Hi, new to this forum.

Just bought a 1999 Rav4 for my wife. 4-door, automatic,AWD, and only 12,100 miles. Got it for $11K. I think I got a deal.

Some questions:

What's up with the radio reception? It's almost non-existant.

Should I change the differential oil now? It's low miles, but it is 4 years old.

How do you put the spare tire cover on? It's a "soft" one. I struggled with it for 30 minutes. It's like you need 8 arms to put it on. Any tricks?

Thanks for any help in advance.
Sam

 

Radio Reception:

I have no idea. I havent heard of any problems with that stereo. Is it stock?

Differential Oil:

Follow the recommended change interval. You should be able to find that in your manual. Off the top of my head, you should be fine.

Spare Tire Cover:

It might be the weather. You can warm it up with a hairdryer, or leave it out in the sun for a while. That should make putting it on much easier for you.

 

The radio is stock. I'm probably going to replace it soon with a Kenwood.

I'll try heating up the spare cover and see if it works. Thanks for the tip.

 

Hey sam5,

Welcome to the forum. If you haven't already, you should check out Ravworld.com. You may find others with that reception problem!

 

No comment for you on the radio or the spare tire cover, but I'd change the diff fluid. It's usually (not sure about the RAV4, so don't quote me) recommended to be changed every 30k miles or 2 years. I wouldn't want the same diff fluid (or any other fluid for that matter) sitting in my 4Runner for 4 years.

Al

 

Check to see if the antenna pulled out of the back of the radio. This happens from time to time and will cost you all of your reception quality.

 

i agree. Id say theradio was not stock before and thrown back in by the owner or the dealer. Id bet the head is not attached to the antenna at all.:alien: