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If you like the fuel reset, you will also love the trip timer. It resets to zero every time you turn off the ignition. Goodbye to tracking your mpg for a long trip or timing your trip. Of course, I was told there is still pencil and paper. :mad:
Seriously it's a real eye catcher.
I just returned from vacation, W.Pennsylvania to Central Fla and back. Averaged 30.6 MPG at an average speed of 72 MPH with Laser Cruise all the way. 4 adults and luggage for a week in the truck along with 2 boogie boards and a giant cooler (my wife likes to pack the leftover food from the 'fridge in the condo and bring home).
While on vacation I had 2 complete strangers walk up to me in parking lots and asking how I liked my car (one had a 2002 Avy XLS and the other a Honda Minivan). They loved the color, the matching mud guards and the interior.
I used the Nav system exclusively and only had to check a phone book to get an address, much better than lugging a PC to check mapquest and obviously not something I could plan trip tix for when we had a spur of the moment idea to go somewhere for dinner or entertainment when looking through a newspaper for things to do. Would never have bought it on my own, now I wouldn't be without it, or the Laser Cruise.
I found a shop who is ready to install it at a good price -- but I'm giving him your post anyway.
ksairman, sounds like you got a great deal. Good for you.
And captain2, I agree. Toyota can't be blamed for salesmen excesses, although I'm sure if Toyota execs read this forum, they can't be pleased.
Approximately 5.5 seconds (I had measured this time) after the key is turned on (or Smartkey button pressed), the despised “I agree” screen appears. Within a quarter of a second, my timer pulses the enter key and the display automatically switches to the map.
The 1" x 3" x 3/4" timer circuit is hidden in a cavity located under the seat heater switch. It is triggered by the power feed to the Nav controller, so as to operate at every turn-on. The contacts of a small DIP relay are run to the controller, which was disassembled to solder wires to the “enter” switch.
The warning screen still briefly appears, but I won’t notice it any longer.
If anyone is interested in the timer circuit shematic, or instructions for dissasembly and modification of the Nav controller, advise, and I will write a PDF file and post it.
The Touring in C&D had no VSC and was thus able to spin its tires at launch to maximize acceleration. If I'm not mistaken, the CR ran an XLS or a Limited with VSC which prevents wheelspin, yielding slower acceleration than a Touring (from a standing start), so it's difficult to say how much of the difference in acceleration was due to VSC intervention, and how much was due to the unleaded vs regular gas. As an estimate, the 12 hp difference between using regular vs premium is unlikely to accont for more than one or two tenths of a second.
Regards,
Deanie
Greg
http://www.coastaletech.com/nav_kit.htm
Thanks for the help.
I don't have an Avy yet (soon, soon...) but would also love to see n0v8or's solution posted here.
Max
Greg
abfisch
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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Reading all these posts from a number of good folks which are nothing but horror stories of promises not kept, contracts not honored, bait & switch tactics etc. should be something that Toyota should concern itself with. That said, it has been going on in the car business for 100 years!
My marketing instincts tell me that, if Coastal indeed had a product that would work for the 05-06 Avalon, or even one in development, they would be promoting it aggressively. Once the development costs have been committed, companies try to maximize sales. A common tactic is a “coming soon” sort of announcement, once development begins, to dissuade potential future customers from considering alternative solutions in the meantime.
Since there were no such indications from Coastal, I decided to seek a “back door” approach on my own.
Te best that can be said for my solution is that it works and anyone is free to copy it. I am sure someone else will discover or design a way to do it better, less complicated, or both.
Be aware that you will need to possess, or have access to, both some mechanical and electronics (precision soldering) skills.
Instructions are posted at http://members.cox.net/n0v8or/nav_controller_mod.pdf
File size is approximately 850K (lots of pictures). If anything is unclear, just post questions on this forum.
Regarding warranty questions. If your Navigator fails, and your Dealer discovers the wires soldered into the Nav controller, he can refuse to honor the warranty (for the Nav igator only, NOT THE ENTIRE CAR). If my Navigator ever fails, you can be sure I will remove the wires before presenting the car for diagnosis/repair. That is one reason why a neat soldering job is important. Warranty-wise, fitting the Coastal unit (if one were available) is no diffferent. The advantage is that it is easier to remove since you don't have to disassemble anything.
Glad to help, when I can, with elecrical questions. I still have some engineering contacts at automotive companies.
Yesterday I e-mailed my salesman 'the list' of regularly discussed concerns. I requested their 'car prep' person inspect six items. Tire pressure, tail pipe alignment, plastic doors covering the radio and GPS to confirm they open, latch and are in alignment. Fog lights, confirm they are secure in the frame. Inspect the rear window and confirm there is no distortion. Seat cushions-inspect the seat cushion for accurate fit. I'd noticed corners of the seat cushion sometimes expose material such as foam padding and cloth.
I made clear, my intent furnishing 'the list' was to be 100% satisfied just as I've been in the past. My salesman said he was going to walk 'the list' to the service department. He said he appreciated the 'heads up'. I expect the car to exceed my expectations and I'll let all of you know soon.
Here's a touch of irony. Five weeks ago I broke my foot and it's in a cast until 9/6/05. My Wife has generously agreed drive the car for the next week or so!
Have you had an opportunity to test the Laser Cruise Control since you installed the protective film over the lens? Charlie
Made the mistake a couple of weeks back of taking the car to a 'Kwik Lube' because I didn't have time to do it myself and taking it back to the dealer would mean being without the car all day. $66.00 5W synthetic with me providing the filter! Not only that but I ended up down in the pit with the idiot to explain to him how it worked. I told him 6.4 quarts, not believing me he put 5 back in, kept adding more until he got it right but only because I'm watching! He did not have a 'special' tool either and was not old enough to remember cartridge type filters, either. The 'maintainence req'd' light is easy enough to reset, but don't use the 5000 mile interval - stick with 3000 miles.
Does anybody know if there any aftermarket suppliers yet for the oil filters and wiperblades?
I want to say "Thanks" to Mac and Ken and all the other posters who have given so much valuable information. I look forward to driving this car for years to come, as well as keeping up with things on this forum.
Koondog
The Avalon is bigger inside, much quieter and acceleration is great. I do miss the 300M style but this car has an elegance that I like.
Many Sienna owners discovered that there is a speed sensor cable going into the NAV unit. When the speed sensor is grounded, or opened, the NAV computer thinks you are stopped and allows you to enter destination info until the GPS tells the NAV computer your position has changed. You only get about 15 seconds after the interruption. Some people have simply installed a DPDT switch so that they can manually interrupt the circuit every 10 seconds or so while they are entering destination info. Others have built a timer circuit to do the same thing.
My thought is that coastalETech has designed a circuit that does both. First, since it connects at the NAV computer, it must detect when power is applied, and then after the five seconds send a signal which is the same as generated by the ENTER key - this removes the 'I Agree" annoyance (similar to your approach, but sending a signal rather then closing the switch). It then monitors and detects when the DEST key is pressed at which point it interrupts the speed sensor as described above. Once the MAP button is pressed, it puts everything back to normal.
Two main obstacles have prevented me from doing something. First, I'm not an EE and don't have the skills or equipment to diagnose, trap, and mimic the signals coming from the NAV controller to the NAV computer. Nor do I have the skills to design such a circuit as I described. Secondly, I have never been able to source the connectors coastalETech uses to make it a "plug and play" solution by connecting into the NAV computer in the trunk.
As annoying as the trial lawyers are, I'm not annoyed enough to go back to school or create my own plastic injection molding factory. CoastalETech is capable of doing this, they have designed some very brilliant solutions, but based on my experience with them, they are a very mom and pop operation (perhaps running out of the trunk of their Prius in Indialantic, Florida). The NAV units in the 05 Avalon and 05 Prius are the same, with slightly different software, but the connectors are the same. I wouldn't be surprised if they would work in the Avalon, but CoastalETech can't even produce quantity for their Prius customers.
The entrepreneur in me says you can sell such a solution to Avalon owners for maybe $150 per pop. I doubt even low volume manufacturing costs would push $50 and I expect over the life of '05, '06, and possibly '07 Avalons you could sell several thousand of them on eBay and forums.
You have definitely come closest to the holy grail, any other thoughts?
Roski
* Temp 90 deg to 100 deg F.
* Ran A/C 95% of time.
* Used Premium fuel.
* Set LCC @ 75- 85 mph.
* Radar detector operational.
* Fully synthetic oil 5W-30.
* Nitrogen filled tires to 33 psi.
* Car loaded back seat and trunk.
* Acrylic protective lens installed in front of LCC.
Results: Averaged right @ 30 mph. High of 33.9 and low of 27.9 (in mountains).
Got 95% of premium fuel @ COSTCO. Ate up a BMW and couple of other sport cars on the way just for fun.. Only complaint is the high sensitivity of the LCC (responds too aggressively to braking and acceleration) and too much nose diving of the front end over dips in I-5. I do believe I got better mileage with the synthetic oil + additional protection in the hot weather.
I was able to remove (snaps out) the plastic bumper portion in front of the parking light and LCC. I then cut a rectangular piece of acylic .093 thick about 1/4" larger than then rectangular opening in front of the LCC. I used duct tape to tape the edge of the acrylic lens to the rectangular opening in the removed plastic bumper and reinstalled/snapped back in the plastic bumper. Works great- no faults during whole trip. Acrylic protective lens is located approximately 1/2" in front of LCC face. Easy fix to a potentially expensive repair!">
NWBLIZZARD
Do you have any news (or solution) on yours.?
cheers CD
[note: we use metric here in Dubai]
cheers CD