2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

jlsexton · November 2007

I drive slow and steady, never had a problem, leave the software out and the good old hardware in or go to a CVT. If your vehicle is jerking you around does it really matter to the average consumer what's causing the problem, NAHHHHHH, admit it, FIX IT.

jlsexton · November 2007

Ah Ha, someone else who purchased under trust. I've skimmed through the so called manual, seem to remember something about changing it in there, my question is yours a Limited, with the TINY, LITTLE, MINISCULE BUTTONS designed for GIRLY fingers, if so how well does it work, the service guy tried 3 times to get mine to work last year and then told me it was up to design specs, BAH HUMBUG................

richa502 · November 2007

Yes, I have a Limited with the small buttons, but have never had a problem with the remote starter. You have to follow the sequence perfectly for it to start. Depress the lock button twice in a row, then wait a second and press it a third time, holding it down for a few seconds.

When you say you skimmed through the manual, do you mean the one that comes with the car in the glove box, or the repair manual (purchased separately)? Do you remember how to change it??

jlsexton · November 2007

It was the owners manual, something I never have luck with as in finding things. No, sorry I do not remember, I'l try to remember to skim through the manual, I'm not positive but when you mentioned it, it sort of rung a bell, I usually skim through it while waiting endlessly for my wife to finish shopping. As far as the RS, what do you press the buttons with, I have to use finger nails and to be truthful I never use it. It only has about a 50 foot range, perhaps 60, by the time I press the TINY buttons and the fact it shuts off when entering, well to me it was a waste of money as I'm up to the car anyway. The after market was out to almost 400 feet, great while working in a remote area, especially for warming up or cooling off but 60 feet, NAH.. If you're happy with it great, I'm not and as with their NAV system I warn people as I was warned and grateful for it.

jlsexton · November 2007

Neither, I'm just trying to interface with it so as to increase its range and stop it from shutting off. Toyota says they can re-program the prom chip but won't.

mackabee · November 2007

First I've heard of this. Reprogram for longer distance and not shut off? Do you ever use it while you are at home and want to get into a nice cool car in summer and nice and toasty in winter?
Mack

jlsexton · November 2007

Until I can reprogram the prom chip I will never have any need to use it, Mack to be honest it's simply a stupid unit and a pain in the butt to use,it's like having a remote for your kitchen light, using it when you come in the door and as you enter the kitchen it shuts off. Whomever purchased this from the supplier should be peppered with birdshot, just enough to cause real pain but not enough to do real harm........... I garage my vehicles at all times, cool in summer, warm in winter.

tjc78 · November 2007

I personally think remote start is useless.... HOWEVER. I recently had it on a GM rental car and tried it for the hell of it. I didn't think the distance it worked from was that great maybe 80 - 100 ft and when entering the car I still had to put the key in the ignition and turn it. It really wouldn't have mattered if the car stopped running or not I still had to go through the motions. Am I missing something? Is the Toyota system that much different from GMs or anyone elses?

richa502 · November 2007

I bought the car used and the remote start came with it. If you don't have a garage, and live in New England, you would want one....trust me. It works fine and all I want to do is increase the run time from 10 minutes to 15. The dealer can do it for $47. I would prefer to do it myself if possible, and I was asking if anyone knew how. Evidently, no one does. Oh well.

tjc78 · November 2007

I don't have a garage and live in Jersey. It gets cold here too.

The car warms up so fast its just not needed IMO. Anyway, as far as I know most of those types of options (headlight delay, door locks etc) on the Avalon are only accessed by a scan tool. I am sure that they are more expensive than just paying to have it done. For example I wish I could change the way the auto headlights work (stay on until you lock the car w/remote like my '03 Av) but its not important enough for me to pay for it.

mackabee · November 2007

That's not very much if you think about it. My friend lost one of his smart keys for the 08 Prius I sold him and we ordered one on line for $50 dollars less than the $220.00 dealer cost, then I called my friend Tony who has his locksmith business and he charged $40 for the programming which the dealer wanted $95 which is the hourly labor rate. Looks like they are charging you for half an hour labor rate. So I saved him $105.00 total. The trade off was the wait time. He ordered it on Friday before Veteran's day and they shipped via the usps so it didn't get here until today. He'll get it programmed tomorrow so waiting a whole week versus having it done at the dealer in one day is a time versus cost decision.
:shades:
Mack

jlsexton · November 2007

I looked again, saw nothing about re-programming, perhaps I was thinking about my previous vehicle, it had an aftermarket which was easy and superb, made by Bulldog. I will check to see if there's a booklet for that only, the RS. Just curious, my Avalon warms up in about 5 or 6 minutes, with fuel as it is, why so long. The reason I passed on Beemers was the need for high test @10cents more a gallon.

mackabee · November 2007

Really? that long? and you keep it in the garage? Shouldn't take that long. A couple of minutes and you should have heat coming out of the vents. Todays engines don't require a long warm up. Just don't rev the engine when you start the car. Let it idle for 30-45 seconds and you are ready to go.
:shades:
Mackabee

chaxia · November 2007

Will someone aide me in this task. I'm trying to change out the old and beat up key
assembly, and I need all the information on exchanging it out.

mackabee · November 2007

Which Avalon? smart key or no smart key?
What exactly are you trying to do?
Mack

pat · November 2007

Here's the link: hope34000, "2007 Toyota Avalon" #246, 18 Nov 2007 11:18 am.

oldnall · November 2007

We just purchased our first 06 Avalon after owning several Camry's ours has 5500km's and has the "B" package. We paid $37800cad (list new was $45100 cad) from the Toyota dealer. Is this a good price?
It does seem that prices in the USA are cheaper however we like to deal local when
we can. The car is quite amazing. There a few quirks, the seatbelt clip likes
to get stuck between the seat and the side pillar. I am worried that it will scratch
over time. I find the lid that covers the stereo a little annoying sometimes, and
the usual tiny knob complaint on the seat warmers. I found the car to drive very soft on the road and it it is taking some getting used to.
Bang for the buck however, I think that it is the best car out there for the money!
I saw on one of your older messages that increasing the tire pressure will improve
performance, tire wear and fuel economy. I check mine last night and it and they
were at 25lbs! No wonder the ride was soft. It tempurature has cooled off a great deal recently and I think that it has has a big effect on pressure. I increased the pressure to 38lbs and it is like driving a different car! It handles much better in curves and over all enjoyment.
Is this recommended for the car?
The low beam headlights seem poor. Is there any upgrades out there to improve
this? I am worried that I might hit a deer because it is hard to see the sides of the road.
Is there the issues out there that I need to be aware of?
Thanks!

mackabee · November 2007

Congrats on the new Avalon! You'll be very pleased with it. The tire pressure seems a bit high to me. I usually run 32 psi max on all four tires. 38 psi sounds like it will give you a bouncy ride. Look on the inside door jamb of the driver's side. There's a placard there with the gvwr, and recommended tire pressure.

I don't know what the market in Canada is for the Avalon so I don't know what a good price is. But looking at your numbers it looks like a good deal.

Headlights, you may want to replace the bulbs with the HID's high intensity ones. They are a lot brighter at night.

Some folks have had "hesitation" issues that have been well covered here. It's a software fix that can be done at your dealer. It takes about 30 minutes. If you don't have the hesitation than you're fine.

I'm renting one today to go see my kids in Md for Thanksgiving. I'll give you my "review" on Friday.
:shades:

jlsexton · November 2007

Had I been you I would have run down to the good old USA what with the low dollar, about a 30 % difference. convert your currency to ours and I could tell you better but I will give you my price for a Limited with everything but laser cruise and the Nav system, my list was $36,700 American, I paid $32,300. that was last year end of July and I ordered the vehicle as I personally found it cheaper, also I dealt with the sales manager not a salesman. I also run the tires at 32 PSI and they're Michelins. And yes the low beams stink, new HIDS for the low beam, probably not, I did not check into it, try 1sttotota.com, I think thats the site, but a search will find it.

pat · November 2007

Have a good trip - it will be interesting to read your assessment when you get back.

mackabee · November 2007

The car is sitting in my driveway right now. I got a Limited 2007 with nav. No laser cruise or bluetooth since it was not available in 07 (Bluetooth) Which I'm going to miss, it was fun using it on the Camry last month.
Just driving it home tonight was a joy! What an automobile! I set the memory seat after adjusting the cushion and seatback, the lumbar, and afterwards I remembered about the cushion extension. That was heaven for my knee backs.

I started loading the trunk as soon as I got home and as I walked past the car the interior light and puddle lamps came on. Wow! Great feature. I touched the sensor on the back of the trunk and it popped open. Loaded up the gear and closed the trunk and as I walked away the interior light and puddle lamps went off.
I'm in Love....

When I left the dealership I stepped on the gas and the acceleration was very good. I didn't want to floor it on the boulevard as Va Beach Finest hang around there and I don't need a speeding ticket. Once I got on the expressway I merged into traffic smoothly and some guy in a black Mercedes started tailgating me so I moved over and let him pass. Don't know what that was about. Maybe he wanted to see what kind of car it was.
Once I exited the expressway I headed toward the resort area at the Oceanfront of Va Beach. I was on Laskin road and I tried the S mode or sequential shift just for kicks. That is a lot of fun! I revved the engine up to 5000 rpm on first gear than flicked the gear shift to the + and up to second gear and third and fourth and fifth. This car may get me in trouble. The 3.5L V6 is more than enough for this car. I'll have more for you on Friday after my extended drive tomorrow.
(Smiling from ear to ear)

oldnall · November 2007

Thanks for all the information! I told my wife that I was going to adjust the tire
pressure down to 32lbs and she doesn't want to because she likes the firmer
sportier feel. I might try it for a day to see the result. My car is loaded without
the Nav, bluetooth, or memory seat. It has the upgraded JBL stereo.
With a bit of fine tuning it puts out great sound. It has most other toys.
I miss the memory seat function. I talked with the dealer today and they said
that it would cost thousands to add that option because the seats would require replacing and their leather. Has anyone added this to their car?
I will look into the upgraded headlights. It is suprising how poor they really are!
Turning on the fog lights help a little.
In Canada Toyota will not negotiate on new car prices. They call it Access Toyota Pricing. They say they give out their best price and that's it.
I went in anyway to negotiate and couldn't even get free oil changes! My family has owned 10 Toyotas and we still can't get a deal. I think they have it too good up here right now. I got the deal on the Avalon becuse it was the sales managers
car and he wanted to drive a new Highlander. It was right place at the right time,
but it really was a used car. I still paid more than the USA price but the dealers
up here are not fond of servicing the US cars that local people have brought up.
Nice chatting and we'll keep in touch!

wwest · November 2007

"Turning on the fog lights help a little..."

NOT..!!!

Fog lights have a LOW and wide beam pattern.

What you get is the appearance of more lighting but the end result is actually a detriment to your forward distance vision. Close-in illumination, USELESS close in illumination, causes your eyes to close up reducing your night vision somewhat.

I always modify my asian origin cars so the fog lights can be used alone, ONLY in actual foggy conditions, and NEVER in conjunction with low or high beams.

mikes. · November 2007

Since I've been on this board, see that much hasn't changed. Mackabee is still dispensing words of wisdom I'm glad to see.

Well my 05 LTD is now 2 years and 9 months old and has 48K miles on it. I'm getting 30 mpg average using 87 octane on the freeway. On a trip last month I had a long stretch of road on I-81 that I hit 31.9 mpg.

I'm thinking retirement in about 6 years so I'll be looking at 08 LTDs next spring.

Mike

riley3 · November 2007

I had the same problem with low beams on my '05 Ltd. Beam distance was so short that driving in residential streets was uncomfortable. The dealer service dept said they could adjust them up some and still be within specs. That helped a lot and I had forgotten about the problem until you mentioned it.

oldnall · November 2007

Thanks for the information!
I will stop using the fog light with the low beam. I actually think that it is
illegal to drive in BC, Canada, with both running. I remembered today that my brother got pulled years ago for having both on. (it was "cool" you see)
I will ask at my next service for the lights to be adjusted.
I haven't has any issues with hesistation with the tranny (5speed) and I hope
I don't seeing the issues that have come up in the past.
Thanks again!

96gc1owner · November 2007

A quick search found 2006 XLSs with less than 10,000 miles are selling for $26,000-$29,000

I am looking for a vehicle in the $22,000 range and there are several '05 Avalons and "05 Lexus ES330s to choose from (less than 50K miles on them). I have not driven the Avalon yet and am loooking forward to the comparison. I am especially the excited about the 3.5 engine power/economy. Anyone have thoughts on the comparison?

tjc78 · November 2007

IMO the '05 Avalon is the better buy than the '05 ES330 because the Avalon rides on the newer platform and has the 3.5 engine which is much more powerful than the 3.3 and gets better MPG. The Avalon is also a bigger car.

jlsexton · November 2007

True, but aren't nearly all the recent tranny complaints coming from 05 owners.....

tjc78 · November 2007

Toyota's tranny issues (software) has been since before the '05 Avalon. Actually, if I recall the problem was first noted on the ES series. It certainly isn't only on the Avalon, and, IMO not as huge an issue as it is made to be on the boards. I know many Yota owners and am on my third and really don't find there to be any problem with the shift logic of the trans. The only thing I will say and have said before on here is, if you "tenderfoot" these cars all the time, the car WILL be reluctant to downshift on part or full throttle. I have proved this in my Mother's '05 Highlander. When I first start driving it, the shifting is very lazy. After it adapts to my heavier foot, it shifts very similar to my Avalon ('06).

jlsexton · November 2007

I tend to take people at their word but I personally have had NO problems with the tranny or anything else, perhaps it is in the way we drive, as in NEW CAR so they drive it different. We used to be told to baby the cars until they were broken in, maybe that's whats going on...........

mackabee · November 2007

I noticed that same behaviour on the Limited I rented two days ago. I'm a rather lead footed driver and when I first slammed the accelarator it did delay shifting for what seemed like a second or two. That was the only time. I drove it hard and put it away wet so in the morning on our drive to MD I had a lot of fun. No transmission hesitation, shifting delays, whatever. Matter of fact Mrs. Mack kept telling me to watch my speed, slow down, yada, yada,.. A great time was had by all.
Even my son that drives the Honda Prelude SH commented on the smoothness of the transmission and the quick acceleration. He drove it half of the way back.
My oldest who has a Scion tC souped up, said it drove really nice and asked how much could he buy one for.

Mrs. Mack was sold the minute we took off. She didn't care much for the nav system at first. I picked the shortest route and it was taking us all over Hampton roads until I figured what it was doing and then I took over. Once on route 17 it was smooth sailing. It led us straight to my son's front door.
On the way back we still had the route from the previous day so it kept telling us to make a u-turn.
After my son said he was getting drowsy and asked me to drive, we stopped to gas up right before Gloucester Va and while I was gassing the car and my family was making a pit stop I input a route home. This time it was a whole lot better. I don't particularly care for the way it is set up. It is easier to use on Prius, Camry, Landcruiser, Highlander, Sequoia, and Tundra. I think the interface on the Avalon makes it harder than the others which have the touch screen. The joystick is not very user friendly.
Mack

jlsexton · November 2007

I noticed that same behaviour on the Limited I rented two days ago.

ARE YOU BRITISH ????????????

mackabee · November 2007

No. Just the way I spell behaviour.
Mack

jlsexton · November 2007

Okay, BUT you have to admit it is the Queens English. No American school teaches the correct way, I went to 12 years of parochial school and even I spelled it as behavior and color not colour..........quirk of mine, spelling that is, most products of our schools are poor spellers

pat · November 2007

Well, let's not get too caught up in those details, 'kay?

Got's nuttin' to do wit da subject. :shades:

jlsexton · November 2007

The gentlemen is a car salesman, knowing who he is when he posts authoritative replies is part of the subject, that was my intent, not to grill him. Americans tend to BS more than Brits, as in been there, done that, personality plays into all things, psych 101. I will try to refrain..................

mackabee · November 2007

I was a spelling bee champion in elementary school. Since I was an immigrant I had to study double hard to learn, speak and write the language. The colour and behaviour are mainly from my Chicago albums. They use lots of the Queen's English in their song titles. "Colour my world" is one of them. Anyway, back to the subject at hand. The Avalon is one fine automobile. I even have Mrs. Mack thinking of buying one. (That's the first step!) I still like the Camry v6 SE for me. I like the tighter suspension and the handling that a smaller car gives me. Although I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth if an Avy showed up in my driveway!

Mackabee

jlsexton · November 2007

It has been a pleasure to drive my only problem is the width, it barely fits in my garage, folding mirrors would be handy but I will go smaller next time. At our retirement luncheon I made a contact for a Benz, said he could get me a REAL good price, we'll see, people talk and it's 32 months away...........Strange thing happened this morning, went down to the garages and mine was open, the light was still on so it couldn't have been long BUT as I was leaving I could not get it to stay closed with the homelink. I finally turned off the breaker to clear any fault, closed it from the inside and it seems to be okay. This opener has rolling codes so it really is strange, never had this with the regular remote.

mackabee · November 2007

jl, bang for the buck you can't beat the Avalon. I'm not too crazy about Mercedez anymory. Their rep for bulletproof reliability is not what it used to be. I would look at a BMW before looking at a Mercedes. Just mho.
Mackabee
:shades:

oldnall · November 2007

">I agree with Mackabee. I have shopped around at Mercedes, BMW, Lexus etc,
And I bought the Avalon because you got the most for the money. If you wanted
smaller there is the Camry XLS or V6 SE, but the finishing is cheaper.
BMW 5 series is pretty good but reliability has been just average.
There is also the 2008 Lexus IS350 (306hp cough, cough) which I would buy any day over a Mercedes. Just my two cents worth.

wwest · November 2007

I have had occasion to have a maple seed (helicopter wing) hanging from an old spider web attached to the back of my garage door. The door would also get closed and then reverse...

Took a while to troubleshoot that one.

jlsexton · November 2007

As stated it's 32 months off, the world could end, the new C class is supposed to be an improvement, Consumer Reports constantly bangs them but sometimes I wonder. I had a 77 Pontiac they gave a bad rap, had a 3.8 V6, got 22 miles to the gallon and after 12 years went to my son who drove it to death. Beemers all use premium, my son driver a 3 series, too small, the new ones are larger but premium, NAH, just sold a turbo sports car for that reason. Check out www.OBSESSIONTHEMOVIE.COM, bought the DVD, scared the heck out of me.

jlsexton · November 2007

First thing I did was to clear the sensors with a brush, the power off, power on thing did it, reset the openers, thats why I wired them directly to a breaker..........Some day I WILL read the manual.

96gc1owner · November 2007

You are correct! WOW. I test drove an 07 Avalon XLS since I could not find a 05-06 model. Compared to the '05 Lexus 330 and the '04 BMW 530, the Avalon is more car in many ways. The 3.5 engine was so quiet and yet powerful. I don't know the actual numbers, but it took off like a shot and seat of the pants tells me it could beat either of the other cars. I had heard the handling was too soft. I don't think the XLS was too soft. I pushed it into a turn hard enough to chirp the tires and it seemed pretty solid to me (granted I am use to a 12 year old mini-van so keep that in perspective).
My understanding is the 05-06 models are pretty much the same as the 07. So, i think I will narrow my search to those years and try can get a deal in the $20K range. Thanks for the advice.

oldnall · November 2007

They are great cars! The 05 and 06 models are almost the same except
for a few little add on's and the fact that the 07's have a six speed tranny.
I bought an 06 XLS and love it. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think that there were a
few more issues with the 05 model, probably because it was the new model year.
I own a 04 Sienna and I had a few more little issues as well. They were all dealt with promptly though. Adjusting the tire pressure will stiffen the ride up a bit and
it is quite amazing how it can improve the handling feel.
We love our 06 Avalon, the only other car we would consider right now would be the 07-08 Lexus ES350 but they are expensive in comparison.
Let us know when you find a car.

mackabee · November 2007

Are these Canadian units we're talking about? The 05-07 here in the US were identical. The six speed tranny and styling refresh was just done on the 08. The Lexus ES is now just an expensive corporate twin of the Avalon. Some of the same features are available on both cars and drivetrain is the same.
Mack

oldnall · November 2007

I stand corrected. I checked a Canadian 2007 XLS and it has a 5 speed tranny.
Sorry about that and I am glad you responded quickly.
I have heard some grumblings about the new 6 speed tranny. Has anyone
else heard that there might be an issue?

mackabee · November 2007

Actually on the Avalon it was the 5speed tranny that had the delay. It was a software issue and has been corrected. People are now complaining about the six speed and I have found no problems with it in the Avalon or the Camry V6. The issue is the adaptive transmission which some folks have a hard time getting used to. We've covered that subject at length here and on the Camry threads so I won't revisit it here.
:shades:

nimimi · November 2007

Hey Mac,

I purchased an '06 LTD two years ago and had no real problems with the Tranny, however, I had the TSB applied to it anyway. On the 18th of this month, I hit the car of a woman who ran a red light and the ins. company (mine as she was uninsured) totaled my car. Last Friday I purchased a virtually identical '08 LTD with the only options being VSC, carpets and 8-way passenger seat (they also MADE me take the black mud guards and the moon roof wind deflector since they had already installed both on this car. I really wanted neither and would have preferred the blue mirage metallic color-keyed mud guards but the dealers everywhere but Texas seem to only offer black.).

Anyway, I much prefer the driveability, look (both inside and outside) and feel of the '08 models. I won't be able to comment on the 6-speed tranny since I've only got 90 miles on the car, however, I'll post any reactions I have to it.

2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

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