2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

just__me

no sqeaking any where.

avalonturing05

Hello pat

Wow lot of philosohy.
What these peolple need to do is go back from the beginning and read the lines from biginning to end but people are lazy to do that and bore us with all that talk about impartial.Read_____ there are plenty of reviews about good and bad

still......... better an uneven pipe then an unfixable alienment I always say.

vooooo000000MMMMM -------280/horse power---holy cow still have gas.

avalonturing05

oil it or lube it or make it talk back to you

just__me

avalonturing05, your so right, I'm getting tired of all these people who bring up the same issues over and over again because they don't scroll back and read it, or click on the right Forum as Pat says to get up to date. My 280 is also voooooooooMMMMMMM, unbelievable, and still good gas mileage. I don't know what Impartial wants. Great engine, great comfort, great realibility, great MPG, elegant styling, beautiful to look at inside, but lets criticize my leather has a crease in it and hurts my back. Give me a break. I'm outa here, Have a good one.

3puttmax

I bought the Toyota XM Radio Kit ($266.60 plus tax) from a dealer's Parts Dept. I had it installed at a stereo shop in Los Angeles. They used a new smaller XM antenna, which cost me an extra $50 for the antenna and $30 for a line splitter to adapt it to the Toyota Tuner. The shop charged $150 for installation, so the total was around $500.

The antenna is mounted INSIDE the car, underneath the windshield, on a small flat spot at the right end of the windshield defrosting vents. The new antenna is about 1 inch square and 3/8 inch thick. This compares with 2 inch square and 3/4 inch thick for the standard Toyota part. This installation is virtually invisible, and eliminates the troublesome trunk mounted blob. Reception appears to be fine - I just got it today.

Also, the receiver unit was installed under the main head unit, behind the navigation pod. There is a surprising amount of room in there. The standard installation has the receiver in the trunk area, with a long cable running under the rear seat, both right side door sills, etc.

I notice that the XM Radio text is cut off at 10 characters or so. Are you kidding me!! Who the hell wrote that software? Hopefully that can be upgraded in the future, since it seems to be a part of the DVD Navigation system. Even the cheapest $100 XM tuners have scrolling text. Duh ...

Max

pat

We are NOT here to talk about each other. If you don't like a post, you can skip it, ya know?

Yeah, some folks are way caught up in their new Avalons, but that doesn't excuse name-calling by those who are not. And yeah some other folks are not caught up in this vehicle, but that doesn't excuse attacks by those who are.

Not sure how much clearer I can be ....

(Where is my speechwriter when I need him ...)

Let's get back to talking about the car and if anyone has comments to make about other members you can make them in email to me so that I can review the post that bothers you or else please don't make them at all. They don't belong here.

Okay?

Thanks, I would really appreciate it your cooperation.

topgear

Hi!
See my post number 12559. I understand the Limited now does have the Bluetooth option, so if you're considering a new Avalon, it may be availble now.
Good luck in your decision! BTW, If your interested in the DVD navigation, I highly recommend a test drive first. For me, that is my biggest disappointment.
-Pete

deanie

Hi All:
Let me preface this by saying I love my '05 Avalon and feel there's no other car out there within $5k-7k of the Avalon that can hold a candle to it. But let's ease up on Impartial. I too was skeptical about an all-new '05 Avalon because of new production teething problems, etc. As such, I planned on waiting for an '06, but my needs changed, and I bought an '05 XLS two weeks ago.

Everything about the car was great except for a teeny tiny squeak coming from the area where the dash meets the windshield, which was admitedly nitpicking (see one of my earlier posts), but since then I found a slightly more substantial glitch. The lower half of my driver's door is out of alignment in that it sticks out away from the car 1mm beyond the alignment of the rear driver's side door. That's not as nitpicky as the tiny squeak, and it's undeniably there. Will I take it back to Toyota to effect a remedy? I'll bring it up when I go in for my first oil change, but I can't imagine they'll take me seriously.

To fix it, if they do anything, they'll probably do what I've already been doing since last week - lightly leaning on the lower portion of the door with the side of my calf to massage the metal into place. Does it change my mind about the car? No. Would I still have bought an '05 Avalon if I knew in advance this was likely to happen? Yes. Does my example lend credence to the notion that new first year models are more likely to have problems (however minor in Toyota's case) than later model years? It seems that way, even though mine is only a sample of one car.

I've averaged 22-23 mpg in 50/50 city/hwy driving, love the power, the responsive and strong brakes, the clarity of the JBL stereo, and the seat comfort, etc - a truly wonderful car. Yesterday I remembered to check the pressure of the spare on a cool 60 degree morning. 51 psi!!!! The tranny seems to me to be a tiny bit indecisive. It slightly hesitates/stumbles before downshifting at low speeds (5-15 mph) when I step into the gas (no, not flooring it) to get it up to 20-30 mph in a hurry. Otherwise, it upshifts and downshifts as smooth as silk at all other speeds. In the car's defense, the three other Avalons I test drove did the same thing. Design flaw or more nitpicking? Who's to say? The toyota name brings with it high expectations.

So far, I rate it a 9 out of 10. I'll check in later.
Regards,
Deannie

332rick

Thank you 3puttmax for the XM info. I just happened to see one factory installed today and I could not believe how unprofessional it looked. :sick:

i think i will installing my sell and do the same as you did. thanks a bunch. :shades:

dan41

I have the nav in my Limited and my wife also has a nav in her 04 Honda Accord, so I think I can offer an objective comparison. I believe that the features on the Honda ( touch screen, more speech commands, such as temperature/radio changes), are richer than my Limited. However, I have no regrets whatsoever with purchasing the nav with my Limited and have found it very useful over the past two months. So useful, in fact, that I will not purchase another car unless it has a nav system installed.

ronn

The 2005 Avalon gets a perfect 10 from me. As far as impartial...no comment.

ronn

hey timeframe...I haven't had any squeaks anywhere with the Limited. It is very quiet!
Hope they take care of yours.
have a great day,
RONN

groza

Sent a question to Ask Toyota online: "Is the top speed of the 05 Avalon governed electronically? If so, what is the maximum governed speed?"

Now, I know Mack has already posted that Toyota governs all their vehicles at 127 mph, but Ronald Reagan is my hero, you know? And according to the Gipper, "Trust, but verify!"

Here is Toyota's verbatim reply to my inquiry: "Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. We appreciate your interest in our products and services. We apologize; we do not disclose the top speed of our vehicles. The speed rating on the tires your vehicle was equipped with from the factory is a V rating. A V rating has a maximum speed rating of 130 mph. Please keep in mind; we recommend you maintain within the allowable speed limit. Thank you for choosing Toyota for your driving needs. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us."

This sounds like a classic head fake from the Toyota guy who answered my question. I can almost see him winking as he typed "A V rating has a maximum speed rating of 130 mph.", because we all know that a V rating is actually 149 mph, not 130 mph. My guess is that he was saying the car is really limited only by the tires, not by an electronic governor (notice he made no reference to a governor) - that the motor, drivetrain and chassis are capable of speeds somewhere north of 149 mph.

So, now I can name my beautiful black XLS: Poetry in Motion - Excalibur the Exocet Missile from King Arthur's Mystical Island Home.

Groza

just__me

Deanie, thanks for sharing. The hood (in the front on the side to fender alignment) of three of my earlier Avalons were slightly raised, maybe the same mm you are speaking of about the door. I never said a thing to the Dealer because it was insignificant to me but I saw it. So when it was on my first Avalon, I was curious to see about the second and so on. All three had it the same way, so call it a design flaw? So of course I looked on my 05, and Viola, the hood lays perfectly. Also on two of my other Avalons, the strip on each side of the top of the car sitting on the top next to the door, the front edge was slightly up on both sides, again I never said a thing, that I would have called nit picking (even though I would have loved perfection), my hood maybe not, anyway the 05 is fine. So I will rate my car a 10. At 50/50 driving using Premium I average around 26, much better than my 04. I've gotten as much as 32.5 if the computer was correct on highway 95, but averaged around 31.5, the 32.5 blew me away, I had my a/c off. Enjoy. By the way this is also the first of the bunch of all the cars I have had that upon washing and waxing didn't find a blemish on the paint somewhere, a hint of a scratch or swirl or something, and I'm hating the day of the first scratch or nick, but for now it's more than a 10 if that's possible.

just__me

MAC, how are you? Is the thinner working?

just__me

Deanie, Correction: I had about a third of regular and balance premium gas, I filled my tank before the trip and mistakenly topped it off with reg. So Great MPG.

perico1

I asked the question a while back and got no answer. Is anyone concerned by the accumulation of soapsuds under the plastic of the taillights when you wash the car....maybe, it's a design flaw. I have water dripping down the back bumper for hours after I wash my Avalon and since it's a black car, I wash it a lot.

tinatina

Here is a new review, which I don't believe was posted here. Sorry, if it was. A minor point about the trunk size is pointed out in the article. I will have to see the trunk size when I finally go to the dealer, but it seems sufficient for my needs. Here's the link:

http:www.dailyitem.com/cgi-bin/psafe/psafe.pl

just__me

I don't have that problem

just__me

this link doesn't open up for me....http:www.dailyitem.com/cgi-bin/psafe/psafe.pl

mikes.

">> What Pat's trying to say is that this is not a George Bush town hall meeting. We're allowed to disagree.

ROFL!!

Dang, I used all those words and wasted all that space and you summed the whole thing up in those few words. Will you be my speech writer??"

WOW! Pat actually does have a sense of humor! Not just all business. Cool Beans!

MikeS.

mikes.

"I asked the question a while back and got no answer. Is anyone concerned by the accumulation of soapsuds under the plastic of the taillights when you wash the car....maybe, it's a design flaw. I have water dripping down the back bumper for hours after I wash my Avalon and since it's a black car, I wash it a lot."

I have thwe dark blue, Indigo Ink, and have washed mine several times. I've never noticed what you are describing.

MikeS.

avalonturing05

The trunk of the car does not have a great water return.
all cars have different ways to handle water coming down from the TOP

Some cars have this problem I had Solara 2002 and the Avalon 05 and they all have that---it drips or runs after a car wash
You mean soapy under the lights -----not INSIDE right? :lemon:

If you have water inside ---don't wast time asking us get that fixed man. :P

pat

http://www.dailyitem.com/cgi-bin/psafe/psafe.pl

It was missing the two slashes after http: - that's also why it wasn't clickable.

Mike - hardee har har ...

howzat?

pat

You can click it but it doesn't go anywhere worth going. Maybe tinatina will try again.

havalongavalon

I found it, it is now archived under

http://www.dailyitem.com/archive/2005/0421/fea/stories/07fea.htm

On balance a positive review on the Touring model.

havalongavalon

pat

Thanks. I tried the site search but it told me it couldn't find anything on Avalon. Glad you found it.

tuffy

Sounds like you really like your Avalon and it is a great car. Regarding your gas mileage, are you using premium (91 octane or higher) or regular unleaded (87
octane). I am looking at either purchasing a new Avalon or Camry and have talked to 6 different dealers and Toyota customer service asking about the impact of using regular unleaded all the time in an Avalon. I know it is a rather trivial issue but I had to think of paying 20 cents more per gallon for premium fuel.

Thanks in advance for responding.

Also, what color XLS did you get and do you like the leather interior and the door covering the radio?

ejmann

Last week I finally got my new Avalon. It's a great car in most ways. BUT since I was the first to order one with the remote start system the sales people knew little about it's performance. Having an aftermarket system on a 2004 Toyota that works great I assumed the unit offered from the factory would be as good. WRONG! It lacks range, only 50-80ft, so it won't start the car in the parking lot like the brand added to the Highlander. And it shuts the car off when you approach it to unlock the doors. Both the sales and service staff verified it's working to spec, as did the Toyota factory rep. Most agreed that it's not as good as other aftermarket products, even though it costs considerably more. Plus, since it's factory installed I was advised that an aftermarket product might be more difficult to install. Anyway, for those who want a remote start for your 05 Avalon, make sure you know what you're buying for the $500 MSRP. It will start your car if it's next to you, but not when it's over 50-80 ft away. In my case it was definitely a mistake to add the remote start. The dealer and factory person said they're sorry that the Toyota system doesn't meet my needs, but it just wasn't designed to do that.

havalongavalon

You are welcome, Pat.

Also, since design74 had difficulty posting new photos for us, I googled design74 and under the 4th. entry I found new photos posted elsewhere on April 18. Others may want to try this, too.

havalongavalon

impartial

Just so you know ... I was not trying to ruffle your feathers or disparage the Avalon with my forum posts about seeking objective product reviews. Even if you don't like the tone of my messages, I must tell you that I enjoy your posts and all others on this forum. I like your enthusiasm for the Avalon, but I look for all news (including negative reviews) to help me decide on spending $30,000 or more on a new car. I hope you understand.

I appreciate the civility on this forum. Sometimes we may have to agree to disagree, and I hope it can be done respectfully. I read other automotive forums, and I frankly get disgusted with foul language and needlessly angry tones in some of them. One Toyota forum now has more political bickering than car talk! So keep up the good work in this forum, with the helping hand of Pat, the host/moderator. If there is some honest, critical news/opinion about Avalon problems, let anyone feel free to bring it up, and openly discuss and debate it. That's all I ask. Impartial

sward

RE: "The antenna is mounted INSIDE the car, underneath the windshield, on a small flat spot at the right end of the windshield defrosting vents. The new antenna is about 1 inch square and 3/8 inch thick."

Hi 3puttmax,

Can you give us a brand and model number for this XM antenna? It sounds nice!

sward

ronn

perico1.......I have washed mine many times, and haven't had the taillights collext water or suds. Mine is also Black......hope you can find the problem. Have a great day,

RONN

mackabee

groza, I said I knew the Corolla and Solara were governed at 127mph not that all Toyotas were! I'll check with my master mechanic and he will look this up for me and give you the actual governed speed.
:shades:
Mackabee

havalongavalon

Reviews (such as the link posted in #4703) typically point out that "The redesigned sedan is longer, taller and wider than its predecessor is, and although the cabin gains space, the trunk actually shrinks from 15.9 to 14.1 cubic feet of cargo space.

Several among us have suspected that this difference is related to the reclining seats, but is this the whole story? I haven't seen this solved before, so I took some simple measurements and calculated the volume of the wedge-shaped space that is taken up by the reclining seats.

The seat backs recline about 5" at the top (5/12'), are about 2' 3" tall and 4' wide.

Wedge volume = dead space behind seatbacks = (1/2) (5/12) (9/4) (4) = 1.9 cu ft.

So this is where all that missing space went!

Actually I was surprised that 5" of reclining travel accounts for a 12% reduction in trunk space. I wonder whether Avalon owners think it is really worth it?

My opinion:

Reclining seats are great because of 1) comfort for occasional back-seat riders, 2) distinction -- only car within $50K with this feature (so far) and 3) added rigidity (it appears that the structure is reinforced behind the seats).

A larger trunk and/or collapsible back seatbacks would obviously be preferable to occasionally carry large/long loads. The 2005 trunk is about 6" too short to fit 4 golf bags length-wise, and too narrow between the wheels to fit more than 2-3 bags across. I haven't tried to see how many golf bags can fit if oriented diagonally in the trunk. Does anybody know?

Regards,

havalongavalon

ronn

Thank you impartial......I guess we were too hard on you as well. I guess I am soo wrapped up at the fact that this is the greatest car I have ever owned. I tryed so many of the name plate cars, and they didnt come close to this one. I have not had any problems, even minor ones that some have had. I do hope we can win you over with this car. I do think you would be very happy with the choice.
I am totally blown away at the gas mileage this car gets with the horses it has.I am averaging 22-23 in town using premium gas. While many are using regular, I want to put the best in it.
I have a friend that has moved over from lexus to Avalon this go round, because he honestly said it rides better than his. He has the 330. he also likes the looks.
While I drove BMW, and Acura, and still found the Avalon to be more comfortable, quiet, and I think it will be a better car with less problems. The reviews on the recent BMW and Mercedes have not been good, and I was very leary of the Chrsyler 300 after reading folks who have had major problems with them.
I'm not as daring as some on here, I havent driven over 80 yet....Where I live, it's not a good thing to do.
Have a nice day,

RONN

ronn

Pat...Have you heard any recent news as to when the Edmunds reviews from all of us will be out. It seems so long, and it is still bare? Of course, most oof the reviews have been here anyway! LOL It would be nice to see the results and scores though. If you can get them on soon, we will see to it that you get a raise in salary!!!

RONN

littlejohn600

REF. Msg #4671
For me, McGeorge priced the 7/100,000/zero Platinum Warranty at $1691.

ronn

JUST ME...Black Beauty is turning green from all the pollen...I cant keep her clean right now LOL !!!!
Have a great day!

RONN

boatsman

I also have a black limited and never noticed any water in the tail lights after it's washed.

3puttmax

sward -

The small XM antenna is a Terk XMICRO, and you also need a Terk XMSP, which is a "XM dual to single splitter" to interface with the Toyota receiver (which is made by Pioneer). I bought these from the stereo installer, but maybe you can get them online cheaper.

Max

jj kelly

Just me JJ Kelly picking up my Phantom gray limited at 5:00 its now 3:30 11/2 hr to go.

rtimbo

Just came across another great review. Check out this link

http://www.autosite.com/content/shared/articles/templates/index.cfm/article_page_order_int- /1/article_id_int/512

njny

Anyone install aftermarket Sirius Radio integrated into the Sound System.
XM was only option available on 05 Avalons

havalongavalon

Have fun, jj! Just make sure to have the tire pressures checked before you take off, and go easy on both pedals for a while.

Best wishes,

havalong

rtimbo

According to the parts manager at my local Toyota dealer, a Sirius satellite radio kit will soon be available for the Avalon and will fully integrate with the JBL radio.

ronn

Hey gang, the Avalon reviews are in!!!! One sad thing is they left mine out, and I was one of the first ones!!!!!! Pat will help me with that. They are great, and consumer ratings are 9.5. Check it out!!
Have a great day!
RONN

ronn

jjkelly.......you now have 18 minutes to go !!!!!! 4:42 and counting

groza

"So this is where all that missing space went! "

Havalong: Please listen to old Groza. I went through this at length some weeks ago, but here goes again. The full-size spare tire reduces trunk space by at least 2 cubic feet. That's why the doughnut spare is called a "space-saver". They're talking about saving trunk space. This is as much of a factor for trunk space than the reclining seat back issue.

The trunk holds four golf bags. When taking that many, remove long drivers (standard 43-1/2" drivers are OK, anything over 45" should be removed) and place them separately, perpendicular to the bags. No problemo.

Groza

havalongavalon

No, no, old Groza.

havalong remained silent, but didn't go along with your full-size vs. compact spare argument some weeks ago. Someone else did point out that in cars with compact spares, the well is still big enough for full-size tires; so there is no gain/loss there.

Your pointer on removing long drivers so four golf bags will fit lengthwise, is very useful. Problemo solvado -- thanks!

havalong