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I did not get the vehicle shield package (P4) which includes undercoating, rustproofing, etc. I did get a package, through the dealership, called the UnitedAuto Care Surface Protection System which is an advanced teflon fluorocarbon resin which protects against fading, oxidation, acid rain, industrial fallout, etc. It also includes an interior protection system in which all interior surfaces were treated. This has a full 5 year guarantee. I have to say that it looks better than when I first picked up my car and, at that time, I didn't think it could look better than it did! (I had it done at the dealership one week after taking delivery of the car). The exterior looks terrific and the interior now looks richer, with a patina like finish. I am really happy that I decided to have it done.
Good luck with your future purchase and the enjoyment of a new Avalon!
That is a good question. I did some research because I have an infant also. I will say that I have heard that the middle back seat is the ideal place for an infant, however, we use the LATCH system so this isnt feasible for us.
From the governments child safety website :
"All children ages 12 years and younger should ride in the back seat, the safest part of a vehicle in the event of a crash. About one-third of the children ages 12 years and younger who were killed in 2000 were riding in the front seat. This is especially important for vehicles with front passenger-side airbags. Riding in the back seat is associated with at least a 30% reduction in the risk of fatal injury in cars without such airbags. Placing children in the back seat of vehicles reduces this risk by 46%"
"The force of a deployed airbag can injure or kill a young child even in a slow-speed crash. Children ages 12 years and younger, including infants, should never be placed in a seat in front of an airbag. Riding in the back eliminates children’s risk of such injury."
I will say that I have heard that the middle back seat is the ideal place for an infant, however, we use the LATCH system so this isnt feasible for us.
hank3 -
I've used a car seat in the rear middle position by using the inboard anchors for the rear left and right seat positions, along with the center position tether. This works just fine, so you can put a carseat in the middle position.
Also, I would seriously doubt that the rear curtain side airbags would pose a hazard to an infant in a carseat in either side position. This is a very common configuration now.
In case you're looking to add your iPod to your new Avalon, I thought I would let you know that I just installed mine easily using the iPod2car adapter.
tdx -
Congratulations. Now for the questions -
Do you have a Navigator or XM radio? I have both - do you know if that complicates things?
You say you retain the CD player functionality. How do you switch between CD changer & iPod use? Don't they both use the same transport controls? Can you just unplug the iPod to go back to the CD changer?
Is there any song info displayed on the Avalon screen, either Nav screen or regular display?
Can you use the iPod controls to access all your music, while this is hooked up? Or do you use the car's CD controls only? Most of these, like IceLink, seem to disable the iPod controls so you can only play the first 5 or 6 playlists, using the CD disk buttons.
I do not have navigation or XM, but I don't believe this would have an impact. The cable supplied acts as a pass thru for the current device. In other words, you remove the plug from the radio, plug it into the iPod2car unit and plug the cable from the unit to the radio. You are essentially putting two devices into the same input jack.
You can go back and forth between CD and iPod by just removing the iPod. I haven't checked to see if there is any song info on the Avalon display. I really don't care since it's displayed on the iPod.
You can still use the iPod controls. This was one reason I used the iPod2car instead of the icelink.
The only issue I have is where to keep the iPod. The iPod2car comes with a cradle but I am not using it since there really isn't a good place for it. What I am doing is using the belkin cradle that fits into a cup holder. It works well and gives you good visibility to the iPod.
I purchased it at Best Buy. You need to get the version for Asian imports. It comes with the necessary cable (actually all cables for all asian imports).
When I start my Avalon after it has been sitting for a few hours it seems to idle at a high RPM (1500-2000) for a few seconds and then gradually decreases. Are others having this same occurrence or is this just normal? I have just under 5,000 miles and I do live in Wisconsin where the temps have been getting cooler. (which might explain the higher RPM)
I have an 06 xls avalon. Where is UnitedAuto Care Surface Protection System located ? I am interested in getting a vehicle shield package from them. I am from Edison, NJ. Thanks.
reading a number of posts re: accuracy of mpg number as shown on blue screen - that number being higher than arithmetic would say. If you are using either of your trip odos or the main odo I have found all three to read low about 4%, meaning that 400 miles on the odo is actually 416 mile driven. Given a 16 gallon fill up this would change 25 mpg into 26. 20 mpg to 20.8, 30 to 31.2 etc. etc. The second number (26) should be what shows on the screen, mathematics however yields 25 mpg if you use the odometer reading. Also these new high speed gas pumps will shut a fill up down prermaturely so it makes it difficult to equalize volumes between trips to the gas station. About the only way to make sure, slow the pump down - top it off - up the filler neck. I have checked this a number times (highway mileage markers over long runs) and have found the odos consistently off while the speedo and the computer mpg figures right on - adding the 4% back into the odo shown miles driven. Since the circumference of the tires 215/60/16 and the 215/55/17 is very very close, tire size can't be the issue - should be a common problem with all Avs. Anybody else discovered the same thing?
I checked the odometer of my 05 Limited with Michelin 215/55/17 tires over a 50 mile stretch along I5 in Oregon. Result - odometer reading is low by 2.67%. Speedometer, by the way, is spot on.
thanks, guess I'm not that crazy. Would be interested to know if your Ltd. is NAV equipped? NAV should be accurate within feet so therefore that same sort of odo error should show up on any computed trip.
today morning ive received my blizzard fully loaded avvy with parktronic system installedon the rear and all weather floor mats car is almost perfect but i noticed few issues .. car is littly bumpy and thats absoluty good with me i checked the TOYO tires and all of them were at 50psi ! lowered them to 35 and the bumpy feelin disappeared a little ! also after sitin it at 35 psi ive noticed the steerin drifts to the right a little ! any ideas ? my car is 05 and ordered the car 4 or 5 months ago . otherwise car is absolutly gorgeos and has wonderful massive sound system and its so comfortable but little bumpy tho . iam about to be 21 years old and very satisfied with this purchase and i really do recomend gettin that car
will give more details when i finishe my first 1k
heres few pics of the car : NOTE : This is only fast pics so its nothing i'll capture so better pics really soon :shades:
Yes I have Nav. The gas mileage computed by the Avy's computer or Nav tends to agree best with hand-calculated values, based on the odometer, that have been increased by 2.67% to account for the odometer error. In other words, the onboard computer seems more accurate than the odometer. I agree that those who are hand-calculating gas mileage based on odometer readings are slightly underestimating the true mileage.
My car has about 1500 miles on it I've had it for around 5 months and it has always idled high on start up. To get past waiting for the idle to lower I normally remote start the car while I am putting on my shoes.
hi guys , my dealer sold me the avvy with toyo tires and they got some ugly road noise :S so i really wants the best tires that has the most less road noise on the market ! any help ?
plus whats the best psi for my avalon toyo tires ? 40 psi as written on the tires ? or 32 psi ?
zekeman- an explanation to a number of posts' gripes that the the computer mpg is off - which I don't believe to be the case. And don't miss that turn off you were told that's 10.0 miles down the road, you've already passed it aboiut a quarter mile back.
Has anyone picked up a Touring edition with the options package that includes VSC?
Just wondering if having VSC available made the Touring model a more purchased option than in 05?
I'm impressed by the value the Avalon seems to offer, though Im not in the mkt for one. $32,475 for the Touring w/JBL, moonroof, VSC, alarm. Pretty impressive, especially when you get to haggling to invoice.
Understand. Reminds me of a time many years ago when I was around 20 yrs old; my uncle had just purchased the biggest Mercedes on the market - fantastic car, powerful & plush, very big bucks at the time. I asked him what kind of mileage he got on a gallon of gas. He looked at me kind of funny and replied "if you have to concern yourself with that kind of issue, you really can't afford the car to begin with." But then, there are those who log into a little logbook kept in the glovebox, the miles they get on each tankful of gas; never could figure out what they did with the logbook when they sold the car. My wife used to do that before we were married - guess it's just a quirk some people have. zekeman1
I had the same problem with the OEM Brigestone Turanza EL400's. I replaced them with Bridgestone Turanza LS-V in size 225/55/17. They are VERY VERY quiet - see my earlier posts, but they are bigger in diameter than the 215's so the spare does not fit into the trunkwell without partially deflating it. You may prefer the Turanza LS-V in size 225/50/17 - they will fit the trunkwell but the lower aspect ratio will give a harder ride. Also, take a look at the Yokohama Avid V4S. They are available in 215/55/17s and are supposed to be very quiet riding too. A third choice would be the Kumho Solus KH16, also available in 215/55/17. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of tires available in this size which is why I went with the 225's.
I am one of those referenced oddballs who keeps a logbook of miles travelled and fuel used. I do it so as to be on the lookout for changes over time that might signal a component failure or maintenance concern. For example, if mileage abruptly dropped by 25% relative to historic data, and stayed there despite a lack of underlying changes in driving habits/conditions, I might consider replacing the spark plugs and air filter to test for a easy-to-fix cause.
I don't concern myself with the absolute mileage, but rather how consistent it is.
The log book also serves as back up evidence for federal income tax business deductions. When I sell ot trade in the car, I discard the log book and start a new one.
or how about - driving a car 15k per year on business and getting reimbursed at .42 per, at 3% low 450 miles more actually driven worth about 190 bucks. lots of good reasons to keep track of almost everything your car does, that log book should be worth more than a little when you later sell the car as well.
Good points you & n0v8or make...hadn't looked at it that way. I don't use my car for business so don't have to worry about keeping track of distances driven. Get the oil changed & tuned when due and if something goes wrong, take it to a repair shop. Otherwise, I drive & enjoy and forget about the record keeping...that's why I retired. Since starting to buy Japanese cars in 1978, I've not had to do anything other than oil change/tuneups. Guess I'm just lucky or it's proof that the Japanese build quality. zekeman1
I called Toyota and NHTSA and neither knew the answer about the danger to children in the back seat by the door. I read my book again, and it shows the child in the middle, but I have TWO so one of them has to be next to the door. It just seems to me, after looking at the pictures on p. 86, that the child by the door is in a very precarious position. Maybe I'll just take them places in our Honda Odyssey to be on the safe side.
I just looked over all of my paperwork and the protection plan was called the UnitedAuto Care Surface Protection plan.
When I picked up my car, I was told that the dealership was giving me 6 free months of Sirius satellite radio in addition to the first 3 free and just got a letter from Sirius. In the letter it states that my dealership is a United Auto Group dealership (which I wasn't aware of). I am in San Diego, CA. so I don't know if United Auto Group owns a number of dealerships just in California or if it is also in other states. This seems to be a surface protection plan offered by United Auto Group dealerships. Hope this helps..
My '06 Avalon's accelerator stuck wide open for about 30 seconds yesterday while driving through a school zone. Has anyone else experienced this and does anyone know how to fix it? :P
Int: I agree with your concern. Unfortunately, I do not think you will receive any useful replies or advice from Toyota, because such an answer would potentially expose them to liability in the case of an injured child.
Here is what I would do: Ask Toyota if they have a video or drawing that shows the extent of the maximum deployment of the curtain airbag in the rear seat area. The sales team at another dealer is a good place to start. If they ask you why you want this, claim that you are comparing the airbag effectiveness of the Avalon against competitive models before deciding which car to purchase. This will appeal to their marketing instincts instead of their legal concern instincts.
Then you can judge for yourself if it is possible to mount the child seat such that his/her head is outside the deployment zone.
FWIW, on my 04 Highlander my calculated mpg reading is always 1/2 mpg to 1 mpg lower than that displayed over the Nav. However my nav also displays a trip odometer which matches the odometer on the console so I don't think the discrepancy is due to the odometer reading low. I think the difference with the car's computer is that it is not counting gas spent while idling in park in its mpg calculation. That's just a hypothesis but I've noted that the more idling/warming up I do, the greater the difference is and vice versa.
" I think the difference with the car's computer is that it is not counting gas spent while idling in park in its mpg calculation."
Sure it does. Try filling up (the MPG will reset), then drive down the road for a mile. Pull over and sit and idle for 2 minutes and watch the MPG drop. I have a gas station at the top of the hill near my home, I fill up and then basically coast down the hill, there is a traffic light at the bottom. If I get stuck on red or there is oncoming traffic stopping me from making my left turn, the MPG drops almost as quickly as it rose from the downhill coast.
Very not funny - unfortunately a few folks out there might take this seriously. Actually, in between the 'minutia' that you find of no value in, I have gotten several things not so minute from contributors to this forum: 1) how about that steering column recall that did effect my car, that Toyota has yet to notify me of, and had to do with 'possible loss of control'. 2) that hesitation in the tranny is normal 3) a post from you, I believe, telling me how to save some money on things like $50 wiper blades and $7.00 oil filters. So, when I read a number of posts griping about apparent inaccuracies in the trip computer, and have an explanation - there may actually a few folks out there who may find the post useful or possibly even reassuring - some probably not, especially you and zekeman's rich uncle. I, personally, have no use for learning about the intracacies of adding all sorts of electronic doo-dads to my Av - but, no matter, apparently a lot of other folks do. Different strokes for different folks. Think your response to Pat's invitation for something more 'scintillating' is irresponsible.
Yes, I've noticed it goes down when I am idling at a light (while in gear). I don't put my vehicle in park while I'm waiting at stoplights so not sure about that.
Perhaps it doesn't count idling at the start of a trip. For example, try starting it in the morning and let it warm up for 10 minutes and see if the mpg changes. Then at the end of your drive, sit for another 10 minutes in the parking lot and see if it changes.
Though I have not performed rigorous experiments, I know that the lowest discrepancy I got was about 2/10 mile when I was on a road trip and basically filled up and didn't stop until I needed gas again. And, as I said, the discrepancy gets higher the more idling and less driving I do. Of course it's possible that the Highlander has a different mechanism than the Avalon.
Comments
http://www.mynewavalon.com/#
Good luck with your future purchase and the enjoyment of a new Avalon!
From the governments child safety website :
"All children ages 12 years and younger should ride in the back seat, the safest part of a vehicle in the event of a crash. About one-third of the children ages 12 years and younger who were killed in 2000 were riding in the front seat. This is especially important for vehicles with front passenger-side airbags. Riding in the back seat is associated with at least a 30% reduction in the risk of fatal injury in cars without such airbags. Placing children in the back seat of vehicles reduces this risk by 46%"
"The force of a deployed airbag can injure or kill a young child even in a slow-speed crash. Children ages 12 years and younger, including infants, should never be placed in a seat in front of an airbag. Riding in the back eliminates children’s risk of such injury."
hank3 -
I've used a car seat in the rear middle position by using the inboard anchors for the rear left and right seat positions, along with the center position tether. This works just fine, so you can put a carseat in the middle position.
Also, I would seriously doubt that the rear curtain side airbags would pose a hazard to an infant in a carseat in either side position. This is a very common configuration now.
Max
tdx -
Congratulations. Now for the questions -
Do you have a Navigator or XM radio? I have both - do you know if that complicates things?
You say you retain the CD player functionality. How do you switch between CD changer & iPod use? Don't they both use the same transport controls? Can you just unplug the iPod to go back to the CD changer?
Is there any song info displayed on the Avalon screen, either Nav screen or regular display?
Can you use the iPod controls to access all your music, while this is hooked up? Or do you use the car's CD controls only? Most of these, like IceLink, seem to disable the iPod controls so you can only play the first 5 or 6 playlists, using the CD disk buttons.
Thanks for the info, and happy listening.
Max
You can go back and forth between CD and iPod by just removing the iPod. I haven't checked to see if there is any song info on the Avalon display. I really don't care since it's displayed on the iPod.
You can still use the iPod controls. This was one reason I used the iPod2car instead of the icelink.
The only issue I have is where to keep the iPod. The iPod2car comes with a cradle but I am not using it since there really isn't a good place for it. What I am doing is using the belkin cradle that fits into a cup holder. It works well and gives you good visibility to the iPod.
Thanks for the tip. I may try that configuration out for the middle seat. I agree with your last comment. I am sure this has been tested many times.
Thanks for the info. Where did you buy it, and what adapter did you get?
Max
Thanks in advance.
located ? I am interested in getting a vehicle shield package from them. I am from
Edison, NJ. Thanks.
Sancarlos
If you are using either of your trip odos or the main odo I have found all three to read low about 4%, meaning that 400 miles on the odo is actually 416 mile driven. Given a 16 gallon fill up this would change 25 mpg into 26. 20 mpg to 20.8, 30 to 31.2 etc. etc. The second number (26) should be what shows on the screen, mathematics however yields 25 mpg if you use the odometer reading. Also these new high speed gas pumps will shut a fill up down prermaturely so it makes it difficult to equalize volumes between trips to the gas station. About the only way to make sure, slow the pump down - top it off - up the filler neck.
I have checked this a number times (highway mileage markers over long runs) and have found the odos consistently off while the speedo and the computer mpg figures right on - adding the 4% back into the odo shown miles driven. Since the circumference of the tires 215/60/16 and the 215/55/17 is very very close, tire size can't be the issue - should be a common problem with all Avs. Anybody else discovered the same thing?
I checked the odometer of my 05 Limited with Michelin 215/55/17 tires over a 50 mile stretch along I5 in Oregon. Result - odometer reading is low by 2.67%. Speedometer, by the way, is spot on.
Max
car is almost perfect but i noticed few issues ..
car is littly bumpy and thats absoluty good with me
also after sitin it at 35 psi ive noticed the steerin drifts to the right a little ! any ideas ?
my car is 05 and ordered the car 4 or 5 months ago .
otherwise car is absolutly gorgeos and has wonderful massive sound system and its so comfortable but little bumpy tho . iam about to be 21 years old and very satisfied with this purchase and i really do recomend gettin that car
will give more details when i finishe my first 1k
heres few pics of the car : NOTE : This is only fast pics so its nothing i'll capture so better pics really soon :shades:
regards ,
Ali
Yes I have Nav. The gas mileage computed by the Avy's computer or Nav tends to agree best with hand-calculated values, based on the odometer, that have been increased by 2.67% to account for the odometer error. In other words, the onboard computer seems more accurate than the odometer. I agree that those who are hand-calculating gas mileage based on odometer readings are slightly underestimating the true mileage.
Max
zekeman1
my dealer sold me the avvy with toyo tires and they got some ugly road noise :S
so i really wants the best tires that has the most less road noise on the market !
any help ?
plus whats the best psi for my avalon toyo tires ? 40 psi as written on the tires ? or 32 psi ?
thanks
an explanation to a number of posts' gripes that the the computer mpg is off - which I don't believe to be the case. And don't miss that turn off you were told that's 10.0 miles down the road, you've already passed it aboiut a quarter mile back.
Just wondering if having VSC available made the Touring model a more purchased option than in 05?
I'm impressed by the value the Avalon seems to offer, though Im not in the mkt for one. $32,475 for the Touring w/JBL, moonroof, VSC, alarm. Pretty impressive, especially when you get to haggling to invoice.
~alpha
zekeman1
Also, take a look at the Yokohama Avid V4S. They are available in 215/55/17s and are supposed to be very quiet riding too. A third choice would be the Kumho Solus KH16, also available in 215/55/17. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of tires available in this size which is why I went with the 225's.
I don't concern myself with the absolute mileage, but rather how consistent it is.
The log book also serves as back up evidence for federal income tax business deductions.
When I sell ot trade in the car, I discard the log book and start a new one.
lots of good reasons to keep track of almost everything your car does, that log book should be worth more than a little when you later sell the car as well.
zekeman1
When I picked up my car, I was told that the dealership was giving me 6 free months of Sirius satellite radio in addition to the first 3 free and just got a letter from Sirius. In the letter it states that my dealership is a United Auto Group dealership (which I wasn't aware of). I am in San Diego, CA. so I don't know if United Auto Group owns a number of dealerships just in California or if it is also in other states. This seems to be a surface protection plan offered by United Auto Group dealerships. Hope this helps..
Luvmyavalon
I agree with your concern. Unfortunately, I do not think you will receive any useful replies or advice from Toyota, because such an answer would potentially expose them to liability in the case of an injured child.
Here is what I would do:
Ask Toyota if they have a video or drawing that shows the extent of the maximum deployment of the curtain airbag in the rear seat area. The sales team at another dealer is a good place to start. If they ask you why you want this, claim that you are comparing the airbag effectiveness of the Avalon against competitive models before deciding which car to purchase. This will appeal to their marketing instincts instead of their legal concern instincts.
Then you can judge for yourself if it is possible to mount the child seat such that his/her head is outside the deployment zone.
Sure it does. Try filling up (the MPG will reset), then drive down the road for a mile. Pull over and sit and idle for 2 minutes and watch the MPG drop. I have a gas station at the top of the hill near my home, I fill up and then basically coast down the hill, there is a traffic light at the bottom. If I get stuck on red or there is oncoming traffic stopping me from making my left turn, the MPG drops almost as quickly as it rose from the downhill coast.
allavalons
Actually, in between the 'minutia' that you find of no value in, I have gotten several things not so minute from contributors to this forum:
1) how about that steering column recall that did effect my car, that Toyota has yet to notify me of, and had to do with 'possible loss of control'.
2) that hesitation in the tranny is normal
3) a post from you, I believe, telling me how to save some money on things like $50 wiper blades and $7.00 oil filters.
So, when I read a number of posts griping about apparent inaccuracies in the trip computer, and have an explanation - there may actually a few folks out there who may find the post useful or possibly even reassuring - some probably not, especially you and zekeman's rich uncle. I, personally, have no use for learning about the intracacies of adding all sorts of electronic doo-dads to my Av - but, no matter, apparently a lot of other folks do. Different strokes for different folks.
Think your response to Pat's invitation for something more 'scintillating' is irresponsible.
Perhaps it doesn't count idling at the start of a trip. For example, try starting it in the morning and let it warm up for 10 minutes and see if the mpg changes. Then at the end of your drive, sit for another 10 minutes in the parking lot and see if it changes.
Though I have not performed rigorous experiments, I know that the lowest discrepancy I got was about 2/10 mile when I was on a road trip and basically filled up and didn't stop until I needed gas again. And, as I said, the discrepancy gets higher the more idling and less driving I do. Of course it's possible that the Highlander has a different mechanism than the Avalon.