purchasing a Rav4 EV outside of CA

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People have done this already (such as Reeler in Colorado). Make a deal with a California dealer and have it shipped to your location...
 
Please read the Toyota Warranty manual (online) and decide for yourself.


http://www.toyota.com/support/#!/app/answers/detail/a_id/7410" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

3-year/36,000-mile basic (all components other than normal wear and maintenance items), 60-month/60,000-mile powertrain, 8-year/100,000-mile battery. However, in order to maintain warranty coverage, the vehicle's powertrain and high-voltage systems must be serviced at an Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealership. Also, bear in mind that while some standard maintenance or repairs can be performed by any Toyota dealer, powertrain and high-voltage component maintenance must only be performed by an Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer.



This question comes up over and over, and the reality is that Toyota must offer a nationwide warranty. The practical part is they only want 55 trained dealers in California to service the Tesla bits of the car. Those dealers were selected based on how many Prius cars they sold.

The Maintenance Manual that requires you to service things at a Toyota dealer.

http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/T-MMS-12RAV4EV/pdf/2012_Toyota_RAV4_EV_WMG.pdf

There is very little required maintenance.

The car is sold to comply with California Zero Emissions Vehicle regulations. It would be downright dumb to sell a huge money loser anywhere except where they get ZEV credits, but so far, most dealers are happy to sell you one and ship it. I expect Toyota to issue a strongly encourage dealers to stop that, because I think they will get Toyota in trouble with CARB when they start tallying up their ZEV credits.

There is a whole thread on just the Rav4, with several out of state owners participating.
 
I was contemplating getting one for CO, but Leaf appears to be much better deal from my perspective, so I had almost gave up that idea. Nevertheles, I did call my Toyota sale guy and asked him to clarify whether I can service it at their dealership - their service repair chief should be back to work next week, and I should know that answer than. But it's just appears to be too much uncertainty in the matter. They probably will service it, since its' Toyota and they wouldn't want negative PR, but it wouldn't be as easy as just calling and making a service appointment.
 
Any Toyota dealer in any state has to be able to service it. If a California resident buys it in California and then has to move to another state for a job, what are they supposed to do? Toyota can not be holding owners as hostages in California because the own/lease this vehicle.

Ian B
 
MrIanB said:
Any Toyota dealer in any state has to be able to service it.
Yes, but they don't have to do within certain # of days. Infact they can ask you to ship it to a CA dealer.
 
MrIanB said:
Any Toyota dealer in any state has to be able to service it. If a California resident buys it in California and then has to move to another state for a job, what are they supposed to do? Toyota can not be holding owners as hostages in California because the own/lease this vehicle.

Ian B

Well, obviously Toyota really doesn't want to sell these out of state for hopefully now obvious reasons; they might want you to think it can't be warrantied out of state. Nothing like fear to keep the cars here.

Who Is the Warrantor:

The warrantor for these limited warranties is Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (“Toyota”), 19001 South Western Avenue, Torrance, California 90509-2991, a California corporation.

Which Vehicles Are Covered:

These warranties apply to all 2012 model year RAV4 EV vehicles distributed by Toyota that are originally sold by an authorized dealer in the United States and normally operated or touring in the United States, U.S. territories or Canada. Warranty coverage is automatically transferred at no cost to subsequent vehicle owners.

You may have maintenance performed on your vehicle by any qualified person or facility. However, Toyota recommends having maintenance performed by an authorized RAV4 EV Toyota dealership. Powertrain and high voltage component service or repairs should be performed by an authorized RAV4 EV Toyota dealership in accordance with the safety precautions discussed at the beginning of this booklet. In addition, software updates may be available during your scheduled maintenance visit and can only be installed by an authorized RAV4 EV Toyota dealership.

RAV4 EV authorized Toyota dealerships have technicians who are specially trained to maintain and repair Toyota RAV4 EV vehicles. They stay current on the latest service information through Toyota technical bulletins, service publications and training courses. They are also certified through the Toyota Certification Program, which involves a series of rigorous written examinations. Feel free to ask the Toyota dealership to show you their technicians’ credentials.

You can be confident you’re getting the best possible service for your vehicle when you take it to an authorized RAV4 EV Toyota dealership.
 
MrIanB said:
Any Toyota dealer in any state has to be able to service it. If a California resident buys it in California and then has to move to another state for a job, what are they supposed to do? Toyota can not be holding owners as hostages in California because the own/lease this vehicle.

Ian B

i believe the tag line is "take it to any authorized service center"

and there is NO regulation stating the distance the service center must be from you. if its 1500 miles away, then its 1500 miles away. if there are only 55 service centers authorized to do the work then there it be.
 
I would expect that a combination of our Magnuson-Moss warranty law and our right to repair laws would specifically negate Toyota's desire to limit service to only their approved dealers.

Neither the service manual nor the owners manuals are legal documents. They can 'suggest' or 'recommend' but Toyota cannot tie warranty to use of specific parts or service providers. While this type of requirement is legal in Japan and in Europe, it's illegal in the US.

That's my take based on receiving training from a US manufacturer of lubricants and aftermarket parts.
 
AndyH said:
I would expect that a combination of our Magnuson-Moss warranty law and our right to repair laws would specifically negate Toyota's desire to limit service to only their approved dealers.

Neither the service manual nor the owners manuals are legal documents. They can 'suggest' or 'recommend' but Toyota cannot tie warranty to use of specific parts or service providers. While this type of requirement is legal in Japan and in Europe, it's illegal in the US.

That's my take based on receiving training from a US manufacturer of lubricants and aftermarket parts.

Yes, I agree with your assessment. When push comes to shove, Toyota is going to eat it. And so will any of the compliance car manufacturers when their CARB credit vehicle breaks down in Florida.

Somebody is either going to fly in to fix it, or the car gets shipped to California. I suspect that the folks who a brave enough to ship one out of state are also strong enough to pressure Toyota to make it right.
 
The Rav4 EV and other compliance cars are definitely in a really goofy situation, even more so w/the Tesla powertrain and battery.

OTOH, the only car that I can think of prior to CA compliance cars in a somewhat similar situation is the defunct Altima Hybrid (my mom has one).

There was some clause I think on Nissan's site when it was for sale (I copied this from elsewhere)
Altima Hybrid is available in California, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Mexico, Connecticut, Vermont, Oregon, Rhode Island, Maine and New Jersey. Service of hybrid components outside those states is limited and could involve some days' delay.
It was only ever sold in CARB emission states. I know the inverter is a Toyota part. I've seen the plastic cover loose on one in an auto show. It had a Toyota label, part # and bar code. I bet the HV battery (voltage and cell count are the same as the previous gen Camry Hybrid) and power split device (transmission) were from Toyota or its suppliers.
 
Part of the CARB formula for compliance includes hybrids, hence why that car was no doubt sold in only CARB states prior to the LEAF. Obviously, just a well informed guess on my part, as I don't have any inside info about that hybrid car.

Now that Nissan has so many ZEV's, they could forego any hybrids for CARB.
 
charlestonleafer said:
Does anyone know if there's a way to do this, or is there any laws against purchasing a Rav4 in CA and shipping to SC?

Besides the warranty, and I'm not aware of what SC does in this regard if any, but here in IL in order to get the state level EV rebate (ours is from the IL EPA) the car must be purchased from an in-state dealer otherwise its not eligible for the up to $4K cash rebate (10% of MSRP up to $4K). Of course the Rav4 will never be officially sold here anyway but that also goes for the Fiat 500e and iQ EV as they're also compliance cars. Seem to recall someone who 'imported' an early LEAF up here and they lost it for that as well ... at least the $7,500 Fed Tax Credit applies.
 
Selected quotes from the RAV4 EV Customer Disclosure Form:

"• A service provider will tow the vehicle to the closest Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer within 100 miles of the vehicle’s location. If the vehicle is located in excess of 100 miles from an Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer, then the vehicle will be towed to the nearest Toyota dealer and the customer will be responsible for additional towing charges to return the vehicle to an Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer, if necessary."

"DUE TO HIGH VOLTAGE AND THE RISK OF INJURY THIS VEHICLE’S POWERTRAIN AND HIGH VOLTAGE SYSTEMS SHOULD BE SERVICED AT AN AUTHORIZED TOYOTA RAV4 EV DEALERSHIP."

"… powertrain and high voltage component maintenance or repairs should be performed by an Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer."

"• Because warranty service for your electric powertrain can only be performed by an Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer in California, Toyota does not recommend home-basing the vehicle outside the State of California."

This is why I'll be choosing a Leaf for my wife, in Seattle, not a RAV4 EV.
 
I did get a response from the dealership where we got 2 other Toyota's from. They will not service RAV4 simply because none of their technicians is certified to do so. Whether you can or not convince Toyota to repair it - different story, but you would definitely have to jump through some pretty high hoops to accomplish it - make sure you have a rental clause in your insurance policy.
 
"• A service provider will tow the vehicle to the closest Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer within 100 miles of the vehicle’s location. If the vehicle is located in excess of 100 miles from an Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer, then the vehicle will be towed to the nearest Toyota dealer and the customer will be responsible for additional towing charges to return the vehicle to an Authorized Toyota RAV4 EV Dealer, if necessary."
Not worth the risk, IMO, to get this car far away. Even though the price is tempting.

We'll probably stick with Leaf & the ICE SUV till Outlander PHEV and i3/Ininfiti LE come out next year.
 
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