Your questions answered: Why should I pay $4000 more for a Toyota RAV4 ordered 18 months ago?

This week there’s another soon-to-be Toyota owner unhappy with being charged $4000 extra for a new car he ordered 18 months earlier.

Spoiler alert: Turns out he may not have to pay it all…

We’ve also got someone looking to put smaller, more off-road focused tyres on their new Toyota LandCruiser and another wondering if their car can run on regular unleaded, even when premium is recommended by the manufacturer.

Plus, we’re looking at cheap EVs and weird noises.

Should I have to pay the $4000 extra Toyota is charging for a RAV4 Hybrid I ordered last year?

Question:

Answer: Short answer: No, morally you shouldn’t have to stump up the extra bucks. Long answer: You’ll probably be slugged with most of it – and drive away with a sour taste in your mouth for no extra charge.

When newcomer brands such as Tesla and Polestar can quote you a price along with a delivery date and – importantly – stick to it, then you could rightly expect Toyota to do something similar. It’s odd that the unofficial kings of vehicle manufacturing can’t give a vaguely accurate estimation of when someone’s car might get manufactured and delivered.

It’s also a tad rich that they not only ask you to wait so long but then slug you with a higher price. The price of a RAV4 Cruiser has risen by 13 per cent over the past 18 months.

As for your car in particular, it was ordered when Toyota had a price protection guarantee in place (it ended mid-May 2022). That means you theoretically had protection against any price increases.

However, there’s always an asterisk. And in this case that asterisk excluded price increases as a result of updates to the range. (Of course, Toyota would have known when you ordered the car that you were going to take delivery of that updated model.)

Updates introduced in November included a larger touch-screen for some models, a faster closing tailgate (yep, seriously), more functionality in the auto braking system and the addition of Toyota Connected Services, which includes a SIM for remote smartphone connectivity and over-the-air software updates. They’re the sorts of things that may have been included at the same price or for a minimal increase in the past. But not in a post-COVID world; for the Cruiser model you ordered it increased $2450.

However, having looked at your contracts, you’ve also been charged for what Toyota terms a “general price increase”.

That’s $1500 you shouldn’t be paying because it was covered by the price protection. When we contacted Toyota they suggested it must have been an accident on the dealer’s part. Which makes us wonder how many “accidents” that dealers have made with other customers.

Given Toyota sells the car to the dealer at the lower price-protected rate, there’s a $1500 incentive to at least have a go at trying to get that out of the customer.

As for how to get the “accident” fixed, go back to the dealer and point out you ordered the car when there was a price protection guarantee. If they try to argue, come back to us and we’ll pursue it with head office. I’d also pop in a query about the $100 increase to the dealer delivery fee.

Oh, and if any other readers ordered a Toyota prior to mid-May 2022 and has since had the price increased, make sure you check what increases have been applied. Even if you’ve already taken delivery of the car you may be eligible for a refund if you’ve been “accidentally” overcharged.

Feel free to let us know your experience – whether you did get a refund or have any issues.

Question: Just wondering if you can change the 18-inch rim off the Toyota LandCruiser Sahara 300 Series onto the Sahara ZX to replace the 20-inch rims? – David

Answer: Good choice in changing the tyres to 18s before you head too far off-road. The taller sidewalls of higher-profile tyres are far better once the going gets rough.

As for if it can be done, the Sahara and Sahara ZX share the same brakes and have the same stud pattern, so physically fitting the wheels is fine.

Once you drop down to the 18-inch wheels you have to consider differences in the circumference of the tyre. Fortunately, the 20s and 18s are aligned there. The 18-inch tyres on the LandCruiser have a circumference of 2518mm versus 2512mm for the 20s.

The tolerance for changing the diameter according to Australian Design Rules is seven per cent. But by our calculations, while the rim diameter would be changing substantially, the tyre diameter would only be changing by about 0.3 per cent. So speedo accuracy shouldn’t be significantly affected.

You also have to consider the tyre load and speed ratings but, again, it appears they’re the same.

It also helps that Toyota offers an 18-inch accessory wheel for the 300 Series, although as you’ve probably worked out it’s a lot cheaper to buy a set of second-hand rims.

Another important piece of your tyre upgrade is your insurance company. It’s important to keep them informed because some love an excuse not to pay out. So you want to make sure they know what you’re up to before you tighten the bolts.

Hope that helps, and have fun adventuring!

Question: I have heard Toby mention the Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER. Can it run on 91 fuel – I note 95 is recommended? – Chris S

Answer: If you ask the dealer or manufacturer then the answer is typically no, the car requires premium unleaded for every fill. But in the real world, most cars that call for premium unleaded won’t have an issue with a tank or two of regular unleaded.

The ECU or computer will quickly adapt to the lower octane rating, which could drop power ever so slightly (it’ll also likely be slightly less fuel efficient).

But there’s a bigger issue at play: the potential to damage some of the emissions hardware.

Australian unleaded can have more sulphur in it than in other parts of the world. And regular unleaded can have higher levels of sulphur than premium unleaded.

Given the engine in the Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER has been designed to meet stricter Euro 6 emissions standards, you don’t want to put too much sulphur through it.

So short story is, only use the 91-octane unleaded if you absolutely have to.

Given the proliferation of premium unleaded into remote and country areas, you’ll hopefully never be caught short.

Question: When will VinFast come to Australia? – Aaron

Answer: VinFast has enjoyed plenty of headlines in recent years, not all of them positive.

The Vietnamese car-making arm of the giant outfit that sells just about everything else has had its hands full creating its first electric vehicles, which certainly look the business. The latest VF 3 electric off-roader channels some Suzuki Jimny fun into an all-electric package.

VinFast also bought the former Holden proving ground outside Melbourne and at one stage had an engineering and design presence in Australia.

But things have quietened down and VinFast is no longer developing vehicles in Australia, raising some questions as to when it could come here.

If we’re guessing, we reckon it’d be 2025 at the earliest. But given the company’s plans seem to be fluid, anything could happen!

Question:

Answer: Weird sounds can be tricky to isolate on cars. I’d be trying to find a trusted local mechanic (someone who’s been doing it for decades) to sit with you and take it for a drive to see if they can ascertain what it is. Ask around friends or family to see if they know someone in your area.

I’m no charge to diagnose it from the other end of an email (and probably wouldn’t have much luck even if I was driving the car!).

One key thing would be trying to establish if the noise is related to the drivetrain, the wheels/suspension or even potentially something like a piece of bodywork or underbody plastic vibrating in the wind. Once you’ve narrowed that down it should be relatively easy to work out exactly where it’s coming from.

Again, a mechanic who knows their stuff will have various tests to work that out.

Question:

Having been pulled over for a faulty tail-light on my trailer, the officer doing his due diligence asked me was my trailer registered, to which I replied “of course it is, I have owned my trailer for over 35 years and it has never missed registration once in that time!” After returning to his source to confirm this he advised me that it had in fact been cancelled for the last six months, to my shock, as I too pride myself on always having my vehicles registered.

Now owning four various types it’s always front of mind as barely a month goes by that I am not paying a licence, rego or insurance for something I own.

To add to this embarrassment I was also advised that I was supposed to return my number plates due to it passing the three months’ grace for renewal to which I replied again “I always register my trailer and had I been alerted to this it would have prompted me as an additional reminder that I had not yet done so and would have actioned immediately to avoid losing my personalised number plates”. Not to mention that the renewal fee was so insignificant that why would I not re-register it for the $75/yr and instead risk the cost and embarrassment of the fines totalling over $500, not to mention risk towing an unregistered trailer should I end up in and sort of accident?

It seems ever since we went from mailed paper system with a stick-on label to the less-than-personal system of online services that organisations now simply make assumptions on your behalf without consultation and throw that line out there that it is always your responsibility to ensure your information is up to date. However, if you are unaware there is an issue why would you be looking to ensure this is the case if you did not know?

I feel sorry for the first person who finds this out under the worst possible circumstances by being involved in a serious accident while being unknowingly unregistered and uninsured. Hopefully some changes can be implemented to ensure this never happens in the future.

Answer: Sometimes the leap to embrace technology comes with improvements for the people in control of it but not necessarily for the customers.

We’ve heard plenty of stories from people like you who have inadvertently let their rego lapse.

And, yes, we agree that a simple reminder if you haven’t paid your registration would be an easy way to solve the issue – and save on paperwork.

In the meantime, it’s a good reminder to pop a recurring note in your digital calendar so you can (hopefully) not have the same issue again.

Question: We are a retired couple and mostly just travel around Canberra. Our car of seven years is starting to cost money. We are on a fixed income and can't afford anything flash but could you suggest a basic EV that would do us for the next 5-10 years, and advise what cost we might be looking at. – Patsy

Answer: EVs currently come with a price premium, which means the most affordable ones on the market cost about $40,000.

There are three to choose from at that money: the MG4, GWM Ora and upcoming BYD Dolphin. We haven’t driven the Dolphin on Australian soil – we took a first drive in China last year, and found plenty to like – and have come away impressed with the other two, but each for different reasons.

The MG4 is sharper to drive but comes with a skinny equipment list. The GWM Ora has more space and more features, but isn’t as slick in the driving department.

If you can stretch the budget to closer to $50,000 then the BYD Atto 3 is good buying.

Another $10,000 would get you into an entry-level Tesla, which trumps them all – plus the Tesla can utilise the Tesla-specific charging stations, of which there are many.

As for longevity, it’s impossible to say what any will be like in terms of long-term reliability. Early Tesla data from the US suggests they’re holding up well, while MG and GWM each offers a seven-year warranty, which provides peace of mind.

And, obviously, servicing costs of an EV are a fraction of what you’d pay for an internal combustion engine vehicle.

Got a question but don’t know where to find the information you need? Email us at editor@carsales.com.au

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