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2011 Toyota Avalon

18911131435

Comments

  • fhimesfhimes Member Posts: 17
    Thanks! I found the pressure switch based on your info. What a location.
  • blackdog4blackdog4 Member Posts: 67
    I also had tried to find the switch based on the owners manual picture. I immediately went out to the garage and indeed there is a push button switch under the dash. However holding the switch down did not turn out the tire pressure warning light. I have been told that one of the sensors has been damaged and replacement would cost over $200. Should the switch turn off the light with a damaged sensor?
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    edited August 2010
    I'll chime in here too because I bought my '11 LTD without navigation for $32,900 before TTL at Gulf States-Houston on the Internet. Included were premium carpet floor mats (black because light gray have not yet been offered in the Avalon), rear bumper applique, & the vehicle shield package with lusterizing sealant cleaner/wax plus interior leather conditioning. Total suggested retail was a tad under $36,900. So far the car is everything I'd hoped it would be.
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    edited August 2010
    Speaking of which, today I filled the tank in my '11 Limited with ethanol free gas and after figuring the mileage/amount of gas to fill the tank, I averaged 27.6 MPG, combined city/hwy miles with the air conditioner on 75% of the time. Needless to say I'm pleased and impressed. 'Tickled pink' would be an even better phrase.
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    2 days with no new posts. Gotta be some kinda record. Am I a thread killer par excellence or what? hehe.
  • fhffhf Member Posts: 19
    Problem Solved .
    I took my 2011 Avalon Limited to the dealer and they found a loose connection. Now my Ipod gen 5.5 30GB works as described in the manual.
  • fhimesfhimes Member Posts: 17
    I purchased a 2011 Limited in May.I had written a message a few weeks ago that my interior and puddle lights on the outside rear view mirrors did not come on when I approached the car with the starter device in my pocket. Some of you responded that it takes a special setting by the dealer to make this happen. I finally learned from my dealer that this function only works when all the exterior doors are locked. No other settings are required. My lights work fine now. I do not remember this requirement being explained in the owner's manual.
  • algeealgee Member Posts: 78
    Mine don't work and all my doors are locked. Dealer is going to reset the computer settings.
  • _bill_wa_bill_wa Member Posts: 37
    edited August 2010
    1st post here: Past owner of a 2003 GLX Avalon, bought new, put 110,000 miles on it...1 bad oxygen........Was very pleased with that car.....sold to private party for "way more" than what a trade-in was worth.

    1. Bought 2011 LTD, White, Navigation, etc.---Tax, license.....$37,851.81

    2. Garage door opener, took a few trys, but works great.....manual was not written very clear for more that a few items for the 2011.

    3. Have gotten as high as 29.4 mpg but as low as 24.6 mpg.....If you can purchase "straight gas" you are much better off.....car runs better and mileage is better but the cost for straight gas if more.

    4. Just recently had the oil changed....Toyato service thought it called for "synthetic" but we checked "oil filler cap"....oil 5 - 30 weight.

    General comments.....love the 6 speed transmission and the increase HP, better gas mileage than the 2003, quiet, seating is good, love the cooling/heated seats, cup holder is better thn the 2003.

    Why would Toyato discontinue the Avalon series????? The demand is there, cheaper than a Lexus, with many of the same options.....AND the Avalon performs very well on "regular gas"....yea!!!!!!!

    Ohhh 1 additional comment.....Nagivation is a "pain in the [non-permissible content removed]" but then I got spoiled with the Tom Tom 730, undates were free, could change/ask while driving...maybe there is a way to "work around" while driving????????
  • danhoustondanhouston Member Posts: 20
    edited September 2010
    does anyone know what/how much the factory to dealer incentive is for 2011 avalons? i'd like to purchase and have curiosity of a close estimate for the actual dealer's cost. currently, there's no incentives/rebates offered to customers.

    thanks in advance
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    When I purchase mine there was no incentives with the exception of a bad economy.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited September 2010
    The best way to buy a new car is this. ( In my humble opinion) Know what you want then get the dealers competing against one another with the price. With the ecomony the way it is this is easily done. Always get OTD (out the door price) which includes all hidden fees. Tell Dealers what you are doing and do just that. The better deals (again my opinion) are in the bigger towns. Like when I purchase my Avalon in Athens GA. I had better deals offered to me in Atlanta. I had one at 31,500. However when push came to shove, the dealer in Athens matched the deal I was offered in Atlanta and also beat the deal by 100 dollars. 31,500 was not OTD price but it was a start on getting a low price. Since I had to trade my 2000 Avalon in, it's truly hard to say what I gave but I'm happy. Look at post notes on this. If your financing then it's somewhat of a different ball game, ESPECIALLY if your using Toyota to finance. Hope this helps!
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    Agreed. I told dealers what I wanted and asked for their lowest OTD price, less taxes & title. I never gave a price to them. After a half dozen submitted bids, I went around to them again saying their price was not the lowest & if they could beat what I had I'd make the deal; but I never told them a price. Eventually I got an eye-opener deal that no one could/would match and I bought my Limited.

    As for the factory to dealer rebates, I'm betting dollars to donuts that no one knows except for the top management at the dealerships; I'd be surprised if even that's not negotiated.
  • danhoustondanhouston Member Posts: 20
    nan48 & twinb, thanks both for the tips. yes, o-t-d- price is the way to go. i haven't yet started the shopping / bidding process, as i still have some time until the year's end. just curious of where or how we could find the dealer cash info. to get a better estimate of the actual cost
  • adholtmanadholtman Member Posts: 21
    Greetings; After much experimenting, my 2011 Limited's puddle lamps & inside dome light illuminate 100% of the time when I leave the car and use the key fob lock switch. That securely locks the car & automatically lets the puddle lamps & inside lights come on when you near the car upon returning. Too bad it's taken me about 4 months to figure it out! No word of this seems to be in the instruction book--unless I have missed it.

    Otherwise; all is great!

    I hope this helps. Thanks ;)
  • tome1tome1 Member Posts: 10
    Thanks. Yes, I've finally seen mine work. Haven't used key fob though to lock car. Usually, just walk away or touch button on door handle. Yes, Owners Manual is pretty inadequate in this area.
  • _bill_wa_bill_wa Member Posts: 37
    I got mine to work, yesterday..........but had to use "fob". Don't understand why the "black buttons" on the door handles wouldn't do the same thing??????
  • fhimesfhimes Member Posts: 17
    I struggled with my puddle and mirror lights too for 3 months before I learned the doors have to be locked. However my lights now work when I lock the doors either with the black button on the door handle or the starter pocket device (fob).
  • _bill_wa_bill_wa Member Posts: 37
    Stopped by my dealer.....No recalls on anything........so that compass "thing" is not in a recall/fix list......at least not in Washington State.
  • fhimesfhimes Member Posts: 17
    My dealer in Houston also knew nothing about a compass fix coming from Toyota. My compass continues to lock up at times and than starts working again when the engine is shut off and restarted. My dealer checked my compass and could find nothing wrong. Of course it was working the day I took it in.
  • algeealgee Member Posts: 78
    Thanks, it finally works
  • cmb08cmb08 Member Posts: 24
    edited September 2010
    Can anyone tell me why they have stopped lining the rear wheel wells with the same plastic type material that is used in the front wheel wells?

    I took my car in for repair (Already :( (rear-ended) and when I went to pick it up I noted that the interior of the wheel well on both rear wheels is made of an almost carpet like material. I would suppose they are doing this for some kind of road noise reduction....but how durable will it be over time (considering I owned my last Avalon 11 years!) I called the dealership and they couldn't really answer my question.
    I'd appreciate any input . My older Avalon did not have this type of rear wheel well lining. Thanks
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    I can't wait until someone answers this. I'm curious myself. (NOW) I kind of wish your question was more clear but perhaps other people know just what you are talking about.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    I read the 2011 Avalon can go 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. Is this true? Does anyone have any impute on this?
  • mmccloskeymmccloskey Member Posts: 168
    My 2002 Lexus ES300 had this same type of wheel well liner in both the front and rear areas. Since I only drove the car when the roads were dry, I didn't have any issues with them getting dirty or deteriorating due to exposure to the elements and road grime. I no longer have that vehicle but I do have a 2007 Highlander Hybrid Limted that has the same type of wheel well liner in the front areas. This car has been driven in all types of conditions and the liners have held up well but do require periodic cleaning and treatment with the usual items available at your local auto parts store. I prefer the Armorall Tire Foam protectant which helps clean the area and makes for easier cleanup when needed. I have not examined a current model Avalon but it's quite likely Toyota is using a similar material in the Avalon and many other Toyota/Lexus products. I surmise that Toyota used this material to quell road noise (among other methods) since they have some of the quietest autos available.

    My other vehicle, a 2010 Nissan Frontier LE CC 4x4, has plastic liners in the front wheel well area but no liners in the rear. A completely different type of vehicle from the Avalon, but complements my HH when a truck is necessary.

    Regards -

    M. J. McCloskey
  • douglas1douglas1 Member Posts: 130
    I had this same carpet/felt like material on the rear wheel wells of my 2005 Avalon that I just traded in. Didn't have any problems with it and it seems to have lasted just fine.
  • douglas1douglas1 Member Posts: 130
    The compass on my 2011 Avalon didn't work from the day I picked it up. Calibrated it and that did nothing. It started working for a couple minutes and would then quit/lock up. However in the past 3 or 4 days it has started working more reliably and seems to operate correctly most of the time. Been too busy to take it in but maybe if I wait another week or so it will fix itself. Not clear to me why it would start and stop working but it's definitely getting better.
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    edited September 2010
    Nancy Nancy Nancy. The things you write about! I've had my LTD for only a month or so & just put the first 500 miles on the engine, slowly. But since then I've taken it to 80 mph. I haven't timed it, but my impression is with the 268 horses pulling this nearly two tons around, the 0-60 time would be closer to 7.5 seconds than 6.6. It'd be easy enough to find out for sure though. Stop on an entry ramp onto the freeway. When the lane is clear, click a stopwatch on & floor the gas. When you reach 60, click the watch off. There are lots of those stopwatches that have a magnetized back for your refrig, the kind that go forward or backward & can be used for timing anything. They're digital & go into the tenth seconds. You can also have a passenger holding the stopwatch & watching the speedometer so you can focus on the road.

    Are you up for an experiment? Let us know. You're not that little old lady from Pasedena that Jan & Dean sang about, are ya?
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,850
    Car and Driver actually got an 05 or 06 Avalon to 60 in six seconds in a comparison test. Now what they actually did to said vehicle is something none of us would do to our cars I am sure.

    As for the fabric type liners, they hold up just fine. After 3 years in my 06 they were still perfect and after almost 1 1/2 on my Genesis (which has them in the rear) all is fine. I actually prefer this type of liner as all you have to do is stick the hose up in the wheelwell and they look great. The vinyl you always have to wipe down or it looks dirty to me.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Hello twinb, well I guess I should let you know that I'm really Bill, Nancy's husband. Sorry for the mix up. With a pen name as nan48 I can certainly understand. I didn't mean to mislead anyone. The 0- 60 of course is something I wonder about. Not Ms Nancy. She drives more like the lady on "driving Ms Daisy". Every time I put my foot into the gas she says, "there goes my gas". Our car has 800 miles on it and we've owned it a little over a month now. * I * had the car up to 100 MPH but because of tickets I was afraid to go faster. I was running with a new Buick, so that's my excuse. :o) Had to defend the Avalon reputation. :o)
    When breaking a car in people has said very little on the proper way. Some people, like you, assume that gentle miles is the way to break them in. Back in the 70's (I never owned a new car then) some friends of mine would say "break them in the way you're going to drive them". Most people then drove cars fast. At least in my age range they did. HOWEVER I believe the gentle way would be the correct way. After all it's an expensive investment that I want to last us a long time. We don't have money to throw away on new cars.

    If car and track says it's 0-60 in 6 seconds then I would say that's accurate. I do not believe they test anything but stock vehicles. I could be wrong though. I did read 6.6 seconds somewhere but I can't post the site because I don't know where I seen it. I won't sit and time myself, I care more for my car then to floor it, red lining the engine with such low miles. HOWEVER, with that said it is under warranty so maybe I should try that. Hmmm, I'll take the slow road for now. Thanks for all the impute. If anyone has anything to add to the speed blog please do so. I do hear that there is a chip that cuts the speed off at 135 mph. On Youtube there is one site were the chip was removed and a older Avalon got up to 160 MPH, then wrecked. The amazing part was the cage around the passengers was still intact. Very safe car. No one was hurt. Oh yea they showed how fast they was going right before they lost control. We all know the older Avalon's are lighter and smaller. Till next time, Bill
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited September 2010
    Ok, here are some sites, ignore the bad language, I didn't make the video. The Avalon is definitely VERY fast from 0-60.......check it out! However I could not find the one were the Avalon crashed. It was made over seas.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TTwZWaPXHc&NR=1
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSNH0VkSs4&NR=1
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7XmdGiUBLs Chicago Show
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03IAp3ufhpk Demo rid
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited September 2010
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    Not really.

    2 Camry's 2003 (which we still have), 2008 -Traded for the Avalon
    2 Tercels - got when we traded in the 4Runner (needed 2 cars)
    1 4Runner - Traded in a Cutless Supreme
    1 Avalon - Traded in the 2008 Camry

    I drive 35,000 + miles a year, and want, like to have as big a car as possible, while
    still getting good gas mileage, and comfort.

    I just tried out a LS 460 L … This WILL be my next car:)

    Skip
  • fhffhf Member Posts: 19
    Just put the first 400 mjile trip on my 2011 Avalon and got 27.5 mpg with all highway driving, however the last 200 miles was against a stiff head wind. Car now has 1000 miles on it.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Thanks twinb for the update on MPG. It's good to know what others are getting on their 2011 Avalons and what we're expected to get. I suppose to fill up again soon. We have 800+ miles on our Avalon. I am curious. Do you figure you MPG up yourself or do you just tell us what the computer says? We figure ours up every fill up by calculator.(of course on this Avalon that hasn't been but twice) One man in this blog said he got 32.5 MPG but don't quote me, I need to double check that to make sure. I bet you're happy with the 27.5, my little 2003 Mazda Protege got really bad gas mileage for such a little car and it barley beat that. TC, Bill
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited September 2010
    I primarily drive a 2003 Toyota SR5 with extended cab. We don't do a lot of driving and this truck has 49 thousand miles on it. The 2011 Avalon gets better MPG if you can believe that? My MPG in the Toyota gets 19 - 24 MPG (never took a road trip in the truck). The truck has no pep, but I can almost guarantee it's the sharpest one around. We also have a 2001 Dodge Diesel, with 53 thousand miles on it. This Dodge is a great truck but has given me some problems in the past. It's use mostly to pull our 5th wheel. I am told I should drive my Diesel more. 53 thousand miles, the Cummings engine isn't even broke in yet, I am told. Maybe I'll sell my 2003 Toyota, and start driving my Diesel more. Any lookers out there? Bill
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited September 2010
    My Toyota is a 2003 SR5, is automatic, red, bucket seats, with jumper seats in the back, AM/FM, CD player also with a factory cassette player, So folks no XM radio with this vehicle. This Toyota also comes with spray in bed line and a nice roll up cover for the back. The cover cost me 700 dollars, it's not a cheap one with locking tail gate. Soft tint on all the windows with exception of the back windows has dark tint. No accidents, scratches, or door dents of any kind. Always serviced at Toyota dealer locally, oil changes, transmission flushed, etc. Has NEVER pulled anything. Anyone interested in my truck please write me at billforgrace@yahoo.com or njinks@yahoo.com I will sell the truck for 11,200.00...(not negotiable)......that might sound expensive but this is the last year they made the little truck that small. The same year they did make the truck bigger but this one is the smallest. Drives like new and still has a hint of new truck smell. All my vehicles are garage kept. The transformation to a bigger truck took place this year. After this year the truck was bigger with a bigger engine and got bigger as the years went on, offset was MUCH worse MPG. It's almost impossible to buy this kind of truck in this shape with this documented miles. Buyer will not be disappointed that I assure you. Thanks, Bill in Athens GA.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Ok, from now on I will try to talk solely about my Avalon. Sorry about that, Bill
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Today I checked my MPG. We got 23.2 all city driving. I think that's pretty good for this big car.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,850
    You are doing good. My 06 returned 20.5 - 21.5 the entire time I owned it. Considering most of it's driving was city / gridlocked highway I had no problems with those #s. I did take it on a long trip once and got 28.8 at speeds of 75-85.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    No traffic jams in this small town unless you go downtown. The mpg was city but I probably should point out I live in the country outside the big city of Athens GA. I'll continue to give MPG as I go. We have about 900 miles on it so far. Needless to say we don't drive much. :o)
  • fhimesfhimes Member Posts: 17
    I purchased my 2011 Avalon in May and took a 500 mile highway trip with only several hundred miles on it. The MPG on this highway trip was 31.7 I have been averaging 21-22 MPG in the city which is a several miles lower than what I received on my 2000 Avalon XLS. I now have around 2700 miles on the car.
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    I use to get 30-35 on the highway and low 20's in city with my 2008 Touring Edition Avalon. I say use to, because since putting on some new tires (Bridgestone Turranza Sernety's) - I'm getting mid to upper 20's on the highway and upper teens in the city:(

    I will be taking a nice long road trip (again) - within the next few weeks and I'll be watching it better then. And I'll be hitting the road again 2 weeks later for another road trip (not as far, but with the car full up with passengers and such). I'm not looking forward to these trips, just because of the fuel mileage.

    I'll check back afterwards.

    Skip
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    Hi Nancy, er, ah, Bill. Yuk Yuk. I figure the gas mileage myself; fill the tank, run it to empty, then refill & keep track of the total miles per tankful. Just filled it again this weekend and got 27.4 mpg; that includes a trip into the mountains west of Denver, from 5,000 to 9,000 feet altitude, so the mileage on the first fill-up was not a fluke. I think the engine & tranny gearing are perfectly set for this size car.
  • gramzgramz Member Posts: 106
    I just turned 5,000 miles on my limited and haven't reset the MPG in the last 3,500 miles and it reads 30.4.

    Now the qualifications. I live in a rural area and most of my driving is at 65. When I go to a town or small city I will only have 4 or 5 stops and then it's back home. These towns are anywhere from 40-150 miles away and most people will seem more traffic on their way to work tomorrow that I will see in the next couple of months. I do drive some interstate at 75 but not a lot and I did make one long trip which included some large city driving but again not a lot.

    This has been with regular gas and all good weather. The only thing that might have cost me a couple of few tenths would be the wind.

    If everything goes according to plan I'm going to start running ethanol the next time I fill up. This has always cost me about sd2mpg on other cars.

    Will keep you posted.
  • rotterdam6rotterdam6 Member Posts: 36
    This Avalon amazes me with its MPG! It gets as good mileage as many 4's and even better than some. Are there any other v6's that even come close? Love this car.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Hello again twinb, If you makes you feel better Nancy has responded on this blog to several things. You can spot the difference easy. She has good English skills and I don't. She drives like a old lady, I don't but I'm forced to when she's in there which is 95% of the time. We're not old, I'm 53, she's 49 but she drives like she is. I guess you're only old as you feel. Right?

    WE both love the Avalon. We love the ride, how fast it is, how quite it is and we especially love the MPG, oh yea, the room or extra room I should say. My mom road in the back seat and said it's like riding in a Hurst. This Avalon gets better gas mileage than my 2003 Mazda Protege sedan which had a 4 cyl. in it.

    I've noticed a slow shifting in my transmission when cold. But since we don't drive it that much, I'm not sure if it's me or if it's truly slipping. Other than that I have no complaints and that slow shifting transmission might just be me. Till next time, Bill
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    gramz you MUST really live in a rural area. I have to ask where that is? Thanks, Bill
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    After raising the hood, I'm kind of disappoint that there is NOT a light there. I guess I'm just a complainer but seems to me Toyota should have put a light under the hood. My 2001 Dodge Diesel has a light under it's hood. MAYBE that's not typical. I THINK my Impala SS (1996) had a light under the hood but honestly I can't remember.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Well the big 50 birthday for the wife is coming up. So MPG will be noted and closely watched. We usually go South to Florida so it will be flat driving.
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