2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

bobwiley

Glad Suave Tequila likes the Nav System and the voice activation is fun--my point is that for the "average" person its VERY user unfreindly and "doesn't" recognize many long established "Points of Interest"--most noteable--It doen't reconize our house. I just feel that for $1,900 it should be more user freindly and up-to-date. The Lexus Nav is best--I test drove an ES330--nice--but not nearly the room or ride of the Avalon. I sent Toyota an email telling them to provide a Step-by-Step User Guide. I bet most dealerships have a hard time operating/explaining the system. All the best to those who buy the Nav System.
Bob

suave_tequila

Yeah I was thinking about Toyota/Lexus nav and weird how the Lexus Navs are better ???hmm? :confuse: It's from Toyota! Well Anyways how I know is that I currently test drove a 2006 Lexus IS 350 and test drove one last week and also waiting for mine to come in sometime soon. Well I'm up for a challange if the Nav system is hard to use (well my mom)! Better than not having one at all! (or maybe lol) Well thanks everyone for your inputs and will try to get a very good deal on my mother's Avalon. Almost getting them to give me 29K with all taxes and such.!

Thanks
Suave Tequila

fin

The wiring diagram will give you the answers. Pay close attention to the points where something fits (attaches) to something else. There may be a difference, as you have discovered. Check the cable type and harness itself. Also look at fuse size. You know it can be done as Toyota does it from the factory. It's just a matter of making sure it all matches like Toyota would have done it. Good luck on lighting up those lovely tropical nights!

nolava50

I have an '06 Blizzard Pearl Limited. When I got it I asked a friend of mine who works at KYB about the shocks since I thought they made them. He told me that KYB only supplies the front shocks (struts) for the Avalon. I don't know who makes the rear shocks but I do have the P/N for the front shocks in the Limited and the P/N for the stiffer ones for the Touring.

Limited
RH 48510-09G60
LH 48520-09D40

Touring
RH 48510-09G70
LH 48520-09D50

Maybe someone else can find out about the rear and get some info? You can order these through Toyota. You are at least half way there towards a little firmer ride with this info...good luck.

geoshill

Observed a Chrysler 300 yesterday and notice how low the front air dam is to the ground. I didn't see any damage from hitting the wheelstops in the parking lots but I'll bet they get a lot.

Also again I'll say my '06 XLS is running perfectly. No rattles weird shifting or what ever.

gerry100

Abfisch-

In my opinion, the standard suspension '06 is not as good as the KYB setup on my '03 but much better than the origanl on the '03.

If the '06 struts hold up better or at least until the Tokico/KYB's become available, I should be OK with it.

The Gas replacements likely won't appear until '07 at the earliest when wear and tear on the '05s creates enough demand.

Gerry

retired7

Good science project-gave me something to do! I wonder what the Toyota ergonomic engrs had in mind when they shaped the gas pedal in an arc. It is definitely less sensitive when positioning the foot fully on the pedal as opposed to the "toe" technique. (My other older Avalon's gas pedal is mostly straight.)

NWBLIZZARD

fragmire

I'm not sure exactly how, but the Lexus system is definitely better. The screen is sharper (not to mention larger), the responsiveness is amazing (the rep entered an address as fast as one could move his fingers, and the system was faster!), and I like the user interface much better on the Lexus. Seeing how Lexus gets higher-grade leather, better wood panels (real!), and overall better material, I'm not surprised that the Lexus Nav is much better. As much as I like my Avalon Nav, I don't think the Lexus people would find the system worthy of being in a Lexus.

joe369

Umm....I hate to break it to ya'll, but isn't that just the effect of leverage? Ie...since the pedals are attached at the top for most cars, the furter away from u are from the mount, the easier it is to press down....

havalongavalon

Of course it is, but this is not just because the gas pedal is hinged at its top.

Drivers who press on the bottom of the pedal with the tip of the shoe are also using the full length of their foot as lever arm, instead of 6" when the foot is nearly vertical. So there are two factors that when combined, greatly reduce the amount of control over the gas pedal.

havalongavalon

deanie

Hi:
Gerry100 was responding to my earlier post about upgrading my XLS suspension w/aftermarket shocks/struts. What nobody has been able to tell me definitively, including Toyota mechanics, is whether or not the Touring shocks/struts are a simple bolt-in swap with those of the XLS. You'd think it would be a simple swap but nobody can confirm or deny. The info you've provided is a good start though. Thanks!!
Regards,
Deanie

jl618

Any conclusions yet as to the placement of Bluetooth in the sunglass holder?

And what brand Bluetooth?

retired7

Right on. It needs to be considered as a total system with the hinged human foot and hinged curved pedal as components. Each has its point of rotation, force vectors, etc. We used to call it a "free body diagram" used as starting point to calculate actual force required to depress the pedal in various positions. The reason behind the curved pedal is still out there!

NWBLIZZARD

abfisch

gerry100:

That makes since. Even though the one of the above posting states KYB makes the front struts for the new Avalon, it does not mean that there premium aftermarket product is necessary in the limited, although I am sure it is better than the stock 00-05 that we originally purchased. I am sure your new ones will hold up better than the older ones.

With 80K on my 02 now, the TokicoHP's have softened just a little, but any strut wears with mileage. If you do change to aftermarkets on your 06, I would try and stay away from high pressure, mono tube gas shocks for the Avalon. While they are the best handling shock,... for a daily driver, the ride quality usually is compromised much and they sometimes change the ride height of the vehicle. The KYB and Tokico's seem to be a very nice compromise for many.

Enjoy your new Avalon. Let me know what you do to it as the years progress. Always interested.

abfisch

abfisch

Deanie:

Usually, I say usually, the shocks are made for Toyota by a subcontracting company(s). See my previous notes on aftermarket struts. If you are not thrilled with the struts in your XLS, and desire a bit more performance/stability without going crazy, I would WAIT, until KYB or Tokico, two reputable manufacturers come out with aftermarket replacements, which they will. The part number will probably be the same as the new Camry and mid-model Lexus. Toyota does not like make more parts than needed if you will. As I have said before, if you don't plan to "track" the car, which most Avalon owners do not, then stick to a premium LOW pressure, not high pressure twin tube gas shock replacement.

I am not sure if the touring suspension comes with different size wheel/tire combo's but I think it does. There are smaller other changes you can make, such as sway bar bushings but they are not available yet either. Check on Energy Supsensions website later in the year to see if PU bushings are available. That will also make the car corner better albeit at the sacrifice of transmitting more vibration in the cabin.

abfisch

captain2

so you really think that there are a lot of 'toe drivers' out there? Very difficult way to modulate the throttle as you suggest almost leading to a all on or all off driving style - not to mention potentially dangerous as your toe is more likely to slip off the pedal altogether. Think it may be a little bit of a reach, however, to infer that 'toe drivers' are more likely to have transmission control unit problems. But then again, since I do drive with my heel on the floor and directly under the pedal, and don't find anything terribly wrong with my tranny shifting habits - maybe?

deanie

Hi Abe:
Thanks for the help. I wasn't planning on replacing my 05 XLS struts this year, but after getting some use for the factory ones, I might switch to some slightly better-handling struts and maybe bushings as well (at the expense of a little more harshness/vibration). The 05+ Touring wheels and tires are exactly the same size as its siblings and are interchangeable with all 05+ XLS and Limited models. I wish somebody knew whether or not the struts were as well. Thanks again for your help, and I will chech Energy Suspensions later this year.
Regards,
Deanie

havalongavalon

captain2,

I don't know how many Avalon 'toe drivers' there are, or how many of them may have "hesitation-like" issues but we heard from at least one, avalonbad, diagnosed to be a 'toe driver' who described his Avalon behavior as follows (with my bolding added) and cured his problem by adjusting his foot angle:

#11387 2006 avalon quirk by avalonbad Feb 13, 2006

"The styling, finish, comfort, ride and handling on this car are superb, but a temperamental and persnickety accelerator pedal can make driving this machine an extremely unpleasant experience. I didn't a have a clue what was causing my problem. when the engine was cold and especially if the temprature was cold, acceleration and transmission shifting was effrotless and smooth as glass, but after driving several miles and the car warms up and (in a sporatic fashion) depressing the pedal would cause migrane inducing hesitation. The engine would over rev to 6k RPMs and floored would not reach 45 MPH. I thought it was the computer but turns out it was not that after all. After a several month long harangue Toyota sent a Field Technical Specialist to test drive with me, He was able to duplicate the problem from observing the angle of my foot while driving. This started me on a quest to figure out what was causing the problem. I discoverd that the vinyl pedal has tip at the bottom that would become flexible after it warms up, as a toe driver my foot woud touch the tip at times and send the drive by wire into a frenzy. I tested this on two other vehicles with the exact same issue. Seems a $20 peice of plastic was causing all this unpleasness. I adjusted my foot to place the greatest pressure high on the pedal and the problem went away."

The key message is, avalonbad's shallow foot angle caused the erratic behavior and he cured it by placing the foot more nearly vertical.

To follow up on avalonbad's theory I had another look at my XLS gas pedal, Feb 2005 edition. I didn't see how the bottom of the pedal could get "soft" in hot weather. Perhaps more likely, a shoe sole could get soft and cause the shoe to slip.

NWBLIZZARD, if you go ahead with your "free body diagram" analysis, please test the following explanation for the curvature of the top half of the gas pedal. I believe it is meant to provide a tangent contact surface suitable for foot sizes ranging from medium to large. This way, a larger foot can be placed at a shallower angle and still contact the pedal squarely, closer to the top of the pedal and the required pressure will about the same as for the more vertically placed foot, because as the contact point moves up on the pedal, the pedal torque arm is progressively reduced by about the same amount as the foot torque arm is increased.

A remaining question now: what would be the purpose of continuing the convex curvature toward the bottom half of the pedal? I see no similar useful purpose for this and I agree that it could be potentially dangerous, as captain2 said, if your toe is more likely to slip off the pedal altogether.

It is disturbing to think that something as simple as foot placement may be a root cause for "hesitation-like" performance problems that have bothered certainly a fair number of Avalon drivers.

I'd like to ask Avalon owners who have had hesitation problems, to check your foot angle and placement on the gas pedal and report back to us, so that we can have a sense for how systematic this particular problem may be.

As well, if you know that you are a habitual 'toe driver' but you have not experienced hesitation issues, this will be useful to tabulate, too.

This will be a long post and many may not read it to the end, so I'll ask these questions separately, as well.

Thanks!

havalongavalon

havalongavalon

It has been suggested that Avalon 'toe drivers' may have "hesitation-like" performance issues, and that this problem can be cured by adjusting the foot angle and contact point on the pedal (see posts #11387 and #11761).

To participate in this poll of Avalon drivers, please first check your normal foot angle and the place where your shoe contacts the gas pedal, and then reply to this forum, leaving only the statements that describe you most closely:

1. I frequently or fairly occasionally experience engine or transmission hesitation problems when I step on the gas in stop-and-go traffic. TRUE FALSE

2. I hold my right foot close to vertical with the heel resting close to the gas pedal and my foot makes contact about half-way up the pedal. TRUE FALSE

3. I hold my right foot at a really shallow angle and I contact the bottom of the gas pedal with the tip of my shoe. TRUE FALSE

4. I hold my right foot at a fairly shallow angle and I press near the top of the pedal with the tip of my shoe. TRUE FALSE

5 (Optional) My shoe size is SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA-LARGE

Thank you!

havalongavalon

limiteddriver

I think your comments are "dead on" and it will be interesting to see how many people will admit they drove with their toe and changing fixed the problem. From posts it seems some people won't believe this might solve the problem. This is my second DBW car and I've never had a problem with this feature.

ange

Any TSB notice re the laser housing being loose? Mine slides all over because it is cliped in place,no fasteners.

Any TSB re the navigation unit? My unit switched map direction and to metric read out. It took me 10 minutes to find out how to correct these unwanted changes. The manual needs help;it is not user friendly and has no Index.

Thanks for the TSB info. ange1

sofl06avalon

Changing foot position has resolved any and all hesitation issues I have experienced. My voting is based upon my foot position BEFORE becoming a "full vertical/foot on pedal" driver

1. TRUE
2. FALSE
3. TRUE
4. FALSE
5. SMALL

just__me

havalongavalon Hi my friend. I never had the hesitation problem. I always place the full length of the bottom of my foot to the gas pedal. After reading your posts I tried doing it with my toe, and what do you know, I started experiencing some hesitation problems that my wife said she has now and then. I let her read this article and she tries driving like me now and says the hesitation problem is gone when she has her full bottom of her foot to the pedal. So this is really interesting my friend, I never would have thought about such a thing, in fact I would have thought it as nonsense. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

limiteddriver

Have you sent the info on this to the Lexus forum to possibly help those drivers?

melbc

I am new to this forum but have been following it for a couple of months. I am the proud owner of a 2006 XLS Avalon. I wanted to comment on the hesitation issue. I also had the transmission problems that have been described on this forum. I didn't pay too much attn to it as I thought I will get it figured out when I get my car serviced.

I noticed that comments were made re toe driving on the gas pedal and so of course the next time I drove my car I watched where I placed my foot. I found that I am one of those people who do not place my foot totally on the pedal. I guess you could call me a 'toe driver'. So for a while I conscientiously put my entire foot on the pedal as one of the posters described and guess what?! no more hesitation problems. I don't know if it was a coincidence or what but the problem has been solved here.

I do have a couple of rattles. The dealership fixed the rear parcel shelf rattle no problem. Apparently the creak on the driver side window is a little bit more difficult to fix. They are ordering a part from the U.S. and apparently that is going to fix it. The so called rattle expert says he can make the rattle happen and traced it, so we will see if that fixes the problem.

Despite these minor problems I love this car and would recommend it to anyone. The smoothness of ride and quick response when needed are very much appreciated. Road handling is unequaled with any car I have driven so far.

MelBC

havalongavalon

Hello sofl06avalon,

Thank you for your helpful input and for this confirmation. I should have also made reference to your earlier post where you shared with us your insight into this solution:

#11643 Re: 2005 Toyota Avalon - Hesitation & Lousy Shifting [tome1] by sofl06avalon Mar 17, 2006 (8:21 pm)

havalongavalon

havalongavalon

Hello just_me,

Thank you for sharing this great news! Really glad to hear that this has worked for your wife.

Say, I had always wondered about the reason behind your chosen nickname. In view of this, are you considering changing it now to something like

me_&_the_wife ?



take care,

havalongavalon

havalongavalon

hello limiteddriver,

Thank you for your contribution, this again is helpful data.

With respect to sending this info to Lexus drivers or other parties, I'm hoping that more Avalon drivers will be taking some time this weekend to check on this question and post their findings, in order to feel as confident as possible about this observation.

Regards,

havalongavalon

havalongavalon

Thank you, melbc!

I'll add your reply to the poll results.

havalongavalon

jimmye1

Changed my foot position and moved the seat up per your suggestion. No more hesitation problems. AND had hesitation problems with my fun car. . .91 LeBaron convertible. Changed foot position and no more hesitation. Many thanks for your insights.

regis

1. I frequently or fairly occasionally experience engine or transmission hesitation problems when I step on the gas in stop-and-go traffic. FALSE

2. I hold my right foot close to vertical with the heel resting close to the gas pedal and my foot makes contact about half-way up the pedal. FALSE

3. I hold my right foot at a really shallow angle and I contact the bottom of the gas pedal with the tip of my shoe. FALSE

4. I hold my right foot at a fairly shallow angle and I press near the top of the pedal with the tip of my shoe. TRUE

5 (Optional) My shoe size is SMALL

retired7

Hesitation has been helped by "repositioning" the foot. Foot a little less comfortable being vertical.

Survey Data:

1. False
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. Size 10

The toes can rotate independently from foot or they can be held stiff and rotate the whole foot about the ankle or we can have combinations of both toe and ankle rotation!

And we thought this wasn't complicated!

NWBLIZZARD

NWBLIZZARD

gerry100

Abfisch-

I don't expect to see the '06 before late May,early June.

(16 weeks after ordering thru the leasing company.

Out of the box, the '06 suspension is less than optimum for me, but I won't be able to justify probably even buy replacements until '07 sometime. I just hope the OE shocks don't deteriorate like the '03's did.

I'll post on this board.

Gerry

fin

This forum never ceases to amaze me in what it finds and/or figures out how to do. People who post here should be paid by Toyota for the thoughts in print.......

If reducing the pulse or jerky movement of the gas pedal will actually smoothe the transmission shifting in a DBW car, maybe one of the electrical (my weak subject) experts here can explain how this happens. Voltage change? Algorithm recalculation? What is it? And why does Toyota allow this to happen?

My only complaint about the current generation Avalon, and the reason I might not buy one, is that the car is longer than my '03 XL but the trunk is smaller. Somehow. Other than that, it's a great car...

joe369

My only guess is the refresh/update rate for the sensors in the pedal is way too high. I'm guessing the computer tries to account for the "instant" readings of the pedal (which probably varies greatly for the toe drivers) and gets rather confused..... Rather than taking the average of pedal readings for longer periods, and hence averaging out all the flucturations of the toe driver...

j_hbrock

So...when should the '07 be showing up on car lots???

neil5

I have also noticed this a bit (not too bad) 2006 Limited. I winder about putting in new pedal aftermarket like BMW does all the time (metal ones, etc). Also, toyota should have a recall on this as well. Especially if we all call the 1800 numer to California. Maybe we should.

curry

I have tried several times to disable the horn beep when locking/unlocking my 05 Avalon. The owner's manual has a short procedure that I am unable to make work. Any one had luck with turning off the beeping sound?

sadlermd

Tried repositioning my foot in my 05 Camry and I noticed a positive difference in the response...

Thanks for sharing your insight.

bluesman3

Production starts in July so figure September for the 07' models to arrive.

joe369

What are the options availiable for door lock/unlock.

Is there an option to have the doors unlock when the key is taken out, and not when the drivetrain is put into park mode?

ange

This gas petal issue is insane.I am sure Toyota did not design a petal operation to require a precise position to work correctly. If some foks do it this way or that way and it works----great. Right now I cannot describe what the petal looks like. The response is fine.

While driving I am finding the rpms are too high between shifting as if the clutches are slipping. This shows up at slightly fast driving. At slow or normal driving the rpms appear to respond without over reving. ange1

captain2

This gas petal (pedal) issue is insane.
Maybe not so much. Try driving smoothly with your toes on the bottom of the accelerator, as opposed to the more 'normal' way with your foot positioned below the pedal pressing it with the ball of your foot halfway up or so. A definite difference, the toe driving causing an 'all on/all off' reaction that is aggravated by the engine's reponsiveness, and certainly 'hardening' the tranny's shift points in the process. Actually would think that this problem would exist for all cars, but especially those with decent power cobined with this now fashionable DBW crappola!

dmarcus48

Don't have an avalon, yet, but thought I'd chime in. I'm 6'5", 240lbs have a 14EE foot. Every car I've ever driven has required me to adjust what part of the accelerator I put my foot on, EVERYONE. Each time I drive a car that's one of the the things that I adjust along with the seat, mirrors, etc. My current Volvo was terrible until I found the correct spot. It has to do with how the pedal is hinged, and how you press down with your foot, simple as that. It depends on whether you press the top, bottome or middle of the pedal.

Dave

retired7

This is what ergonimic engrs do for a living; to determine the best placement/design of levers, knobs and switches for best operation by the human body. Toyota has a few on the payroll!

NWBLIZZARD

wwest

That's exactly what I thought back when the "toe-driver" issue first came up. But on the other hand I have been a strong advocate of the possibility of the driver "dithering" the gas pedal, slight unconsious on-and-off motion, of being a root cause of the problem from the get-go.

Obviously "toe-driving" would be more likely to result in some level of dithering of the acelerator pedal position sensor output.

Assuming the truth of this matter it could likely be corrected by increasing the sampling rate and then "averaging" the sensor output signal level over time.

Sort of like adding a "virtual" shock absorber, motion dampening effect, to the accelerator pedal travel.

catman2050

I picked up my new garnet (that's cassis pearl in toyota lingo) avalon touring friday night. the garnet exterior/black interior is sweet...especially with some window tinting. I appreciate everyone's input on this board over the last few months...particularly alan and deanie. One thing I've noticed on this board...and on pretty much every board concerning a new vehicle...is that there is always something that someone can nitpick about. Is the Avalon perfect? probably not. but, neither is any other car...especially not around the $30K price range.

I decided that the Avalon offered the best combination of things that I was looking for...comfort, power, at least some agility, space, good tunes, reliability, etc. I traded in my BMW 330i (it just isn't a good family car when you have a young kid and a second kid on the way). Anyway, I think one way to describe the BMW is that it is fun to drive. But, that is a general descriptor. More specifically for my situation, I would say that its fun to drive on occasion. There are a lot of straight roads in Florida and I rarely had the opportunity to take advantage of BMW's superior trait...agility. Sure, it was fun to whip around a few hard turns that I came across. But, for the most part, I drive on fairly straight roads...or roads with moderate turns. If I lived in a different part of the country, I'd probably be a little more upset that I had to give up BMW's agility. Having given the Avalon a pretty good ride over the weekend (not to mention the 4 test drives I took), I think its best described as a car that is nice to ride in (whether as driver or passenger). And, with mostly straight roads, this is a better trait than pure agility. And, the touring trim doesn't lack for handling/agility. It had no problem handling moderate turns at speed. I noticed that the Touring's tires are rated A-A. I didn't take a look at the tires on the other trims, but I'm guessing they are rated A-B.

Anyway, I think I'm really going to enjoy this car....even if I experience a rattle here and there.

captain2

and the egronomics of the Avalon (excluding the NAV from what I understand) certainly one of its best features - simple and clean. But, any car interior design a compromise of competing components all the way down to some poor guy with size 14 feet and longer arms that just can't get comfortable (or drive smoothly) in a vehicle designed for that 'average' somebody, 8 inches shorter and 4 shoe sizes down. There is no perfect car - egronomically or otherwise!

wwest

Ergonomic, human factors design, does not always "blend" itsself nicely into open loop servo control systems.

And this one is not truly "open loop", the primary feedback is provided via the driver's seat-of-the-pants sensor.

And look at all the "features" that have been added to that "seat-of-the-pants" servo control loop in just the last few years.

ABS
Traction Control
VSC
Snow mode...A)variable gain on the DBW, e-throttle system. B)modified shift logic and/or 2nd gear start-off.
AGL: Aggressive shifting logic.

And now with the advent of a market viable EPS, Electric Power Stearing, The actual "gain" of Toyota's EPS servo loop is being changed on the fly as a function of actual conditions or "predictive" pre-conditioning such as with "impending" rollover.

(Some newer Toyota models, those equipped with VSGR, Variable Stearing Gear Ratio, will actually counter-stear against the driver's stearing inputs if VSC conditions warrant.)

For instance with EPS if you are accelerating rapidly, HARD, the EPS system will reduce the level of power stearing assistance it provides. It will also reduce the level of power assistance it will provide if you try to turn the stearing wheel in a direction that would result in exacerbating a stability situation that the VSC is currently trying to correct.

Most of us now know that with ABS if the brake pedal starts vibrating then the road surface is too slippery for the rate at which we're trying to slow or stop the vehicle. Do you also know that this "feedback" as ergonomic as it might be, was completely and totally unintentional? Automotive engineers spent a great amount of time and effort trying to "combat" this effect until someone came to realize that it was actually an asset.

Ivory soap, "it floats"...

Now if the ergonomic design engineers on Toyota's payroll would just add something of that nature to the accelerator pedal and the stearing wheel I would be happy.

Adding a "forcing" servomotor to the accelerator pedal would both allow the pedal idle position to be calibrated more accurately and could provide a vibration on that pedal when its throttle control position is being over-ridden by some "downstream" function, say VSC, traction control, or even ABS.

The servomotor could be used to "drive" the accelerator pedal into the idle position as you apply the brakes in order to shift from park. The servomotor need not be very powerful. If it cannot easily drive the accelerator pedal into the idle position at this specific time then there is clearly a malfunction, possibly human related. In any case a diagnostic light could illuminate and the engine run in "limp home" mode until the fault is corrected.

If human related, all one need do is restart the engine and then remove the "obstacle" from the accelerator pedal during the "shift from park" procedure.

Rather than just have the EPS reduce the level of power assistance I would have the stearing wheel vibrate rapidly, but ever so slightly, unforceful/slow travel in the direction desirable to alleviate the circumstance but forceful/rapid travel otherwise.

So now, today, we have automotive hardware design engineers pointing fingers at their firmware counterparts, and ergonomic engineers trying to get a word in edgewise.

Personally I would vote for a (LOUD!) buzzer and diagnostic light if the brakes were applied while the accelerator pedal is depressed beyond the idle position.

Good luck...!!

fmayberry

I am exploring adding a trailer hitch to my 2006 Avalon. It will be used to tow a small utility trailer (1,100 lbs max). I was wondering if anyone has added a hitch to their Avalon. If so, what brand of hitch did you have installed, how visible is the frame when looking at the rear of the car, and how was the wiring for the trailer installed?