engine

[mawsome]

Have just bought a 2003 Rav4 from a dealer has a noise in it like you have left a window open as well the heating guage is right on half way where as in my others it has always hovered lower have had three of these cars love them wondering if I should be concerned was interesting he turned the radio on in the test drive

 

[campbeam]

Temperature Indicator needle sits right on half way in my Aurion.  Like yourself in my previous Toyota, temperature indicator needle sat just below the horizontal.

I would have been a bit suspicious about the radio being turned on during the test drive. I would be inclined to open the hood and listen for any noises while the engine is idling. Something else to check is the wheel bearings. Also check whether the tyres are wearing evenly.

Next step would be to get an independent inspection to confirm if any warranty work is required.

[Tony Prodigy]

26 minutes ago, mawsome said:

he turned the radio on in the test drive

 

Hi Maureen,

Haha, that's dodgy as heck. If he did that with me, I would've reached over and swiftly turned it back off. Reminds me one time I was test driving a car, the owner opened the sunroof as we pulled away... Turns out he was trying to mask the noise coming from worn, hard tyres which were amplifying the road noise lol.. Shame on him 😄

29 minutes ago, mawsome said:

Have just bought a 2003 Rav4 from a dealer has a noise in it like you have left a window open as well the heating guage is right on half way

If you aren't mechanically inclined, did you have the car inspected by someone experienced or you just took a punt ? I wonder if your cooling fan has stopped working and it's relying on the A/C fan to try to keep it cool. It could be quite normal as all cars behave differently. My Aurion temp gauge is a tad under half and I know my car is perfect. When the car is due to for its next service, have them check the cooling system over. It may not be leaking as such, but your thermostat could be getting stuck and not opening fully. 

34 minutes ago, mawsome said:

has a noise in it like you have left a window open

Can you be a bit more specific on this one ? Where is the noise coming from ?

[mawsome]

34 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Hi Maureen,

Haha, that's dodgy as heck. If he did that with me, I would've reached over and swiftly turned it back off. Reminds me one time I was test driving a car, the owner opened the sunroof as we pulled away... Turns out he was trying to mask the noise coming from worn, hard tyres which were amplifying the road noise lol.. Shame on him 😄

If you aren't mechanically inclined, did you have the car inspected by someone experienced or you just took a punt ? I wonder if your cooling fan has stopped working and it's relying on the A/C fan to try to keep it cool. It could be quite normal as all cars behave differently. My Aurion temp gauge is a tad under half and I know my car is perfect. When the car is due to for its next service, have them check the cooling system over. It may not be leaking as such, but your thermostat could be getting stuck and not opening fully. 

Can you be a bit more specific on this one ? Where is the noise coming from ?

just sounds lie Ive left a window down the car has roadworthy and its service records it is in pretty good condition mechanic just suggested it could be the roof racks 

 

thanks for everyones reply

 

[Tony Prodigy]

1 hour ago, mawsome said:

just sounds lie Ive left a window down the car has roadworthy and its service records it is in pretty good condition mechanic just suggested it could be the roof racks 

 

thanks for everyones reply

 

If the racks aren't too difficult to remove, you can remove them and see if the noise goes away. Do you use roof racks anyway ? If not, then remove them to stop the wind resistance and drag etc and put them back on if needed temporarily.