So, after waiting for the first week for the news that my car was fixed and ready to roll again. I decided not to bother getting a courtesy car. However when it turned out that the job was going to take longer than expected. I popped in to request one. Due to typically high demand there wasn't any courtesy cars available, so I asked my dad if I could borrow his winter runabout for a few days. He agreed, on the condition that I didn't break it before its service in less than 3 weeks. How hard would that be? As it turns out the Japanese stallion wasn't as healthy as I thought it would be. The 2003 Toyota Rav4 has lived a tough old life by the looks of things and the lack of undercoat in the factory has started to take its toll. The underside is a sea of rust and I pity the poor soul that gets lumped with replacing all the suspension bushes that have definitely seen better days. Almost all the bolts are either rusted solid or slowly rotting away so an angle grinder will probably be the only solution. On the plus side however the 2 litre N/A engine is rock solid and hasn't skipped a beat although the sump gasket needs replaced as it has started to perish and leak very slightly. Also the passenger side wheel bearing probably needs replaced as it too is on its way out.
I have to say however, despite all of these slightly alarming flaws. I am growing to like the little Rav. It's high driving position and great visibility remind me of my Ford KA. The absence of any turbo lag is something that I didn't know I missed. Who knows, maybe my next car will be a little Japanese 4x4!
