2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

hank3

The trunk size is not as small as advertised. I havent had any issues with trunk space. It seems to be more than adequate, but we are a three person family. I like the fact it has an entry point into the back seat for those long items such as fly rods or skiis.

kinzua

Anyway, my current question is this: Has anyone had any "problems" with the relatively smallish trunk size? (Although last time we looked, it seemed big enough).

Unless you play with a threesome, someone will have to hold their clubs in the back seat. But this is no problem since all will enjoy the ride.

mikes.

"I am considering the purchase of an 05 Avalon XL. I am concerned about the gas octane needed for this car. I would like to use the 87octane primarily with an occasional fill-up with a mid grade octane. Some say this will fine, others tell me I will get pings. Has anyone tried this? "

"I've been running my LTD since 02/10 on mostly 87 octane and haven't heard a single ping. The engine has a knock sensor and will adjust the timing according to the fuel it is fed. Toyota says peak performance will happen with 91 octane. With a lower octane you will get slightly less performance. I don't find this to be an issue. Even with 87 this car has more flat out performance then I care to exercise. I've been to 105 a couple times and have chickened out. This car just wants to go!

MikeS."

Yesterday I had some (a lot) of time to kill while the wife went shopping. I was playing with the door locks and reading the 05 Avalon owners manual. Right there on the back cover it says 87 octane or higher. So 87 octane is right out of Toyota's mouth.

mikes.

You're very welcome.

MikeS.

havalongavalon

mikeroch, congratulations on your decision to go with the Avalon.

The trunk is big enough to fit 4 regular-sized golf bags, of which 3 (but not all 4) can also have pull carts attached, if you follow a tip that Old Groza shared with this forum some time ago. First take out the drivers, tall putters (in my experience, any clubs longer than a 3-iron). Then place the bags top-forward into the trunk. Place the longer clubs across the top, or better, along the (flat) floor in front of the back seat.

havalongavalon

zekeman1

If you successfully install an aftermarket NAV system, please pass on your experience in doing so...I would be very interested!
zekeman1

thepope1

kinzua

The trunk is big enough to fit 4 regular-sized golf bags, of which 3 (but not all 4) can also have pull carts attached, if you follow a tip that Old Groza shared with this forum some time ago. First take out the drivers, tall putters (in my experience, any clubs longer than a 3-iron). Then place the bags top-forward into the trunk. Place the longer clubs across the top, or better, along the (flat) floor in front of the back seat.

havalongavalon

You have got to be kidding. I just put my bag and my wife's bag in the trunk and there is no way you could get 2 more bags in there let alone three with pull carts. Now, if you want to jam a set up against the sub-woffer you might get 4 sets in but no way can you get 4 sets with 3 pull carts. :P

havalongavalon

You have got to be kidding. I just put my bag and my wife's bag in the trunk and there is no way you could get 2 more bags in there let alone three with pull carts. Now, if you want to jam a set up against the sub-woffer you might get 4 sets in but no way can you get 4 sets with 3 pull carts.

Hi kinzua. No, I wasn't kidding. Are your bags regular size, or oversize? If regular size, did you try to put the bags in lengthwise, after removing the drivers and other long clubs? Four bags fit tightly within the width of the trunk, but nothing comes even close to the speakers. If you include pull-carts, the wheels stick up at the very rear of the trunk, and laterally into the wider cavities behind the car wheelwells. The trunk is deep enough, there is no issue with closing the lid. The limitation I found is that there is not enough room for 4 pull-carts with regular (wide) wheels. Maybe 4 carts with old-type thin wheels could fit, but are no longer allowed on courses around here. There is enough room for 3 bags with carts plus one bag without cart. Aside from the volume occupied by the cart wheels, the carts only add about an inch or so to the length of the bags and less than that to the bag width. If you don't have carts, ladies' fairway woods may stay inside the bag, but you will always need to take out the drivers because their length exceeds the depth of the trunk.

Try it, and let me know again.

havalongavalon

lgigante

I'm having a minor problem with the trunk space but only because my last car was a 2001 Chrysler Concorde. It's trunk was ENORMOUS! There were times that I would have to climb INTO the trunk to retrieve a item at the back. (no exaggeration!). I travel from Michigan to Florida each season and haul lots of junk. I will handle the Limited's trunk, but it will take dicipline.

viking644

Mike S. or anyone else with young kids- did anyone find a good product to place under and behind the child safety seat to protect the perferated leather surfaces from potential damage?

PS- My Blizzard Pearl came was delivered today. It has the Ivory interior and (gulp) we had dirt/dust showing on the door sills just from climbing in and going over some of the goodies with our sales person. Me thinks this is going to be a nightmare to keep clean (especially with boys 5 and 8 in the back). I'll post pictures this weekend.

Email me if you want me to send them direct to you. ULV@bak.rr.com

mmg1

A couple of days ago someone mentioned a cracking sound from the windshield that they did not think was a rock. Well today was a very hot day in North Fl and I parked my car at the mall for an hour in the sun. When leaving the mall AC was turned on. Less than five minutes later I pulled into the covered bank drive thru. No way for a rock to be thrown and there was a very loud "rock" or "cracking " sound from my windshield. ( Don't tell me it was a rock Groza !) I'm assuming it is the expanding and contraction of the glass. Any thing else???
mmg1

p.s. We are on our way to the mountains in N.C. for a week,trying for cooler temps!!

topazdan

Would someone tell me if the "sound absorbing" windshield is worth upgrading from an XLS to a LTD. I am trying to make a decision on which one. I like the 'quiet ride' aspect of the 05 Avalon.
Dan

lil2

Which model has the seam problem? Plan to test drive XL tomorrow and will look for it. Back problems are an issue.

lnt

The limited has the uncomfortable seams - back seat, too. I just sat in the back seat for the first time tonight for about 4 miles and found the back seats to be uncomfortable, too. Guess my 2000 Avalon seats just spoiled me, but these seats are in my opinion far inferior to the previous generation.

mikes.

"Mike S. or anyone else with young kids- did anyone find a good product to place under and behind the child safety seat to protect the perferated leather surfaces from potential damage? "

Viking, I think the wife did put something behind the car seat but I have no clue what it might be. I'll ask her tomorrow if she knows and will get back to ya.

Try keeping one of the dark colors clean! I have the Indigo Ink (dark blue) and I wash it at least weekly. I find that the bottom rear corners of the back car frame gets dirty. Oh heck, too hard to explain, I'll post a pic in the morning.

MikeS.

mikes.

"Would someone tell me if the "sound absorbing" windshield is worth upgrading from an XLS to a LTD. I am trying to make a decision on which one. I like the 'quiet ride' aspect of the 05 Avalon. "

Dan, I have the LTD and drive it down the freeway a lot at 80mph and it is sooo quiet. I'd hate to have anything less.

MikeS.

mikes.

I'm going to apoligize and correct myself to some of you that I doubted. I have found that on the 05 Avalon that you CAN resume cruise even from a full stop of several minutes duration. I'm sorry for having doubted some of you.

Wednesday I had traveled about 6 miles on I-81 with the laser cruise set at 80mph. I pulled off the freeway and into a gas station for a fill-up. I left the car running. When I pulled back onto the freeway I hit the resume function while doing about 35. The cruise kicked back in and brought me back to 80. I was suprised!

So in the last 2 days I've tried this with our other 5 Toyotas and none of them would work. We range from a 96, 97, 99, 00 & 03 in assorted cars and trucks.

MikeS.

kinzua

Hi kinzua. No, I wasn't kidding. Are your bags regular size, or oversize? If regular size, did you try to put the bags in lengthwise, after removing the drivers and other long clubs? Four bags fit tightly within the width of the trunk, but nothing comes even close to the speakers. If you include pull-carts, the wheels stick up at the very rear of the trunk, and laterally into the wider cavities behind the car wheelwells. The trunk is deep enough, there is no issue with closing the lid. The limitation I found is that there is not enough room for 4 pull-carts with regular (wide) wheels. Maybe 4 carts with old-type thin wheels could fit, but are no longer allowed on courses around here. There is enough room for 3 bags with carts plus one bag without cart. Aside from the volume occupied by the cart wheels, the carts only add about an inch or so to the length of the bags and less than that to the bag width. If you don't have carts, ladies' fairway woods may stay inside the bag, but you will always need to take out the drivers because their length exceeds the depth of the trunk.

Try it, and let me know again.

havalongavalon

None of the bags are tour type oversize, just plain old cart bags you buy at walmart.
Took the Driver, 2-4-5 utility metal, 5-6-7 iron, umbrella, ball retriver and normal size putter out of my bag and the remainder fits lengthwise. I will agree with you that if I remove over half of the clubs in my bag plus needed accessories it fits lengthwise.
So I stand by my original statement, "someone in the foursome has to take their clubs to the back seat"- which given the room in the back seat area is no big deal.

jeffm5

Yes cafpaf, I did buy mine from Rohrich. It's reassuring to know that yours was delivered as promised. We are giving our 99 Avalon to our son, who is coming out of the Marines in Aug. & going back to school. It has 100,000 mis. on it, but we would keep it if he didn't need reliable transportation. (After 2 deployments to Iraq, he's earned at least that much.)

Coincidentally, Blue Mirage was our 1st color choice and a Caddy CTS was my 1st purchase choice. But, since my wife will be the primary driver, she did not want to go back to rear wheel drive, snow tires, etc. & I agree. You are obviously familiar with Western PA winters & hilly terrain. Good luck with your new ride! jeffm5

analyticangel

HI
Have My 2005 XLS Avalon about two months now and have a few very minor complaints
The passenger seat belt annoys me if it is not put back in exact position and I wish I did not have to manually check it so it does not bang around Thanks to this forum the seat belt fix was easy but dont like needing to repeat it on regular basis

My other complaint is limited vision when backing up from rear window. Has anyone looked into or installed back up camera system ??
Thoughts , opinions ???
Thanks

taylor9

New some help. Have owned new XLS since late March. Have logged 8000 miles, much of it highway time. There is an occasional, (50%), wind noise that seems to be comming from the center console A/C vents. This noise changes in both tone and volume, sometimes quite loud.
The requirements to create this sound seems to be traveling in excess of 40mph and a very slight breeze. The volume is not affected by speed or intensity of outside wind conditions.
Does anybody have any thoughts the dealership states that this is a desigh problem. Thanks in advance

viking644

Many thanks to Mikes for posting his pics from this free server. I took delivery of my Blizzard Pearl Limited with Ivory interior and all options but the remote engine starter, yesterday and took it to a green beltway to photo it. As you can see in one if the pictures I live in Oil Country (Bakersfield, CA) and I am very happy with my dealership (Bill Wright Toyota) right down to the air conditioned delivery bay to take delivery in.

Here is the link to my album:

http://photobucket.com/albums/b305/viking644/

The public password is: viking644

Enjoy.

I have also reached out to a couple more aftermarket accessory companies looking for someone to step up to the plate and produce an aftermarket grille. I'll post if/when someone wants to do it. By the way, while I was at the dealership, the parts department confirmed that the grille is a separate piece from the nose of the car and can be replaced without having to cut it out.

3puttmax

I will agree with you that if I remove over half of the clubs in my bag plus needed accessories it fits lengthwise.

I also found that you have to remove ALL the woods and some long irons. Even my wife's clubs don't fit lengthwise. Maybe those Canadian Avy's have longer trunks.

I think if I tried hard enough I could squeeze 4 bags in crosswise, but I haven't tried yet. We do it all the time in friend's 2005 Lexus ES330, with exactly same trunk volume (14.4 cu-ft). I just use my 2000 Avalon for golf trips - 4 bags fit EASILY. It's a shame Toyota shrunk the trunk, but I bought the car anyway.

Max

viking644

I found out when I took delivery of my Blizzard Pearl Limited yesterday that the grille is a separate piece; the parts department showed me an exploded diagram for replacement parts. The grille is about $200 to replace (part only) therefore, aftermarket companies should be able to produce something to help us customize our Avalons.... :shades:

limiteddriver

I use a small piece of sheep skin under the back and bottom.

avalonkitten

Hi Everyone,

I was home over Memorial day weekend. The toyota dealer we have used for over 20 years would not test my car while I was home because I belonged to another district but told me that the dealership and the technical person had to work with me to resolve my car hesitation/transmission shifting or lack of it issue. So I went back to my dealership and made an appointment for the oil to be changed (3200 miles), the cargo net anchors to be replaced and a drive with the service director. He has yet to drive the car with me in it. They did the service work and I stayed for the "Welcome New Owners Meeting". I had some maintenance questions but figured this was not really the time or place to discuss my car problems so I did not bring the issues up during this meeting. However, the service director did. He told the other 6-7 new owners that that I was filing for arbitration and there was nothing wrong with my car. He has never driven my car, he was basing this on what other people have told him. He also stated that all toyotas with the fly by wire system have this hesitation problem and I should just get over it. Hmm.. There is nothing wrong with my car.. but all toyota's with a fly by wire system have this problem. Hey guys, I did not have to say a word. I think he pretty much said it all. He also stated that Toyota was having a tough year due to the Avalon's transmission issues?? I thought I was hearing things. I guess he figured he was amongst friends since at least one of the seven customers was an employee. There were no avalon owners at the meeting.

I did find out that the optimal air pressure for my tires is 32-36 with the closer I keep them to 36 being the best. I still did not understand why my brake pedal had more resistance to it than the gas. I did not understand how you can tell the brake is worn outside of the wheels screeching as you stop. The avalon has 4 disc brakes. They are different in that as they wear additional brake fluid comes down into the brake and compensates for the worn pad until the pad is worn to the screechy warning material that should let you know that you need to change your brakes. On the Camry, there were 2 disc brakes and 2 rear brakes and the difference in brake level that I always felt was the result of the back brakes wearing or needing to be adjusted. Finally, it made some sense to me.

I have not filed for arbitration although it is quite possible that I will at some point in time if the transmission problem is not addressed.

While the service director seemed to have some answers. I am wondering if I should be looking into going to a different dealership? Anyone in the DC metro/ N VA area you would recommend?

mikeroch

Thanks for the trunk responses.

Is the Navigation voice activated - the Canadian 2005 brochure says it is - I thought it wasn't?

If it is, are climate and radio also voice activated?

Mikeroch

zekeman1

Question: what is the cut-out in the front grill next to the right front foglight? I have the exact same car (& color) and there is no cut-out section. Is it related to the laser cruise control? (I don't have that option)
zekeman1

kinzua

Thanks for the trunk responses.

Is the Navigation voice activated - the Canadian 2005 brochure says it is - I thought it wasn't?

If it is, are climate and radio also voice activated?

Mikeroch

Radio yes, Climate no.

greenbelt

Yep, us too. See earlier post. Back seat is like a park bench, front's not much better. Prior model Avalon had MUCH better seats than new one.

limiteddriver

If you didn't like the seats why did you buy it?

limiteddriver

I don't understand your comment, I've never had a car that the brake pedal didn't have more resistance than the accelerator. One goes completely to the floor and the other one doesn't.

havalongavalon

Hi Kinzua and 3puttmax,

It is indeed possible to fit 4 regular golf bags inside the 2005 Avalon trunk without removing any clubs except the drivers and fairway woods (and long putters and ball retrievers, if you use these). Two or 3 of the bags can have attached pull-carts. The bags can be placed inside the trunk as shown in the first picture:



First, two bags with pull-carts attached are tucked against the sides. This way, the cart wheels fit in the lateral trunk cavities.

There is room for two more bags (shown here without pull-carts) in the middle of the trunk. Both are oriented diagonally toward the same side, to gain some more length, and one sits partly on top of the other one. I placed a tape measure to show that the effective trunk depth in this diagonal direction is about 38 1/2" at the bottom and 43" near the opening.

The second photo confirms that a regular-sized bag with a full set of men's Ping Eye clubs, even a #2 iron, and two Jazz fairway woods, fits fine. The only club removed from this set was the driver:



The last photo shows that the drivers and fairway woods that I removed from the 4 bags fit neatly along the floor in front of the back seat. (Some of you will surely note that I'm still using the all-weather floor mats; it's still raining a lot around here...)



There is room to carry one more pull-cart, that in my case could be attached to the green bag; but I don't think I could fit 4 bags with 4 pull-carts inside the trunk. I'll leave this challenge for someone else who likes to solve 3D puzzles!

Hope this helps,

havalongavalon

viking644

It's the laser guided cruise control window.

ronharv

I think that our XL (now with 2000 miles on it) is great. Both my wife and I prefer a fabric interior to leather, so the stylishly subdued gray interior is right up our alley. The car is smoothly powerful on 87 octane and seems to have a larger interior than the exterior hints at. It's loaded with the features that we care for, all of them standard but the six CD changer, which I now enjoy more than I expected. Moreover, I like having spent thousands less than the other Avalon models charge for features that I don't really care about. It's a luxury vehicle for a bargain price. Easily the best car I've ever owned (with apologies to my '03 Avalon) or driven.

lnt

I bought thick rubber mats made especially for car seats at Babies R Us. They go over the seat bottom and up the back. Have them in our Honda Oddyssy and had them in my other Avalon. When I took the car seats out, you couldn't even tell anything was ever there.

yurik

As long as you had documented 3 requests to fix the same problem, you can file for arbitration. I believe the transmision hesitation is unacceptable for $35K car. Please let me know if you go to arbitration, because I intend to do the same. I hope,after a few arbitration cases like this, Toyota will come up with transmission fix, just like they did for Lexus ES 330

dclee12

For those of you with experiencing discomfort in the backs of the seat, I've discovered that you can adjust lumbar support with a button on the side of the chair. It ranges from tight (high support) to loose (low support). Very nice touch.

dclee12

One minor detail I fixed when examining my Avalon is the loose lining on the sunroof sliding door. The lining in the front is tight, but the lining in the back was loose. I only noticed this because the liner was not aligned properly -- when I adjusted it, I realized it was loose.

jeffm5

Uknowimfreaky, Sorry your dissatisfied with the Avalon. I'm to take delivery of one in 2 wks. & I am concerned to see so many drivers with transmission/hesitation problems. Sorry I can't help you with arbitration because I've never had to go there & hope I won't ever have to. I'm surprised that you find the back seat small. What were you driving before?

55396

"Mike S. or anyone else with young kids- did anyone find a good product to place under and behind the child safety seat to protect the perferated leather surfaces from potential damage? "

Seems like a throw rug or carpet sample that matches interior color should do the trick.

teereeves

viking644, you have a very nice looking vehicle. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to see what Blizzard Pearl exterior and Ivory interior looks like, and the combination is beautiful. Also, you took great looking pictures, well done. Finally, congratulations on your new purchase.

Tee

teereeves

iPod and Avalon are getting married. But before this marriage can take place, the Avalon needs a best man or best woman, depending on how you view the Avalon. The best man or best woman is the CD changer. If you are willing to give up your CD changer functioning, you can marry the iPod to the Avalon, where your CD changer controls would control the iPod and the iPod music would flow thru the factory installed stereo system. To make this marriage happen, you will need to have Monster perform the wedding with iCruze wedding planner. For all those ready to have their iPod marry their Avalon, go to http://www.monstercable.com/icruze ,

Tee

ronharv

"So 87 octane is right out of Toyota's mouth."

You must have connections. I get my gas from an ordinary nozzle.

3puttmax

Havalongavalon-

Very impressive - nice pictures. Nice to know that it CAN be done. For now, I think I'll keep using my 2000 Avalon for golf.

Max

avalonkitten

I have in past posts mentioned that the brake pedal has had more resistance than my old brakes (2000 Camry) and I have to depress them noticeably harder to get the car to stop. It still does stop. I just have to start to depress them earlier and harder to get the car to stop. I had the dealership run diagnostics on them and they told me there was nothing wrong with the brakes. I had the service foreman drive with me for the transmission hesitation problem and asked about extra effort required to make the brakes work and he told me that was a whole other story. He did not give me details other than to say they were a different brake and you would not be able to tell how worn they were. I was and am concerned about wear on them since I have to depress them more strongly to get the car to stop. The result of the new owners meeting was the additional information about them all being disc brakes instead of front disc and back drum. The brake fluid would increase as pads wore so the brakes should feel the same. The only way you have of knowing how wore they are is to have a mechanic you trust look at them and listening for the squeal warning that toyota's brake pads make when they are almost worn out.

viking644

Sorry to hear that you feel that badly about your purchase. Undoubtedly the hesitation issue will continue to bubble and Toyota will find a solution. As for the back seat, you've got to be kidding-it's huge unless you were driving a Maybach 62 before. I sold my 325i to get into my Avalon and couldn't be happier-so far. Arbitration depends on your state laws-go see your lawyer, or better yet, put your Avalon in the paper or trade it in for something that you'll like. I'd venture to guess that your Toyota dealership will "buy" your Avalon back outright for a fair price, especially if it is a Limited. When I purchased mine, my BMW dealership bought back my BMW for $900 more than Toyota would give me on a trade in and my Toyota dealership said that they would have bought back a Toyota product as well.

Hopefully this helps you.

:sick:

havalongavalon

Hi avalonkitten,

We discussed earlier in this forum that the Avalon brake pedal and gas pedal pressures required are quite different. This seems to be a normal design feature, not itself an indication of premature brake wear.

Personally, I prefer brakes that demand a little more effort, to overly sensitive brakes that "grab" at minimal pressure (as I recall was the case in a TL that I test-drove). And with ABS, if you someday have to really step on the brakes you won't need to worry about causing a skid.

Best wishes with your Avalon. I know that you are unhappy with the transmission, but at least the brakes should not be an issue.

havalongavalon

ronharv

I find that the brakes on my '05 XL require only mild pedal pressure, less even than on my '03 Avalon and considerably less than on the '99 Taurus I sold after getting the new Avy. I know that individual cars of the same make and model can have their unique eccentricities, but a need for extra brake-pedal effort shouldn't be one of them.