First oil change 2024 RAV4 at 1416 miles

I just did the first oil change (the first of many to come) in my 2024 RAV4 XLE. I read from different sources, including Car Care Nut's YouTube channel, that early oil change helps. My car only has 1416 miles, but I believe it is good for the longevity of the engine. 

 

I got these super awesome ramps. I don't need to worry about jacking up the car. Just drove it up the ramps and it gives me plenty of space underneath to work on the oil drain plug and replace oil filter. 

And don't forget the wheel chocks for safety. 

When I do my own oil changes, I always just hand-tighten the oil filter. It is easier to remove for the next oil change. But since this is the first change in this new car and I had experience tackling filters that were super difficult to remove in the past, so I am taking no chances. Did some research and bought this oil filter remover. It seems hands down provide the best grip to remove any filter. Might be a bit overkill but I believe being over-prepared is always better than being under-prepared. 

This oil filter remover helped took out the original filter quickly

This is the Oil filter from the factory. It's part number was Denso 90915-10009 (Made in Japan). The filter I bought from local Toyota dealer has the part number 90915-YZZN1 (Made in Thailand).

      

                                      

New Oil Filter: 

I tighten the oil drain plug to 30 ft-lbs of torque spec. **NOTE: I torqued the nut to this spec from random google search results. I don't have any official document to back this up. Would appreciate if you could share your source.  

I also got these disposable oil funnels. It makes the pouring really easy. It is always clean and no need to worry about contamination. 

Glad I did it. I was surprised to see how dark the oil is compared to new oil. Remember my car only has 1416 miles. Happy I didn't wait until the recommended maintenance schedule. 

I know just a visual inspection of oil color doesn't mean much. They need to get properly analyzed at places like Blackstone Laboratories (mentioned in ChrisFix's Youtube channel). This color difference is FYI only.

Also, I am not going to do the maintenance reset. I will let the dealer do it when I take the car in for its first scheduled oil change. 

Extra notes: The part numbers for the oil pant cover, or oil pan splash guard, or underbody splash guard, is 51447-0R040

key fob covers for my 2024 Toyota RAV4 key

My RAV4 remote key fob sits in my pocket all day long. It comes in contact with my keys and other stuff in the pocket. I already see some minor scratches on it so I want to find a simple way to protect the key fob. It occurred to me there are plenty of protective cases for a smartphone, so there must be something similar for the key fobs. A quick search appears I was right. There are plenty of options. I tried out two different styles and both do their job. It is nice to know my key fob is well protected in either cover. 

The first one I tried is this Carbon Fiber looking key fob cover. You all know there is a lever that you need to slide to release the mechanical key from Toyota key fobs (Page 118 of the User Manual). This cover, however, does block access to that latch. This is not too big of a deal since it is kind of easy to take this cover apart. 

Plus, this carbon fiber pattern cover looks really cool.  

The second one I tried is this Navy blue colored leather cover. This cover has an “open” end so it is not too difficult to access the mechanical key. 

It was easy to slip the key fob into this cover, and it was also quite easy to take the key fob out of this cover. Plus the Navy blue leather color and yellow stitches look great. There is a leather conditioner came with this key fob cover, which is a nice touch. Haven’t had the need to use that yet, but looking forward to it. 

Which key fob cover do you think looks better? 

Cargo Net for my 2024 RAV4 XLE

I used to drive a sedan. RAV4's center of mass is definitely higher off the ground than sedans. Stuff in the trunk would just roll into a mess when I speed up, slow down, or make a quick turn. So a cargo net helps secure all my things to reduce their movement and prevent them from being damaged.

This cargo net is a bit smaller than I imagined, but it does the job. It will hold stuff I got in the trunk securely. The elastic band stretches really tight at all four corners, so I am a bit concerned if the band will stay stretchy sometime down the road. But for now, I am satisfied with this purchase. 

Installation was super easy. This is a decent cargo net at a very good price. 

Find cargo net hooks at 4 corners of the trunk floor.  

2024 RAV4 first time in the rain

 

Today is her first time out in the rain. It was pouring when I was driving. The rain let up a bit after I parked. Just want to share a couple of pictures. Many more adventures to come :)

Disable RAV4 auto stop and start

Download => 2024 RAV4 (US & Canada) Owner's Manual <=

=> Second Download link (Google Drive) <=

** Manual has 576 pages, PDF size about 19MB. Please let me know if you have any issues downloading the file 

Trying to disable the auto Stop and Start feature. It stops the engine when the car is at stop lights, intersections and etc. This feature supposedly help improve fuel economy and reduce noise pollution caused by the engine idling. It however, just doesn't feel smooth enough during the transition. It often causes jerking movements and is kind of annoying. 

The instructions for disabling Stop & Start is on page 305 of the => User Manual <= You basically find that "A OFF" cancel switch under the AC knob. Press the Stop & Start cancel switch to disable the Stop & Start system. The Stop & Start cancel indicator will illuminate. Pressing the switch again will enable the Stop & Start system and the Stop & Start cancel indicator will turn off.

What the "A OFF" actually looks like on the dashboard: 

However I don't think it is permanent. Every time I restart the engine the auto Stop & Start comes back again. It doesn't seem to have the option to switch off Stop & Start feature for good. I will do more digging on this and provide updates later. 

My new 2024 RAV4 XLE

Today I drive home my first new car in 20+ years. Meet my new 2024 Toyota RAV4. This is the XLE Front Wheel Drive, with Magnetic Gray Metallic exterior. 

I wanted the most standard RAV4. Not hybrid, not Prime, just a regular good old gasoline engine. The only option I wanted was a sunroof. Dealers unfortunately will force bundle the sunroof option with a package, so here we are. 

Very happy with the purchase. Looking forward to many many fun miles in the coming years. 

I will continue to post upgrades, maintainances, and issues/problems I encounter. Stay tuned!