[Colonel]

And, I did my door sill protectors too (also from cartrimhome):

View attachment 150550
View attachment 150551

How did these turn out? Did they fit flush (rears) or is there a tiny gap due to curve of the panel? I see some slight scuffing on my daughters side and might want to go ahead and get these.

 

[camfused]

^^^^ Yes, there is a very slight gap, due to the curve, but the adhesive fills this. I am happy with them.

 

[Urmil]

It still amazes me that in 2019 not all the bulbs in this car are LED. So of course I have changed out all the incandescent bulbs to LED. I am going to split my LED light post into 4 separate posts. 2 for Exterior and 2 Interior. I need to do this due to the fact I can only attach 10 pictures to any given post. This post will focus on the exterior bulb replacements. Including:

Front turn signals ---> Front LINK
Backup lights ---> LINK

The backup up bulbs are very easy to replace. I used a small plastic trim tool to remove the plastic panels that are located on the inside of the rear lift gate. (if you don't have a set of plastic trim tools, HERE is a good set to have)

View attachment 145142

The bulb holder easily twists out and the bulb just pulls out and the new one slides right in!

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Make sure you test it before you button everything up. In some cases if it does not light you may need to flip the bulb around in the socket. You will need a second person to engage reverse and hold the brake while you test the light. The LED bulbs are much brighter!

View attachment 145144


Next up is the front turn signal bulbs. The key to replacing incandescent turn signals with LED bulbs is you will need to account for the hyperflash (super fast flashing) and potential error messages from the computer. Luckily LED bulb manufacturers have begun to include the load resistors to eliminate the hyperflash and any computer errors. I have selected bulbs (links above) that work great in the RAV4

Replacing the front turn signals is also very simple as the sockets are easily reachable at the front of the engine bay. The bulb socket twists out and then you can pull out the socket and the bulb.

View attachment 145145


The front LED turn signal replacements have a bulb part that pushes into the socket and a part that connects to the wiring harness.


View attachment 145146

It will take a bit of force and wiggle to seat the bulb in the socket. but this is what it will look like after it is installed. Test the bulb before you insert it into the socket.

View attachment 145147

Next you will plug in the other end of the bulb into the wiring harness.

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You will need to protect the connection into the wiring harness so water cannot get in. I used some water sealing tape I had from another project.

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Then finally I used some heat resistant fabric tape to make sure the wiring harness was secure. Repeat these steps for the other side and your done! These lights are super bright and are so much better than the incandescent bulbs!


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The next post will tackle the Rear turn signals and Fog lamps!

-M

How are the front turn signal LED bulbs holding up? Have you had any issues with hyper flashing, or overheating?

 

[CaptainMcObvious]

How are the front turn signal LED bulbs holding up? Have you had any issues with hyper flashing, or overheating?

I have these awesome LEDs installed for my front turn signals. No hyper flash, no over heating. I bought two sets because I wanted to install for the rear, but decided not to because I didn't want to take off the tail lights. So rocking LEDs in the front and condescent bulbs in the rear, I have no issues. Selling them if interested, they are brand new and have never been used. Here's my post in this forum

2019/2020 RAV4 LED turn signals with built in resistors

I bought 2 sets of these LED T20 7440 bulbs. I absolutely love them! No hyper flash and super easy to install. however I've decided not to take off my tail lamps to place the second set. So I'm only running them in the headlamps. I bought them from Amazon Japan, and will sell and mail for...

www.rav4world.com

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[managerman]

How are the front turn signal LED bulbs holding up? Have you had any issues with hyper flashing, or overheating?

Zero issues. Both front and rear working great. 16k miles on the car.

-M


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[blutek]

Have you considered paint protection film (3M) pre cut just for the silver front lip area below bumper?.

 

[Jk728]

What a great thread and a fantastic build! How have the cartrimhome pieces held up over time? I am definitely interested in the tailgate protector and doing something to cover the silver "longhorn," but wondering if buying/shipping the adhesive pieces is worth it over time or if I should try and get the trim pieces wrapped.

 

[managerman]

What a great thread and a fantastic build! How have the cartrimhome pieces held up over time? I am definitely interested in the tailgate protector and doing something to cover the silver "longhorn," but wondering if buying/shipping the adhesive pieces is worth it over time or if I should try and get the trim pieces wrapped.

Only positive results. They have been holding up great. No issues whatsoever!

-M


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[obelix25860]

Only positive results. They have been holding up great. No issues whatsoever!

-M


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For whatever it's worth, I got the rear bumper aluminum protector, rear hatch door aluminum protector, and door sill protectors from cartrimhome and they're doing great. Very easy to install given the strong mounting tape, and look very sharp. Shipping take a little since they come from China, but considering it's all the way from China it's not too bad (was about 2 weeks for me) -- all in all good quality stuff from cartrimhome.

 

[Reevun]

My friend in China recently bought the LE trim(not exactly LE trim in China's models but with equivalent packages and options), then he DIY the car and upgrade it to sort of Limited trim or even better. The most insane thing is price paid for his upgrade only 1/2 of what Toyota's charge for top trim packages.

Upgrades he did includes: all seats change to leather with heat and ventilation, side mirrors' auto fold, all windows auto close when lock, noise insulation, replace of infotainment system that allows internet, video and more, kinda makes that 8 inches become an android pad. Not to mention leather wrap of the floor, running boards, door sill protectors and etc. Makes me really jealous.

 

[jupiterking]

Auto fold mirrors? Didn’t know that was something you could DIY. 🤔

 

[Reevun]

Auto fold mirrors? Didn’t know that was something you could DIY. 🤔

Yes, you can, you will need a module though.

 

[ddox]

Time for some tech mods! Which are always my favorite! The two tech mods I installed:

1. Scangauge II
2. Owlcam 24/7 Dashcam

I ordered both from Amazon.

Techmod 1: Scangauge II

I have been using a Scangauge II for the last 7 years in my 2012 Prius V. It is a great device to give you insight into many of the hybrid power-train and vehicle systems that are not shown on the dash. Such as but not limited to:

Hybrid battery state of charge
Engine RPM
Power in AMPS being used and being generated from brake regen.
Engine Temp
Inverter Temps
Tire Pressure
Detailed Fuel Level

And many many...more especially with the X-gauge function which allows vehicle specific parameters to be viewed.

Here is a LINK to more detailed info on what functions that the Scangauge has.

The Scangauge is very easy to install and connects via the OBD2 port for power and data collection.

I have mine installed like this. It does not block the view of the information screen or gauges.

View attachment 145338

Here is my standard set of parameters I always have up. RPM, Hybrid Battery state of charge, Amps being used and being regen, and coolant temp.

View attachment 145339

Here is one showing the fuel level.


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And really cool, is the ability to show tire pressure and tire temps....Here is a picture of the tire pressures

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Here is a list of X-gauge parameters specific to Toyota vehicles. LINK

Techmod 2: Owlcam!

The Owlcam is a 24/7 Dashcam with front and rear facing cameras. It uses both wi-fi as well as 4G LTE. LTE capability is great since it can work and alert you no matter where you are.

I started using an Owlcam in my Corvette, because I was always worried when I parked it in a public parking lot something would happen to it. This camera system really gives you piece of mind as well as a visual record of any incidents that may happen while the car is driving or parked. I bought a second unit for the RAV4.

Here is some more detailed info: LINK

It is easy to install with the multiple sized mounting "arms".

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The camera is powered by the OBD2 port and the thin power cable easily tucks into the upper dash where the glass meets the dash.

View attachment 145344


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I use a 2 way OBD2 splitter so I can use both the Scangauge and the Owlcam at the same time. LINK

View attachment 145346

As a side note, I have found no issues having these devices connected to the OBD2 port. All remote functions also work great. Enjoy!

-M

Sorry to resurrect a year+ old post, but I’m thinking about getting a Scangauge II for my hybrid and I have a couple questions. My first concern is battery drain, since I believe the OBD port always has 12 V power, even when the car’s off. The internet suggests that the Scangauge goes into a super low power sleep mode when the engine’s at 0 RPM for a bit, but with a hybrid that happens all the time even when the car is on. Does this thing properly turn itself on/off with your hybrid? Any battery drain issues? Does it turn itself off when the ICE stops while driving? I might be overthinking this, but I have a WiFi/Bluetooth OBD scanner, and if I forget to turn it off/unplug it, it’ll sit there draining my battery down to nothing.

 

[Colonel]

Get an ODBLink. I leave mine plugged in all.the time. Its meant to "turn off" when not in use.

 

[managerman]

Sorry to resurrect a year+ old post, but I’m thinking about getting a Scangauge II for my hybrid and I have a couple questions. My first concern is battery drain, since I believe the OBD port always has 12 V power, even when the car’s off. The internet suggests that the Scangauge goes into a super low power sleep mode when the engine’s at 0 RPM for a bit, but with a hybrid that happens all the time even when the car is on. Does this thing properly turn itself on/off with your hybrid? Any battery drain issues? Does it turn itself off when the ICE stops while driving? I might be overthinking this, but I have a WiFi/Bluetooth OBD scanner, and if I forget to turn it off/unplug it, it’ll sit there draining my battery down to nothing.

I have used a scangauge for many years on many cars. Never any battery drain issues. The unit will turn itself off when the car is off and turn back on when the car turns on. Works great!

-M

 

[Traveling]

This has been (is) one fantastic thread. I have learned so much. Thank you very, very much managerman!

 

[hiawagee]

Step 3: I wired up the resistor into the connector with some extra wire I had laying around and some electrical tape. You can solder these if you wish...I wanted to make it so it could be removed easily.

Is there a + and - terminals on that wiring adapter? How about the resistor?
It would be nice if there was a matching adapter to which the resistor could be soldered. I've already tried the "muzzling" solution using foam and neoprene with lots of gorilla tape but much improvement. So, I'm ready to disconnect...

 

[zeniq]

Is there a + and - terminals on that wiring adapter? How about the resistor?
It would be nice if there was a matching adapter to which the resistor could be soldered. I've already tried the "muzzling" solution using foam and neoprene with lots of gorilla tape but much improvement. So, I'm ready to disconnect...

If you’re just putting a resistor in, I don’t think polarity matters. There are other threads that tackle this specifically that you could check out too. Here’s what I did: That's IT I have HAD IT.... I killed them....

 

[hiawagee]

If you’re just putting a resistor in, I don’t think polarity matters. There are other threads that tackle this specifically that you could check out too. Here’s what I did: That's IT I have HAD IT.... I killed them....

Thanks folks for your comments!
Disconnected that center speaker and in its place, put a 10W-8Ohm resistor.
Oh, man, it is nice NOT to hear that choir or siren. I've got the proper connector on order and will tape it up nice and neat, but for now, I'm ignoring that error message that keeps coming back. I really do wonder about some of Toyota's design decisions... luckily the car is running great.

 

[zeniq]

Thanks folks for your comments!
Disconnected that center speaker and in its place, put a 10W-8Ohm resistor.
Oh, man, it is nice NOT to hear that choir or siren. I've got the proper connector on order and will tape it up nice and neat, but for now, I'm ignoring that error message that keeps coming back. I really do wonder about some of Toyota's design decisions... luckily the car is running great.

When you mention the error that comes up... is that happening even with the resistor? Or do you mean you’re waiting to do a nice install and are leaving it unplugged in the meantime? If you have a resistor in there then you shouldn’t be getting an error on the dash.