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Comments
I also watched him change the filter just so I would do it right next time. What made Toyota change to a cartridge? This change is going to make it very hard on people like me who like to change their own oil.He didn't have the correct wrench and had to use some type of long-nosed pliers to hook into the notches around the housing.
Mackabee
I think they are going to call me and say Toyota won't except that package for whatever reason. They will say if you add XYZ it will go through. That way they can squeeze more $$$ out of me. I understand Toyota builds cars with packages that sell well. But when you order it and put a down payment on it what else could it be but the dealer trying to get more cash.
I told them if they don't except it I will e in for my deposit and then I'll head over to another dealer that will do a DX for the car I want. I bet get the same deal when they see the purchase order I had with dealer nnumber 1.
Greg
Take you time and use minimal force until you have a feel for how much is necessary. Separate the assemblies a little at a time to avoid breaking anything.
You can shorten your plastic putty knife to make it stiffer.
Lowering the driver's seat and sliding the passenger seat all the way rearward will give you better access.
When finished, you will understand why this is not an easy job for a tech accustomed to removing heavy transmissions.
We got ours in late June, flew from Detroit to Wichita Kansas just to save $4700 off best price we could get in our area-- $500 over invoice --with everything!! It was really hard to keep it under 60 on that 1000 mile break-in period ride home. If you ever have any doubts about your purchase, just get in the car on a four lane road,wait till a Grand Prix or a Jaguar or a Cadillac is next to you at a red light. When it turns green just TROMP the gas and show them your taillights. It's a good feeling!! I'm thinking maybe this won't just be "My Wife's Car" dandl
Expect to see more of this on other brands in the future. Toyota is just staying on the leading edge of engineering thought here, others will follow. Buy the tools and keep doing it yourself, if that is how you maintain your car.
There also appears to be some confusion about the exact amount of oil necessary to properly refill the 2005 Avalon. Read the manual, remind the dealer, to be safe. Check after service to be sure.
I think if you find one on the lot you like, go through the dickering process, give them your final price and are willing to walk away (they will likely call you later), you can deal similar to mine. If you are willing to expand the distance you can likely do even better. Read the posts on this topic and the "Prices Paid & Buying Experience" topic for Avalon for great info. I know several posts mention an Arkansas dealer who reportedly sells for $500 over invoice & I think another in Hutchinson, KS is $1K over invoice if I recall. You can do a search on both these States on the topic discussions & hopefully find more info. You may have trouble finding an XLS without at least the upgrade stereo and the VSC as Toyota seems to add selected items to every car. The option coupling may vary by region but they all seem to have those items on them here. Mats also always seem to be on all of them & OEM mudflaps are easy to get at a lesser price. Even if you have to take a limited number of items you don't care about, I guess if you can get the price down you could look at it as coming out ahead.
Maybe Houston is different but a number of posts have said 06s are on the lots now. I know that I am now seeing ads in the ST Louis paper for one dealer I tried to deal with that wouldn't budge from MSRP. His last ad had an XLS for what looked like at least $2K off (hard to tell exactly as ad didn't provide detail on options). Hope this is of some help.
MikeS.
Laura
Bob, let's give credit where credit is due. I remember using cartidge oil filters in 50's era Chevy's, too. But you're a retired Chemical Engineer, right? Then you know that Hero proposed the first engine, in circa 500 A.D.. A British version of his idea, from an 1851 College of London paper, is at link title. A couple drawings from the Brit paper could qualify as the first cartridge filter.
ROBERTU
Is it a typo error in edmunds or true?
drb
I was so close to asking for my 1000 dollars back after 8 weeks. I asked the dealer to at least give me a couple of oil changes, Nothing. These guys are really not customer friendly.Their service department is the same way. Three small fixes requested and they caused three more mess up's. ange1
There seem to be 2 prices for this car: one for the car actually on the lot (pretty close to sticker) and the other for that 'ordered car' which mysteriously never shows up, takes forever to come in (the distributor actually controls what cars what dealers get), or as one note in this forum says 'subject to acceptance by Toyota" (pure BS). The dealer without the inventory will simply take your order and deposit by offering you a better price and then try to use it as leverage with the area distributor to get anything he can get (Avalon wise).
All sounds kind of hokey, suppose it is - but common practice when demand for a vehicle far exceeds supply. Advice: if you gotta have one now, work at finding an Avalon you can actually put your hands on and don't expect much haggling - the dealer understands better than you how fortunate you were to find one!
Seems odd that people seem to be traveling to, and getting great deals, in places like Hutchinson KS and Ames IA and can find the cars they want there while in some major metro areas they won't deal at all. Maybe it's just supply & demand but it seems odd. Overall, Toyota's ordering method, or its lack thereof, compares poorly to my experiences with GM and Ford. I am enjoying the car after finally getting it though.
Is it a typo error in edmunds or true?
Same horsepower. A different method of measurement was implemented this year and many of the slightly "inflated" numbers have suddenly "dropped" a bit. It affected many Toyota models, not just the Avalon and now reflects a more "real life" measurement than the previous method.
That'd be a remarkable deal, if you could get it. ($1M stands for 1 mega-dollar or a million dollars! $1K is a thousand dollars or 1 kilo-dollar.) I couldn't help imagining the dealer giving you a million bucks, minus the price of the Avalon. One can always wish.
Although it is certainly possible that the Avalon is in lesser demand in other parts of the country, I seriously doubt that there is any self respecting dealer selling this car at 'invoice' or even close - despite advertised and buyer claims. There is no logical reason for the dealer to sacrifice the extra grand or two when they can sell all they can get at sticker and there is such high demand. And, although it may sound colusive a dealer found to be selling any vehicle significantly under market would have problems not only with the other dealers in the area but also with the distributor. Witness the recent Cooper fiasco and current pricing on the Infiniti M.
Call it the curse of the discriminate buyer or call it economics, but those of us who recognize a superior vehicle will generally pay too much for it - or did we?
If there is anyone knowledgeable of the above, I would appreciate your assistance.
Paul
There are no Toyota dealers in my remote Wyoming town, but because we do happen to have telephones, I have been calling dealers around the western USA and have been astonished by the incompetence and tactics I've encountered -- not all the time, but disturblingly frequently.
Many salesmen knew little about the Avalon. How can they sit at their little desks praying for the occasional customer and not fill that time at least reading the brochure?
Some implored me to be "loyal" by buying "in state." I said I'd send the state some cash if they needed it that badly, but couldn't understand why he was pleading on their behalf.
Two tried to get a deposit on '06 cars that were actually 05's (which I discovered by demanding VINs).
One salesman said, when I challenged the model year, "I'm 99.9% sure that car is an '06." He said he'd double check and call me right back. He never called. When my wife called him, he muttered something about the car not being "available" anymore.
When I told one sales manager (he may have been the dealership owner) in New Mexico the price I had been offered in Montana on the car I wanted, he said "That guy is an idiot....and I'd tell him that to his face...he makes it hard on all the rest of us." Then he offered me a price that was $1,800 higher and bragged that he'd get it "for sure." But not from me.
I did finally order exactly what I wanted from a northern Montana dealer (LTD, Lt blue/ivory, mats, VSC) for $2,305 off MSRP...O.T.D., no documentation/title or other fees (it's even better for Montana residents....no sales tax). Given how long I've been looking, I'm happy and am looking forward to the week of Sept 12.
A dealer in central Wyoming called this afternoon and became all worked up that I'd made the purchase for $559 (including his documentation fee) less than he had quoted me. Clearly irritated, he wanted to know why I didn't give him "another chance." I said, "When we first spoke I told you I don't dicker...give me your best price. You did, and it wasn't good enough." He thought my tactics somehow unfair.
When I had a similar conversation with a different Wyoming dealer he said, "But your wife really wants this car.....I sacrifice when my wife wants something important....your wife seems very nice...you must love her as much as I love my wife....aren't you willing to sacrifice a little for the woman in your life? Besides, if you buy this car it'll help me put food on my family's table."
Understandably, I was shattered by his plea, but somehow pulled myself together and went on my merry way to buy from someone less intellectually manipulative and insulting.
I haven't bought a car in six years (GMC Denali) so I can't compare the Toyota buying experience with other brands, but I do feel that this car has the potential to make me forget purchasing irritations soon after I get my paws on it.
I do have one question: does anyone on this board have experience installing a trailer hitch on an 05/06 Avalon?
Pablo, here are my guesses:
1. Was Poochy in the car while it was parked for a couple hours? Maybe the little booger got cold and leaned on the steering wheel buttons?
2. DId the car have any gas left in the tank when you returned? Maybe you ran out of gas?
ROBERTU
He relayed that there is no trans fix, but he opened another ticket on it with Toyota, said they are aware of it, and they are working to resolve it.
In these days of gas getting near $3.00, Toyota is simply acknowledging that the Av does run fine with the cheaper gas - would guess that the '06 models actually get the same 280 hp if you do spend the extra 20 cents/gal.as I do.
hope that your limited does arrive as promised in September.
Negatives:
1) The cover for the cupholder compartment won't close with the ashtray in place.
2) No lighting.
3) Not anchored, so the "slot" to place a cig is not always in the same place, nor is the corrugated "surface." You take your eyes off the road to store/put out a smoke. My solution was not to smoke as it's quite distracting.
Positives:
1) Fits well & does not rattle.
2) Self contained lid that seals very well.
3) Can be removed and put in other storage locations even if it has ashes & [non-permissible content removed] ends (for any Jethro Tull fans.)
I would like to put on blue tooth ---does anyone have any ideas?
Hope this helps you. - Paulex
The instructions are not the clearest I have ever read. To be short, remove the two muffler pipe brackets, then remove muffler hangers from their rubber isolators and lower the system. Then remove the isolator brackets. These will be replaced by the hitch brackets. After the muffler system is lowered, you remove three screws from each heat shield, and then pull out two plastic screws from the fascia. Everything is clear now. Loosely install the new hanger brackets with four bolts each(incl) on the outside of the frame. Now, you definitely need a friend to help you install the center part of the hitch on the insides of the frame with four bolts on each end at the top, then you will couple the hanger brackets and the center part together with two large bolts each. Then replace the heat shields, replace the muffler pipe brackets and put mufflers back on the isolators, then replace the two plastic screws on the fascia.
Very important you do not tighten ANY screws until you have all the parts in place. Do not believe the description where you can install it in 40 min. Plan closer to 2 hours.
However, if I had had these instructions, it could have been faster. Their instructions are a bit hazy. You must have help on the center part. It's really heavy.
Sorry to go on and on but I just got carried away.
C
"Under the old testing procedures, there were small factors that required a judgment call: how much oil was in the crankcase, how the engine controls were calibrated and whether a vehicle was tested with premium fuel. In some cases, the little adjustments added up to a big change in horsepower ratings. The new SAE procedures allow less wiggle room."
No idea how much of the 12 missing HP would be attributatle to this. It might have something to do with it as Toyota does indicate performance is lessened if premium is not used. Also, don't know if using premium in the testing would add significant HP to most any engine or it would have to be a type that is similar to the Avalon's.
Speaking of fuel. Has anyone else had their fuel economy reading reset between fill-ups? This happened twice to me in the last few days. I hadn't put gas in or touched the fuel cap.
http://www.dawn-ent.com/molding/pntmld.htm
I pick my new '06 Blizzard Pearl from the dealer tomorrow.