Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Service My Car

The Toyota RAV4 has long been a popular choice in the SUV market, and with hybrid technology taking off in recent years, it was a no-brainer for Toyota to offer a hybrid version of their staple soft-roader. However, as the hybrid models begin to age, it’s important to keep a close eye on their maintenance schedule and ensure that your RAV4 Hybrid is regularly serviced.

In this edition of Service My Car, we look at a basic service on a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, replacing the engine oil and oil filter, air filter, cabin air filter, and battery air filter. Be sure to familiarise yourself with your vehicle’s service intervals so that you know each time you’re due for a service. The oils and filters in your car have a limited life span and if neglected, could lead to a costly trip to the mechanic. Once you’re up for your next service, make sure you’ve got everything you need before jumping in. For this service, we’ll be looking at replacing the engine oil and oil filter, air filter, and cabin air filter. If you’re not sure of the part numbers, jump on the Ryco Filters website and grab the details before heading down to your local parts store.

A 2020 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid uses a Ryco Z1096 Oil Filter, an A1976 Air Filter, an RCA333M N99 MicroShield Cabin Air Filter, and an RBA102 Battery Air Filter. When it comes to the best quality service products, Ryco has you covered.

To do the oil and filter change, the car will to be in the air. Once you’re under the car, remove the plastic cover to gain access to the drain plug and oil filter. To help the oil drain faster, do this with the engine warm, but not so warm that you can’t work on it.  Once you’ve removed the sump plug, you can move on to the oil filter while the oil drains. If your oil filter is giving you a hard time, Ryco offers removal tools to suit a wide range of oil filters.

Once the oil filter has been removed, clean the mounting surface, apply fresh oil to the o-ring on the new Ryco Oil Filter, and install it. Only tighten the oil filter about a quarter turn past hand-tight. From there, replace the sump plug washer and refit the sump plug.

Next, perform your initial oil fill using the Ryco Flexi Funnel to help avoid any mess. These engines take about 4.5 litres of oil. Once you’ve reached that amount, start the engine and check for any leaks.

Moving onto the air filter, simply unclip the airbox lid, lift the lid away, and pull out the old filter. From there, clean out the air box, install the new Ryco Air Filter, make sure that the seal is fitted correctly within the airbox, and re-install the lid. 

To replace the cabin filter, you will need to gain access by removing the glovebox compartment. Start by opening the glove box and emptying it of any stored items. Next, press in both top front corners and pull down the lid until the stopper has been bypassed. Then, unhinge the strut located on the left-hand side of the box. You will then be able to remove the box, setting it aside for later. From here, the cabin air filter housing can be seen. Identify the lid, open it by pressing the release tab on the corner, and remove the old cabin filter.

Once you’ve pulled the old cabin filter out, clear the area of any debris, and refit the new Ryco N99 MicroShield Cabin Air Filter, making sure that it is facing in the correct airflow direction as indicated on the filter. From there, you can reinstall the glovebox components.

The MicroShield is made of N99 medical grade media and can stop these minuscule pollutants from making their way inside the car by filtering out particles down to .3 microns and can stop viral and bacterial contaminants as well, plus dust and pollen.

The Toyota Rav4 Hybrid also uses the Ryco RBA102 Hybrid Battery Air Filter that will need to be cleaned at regular intervals. To do this, remove the access panel located underneath the backseat. From there, unhook the old filter and install the Ryco RBA102 Filter. Once complete, refit the filter to the panel and refit the panel to the backseat.