2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

tinatina

Sward, you are right, it has to be ordered. Although the dealers I've checked with have about 10 to twelve Avalons in stock, they are Limiteds and Touring models, and usually no lighter color, and definely no pearl white color. One dealer claims to have twenty five Avalons in stock per an advertisement in the local paper. Dealers here appear to be receptive to bargaining a bit on the vehicle. In fact, last week one dealer ran an ad of $2,000 off of MSRP. It could have been an end of the month sales thing.

I also got a chance to see the vehicle up front for the second time and not in a picture for the second. I don't consider the styling boring. It has elements of the Lexus ES 330, GS, and the big Lexus.

I am still haggling out the terms with the dealer I contacted via email, but hope to take delivery in May assuming that there is a four to six week wait.

larryt22

From some of the previous posts, I got the feeling people have not seem a 2005 Avalon with stripes. The dealers in my area put stripes on most of their cars. I snapped 3 pictures today from their lots, but the pictures did not come out very well. Sorry! Here is a link if you want to look at them any way.

The first one is a Silver Pine XL with a dark stripe
http://www.myimagestore.info/upload/images/E6J48700.jpg
The second one is a Black Touring with a silver stripe (the car was really dirty)
http://www.myimagestore.info/upload/images/3Hm48978.jpg
The last one is a Desert Sand XL with a dark stripe.
http://www.myimagestore.info/upload/images/wTL49171.jpg
The stripes run all the way around the trunk lid. My favorite combinations are Black or White with a gold stripe, and Phantom Gray with a silver stripe.

ronn

MIKES......I have a Black Limited, and yes I have notice scratch marks on it when the sun is fully on it. I don't know if when they cleaned it, they did it at the dealership or what..it almost looks like they used a buffer on it. I have waxed the car twice, and it has helped, but up close in the bright sun you can see. Of course, on darker cars it is easier to see than others. I do not have any paint chips, there was one or two little knots from dirt under the paint, but only I can notice them. It is not very noticeable though, and the car is gorgeous!!!!!!!

RONN

perico1

The dealership was waxing my car when I picked it up...needless to say, I now see swirl marks through the shining black finish. It is worrisome since I paid for the extra clear coat. Also, when washing the car, the taillights hold water underneath the plastic, so you see foam and water slowly dripping down from underneath. Shouldn't the covers be sealed better? The black with the gold trim is still absolutely gorgeous when clean...I have had tons of positive comments.

chankaishi

Hi,

Is it possible to get Avalon 2005 for invoice price in any nearest future (like when 2006 will come in or in November time frame)?

55396

"why in the world would I get an extended warranty on a $35,000 automobile that just depreciates?"

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Years age, before we have the quality we have today, I heard that extended warranty pay outs were only 11%. No question why a dealer pushes them so hard. I drive my cars 100k and rarely do they ever see the dealer. Many never return. And they just don't break. That's proof enough for me. BUT, if something would start to be a problem, I detect it early and deal with it. Too many people today have no mechanical ability and a wheel has to fall off before they conclude that there just may be a slight problem. Those are the same folksthat keep the dealers so profitable by running back for every check and recommendation. I don't know how many instances I've seen of people replacing tires, brakes etc, thousands of miles before it is necessary, because they don't understand this stuff and just want to 'make sure' nothing happens, or the dealer prematurely suggests it knowing the customer doesn't have a clue. A good salesman can do very well by 'reading' his prey and taking advantage of the weak and uninformed. Knowlege pays big dividends. On the other hand, those with plenty just don't give a rats [non-permissible content removed]. Problem? Just take what you need out of that bucket over there. They LOVE those people - and, have no respect for them.

miss66

Hi Ronn. Thanks for the info on the store site for the mats and bumper guards. I plan to purchase an Avalon in the next few months and plan to use this site. I have never purchased bumper guards before so I was lost when I saw all the choices. I'd appreciate your telling me which one you bought. Also, is it easy to put these things on? Do you use a ruler and mark along the bumper. If it's easy to screw up I'll see about paying someone to put them on for me. Did you get door guards?.

55396

Make sure to check tire pressure when the tires are cool, or they will read high. This may be the reason they were high, if you stopped at Costco after driving it.

55396

My son-in-law took his Dodge pickup to a long time mechanic who found a hard layer of residue in the engine. He claimed that he has seen it before when synthetic oil is used if a vehicle doesn't get hot enough. SIL drives 20 miles of highway to work. Mechanic sez this barely gets the oil hot enough. Hard to believe - that's a long ways. In winter, maybe. Anyone else heard this. I wonder if the blends would have this problem.

ronharv

The latest issue of Smart Money (the Wall Street Journal's monthly magazine for individual investors that presents some great ideas) has two glowing pages on the new Avalon and calls it a luxury car..

Re tire pressures, I've found that gas stations regularly overinflate during oil changes, so I instruct them to leave the tires alone as I'd rather handle it myself. And worse yet are car-rental companies. My last four of five rentals at Hertz (all Ford Tauruses) had tires that were dangerously underinflated, discoveries I didn't make (I'm apparently a slow learner) until a day or two into the rental. In Miami last year they were 13 to 16 psi, after a freeway drive no less. What I do now is travel with a tire pressure gauge and phone the day before pickup to speak to the manager about getting 33 psi in the tires when they're cold. Using my own gauge to verify, I'll settle for 30 psi and consider myself lucky.

ezshift5

..point 9454. Didn't realize 45-50 psig TP when factory shipped for flat spot avoidance. Been driving since bronze age........never knew thet...........ez

burl

It is as much for Tightening the chains when the car is loaded on the transport as anything. Tighten the chains with low pressure then Balloon them up to cinch them down, less bounce on BIG bumps, less strain on the car and the transport, less likely for car to come lose and damage car in transport. Some of the cars are so close to the one above it .. /.. that it does not take much movement to cause metal to metal and a repair charge to transport company on some kinds of trucks.

At least it used to be.

gladiator99

Hi larryt22.
Great photos. Just wondering if you saw any Avalons in blizzard white with a pinstripe? I haven't seen too many new cars with pinstriping here in Canada. Maybe it's something that is coming back. Thanks!!

ronn

perico.....I also had the clear coat done! Do you have a gold stripe?

larryt22

I have seen an XL and a Limited in Blizzard White with Ivory interior and gold stripes. They both looked great. The one dealer I stopped at today had a Blizzard White (XLS I think) but had not gotten the stripes on it yet. They use an outside contractor to paint the stripes and by the time they can get him to the dealership, the cars have been sold without the stripes.

I think I have seen stripes on every color now except for Indigo. I keep looking for an Indigo with stripes as I think that color would look beautiful with stripes. My personal opinion is the stripes make the car look more like a Lexus.

just__me

What I am sharing now is the absolute truth, and maybe others have had the same experience. Today I topped my gas tank before going to Charleston. I have filled it up till now with premium gas. I forgot what I was doing and topped it with 87 Octane. So it probably had a mixture of 65% 87 and 35% premium. Okay here are the statistics that blew me away. I traveled a total of 186 miles round trip, and the odometer shows the 186 miles right at the first notch. At one point I actually according to the screen was getting 32.5 MPG. Overall as I watched the screen I would guess the average MPG was somewhere between 31.5 and 31.7, but not below 31.5. That means if the roads were the same, mostly level, I could get 535 miles behind my belt using 17 gallons of gas and have the other gallon as a spare. It is the best MPG of any of the other Avalons I have had. Supposedly from reading the board it will get better as I put more miles on the car. I will take what I just shared with you. I know the brochure said 31 highway driving so I was flabbergasted when it registered 32.5. (The 2005 Accord Hybrid according to what I read gets about 37 MPG highway, then we have a hybrid too, LOL.) A lot of the driving was shown between 31.8 and 31.9. My speed alternated between 55 and 70 MPH, but mostly 60/64 on cruise on route 17 heading to Charleston from Beaufort SC. and back. I had the air conditioning system running at low and was comfortable. Okay my friends, I guess I just can't believe it that with a 280 HP engine Toyota gave us this added present when gas prices are outragesly high. None of the other cars in the Avalon Class from the other manufacturers do as well. Another reason to feel proud at our purchase. I hope your highway driving experience is the same. Just maybe my changing the oil at the first 1,000 miles and never going faster than 55 and alternating the speed for the first 1.000 miles has something to do with breaking in a new engine, and maybe not? Anyway I can't be happier.

rainh2o

There are at least nine Toyota dealers in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and every one has a web site, most of which have listings of new and/or used inventories. However, not all list the trim level (Limited, XLS, Touring or XL). Is there any way to tell if a particular car is a Limited based upon the VIN? :confuse:

Thanks!

just__me

MISS66, They are called "Sport Bumper Guard Set", those are the ones I used. If you scroll back, I forgot when I posted the picture of them on my Avalon, you can see them. For me it was very easy putting them on. I measured with a ruler from the point I would start at and used a blue painters tape to mark it, (which comes off easy with no mark or adhesion residue) then applied them from that point using my eyes. The 3M sticky stuff is covered with a thin red covering, I gently used a razor blade to start to peel it off and it came off easy. I was extremely careful in applying it for once you stick it on you don't want to take it off to adjust it, so that is the hard part, but it worked easy for me. You can use the blue tape as your guide on the bottom, by placing it just above wherever you put the tape. I hope this helps, and I'm not macho enough to say this is a man's job. I'm assuming your a lady with your name. Good Luck.

jordan7

When my Limited had 150 miles I drove from MD to FL. I drove between 65 and 80 and never used cruise control. I was told by Toyota Corporate and the dealer's service people (as well as what is stated in the manual) to vary the speed but you did not have to stay at a low MPH. I used premium fuel and averaged about 31 MPH on my trip. I also was told to change my oil for the first time at 3000 miles and that today's engines do not have to be broken in as in the days of old. The Avalon's engine has such high torque that it labors very little even at speeds of 80 and above. The car was great on the trip. I now have 1400 miles so maybe I will start using the cruise control.

just__me

Thanks for sharing Jordan.

rwb2

Don't all cars have clear coats from the factory? Haven't heard of paying "extra"for a clear coat for many years. What is the reason for that and is it something the dealer puts on?

rwb2

XM now offers free online service if yoh have an xm radio. Its limited time only. All you need do to sign up is to have the number that comes up on channel 0. It takes a minute. You use your email address for the user name and then make up your own password. Good at home or at work. Get it up and running asap.

jcj1

I test drove both the Touring and XLS model of the new Avalon today. I was very impressed with the power, comfort and refinement of the vehicle. I found the handling acceptable on the Touring model (Note that this is a big compliment to Toyota because I've been shopping the Acura RL, Lexus GS and Infiniti M in the last few days - in fact I test drove the Avalon and the Infiniti M45 Sport back-to-back today, just to see if I should save $20K cash to add to the down payment of my house purchase :-).

However, I don't like the interior of the Touring model. The charcoal leather feels low-grade and the fake aluminum looks awful. The only interior color choice is black on the Touring and it is too dard and too stark for my taste. The interior of the XLS and Limited model is much nicer - the leather seats are softer and more comfortable and the fake wood looks surprisingly attractive. Unfortunately the suspension on the XLS model is too soft for my driving style. There is excessive body lean on sharp corners and quick lane changes. The XLS I test drove seems to float like a boat that I feel a bit dizzy and nausea at the end of the test drive - OK maybe it is not fairly to compare the XLS with the M45 Sport, but at least I didn't get car sick from driving the Touring...

If Toyota would offer the Sport Suspension as an option on the XLS and Limited models, the new Avalon would be a top contender for its proven reliability and superior value. I don't think I can live with the interior of the Touring model day-in and day-out, and I definitely would not buy a car which I get sick from driving. Does anyone know whether it is possible to replace the suspension in the XLS with the firmer suspesion in the Touring model? If so, how much does it cost? Would it void the new car waranty? Or should I just forget about it and cross the Avalon from my shopping list...

Thanks in advance!

jkosuge

Does anyone know if its possible to install the HID headlamps on the XL model after buying the car??

perico1

Hi Ronn,
The gold package was added at my house. It included all the lettering and the logos, including the ones on the wheels. She also added a double stripe down each side, very thin and elegant. I just wish the dealership had not waxed it before I picked it up....I hate swirl marks.

perico1

Hi.....actually the dealership included the toyoguard package in my deal, which includes an additional clear coat along with the undercoat and window etching. The paint is fine but the swirl marks are annoying since I was told not to wax the car for a couple of months because the paint is still a little soft.

groza

"...I feel a bit dizzy and nausea at the end of the test drive...Or should I just forget about it and cross the Avalon from my shopping list?"

jcj: You don't need a new car. You need a doctor.

Groza

sward

Hi tinatina,

I think ordering is a good way to go. You can also make sure your car is not loaded up with all the "junk" the distributors tend to put on: wheel locks, VIN etching, first aid kits, sealants, protectants, "extra mile packages", etc. While some of these things are not bad, the packages tend to be very overpriced. I would rather spend my money on "real" options. I ordered my Limited with NAV, VSC, and Laser Cruise. The only "Port" (distributor) options I let them put on were a mat set and XM radio. The dealer tried to put on a $300 VIN etching package, which he said they "put on all our cars". I told him "not on mine you won't", and the didn't charge me for it. Toyota dealers have historically used a lot of these little add-ons to increase dealer profit, so beware! A price of $2,000 off MSRP is pretty good right now. Good luck--be smart and firm!

sward

just__me

BIG BOY JCJ1, Spend the extra twenty grand or better yet 40 grand more and get a true sports car that you will love as you turn those corners and feel every bump in the road as you twist around the back roads. The Avalon is not for you. Certainly you know this, make your own decision, no one can make it for you, stop vacilating and get your car.

fin

You appear to have answered your own question. There is little in the cars you mention to compare to the Avalon driving experience. Pick from the others and enjoy. The Avalon, even in Touring mode packing big hp and a long torque curve, is a soft, comfortable cruiser at heart.

chankaishi

Does CD player in 2005 Avalon supports MP3 or WMV?

mikes.

"Does CD player in 2005 Avalon supports MP3 or WMV?"

Doesn't appear too, it won't play mine and others have tried as well.

MikeS.

one4damoni

I have noticed that the side mirrors do a very good job of dimming headlights at night. Does anybody with tint have an issue with visibility? If not, how dark is your tint? I am looking at doing 15% around, but am concerned that it will make it hard to see. Any help would be appreciated.

one4damoni

here are some pictures of my black avalon limited. The people who think the light grey interior is ugly are crazy.

http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=595354

just__me

I have tint all around legal for South Carolina, no problem, it is minimum 15% or greater. It's not a problem at all. No more glare blinding me from the side or rear mirror.The dimming mirrors with the tint work well together. Good Luck.

just__me

Your car is a beauty, same wood color as mine in the Desert Mica Sand, so nice and comforting to look at. RONN calls his Black Beauty.

one4damoni

I read in the manual that when the key is in range the passenger door should unlock. When I am on the drivers side and unlock the door, my wife on the passenger side is not able to unlock the door. I changed the behavior to unlock all doors when I open the drivers side as a workaround.

Is it normal for the passenger side to not unlock if the key is located on the drivers side?

one4damoni

I waxed my car the day after it was loaded off the truck. I have a black avalon and had no issues. There was no reference in the manual that stated not to wax the car for x days. It actually suggests waxing once a month. I waited 3 months to wax my tundra and by that time I already had paint problems from bugs. I did not want the same issue with my Avalon.

abfisch

Zoomer1

Funny you should say this. Many posts ago, I said the exact same thing. Keep in mind that some higher priced cars and lower priced ones have collapseable mirrons.

Last fall, we had a wind storm here. The parking lot was icy. Some genius left a shopping cart right in the middle and the wind took it, and guess where it headed. I could NOT believe me eyes as the cart beelined right for my driver's side door. I was 40 yards from the thing, tried to run, but could not get a grip. Then, SMASH.

The cart hit the door, then caught the mirror smashing the glass and ripping it off. Sweeeet. All I could do is watch. Terrible.

I called my parts guy. Send me a new mirror and I put it on myself. Hopefully, they Toyota got smarter and put the connection nearer to the mirror itself, as I had to take the entire door panel off including trim, disconnect it, put the new one on, and then chaulk it. Came out perfect but what a hassle.

Just a real world story, regarding non collapsable mirrors. Maybe it would have made a difference, maybe not. The mirror was $200 itself. God knows how much Toyota would have charged. If the new ones have more electronic gizmos in them, get ready for a steep hit, whenever someone decides to leave a cart unattentended.

abfisch

boatsman

Just got back from my dealer and had the first oil change and asked them to fix the tail pipes. They said there was nothing they could do at this time. I told them about this forum and that 3/4 of all new avalons have the same problem. They claimed they hadn't even noticed until I took them outside to look at the ones on their lot. Out of five on the lot, four were crooked including the one on the showroom floor. They said that when a service bulletin fix came from Toyota they would fix it. I said some people on this forum said they had got theirs fixed but I didn't know what was done to fix it. They said if I can find out from any of you who've had their exhaust pipes leveled out to let them know. So if any of you who've had their exhaust pipes fixed could let me know what they did I would appreciate it.
They lowered my tire pressure from 34 to 32 and it now rides quieter and smoother. I also asked if there was any way to reset the average mpg other than filling up the tank and they said no. I prefer the kind that gives you instant or average mpg and lets you push a button to reset any time you want.

abfisch

jcj1:

It is possible. Anything is possible. The difference in parts is mostly likely, in the struts, sway bars, and/or construct of bushings, rubber versus polyurethane. All you would have to do is look at the different part numbers for the one versus the other, Touring vs XLS. As far as the cost, probably very steep, as the struts usually people cannot do themselves as you need to realign all four wheels aftewards. Yes, in all likelyhood it would void the warranty unless you have a really nice dealer and they did it.

I would not think it would be worth it unless you were crazy about the vehicle. Many moons ago, I revised an 02, bought new, XL, changed the struts, sway bar bushing and front lower susp. arm bushings, and a slightly low profile tire, with suprisingly good result. However, this was an XL and did not have all the electronic gifts on the newer models now. The change including others, including PIAA aux. lights, Valentine ONE radar detector, XM stereo, extra wheels and snow tires, etc. cost be slightly less than the cost of the XLS. You may want to consider what you are really getting for your money.

IMHO, the touring model is the most attractive. But, many would disagree, that is why there are four now, instead of two.

Good luck.

abfisch

just__me

BOATSMAN, I don't what they did, but they did it at Savanah Toyota. Maybe that would help your dealer.

havalongavalon

boatsman, and others with uneven exhaust pipes,

Last week, Toyota mechanics were able to correct the (slight) tailpipe height unevenness in my car. First we had a good look with two mechanics. Each tailpipe & muffler hangs from a rigid ellipse-shaped rubber mount that attaches to a metal arm bolted to the underside of the car. They suggested that bending the support arm was their preferred method to raise the sagging left pipe by 1/4". They advised against attempting to bend the crooked left pipe because this might cause it to crack. Bending the support arm may fix modest disparities in height only, up to about 1/2".

I had mentioned in an earlier note to this forum that the exhaust pipes in a showroom car were much more uneven, by at least 1", not only in height but also the L tailpipe was quite a bit longer. Last week I saw that the entire exhaust system is welded as a rigid unit of complex and fairly asymmetric shape. If there are big disparities in the shape, relative length or inward/outward orientation of the pipe ends, I don't think that these could be fixed by simply adjusting the relative height of the two sides, as was done in my car, and there doesn't seem to be much leeway for lateral position adjustments.

A report was sent to Toyota Canada last week. Hopefully, by now Toyota quality control people have heard enough about this systematic problem that they have taken measures to correct new units at the factory. But it seems that they may need to somehow modify the more uneven exhaust systems in already delivered units.

My Avalon was one of the first 5000, built in January 05.

Best wishes,

havalong

havalongavalon

I also asked if there was any way to reset the average mpg other than filling up the tank and they said no. I prefer the kind that gives you instant or average mpg and lets you push a button to reset any time you want. [boatsman]

boatsman, I was also wondering whether the time over which the average fuel economy is computed could be modified. I actually prefer the Avalon's slowly varying average readout, to instantaneous readouts that can change wildly as you accelerate (worst of all are those constantly moving needle gauges!). The readout in my car has been remarkably accurate at displaying the true average fuel economy for the entire travel since the last tank fill-up (within 1-2%). Of course, the closer you are to an empty tank the less sensitive the average will be to current fuel use.

I also would like to have a "reset" button to allow re-starting the fuel economy computation, just as is possible to reset the trip odometer. This would seem to be just a matter of software. It should be possible to introduce this change in future vehicles, and ideally a software upgrade might then become available for us beta-owners!

For the tricksters among us: another way might be to "fool" the car into believing that the tank was refilled, when it was not. If anybody finds a way to reset this, please share it!

By the way, refueling when only 9 liters (2+ gallons) were needed to fill up, didn't do the trick for me.

Thanks,

havalong

triptrix280

Hi everyone, this is my first post, but I've been following along for about a week & really like what I see. I am in the (slow) process of ordering my 2005 Limited! I decided Phantom grey with the charcoal interior; however, I don't really care for the red/brown wood--I would like the lighter wood that I have now on my Camry with dark grey leather. I was wondering if anyone has had this change, or asked about it? I'm still waiting for my dealership to get their production allocations. I am first in line for a limited, so I'm looking at about 2+ months but it will be totally worth it! I added the NAV, laser cruise, VSC brake assist & auto start. I looked at Acura TSX, BMW 330xi and a Lexus ES330. Avalon took the cake hands down--the price was just an added bonus! It has everything I could ever imagine--with my favorite being the heated/ventilated seats, great for the ever changing weather in central Ohio.

As for the age comment on most buyers being mid-thirties...I'm only 20 and I knew before I even drove this car it was going to be the one for me, elegant, stylish, and perfect!

For all the waxing comments, do you recommend a wax right after I get it home, and should I use Mequiars? I really want to keep up the shin, swirl free, for as long as possible!

Thanks,
Jayne

jp48

The car looks great! And the new wheels will only make it better. What size are they? And what size tire will you run on them? I especially appreciate this info, since I've been exploring alternative wheels and tires for a couple of weeks, prior to my Avalon purchase.

Thanks!!

just__me

triptrix280, WELCOME. I use Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax, it gives my car a high mirror shine and very easy to apply and wipe off after first waxing the entire car. It was recommended to me by some of the posters here. The other day I was at an antique car show and walked over to the owner of a car with a very high shine and asked him what he uses. Meguiars was his answer, so even though it has given me great results and I have no swirl marks or scratches, I realize I'm really in good company now with some of the antique car owners. Good luck and enjoy your new Avalon, you made a wise decision, and for one so young, you have to be bright.

one4damoni

18x8 40mm offset and to keep the diameter the same I am going with 235/45/18. I am not sure and nobody else is either if this will fit. I will post my results after they install them.

Let me say this has been a challenging event, since nobody has the new data.

jp48

Well, I understand the "challenge" all too well; it's been a monumental process trying to get useful information. After several weeks of pursuing it, and talking with many people, I've reached exactly the same conclusions you have, as to fitment numbers. I believe also (as much as one can in the abstract) that that combination will work. You're just (enviably) well ahead in having the wonderful "test bed" to try it out. Good luck!! It'll be a dynamite car, both in appearance and capability, if it fits. I and, I'm sure, many others will eagerly await the results! Thanks for all your effort!

JP

one4damoni

I tried to get some dealerships in FL to get me the specs on thier distributor's 18" option, but nobody could give me an answer. I live in TX and there is no 18" option or it would be easy since my wife works for them.

If anybody has a car from the southeast and has the 18" option, could you post the tire specifications.

Thanks!