Reason # 9149 to never get service at a car dealer.

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,722
7,824
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So the wife comes home and says the AC blower in her RAV4 is making a horrible noise. I checked it, and yes the whole dash is vibrating, and it sounds horrible.

The next afternoon, after Youtubin' how to get the fan out, here is what I found once I got it out.
Not a horrible task, but working under the dash is never fun, and my knees strongly object to kneeling on the carport floor to extract the blower, plus one screw is well secured behind a bracket holding some wiring harness.
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Squirrels are not my favorite critter at the moment...

But wait, that shouldn't be, what about the cabin filter?
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Last time this was changed was at the "Toyota" dealer, as a free service package they gave us when we bought the car (used).

The monkey that installed it, stuck it in wrong, (rotated 90 degrees from correct) which caused it to deform, and it can't even filter out something as big as an acorn. The little douch didn't even reconnect the dampener that attaches to the glove box door, so it doesn't bang open.

And there were more that hadn't made it into the fan... yet!
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BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,678
11,017
136
Sure...blame the dealership's mechanic because your wife (or kids) have been throwing peanuts (or acorns) into the defroster vents, resulting in a damaged filter...

:p
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,722
7,824
136
Sure...blame the dealership's mechanic because your wife (or kids) have been throwing peanuts (or acorns) into the defroster vents, resulting in a damaged filter...

:p
1664640798162.png
That one is on the dealership, installed 90 degrees from correct orientation.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
As we left our wedding, someone managed to shower the inside of the car with a handful of rice. Three years later, rice would occasionally show up on the floor mat, or blow out of a vent.

That’s not rice! Those are maggots!
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,699
1,448
126
And those aren't peanuts. They're pistachio nuts and shells.

I cannot imagine how this sort of thing happens to other vehicle owners. For myself, I was concerned that the AC in my Trooper (95) wasn't frosty enough and the air-flow was anemic. I say this with a basis of comparison to my 95 Nissan pickup, which is very frosty and blows like an Arctic wind.

My repair shop told me of a patented process they can apply for something over $100. They drill some holes in the vinyl ducts and clean out the cruft lodged in the AC evaporator -- which is under the dash in the passenger compartment.

That service solved all of my problems. Frosty! Arctic blast! As for the nuts, I wouldn't allow a squirrel in my Trooper, or a gerbil or someone with a fetish for pistachios who is careless with the shells. (Of course, you'd think they'd wind up on the floor of the car -- not in the ducts and filter).
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
8,722
7,824
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Got a post card from local dealer today for a RAV4 recall about the battery. If the wrong size battery has been installed, or installed incorrectly, it could be a fire hazard.

They allot a minimum 45 minutes to raise the hood and look at the battery... and place a sticker on the bracket if it's OK...

Any bets that 45 minutes will be looking for a multitude of things that "need" to be replaced immediately?

OBTW. The official recall letter from Toyota sent instructions and a sticker, so I could do it myself, probably a year ago.