Toyota Avalon 2008-2010

wwest · May 2009

The headlights in your Suburban are mounted quite a bit higher than your Avalon, so yes, they will have a greater low beam distance pattern by that measure. Check to see if the high beams on your Avalon are actually working. Lots of new cars have "bi-xenons", wherein the HID low beam "shade" is moved out of the way to give the high beam mode more distance.

You will also have, typically, a pair of normal halogen high beam bulbs that illuminate in parallel with the high beam mode of the bi-xenon.

The high beam beam bulbs are also often used at half voltage for greater distance DRLs. Operation of halogen bulbs at this low voltage will often reduce their lifecycle significantly so you might want to check to be sure that both bulbs are operating.

But yes, operating/driving at highway speeds, 60+ MPH, on only low beams can get a bit nerve racking, even scary.

doug3030 · May 2009

My 2008 Av Limited has the same problem as indicated by others. I made a remark on the forum some time ago that when driving in the country, I had a difficult time picking up deer standing beside the road while in the bright mode and darn near impossible when using the dims. Seems the brights just don't reach out there to illuminate the road as they should. Change bulbs ? Suggestions? When I checked w/Toyota dealer they commented, "Normal".

mlingga · May 2009

Doug: sounds like we're both complaining about the same problem. I was afraid of just what you said, that if I took it to the dealer they'd just say "that's the way they all are." That's why I'm hoping someone with an Av Limited will take the time to measure the throw distance on their low beams, If not, maybe I'll try to talk the dealer into letting me see the throw distance on a Limited on their lot and see if it's equally miserable.

I'll say again, that 30 feet of throw is way inadequate. I'm talking about overdriving the headlights not at 60 mph, but at 30 mph!

gilseidman · May 2009

I think it depends on your average speed when you are driving. My MPG display on my 2008 Avalon Limited, is in the twenties when I fill up and my average speed is 25-30 mph until I hit a highway. When I put it in automatic cruise control on the highway and set it at 62mph, the mpg display gradually increases and has reached 35.2 mph after about an hour of driving nonstop. When I fill the tank on the highway, my actual mileage is 35.1 miles to the gallon. It does not get any better than that.The MPG range has never been over 385 miles but that is not a factor for me. On the way back, my mileage never exceeds 33.2 mpg driving under the same conditions.

jennifer26 · May 2009

Did you ever find out what the problem was? I have one that is doing the very same thing.

Thanks

stoneybroke · June 2009

I just purchased a new 2008 Touring with VSC and TRAC. I think the VSC is a great idea, but the TRAC system is really poor, in that there is no way to spin your way out of a really low traction situation. Is there any way to temporarily disable the TRAC system?

tjc78 · June 2009

This worked on my '06 XLS. Info from an earlier forum post.

Needs to be done within 30 seconds.

1. Make sure the car is in Park and the parking brake is disengaged before you start the car.
2. Start the engine.
3. Engage the parking brake.
4. Fully depress the brake pedal and then release.
5. Fully depress the brake pedal and then release.
6. Disengage the parking brake.
7. Fully depress and hold down the brake pedal.
8. Engage the parking brake, then disengage it (while holding down the brake pedal).
9. Engage the parking brake, then disengage it (while holding down the brake pedal).
10. Release the brake pedal.
11. Engage the parking brake.
12. Fully depress the brake pedal and then release.
13. Fully depress the brake pedal and then release.

After this the VSC/TRAC lights will light on the dash. Of course you can also pull the wires off a sensor under the hood to cause a CEL which would also disable the TRAC/VSC

stoneybroke · June 2009

Can you tell me where the sensor is located?

tjc78 · June 2009

You can pull the MAF on the air box that should do the trick.... however I strongly suggest you just use the commands above. They do work (and less effort than getting out of the car and fumbling under the hood, also, it doesn't trip the check engine light) Any check engine light condition disables the TRAC/VSC that is why pulling a sensor wire works. What I did when I had my '06 was to keep a copy in the glovebox in case I had to disable it. After 3 years I never used it other than to test the commands.

doug3030 · June 2009

doug3030 · June 2009

For the information of all Avalon owners. I have a 2008 Limited that would get chips in the paint up front whenever we went on a trip. I finally found a car bra that fits like a glove and eliminates the chips and also alot of bug spatter.. It is the COLGAN Bra and must admit it looks very nice and easy to install. Got mine from Auto Anything of California who also pays shipping.

tfelton · July 2009

A while back I reported that my XM radio volume would go off and the FM/AM was OK. After a year and a half I was finally able to have it happen where I could take it to the dealer and have the service department check it while it was happening. The result was they determined that the XM receiver was defective and replaced it at no charge.

mlingga · July 2009

An update for those kind enough to chime in on my headlight problem. At my last routine maintenance visit, I complained about the headlights. When I picked it up, the dealer said they had been adjusted. And, yes indeed, they are now infinitely better. The throw distance on low is about double what it was before, with a commensurate increase in high beam distance. So, just for anyone else, it is possible to have the autolevelling system be out of alignment and apparently it's an easy fix if so.

mlingga · July 2009

So the headlights work, but now I have a warped brake rotor. Marked steering wheel vibration under mild to moderate brake pressure at speeds over 40 mph. Have around 35K miles on car.

Has anyone else had warped rotor issues? For that matter, when did most of you find that you needed brake maintenance (pads, presumably). I hate just machining rotors, as I am of the opinion that by shaving even more metal off the rotors, you just worsen the heating of the rotors and they rewarp even faster. Is this just my Avy or is this a more widespread issue?

mcclearyfl · July 2009

This was a regular problem on the previous model ( I have a 2003). I eventually changed the front disks (about 35K) and did the front pads at the same time. Like you I don't machine rotors,

Another contributing factor to wheel vibration when braking is uneven torque on the lug nuts. I found one nut to be overtightened and, upon correcting that problem, the vibration completely disappeared.

mlingga · July 2009

mcc: thanks for the info. It would be great if this was just an overtorqued lug nut, I'll check. If that isn't it, I guess I'm looking at new rotors. Oh well.

fin · July 2009

Turning rotors is a subject of great debate. I do it once, depending on how much needs to be removed. If you catch worn pads soon enough and there is no other significant warp factor to correct, you can turn them once if the mechanic is careful and you should not really lose any critical braking ability. After one even average turn however, the thickness becomes much more important. Ask for measurements before and after turning and compare to factory original specs and minimum thickness.

The prior series Avalon (had a '03XL also after the '99XL) was definitely prone to rotor problems and premature pad wear on the factory pads. And the mag wheels were also easily warped by tire techs and an air wrench. The 2005 up seems to be much better as the pads on my '07 are just now wearing down at 40k+ miles, should go 48k to replacement.

The main concern is safety so never hesitate to do the right thing with brakes.

tjc78 · July 2009

but now I have a warped brake rotor

On my '06 my rotors were warped at around 20K.

kbetts1 · July 2009

You adjust your headlights by turning a 10mm bolt located on the back of the headlight assembly. They are located just below the two rubber hood supports at each side. It doesn't take much to change them from not enough to too much, maybe three full turns at most.

The Toyota dealer warped my rotors also on the front left and rear right by over tightening the lug nuts. I pulled off the wheels and was going to have them turned but found I didn't have the right size socket for the wheel retainer bolt (most are not held on by more than a couple of screws if anything.) I put back on the calipers and remounted the wheel and was going to let the dealer deal with it. BUT, just messing around with them must have relieved the stress and now there is no more pulsing in the pedal... (YA!).

My only current problem is some mystery electrical problem. Driving down the road with the lights/stereo/AC on and then hitting the wipers caused all the displays to die. Additionally, if I don't drive it regularly the battery goes dead. Dealer says the battery and charging system are fine.. :confuse:

redmazda3 · July 2009

My parents 08 Avalon had a dead battery problem. It turns out it was the auto dimming mirror that was put on at the port of entrance to the US. It was wired backwards and caused a massive drain on the battery. Once it was properly wired, the battery does not go dead the next day. They sometimes only drive the car every 4 days or so and the battery cranks the car everytime now.

kirkkempen · July 2009

Which port of entrance to the US would that be (since the Avalon is built in Georgetown, Kentucky)? My guess is that the mirror was added at the dealership, and they don't want to own up to the mistake.

redmazda3 · July 2009

Thats interesting. I didn't know it was built in the US. I'll look at the window sticker and see if it was actually added at the dealer. The info about the port was from another Toyota dealer that fixed the problem. The original dealer didn't look very hard at the problem and told us we weren't driving it enough to keep the battery charged. I laughed at that comment, however I didn't have a clue what was wrong except to me it seemed to be a short somewhere and they just didn't want to look for it. The second dealer in Greenville, MS., took the time and trouble to get all the paperwork on the car he could find and by looking at the add ons, he started there and found the mirror wired backwards.

popsavalon · July 2009

I live in N. MS and would like to know who the dealer was (or the town) that insulted your intelligence by saying "you don't drive the car enough to keep the battery charged".

It's always nice to know who the good, and bad, dealers are in my area.

diekema · July 2009

I have an '08 Touring with 75k and have not even had to have any brake work done yet. I have never driven this far on OEM brakes.

redmazda3 · July 2009

They are in Louisiana. I've always had a good relationship with them. I've owned several Toyotas and have had excellent service on my cars. The Avalon is my parents car. They are in their late 70s and I guess the service department didn't know what to do. They did try a number of tests, all were normal, and offered to put a charging unit on it. But, that would mean they would have to pop the hood and charge it every night or morning. No way would they do that. My Dad was a mechanic early in life and knew that driving the vehicle wasn't the answer.

After the fix, my parents have gone back to their regular driving habits. Sometimes the car will sit for 4 or 5 days and it always starts now. I am dissapointed in the dealer on this issue. However, this was not an issue when the lease on my Wife's Toyota was up and we purchased a 2009 Maxima. She just liked the way they looked better. It's much more sporty than any of the Toyotas and she wanted a change anyway. To be truthful, I would purchase another vehicle from the dealer as Toyotas are for the most part very reliable cars.

tfelton · August 2009

I just finished a trip from Arkansas to Utah, Colorado, and Kansas for a total of 3,214 miles. I'm quite happy with the mpg. The overall was 31.2 mpg. The individual mpgs were: 27.5, 31.2, 31.4, 32.2, 25.4, 31.1, 34.3, 28.2, and 31.2.

tfelton · August 2009

I believe there has been some discussion in this group about warped rotors. I just had mine machined since the runout was .06mm and .07mm. It became evident when I was driving in Colorado last weekend. Using the breaks after a lot of downhill the car would shake as the breaks were applied and any speed above 60. I have now 32,400+ miles on the car and the repair was under warranty.

doug3030 · August 2009

My '08 Avalon Ltd has quite a bit of wind noise at speeds above 50mph. I just bought a 2010 Camry for my wife and it is considerably quieter at all speeds. Has anyone else experienced wind noise w/their Avalon or is it a problem w/mine? If so, what was done to rectify the problem. My dealer says it's normal,,,,,

tfelton · August 2009

Do you have the Sunroof Wind Deflector installed. I had one on my '08 Limited and took it off right away. It made things quieter. The sideview mirrors make noise but there's nothing you can do about those.

popsavalon · August 2009

The side view mirrors have slight adjustments that can be made by how the holding bolts are tightened. After some door damage was repaired on my 07 Avalon, the driver's side mirror (which had been removed and reinstalled) was much noisier than before. I was able to adjust most of the noise away with the bolts, but it is a tedious process.

I would say that Avalons probably have to meet a certain noise level during manufacture, but that every vehicle is not equal.

diekema · August 2009

Never wash your car, or wheels, while your brakes are hot. It will cause even new rotors to warp, I have learned this the hard way.

aus1 · September 2009

No posts for 30 days. This could mean that either everyone has sold their vehicle or everyone's vehicle is running perfectly.

kbetts1 · September 2009

17,000 mi in 10 months...Still have to put gas/oil/air in tires/wash it.....but other than a new battery it's been perfect. We have to force ourselves to drive our Camry (another great problem free vehicle) so we don't put all our miles on the Avalon. The only thing I'd change is I'd rather have the new 2.5l four cylinder with the same transmission from the Venza than the current six cly because I just don't need/use the bigger motor.

jdfurn · September 2009

08 Ltd, 27k, 16 mo. Second Avalon we've owned. First one had a sensor go bad at about 60k - only symptom a trouble light. Traded at 90k. Second one, totally trouble free. Love it.

stoneybroke · September 2009

I found a new 2008 Touring in June, when the auto market was in the dumps. Only problem is the passenger side seat belt rattle. Great mileage and surprising performance for such a large car. I have about 4k on the odo. At 5k, I'll do a synthetic oil change and 5 tire rotation.

neil5 · September 2009

06 limited here. Have had routine maintanence, a few TSB's but car is very good! I get 32mpg on the road...best buy I have had so far. Glad I ditched the BMW.

tfelton · September 2009

I guess this is an Avalon love fest. Mine is an 08 Ltd with 34K. The only fixes were having the XM radio receiver replaced and the front rotors turned. This is a superb auto. Someone mentioned in an earlier post they would prefer a 4-cyl motor. I can't imagine that. The size of the car plus the performance of the current 6-cyl motor combined with the mpg is a dream come true. I have a 98 Sienna with 214K miles and I hope the Avalon surpasses that. Also, I've used synthetic oil in all of my cars since 1987 and I feel it's really the only way to go.

wwest · September 2009

You can keep your window and door seals more "live", flexible, by spraying with Permatex silicon oil about twice a year. Spray generously and leave it to soak into , permeate, the rubber seals for at least 24 hours.

doug3030 · September 2009

Thanks for the info....tried to find Permatex Silicone oil w/o luck. Will regular silicone spray work and have the same penetrating effect on the rubber?

wwest · September 2009

The nice thing about the Permatex spray is that it foams as it coats so you can more easily see how much you' ve applied.

Carquest..??

stoneybroke · September 2009

Google: Permatex Silicone Spray Lubricant It is about $9 for 16 ounces.

wwest · September 2009

I've been paying <$5.00

stoneybroke · September 2009

Where? Inquiring mind wants to know!

doug3030 · September 2009

Hay, guys..finally found the Permatex Silicone Oil after searching half of this area of Florida. Car Quest can order it (not normally in stock) at a cost of $4,87 for 16 oz can, including tax. Thanks for responding to my problem.

tfelton · September 2009

My '08 Avalon specifies 87 octane as I sure all other Avalons do. Anytime I've tried the other two grades they have not given any better performance or mpg. However, when you travel west and get into the mountains you encounter regular gas that's 85 octane and the middle grade is 87 octane. I've tried both and still have never seen a difference in performance or mpg.

So I wondering, technically, what's the right grade to use under those circumstances? Should you stick to "regular" at 85 or go with the 87 middle grade? What do people do who live in the mountains where this occurs?

doug3030 · September 2009

to: WWest..Thanks for your help.After applying the Permatex Silicone oil, leaving it on to soak the rubber, I noticed alot of the wind noise I had previously experienced, was gone. Nice thing about the Permatex is it does not leave a strong odor in the car and as you stated, the white foam lets you know where you're spraying. Thanks again.

jeal1 · October 2009

When I set my Avalon's passenger temperature to anywhere between 74 and 80, the back vents blow out air at 107 degrees which makes it impossibly hot for anyone in the back seat. The passenger in the front has to freeze or the back seat passengers have to burn up. Anyone else having this problem?

rcavazos · October 2009

Good question, the "average mileage indicator" is designed to reset after every fill up. This way you can determine your fuel mileage since your last fill up, not since you have owned the car. Most of us are not looking for a lifetime average, but a current usage average. Lastly, your vehicle fuel tank capacity is 18.5, not 16 gallons. Hence 26 MPG x 18.5 gallons should net you approx. 481 miles. You should however be getting closer to 28 miles per gallon unless you rarely drive the interstate. Hope this helps.

ncee · October 2009

I too have a '08 Touring model, and aside from the seats, love the car.

The seats with all those sewn pieces of leather, just hit my legs and [non-permissible content removed] wrong, and after an hour or so driving, my right leg will start getting numb and sore.

When possible I use cruise control, and move my leg(s) around.

I have purchased a massaging seat cushion, and that's nice (not great, but better).

I just tried out a 2006 S-500 mercedes, and YES it was nice, but not enough better to trade-in the Avalon.

Of all (47 plus) cars I've owned over the years, I can say, these are the worst seats, and my Park Avenues had the best seats. Big [non-permissible content removed] lounge type seats, that where VERY comfortable even after driving straight thru from Maine to Florida non-stop (12 times over the years).

I have had several other cars that seemed comfortable as well so some of this might be - I'm getting old - nope, I don't think so:)

I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed that Toyota isn't making a new model this year, I was looking forward to seeing (and trading in my 08) towards a new car.

I guess I still might, if the seats are more comfortable then this car. Oh, I drive about 35,000 - 40,000 miles a year - salesman:)

I'm heading out Monday for another trip and should put on about 4,500 - 6,000 miles by the time I get back (2 week trip this time).

It will be interesting to watch the fuel mileage this time, as I'll have 3 passengers (with a trunk full of luggage) most of the trip. My mileage has seemed to have gone down since my last check-up. They said there was an up they preformed and it should shift better now, which it does, but at the cost of fuel mileage, not sure I like the trade-off.

In any case, I'll check back in when I return, and let you all know how the trip went, and what my passengers think of the car.

Oh, the trip will take me from Maine to the Blue Ridge Mountains, then on to New Bern, NC, then on to St. Peter, Florida, then back to New Bern, then on to PA, then back to maine (with a ton of stops in-between).

Skip

mlingga · November 2009

OK: just had two simultaneous problems. Sadly I'm out of warranty. Here are the questions:

1) tire pressure sensor went out. Over $200 to fix. How common have you folks found this to be?

2) Headlights are intermittently going off. Usually the left, but occasionally the right, and on a couple of exciting occasions, both simultaneously. Dealer says "it's probably the bulbs going bad", which I find unlikely, and am not willing to go there, especially at $800! (These are the autoleveling HID headlights on my '08 Liimited). Any other ideas on what could do this, or is this a case of bulb failure? If so, is this early (car is about 2.75 years old).

Thanks.

Toyota Avalon 2008-2010

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