2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

just__me

That's interesting, ok, thanks for the info.

ron6

Toyota will stop accepting orders for the 2005 Avalons sometime this summer.....possibly they already have.....and switch to 2006 orders/production. It's conceivable that Blizzard White will not be an option for 2006 but I would guess that if it isn't available for 2006, some other shade of white will be.

tinatina

Ron6 is probably right. They may use a different name for the pearl white color. However, they have not halted this color for 2005. It may be just difficult to get, but my local dealer had two in stock in that color, an XL and and XLS. Another dealer had one in stock in that color. Each had about ten Avalons in stock, so supply exists at least in my locality.

sbell4

Avalon is built in Georgetown, Ky. Even if you special ordered the vehicle you can get the Blizzard Pearl. We don't have all the information to know what is going on here. Maybe the person is wanting a Blizzard Pearl with some equipment that was rejected for a 2005 build-out and the order was rejected. Rest assured, there are plenty more 2005 Blizzard Pearl Avalons that will be built.

azhuyck

SORRY MY BRAIN IS NOT WORKING:

barclay3

Rick...when I picked up my new avalon 2 1/2 weeks ago my dealer told me that they were told that they could not place orders for blizzard pearl for the next month. He did not say why. Order the Cassis Pearl instead!

sbell4

There are Blizzard Pearl Avalons with a build date in the middle of June. I am absolutely positive the car in that color is still available from Toyota. Again, I'm confident there is a miscommunication somewhere and you can get these cars from your local dealer if they are able to "earn" the hard to get cars for their allocations. A blizzard Pearl Avalon is a popular car but it not a unicorn. If you are having trouble try a larger volume dealer in your area.

307web

Where are high-quality digital photos of the 2005 Avalon exterior and interior?
I mean larger photos than the photos at Edmunds, on the Toyota.com web site or the reviews I've seen online.

rlejr66

Anyone know where to find a front license plate holder? Purhcased Avy from a rear plate only state and my state requires front and back. I would assume that my local dealership will be more than happy to sell me one. Although I would think that the holder would be a free part as it is required in some states.

kinzua

Took delivery on my Limited today. The dealer had gone to Circuit City and they installed an after market XM in the glove compartment with access provided by broadcast to FM channel 1.
All we (sales rep) and I could figure out is that when you wanted to turn on the XM you opened the glove compartment and used the supplied remote. Then to change channels, use the remote aimed at the open glove compartment. Meet with the Rep tomorrow and we'll go to CC and hopefully get this squared away.
Anyone else run into this problem?
P.S. Really liked the location of the antenna. Middle front of the roof.
P.S.S. The XM unit they installed is the same as the one I installed in my 2000 Avalon XLS but I used the Casette option instead of the FM option.
Hopefully I'm still happy.

pablo2

"I am absolutely positive the car in that color is still available from Toyota." Last Thursday, May 26 I received the VIN # for my limited Bilizzard Pearl color which I have had on order since March 10. I, also, find it difficult from a marketing perspective that Toyato would drop it hottest color from its listings. It possibly is the hottest seller of the Limited.

How long long does it take to get my limited to me after it shows up with the VIN number for the dealer? I live in Jefferson City, MO. so there is not a great distance from the manufacturing plant.

easyrider300m

heres' a stack of nice pics of the Avalon---enjoy

http://www.autoweek.com/files/specials/2005_detroit/toyota/avalon/images/

wiktor256

I think that your dealer is confused. So was mine. I had to spend two months explaining to my dealer that the XM radio is supposed to be installed by the dealership and it is a toyota part not an aftermarket unit. Finally a regional rep confirmed that, and the XM unit was ordered from Toyota and installed in the trunk. The XM unit from Toyota has integrated display with radio and nav. The bulky antenna was placed on top of the trunk. Two weeks later I replaced the antenna with much smaller one and placed it in the rear behind the windshield. I am happy now.

dissanayake

2005 Avalon Limited with 185 miles on the odometer. While driving along city streets, the car suddenly jerked and lost all power. The car had to be towed to the dealer. The diagnosis is a hole in the engine (somewhere) and the remedy is to replace the engine.
Toyota suggests arbitration if we want something more than the engine replaced in a car just two weeks old.
Beware when buying an Avalon.

retired7

Ouch! Any failure analysis data such as where is"hole" in engnine located AND what caused failure such as a thin spot in aluminum casting, poor quality aluminum base material (doesn't not meet spec),machining error, eItc? This one scares me..

NWBLLIZZARD

retired7

Hey Toyota- ever thought of holding a one day training class on operation of NAV system? Lots of material there available for one day class with some desk top computers programed like NAV system so we can all play and ask questions. My wife and I will sign up anytime..

Also, just had my blizzard ltd steering column yoke welds checked-dealer said welds are in place and ok to fly through Cascade mountains, just be sure to retract wheels! ( my VIN # is within suspect vehicles)
Anyone out there drive 'er flat out yet? That 160 mph is questionable (probably an ego number) but need state w/o speed limit or oval track/down hill with a tail wind. Any top speed data out there?

NWBLIZZARD

NWBLIZZARD

canefire

Greg, I'm in your corner my friend! Zaino is the best I've used now for past year - tried all the rest and the best for past 30 years but have never seen a better shine and hard coat than Zaino. Talked to Sal and clayed car 3 days after I received it and applied 5 coats of Zaino - have not waxed since - wipe down is sufficient. Currrently using Zaino on all cars - SC400, Tundra & Avalon - all more than 4 years old and shine is showcar grade. I'm a lifetime believer.

For those that have asked, I purchased the full gold package emblems from thegoldmaninic.com for $169 (stumbled on them from ebay as listed on this website page - see below leftside) for our Blizzard White Limited. I removed silver emblems with instructions from them and installed new in no time. I also removed some old but in excellent shape emblems from 1995 XLS mailed it to them and installed them for less than $100.

It rained hard today and our trunk would not open with both remotes nor trunk button inside the car. Ran out of options - finally popped open backseat crawl space hole, reached in and pulled in-trunk opener rope. Checked fuses and controls - no obvious problems. My wife adores this car and she is livid (groceries stuck in trunk for 30 minutes) - taking it in soon to fix. Other than this new found problem and loose fog lights - no other problem - we're still happy overall with our Limited.

havalongavalon

Hi NWBLIZZARD,

I share your concern to know more about the nature of the hole in dissanayake's failed engine.

As well, I am still trying to find out at which end of the steering column is the weld that needs to be checked. You said that your "dealer said welds are in place and ok." Would you know whether a weld is supposed to be at each yoke end of the steering column, or only at the cabin-side end? My car did not show a weld at the engine end, where the steering column also ends in another yoke. So far I have not seen an official notice describing where exactly the welding flaw would be.

My car is among those that could be affected, and I plan was to travel this weekend, so I remain anxious to hear whether the weld we saw (at the cabin end) was the only weld in question or there could be a defective weld at the engine end.

Any information you could provide will be much appreciated.

havalongavalon

retired7

havalongavalon

Hi rhack, you asked:

--At what distance do the sensors begin to detect?

4-5 feet away

--are they adjustable?

only at the time of installation. You must decide then, how high and how far apart to place the sensors.

--does it depend on the type of object behind you?

probably, but objects such as a single metal pole or a fairly sparse bush are both as reliably detected as a parked car would be.

The only situation I found lacking so far, is in detecting a very low curb when backing towards it. You could compensate for this by placing the sensors a couple of inches lower in the bumper, than I did.

havalongavalon

havalongavalon

This is a minor complaint, almost a privilege of having such a quiet vehicle; but I wonder whether others also hear quite loud squeaky noises as the wipers reach end of travel in both directions, at any wiping speed? Sounds as if the rubber element itself squeaks when it changes direction. If so, has anyone found a way to cure this?

Mine is an XLS. Do LTD owners also hear this? If not, perhaps the LTD acoustic windshield was specifically designed to muffle these wiper noises?

havalongavalon

retired7

Hi havalongavalon: Here's the scoop- I have a copy of Special Service Campaign (SSC) sent from Toyota Motor Sales USA to all Toyota Dealer Principals. It is labeled -50F. This is the document the dealer used for the visual inspection. Here are some excerpts from -50F for your info:

"In approx 4900 early 2005 Avalons, there is a small possiblity that a portion of the steering column assembly may not have been welded correctly. In the worst case, if the vehicle is continued to be operated in this conditon, the steering yoke may seperate from the shaft and result in loss of vehicle steering control."
"only a handful (less than three anticipated) affected vehicles will require steering column assembly replacement".
"The steering column assembly may have inadvertently missed the welding step during the manufacturing process at the supplier"
"there are NO specific warnings that this condition exists."
"There has been one field report of this condition reported in the affected Avalon vehicles"
"There have been no reported cases of accidents related to this condition"
"The inspection will take approx 30 minutes"
"Owners of the involved vehicles will recieve a SSC notification by first class mail beginning early June, 2005."

My comments:
The work description states to inspect the Steering Columm Assembly. I take this as more being than one weld used to connect the various sections of column. The time to inspect is listed as .3 hours & the time to replace column assembly is 1.3 hours. The memo also has a matrix by state of number of potentially affected vehicles in their area ( I didn't see any listing for Canada). This is what the dealer used for their inspection guidance. If it were me, I don't like russian roulette and would get the assembly visually checked by your dealer. I called Toyota @ 1-800-331-4331 and confirmed my Limited was within the VIN # area of concern and I used this information as leverage (need inspected ASAP-safety issue) when I called our local dealer for an appointment. The dealer said I was the first one to come in on this issue (thanks to the many informative emails on this website) but did not hesitate to schedule me in the same day (today).

NWBLIZZARD

y_althani

ahlan bro

well my black avy arrived but watin for da
cash :P

the color depends on mostly what u think is cool to you! I mean if u
go 4 practicalty u should go for the white coz u know how the weather
functions here (4 seasons in a day !!) the white wont apsorbe much heat &
dust wont be noticed + it well show the whole beauty lines of the car
while the dark blue would look more royle as they say here in bahrain &
in night it will look more dark almost balck dark.. for a good price on
the ltd avvy you should check out KSA dealer coz its B.D. 750 cheaper
but you have to wait for some time till there stock arrive..

to feel the avvys gadgets checkout this site

www.mynewavalon.com

easyrider300m

Once I buy an Avalon, I would consider modding the lid over the radio. I would first remove the lid, drill a 1 3/8 inch hole near the center, and mount a clock insert into the opening. There are many many styles of clocks to choose from. Here is an example of a quality clock that uses a glass crystal over the face and also uses a gasket to hold it in place. You can easily remove it to change the battery once a year. It is only 1/4 inch thick.

Here is one seller of these type of clocks. http://www.steebar.com/Inserts/Brass50mmQuartz.html

Anyone know how hard it is to remove that door lid over that covers the radio?

y_althani

I strongly agree wid u!! I hope it fit nicely ,toyotA & even the $50K lexus should consider changing their ugly looking digi clock!! :mad:

easyrider300m

you could even make a clock/thermometer, hygrometer display if you wanted.

Here are some more inserts that fit in a small 1 3/8 inch hole.

http://www.steebar.com/Inserts/50mmInserts.html

georgevette

No, it is not just the wood on the passenger door that is mis-aligned: EVERY single dashboard fit is mis-aligned! Nothing, not one straight line anywhere, especially in the central consol area around the radio.. Granted, very slight mis-aligns, just not "perfect", as in Lexus. Again, I smile looking at the slight imperfections and gladly not pay the 16 grand for the "Lexus Perfection" in a perfectly aligned dashboard...
However, when the steering wheel column cover over the cruise control came off and got jammed with the windshield control, THAT did cause me for concern in that my wife was frantic in trying to ascertain what was wrong and why the steering wheel would not turn....
George, Columbus, Ohio

perico1

Hi Retired7,

I'll sign up with you when you take that NAV class. I tell mine to go home and it replies "golf course" icon or changes radio stations. If I just say home, it says "hospital icon". When it finally asks if I am sure I want to go home, I reply yes and it ignores it. I don't think anyone at the dealership has a clue either. I consider the NAV to be a total waste of money.

fin

To retired7 - top speed:

If you scroll back thru the many posts here you will see that member *3puttmax* and myself both calculated the theoretical top speed of the 2005 Avalon under what you might call "standard conditions". We used 2 different methods. Mine involved the ability of the engine to turn a shaft and 3putt used a drag (wind resistance) formula. Both answers were the same, of course...about 142 to maybe 145, nothing is exact as the cars and real world conditions may vary a little.

Keep in mind that the tires are only certified to 149 mph so that tells you something. And you may be interested to know that top speed is achieved in gear IV, not gear V. Be assured the calculations are correct. Enjoy your Avy...drive safely.

retired7

Thanks for the info. I'm sure your calculations are correct. May pick up a few extra mph with a fresh silicone polish job to reduce wind resistance + extra hard tires. When the auto magazines do a full blown road test they usually list a "predicted" top speed.

NWBLIZZARD

ron6

The Avalon does not have a front license plate holder. The front plate screws onto the front bumper cover with two screws. If you want to use a holder you can buy one at any auto parts store or at your dealer.

retired7

FYI; there is a button on the inside of the glove compartment (left side) that when released locks the trunk from electronic keys + dash opener. When pushed in, everything works. Hope this helps..

NWBLIZZARD

pricecutter

Hi Retired and Perico,

I agree with both of you. Several weeks ago I suggested that Toyota should have provide a mini-practice device(calculator size) that would assist people to learn the NAV system. It's very difficult to learn under the present arrangement which requires that you practice in your car--when the car is not moving. The navigation booklet is helpful, but doesn't address the many problems one encounters.

A class is a good idea or perhaps we can use this forum(set up a navigation learning catergory) to raise questions and provide responses. I'm game if you guys are. How about it, Pat (host)?

pricecutter

toyotaken

Guys, you might want to ask your sales consultant if they would give you access to an online training that Toyota gave to the dealer personel on the Navigation systems. They are required continuing education for our certifaction and they have a course that gives quite a few walk-throughs for the NAV system, taking about 20mins to complete to take the exam at the end. It was one of the best explanations on how to use the systems that I've seen since they came out with it. Hope this helps.

Ken

oldjack

Havalongavalon-

Do you recall the colors of the wires from the backup light? Mine appears to be black and white, and green and yellow. I assume the black and white is the ground.

Can you confirm this?

Thanks.

oldjack

sbell4

Your local dealer should be able to tell you everything you need to know. If you want more info you can go to the parts department and have them order:
Toyota Material No.: 00505-NAV05-AVA2
This is the 2005 Toyota navigation System Quick Reference guide for Avalon.

I never have read the instructions on the Nav. system. I have just played with them until I figured it out. This system is amazing when you really get into what it can do for you.

Bluetooth is where I look like an idiot with my customers. I have read what I can from toyota and have taken tests but it still comes down to what type of phone you have blah,blah,blah.

toyotaken

Very true. The online training they gave for the bluetooth was both tedious and more confusing than before I took it. It would be easier if at one of the on-site trainings, the Toyota representative had a bluetooth phone and let you actually walk through the programming and use.

ron6

I ordered my Avalon without the XM radio but I am considering adding it now. As I understand it I can order the Pioneer XM unit from Toyota and have it installed myself. Does anyone know the part # and cost? How can I get the JBL radio/CD unit out of the dash so I can make the connections or is there access some other way to the DIN connectors?

mikes.

"I can't find anything on "the gold man inc" . Do you have the telephone number or the actual URL address of web site. Would like to order Gold package"

http://www.thegoldmaninc.com/

MikeS.

mikes.

Greg, great post! I'm especially eager to know what you have found out from Coastal Electronics. Please keep us advised, I'd like to hear all the details as I've considered doing this as well.

MikeS.

mikes.

For the 2nd time yesterday my driver's door would not open from the outside. When I hit the alarm/door disengage button I can hear the other 3 doors unlock but the driver's door just sits there. I have to reach in from the front passenger side to manually unlock/open the door.

Dealer will look at it tomorrow.

MikeS.

havalongavalon

Hi retired7,

I really appreciate your having taken the time to describe what is in the document. This supports my concern, I will contact my service manager again with this information that may or may not yet be available in Canada.

Again, thank you for your help!

havalongavalon

havalongavalon

Hi oldjack,

I just had a look and can confirm that one wire is black & white but in my car the other wire is red. Yes, I believe B&W is ground. What I did at the time of installation was to just nick the insulation of the candidate wires and test them with an ohmmeter/voltmeter first, with the gear shifter in P vs. R.

Best wishes,

havalongavalon

haggis

"Hey Toyota- ever thought of holding a one day training class on operation of NAV system?"

There is a partial Nav tutorial at www.mynewavalon.com (broadband). I believe that the Avalon nav system is the same as in the Prius and the Lexus with the exception that a joystick type controller is used for selection in the Avalon instead of a touchscreen. If you can imagine using the joystick control where they show the screen being touched, Lexus has a very detailed broadband tutorial at:
http://www.lexus.com/models/glossary.html?entry=dvdnav
and there is a list of all of the voice commands at:
http://www.vfaq.net/docs/Prius_NAV_Voice_commands.html

mackabee

Owner's please repeat after me: RTOM, RTOM, read the owner's manual! There is a quick guide insert and a full size manual that comes with every Toyota that has a nav system. It's not difficult at all. The quick guide should get you most of what you need. As of today I am no longer affiliated or employed by any Toyota dealer or organization. I'm a free agent so to speak. Good luck with your Avalons. I will be pursuing other opportunities.
Mackabee

rhack

I ordered my LTD with XM but it was deleted by Southeast Toyota (post #6094). So I checked with my local Toyota Parts Dept. I did not buy car from this dealer, I went out of state. Anyway, to order the receiver was going to be $386 and another $65 to install. He said installation was simple, must be if they only charge $65. As far as getting to the head unit to install, I don't know, hopefully someone else does. I am very uneasy about tearing into the dash of a $38K car.

I have ordered receiver from autowebaccessories.com, they have ginuine parts for much less $272 http://toyota.autowebaccessories.com/store/toyota-avalon-accessories-cat385_1207.php
When it arrives I will let you know the out come of the installation.

As to the placement of the antenna, read 3puttmax post# 5279. I conducted an experiment with the Roady 2 out of my Tundra. I placed the antenna inside on the dash as he did and drove around checking my signal strength display. In wide open spaces my signal fluctuated from 3 bars down to 1 bar. Placing the antenna on the roof and driving the same route, the signal stayed at 3 bars (maximum). He lives in Calif, I live in the Southeast, that might make a difference, but I will stick with outside installation.

rhack

wiktor256,

What type antenna did you install? Did you have to use a patch cable or did it plug straight into your receiver.

havalongavalon

Latest news: a Special Inspection Lamp is being shipped to dealers. This seems to confirm that the problem weld is in the hard-to-reach lower portion of the column.

havalongavalon

As of today I am no longer affiliated or employed by any Toyota dealer or organization. I'm a free agent so to speak. Good luck with your Avalons. I will be pursuing other opportunities.
Mackabee

Mackabee,

Your invaluable "Deep Throat" contributions to this forum will surely be missed.

I hope that you will remain connected. With your accumulated knowledge you can continue to help us here and possibly even better as an independent party.

All best wishes in your next pursuits!

havalongavalon

rtimbo

With all the posts about the different car finish polishes, my research led me to this comparison test. Thought you might find it interesting:
http://www.nsxsc.com/nsexcitement/waxtest.html