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Earlier in June 2013, Wheels24 reader DAVE WILLIS shared his views on his 2013 Toyota Rav4 SUV and what he calls a "finger-snapping" boot.
Image gallery
Willis said that to prevent "injury" he resorted to adding a makeshift handle to the boot of his RAV4.
The article received a number of responses and Wheels24 asked him to send us images of his makeshift solution to his boot woes.
‘UNSAFE FOR USE’
Willis sent us a several images and explains why he resorted to installing an oven door handle on his RAV4:
“In addition to my initial comment, friends and other drivers have all said that Toyota slipped up in terms of the design of its RAV4 GX boot.
The closing mechanism in particular definitely fall into the "unsafe for use category", especially when without touching/gripping the actual boot, which at times was the case in pushing the door down and engaging the locking mechanism.
I bought my vehicle from McCarthy Toyota in Mobeni, Durban. It did not mention this potential injury-causing opening/closing process.
I advised them about it and I believe dealers should make buyers of these new vehicles aware of this particular design fault and its potential to injure.
My wife questioned the standing height of the average Japanese male or female and feels sure that they would not be able to reach the handle when the boot is fully open.
To reiterate – Either a similar handle to mine or electric power should be included on future models.
INSTALLING THE HANDLE
I used a hollow plastic oven door handle from Defy, roughly 600mm long, with two self tapping fixing points at each end. I removed part of its length, giving it an overall two part handle length of 225mm. I glued both parts together, reinforced the joint with two 120mm strips of alluminium, fixed with five pop rivets in each. The handle is spray painted in three coats of matt black Duco paint.
While drilling into the boot, I inserted a magnetic strip to capture drillings, placed rubber gasket type materials between the door and handles and used sillicone screws with gaskets on fixing.
Not too shabby when viewed close up, even less so when viewed from a distance. I think it really complements the door.”
What do you think of Willis’ solution? Email us and we’ll publish your thoughts on Wheels24.
Image gallery
Willis said that to prevent "injury" he resorted to adding a makeshift handle to the boot of his RAV4.
The article received a number of responses and Wheels24 asked him to send us images of his makeshift solution to his boot woes.
‘UNSAFE FOR USE’
Willis sent us a several images and explains why he resorted to installing an oven door handle on his RAV4:
“In addition to my initial comment, friends and other drivers have all said that Toyota slipped up in terms of the design of its RAV4 GX boot.
The closing mechanism in particular definitely fall into the "unsafe for use category", especially when without touching/gripping the actual boot, which at times was the case in pushing the door down and engaging the locking mechanism.
I bought my vehicle from McCarthy Toyota in Mobeni, Durban. It did not mention this potential injury-causing opening/closing process.
I advised them about it and I believe dealers should make buyers of these new vehicles aware of this particular design fault and its potential to injure.
My wife questioned the standing height of the average Japanese male or female and feels sure that they would not be able to reach the handle when the boot is fully open.
To reiterate – Either a similar handle to mine or electric power should be included on future models.
INSTALLING THE HANDLE
I used a hollow plastic oven door handle from Defy, roughly 600mm long, with two self tapping fixing points at each end. I removed part of its length, giving it an overall two part handle length of 225mm. I glued both parts together, reinforced the joint with two 120mm strips of alluminium, fixed with five pop rivets in each. The handle is spray painted in three coats of matt black Duco paint.
While drilling into the boot, I inserted a magnetic strip to capture drillings, placed rubber gasket type materials between the door and handles and used sillicone screws with gaskets on fixing.
Not too shabby when viewed close up, even less so when viewed from a distance. I think it really complements the door.”
What do you think of Willis’ solution? Email us and we’ll publish your thoughts on Wheels24.
