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Easy Toyota RAV4 DIY Fix That Can Save You Hundreds of Dollars

It’s remarkable how many repairs that are simple and easy to do cost so much at a dealership garage to “fix”. Here’s a good example of one easy Toyota RAV4 DIY fix that can save you a minimum of $200 and a lot of lost time trying to get an appointment and having to wait during the fix. Plus, find out how this fix applies to other makes and models as well that could save your life.
Fic That Car Hood Problem Before It's Too Late

The Case of the Bouncing Car Hood

One of the most unnerving things to see while driving down the highway is that of a bouncing car hood that looks like it might give at any moment. If you are unnerved by this if it happens to you...then it is a good thing. Your worst-case scenario instinct is fully justified as that car hoods can and do go flying off on the highway, smashing into your windshield and/or that of other cars in traffic.

If this happens to you, then you need to stop and access the problem before going any further. You can either jerry-rig a fix /call someone knowledgeable for help, or just drive slower until you can get someplace for help.

And yes, there is typically a safety catch under the hood which is why in many models you have to feel around under the hood after pulling the hood release in order to raise the hood past its safety catch, but...I would not want to push my luck on just how well it can hold up against some significant wind force that will act suddenly.

Especially since in modern cars there’s a good chance you might discover that the safety latch is now being made of plastic rather than metal!

Hood Latch Know-How

The origin of this topic is from a recent Toyota Maintenance YouTube channel episode where the host---Peter---shows why the owner of a 2012 RAV4 is experiencing a bouncing hood once the car reaches highway speed.

The significance of this instruction is that it shows a feature many car owners are not aware of---adjustable hood bumpers that take up some of the gap between the hood and the rest of the car that can be raised to take the bounce out of your vehicle’s hood.

Two Videos that Will Save You Money

That said, here are two videos to complement each other. The first video form the 1A Auto YouTube channel goes into more detail about how your hood latch works, problems you can have with your hood latch, and simple DIY things you can do to fix your hood latch problem. The other value to the first video is that it offers some good preventive maintenance tips on how to keep your hood latch from ever becoming a problem.

The second video is one that focuses on a 2012 Toyota Rav4 that demonstrates how using just your hand in many cases is all you need to fix a bouncing hood in just a few minutes of your time. Compare that against the labor cost of a garage just to look at the problem and the risk of being told you have to have the rubber bumpers replaced (when they are perfectly fine) and you will easily save $200 or more.

And finally…

It bears mentioning that as a practice no matter how simple a car maintenance task is, you must always wear protective glasses or goggles whenever working on a car. Kudos to the mechanic in the first video who demonstrated good garage safety goggle practice we should all follow---even for the simplest of jobs.

For more about car maintenance and repair with Toyotas, here are two selected articles for your consideration and enjoyment:

Timothy Boyer is Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for new and used vehicle news.

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