2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

jicka · April 2006

My '05 LTD rides a shade firmer than my '00 XLS. The 55 ratio tires on the '05 probably run a little harder than the 60's on the '00. I agree with your comparison of your '06 vs the '03 - except for seat comfort.

hgallie · April 2006

To Bob- Thanks for your response. My car is one month old with 400 miles on it. I would not think the w/stripping would need softning but maybe so. I really think the wind noise is turbulence from the shape of the car and O/S mirrors. Perhaps I am overly sensitive to wind noise but my 03 Camry was quieter. Thanks again.

endovit · April 2006

I seldom post messages but read absolutely everything. What great views and information this forum provides. I'm glad to say I've had no squeaks, rattles or transmission hesitation that some of you have indicated. I do have an issue with the carpet on the front passenger side that the dealer can't seem to fix. Its a wrinkle that just looks terrible. Other than that, I'm a very happy Toyota owner. I do think Toyota should do something about the brake issue with the laser control where the brake light does not come on when automatically applied. I was driving down the interstate yesterday behind a different Limited and watched as the car took control when the car in front of the Limited slowed dramatically. There was no brake light and the car behind the Limited almost made good friends with the guy in the Limited. Not the Avalon driver's fault but a fault in the system itself.

I'm about ready for my tire rotation and was looking into new wipers since they've been on there about 8 months. I've gone to a number of the big parts dealers and all indicate they've never seen such a wiper. After reading a post in this forum, I'm almost afraid to ask the Toyota dealer for the price of the wiper inserts.

One additional question that someone may have the answer to. When I first bought the car I was told it came with a DVD that had the manual on it. I never found the DVD and contacted the dealer. He provided me a web site that had the manual in a very nice format. I've lost that URL. Anyone know where I might find the on-line Avalon manual?

Denny

nimimi · April 2006

www.mynewavalon.com has the manual, however, it may only be used online and, as far as I know, cannot be downloaded or saved to your computer.

3puttmax · April 2006

brake issue with the laser control where the brake light does not come on when automatically applied

Denny -

I've used the laser controlled cruise control often - didn't realize brake lights didn't come on. I find this really amazing, especially since Toyota has gone over backwards to cover their legal liability with the GPS navigation software. Also, endless legal wordage in the manual about safety stuff.

Seems like a very dangerous omission to me.

Max

mem4 · April 2006

I bought wiper blade replacements from an online Toyota parts site- it was about $23 for the drivers side and $14 for the passengers side.

nimimi · April 2006

Would you care to share with us the URL?

bobwiley · April 2006

hgallie: I also have the black "wind deflectors" on all my windows--this might help also. My main point was, to keep the weather stripping as pliable as possible! I had a 2000 F-150--while quiet---the Limited is "Crypt" quiet! Love our Avalon--and to think, if it hadn't been for our son telling me to test drive one, I probably would have overlooked the best car value going!

joe369 · April 2006

I believe the OEM of the wipers is called Valeo. I have the same kind of wiper installed on my other car as the Avalon. You can get them at Walmart, but it was around 40-50 for a set. You're probably better off just buying them at the dealership.

joe369 · April 2006

While I like the Avalon, I do not understand why everyone claims it is church-quiet. The wind noise at highway speeds (and yes, I've had the dealer look at it) is louder than I expected (louder than a 1992 Mercury GrandMarquis I own). Also, the engine is a bit loud in my opinion...though I do love the power of it.

wwest · April 2006

Problem is...

The early cruise controls were designed to be instantly cancelled with brake application. There was even a failsafe system, bleeder resistor, so that if the brake lights were out the cruise control would not engage. My 2001 Porsche still operates as above.

So, how do you illuminate the brake lights without cancelling the cruise control?

havalongavalon · April 2006

So, how do you illuminate the brake lights without cancelling the cruise control?

Simple: The brake lights should always go on whenever the brakes are applied -- whether applied by a driver's foot or by the laser cruise controller.

Turning on the brake lights should have nothing to do with cancelling or not cancelling cruise control.

havalongavalon

mem4 · April 2006

Is it OK to post retail sites on this forum? I'd be happy to share where I got the blades if it is.

nimimi · April 2006

I would assume that it is OK as there have been several sites posted for accessories such as color-keyed mud guards.

wwest · April 2006

You may have missed my point, or it wasn't as clearly made as it should have been.

Cruise controls have ALWAYS been designed so they are CANCELLED the instant the driver touches the brake pedal (or clutch or "shifter"). That is, of course, just as it should be.

The very last thing any of us need to have happen is to apply the brakes but have the cruise control continue trying to hold a set speed.

As a failsafe, in case the brake circuit happens to be open or not working, there are extra components and circuits designed in to be sure the cruise control can never be engaged, or remain engaged, if the brake light circuit isn't fully operational.

Personally I would have designed in a second set of brake light bulbs, LEDS(??) so the cruise control braking indication could still be made independent of the brake pedal (circuit) itself.

gohawaiian · April 2006

Shopping for a 2006 Limited and I'm confused about how many spokes there are supposed to be on the wheels: 8 or 9? Pictures on Toyota's website show 9 (with each spoke appearing to be "split" in two); but pictures on other auto websites (Yahoo's auto site, for example) show 8 plain, flat spokes without that "split" design. Is the 8 spoke wheel from 2005, or for a different model of Avalon?

nimimi · April 2006

All Limiteds so far have standard 9-spoke wheels. The spokes have a groove in the middle that gives the appearance of being split in two, however, they are not.

gohawaiian · April 2006

Yahoo & MSN seem to have misidentified some of their Avalon wheel photos. I just looked at Edmunds' site re Avalon specs & photos, and it appears that the 8-spoke wheel is being used on other '06 Avalon models (Touring and XLS), with the Limited getting the 9-spoke wheel as you mentioned. Thank you for replying - my confusion was the result of some poorly labeled photos on various sites.

pat · April 2006

If you found a retail website that you think is worth sharing with the group, you are welcome to post it - as long as you personally have nothing to gain from it.

Most questions of what's okay and what's not okay can be answered by either the Rules of the Road, or the Membership Agreement - both are linked on the left side of the page.

But please always feel free to email me or any of the hosts (email addresses are in our profiles) with any questions you might have.

marty2x · April 2006

Looking at an '06 XLS. Does the width spec include the side mirrors? If not, where is it measured?

jdre86 · April 2006

I'm not understanding exactly what you're asking wwest. When you have cruise control engaged whether it be in "vehicle to vehicle" mode (DLCC) or "normal" mode, the instant you touch the brake pedal, the cruise control is cancelled. Brake lights illuminate and the system is disengaged. Also, when you are in "vehicle to vehicle" mode, the brake lights do illuminate when the system detects a slower moving car in front. They illuminate if the system is using the brakes. However, if the system uses engine braking to slow the car, the brake lights will not illuminate because the brakes are not being used. Hope this makes sense.

jdre86 · April 2006

The brake lights DO come on. Use the system at night and when it begins braking look in your rearview mirror. You will see the brake lights come on. If they don't come on, something is defective or the system isn't using the brakes to slow the car. As I stated in my reply to wwest, they will only come on if the car is braking using the brakes. If it is using engine braking to slow itself, they won't come on because the brakes aren't being used.

gohawaiian · April 2006

There seem to be 2 colors of wood grain trim for the XLS & Limited models. One is a light yellow/blond look, the other a darker bird's eye maple. Anyone know which color woodgrain is matched up with each seat color? Specifically, can you get the bird's eye maple with either the Ivory or Light Grey leather choices, or is it only available with the "Graphite" color leather?

ederzawiec · April 2006

I've found many posts relating to this topic, but can't locate Instructions. Has anyone documented the steps?

limiteddriver · April 2006

bosch makes a wiper blade called Aerotwin which looks like the Avalon blade and has the internal spring like the Avalon blade.

bach63 · April 2006

So, if you were landing a 747 at Fairbanks or even Anchorage in the dead of winter which would be of higher priority:

A) Stopping in the shortest possible distance?

Remaining on the runway centerline during emergency STOP measures?

C) Using ABS to help remain on the runway centerline while otherwise maximizing braking effects?

D) None of the above, divert to Seattle.

ABS has nothing to do with directional control on an airplane; rudder, assymetric thrust, or nosewheel steering maintain directional control. The only purpose of ABS is to take the wheel as close as possible to an impending skid, and minimizing the stopping distance. The same is true on an auto; ABS by itself has nothing to do with directional stability. Now, if the auto has a stability control system, that system will brake individual wheels to maintain directional control, using the ABS system. If the auto does not have some type of stability control, ABS does nothing for directional control; its only purpose is to minimize stopping distance.

bach63 · April 2006

wwest is most probably correct in his statement. The goal of ABS is to maintain directional control of the vehicle. It is not designed nor intended to reduce the stopping distance.

Just the opposite; unless the car has some type of stability control system, (VSC, ESP, Stabilitrak, etc., depending on the make) ABS has nothing to do with directional control.

luvmyavalon · April 2006

It is my understanding that the light color wood is the only color which is paired with the ivory or light grey leather. When I preferenced my 06 XLS, I asked specifically about this because I did not want the darker color with the light grey. The darker colored wood grain that I had seen had too much of an orange type color cast. The light wood grain looks really good with the light grey leather...that is what I have.

3puttmax · April 2006

ABS has nothing to do with directional control.

ABS does have something to do with directional control, but only in a PASSIVE sense. By precluding wheel lockup, ABS provides some remaining tire/ground friction to allow steering control. If the wheels were locked up, that steering control would not be available, or would be severely degraded. It's certainly true that VSC is required to provide ACTIVE directional control.

Max

wwest · April 2006

You neglect one very fundamental fact. As that 747 touches down on the ice covered runway threshold the goal is to maintain a straight and narrow "path". Absent a serious crosswind no rudder, stearing, nor asymetrical thrust inputs will be used. The last thing one needs is for the tires to lock up and cease providing STRAIGHT LINE directional control.

The same is true for your car, as long as the vehicle travels in a straight line as you brake, severely or otherwise, and you have no reason to deviate from a straight path, it matters not if the tires begin to skid, fully lock up.

Since there are surfaces on which it clearly does matter, times when ABS will definitely interfere with achieving the shortest stopping distance, it would probably be better to delay the onset of ABS activation unless the VSC system indicates the vehicle is deviating from the desired path.

easttexas · April 2006

Joe, I would have to agree with your statement on NOT 'church- quiet', but for a different reason. With my 06 XLS the wind noise is not an issue but road noise is. For example: On a smooth asphalt highway the car will put a big smile on your face..VERY quiet. However, on a smooth but coarse (no,that's not an oxymoron) surface you really have to crank the radio up to drown out the road noise. I do not have undercoating because with an Avalon I thought it would not be necessary. Was I wrong? Does that stuff realy help? Any thoughts?

Other than the road noise and a cruise control issue (will post), I have no regrets buying this car...it almost makes driving fun again.

melbc · April 2006

I agree that road noise seems to have alot to do with the road itself. I live in BC Canada and when we toured around in our Dodge Intrepid that thing was also church quiet. We drove it for 6 years no problems. Last year we took it for a drive through California and we were nearly driven insane by the noise from the highways. We also had to drive with the stereo cranked in order to cancel it out. My husband and I both agreed if we lived down there you would definately have to try and find a car that could tune that noise out. So far our Avalon is fine on our roads. I guess we will soon find out what it is like when we return to California.

MelBC

topgear · April 2006

I have a new Limited and agree about the road noise. This all points to the tires, as they are either quiet, or not so quiet. These OEM Michelins, are not the quietest I'm afraid. However, saying that, they do handle well.
Another thing I'd like to mention to everyone is -check your tire pressure. My Avalon was delivered with over-inflated tires that made the ride very harsh. Bringing them to spec (32lb) enhanced the ride tremendously.

lmacmil · April 2006

No, it's measured at the widest point of the body excluding the mirrors.

lmacmil · April 2006

...while the wife's Highlander was getting an oil change (I have an 05 Camry SE-V6). What a nice car. It's bigger than I'd want to drive on a daily basis but if I was going to drive across country, that's the kind of car I'd want to drive. It was an XLS stickered at $33,700 and was marked $29,700.

nimimi · April 2006

Can you post the name/URL of the online site?

bobwiley · April 2006

joe369: Guess i must be lucky--I have excellent hearing and my Limited is "church quiet!!" You can hardly hear the motor running at idle--yes--during acceleration Its loud--but certainly more quiet than the Acura TL and Infinit G35--and, its just as quiet as the Lexus ES 330.
Bob

bach63 · April 2006

ABS does have something to do with directional control, but only in a PASSIVE sense. By precluding wheel lockup, ABS provides some remaining tire/ground friction to allow steering control. If the wheels were locked up, that steering control would not be available, or would be severely degraded. It's certainly true that VSC is required to provide ACTIVE directional control.

You are right, Max. I should have specified active versus passive control.

bach63 · April 2006

Since there are surfaces on which it clearly does matter, times when ABS will definitely interfere with achieving the shortest stopping distance, it would probably be better to delay the onset of ABS activation unless the VSC system indicates the vehicle is deviating from the desired path.

I agree there are some surfaces where ABS will provide a longer stopping distance, but on a MAJORITY of surfaces, and for a MAJORITY of people, ABS will provide a shorter stopping distance. On most surfaces, once the tires start to skid, stopping distance will increase. Can a person with manual braking outperform ABS? Yes, as long as they can brake to the point of impending skid without exceeding it. The problem is consistently doing that. I will let it go at that; this is an Avalon forum, and maybe there is a better forum to discuss this issue.

fin · April 2006

Thank you *3puttmax* for a simple and very accurate summation of ABS. As posted above, perhaps the forum can now move on......

bobwiley · April 2006

easttexas: I did forget to mention that my dealer undercoats "all" his cars--I know it does help--as i've said many times--our Limited is Church Quiet. Some wind noise is going to happen--traveling at 70+MPH is bound to create turbulence and noise--think of an airp[lane or your house--its just to what degree of volume the noise becomes more noticeable.
Bob

jordan7 · April 2006

While traveling on the highway about 80 mph, something hit the windshield of my 05 Av Ltd. It left a small scuff mark (not really a scratch) which will not clean off and seems to be etched in the glass, about one inch long just behind the rear view mirror. Any suggestions how to polish this out. It seems to be only on the surface.

lzc · April 2006

There are a number of commercial products that claim to do what you want.

I asked a glass shop your question once and they gave me a supply of finely ground pumice, which when mixed with water to form a paste worked very well. I believe all glass shops use it.

mstem · April 2006

My '06 Avalon Limited, purchased in September '05, needs a light cleanup to get ready for spring. I am particularly interested in something to clean and condition the (perforated) leather seats. I know there are forums devoted to cleaning and polishing but I really wish to avoid the "Zaino zealot" types! Please share with me what you use. Thanks in advance...

Mike

stewardrobbins · April 2006

i used Leatherique on my Land Cruiser and I now use it on leather furniture. I think it's better than Zymol or anything else I have used. Do a google search for their website.

easttexas · April 2006

In your reply you said "..my dealer undercoats all his cars" and that suggest to me that you may not have driven an Avalon 'without' undercoating to do a comparison...Yes? No? If the answer is No (I did not) I was looking for a response like:
"Yes, I bought an Avy without undercoating, lot's of road noise, had it undercoated and now it's as quite as a mouse (or save yourself some time and money, there was little difference").

This is my ONLY noteworthy disappointment in the car. By that I mean if a person wanted to look close enough I'm sure they could find fault with, say, a Rolls or Lambo, but I think it might be nitpicking for the most part (as some may view road noise as the same).

I do appreciate your response and a person would have to be pretty gullible to think undercoating doesn't help....but how much?

gypsy13 · April 2006

Nobody ever rides in the back seat of my '06 ltd, so I didn't find the problem there until recently -- after 12,500 miles. Someone reclined the back seat and it wouldn't come back up. The spring-loaded device that pushes the seat back up when you pull the handle was not connected to the seat back....never was...neither side.

It wasn't too hard getting the left side connected, but the other side was difficult because when you push the seat back far enough to slide the bar into the receiver in the seat back, you can't see it.

I finally looped a string around the connecting rod and fished the rod up and down while coaxing the seat gently back...until it finally slipped into place.

Without these connectors in place, the back seats would fly forward in the case of a panic stop or crash...except for the seat belts. And the seats would recline, but not return to the upright position.

It was obvious that these seats were not connected when the car left the factory. I'm not upset, since it didn't cause an incident and I was able to fix it myself (barely), but it did surprise me. I just didn't expect that in Toyota's top line car.

Don

easttexas · April 2006

Bought an 06 XLS 2/13/06 and have 1400 miles on it. There is almost nothing I dislike about this car, except road noise (I have addressed on this site) and the cruise "control", which is a very small fish compared to road noise. Here in east Texas we have a lot of rolling hills, something the equivalent of a typical interstate overpass except drawn out in length. When I approach the grade, at about 70 mph, start assending, the speed drops by about 4 mph (remember, this is a very slight grade) then the ponies under the hood get flustered, start trying to play catch up, shift to a lower gear, rpm goes nuts (bout 3800) and before it reaches the crest it shifts back into high gear and all is in harmony.

Here's the question: Why does it have to play catch up? Instead of loosing the 4 mph why can't it hold a tighter control (I can negotiate the same route without cruise, hold it on 70 and it will not downshift). This is not a major issue but it is annoying and it can't be good for the tranny or mpg.

I plan on talking it to the dealer about this but what I expect from them is "It's the nature of the beast", that's normal for the Toyota and Toyota Avalon. By the way, the Toyota dealer I bought this Avy from on a scale of 1-10 would rate a 2. The only reason I give them a 2 is because they have electricity and an inside bathroom.

Anyone else had a similar cc problem?

limiteddriver · April 2006

The sensitivity of most cruise controls can be adjusted. After your rating of the dealer I'm sure they will be glad to fix your problem.

j_hbrock · April 2006

Hopefully you sense the sarcasm in my thread title.

I know the best solution to my question is - "You'll have to wait and see" but I hope there are some educated guesses based on past years to help me "predict the future"

Come Sept. of 2006 the '07 Avalon should be popping up at dealerships (so I've heard). Since I am not in a rush to buy, I might as well gut it out and wait - hopefully a few new features might be available and maybe even a 6 speed tranny. Oh yeah, my question....

What will the difference in price be between the very few 2006s and the new 2007s be that are on the lot? Will all of the negotiating tactics and strategies I have been learning be in vain due to the newness of the '07 and the dealerships will be unlikely to budge on price?

I am trying to get a ballpark on '06 prices of the Touring compared to speculation on '07 prices in the first few months of release. My buddy got an '06 Avy for $30,500 OUT THE DOOR. Great deal! What are my chances in the first few months of the '07 being out there?

Thanks in advance.

2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

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