point of an oil having a specification is you can compare it to others. Buy the best spec oil for the cheapest price you can get it, you won't go wrong

Goodyear efficient grip performance 2 or Vector 4 season 2 as alternative to Michelin. But both makes one of the best tyres available these days. 👍

I always run my cars in as well, old habits and all that, most dealers are salespeople and know very little about their product mechanically (some service managers know even less!) The days of 'poor' tolerances and the obligatory first oil change at 500/600 miles to drain the iron filing sludge out, and the instructions not to exceed various revs in each gear for the first 1000 miles or so started disappearing in the 80's for some makes (my local Vauxhall dealer said no need to run in the Astra GTE in 1985, advice which I promptly ignored).

Michelin would be my first choice. Agree with John.

... and, if it is any help, here is the PDF: T-SB-0095-20.pdf

Or just buy a trickle charger. Chances are that it won't matter after spring anyway.

Thanks for info.. I was thinking that since it goes on how its driven over time disconnecting battery can reset it and force it to re learn so to speak. It came with 3/4 full tank.. I filled it and it didn't take 15ltr as I recall.. I'll run it to a quarter tank then brim it after the reset. And let u know outcome. It drives fine otherwise, spark plugs nice color so smell of fuel so I don't think it's got a major issue.

The range is calculated partly on how the car is driven. Wouldn't any harm to disconnect the battery for a few minutes to reset things. Have you recently filled the car up, and if so how many litres did you put in? Topping up with less than 15 litres can give false range readings. Toyota tends to have quite generous fuel reserves and the low fuel warning light will come on not when the tank is nearing empty, but when the reserve is reached. If you have your owners manual, look up the information on the 'low fuel light' and that section should tell you what the reserve is. For example on the Aygo the low fuel light will come on when there is approx 5.25 litres remaining.

Michelin Pilot or Michelin Cross Climate for all year round use.

It arrived at the dealer earlier today. 🙂 Collecting it on Monday. Happy days.

Thanks Tony.

Stephen you are correct I did have the recall on the drivers seat belt buckle. I have just returned from the dealer and the fault was a loose connection under the drivers seat. I suspect the warning has never worked since that recall. It is something that is not checked as usually it is "clunk click every trip". I am assured it is sorted and there was no charge. Thanks to a good Toyota dealer.

I have recently read (where?, I can't remember), that Mobil motor oils in the European market are made in France, and that the Toyota motor oil is made in France. So that adds some weight to that. Looking into this with more detail (maybe too much detail!), the Viscosity Index (VI) for the American Toyota oil (where the figures are more widely presented) is a higher number than the US Mobil-branded equivalent, suggesting that the Toyota oil stays to its specified grade longer as it is heated; cheaper oils seem to have a lower VI rating, if I remember correctly. But the VI figure never appears on the packaging - you have to go digging into the manufacturer's specifications that are tucked away from the normal marketing. The VI rating for the Petronas 0W/20 is good, but not as high as the Toyota oil (US specs), which is very high indeed. Perhaps someone in the dealer network knows more, or someone can correct me on the above? Is the VI that important? Well, the manufacturers bother to put it in their technical specs....

Hi, I think no special tool, just connect and extend, from one side to another, you can run the wire through rear hatch closing behind any plastic trims if there are any to hide it away, will be like original, use insulation tape to insulate the connections and you are all set.

All Toyota hybrids make those whining noise when slowing down, in some models can be more prominent due to the difference in car size, insulation, interior materials etc, the reason I pointed towards the windows is because all noises are coming from the engine bay and can be heard easier outside the car, if one of the side windows is left partially open you can hear whining a lot more. We have 2 exact same cars, one you can hear a lot more whining because the windscreen was replaced and obviously wasn’t done the great job, and the car with oem windscreen is much quieter. Best to compare with exactly the same model for reference. For the electrical noise that comes present with bonnet open again typical Toyota hybrid noise, nothing to worry about, it’s the inverter-converter and or the AC compressor, both high voltage components. Air conditioning compressor does it too, especially in hot days over 25C° became a lot noisier. Smaller cars usually are not as good sound proofed as large ones. RAV4 can only be compared with Camry IMO.

Have you set up your account on Toyota.co.uk? Log in - select My Vehicle - select Owned Cars - select your car - you can access various things including exportable trip data, driving analytics gives you various daily driving data as well (no EV breakdown as such though).

That's the best kind of tip!

No current Toyota/Lexus supports Wireless Android auto nor Carplay, nor will they, on release of the software allowing early Corolla/Rav4 to get AA/CP they issued a Q & A to dealers in this they stated current MM17 / MM19 head units cannot support wireless AA/CP nor will they be able to receive software updates to do so as the hardware is not capable. A new multimedia setup is in development ( MM21 ) which will support wireless AA/CP and this will be rolled out in to new/facelifted models in time.

I tried sport mode on a country lane I’m quite familiar with this morning ( call me old fashioned but I still give a new car 1000 miles running in period) I’m quite impressed with the power delivery as I’m used to turbo diesels. i will try sport mode on the motorway soon to see what difference it makes. ive been looking at the MyT app tonight and found it details each journey and includes a hybrid score EV percentage etc. Handy for logging the business and personal miles.

Lots of questions pop up re your problem battery. Age of battery ? Is it getting charged properly ie is the alternator working correctly ?. Are the connections on the poles clean and tight ?. An aging battery in a weakened condition will definitely be seriously affected by the cold weather.

You'd have fewer swirl marks if you didn't wash it. The only time mine gets washed is when it gets serviced. So if you want to see it looking clean this Friday is your next opportunity 🙂

I have a 2019 hybrid icon tech and it does not have automatic lights it has all the other automatic functions you mention but not lights. This was one of the reasons I bought it as my previous car had auto lights that you couldn’t turn off which was annoying when they occasionally came on in bright sunshine

I’ve tried 2 different sticks and a pc as well as a Mac, still no joy, trouble is the nearest dealer is nearly an hour away and due to work can never get there.

Interestingly my dealer (in Scotland) has been flat out in sales since last May. I know the sales guys pretty well and am sure they're not spinning a line.

Adding to Goran's reply, I checked the Haynes manual for the Mk1 T22 facelift using the same engine. It covers the tensioner and turning the crank anti clockwise releases the hook from the plunger, setting the tension. There will be a click, so listen out for it. Then turn the crank clockwise. Go to 11:45 of the video Goran refers to -

You don't have to change the tensioner just for the leak, you can take it out and reseal it with a good seal like gasket maker. If you want to change it because of the age, then just replace the tensioner (together with o-ring or a gasket, whatever it came with) and crank the engine clockwise. You will hear a metallic sound when the little piston is released from the hook. Turn another circle to make sure. I did it like that on my car with the same engine as yours. If you are not sure how to do it watch this video, it explains everything in detail, I followed it and it was easy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBIjn4QZCpY&list=PLLGWnXqXktclSvi3EEQyPe65g1JwXvO-U&index=34

When I see these posts on flat 12V batteries, I cannot help but think how useful it would been had Toyota provided a multimedia 12V battery status display. And even better, if that info was available via the My T app.