2011 Toyota Avalon

popsavalon · June 2011

On my 2007 Avalon, there is a right and left half to the shield. They are held on with plastic push fasteners. After my encounter with a curb, I had the local body shop order the destroyed left half. It was about $90(highway robbery!), and I installed it in about 15 minutes. There is a Toyota part number embossed in the shield, but the body shop seemed to be very familar with what to order.

I thought I might save a little money by ordering it from the local shop, and I never checked with the Toyota dealer.

nan48 · June 2011

Good to know information. I always worry about hitting any curve I pull up to. I know these cars sit low to the ground. I never in my life thought it was below 6" though.

nvbanker · July 2011

Ground clearance is minimal for aerodynamic reasons, and they aren't much lower than most sedans.

gramz · July 2011

Just curious what your RPM reads when you're averaging about 24 on the highway - driving at 65+ MPH.

Or what does the + mean.

It hard to imagine that you are getting that low. At that speed I got around 32 on the road consistently from the very start.

ncee · July 2011

Ok so what is everyone getting, when (city, highway) (flat plains area, hilly, mountainous, stop and go) and what is the mileage on your car at this time?

I just did a trip to Vermont, and averaged 29.85 MPG, (501 miles to the tank) and this was pretty much a round trip with very little stopping. Some hills, mostly highway with 2 adults. 4000 miles on the car at this time.

Now this is about 100 +- better then the last few tanks of gas, so a nice improvement and pretty much right where it's suppose to be.

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nan48 · July 2011

I believe a lot of MPG has to do with the driver. People say they drive 65+ which is good but they might do "jack rabbit starts" and so forth. We all know this will lower you MPG.

I drive like this will be my last car I ever buy. It very well might be too. I have nearly 9000 miles on it and love the ride. Love the MPG for such a big car. Love the drive and all the options. I did not get the nav. system but my daughter bought me a small one to use. We've owned the car almost a year now. (I think that's right)

I get around 24 mpg and that's city/hwy driving. I live in the city but it's in the country. On the road we've got as good as 31 or maybe 32, (that's about right), I'm sure we never got 33. I believe 28 or 29 MPG on the HWY would be my average. Always two people on the road. Always carrying a lot of things too. :^) I log every fill up, every oil change, EVERYTHING.

douglas1 · July 2011

I've got about 3900 miles on my Ltd, no Nav, and have been getting 28 to 30 mpg on the highway and usually drive a pretty consistent 75mph. Occasionally I find myself tooling down the highway at 85 mph because this car is so damn quite. Around town, lots of hills around here, I get about 18 to 19 mpg.

I try not to jack rabbit start but can't help occasionally blowing off a very surprised BMW driver. : )

popsavalon · July 2011

I have a 2007 with 45K miles. I have found that there is a distinct difference in gas mileage between 70 mph, and over 70 mph. 70 mph will get me 30 mpg, 75 mph will drop the gas mileage by a couple of mpg. This applies to southern interstate driving, with air and cruise on.

nan48 · July 2011

I know what you mean about the BMW. I sometimes catch myself doing the same thing with different cars. I believe this car performance has a lot to do with the transmission.

MY MPG varies a lot, depending on my driving habits. I checked on my last long distant trip and got about 28-29 MPG on the HWY. Driving normal speeds. Around 80 or less.

My car computer is always off by 2 MPG, showing I'm getting better than I really am.

I have nearly 10 thousand miles on my car. Still runs good and no road noise and NO squeaks what so ever. NO problems to speak of. I do have a slight wiper problem everyone has talked about. I found out if you slow your wipers down it's almost stops. I think a lot of that depends on how hard it's raining. My wipers skip a little only when it's barley raining. NEVER on a hard rain. I don't believe there's anything wrong with the wiper arm.

I reset my computer on the MPG every time and I'm still 2 miles off per gallon every fill up, no matter what I'm always off that 2 MPG. I hope the MPG people are posting is NOT what the computer says.

IS there anyway to adjust the computer settings? Anyone!

nan48 · July 2011

I DON'T think you'll blow away a 7 series BMW. I don't THINK. With that said I owned a 1996 Impala SS and this car can compare to that car in a 1/4 of mile. This is one fast big car. Toyota really out done themselves on this 2011 Avalon. Handling compared to the 96 Impala is much different. Mainly because that car is rear wheel drive.

I'm guessing they will never make the Avalon rear wheel drive. I say this because if you wanted rear wheel drive then move up the Lexus. I THINK all of them are rear wheel drive but I'm not really sure.

nan48 · July 2011

Has anyone checked to see if their actual MPG is the same as their computer in their car?? Mine is off my 2 MPG every time. Feedback on this will help. Thanks!

wwest · July 2011

"..Anyone!.."

Inflate the tires "properly"...?

tjc78 · July 2011

I THINK all of them are rear wheel drive but I'm not really sure.

The ES350 and RX350 are FWD like the Avalon (The RX having f/AWD available). Those vehicles also share many components with the Avalon. The GS/LS/IS sedans are RWD.

jross71 · July 2011

As an '11 Avalon owner I say I must agree with your feelings about NAFTA. The "giant sucking sound" and all that. I watched the infamous interview with Al Gore. The press ridiculed RP. I am still boggled by how these free trade agreements were supposed to help our employment by encouraging business to seek cheaper labor elsewhere without some counter-balance mechanism. Seems some make a lot of money, some are left with broken promises and many are now left broke to boot. All the infrastructure improvements and benefits - all a bunch of hooey that never materialized. At least where I am from. All the fortune 500 companies are long gone, vacant properties and tele-marketers remain.

OK so I am saying that I dislike NAFTA, but then I purchased an Avalon Limited. Well that had nothing to do with NAFTA. The last Domestic Brand sedan I had was purchased pre-Nafta an '87. After countless window regulators, alignment issues, overheating, several engine control parts breaking, A/C going out on trips, A/C compressor self- destructing to the point the vehicle had to be towed (serpentine drive belt), all before 60 thousand miles, I was fed up. Because the one before that - an '82 - did the same general things. And I do not beat my cars either. At that time, it seemed the Japanese big 3 did not have those issues. So I jumped ship so to speak, straight to the Nissan dealer - sorry I am as patriotic as the next person but I just did not need the aggravations.

Now I just prefer Nissan / Toyota because it is what I have personally had the best luck with most recently. Some just happen to be made in US. We still have the '95 Altima, made in the US, over 100K miles, just has required a water pump and some hoses, drives great to this day and the A/C works too. I had an '07 Camry before the Avalon. Honestly it seemed a bit cheaped out in some interior fitments - but zero mechanical problems for me - nothing ever broke. Four-banger, and it performed very well too - about as expected. Sold it for almost half what I paid for it. My wife had a '05 Nissan X-Trail (outside US 4X4 model) - in 5 years, replaced an oxygen sensor. Sold it for more than half what I paid for it. I even owned a '00 Daewoo for 2 years - it never broke. Once I thought it broke - turns out it was a shot of bad gas. Awesome A/C.

All indications are the Avalon is pretty well sorted too. Time will tell of course. My wife has nicknamed the Avalon the "Cloud". What a sweet ride. I delivers on it's promises so far.

I never got too upset about the gas pedal fiasco - I am old enough to remember Audi had the same thing happen in the mid-80's.

Im am also old enough to remember that in the 60's Chevy had a batch of defective engine mounts that could snap on a hard shock, engine would be free to twist and then pull/jam the throttle linkage full-on. Happened to many cops when they jumped curbs or hit a bump hard in the course of pursuit. Can you imagine going to uncontrolled full throttle with a police package 409 or 427? The interim solution was to add a safety cable to the engine mounts as a back-up - something already well known to racers. OK it was probably a bad design and accident waiting to happen and I know GM was pinching pennies and perhaps could have prevented it from happening. Perhaps. By that is life and we are humans motivated by factors that sometimes conflict. Witness the shuttle O-rings.

In 15 or 20 years it will happen again to some other car company. And it will be new news and everybody will forget and the press will not mention Toyota and Audi and Chevy. That is how it goes.

Only one way to totally totally stop these unfortunate happenings really - stop driving, stop flying, stop sailing, etc.

Or, try this: Stay sober, stay focused and situationally aware when operating a powerful and potentially dangerous mechanical device such as a table saw or car, read the owners manual in detail, anticipate emergencies like a pilot, practice an emergency stop once in a while to maybe learn the feel of the anti-lock peddle vibration so it doesn't freak one out, and do not allow passengers to ride without fastening their seat belts. Oh gee, am I talking about responsibility here?

But I will still consider an American brand car especially if the reliability statistics are at least par - which brings me to the Avalon - actually I really wanted a Town Car, but it just would not fit in our garage properly. I was wanting to get a TC before they went away, and would have taken a chance on it but for that issue. I always rent TCs or Grand Marquis when traveling out of town and love them. But the Avalon fits the garage, has a superior electronics package, and is the closest I could find to a TC/GM in general driving characteristics at the price point. To me it seems like a 6/8 scale model TC.

Avalon just doesn't have that awesome TC long hood sticking out a half light year into the future!

Enough of my rant I apologize, I just get riled whenever I see or hear that 5-letter acronym N*F*A!!

Cheers and good luck with Avalon's (and Town Cars)!

wwest · July 2011

~200 years from now will there still be Canadian and Mexican borders..?

I hope not.

Borders, okay, restricted crossing...NOT!!

nan48 · July 2011

It's impossible to buy a complete American made car today. Simply impossible. I too owned my share of old American cars. My first car a 64 Dodge Polara road good and no problems at all. No ac in that car. I was young and boiled the tires at almost every corner. This car had a big block 318 with push button automatic. My next American made car was one of my worse cars. American Rambler. My third American made car was back to the Dodge. Love my 1970 Dodge Charger. All American made with another 318 engine. Again no AC. Americans can build good cars. It's just been some time since they have. My Avalon was put together in Geoge Town KY. Parts are from all around the world, I assume.

Personally, I think NAFTA should be haulted, completely. I would LOVE to buy a competely made American car. (like one of the old Dodges I owned) I think we should all buy American made products. There should be a saying, "if your going to sell it here then you should build it here". Diana Sawyers said if every American bought an American product that cost a mer $3.33, then in turn it would put 10 thousand Americans to work. We did our part last week. We bought a $10 dollar, competley made, American plastic basket at Target.

Nick name "Cloud" is perfect for this car. Suits the car to a T.

rotterdam6 · July 2011

Anyone hear about the new wiper arms that are to replace the noisy ones many of us seem to have? Love my Avalon, but the wipers drive me "nutz!" I always drive my Camry when I know it's to rain.

nan48 · July 2011

I have nothing of replacement for this product. I am due for a service soon and will ask about it.

nan48 · July 2011

The lower your RPM means the less your motor is working. I BELIEVE your best MPG will be the highest speed at the Lowest RPM. This is meant for HWY driving only, NOT city driving. I SUSPECT 55-60 miles an hour will be your best gas milage. That's speed it hard to do in a car like the Avalon. I find myself driving 80 almost all the time. It seems my MPG is a little lower than most people in this post. Hope this helps.

fin · July 2011

For decades our cars have been designed to get the best gas mileage at about 55 mph. This is a function of many things: older roads before the interstates were built, engine noise, power curves in an internal combustion gas engine, gearing etc. Little has changed as to this speed despite all the nice highways and electronic controls to help increase mileage. Driving 55 is still safe and fuel efficient.

Mileage reductions are also a function of speed as it relates to air resistance. Doubling the auto speed means four times the air to push out of the way... it's exponential... this is meaningful beyond about 75 mph in a car, you are right that at 80 mph the air you push is burning your fuel more quickly, not the distance covered. Enjoy your Avalon... great cars..

fhimes · July 2011

I really enjoy my 2011 Avalon Limited but I have a problem being able to read the dial readings on the instrument panel such as speed, etc on a bright sunny day. The instrument panel is so far recessed on the dash that the instrument panel is basically dark in bright sunshine. Any body else have this experience?

nan48 · July 2011

I believe this topic was talked about in earlier post. You might want to check to see. Hope this helps.

fhimes · July 2011

My compass on the rear view mirror in my 2011 Avalon Limited is incorrect about 50% of the time.

I know there was a lot of discussion on this problem sometime ago but I was wondering if anyone has been able to have it corrected by the dealer?

gramz · July 2011

I had problems with mine starting when I bought the car. The dealer kept telling me the Toyota engineers were working on a fix. I was planning a 5,000 mile trip and more or less demanded that they give me a new compass. (It had been 6 months) They replaced the whole compass/ mirror and I haven't had a problem since.

shys · July 2011

I have the same problem. The speedometer needle isn't long enough to reach the black exrterior ring around the dial. As a result, there's insufficient contrast between the needle and the backgound of the speedometer. The tach needle is long enoughl The the tips of the needles are light-colored, so the tach needle is contrasted and therefore easier to read than the speedometer needle. However, even when the instrument panel light is turned up as high as it will go, the panel isn't that visible in the daylight (it's perfectly OK at night). I have a 2006 Avalon Limited that doesn't have this issue becuse the tips of the speedometer and tach needles are briightly lighted..
This really is a safety issue. I didn't really notice it unitl after I had several hundred miles on the car, and then it was too late to tell the dealer I didn't want it. I'm taking it in to the service department next week to determine (1) if the speedometer needle is too short and needs to be replaced (2) if the tips of the needles should be liighted and (3) if the inistrument panel light can be increased/intensified.

I can't find the prior post on this subject mentioned in another reply to your posting.l

Has anyone else had this problem?

jiamin · July 2011

I like to know that during normal driving, does the mini rear view screen diappear, and the entire mirror looks the same as those without rear view screen? If not the same, is it a little distracting?

Thanks.

ncee · July 2011

I test drove one for a day, and can say, on the one I drove, yes in fact the mirror is just like every other mirror when driving, and no I couldn't see any difference or anything distracting about the mirror.

I did like the guide lines that show up in the mirror when backing up, but I ended up with a limited with nav and all the other options:)

Skip

gramz · July 2011

This is the first time I've had a backup camera. To me it's one of the best options I've ever had. I have a problem with dept perception and this completely eliminates this problem when backing.

I know you're not suppose to use it for backing but I really have to force myself to not use it 100% when backing. I remember to turn and look but I usually don't.

Yes, it disappears when you shift out of reverse.

nan48 · July 2011

This is my first time with a back up camera. I LOVE it. I found only one problem with it, rain. But you can always turn it off. It's one option I will want from now on.

nan48 · August 2011

I just had my oil change at 10 thousand miles. The same day I had to take a trip to Birmingham AL about a 500 mile trip. I was in a hurry so I didn't double check the amount of oil put back in my car. I noticed when I return I had a ticking in my engine. I did not run the car hard but I did run a normal trip. There was a few times in which was going pretty fast.

When I pulled into the garage I notice a ticking in my engine. My garage is quite and this noise can easy be spotted in a quite garage. I cut the engine off and then I checked the oil. To my surprise there was barley any oil on the dip stick. I was shocked. The ticking is NOT loud enough to hear in the car because of all the insulation but in my garage you could hear the ticking. Any tips out there on this. What should I do?

I know to check the engine oil after a oil change. I should have but being cripple I didn't. I just trusted my dealer. I called my dealer first thing after my return trip. I left a message and I am quite upset. Is it out of line to have them change the oil again? To perhaps put synthetic oil in? Can this harm the engine? I am REALLY upset because some lazy tech didn't do his job right. I hate the word fire but I paid 36 thousand dollars for this car and paid CASH. Any tips please advise.

gramz · August 2011

First let me say that I'm not sure how much oil was and is in your car but if it's a very little then you could end up with problems such as shorter engine life. It something that a person would never know until down the road. If its only like a quart low then I don't see a problem but I don't think you would be hearing the clicking noise at a quart low.

If the car is over a quart low the oil should definitely be changed. Whatever oil is in the car has worked harder and got hotter than it normally would have. No, it would be out of line to ask or even demand that the dealer change the oil.

I would advise against synthetic oil since you didn't start with this.

If the ticking is still there after filling with fresh oil then you have a serious problem.

I'm not sure what Toyota (I'm talking headquarters here) will do but I would definitely get this on record with then. That way if you have problems down the road then you have a record of what happened. You can call then and they will take all the information and ask you what you how you would like to have this fixed. They will call the dealer and he will get back to you. I speak from experience on this one.

gramz · August 2011

If you don't have an extra $271.00 to spend keep your FOB safe.

Mine fell on the highway and came apart. The case got destroyed but the printed circuit board was ok. I tried to order just the case but they said that wasn't an option.

nan48 · August 2011

1/4 of an inch from the end of the dip stick is showing. I have NOT added any oil. I want THEM, the dealer to see how low it is. I'm not sure how much this is low.

nan48 · August 2011

I just started my car again WITHOUT adding oil. NO noise, no clicking. SO I assume it was about a quart low. I know I could have done a great deal of harm but I feel MUCH better now. I know I should have checked it and I will from now on.

tjc78 · August 2011

If you don't have an extra $271.00 to spend keep your FOB safe.

Ouch, if it happens again there are always replacements on Ebay MUCH cheaper.

Click Here!

nan48 · August 2011

Without adding any additional oil. I'm sure the oil light would have came on if it was MORE than a quart low. I feel MUCH better now. It just worried me a lot when I first heard the clicking noise. I could have hurt my car.

The Dealer did call and assured me it was NOT their habit to do this. They also assured me they was looking up the tech who changed my oil.

fin · August 2011

The oil warning light is set to come on if oil pressure falls below a certain psi or exceeds a certain psi. There is no direct sensor in the oil pan to detect oil level (I think), just the line pressure (low pressure could mean lack of oil among other things). If the warning light never came on then you had enough pressure to avoid major instant engine damage. But did the oil overheat a little and reduce the ultimate life of the engine...? Good question. And oil only needs to get about 15% hotter than normal to reduce its functional life to almost nothing.

Oil refills below capacity have happened many times with this generation of Avalon but damage claim numbers are minimal. Still, check out what happened and be satisfied... you never know...

nan48 · August 2011

The dealer showed us that the oil was NOT low. It's just clear and I could only see the oil at the bottom of the dip stick.

The clicking noise was there. I could hear it clearly in the garage. Now I can't. I assume I drove the car a little harder than normal on the way home. There is no clicking sound now. I only heard it the one time.

I think I should change to synthetic oil. Any thoughts on this. I could really feel the heat from the engine but no lights came on at all. Someone said it's a bad time to change to synthetic oil. Any thoughts on this?

nvbanker · August 2011

Synthetic oil is always a good idea. It mixes well with dino, so there is no downside, in fact, there are synthetic blends available which mix dino with synthetic for sale! The oil Ford uses, is a blend. So with all due respect to the person above who recommended against it, he's wrong. Synthetic will last longer as a lubricant, handle more abuse and heat, and even require fewer changes if you want to, but remember the filter does not have extended life. I think synthetic saved my old Lexus motor when it lost its coolant once and overheated drastically. Don't know for sure, but the engine survived. I would switch, next change.

nimimi · August 2011

Does anyone know where the owners manual and the navigation manual might be downloaded as one file each?

nan48 · August 2011

I've asked many people about changing my oils. ALL agree it would be much better. The clicking, I believe is a valve noise caused by heat. The dealer said it's normal. Personally I don't think so. I have never heard it except after a hard drive and only the one time. PLUS the regular oil seems really thin (in my opinion) so this is one reason I think I could not see it on the dip stick.

We all have the two year agreement, maintaince free. I've owned my Avalon for over a year now with 10 thousand miles on it. So I think I will switch next oild change.

Thanks for the advice.

nimimi · August 2011

Has anyone had experience drilling holes in the trunk lid to anchor the bottom of the license plate? Is there any issue with doing this? Is there a better way to secure the plate so that it won't bounce and rattle?

tjc78 · August 2011

I would try either some really good double stick tape (the foam kind) or purchase some rubber bumpers and silicone them to your license plate. There is no way I would drill into my trunk lid, that just adds the potential for rust, water leak etc.

fhf · August 2011

I put a dab of silicon seal on the bottom corners of the license plate. After It setup, this holds the plate out from the trunk surface and prevents movement.

wwest · August 2011

Velcro...

nvbanker · August 2011

Don't know for sure, but my Lexus also clicks softly sometimes. I've been told by many, it's the high pressure injectors for the direct injection. The one thing I do know, is they do, "all do it", so I have ceased to worry, and turn up the radio.....

gramz · August 2011

By chance that someone from Toyota mointors this forum how about we comment about our dislikes. Maybe someone down the road will get an improved car because of it.

Off the top of my head a couple of issues come to mind.

Speedometer. Probably not the best vision but I really have a problem seeing 55, 65,75, etc. I think part of the problem is that 80 is at top, which I'm not used too and units of 20 between numbers instead of 10. If they had left off the 120 mph to 160 mph there would have been a lot of room to improve the speedometer.

Temperature. Really hate to have to go through the dash menu everytime I want to see the temp. Could be real easy to put in mirror or radio screen.

Keyless entry. Really dislike not being able to leave my car running and lock the door. We have some really cold weather and it's nice to be able to let the car warm up with the doors locked.

Last is the power supply at the bottom of the storage box. There is no grove to run cords through.

I realize these are minor issues and I really like my car but unless they are changed I would have to think a long time before I purchased another Avalon.

Curious if others have the same or different issues.

nan48 · August 2011

I put this cushion tape on my tag. It worked great for me, no rattle, no scratching of the paint. I put the cushion tap on the tag NOT the car. Hope this helps.

nan48 · August 2011

Never hurts to mention them. I would think a Toyota represented would read this blog.

nan48 · August 2011

Now finding the outside temp gauge is something I don't like. My mom says it's always freezing in the back seat. Even with the vents cut off air still comes through. HOwever she loves the room.

2011 Toyota Avalon

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