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2012 - 2013 Toyota Avalon

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Comments

  • bwiabwia Member Posts: 2,913
    This is one car I'm keeping, as I see nothing out there I want to replace it.

    Not even with the new 2013 Chevy Impala LTZ? If you are not averse to the Chevy name plate, you will be pleasantly surprised.
  • poorthingflintpoorthingflint Member Posts: 61
    Hi Marv15. Can not speak to the interior short comings the 2013 has versus the 2012 but I would be sure before you write off the ride of the current Avalon you drive one with Michlins on it inflated to 33lbs of air. I had all but written off the 2013 until I decided to check the tire pressure on the car I was road testing. All the tires had around 40lbs of air in them on top of that they were Bridgestones which are horrible as far as ride is conserned not to mention noise. With the proper amount of air in the tire the ride improved noticeably but what closed the deal for me was when I drove the same model with Michlins with 33lbs of air in them. Huge difference in ride and road noise from my first car I road tested. I might also point out that all cars suspensions soften up over the first 5-10,000 miles or so but they never firm up. I think this car will hit the sweet spot when it gets to that point for me and will not cause the dreaded floating action that undulating roads could set off with past Avalons. If not 55' aspect tires would be a possibility if one would want to soften the ride up a little more at the loss of a little bit of turn in response. I doubt that will be me but time will tell. My GPS shows the speedo to be about 2 MPH fast at 70MPH so the 55's would probably make it very close to dead accurate a win win plus your warranty would be extended a little bit. Looks like there is plenty of room form the taller tire. Glad you like your car but some food for thought for those folks on the fence about the 2013 vs their older Avalons.
  • myav07myav07 Member Posts: 2
    I test drove a 2013 Avalon Touring with properly inflated Michelins with the intent of trading in my 2007 Avi Touring. I found the ride and handling similar to my 2007 but was turned off by the cramped feeling inside the 2013 compared to the 2007 and the lack of some of the features I like in my car, reclining back seat, large door pockets and other things mentioned by previous posters. Since my 2007 only has 22000 miles on it I will keep it for a long time.

    We just bought a 2013 RAV4 that was delivered to us with 50 psi tire pressure on all 4 wheels. It's ride was unbearable until I lowered the pressure to factory specs. That transformed the ride to smooth and comfortable. From what I can gather Toyotas are transported with high tire pressure to keep the movement on the truck to a minimum. Unfortunately most of the dealers do not adjust it to. specs before delivery.
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    So it wasn't just the ride for you either, was it.
    I to, missed some of the other features, and with that and the ride, decided to trade my 2013 in on a 2012, and have never looked back.

    YES, there are many features I liked / Loved on the 2013, but none enough to live with the ride and other issues.

    I have been told told of these issues will be addressed in the 2014, but not likely they will make the car bigger, add back the rear reclining seats, make the trunk opening larger, make it less cramped inside É
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    "cash for clunkers probably lowered the price of gas a little by improving the efficiency of the American fleet"

    Maybe marginally, but on the baseline of gpd used, it's a blip. What it DID do, was take a million used cars out of the market, and raised the average price of used cars about $4480 dollars. (Depends on the model, of course). It should have corrected some by now, as the subsidized cars are now starting to come back in off lease or by trades, but it really hasn't corrected very much at all. And that's puzzling us.....

    To have Used Cars so expensive now, in a depressed economy is quite the hardship on the low-moderate income population. So, while the effort helped out the domestic auto industry (as well as all the imports as well), the unintended consequence was to screw up the free market, sadly. And we all pay for that.

    Well, I hope it was unintended.
  • marv15marv15 Member Posts: 32
    Your right ncee. They might make some minor changes and make the ride softer, but the interior size won't get any larger. Since the 2012 Avalon is the last of its kind, when the time comes to sell, it will bring nice bucks since there are folks out there that love the car but not the new 2013. So we are the last ones driving 2012 that will benefit from it. Have a great day.
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    Heck, I'm looking for nice Old Buick Park Avenues (I've had 3, one with 337,000 miles), and or old Buick Roadmasters. Mostly because I like big cars, and you are right, the day of the nice large comfortable riding car, just might be over:(

    Skip
  • poorthingflintpoorthingflint Member Posts: 61
    edited August 2013
    I find it interesting and telling that so many Toyotas are being delivered with badly over inflated tires. Motor Trend hammered the Avalon for its ride " The Avalon crashed and banged over bumps,transmitting lots of harsh noise to the cabin". Want to guess what tires their car had? Yep, Bridgestones. I also would be willing to bet the tires had close to 40lbs of air in them because that ride description was exactly my feelings about my first test drive in a Avalon. Bet this over site by the dealers is costing sales both at the point of sale and word of mouth. By the way Car and Driver rated the Avalon the best in their test of the same group of cars including the new Impala. Want to guess what tire was on the car? If you guessed Michlins you go to the head of the class. Not sure if they had the proper air pressure but they were still way better than the car with "Stones". Trust me folks it makes that much difference when your suspension is tuned towards the best and safest handling of your car versus the land yacht float of the 70's. That type of suspension tuning would handle over inflated tires with out a problem. Heck,might ride pretty softly with a hard rubber tire or even wagon wheels. But get yourself in a demanding emergency situation with your life and or property on the line and you will rue the day your cars emergency handling was poor to non existent and understand the virtues of cars like the new Avalon. I will go for the better handling car for the same reason I would not choose to drive a car without seat belts,air bags, ABS and stability control etc.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,852
    "Heck, I'm looking for nice Old Buick Park Avenues (I've had 3, one with 337,000 miles), and or old Buick Roadmasters. Mostly because I like big cars, and you are right, the day of the nice large comfortable riding car, just might be over:(

    Grab a 2011 Town Car! Have an audio shop install a really nice Navigation/Bluetooth system (really the only important feature it doesn't have) and you'll have a heck of ride for not a lot of money.

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

  • jgre333jgre333 Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a 2013 Avalon XLE touring. The stiff suspension does not bother me. However, there are times where I will feel a strong vibration for a second or two. It is very sporadic, sometimes it's after I hit a bump in the road and sometimes it will happen out of the blue on smooth black top.

    I love the car but do not care for this vibration. The dealership has checked the car and says there is nothing wrong. I took a ride with the service manager to try and reproduce the issue. It happen a couple of times after some bumps and I was told this is normal.

    Is anyone else experiencing this issue? I am used to cars with low profile tires and stiff suspension but I have never experienced this vibration. I have the michelin tires at 35 psi. I plan to try 33 psi as others have recommended but not sure if this will make a difference.
  • poorthingflintpoorthingflint Member Posts: 61
    I would strongly suggest you find the nearest Michelin tire dealer and have the manager ride with you to experience the problem and at the very least get the car up on a lift and inspect the tires and suspension. By the way the correct inflation pressure is 33lbs and I can see no benefit from running more. Good luck and please let us know how it turns out.
  • carlupicarlupi Member Posts: 52
    If your car is running on Michelin tires get used to this vibration/roughness whenever you are driving on anything but a glass smooth surface. That's because the sidewalls on the Michelins have stiff belts that do not absorb impact or energy from the road and transmit the vibration into the chasis of the car.
    I recently installed Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires on my 2009 Toyota Avalon and the car's ride deteriorated noticeably. I now feel the same vibration you do plus road cracks, expansion joints, and any roughness in the pavement that I never felt before. The same thing happened to my son's Toyota Sienna after he installed new Michelin Energy Saver tires. I have lowered my tire pressure a bit with some minor improvement in ride quality. Consumer Reports rated these tires at the top in most categories and say the tires provide a smooth and quiet ride. Based on my experience, I don't know how they could come to that conclusion.
  • malcolm9malcolm9 Member Posts: 6
    Hey so I got the 2013 limited Avalon.

    Ride has been fine for me so far.

    I would note and this may be of interest to all of you, that my headliner had a small ding when I bought the car and the dealer promised (in writing) to fix it. The ding was that it was hanging down a little in the middle of the back window.

    For the fix, the dealer sent it to an interior shop who glued it to the window in the middle. (Now, it goes up in the middle instead of down)

    Because it is now in contact with the window glass in the middle, the parts that aren't vibrate against the glass enough to be rather annoying up front. The pulling up in the middle also caused "folds" halfway out on either side.
    I went back to the dealer, they agreed I needed a new headliner. Toyota however has recognized this problem and had done a re-design on teh part and it will be available in January.
  • rjohansonrjohanson Member Posts: 5
    If you want to find out about headliner issues and about tire/ride issues, go to the ToyotaNation forum for the 4th Generation Avalon. Lots of owners have had either or both issues, and the discussions have been very extensive. Touch wood, I haven't experienced any headliner problems but although it doesn't bother me a lot, the ride on the Michelin Primacy XV4s is a lot like the ride that was described earlier on this thread. My biggest issue is with the unnatutural boominess emanating from the JBL audio system, which makes listening to classical music less than 100% enjoyable. But all things considered, after 3,700 miles I continue to think it's a fabulous car. (2013 TAH w/o tech package, crimson mica w' light gray interior; 2/13 build date).
  • trespinosranchtrespinosranch Member Posts: 27
    edited September 2013
    I have a '13 TAL (gas) and I think I know what you are trying to explain, except I would not describe it as a vibration but more noise entering the cabin from the suspension when going over rough bumps. When you combine the noise along with the jostling you have something close to a vibration.

    Why don't you go to the dealer and drive a car identical to yours and I bet it rides the same.

    Just so everyone knows what a rough ride it is, every couple of hundred miles I have to close my sunroof shade. It gradually opens on its own (maybe a half inch) from all the shaking going on inside the cabin. I know its time to close the shade when I see sunlight coming in.
  • havechavec Member Posts: 45
    Funny now the Michelin tires now have the bad ride. Previous posts in this thread had the Michelins being the good guys and the Bridgestone Turanza EL 400's having the bad ride. I'm waiting to get at least 10K miles on my TAH's Bridgestones before I replace them with Primacy H rated tires. I'm hoping the H rated Primacy tires might have better road isolation than the V speed tires.
  • carlupicarlupi Member Posts: 52
    Supposedly, the Michelin Primacy H rated tires give a softer ride than V rated tires because they have fewer or less rigid belts in the sidewall. Otherwise they are identical and have exactly the same tread wear rating. Good luck with this move. Pls let us know if you do notice a difference.
  • havechavec Member Posts: 45
    What tires and size were on your 2009 Avalon before you put on the Michelin Primacy MXV4s?
  • poorthingflintpoorthingflint Member Posts: 61
    edited September 2013
    Interesting observation. Not sure it holds true in all cases. One of the smoothest riding cars I ever owned (Lexus) would gradually open the sunshade while I had a Camry that did not. The Lexus had,drum roll please, Michelins on it. T rated I might add.
  • lntlnt Member Posts: 192
    I bought a 2011 Avalon LTD this summer and drove it for the first time after dark the other night. The bright light from the navigation system blinds me it is so bright. It really does effect my vision. Is there anyway to turn the light down where it isn't so bright?
  • algeealgee Member Posts: 78
    Read the manual is the best. Manual also available on line.
  • neil1neil1 Member Posts: 20
    Press the "DISP" button - bottom button on the right of the screen. The next screen allows you to adjust the screen brightness -or turn it completely off if desired.
  • carlupicarlupi Member Posts: 52
    My original tires were Bridgestone Potenza in the same size I have now (215/60R-16), which is the size established by the manufacturer for this car.
  • rjohansonrjohanson Member Posts: 5
    Not sure if this will help you but for the 2013 Avalon Ltd, the owners manual says that "Depending on the position of the headlight switch, the screen changes to day or night mode." So when the headlight switch is in the auto mode or turned on, unless you'fe overriddend it to have the day mode for the screen on all the time, when the headlights come on automatically, the screen goes from the day mode (the very white and bright background, that your rightly describe as too bright at night) to a much-esire-to-live-with black background with light or white characters. The manual also gives info about adjusting the screen's contrast and brightness. But this is for the 2013 Avalon Ltd. You should check your owners manual for the 2011.
  • dkid1dkid1 Member Posts: 2
    Turn your dash lights down just a little and the nav will go in to night mode when auto head lights come on.
  • lntlnt Member Posts: 192
    Thanks! This was easier than reading the manual. Besides, I have read the manual, but I guess I overlooked it.
  • capricorn07capricorn07 Member Posts: 1
    One of the Toyota Dealer is offering a lease for Avalon xle touring at 480 $ per month with Zero down for 36 months with 36k miles ? Is this a good deal or there is room for negotiation ?
  • malcolm9malcolm9 Member Posts: 6
    edited September 2013
    I don't know anything about leases but I suspect that is a good way to get screwed. Too many places to hide dealers' profit. That is why I did not trade in my old car. They gave me competitive internet pricing but planned to make up the difference on my trade in. Which I still have... The best time to get a deal is on the very last day of the very last month in the quarter. Went in on May 31st and they practically fell all over themselves giving me a deal. Went in with truecar pricing(Costco) and had also pre-arranged loan pricing. Kept saying I should come back after I got the loan finalized with the price and they beat the credit union loan. (PenFed) Got 6 year loan at 1.25%. Thank you Ben Bernanke/Penfed. (mind you, my credit is good.) I had actually not planned to buy that day but they were really desperate to sell. Sept 30, end of the quarter is a nice quiet Monday. Smells like opportunity to me. Pray for poor weather.
    I should add that my loan to own the vehicle is 550/month and its a limited Avalon with the tech package so 480 for 36000 miles on a less pricey model seems high by comparison. (had to put down 15%).
  • mattcg77mattcg77 Member Posts: 1
    I purchased the XLE Touring on Labor Day, and I immediately noticed the shaking as soon as we got on the road for the test drive. The salesman said the service guys were off for the holiday, but I could bring the car in. My wife test drove the car separately from me, as we had our small daughter with us. The first thing she said when she got out was that the tires needed balancing. I purchased the car that day, and I really do like it.

    I brought the car in this week to let the service guys check it out. They said they took it out for a ride and that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I was asked if I had gotten out of a previous Avalon. I said no, that I got out of a 2012 V6 SE Camry, which I could feel just about every bump on the road with the low profile tires. I told him that the ride is much smoother on the whole, but that the shaking sounded like the tires weren't balanced correctly. The tires are Bridgestone, btw.

    I'm curious now if if this is just the way it's going to be, or if something is not correct with the ride. I do really enjoy the vehicle, but I want to nip this in the bud if there's an actual problem.
  • trespinosranchtrespinosranch Member Posts: 27
    What you are experiencing is what you bought. I have a '13 TAL (gas) and it has a very poor ride on any surface other than perfectly smooth asphalt.

    I love everything else about the car, but probably won't keep it more than a year because of the poor ride quality.
  • havechavec Member Posts: 45
    I have a 2013 TAH limited. Yes on rough roads it could be better but it never shakes. On decent roads it's smooth and very quiet.
  • poorthingflintpoorthingflint Member Posts: 61
    What you are experiencing is typical of Avalon's with Bridgestone tires. My Avalon has Michelins inflated to 31psi COLD and I am happy with the ride and my previous car was a 2009 Camry Hybrid. Suggest you read the numerous posts on this matter. By the way the ride softens a bit as the miles are accumulated. Also suggest you visit a reputable tire dealer for his input. First thing he will probably do is check your tire pressure something Toyota dealers obviously are not doing very often. Would not be surprised if your tires have close to 40psi in them. That would be typical. For the smoothest ride try going with 31psi COLD.
  • bill440bill440 Member Posts: 2
    I got a call from my dealer today and they said the new headliner, Front back panel and steering wheel is now in so my 2013 Avalon Limited w/Tech package will be going into the shop next week to get repaired. I had the headliner issue from day one and did not realize it until I read about it in the forum. Toyota knew about it but kept letting the dealer sell the car with the problem. Their temp fix for the headliner was to install buttons to hold up the liner. I refused this fix since that is not what I brought or want in a car. I talked to the dealer, District and Corp, since I only owned the car for a week and did not expect to have the car rebuilt. I am hoping the fixes get it back to a new state, I love the car and the technology and compared to other cars in this class the price is really competitive, The problem I see is the quality seems to be missing.
  • havechavec Member Posts: 45
    edited September 2013
    Latest from CR on the 2013 Avalon's Ride. Still not good. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/09/toyota-avalon-tire-swap/index.ht- - m I'm still thinking of switching out the stock 17 inch Bridgstones on my TAH Limiterd for a set of H rated Michelin MXV4 early next year. The Lexus 350 ride is rated a little better than the Avalon. I wonder if you put both cars up on a rack how much difference there is between the 2 car's suspensions.
  • teresa01teresa01 Member Posts: 14
    The whole ride/tire thing is pretty frustrating isn't it?
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    Be careful what you say, and to whom.

    ____________________

    If you own a high-trim Avalon, it probably wouldnÕt pay to switch to taller-sidewall tires. But if you want a nice big car with a great ride, think about getting the latest Chevrolet Impala. ItÕs everything the Avalon ought to be and more.

    ________________

    These aren't facts or other folks thoughts on the Avalon, I'm just trolling
  • bwiabwia Member Posts: 2,913
    ...if you want a nice big car with a great ride, think about getting the latest Chevrolet Impala. It's everything the Avalon ought to be and more.

    I agree 100%. The LTZ trim level is pricey but it is a great example of what a large American can be. And without hyperbole, the ride handling dynamics in the Impala is even better than a LS 460 or some of the high-end German models.
  • havechavec Member Posts: 45
    edited September 2013
    The whole ride/tire thing is pretty frustrating isn't it?

    It is what it is and most of the time a pretty sweet ride. Especially on the freeway. It could be a lot better on lousy roads like Lombard and Van Ness avenues in San Francisco. The TAH gets an average of 14 more mpg than the Impala V6 which only gets 14 mpg city.
  • poorthingflintpoorthingflint Member Posts: 61
    That is not a view shared by folks in the tire business. They will gladly boor you with stories about customers who went from a 60 or 55 series tire to a lower profile tire and where shocked how bad the ride comfort was effected. I drove the new Impala with 19's on it and will agree it handled bad sections of road better than the Avalon with 18" Michlins but the over all handling of the Avalon was more to my liking. More engaging car to drive with better turn in response and less initial roll in the corners at speed. Now if you could put the best of both cars in one package now that would be something special. For now give me the Avalon for its combination of ride and handling on 98% of the roads I drive on.
  • bill440bill440 Member Posts: 2
    My 2013 Avalon Limited has 18" Bridgestone, you say your has 17"?
  • havechavec Member Posts: 45
    My 2013 Avalon Limited has 18" Bridgestone, you say your has 17"?

    My Limited Hybrid has Bridgestone Turanza EL-400 215/60-17. Everybody here hates them.
  • havechavec Member Posts: 45
    I looked at CR's 2011 report for the Avalon V6. The ride was rated red dot excellent and it was on riding on no other than Bridgestone Turanza EL400 02, size P215/55R17 93V. So based on this one would have to conclude that at least for the hybrid which has the same tires that the tires are not the reason for a little much road feel getting in the way of an otherwise luxury car.

    I'm still going to ditch the Bridgestones in another few thousand miles for the H rated Michelins.
  • poorthingflintpoorthingflint Member Posts: 61
    The big difference in ride quality is between the 18" low profile Stones and the Michlins. I personally drove identical vehicles back to back over the same route with 33psi in the tires and the ride difference was easy to feel. I bought the car with the Michlins and all in all I am pleased how ever I might consider going with. '55 aspect ration tire when these wear out.
  • bill6666bill6666 Member Posts: 1
    is anyone experecing a chemical odor coming from vents only when car is running,mild to strong odor
  • teresa01teresa01 Member Posts: 14
    I am....it's not really bad but I do notice it. I was wondering if it was just me.
  • rjohansonrjohanson Member Posts: 5
    Here's a link to a discussion of this subject on the ToyotaNation forum for the 4th generation Avalon.

    http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/311-4th-generation-2013/579345-sour-smell-air-- vents.html
  • trespinosranchtrespinosranch Member Posts: 27
    I was getting a musky/moldy odor coming from the vents until I learned it is caused by the A/C being in recirc mode (which is the default setting). So now I put it in fresh air mode about 10 minutes before I get home or park somewhere.
  • gohawaiiangohawaiian Member Posts: 84
    If anyone owns a 2013 Avalon Limited with Almond Premium Perforated Leather seats, I would like to know whether it's been a problem keeping them clean and new looking. Due to the light color and perforations, I am wondering if they are prone to easy soiling or discoloration. If so, have you found an easy, effective cleaner that has fully restored their like-new appearance after they became soiled? I had light color leather seats in a previous car and noticed that with time, the dye in my brown and black leather belts eventually rubbed into the seatback forming a dark horizontal line across the lower part of the seatback which I couldn't remove with a leather cleaner. It's possible that friction from my belt rubbing up against the seatback over a long period of time may have removed the dye from that part of the seatback. (Not sure.) I like the Almond color seats in the Avalon but have been worried they might be susceptible to similar soiling or discoloration problems. Any experience with this issue?
  • dwcdwc Member Posts: 6
    Our Limited has the same interior color as yours. We only have about 11000 miles but has not been a problem yet.
  • gohawaiiangohawaiian Member Posts: 84
    Good to hear - thanks for the comment.
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