2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

will16

Your toyota dealer will order any trunk emblem you want. I upgraded to Touring for $24

joe369

Ahh, Emblem change!! This is an Avalon not a civic.......

fredv1

For the 05 Avalon, what is the correct torque to use in tightening the oil pan drain bolt after an oil change? Thanks

jkosuge

Hello jok.
I have a 06 Avalon XL and I do have the exact same problem with you.
When there is a strong bass that hits, I hear a rattle/vibrations. My noise seems that it comes from the drivers side door.
I am taking my Avalon to the dealer and have them try to fix it.
Other then that, I love the car!

n0v8or

40 N-M, 31 ft-pounds.
Source: RM1169 '05 repair manual, page 14-17

06indigoavalon

Which dealer in Sacramento did you get yours from? I got my '06 indigo ink pearl limited from Roseville Toyota the end of August. I have everything except the spoiler, xm radio, and remote starter. I'm thinking of adding the starter.

joe369

What kind of leather protection should I put on my light gray leather? I just got the car 2 weeks ago. Also, should I get my car waxed? I do not know if the dealership put a layer of wax...though when I received the vehicle, it was show room shiny. Thanks!

indigoltd06

Got mine from Maita. Special order when they couldn't find an '05 the way I wanted it. Okay one whistle I skipped was the very wimpy.....(I hate to use the this word because it's not a real one) "spoiler". It looks so bad I thought it would "spoil" the appearance. I was hoping for something that was more like what is offered on Camry.

XM sounds fantastic, but I knew that already from my wife's Accord. Too bad they couldn't have used a colored keyed antenna above the rear window (like Honda) instead of the ugly black chunk of plastic on the trunk lid. By the way, the Honda's radio displays characters out to 16 places and nothing is affected by vehicle motion. I brought that up too during my call to Customer Concerns. By the way I suggest we all take the time to voice our concerns over this stuff if we want to stand any chance of seeing a resolution. (Their number is listed in a previous message string) Is it just me, or is Toyota chasing Honda innovations?

As far as the remote start goes, mine has been a little funny about when it wants to work. Even the dealer had a couple of problems getting it to work at delivery but eventually it did. As I was showing off my new toy to friends the next few days, I was a little embarrassed when I couldn't get it to work. I followed all instructions to the tee but figured I would have to take it back to the dealer for troubleshooting after numerous failed attempts. Last week I tried it again just for kicks and "Viola!" so go figure.

mikes.

Look at an aftermarket remote starter like Viper or such. The Toyota remote is only good for maybe 80 feet. I'm not happy with it at all.

MikeS.

robertu

Fragmire, I work in South Bay, FL. Whatcha need?

ROBERTU

dandl

I just wanted to get some of your opinions on whether we should have the rear bumper of our Blizzard Pearl Limited repainted or just touched up. The trunk is slightly misaligned and has caused a half inch long, really narrow (1 millimeter)gouge on one side of the bumper where the trunk lip hits the top of the bumper shelf. It is very minor but the center of the scratch is down to the grey plastic. The Toyota dealership sent me to their body shop (an independent shop, who admitted they had never painted an 05 Avalon before...let alone saw one) The body shop said they would have to remove and repaint the whole bumper, as a touch up would be too hard to match with the Blizzard Pearl paint. Would it be obvious when a part like that is repainted especially with the metal flake, multi-layers of paint that make up the Blizzard Pearl color? I hate the thought of the car looking like it had been repaired after an accident.
Thanks,
Laura

pat

Robertu, I need you to send me an email as soon as possible - pat AT edmunds.com. Please include your user ID in the email. Thanks very much!!

joe369

What kind of leather protection should I put on my light gray leather? I just got the car 2 weeks ago. Also, should I get my car waxed? I do not know if the dealership put a layer of wax...though when I received the vehicle, it was show room shiny. Thanks!

Sorry for the repost but I kind of want to give it protection right away!

petl

I would fix it myself with touch-up paint (if you have a steady hand). If after some time you still find it annoying, the bumper can always be painted (chances are other scratches will appear). Paint shops never blend bumpers like they do with metal portions of the vehicle (doors, fenders, etc.). They are always painted seperatly (with the appropriate paint colour). It is frustrating. Also, it always looks worse to the owner of the vehicle (particularly when it's new). That 1/2 inch probably looks like a foot. Good Luck

pat

There are some discussions on the Maintenance & Repair board that may be helpful to you with these issues - check them out.

fragmire

Just looking for recommendations regarding which dealer has better service in the SF South Bay area. Checked online for zipcode 94041 and found Toyota of Palo Alto has received the Presidents Award and the Signature Dealer certification, but when I actually saw the dealership, it looked like a dump / junk yard.

Right now I'm specifically thinking about Toyota of Sunnyvale and Stevens Creek Toyota for my 5000 service. Anyone has any suggestion / opinion / comment? :confuse:

fragmire

I admit I never really paid attention to the discussion of odometer accuracy in this forum, but I finally realized the significance of the difference today. I set the Maintenance Reminder in the Nav for the service interval to 5000 miles when I received my 05 Limited. About two months or so ago, I noticed a small difference between the remaining mileage until service and my actual odo displayed, but I simply reset the reminder to correspond to 5000 on the odo.

However, as of this morning, I had 3544 on my odo on the dash, but only 1394 remaining on the Reminder. That's already 62 miles difference (although admittedly in my advantage should I ever want to sell the car). :surprise:

I remember the larger tire size being discussed as a possible cause but was eventually dismissed. Has anyone found an explanation or solution to this? :confuse:

imidazol97

Touch up paint may be more brittle than the paint used on the rubberized bumpers. I would have it professionally done. If I understand correctly, the paint on the flexible body parts contains an additive to make it more flexible after drying to avoid cracking or separating when the bumper "moves" during expansion or contraction or air pressure flexing it while driving.

Our new car was painted on a replacement bumper due to a coworker scraping my wife's months old car. It matches great--crimson pearl on a GM. A good paint guy knows how to match the color.

johni

I've been using Meguiar's Gold Class Leather Cleaner and Conditioner since March. It seems to do a good job; however, it will take years before I can tell if it's really protecting the leather.

Go ahead and wax. There have been several posts re this subect.

geoshill

Heh, found my fog lites loose too. Thought I'd use some Anderson vinyl caulk from my thermopane project to seal the lense.

Does this sound okay?

vicm

This morning I brought my 05 LTD to our local body shop. Has a hole and some scrapes on the left side bumper. I dinged it up backing out of my driveway last week. A landscaper with his low trailer had parked it a foot and a half in my driveway. Didn't see the trailer, this LTD has poor rear visibility thru the back window (slope) and pillar. No problem having the color matched but the cost of repair was 492 bucks. Only had to paint half the bumper but will clear coat the entire bumper. Needless to say I am in the process of buying and installing a reverse backup sensor.

vicm

Should have added that it is a Pearl Blizard

joe369

So do you think the dealership did not wax it before my delivery? Because I know they prepped it and when I got it (and still does) it had a "showroom" shine to it

joe369

Touch up paint may be more brittle

If I'm not mistaken, touch up paint is lacquer based and is fairly fleixble. Probably more so than regular paint.

tstrick320

I've noticed in the Avalon literature that the factory remote start is limited to 80 feet (which probably means 50 unless you have a tailwind) and now another poster in msg #10100 has said he's unhappy with his. We put an Avital system in my wife's Hyundai 5 years ago and it has great range (1000+ ft).

My question is, has anyone put an aftermarket remote start on an Avalon LIMITED with Smart Key? I'd love to get the greater range of an after-market system but I'm concerned about how this would work with Smart Key and suspect I'd then be forced to carry TWO fobs all the time -- one for remote start, and anther for entry and local start.

Any thoughts or experience from the group. I need to figure this out before I buy an Avalon in the spring. Thanks!

joe369

Why don't you just install it and leave the starter in the house ?

n0v8or

What strikes me as odd is that your maintenance reminder works the exact opposite of mine. When our Avalon odometer reached 188 miles, I discovered the maintenance screen and entered 3000 miles for an oil change reminder. Three months later, when the odometer reached 3100, I realized that no reminder had ocurred. Went to the maintenance screen and it still showed 3000, miles with another 88 to go. In other words, my system adds the entered miles to the current odometer reading. After prefoming the oil change at 3300, I re-entered 3000, which actually set the reminder to odometer reading 6300.

brown3

I recently bought a new '06 Avalon XLS with ivory leather. I just treated the seats with Scotchgard Leather Protector. I've tried this stuff on boots, coats, shoes, and leather upholstery and have always found that it works exceptionally well.

littlejohn600

Oil Filter Cap--25 N-m (18 ft-lbf)
Drain Plug------13 N-m (10 ft-lbf)

REF: Avalon_Oil_Change.pdf

fragmire

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but the way you described it is exactly how mine works as well. When I received my car with 3 miles on it, I entered 4997 for service at 5000. I re-entered the number when my odo read around 800 since the odo and reminder the have become noticeably different (i.e. I entered a number around 4200). Finally, the service reminder now shows 1394 while the odo shows 3544.

4439

Your reminder is set up correctly. When your Avalon had 188 miles on it, you should have entered 2812 miles for an oil change at 3000 miles instead of adding 3000 miles. I began to use this method until I discovered that the car can be programmed by other means for a 5000 mile oil change. The 5000 mile change will warn you when you have put on 4500 miles.

tstrick320

Now there's a creative solution. And when I'm at the office I just call the house & ask someone to push the start button... :P

lazarous

n0v8or, I'm just curious, how much did the dealer charge you for your first oil and filter change? Thanks

joe369

Okay thanks. Now what part of the seats in the XLS are leather and what part is not? I guess I shouldn't put leather protection on vinyl? :surprise:

n0v8or

My personal policy is to use the dealer service department only as a last resort. I did the first oil change myself after buying the filter from the parts dept ($5.41 + tax).

They had a sign posted advertising oil changes for $24.95 (not including oil, filter, taxes, and environmental disposal charges). I figure about $60 total.

The cartridge filter adds about 10 minutes to the job, and makes it more messy than most, otherwise not bad.

I documented the procedure for future reference . . . posted at http://members.cox.net/n0v8or/avalon_oil_change.pdf

will16

My toyota dealer gives the first oil change free.this is the same as the Lexus dealer.

zekeman1

Whatever the solution is that you use, it'll probably say you can use it on leather and/or vinyl - I wouldn't worry about it.
zekeman1

mem4

I use 303 Protectant, the best stuff on the market for all types of plastic, prevents drying and fading but doesn't leave a waxy shine like Armor All. It's also recommended for treated leather. I spray it on all of the seat (front, back sides), wipe it in with a microfiber towel, let dry for 10-15 minutes than wipe with a dry towel. Also works on all rubber gaskets and under the hood (unlike silicone based cleaners which should never be used under the hood). If you like your tires with a subtle treated look it will not fade to brown like most tire treatments. It prevents oxidation and drying over time so I have coated the entire spare tire also. I have no tie to the 303 company, I just use their 303 protectant and their windshield wiper treatment sponges (which really do a great job also).

fredv1

Let's not confuse the oil pan drain plug (31 lbs) with the oil filter housing cap (18lbs). Then there is the oil filter drain plug ( 10lbs). I'm sure a lot of people don't even fool with a torque wrench but that's what Toyota suggests.

n0v8or

My Dealer also offers the first oil change "free", but only if you pay for the following 5 (2nd through 6th) oil changes. You actually pay for the first oil change, then they give you a plastic card which is punched at each change. When 5 "punches" are accumulated, the card can be used as an oil change credit. So really, it is a "6 for the price of 5" deal, or effectively a 16.7% discount.

I can change my oil and filter for less than $20 and 30 minutes of work. Or I can take advantage of the Dealer discount and pay ~$50 plus 3 hours total travel and waiting time. For me, it's not the $30 higher cost as much as the time and inconvenience difference. Plus I know it is done properly, and don't have to take the risk of door dings at the crowded Dealer facility, which is always jammed with cars.

I watched this Dealer do oil changes during the buying process. They do not warm the engines properly before draining the old oil, and they use a bulk oil (pumped from a tank) of unknown brand and quality.

cms1528

I have noticed that the "leather" dash board cover seems to feel chalky. I put some leather conditioner on the dash and it didnt seem to absorb well. It just stayed in one spot and i had to scrub a lil harder to move it around to even out the appearence.

At first I thought it was the product, Mequire's, but I tried other things and the door and dash leather just don't seem to absorb any cleaner/conditioner well. I fear if I have to put too much elbow grease into it I may end up wearing down the textured surface.

Any input would be appreciated.

nimimi

My understanding is that the leather components (on the Limited at least) are only the following:

- seating surfaces
- headrest surfaces
- stearing wheel cover
- shift lever cover

captain2

am picking up an order today at Calvert Toyota aka anythingtoyota.com. 10 filters at 3.95, and a set of wiperblades at $36.00 - 25% (or more) off of parts 'list' price. I did pay $66 once for a shop oil change (Mobil 1) and I supplied the filter - but at $4.00/quart and $4 for the filter it is possible to do it ourselves for about $30, AND use synthetic oils.
Had this conversation before - but still contend that while more complicated, the Av oil change is less messy than most cars. Lexus is now converting to cartridge style filters as well - would expect that the major aftermarket filter mfgrs. will catch up soon. Call it old technology if you will, but certainly a bit more environmentally responsible. And, also the same way about the dealers - the only time they will ever see my Av is if it ever needs warranty work.

cms1528

Is the dash and door trim in my limited a leather material or vinyl. I just don't know

avalonguy05

My local service station is fully cvomputereized. I had him change the oil (first 5000) in my new 2005 Avalon. He was unable to figure out how to turn of the maintainence required light on the dashboard. Any suggestions? Is there a code for this?

n0v8or

captain2,
I think our points of view will depend on what other cars we have serviced. Of the 18 cars I have owned since the 60s, the Avalon oil change is the third most messy. Of the 4 vehicles in my family now, it is the second most messy. Two have "conventional" filters that protrude downward from the engine; both can be replaced in seconds without spilling a drop or ever contacting used oil. One ('94 Maxima) has a conventional filter mounted with the bottom facing up. This is far and away the messiest oil filter mounting design I have ever encountered. Once the filter is loosened a couple of turns, a pint of old oil leaks out onto the engine. I have to pack the area around the mounting boss with a dozen absorbent paper towels, then remove them by hand after unscrewing the filter.

The Avalon oil change is neat until you have to pull out the oil-soaked filter element and clean off all of the old oil that remains adhered to the internal surfaces of the housing (canister) with rags. I end up with oily rags to dispose of instead of oily paper towels.

Toyota claims, in their service manual, they switched to this design because the used filter element can be incinerated, reducing the volume of solid trash they generate. I can buy that line of reasoning. Of course, my local dealer seems not impressed with that rationale; they just toss the used elements in the dumpster with the conventional used filters. The trade-off for less solid waste is Technicians will have increased exposure to contact with a known carcinogen (unless the Techs are in the habit of wearing disposable plastic gloves, which then end up in the trash).

n0v8or

The procedure is in your Owner's manual (I seem to recall page 152, but that might be wrong). It involves holding in the trip odometer reset button continuously while turning on the ignition.

fin

This post points out what critics of the "new" filters have been saying all along. By the time you clean up everything from a filter change, the shop, or the DIY guy, has more to deal with than with a spin-on. No metal, but more trash. Incidental contact with used oil is another issue. Only the recycler comes out ahead as there is no metal container to deal with. Stay tuned as this idea becomes more popular with other makes....

nimimi

Evidently my reply in 10139 wasn't clear: the dash, door trim, backs and sides of the seats are not leather, they are vinyl.

captain2

had a '92 Maxima - seem to remember not only the upside down filter but also that is was located on the firewall side of the engine and almsot impossible to get to. My wife's Altima 3.5 (same basic engine) not that way. The filter is bottom side down located at the front of the engine next to the passenger wheel well. The problem I contend you have with any conventionally mounted filter such as this is not the oil in the filter itself but the oil that leaks down the side of the filter (from the feed passages to the filter) when you loosen it initially. Same thing would happen on any GM V8 filter mounted back towards the transmission again, generally getting oil all over the exhaust header under it. The 'pain-in-the-butt' center drain plug on the Av design does eliminate this albeit at the expense of a extra step in filter removal.