2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

ronn

JUST ME....Thank you so much for all your reviews and links. I hope all of you will take the time to read the reviews and links that Just Me post for us. They are very interesting, and has put the Avalon out there where it belongs. BRAVO for all the articles!!!

RONN

beetle1

Try this one for specifics on what is in the Avalon

http://www.toyotajbl.com/

gschultz3

Based on the YTD 2005 passenger car sales results I think Avalon is on it's way to beat Lexus!

YTD Sales: Avalon 15,433 Lexus 30,206

Toyota "Avalon Division" 2010+ - Sales 2,000,000+

Avalon V6 Sedan, Coupe, Convertible, Wagon
Avalon V6 Hybrid Sedan, Coupe, Convertible, Wagon
Avalon V6 Cross Over, Hybrid Cross Over
All available with FWD, AWD and/or V8

Good Buy GM, Ford, Chrysler .........

roski

Since the Cassette Tape player is removed when you install the NAV, is there any way to use this circuit in the head unit as an AUX input? I would think there should be some way of creating a connector that plugs into the HU where the tape player would have gone, and trick the HU into thinking the tape circuit is active. I've googled aftermarket interfaces that work on the CD circuit, but we should have a "free" circuit from the TAPE button. Any thoughts?

loudspeaker76

ronn
I loved the stereo/CD Player. I'm not sure the salesperson appreciated my music selection, but eh, who cares.

...And your other question is my disappointing one. Called my leasing guy to discuss Audi - Avalon transition and received unfortunate news. Basically I'm stuck in my lease until about 3-4 months are left on it. I'm going to run the numbers tonight and see exactly what will work best for financing. I was hoping to get in on a deal now to try and take advantage of current interest rates. The Graphite interior is a must. My wife and I really preferred it over the Light Gray. I'm not 100% sure on which exterior color I like. I saw one in Titanium Metallic and really liked it in that color, but I'm curious about the Indigo Ink Pearl as well. I also saw the Phantom Grey Pearl and a Silver Pine Mica on the lot. Those colors just didn't sit well with me. The funniest part of my visit to the dealership was my wife going, "Why in the world do they make them in this color?" when looking at the Silver Pine Mica. LOL after reading from someone on here that the Silver Pine Mica is to attract women to the car. I though it was Mackabee, but I could be wrong.

Bottom line is I may have to wait for my Avalon, but it's worth the wait.

-LoUdSpEaKeR
...Yes I know the tailpipes are uneven, but HAVE YOU HEARD THE STEREO?!?!?

jkalo

People have discussed the extended warranty.......7 years etc. and been quoted prices of $985............does someome have that MA dealer that was selling it for $985??? I suppose from the discussion that I could purchase this warranty in CA, even if I live in PA.......it doesn't matter where you purchase it, it is honored at all Toyota dealers around the country.......is this a correct assumption?

I was informed that my Blizzard Pearl Limited, NAV, VSC, LCC, Remote starter, XM, mats was built 3/28 and will arrive this week or next. Can't wait! I live in PA and visited 6 dealers, and wrote to same 6 as well as about 12 others. The vehicle described above was hard to acquire.....most stayed at MSRP until I would visit dealership; some talked about much lower prices, then I found 1 dealer that went $1750 below "true" MSRP......I say true MSRP because many dealers quoted prices under this amount, but then when the paperwork came out, it included all kinds of hidden add-ons including dealer processing fees of $399 or $425, and TDA fees of $545 etc., "wholesale/dealer holdbacks" of $700 and more. Buyers beware! Josh

loudspeaker76

douglas
OOooooh good question! I'm a PC tech and have been researching the ins and outs of RFID for about, oh, 3 months now, so I'll take an educated guess on this one...

My guess is whoever's fob is detected first and in closest proximity to the driver's side of the vehicle, wins. This is simply because the car is being marketed primarily to "married couples" (and yes I know about the whole age thing) two possible drivers with keys to the car AND remote starters MUST have been figured into the system. So, the "driver" fob would be closer to the driver's side than the fob anywhere else in the vehicle. I'm also going to make a leap and say that the receiver is probably somewhere around the driver's side behind the instrument cluster.

Back to reality. The Avalon's keyless system only has three choices to make with two fob signals: do nothing, take both signals/sets of instructions, pick one.

Mackabee, do you have any information regarding the behavior of the keyless entry and two FOBs?

-LoUdSpEaKeR
...Well the worst it could do is explode. :surprise: :surprise:

avalonfan

First I must add my name to the growing list of Avalon owners who use and enjoy the information provided here.
I ordered a Blizzard Pearl with Ivory, fully loaded Limited on 2-24-05. Just yesterday, my Edmonds, WA dealer acknowledged Vin number on my car. If correct, this car is #2809. I'm told car should arrive within 10 days.
Based on what others here are paying, it looks like I'm on the strong side. No hot deal for me it appears. But, if the car lives up to expectations, I'll enjoy many years of realible, comfortable driving. I was a 25+ year customer of Buick prior to purchasing the Avalon.
Keep all the nifty "Tips & Tricks" coming. Isn't it exciting to own one of the hottest new car releases ever?

mackabee

For cars that were ordered during late February and March the laser cruise control option was not offered. I ran into the same problem with one of my customers cars. I'm getting the car but no laser cruise. I called our distributor and was told there was no problem with the units or with the supplier they just decided to not put it in their order from the factory. I was flabbergasted to say the least! I was told we could order whatever we wanted but there was no guarantee we would get it. I see in our April TVO booklet (Toyota Vehicle Order) that Laser cruise control will be added to every single Limited ordered under the upcoming allocations. So now I have a somewhat upset customer thanks to Toyota's "just in time" production system. :mad: So the only option is to preference another vehicle with the laser cruise and hopefully get it by mid May/early June or wait for an 06.
:sick:
Mackabee

ronn

LOUDSPEAKER.... Sorry you have to wait, but it will be worth it!! Have you considered Black. I have the Black Limited with Graphite interioir. It is sharp!!!
I get alot of looks with it! Glad you like the stereo. By the way, what music did you test?
Have a great day!

RONN

analyticangel

Hi
I previously commented onthe Silver Pine I initially saw it at dusk and thought it looked interesting but could not fully appreciate the color. Saw it in full sun and it looked too light almost a "Pistachio" color and realized that I did not care for it .So there is another female view........I would be interested in your wife's view (ie why she did not like it) Have not seen the Phantom Gray or the Blue Mirage and would love to see better close up pics. I have seen the Indigo infact there are some awsome pics on a prior post that a new Avalon owner posted

Also curious as to what you did not like about LIght GRay I ordered Graphite but was worried it might be a bit dark

I have a Titanium with Graphite seats on order and hopefully that will look nice

I think the Indigo and Black are beautiful .but not practical for Ft Lauderdale!
Good Luck

barclay3

Mackabee (or is it Gene Krupa or Ginger Baker?)... My dealer told me today that my order is preferenced #1 and they are waiting to hear from Toyota. What does that mean. Did you say that they are only making Limited with the laser cruise control now? If I don't want it,what happens?

jordan7

Mackabee. are you in the Mid-atlantic district? i was told by a Mid-atlantic representative that i could have ordered laser but had to get the nav also which i did not want. therefore, my Ltd was ordered and delivered (in less than 30 days on March 19th) with VSC but no nav or laser. also had to get the graphite interior (which i wanted with the dark wood) with the titanium exterior. I am extremely pleased with the quick delivery, the UBS price and my $1000, 7 year, 100,000 mile, 0 deduct deal.

mackabee

One of my biggest inspirations WAS Gene Krupa! I remember watching Tony Curtis play him on the big screen although I saw the movie on my GE 12 in black and white tv when I was growing up. I hear Tony drives an Avalon now (just to stay in topic)! Thanks for the compliment, Ginger was no slouch on the kit either! What your dealer is saying is they preferenced the vehicle for you and it has a priority 1 assigned to it. So yours is first in the list of preferenced Avalons. According to our monthly TVO printout that we get from our distributor every Avalon Limited will have laser cruise control whether it has nav or not. What region of the country are you in?
:shades:
Mackabee

barclay3

Mackabee ... I'm just outside of Philadelphia, PA. Does that mean I can't get one without it unless I wait even longer. I've been waiting since Feb 25th. I just want a red Limited with the traction control stuff and no other options.

loudspeaker76

RONN
I tested the Avalon's wonderful 12 speaker system with my Chemical Brothers: Surrender CD, track 2 (The song title escapes me at the moment). The reason for this was it's the same one I used on my Audi when I went to test it's system AND it has a part in the very beginning where it has a bass note that is synthesized through the entire bass spectrum (sorry for the lack of technical speak). Not to mention it makes the floor vibrate where ever the sub woofers are. The salesperson didn't quite appreciate the demonstration as much as I did, however another customer on the lot did and came over to start asking about the car. Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work! j/k Macabee is definitely a lot better at the whole car biz than a geekie gadget freak.

Anywho, I have not seen an Avalon in black. I'm over here in the Seattle, Washington area where it rains alot, so I was trying to avoid the whole "dark color mud" effect on the car. However, I'm also trying to avoid, "Wow both of your cars are, silver?" effect as well. Since I have a lot of time now (a lot meaning more than I thought I did) before making the purchase, I'm sure I'll get the color that's right for my tastes. Just between you and me my car before the ouchie was black with a gold pinstripe down the sides, very classy.

-LoUdSpEaKeR

loudspeaker76

analyticangel

Thanks, I could use a little luck.
...Heck everyone who's married could use some luck...

Before I completely get into the whole like/dislike on the Avalon colors, let me first setup the scene. I live in Seattle, Washington and it rains here... A LOT. So, during my trip to the dealership it rained, stopped just as I got there to take the test drive, and then rained as I left (a sign?). During the visit to the Toyota dealership it was overcast and that definitely attributed to how I viewed the colors. For instance, in this lighting the Phantom Grey looked to have a hint of brown in the color and just didn't look right. The Silver Pine Mica looked like it was trying to be an Easter Egg, a very sinister Easter Egg. Maybe it set my wife off because it looked like a shade of medical scrubs at the hospital she works at. I can't say I was impressed either. That was one of the colors I'd have been saying, "Oh you can give me a deal on this... It will need a paint job after I take it off your hands." IMHO!

Let me quell your fear and tell you the Graphite interior is light colored from my perspective. My Audi has a real dark interior. I currently have a midnight blue exterior color (oh and it is midnight blue, because at night under street lamps it looks black) with black interior and dark walnut wood. Let's put it this way, I can safely place ANY black colored object inside my car, and unless the dome light is on you can't see it from outside the car (no, my windows aren't tinted). The light gray interior on the Avalon just seems fake/cheap to me. Yes, I know the wood interior on the Avalon is fake wood, but it doesn't leave you with that "this is worth it" feel. Kind of like the old "woody" Dodge Caravans from the 80's. You know, the ones with the fake exterior wood paneling that some poor carpenter driving by was just absolutely compelled to rip off and beat a nearby salesperson with?

The Titanium exterior with Graphite interior is exactly what my wife and I have agreed would be a good color combination. I'm reserving final judgement simply because I'm curious about seeing some other combinations in person when the supply of Avalons increases in the area.

Believe me, I'm much more picky when it comes to color combinations than my wife. Heck, my server room rack is color coordinated all the way down to the wiring. Scary.

-LoUdSpEaKeR
Remember to get a good color car... It helps to have something pretty when you're parked on the side of the road. :lemon: A6 in motion.

loudspeaker76

I already know I'm speaking blasphey, but I'm going to ask anyway...

Does anyone know if you can replace the standard taillights on the Avalon with LED ones? If so, has anyone contemplated it?

Passing random thought. Remembered some comments on this board about comparisons between the Avalon and the TL.

Any comments will be appreciated, even those branding me a heretic. :P

-LoUdSpEaKeR

cafpaf

Mackabee, you seem to be the resident expert on these matters. I take it from your previous posts that you are indeed a Toyota salesperson. I have a question and some concerns that maybe you can help me with. We just placed our order for a new Avalon Limited last Thursday evening, March 31. Our care is to include VSC, Preferred Accessory Package, and Wheel Locks. It will not have a Nav system or Laser Cruise Control. This is exactly why we order the car. I am now confused. Can we get what we want to be delivered in May or is it your understanding that we will have to take a Nav system and/or Laser Cruise control. Both of these are expensive options that we will not use and do not want to pay for. Please explain. FYI, I live in Pittsburgh, PA.

lnt

Uneven tailpipes are no big deal. I took mine to my service manager today and told him about them and that I probably would never have noticed except that I read about the problem on Edmunds.com and he just rolled his eyes. Anyway, they fixed it. They also put the color coded door guard edges on my doors because my two rear doors had very small chips on the edges - I noticed them the day after I bought it when I was washing it. I am wondering why noone out there is buying the Cassis Pearl? I love mine - although - everytime I see a black one, I wonder why I ever listened to my son and husband. My old avalon was black and I just love black. If anyone wants to trade, just e-mail me. Ha. Ha.

barclay3

Int...I'll trade!!! My Cassis Pearl is order and the dealer having trouble getting it. What options did you get. What color interior, wood and how does it all look together? Cassis Pearl is the only color I like and I can't understand why so few are getting it.

agent

Loudspeaker. Not to bash this car in any way, I do love it very much, but I tested the 12 (paper cone and not enclosed) speaker system with DJ DB and found it lacking. Hey, if that's the only thing I can find wrong with the car, I'm doing pretty darn well!!! Good luck with your timing and purchase.

maceman

Trying to buy an Avalon has been different than any other car buying experience I have ever had. I have had a deposit with Maroone in Ft. Lauderdale and when I called to check on the status of the order, the salesman says, "I can't get any answers from Toyota. They must be having problems. I'll just give you your deposit back. I'm giving everyone who has ordered an Avalon their deposits back and I'm not taking anymore orders for Avalons unless the car is sitting here on the lot." I gladly told him to process my refund and will order an Avalon from Precision in Tampa tomorrow for $700 less. They were honest and told me they won't know when the car will be coming until they see it on their allocation. I have never had such a hard time spending $35K! I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm just not meant to have one. Time will tell.

bushka

I've read several posts in which new Avalon buyers purchased the 7 year, 100,000 mile Toyota Platinum Warranty for around $1,000. My dealer is asking much more. Can this warranty be purchased at a different Toyota dealer? How much of a "time window" is there for adding the extended warranty? If I buy a new Limited, it's going to be a stretch, to also afford the extra warranty plan. Any advice? Bushka :confuse:

mackabee

barclay3, you fall under the Central Atlantic Toyota region which I'm a part of. If your vehicle was preferenced before April 1 (no April fools joke here I'm being serious) say during the latter part of February or March then it should come in without the laser cruise control. Some of the vehicles that are being built this week are without the cruise control as they were preferenced during Feb or March. Vehicles being preferenced this month will have the laser cruise control.

Mackabee

mackabee

cafpaf, I have been accused of being a Toyota salesperson before! I take it this is how it went with your favorite dealership this past Thursday the 31st of March: Depending on what time of day it was the store was probably very busy as every Toyota dealer in the nation tends to be at the end of the month. Car buyers have been consciously or unconsciously been conditioned to believe the best deals are to be had at the end of the month! :P So in the interest of saving time and money you stopped by and sat down with a sales rep and told him/her what car you want and what options. Sales people being what they are and what they been trained to do figured they would take your deposit and tell you they would "order" the car for you. The sales forces at most dealerships are kept in the dark like mushrooms. Some dealers believe that ignorant uninformed sales folks won't give the store away so they withdraw as much information from them as possible. So this whole process probably took less than 30-45 minutes, you left happy thinking "my car will be here shortly and I save the money on the nav and laser cruise control". The next day your sales rep was probably too busy finishing up the paperwork (verifying insurance coverage, payoff on trade ins, etc..etc.) to even remember "ordering" you new vehicle. A few days later he goes to his sales manager and says "Johnny, can you order me a Limited Avalon with only the VSC, wheel locks, and Z1 package?" "Sure, I'll get to it in a minute." Johnny is now looking over the TVO for April and there is a note on the very first page that says "ALL 3554's will have mandatory CL" which in plain english means all LTD Avalons will have laser cruise control. So Johnny goes to the breakdown page which shows how many Avalons of all flavors and color combinations will be built and sees that the LTD will indeed have the following factory options mandatory: 3554 FE, NV, VD, CL and 3554 FE, VD, CL...So what does Johnny do now? Well first thing is to get on the locator and hope some other dealer has the combination of options you want or something close to it and hope they will trade him for it.........To be continued.....
Mack

gschultz3

I think my Avalon is great. I am surprised that Toyota would force customers to get laser cruise control. I had it on an Infiniti FX45 and did not feel the laser cruise control was worth the money. I will buy anything that is "new" but was not unhappy that my fully loaded LTD came without laser cruise control. I added backup sensors and they are great ...... wish I had front sensors too. I'll add an all chrome grill and LED tail lights if they become available. I'm sure it will take some time before after market parts are sold for the Avalon based on it's history.

marcom

Ronn ... I also had the same front passenger seat belt rattling "problem" with my XLS, and started thinking about how to fix it, how Avalon could have neglected this part of the design, etc. The continuous banging noise really got to me after a while.

Then I straightened the belt out from top to bottom so that the metal part of the buckle faced the side of the seat, and the problem went away. And, the buckle hasn't changed position yet. When the belt is used by a passenger and doesn't return to the straight position, it's easy to correct from the driver's side.

Now I'm left with absolutely nothing to complain about. Even some younger people who have owned much sportier late-model Maximas prefer the look, feel, and acceleration of the '05 Avalon. So, Toyota seems to be right on target with bringing down the average owner's age.

This year's design is probably the most elegant ever produced by the auto industry. Enjoy!

Marcom

tuffy

I have been shopping for a new Avalon XLS, Titanium Metallic with Graphite Leather interior and VSC in the Washington DC Area. Can anyone offer any suggestions on a dealer to get the best price? UBS supposedly offers the Avalon for $500 over invoice which would put take the MSRP of $33,080 down to a purchase price of about $29,600 which is excellent. Has anyone actually gotten an Avalon through UBS at a comparable price? One northern VA dealer gave me a price of $30,800 for a vehicle with MSRP of $33,080 which is not bad but not great either?.

Also, does anyone know the impact of using 87 octane fuel all the time even though 91 octane is recommended? I have talked with 6 different dealers and even called Toyota and get a different answer each time. Some say performance will be affected somewhat, others say gas mileage will be less, others say the computer will adjust to the lower octone without any noticeable difference. Not sure who to believe?

Any thoughts on which color leather goes best with the Titanium Metallic exterior. I like the light gray leather but would prefer to have the darker fake wood tone trim. However, all the combinations I have seen have graphite leather with darker wood trim or light gray with the real light fake wood trim.

Also, has anyone tried to get a preference order through a dealer in this area. I would like the XLS with only the VSC option. However, in the mid atlantic region, it seems all XLS with VSC are packaged with the upgraded radio and security system which I prefer not to have. Why does Toyota persist in offering option packages based on regions of the country instead of allowing people to get what they want. Case in point, VSC is now an available option on the 2005 XLE 4 cylinder Camry. However, no one in the mid atlantic region can get an XLE 4 cylinger with VSC because Toyota does not produce and sell them for that area. Why not, VSC is rated as an excellent safety feature, why offer and market options and then not make them available?

Thanks in advance for any responses on these issue!

dan41

Bushka, see post # 4058. I also paid $985 for my Toyota 7/100K warranty from a different dealership in MA. Note that I used a previous posting about Greenfield to leverage my deal. At $985, your dealer is still making a profit - albeit, not as much as they would like. Good luck....dan

groza

"...others say the computer will adjust to the lower octone without any noticeable difference. Not sure who to believe?"

tuffy: Pat our HOST will probably refer you to the "search" feature on the Forum for answers to your question. However, in the meantime, I'm here to help. The computer in your future Avalon will be very confused if you use lower octones. It won't know whether to play woofer's or tweeter's.

For fuel, look for the stuff that's $1.25/gallon. And let us know when you find it, please.

Hope this helps.

Groza

ronn

Hey guys.... As I read an interesting article about the new Avalon, the writer of this article said the average age for the Avalon is around 60. I find that hard to believe now! Not that there is anything wrong with being sixty, but I think the age has dropped considerbly. I have seen post on here with 20's lots of thirties. Maybe they think this is an "old persons car" but they are wrong. I invited them to our forum!
Anyone wishing to say their age again, we will prove them wrong. I am 46.
Have a great day all,
RONN

ronn

HEY JUST ME....haven't seen you on here the past day or two. I guess you are out taking a ride, and enjoying the great weather!!!
We are ready for some more interesting post from you with info on our great Avalon. Your links have been great, and I have learned alot from everyone here.
have a great day,
RONN

groza

"...the writer of this article said the average age for the Avalon is around 60..but I think the age has dropped considerably.... Anyone wishing to say their age again, we will prove them wrong."

ronn: just me (Mr. Jeopardy) and I are probably responsible for skewing the statistics. I'm 120. And I hear that just me has been away taking the cure. He's older.

Groza

jl618

According to KBB the Toyota's parking sensor option (PP) is available only in Avalons delivered through the Gulf State Distributor ($219 invoice / $349 retail).

I assume (don't you just hate that word?) that would be for rear sensors only, unlike the Sienna which has front sensors as well.

My wife and I, if given the choice, would have given parking sensors a higher priority than laser cruise control.

However, that option was not available to us (Southwest Region), thus we may be interested in an aftermarket installation.

Any suggestions as to brand / installation / ballpark co$t ?

ronn

LOL Groza...... you see, the Avalon is for all ages. 120 wow, it's an easy car to drive at that age, and fun too!!!!! It actually drives itself!
JUST ME is 130.

mackabee

tuffy, that's a question you should ask the distributors. They are the ones that order the cars for the dealers. Dealers only get to ask for a "preference" and hope the distributors will listen.

Mackabee

mikeroch

Hi,

New review posted today at Canadian Driver.Com

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pw/05avalon.htm

Regards,
Mikeroch

roski

I own a Blue Mirage Limited and need to do some mods. I have read every message here and it doesn't seem like many are doing anything other than some bumper guards. I want to make the NAV unit automatically skip the "I AGREE" button and then allow a passenger to change the destination while moving. There is a very active forum for both the Prius and Sienna which explains how to accomplish it for those models, and I'm sure it is similar for the Avalon. I also want to utilize the "TAPE" button on the JBL head unit as an auxillary input for an iPOD. These are very doable, but does anyone else care? Is it blasphemy on this forum to ask if anyone has removed the dash panel yet? Is there a different, active Avalon community that is more techie related?

jll1

Right on.

Same questions here.

jll1

I had a question regarding when to clean leather (other than obvious spills) in a new vehicle. This is the response I got from Lexol:

We don't recommend putting anything on new leather seats as the leather is in as good of condition as possible. In about 3-4 months, apply a light application of Lexol Leather Conditioner. You only want to clean leather when it is actually dirty to the naked eye.

johni

See my post #3865. The sensors I installed are working well. I may relocate the speaker as the volume is somewhat muffled where I have it in the trunk. Be careful about color of the sensors - there are limited colors available. The silver I got matches well with Titanium Metallic. I installed them myself.

gbinplano

At least Canadian Driver thinks the Avalon to be a "Four-door, five-passenger luxury sedan"

Greg

groza

"...These are very doable, but does anyone else care? Is it blasphemy on this forum to ask if anyone has removed the dash panel yet? Is there a different, active Avalon community that is more techie related? "

Dear roski: You're probably gonna find the most techie stuff that interests us old Avalon farts will be things like trying to clean drool marks off the upholstery. Sorry.

Groza

ronn

Mikeroch.......great post!!!!

RONN

mikeroch

Thanks Ronn....you are indeed a gentleman.

dcallies

Hey Ronn I'm also 46 turning 47 in August !

For a minute I thought I was having an aging problem when I read that article. Maybe I should have bought a Harley (average age is 50 something right),

dcallies

agent

Roski..... Don't be so hard on the forum and it's guests. The car did just come out a few months ago! Half of us here aren't even fortunate enough to have one yet. Maybe you will turn out to be a great source of information for us all. If you're that interested in the options of the JBL unit, try contacting JBL directly and let us know how it turns out.

analyticangel

Can you post a pic of your car Would love to se the color Thanks

jl618

Are the Limited Wheels clear-coated?