Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options

2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

1…7576788081…287

Comments

  • Options
    mikes.mikes. Member Posts: 337
    In 3,250 miles I'm averaging 25.4 mpg in mixed highway / city driving.

    MikeS.
  • Options
    loudspeaker76loudspeaker76 Member Posts: 35
    Ok, so I'm going with the definition for Avalon is where King Arthur went to die, pass on, etc. It's a wonderful place to visit and now I have to figure out when I can move in!

    So I went on a test drive with the wife this afternoon. The Avalon easily exceeded all of my expectations and then some. It is a wonderful roomy vehical that handles very crisply yet says to everyone else on the road, "you wish you could afford this." Very very cool. OH and about that sound system in there...

    ...They had to take the thing in for a cleaning after the test drive, my drool was all over the the place! Primo system in that car. Excellent clarity and a breeze to use. The BONUS today was the wife is now voting my Audi off the island. So, this will definitely be the next car for me. I didn't start talking price today and all that fun for two reasons:

    1) Not ready just yet
    2) Would have killed the new car buzz I had going

    OH and to answer the leading question on the board right now... NONE of the tailpipes were uneven on the Avalons I looked at in the dealership's lot.

    BTW, for those of you who run into a push salesperson when you go looking at the Avalon... Just turn up the stereo. :P

    -LoUdSpEaKeR
    ...Still feelin' that buzz. :shades:
  • Options
    havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    Good day guys!!
    It's Saturday so I thought I'd wash our new XLS. Thought I better check the exhaust pipes for alignment, and guess what? They are both hanging exactly the same. Maybe the Canadian Avalon's don't have the same problem. Next time I am near the dealers, I'll check a few more. I checked the date of manufacture and mine was built in Feb.

    Hello Gladiator99,

    I'm Glad for you, and for any others who own even-tailpiped Avalons on either side of the 49th Parallel. But the answer is elsewhere: my XLS is also Canadian. It was built in January, arrived Feb 28, delivered March 1. I'll be curious to hear from others as well.

    I was at the dealer's today to make an appointment to fix the misalignment. In my car the problem is minor, but in another XLS in their showroom it was very noticeable and I had a look under it today. Both tailpipes/mufflers are hung from identical short, rigid rubber mounts of oval shape. I don't see how they could adjust these mounts. The L pipe pointed a lot further downward and also inward (towards the license plate), compared to the R pipe. Either the left tailpipe(s) was (were) misaligned when built at the factory, or the paths of the R and L tailpipes are different (not likely). In my view, the rubber hammer will still be the simple solution, but I'll leave this up to the service dept. (to honour Ronn's concerns about warranty voiding!)

    By the way, as I was about to leave, they offfered to wash my Titanium XLS. Not that it looked like it needed it -- more likely, the service guy was looking forward to drive it a bit!

    have a good one, havalong
  • Options
    havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    Welcome to Avalon, LoUdSpEaKeR! Very nice to hear that the sound system meets with your approval, this is good news for all of us and for Toyota, too. Just make sure to snap up one of those even-tailed specimens that you have checked out. Or, perhaps the factory has caught up with an early defect and is now delivering only truly flawless cars!

    best wishes,

    havalong
  • Options
    cafpafcafpaf Member Posts: 65
    I thought that several of you might get a hoot out of this. While we still have not taken delivery of our new Avalon Limited, today my wife told me that once it arrives if she is not driving she will only ride in the rear seat. When I asked why she said, "Because of the Avaloungers." It seems that is now what she calls the reclining seats in the rear. I had a great laugh and hope a lot of you will as well.
  • Options
    mark40mark40 Member Posts: 1
    Just purchased my Limited yesterday. Paid $1700 above dealer invoice. Dealer invoice included such things as holdback, but the price was still approx $2,200 under MSRP. Contacted the dealer through the MVCP program which my credit union belongs too.

    So far I am pretty happy with the car. I am constantly learning more things about the vehicle. Can't wait to ready the owners guide from cover to cover to see what else it does.

    Only one problem so far. The rear sun shade binds when it is lowered. Stopped by the dealer today. They tried lubing it, but no luck. They are ordering a new mechanism.
  • Options
    gladiator99gladiator99 Member Posts: 104
    Hi just me!
    Thanks for your suggestion. I went over to a local auto accessories store earlier and they had my eagle one polish and also meguiar's gold class clear coat liquid car wax. One of the employees behind the counter suggested the meguiar's as he said it was easier to apply and buff off. Well I tried it and it was very easy to use, and has a great shine to it. My car is the Blizzard white pearl so I had to really look from different angles to see if I had buffed out all the wax. It looks great. It is probably similar to the meguiar's that you use. Thanks again!!!!
  • Options
    mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Agent, the "specials" don't foreshadow anything. These are the monthly incentives Toyota offers to the public in the form of cash back or special APR financing on certain vehicles. I can guarantee you there are no incentives on Avalon. Good luck selling your Jetta. :cry:
    :blush:
    Mackabee
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    Gladiator99, your welcome. My question is as follows. My XLS came with the 6 changer CD, and regular radio. I did not opt for the JBL 12 speakers. I am not deaf, and appreciate music, and to me what I have is wonderful. Maybe my ear for music isn't that critical? I had the JBL in my 04, and I really can't tell the difference, neither can my wife and she has an excellent ear for music and can carry a tone and also sings. She is also happy with it. So when people get the JBL with the 12 speakers I can appreciate it's even better, or as someone said awesome. What I don't understand unless someone is a concert pianist here like Horowitz, may his soul rest in peace, why would anyone take out the JBL and put something else in that supposedly is even better. I can only believe maybe one of of ten million would be that critically attuned to notice a difference. So can anyone shed some light on this for me. Isn't the JBL sound good enough??
  • Options
    morganffmorganff Member Posts: 6
    I just bought a 2005 Avalon Touring Edition on March 22, 2005. I test drove 2 Avalons before buying, found the steering in both to be perfectly fine. I bought the second one I drove. After 300 miles, it started pulling to the right. Two trips back to the dealer for alignment adjustments haven't solved the problem. It's going back in for a third look on Monday. Like most of you writing in, I'm all raves about the car (until this problem surfaced). Now I'm concerned I'm looking at the tip of a suspension iceberg problem with this vehicle. Anybody out there have any similar experiences or helpful advice?
  • Options
    ronnronn Member Posts: 398
    LOUDspeaker...concrats on your liking the Avalon. We knew you would. Glad the stereo worked for you too!!! Poor Audi! :cry:
  • Options
    ronnronn Member Posts: 398
    cafpaf........I think it is great news that your wife wishes to be riding in the back. After all, that's what a LIMO is for! RIGHT?
    LOL for awhile...that's great. Make sure to take a picture for us, and make sure her head is held high!

    RONN :)
  • Options
    rwb2rwb2 Member Posts: 85
    At the Columbus auto show last month a Toyota rep with a laptop said Toyota had a New brochure out on the Avalon. He informed me that the first one had some mistakes. He was taking names and addresses to send new ones. Some of the specs, he said were inaccurate in the first brochure. You may want a to order a new one from Toyota, not only for the correct specs but to see if they upgraded the appearance of the new brochure. Lexus' GS brochure is outstanding but its the second one produced too.
  • Options
    ronnronn Member Posts: 398
    Hey JUST ME......In response to your radio question, I do have the 12 speakers in the Limited, and wow what a sound! As I have said before, I am a musician and I have several CD's of myself from programs and concerts I have done. I listen to them so I can see what needs to be changed or done differently when I perform.
    I want a quality sound that will help me to hear, and the JBL works for me.
    As someone posted earlier, many of the settings such as bass etc. have to be set to the persons liking, so I messed with the adjustments to get it just right. Lots of bass I love!!

    RONN
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    IMHO, I know Toyota will take care of you, if not post that here and I'm sure we can give you good advise. It will be worked out. Know I never had that problem with any of my Avalons, I had that problem once with a Mazda, and it was never 100%. Your Avalon will be,I believe that whole heartily. Take a drive with the service department let him see while your in the car. Good night for now.
  • Options
    gladiator99gladiator99 Member Posts: 104
    Hi Just me!!
    My Avalon ordered with option B has the 12 speaker JBL surround sound system and I think it sounds great, but you may have to set the balance, fade, bass and treble, to your liking. My wife doesn't like the system too loud so I can only pump it up when I'm alone, then you can really appreciate the power of this system. I am sure there are better speakers on the market but the stock ones seem to be good enough for my ears. It's funny how your car runs better and sounds better right after you wash and wax it. L.O.L. Take Care!!!
  • Options
    alan_salan_s Member Posts: 362
    1. Check the tire pressures. I bought a new Maxima in 94 and it was pulling to the right. I took it to the dealer for alignment a few times to no avail. I eventually discovered that the tire pressures were 40psi! When corrected, the Max no longer pulled. Apparently dealers forget to check the obvious.

    2. Tires may be the problem. Toyota have experienced a lot of problems with previous model Avalons and current Camrys pulling to the LEFT when fitted with Continentals. I had this very problem with my '02 Avalon until I chucked the Continentals in favor of Bridgestone LSH's. You either have Bridgestones or Michelins, but try moving the tires around and see if the pulling corrects itself or changes. There may be a defect in one or more of the tires.
    If the car is pulling to the right, the front right or rear right may be underinflated, or the front left or rear left overinflated. These conditions cause a change in the rolling circumference which causes "steer" in favor of the wheel that has a smaller rolling circumference. If the tires are all overinflated, then the vehicle tends to become very sensitive to road angle and road crown, and may pull to the right in the right hand lane and to the left in the left lane. If alignment is out, the steering wheel can be off center as well as the car pulling to left or right.

    3. Take the car to a Bridgestone or Michelin dealer (depending on the brand of tire). They will check the tires under warranty for any defects, out of round or other problems. They may check the alignment for free and give you a report if they believe the tires are good, or offer to do an alignment for about $40. In my experience, tire dealers are much better at resolving these kind of problems than regular dealers. If they charge you for the alignment and it resolves the problem, take the bill back to the Toyota dealer and ask the service manager for a refund. You stand a good chance of getting your $40 back, if they failed to correct the problem themselves.

    4. When new vehicles are transported, they are tied down during transit by chains which may bend suspension components if too tight. This can also cause pulling problems. You need to eliminate the tires as the cause first.
  • Options
    jmarlinjmarlin Member Posts: 7
    Anyone have any tips!

    Thanks
  • Options
    mikes.mikes. Member Posts: 337
    Tips, on what? Some more info, please?

    MikeS.
  • Options
    toyava03toyava03 Member Posts: 4
    Hi morganff,

    Hope you have better luck with solving your pull problem than I had and still have with my 03. The new Avalons overall appear to be great cars and I hope you don't have my problem. The long missive that follows is actually the short story! Lesson I learned is that even a competent and honest dealership might not be able to solve the problem and don't depend on your Toyota region or "independent arbitration" folks either.

    After the first few hundred miIes I noticed my new Avalon had a definite pull to the left on the slightest road crown to the left. The slight, but constant pressure I had to keep on the steering wheel during my first three hour trip, much of it in the left lane, was felt in my upper arm that evening. On a perfectly flat road it always tracked straight (and still does). There was a very slight pull to the right on a road crown to the right.

    Took it back to dealer who said it was "slightly" out of alignment. They tried to correct it. But it still had the problem. Had tires rotated, inflation checked, etc. Tires not the problem. Second try the dealer did a four wheel alignment and said it was now within specs. Still pulled to the left excessively. So I tried to live with it for 4 months. An otherwise excellent car was undriveable for more than a few hours on the highway! Took it to a well-qualified independent alignment shop. They confirmed the problem and said they could probably fix it but it would take some time and several hundred dollars. Took that report back to Toyota dealership and they tried a third time to fix it. Still couldn't correct the problem. So dealer said it was okay for independent shop to work on it. The independent expert basically changed the caster and after a number of test drives and tweaks, he minimized the left pull so that it equalled the slight pull to the right. (Toyota reimbursed me for the independent shop's costs.) The car was now driveable although I still had a question: "Do all Avalons have this slight pull on any road crown."

    Four month later I actually met with a Toyota regional tech rep who drove the car for an hour on various roads. He said, "Yep, it's okay and that's exactly how they all drive." I was prepared to live with that. Then, being a friendly, helpful fellow he took it into the local dealer's shop to get the actual measurements so that I could give them to any alignment shop in the future. That's when everything fell apart. He said the alignment was outside of specs and "might cause future problems." But he would give the local Toyota techs specific instructions and the result might make the car "drive even better." Naturally I let them work on it. Well, it was a week later when I got the car back. They had changed the front struts, other parts, and even the front subframe. The result was that the car was "within specs" but now had the original problem -- a pull to the left again.!

    The Toyota region said they would not do anything more. So I went to arbitration asking that Toyota replace the car or buy it back. The arbitration panel turned me down. They wrote that they had considered my state's lemon laws, etc., and that the car was still under warrantee. They apparently ignored my cover letter that explained what had transpired, that Toyota wouldn't work on it anymore, and that the car was undriveable on most highways. The arbitration folks could not force Toyota to do any warrantee work!

    In fact, I could have gone the lemon law route and, according to a superb local consumer law firm, would have won and Toyota would have been forced to buy back the car and pay my legal fees. Only problem was that it would have dragged on for months before I got my judgement. In the meantime I would have an undriveable car for a second summer. Went to two more independent alignment shops who confirmed the problem Back to the original independent shop who did the same work again and it cost me several hundred dollars which Toyota wont reimburse. The car pull to the left is now is normal but the pull to the right is greater than before. I can see having it in for a readjustment several times a year, depending on what kind of roads I'll be on.

    As I said, this is my short version and I apologize for it being so long. I learned a big lesson. Even if the auto folks mean well, it can still cost you much time and money. The various state lemon laws came about for a very good reason and I will certainly go that route if I have the same experience with my 2005/6 Avalon should I buy one.
  • Options
    dan41dan41 Member Posts: 182
    No issues at all with pulling and I have tested this on highways and local driving. I have the Michelin tires.
  • Options
    patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties. You might want to look up other Avalon owners of that family in our Toyota Avalon 2004 and earlier discussion.

    Your last statement is kind of puzzling, though -- you are unhappy with your Avalon and with Toyota, yet you might consider buying another and are already thinking of going the lemon law route if you do? It might be that you should look elsewhere and save yourself some anticipated grief. Just a thought.
  • Options
    jmarlinjmarlin Member Posts: 7
    I can't get it connected to our garage door. I've followed the instructions in the manual. Is it possible to have a defected homelink? I question this as my husband has a 04 Titan and didn't have this problem.

    Thanks!
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    Most satisfying cars. Avalon for Family Sedans. http://www.smartmoney.com/consumerreports/Autos/index.cfm?story=whichcars&nav=CR_hp
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    My Avalon was number 4,129 in the manufacturing sequence of production at the Kentucky plant. If you also want to know, open this link and follow directions.
    http://fleet.toyota.com/html/vin_decoder.asp
  • Options
    ronnronn Member Posts: 398
    JUST ME My Avalon was number 001349 in the manufacturing sequence.
    Thanks...very interesting!
    Went for a ride this afternoon....it was great. Everywhere I go with this car, people turn their heads!
    I have named it Black Beauty!!!!

    RONN :)
  • Options
    sallydsallyd Member Posts: 3
    I recently purchased my first Toyota, an 05 Avalon Limited in Blizzard White and am anxiously awaiting its arrival! The dealership here in Louisiana where I bought the car did not have one in stock so they ordered one on 3/22/05. Email fron dealership that day said their allocation would be on 4/1/05 and I should have it by 4/5/05. I hope they are right! I ordered with XM radio, carpet mat set, edge guards on the doors, and the vehicle shield package. Dealer started at $ 35,509 and at end of negotiations I will pay $33,250. Not great...but not too bad either. I used all the info I could get from this site and others to price out the car and I have really enjoyed using this forum to educate myself. When delivered, I will check out the uneven tailpipes, rear shade thing, placement of xm box, etc. Thanks everyone!
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    RONN, that's great your within the first 1,500 made. When did you take delivery? Welcome aboard Sallyd. Your now a member of the Avalon Club even before you take offical delivery, LOL. Well it would be nice to have an Avalon Club.
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    RONN/Black Beauty, there is something about Black, always elegant. Only one problem is the dust that shows, meaning more washing or locked away in the garage. lol. When their shiny, WOW, like limo's, and the lines on the Avalon definitely makes it a looker.
  • Options
    barclay3barclay3 Member Posts: 90
    For those of you that have driven a Limited with the Acoustic noise-reducing front windshield and the other versions without it... Have you noticed any difference in wind noise? Does it really reduce the noise and by how much?

    I'm still waiting for my car that I ordered the end of February. Did anyone at all order a Red Limited without nav?
  • Options
    littlejohn600littlejohn600 Member Posts: 80
    Beware when you purchase a Toyota in the southeastern USA----Some dealers are charging as much as $399. doc/fee.
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    Compare the Avalon to the other at this link and you will see the Avalon 04 is worth more, (except the Sabb) anywhere from $2,000 plus to around $5,000 more than the cars they are comparing on resale value. Another reason for Avalon, even if you paid a grand more, you would get it back on the trade in.
    http://www.donlen.com/best_value_analysis_Compare.asp
  • Options
    sallydsallyd Member Posts: 3
    Thank you for the welcome. I am new to forums as well as Toyota...I forgot to mention that this car will be replacing a 1992 Buick Roadmaster that I have been driving for 13 years. The Avalon will be the first car purchased all by myself. I also forgot to add that wheel locks were among the list of options I added.
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    When you open this link, you will see overall at the bottom, loading in all cost from purchase, to maintenance to gas etc., the Avalon cost less overall to operate per mile. Very interesting. Go Avalon, go Toyota, interesting.
  • Options
    ronnronn Member Posts: 398
    JUST ME......I took delivery on Feb.4th. Thanks for the complement on the Black..you are right.it does get dusty!

    RONN
  • Options
    ronnronn Member Posts: 398
    barclay3....I hope someone else will respond that drove others besides the Limited, but I will tell you that my Limited is very , very QUIET with the noise-reducing windshield. We are having wind gust up to 60mph today, and I took the car out on the highway to see how it would do with the heavy wind. I couldn't get over how you could not hear the wind ...I'm talking gust all afternoon!!! It also held to the road with very little movement from the wind gust. I was very pleased!
    I would like to add that when I filled up today, I got 21mpg for in town driving once again!!!
  • Options
    mikes.mikes. Member Posts: 337
    I just love how quiet my LTD is even @ 80mph. Like Ronn we're having wind gust to 40+ mph and the car is still quiet.

    MikeS.
  • Options
    jordan7jordan7 Member Posts: 77
    Mackabee. I have a problem with the leather seats in my new Avalon Limited. There are a lot of wrinkles and folds. I would expect some since leather is not supposed to look tight across the seat but these seats are poorly done. where the driver's back hits the leather, there is one large vertical fold the full length of the seat and is quite uncomfortable. Have you experienced this on any of your Limiteds. Also when you first push the button to start the engine, you hear a low hum or strange sound. The car always starts but the noise is strange. When you cut the engine, there is also this noise. would appreciate your thoughts.
  • Options
    ronnronn Member Posts: 398
    jordan7..... When you push the button to start, the noise you might be hearing is the adjustment for the steering wheel and mirriors. It always adjust when you start, at least mine does. Hope that will help.....Maybe Mackabee has a different answer, but I think that's what it is. As for the leather, mine is not wrinkled like you describe. There is some wrinkle in the seat.

    RONN
  • Options
    ronnronn Member Posts: 398
    sallyD... welcome to the forum. I think your deal was good. You will love the Toyota as I have had several. I actually had a Buick before this Avalon, a 2000 Regal. Not a bad car, but it drank the gas because of the turbo engine.
    The other thing is Toyotas just handle better. I really missed that when I went to the Buick. My Camry was a great car, and I also had a wonderful sporty Corrolla GTS. It was sharp. All of the Toyota's were trouble free for me. I hope you enjoy your's. You will find a wealth of information here, and sometimes a little crazyness, but we all love our cars and will help you anyway we can with questions. Have a great evening.

    RONN
  • Options
    gomenasigomenasi Member Posts: 1
    had same prob...I used the canadain directions and it worked for me...
    :)
    tOM A :)
  • Options
    tony17tony17 Member Posts: 6
    Tire size on new avalon is 215-55-17. I don't like tires that come on the new avalons however there are very few choices in tires of that size. Are there any problems going to a slightly larger size such as 225-55-17? This would only slightly affect the speedometer and gear ratio. There are many more choices of tire brands with this slight wider tire as noted on tire rack.

    Thanks, love this forum
  • Options
    ski1003ski1003 Member Posts: 41
    Just checked my sequence number...2551 for my 2005 XL Avalon. Built in Jan.05 and I took delivery on Feb 9. Traded in 2000 Chrysler 300m. I have 1400 miles with no problems. Love this car (my 21 car)
  • Options
    hawk1eyehawk1eye Member Posts: 61
    Hello, everyone: Could anyone please give some feedback about the remote starter. For instance, what is the range? How easy is it to use? The one I use now installed from Best Buy has a very long range which is good when I need to start my car from the office window. I believe the range is listed at 80 ft. which is not very far. IMO. Thanks. Hawkeye
  • Options
    just__mejust__me Member Posts: 508
    The 05 has got to be better with it's better MPG. http://www.donlen.com/best_value_analysis.asp I think I forgot to post this. Once you open it you could see other than the Sabb, how much more the Avalon is worth over the other cars after depreciation, (and we are talking thousands of dollars) and how much cheaper it is to run based on 65,000 miles.. They are all listed as near luxury cars.
  • Options
    deaniedeanie Member Posts: 172
    Hi:
    I think I understand toyava03's dilemna. Toyava03 loves the avalon and is willing to risk a future problem/defect because there is no other vehicle providing the combination of size/features/safety/reliability/etc which toyava03 needs - that's frustrating because in toyava03's mind, shopping another car may not be a desireable option (I can sympathize because I'm upset toyota doesn't offer vsc in their best-handling avalon, the Touring).

    Having been stung once toyava03 is leery of being stung again, hopes toyota has remedied the previous generation's steering pull, and expects that Toyota would "do the right thing" regarding any future probs toyava03 experiences with an 05/06 avalon.

    Lesson learned: life's a compromise.
    Regards,
    Deannie
    ;)
  • Options
    analyticangelanalyticangel Member Posts: 83
    maceman
    What can I say except......I think you are very perceptive and your description of both is right on the money !
    Good luck and let me know how it works out. You choosing a heck of a car and I wish you the best!
  • Options
    analyticangelanalyticangel Member Posts: 83
    Curious...........those of you that have the XL or XLS what is your opinion of how quiet the car is when out driving. I realize these dont have acoustic noise reducing windshield and would be interest in hearing from those new Avlon owners (non Limited model)
    Please also indicate whether you have also driven a Limited for comparison
    For Limited owners ..did you drive an XL , XLS or Touring and see a big difference in the cars? Thanks
  • Options
    lntlnt Member Posts: 192
    I agree about the seats being uncomfortable because of that seam across the back. I am taking mine in Tuesday and the service manager is going to have them work on the seats - add a little padding to the part just above the seam and straighten out the bottom. Also on my passenger side seat bottom on the outside, there is a big gap and you can even see the foam. They ordered a new bottom seat cover and are going to replace it. Talk to your service manager.
  • Options
    pablo2pablo2 Member Posts: 17
    I ordered my Avalon on 3-11-05 paying $500 over manufacturer's invoice for a total of $32,056 plus processing fee of $56. the only Limited options I did not get was the Voice-activated DVD Navigation system, I have talked with others that the $1,635 was not worth it. I am planning to use my lap top computer powered with a GPS and cigarette lighter attachment. I figured that as seldom use I would give it was not worth the cost.

    Has anyone else done this. If so, what would you recommend as how to arrange the system, GPS manufacturer, power cords and DVD?

    How long is it taking before I can take delivery on the Limited. Can we go online to get some idea.

    Pablo2
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles