Toyota Avalon 2004 and earlier

kata41

Anyone else have any problem with Avalon not accepting disks; JBL system - radio & tape player work; CD player used to work, just quit one day; an error msg comes up, maybe #3?

mikem30

I have a 1999 XLS with the previous Donlop version-D60-A2 that have now been replaced by the SP Sport A2. My tires handle well and are quiet. This is a good choice especially for the money.

padevlin

First of all, read the warranty booket which came with the car about the tires. I believe that this is apparently a defective tire which should be replaced by the manufacturer less an allowance for wear. Check it out. As for tires, when the time comes to replace all four, I would go with Dunlops. I used Dunlops for years and found them to be a very reliable tire. I guess that you are aware that the spare tire in your car is a full size spare on a real wheel which can be permanently installed in place of the defective tire. You could then pick up a used tire and carry it for your spare until you get around to replacing all four. One more thing, On my 01 Avalon which I have had for just about a year, all four tires are constantly in need of air. When I first got the car every tire was underinflated by about at least 7 pounds of air with only 25psi in each tire. I thought that this was just another ruse by the dealer to give the car a softer ride which it did but is not really safe which is another reason why I distrust this dealer. I have found that these tires lose anywhere from 3 to 4 pounds of air - all of them - in about one weeks time. Does anyone else have problems with their tires losing air like this?

padevlin

Oh, that I could rewrite history. If I could, I would make it just before I purchased my first and last Toyota product....

padevlin

My CD has the nasty habit of throwing up all of the discs loaded into it with no warning. This is just another of those cute little defects in this so-called quality car. Yeah...

padevlin

The transmission on my01 Avalon has begun to clunk into gear after a little spinning when pulling out from stop. Also, when slowing down for traffic ahead and then applying the gas, there is also a definite clunk. For only 15,000 miles on it, I am not very happy about this problem especially when the dealer's comment on the work sheet was "cannot duplicate problem". What a bunch of bull. And the beat goes on...and on...and on...

padevlin

What is up with the a/c, heater, controls in this car. It is either blowing too cold or too hot. You have to constantly play around with the controls manually because the set it and forget it option sure doesn't work on my car. And the defrosters are the weirdest I have ever encountered. I have owned many cars with all season controls and none of them were the pain in the butt that this one is. Score one more for Toyota product lack of quality.

cliffy1

Let me get this straight. You claim to have an Avalon that has corroded battery cables, CD player that will randomly eject all the discs, air mysteriously exiting the tires, clunky transmission and a climate control system that you can't use. In short, every problem that has been commented upon in the last 2 months, you have. Please sell this car.

mbt1

The coolant level in the reservoir of my 2000 Avalon dropped a couple inches since the beginning of the year. I checked when both the ambient and car temperature were equivalent; in all instances, I checked first thing in the morning when the weather was about the same. The dealer checked the cap and found no problem with it or any other signs of a leak in the system. Is it normal for the system to lose some coolant over time due to usage of AC or simply running the motor, or is the slight loss due to some design problem I read about in which the coolant is lost in the engine, contributing to the sludge problem discussed in other forums months ago? In short, is it normal for the coolant level in any car to drop slightly over time, and we simply have to top off every 6-9 months? Thanks.

lemko

...if possible, try to replace the battery cable ends with the good old-fashioned kind. They can be found at any Pep Boys.

lestergehman

Simple question: our 2000 (new July 2000] Avalon now has 34,000 Mlles with a good mix of use, trips 500-3000 miles and local driving. It's always serviced between 3000-5000 miles. The dealer mentioned the last service (31000 miles ) I should get cooling system and transmission drained and flushed. I don't want to short my self in needed service nor do I want to be sold a service that is not needed at this low mileage. I checked the coolent color (like new) and checked color and smell of tranny fluid,(like new also) Any input? This car has been a geat car no problems to this point. My rating of my first Toyota product ABOVE EXPECTATIOS.

fin

Always follow the guidelines in the maintenance log for the coolant and the transmission fluid. I put 94,000 troublefree miles on a 1999 XL, then purchased an '03, as mentioned in several prior posts. The aluminum engine and transmission need clean fluids as they operate at high temperatures. This is cheap insurance against trouble and keeps the warranty in force. Mine was always serviced by a Toyota dealer but you may have another idea on service. Just get it done correctly. Great car, enjoy it!

bjk2001

lestergehman;

Typical its a good idea to have coolant and transmission fluid service every 30K. Our 97 XL has over 98 k miles ok it. I did just drain and refill coolant and tranny fluid. Dealer may want to drain and flush which means more $$$$. When you drain and refill tranny you will get 3-4 qts out only and when flush it will get all the tranny fluid out. To me its not necessary. You already pay $300-400 for 30 k service, but if you have more money to burn and want to get a piece of mind.

bjk

rusty_98070

I find the stock JBL sound system to one of the
WORST sound systems I have heard. Frankly, when one takes into the account the proud badging of "JBL", the multi speaker w/ sub config. with the resulting fading, lack of dynamics, lack of involvment, lack of transparency, lack of anything having to do with
creating an involving audio listening platform
I can only be amazed. Did the Avalon sound guys
never hear what good sound can sound like before
they put this crap in the XLS?
Has anyone had good results with adding an aftermarket amplifier?
I really don't want to change out all the speakers, and I like the multichanger in the dash, but the fading (inability to hold balance and fader settings), lack of realism and life in the sound is appalling.

By way of casual comment: I did listen to a Red
Rose/ Mark Levinson system in the Lexus and it
was surprisingly good.....so, someone in the
Toyota organization at least knows what "good"
is supposed to sound like---too bad they had
to team up with Mark the stud bucket Levinson.
Regads,

effiemyrtle

We had to have the struts replaced at 34K miles (18 months ago). The right front strut mount was replaced last November. Yesterday both front strut mounts were replaced. We continue to have a squeeky rattle in the left front (which the dealership heard - Hallelujah!) and a thumping in the right front (which the service people have never been able to hear). Our service dept contacted a district man who referred them on to someone else with Toyota. This engineer(?) says that this is not an isolated problem and is supposed to get back with them Monday if he finds a solution. Has anyone else had this problem and is there a solution? Besides the constant noises coming from the front end, even two skinny teenage girls sitting in the back seat will make it bottom out over the slightest bump. Between the concert of noises and the bottoming out, we are embarrassed to have anyone ride with us. This and the horrible finish on the wood trim have been practically our only complaints on this Avalon, but the suspension problems have been serious enough that I don't know if we will get another Avalon.

mikem30

If you had your struts replaced by a Toyota dealer, I believe they come with a lifetime warranty. Also, you might want to show your dealer Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) #20 & #22. These can be found at Edmunds: 1-click on ownership, 2-under maintenance heading-click your vehicle & TSB's and fill in your vehicle specifics. This problem has been discussed in several previous posts some time ago. Hope this helps.

scottb7

Hi All!

Just got rear ended in the XL!! Bummer!!!

I'm in the Washington DC metro area. Have any of you
DC metro area types had body work done to your
Avalons??? And would you have any recommendations as
to which body shops are good with Toyotas??

Left rear quarter is where the damage is. So much for the Oct vacation!!

webman58

I just bought the 2003 XLS with all options and Navigation. I'm excited and looking forward to this new large vehicle. I've had several friends tell me that they had great experiences with earlier Avalons, so I hope the most of these problems I've heard about are aboritions and not the norm. I've had nothing but good experiences with my previous Toyota purchases.

seabreeze2

Just traded a 98 Avalon XLS(loaded) with 68K miles for a new one with navigation. Live in a small town with a great Toyota dealer but no Lexus or Acura dealer (and no BMW or MB), so the choice was easy. Of course I've lived with one for 68K miles and have few complaints(none of which remain with the new model).

02mdx

Recently purchased a set of color-keyed mud guards for our '02 Avalon from www.toyotaparts4U.com. I highly recommend these guys; super fast shipping, good feedback and installation instructions came with parts.

Installing the mud guards took less than an hour. Install the front guards only required rotating the tires and jacking the car up (you are required to drill one hole for each mud guard). The rear guards did require the wheel to be taken off, but simple enough. The color-keyed mud guards match very well and should protect the areas behind the wheels from building up road grime.

kozakid

I purchased a 2003 XLS over a month ago, and I notice that after filling my gas tank the Driving Range display varies. At least a couple of times it has shown a 350-mile range, and after gassing up yesterday it showed a driving range of only 300 miles. In reality, I've been getting around 450 miles per tank. Can anyone explain this disparity? If not, I'll check with my dealer and find out if, perhaps, an adjustment is needed.

Also, as I was nearing the gas station yesterday the display indicated that I had only TWO miles left to drive, but when I glanced at it less than a minute later it had recalculated itself to show SIX miles remaining! I wonder if this is normal. My parents drive a Lincoln, and its similar mileage-range display seems to function more accurately than the one in my Avalon.

I would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who has had similar experiences, or who can tell me whether or not this particular feature needs an adjustment.

Thanks,
Bill

boord

I have a 2000xls and I have found that the driving range display is inconsistent also. Early on in my ownership I deliberately let the range get really low (2-5 miles showing on the display) before filling up. When I did fill up the tank never took more than 15 gallons while the manual says the capacity is 18.5 gallons. My guess is that the Toyota "safety range" is rather large - about 3 gallons or 75 miles. My Toyota Tacoma pick-up just has a red light warning me to fill up and the same phenomena exists - it still has about three gallons in the tank. My other guess is that the computer looks at the miles per gallon you were getting on the previous tank and then resets your new driving range to that figure-but that is only a guess.

buckeyedon

In every respect. 50K miles. No repairs of any sort. I change oil every 3K w/filter. Take in to dealer every 4th oil change just to have them safety check car. After 6.5 years, original battery still cranks hard. It's garaged so paint looks original.(I wax every 6 months here in SCal) A very nice luxury car. No question we will replace this sedan with another Avalon...but when?????

timadams

Actually, the driving range seems to adjust to the type of driving you are doing. On my wife's Avalon, the computer showed one range to empty, but after 10 or 15 minutes of driving on the highway it adjusted itself to a higher mileage to empty, even though we had just used up more gasoline. It readjusted the range to reflect the more recent highway driving.

hervey

Concerning the nav system for the Avalon. Does it display the information that is on the standard display such as compass, outside temp, day, time, date etc? If not, does this info show up anywhere else on the car?

rattlecage

I have a 95 Mercedes S-Class that is extremely quiet ( for example: double-paned sound insulated windows), and a 92 Mitsubishi Diamante ( Very quiet for a 92 car that originally went for around 28k).

I'm test driving a 2000 XLS Avalon, and I find it quiet, but not hushed like i was expecting, its roughly equivelent to my 92 Mitsubishi in quietness. I hear a moderate amount of seemingly regular road and wind noise. Is this normal? This Avalon is a salvage vehicle that was hit in the left rear corner, but it has been fixed and drives flawlessly, and the sound doesnt seem worrying, its just normal little wind noises and things like the tires hitting the pavement, I just thought it would be fairly "Hushed" but its not.

Does this sound like a normal Avalon to you?

footie

Our 2000 XLS is pretty 'husted'. I hear some 'tire noise' but we only have about 18,000 on the car in almost 3 years and still have the original, Michelins. I notice when driving between Boston and Delaware to see relatives that changes in road surfaces like asphalt and concrete makes different sounds.

Perhaps your 'salvage' title car doesn't have all of the sound deadening pieces back where they belong. If they replaced or repaired doors, fenders, etc. around the passenger compartment in your car, you'd never know if the sound deadening and insulation were replaced correctly, no matter how good the paint job is...

If you like the Avalon, don't by one that has been remanufactured by a body shop.

rattlecage

Yep your explanation does sound reasonable, maybe theres some sound deadening gone. Im gonna have a mechanic check it out but i doubt he will be able to tell about that. He owns the same model, so im gonna have him drive it and maybe he can tell me if its any louder.

It drives like a dream, and my choices are either this very low mileage Avalon for 12k, or a "lesser" vehicle, and i kindof fell in love with it on the test drive So if the mechanic says its ok, i may pick it up anyways.

I looked at the Insurance pictures of the damage, it wasnt bad... Thanks though.

footie

Rattlecage-

Some of the items you might want to have your mechanic check are the gaps around the doors and the fairly large foam sealing strips. I think that they can let in outside sounds if not reinstalled correctly. Toyota puts some kind of lubricant on them to help them seal well.

Also if you have pix of the damage and ANY of the windows are broken, particularly the front or the rear window, then then entire body unit was deformed. One or more welds could have popped or structural items compromised.

The way to check that is to have the alignment of the car checked independently to see if the vehicle is still 'square'. I think that they can do this with a laser style alignment machine.

Finally, acoustics in the Avalon are very disceiving. We had a couple of odd noises to track down during the first couple of months. One was under the rear seat, but sounded like it was coming from the overhead lights. Go figure!

Good luck!

aggie76

Anyone have any legitimate explaination why the Avalon, even 2003, doesn't use exterior folding mirrors? Is it to hold costs, that doesn't seem real, or is it noise reduction? Seems about time for Toyota to add that to this top-of-line Toyota.

kozakid

Actually, I've done the same thing, Boord. I let the driving range show 2 or 3 miles a couple of times -- and once I even let it go down to 0 -- before refilling the tank. Each time I discovered that I had a little less than one gallon left in the tank -- perhaps a range of no more than 15 or 20 miles! That's a little too close for comfort for me. I like your 3-gallon/75-mile range much better!

joel2468

Over the past few years I have seen comments in the auto press, and on bull boards, about folding (aka "breakaway") mirrors. One said that for cars manufactured overseas, this design allowed for closer packing of cars on ship board. Others have called it anything from a design perq to a design flaw. I questioned the dealer about this when I purchased my 2001 Avalon, and the explanation was wind noise. Exterior mirrors, wipers, wind deflectors, and trim all add to noise levels. The gap in the mirror can cause a whistle sound. Personally, I think the value of breakaway mirrors far outweighs the possiblity of noise. Also, recessed wiper blades are a pain in the neck to clean and change. I'm not sure if there is any cost issue associated with solid mirrors (solid cheaper than breakaway).

aggie76

I totally agree on the basis of wind noise vs breakaway. I tend to travel a fair amount and it seems that at least half the time someone has parked next to me after I leave my car in the lot and they have gotten so close that they've had to bend my mirrors either in or fully out on my GS300. Or else its just someone walking through the lot from row to row. I find it interesting that Lexus has the breakaway's and Toyota doesn't it seems on their respective models but I haven't done a car by car comparison - only a few I am familiar with.

Hey, I think I figured it out - now there may be another major point of differentiation between the luxury marquee and Toyota!

02mdx

In Japan folding side mirrors are standard and many have power folding capability. Many vehicles automatically fold the side mirrors in when the ignition is turned off. This is all due to the narrow roads and smaller parking spaces in Japan. I would venture to say that Toyota/Lexus vehicles made here in the U.S. probably have the fixed side mirror like the Avalon. Where as cars made in Japan which also sell in the Japanese market have folding mirrors. Can't confirm it, but it would make sense...

toyotaken

There is some truth in the stories. For vehicles that are being shipped here to the US from overseas, it makes that much more room for vehicles to be parked next to eachother with less space in between if they don't have mirrors attached or if they fold. For example, look at any Camry that is a japanese built vehicle. These are ones that start with a "J" in their VIN number. These all have the exterior mirrors not attached until they get to the dealer and are attached by the technicians who do the PDI or pre-delivery inspection. The "company line" for why they don't have "breakaway mirrors" on some cars is that it reduces wind noise. I don't necessarily agree with this as Toyota's luxury division has had vehicles such as the ES300 which share the same platform as a Toyota, in this case the camry with breakaway mirrors for years. What I personally think that it boils down to is that they are less expensive to build. They have less parts and with fewer moving parts are less expensive overall. just my feedback.

footie

Hi,
Since the Pronard which is sold in Japan is an Avalon made here in the USA, do you know if the Pronard has folding mirrors?

dineltr

I own a 2002 Avalon with the same problems padevlin described. Can not seem to control the a/c. It blows cold air out of dash vent even while it is set at 80 degrees. It has been to the dealer three times for its erratic behavior. ON the third visit to the shop the service manager warmed up the car and started checking the tempt at various locations. He set the a/c for 80 degrees, then check each dash vent they ranged between 58 to 68 degrees, floor vents were 86 to 90. This would account for why we are always cold in the winter with heat set at the bi-level mode which I believe is the default setting in the auto mode. On long trips we are constantly playing with the a/c to get a comfortable temp. The dual mode does not seem to work at all. I would like to hear from anyone having similar problems. The car has never been road tested. With out doing that they won't know how irritating this problem is. Ihave had several Fords with climate control and they worked flawlessly.
I recently received my color coded mud flaps from Toyotaparts4u.com. They look great.

02mdx

The Toyota Pronard (Japan's version of the Avalon) comes with power folding side mirrors. It also has a back-up sensor/warning accessory... wish they offered that here!

nippononly

Toyota models have folding mirrors, and I think they are mostly the Japanese built ones. I know celica does, and I know corolla/camry/matrix doesn't.

I am pretty sure Echo does. Most of the trucks do.

bitnoj1

Who's offering the best deals on 2003 Avalon XLS
w/everything except Navigation? Shopping in the NW
Indiana and Chicago area. Is $500 over invoice
doable?

highlander7

bitnoj1

Purchased my wifes Diamond White Pearl XLS in June, first of the 03's for $30,300. Every option other than Nav.
The pearl white is a $220. option. Paid a little less than $500. over invoice.

This was purchased in New Jersey, I'm sure you can get this or maybe a better deal now.

Some advise:

1. Know what you want (most XLS's are loaded packages) and the VSC is worth considering!

2. If $500.00 over is fair for you, make that offer to the dealer. (I would offer invoice, then with dealer counter offers work up to $200.00 over and stop. Wait for a return call, nothing to lose, you may be surprised.

3. Most Important. Be ready to buy if the dealer accepts your offer. Check and see if they have good finance rates, I have a 0% on my 02 4Runner, can not do much better than that.

4. You do not want a demo or a car with alot of miles on the odometer.

5. Although not usually needed on a Toyota, the time to get a deal on a warranty is before you agree to take the car. Got a 7 year 75000 mile with no deductible for $775.00. If you are going to keep the car, not a bad idea. This electronic stuff costs money to fix.

She loves her car especially the heated seats.
Good Luck....

deluxcar

The auto market is really soft these days and for most automakers October sales were down, even with zero percent financing. I believe Toyota's overall sales were down 11%.

With the economy in such bad shape most dealers would be glad if you came into their show rooms. For what it's worth, I would offer $1,000 BELOW INVOICE for an XLS (without the GPS and VSC).

rattlecage

Ok I brought back the 2000 Salvage Avalon XLS because a frame shop and mechanic both recommended not buying it. I did give it a thorough test drive over varying roads over a 48 hour period, and it drove flawlessly, i really think Salvage cars can be fine, but I relented and brought it back. So now I bought a regular XL, one owner car, for $15999 at a Kia dealer ( Can you imagine someone trading in an Avalon on a Kia mini-van? I drove a Kia rentacar once, it was horrible ). I love it, and though the bench seat aint quite as comfy as the XLS seats, I had a bout of sentimentality about my 72 Plymouth Satellite's bench seat, and i like the way it you can sit close to your huney .

Anyways I also drove a 1999 Avalon, and it was great for 12k, but I missed that VVTI motor in the new ones, god I love that motor!! Anyways thanks for the help guys.

geo9999

2003 XLS, 1500 miles.... seems to generate a sulphur odor. Most noted when car comes to stop and door is opened. Odor seems to envelope car and then disappears. Would appreciate if anyone has thoughts on this.

geo9999

Yes, the Nav system does display outside temp, miles to go with current fuel level, compass, day, date. Even has a calendar function as well as options for setting memos, service reminders (based on miles or date), etc.

My car now has 1500 miles on it and while I find it of great pleasure I agree with all the other comments about the climate control. Simply stated, it doesn't function on automatic. Constant cold air, air in wrong direction, etc.

geo9999

It may be that my body shape has declined with the years but has anyone found the XLS bucket seats uncomfortable on a look trip?

rattlecage

Ok so now I want to upgrade my Stock (not-JBL) 2000 Avalon stereo, anyone have any advice? I don't need a ton of base, I prefer the "Studio Monitor" sound, accurate and crisp.

Should I just put a nice Head-unit changer in it, with good builtin amp, I would prefer not to do the seperate amp thing, unless theres a huge sonic benifit.

What speakers and tweaters have people had good luck with? Are the stock tweeters salvageable? I was thinking about just replacing the drivers and the head unit, to see how that sounds, but where is the crossover?

Also, I want to have a stock sunroof installed, but the price I got was 1295.00. Very steep for my budget, I was hoping to get in the 900 dollar range. Any ideas?

hello52

1802 of 1805 Sulphur Odor by geo9999: Based on discussions I've heard regarding sulphur odors, its got something to do with the catalytic converter. I'd start there to investigate the odor.

wachsmuth

Iam in the process of purchasing a new 2003 Avalon XLS with options. I am a likktle confused and any enlightening would be appreciated.On Options I can only find the S R Moonroof, GV Premium Lux. Package w/heated seats and the V D Veh.Skid Controll / traction.Are there any other options available.It says that with the G.V. Pre. Lux packg. you can not get the G.L.5 or any other,even though the G.L. 5 has so many more items and is $ 1.530.- while the G.V. Lux. one should be the best one according to the Brochurte but is only $ 895.-Also can I order one thru a dealer from the factory with other options like the VIP RS 3200 or GBS /w. Security System.I would really appreciate some enlightening and advice,even though I may have to buy the # GL 5 package,but than it looks as if some tems are doubled up loke Wheels e.t.c. May be someone can help me out.I am not too good in buying a new car since I am getting up in years( age 71 )Thank you very much for considerimg my questions even though they may sound a little stupid.Thank you.

rusty_98070

After having researched tires on the net, I ordered a set of Dunlop SP Sport A2s from Tire
Rack. The ordering was easy and painless. Through some mistake I made, I miss ordered the tire size and ended up with 15" instead of 16".
Of course, I didn't notice this when I threw them
in the trunk and headed to town to find a shop
to mount them for me.
My first stop was Les Schwab. I'm an old Les Schwab fan and have bought all of my truck tires
there for the last 15 years. They took one look
at the tires and said it wasn't worth the liability to mount them, sorry.
I then went to Discount tires. Yes, they'd mount
them, but it was going to cost $70 (mounting, disposal fee for old tires and new valve stems).
I thought this was a little high, but, heck there
I was. So, they started to mount them. It was
at that point they informed me they were the incorrect size. So, I ordered the same tires from them. The cost was basically the same as
tirerack and I also decided to have the tires sipped.
Tirerack was most accommodating and arranged for UPS to come by and pick up the miss sized tires.
All in all, I found Tirerack to a good place to
deal with, but, in the future I'll be buying all
my tires from Discount tires. I liked their
service and prices.

I've driven the Dunlop SP Sport A2s for a week.
Today in Seattle freeway, driving with constant rain (after a couple of months without rain the roads were very slippery, as evidenced by a flurry of accidents that occurred), the tires
far exceeded my expectations. Fantastic ride,
very low noise, terrific grip on wet surfaces and track very well on bad road surfaces at high
speed.
For my style of driving under Seattle conditions,
these tires seem to be exceptional.

Regards,
R