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Comments
Regarding message 1974 - Edelbrock does not make struts for Avalon.
Our family LOVES the ride in the Avalon. It does't wallow or jossle passengers. We did a loop from Boston to Niagara Falls to Ottawa to northern Vermont and back in August on all kinds of pavement in the U.S. and Canada with my wife and two teenagers.
It drove like a dream..smooth when we wanted it to be on the Mass Pike and NY Thruway, handling great on the tight but scenic roads around the Trapp Family Lodge in Stow, Vermont.
I drove the car to see my elderly Mother in Delaware a few weeks ago. Boston to New Castle, DE, 330 miles 5 hous 15 minutes, 29.1 mpg.
I like to drive the Merritt Parkway on the way into the NYC area. No commercial truck, hilly, twisty, about 70 miles. Set the Avalon on 65 and roll.
We like it, as you can tell. Each to their own, but this is NOT a car with a handling problem.
Ride is comfort, smoothness etc.
Handling is the ability of the car to respond at speed to turning inputs, braking etc.
Usually the extra travel and shock absorption in a suspension designed in to cushion the occupants works against handling because it allows the center of mass of the car to move around to much. This upsets the balance of the car which makes for uneven tire loading and limits adhesion.
All suspension systems are a compromise of these factors. More expensive designs, (BMW, Benz etc) allow for a better comnbination of both.
The Avalon is designed with a bias for comfort with good manueverability in day to day situations and good hiway speed stability.
I drive a LincolnLS sport, and have a Porsche911 with a little bit of track time.
The Lincoln will out handle thw Avalon any time, but my test drive indicates the Avalon will be a little bit more comfortable. It will "wallow" if you push into a turn- at least thats; my test drive experience.
CUSAFR
At home my car is garaged but at work it is exposed to the elements so every couple of hours I start the engine and keep it running for about five minutes. Am I doing more harm than good? What about the oil what is the recommended grade? And should I be changing the coolant in my 2000 Avalon?
So far everything is working perfectly including the CD player and cassette so I will have to say that Toyota's reputation for reliability is holding up. My daughter's 2003 Odessy and my wife's 2001 BMW don't fair as well.
When you do what you are doing, about all you are accomplishing is generating the possibility of diluting your oil with raw gas that leaks past the pistons because the engine is started with a very rich fuel mixture, and the engine is not getting hot enough to vaporize this fuel. Gas is a very poor lubricant. In extreme cold, it would take more than 5 mintues of idling to get your car up to operating temperature.
Thanks.
Thanks for allaying my fears of driving in this severe cold weather. Seeing how poorly other cars were performing I was becoming paranoid.
flora43:
My Avalon 2000 XLS has been flawless. After driving it for about 3 years and 27,000 miles I have had no problems. It starts the first time you turn the key and I have yet to change the battery, sparkplugs or coolant.
It came equipped with the Michelin MXV+4 tires, which runs great if properly inflated at the recommended 31 psi. On rough surfaces and bridge joints it is noisier than the Infiniti I-30 and Volvo S70. Although the Avalon has larger than normal size side view mirrors yet wind noise is negligible. You have to be listening for it to hear it.
There was an annoying squeaking sound emanating from the glove box compartment area that was later diagnosed as an improperly installed air conditioning filter. Since replacement the car has been whisper quiet. I use only 92+ octane gasoline (not required by the way) and get about 20.8 miles per gallon in city and rush hour driving and 32 mpg on the highway. For my morning commute the computer registers 22 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway. And by the way the outside temperature gage is extremely accurate.
The ride in the Avalon is just right. Sometimes it feels soft and supple but when you want to drive aggressively in responds in kind. Having come from an Olds 88, it took me a while to adjust to the reality that the Avalon is not as sedate as some people might think. I took some sharp corners expecting the customary lean and wallow but to my surprise the Avalon handled that with poise without a complaint. If you want something more aggressive than that then maybe you should be looking at the new Accord EX.
Finally, if you are comfortable with the exterior styling (to me it is just too boxy) the Avalon is the way to go. It is quiet, the JBL sound system is phenomenal and the large bucket seats are sumptuous to relax an aging and fatigued body
I can't really tell about mileage as of yet, with the extreme cold, my car has been doing a considerable amount of idling.
**My previous note erroneously listed the used Avalon as a 1990, bad typo. It's actually a 1999. Again, any help would be appreciated.**
Came across a 1999 Avalon XLS (55K miles) for $14,000. Ran a carfax report on it - Came back clean. My question is this: Is this a good bargain? Are their any major flaws/problems with Avalon XLS's from this year?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
cusafr
Took the opportunity for cheap tires to upgrade the Energy's to V- Rating from H. Really made a difference (tires seem much softer) although I know they will not wear as well and I feel the handling is somewhat improved.
I qualify my handling remarks though by saying the the original Michelin's were pretty worn and were getting hard as rocks so the improvement is most likely exaggerated over those.
Also how much is dealer ad fee? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
650 over invoice is a very good price on an XLS, you can always find a lower price somewhere, but remember, sometimes it's worth paying a little more to get treated the way you want, now and during the entire ownership experience.
Everything about them after 400 miles is thrilling. All aspects of driving have been enhanced and the car feels better than when it was new.
From the second I rolled it off the lift, I could tell it would be a firmer ride. Feedback was greatly improved but never harsh. The car is without a doubt more agile and confident. My usual off-ramps are far less intimidating. I am maintaining brisk speed, where braking used to be required-seriously! Speaking of braking, the reduction in nose dive is significant.
Bumps, from small to large, are handled better too. Traction, on the most torn up patches of road, is much better. (This based on the absence of slippage during acceleration, and the lack of ABS kicking in during braking, on the same section of road) On the larger stuff, like formal speed bumps, the car quickly returns to neutral and continues on its path. This type of bump used to alter the path of the entire cabin. Now, most of it is absorbed by the suspension.
Body roll used to be awful, IMO. I really wanted an oversized sway bar to address this. However, the Tokicos have brought this well within control. Since oversize sway bars are not available, I will further address this with "plastics".....
...the polyurethane bushings go on later this week. This should tighten the suspension further. Allowing less movement of parts within parts ie) Control arm "knuckle" joints. All control arm ends and the sway bars will get 'em. This should really reduce any "play" in the suspension. Hope this helps someone. Questions and comments are welcome...nomad
Thanks.
Sorry, I don't know the installation cost. My buddy has a Toyota/Lexus repair shop, so we did the work. A four wheel alignment WILL also be done. I always allow the car to "settle" for a couple of weeks...probably not required in the newer technology but, this will hurt nothing...nomad
The "reciever", or CAR must be programmed to match the FOB. In fact, it can recieve signals from 2 (max) different FOB's. ie) your original and the replacement you get at a junk yard, or eBay. NOTE: To use more than two FOB's, two or more of them must be on the same VAC (vehicle acces code). ONE car can recieve a maximum of TWO VAC's....this will allow you to share one FOB with up to 2 vehicles. My Toyo's have different FOB/security systems, so I could not try/verify this.
I have done my best to interprate the service manual and I have NOT done this myself!
Programming is as follows:
1) GROUND the "PROGRAM" signal on the door lock ECU/reciever....(Black wire...pin 9, if you know Toyo's system)...this should generate LOCK/UNLOCK/TRUNK RELEASE commands.
2) Depress ANY one button on FOB 1, to store VAC #1...the LOCK/UNLOCK/TRUNK RELEASE cycle should repeat.
3) (optional) Repeat step 2 for a second FOB/VAC
4) Remove "GROUND"
5) Test your FOB's
The stabilizer bar/bushing wears to the point of "play", then any small bump on either side of the car will cause a banging/knocking noise when the energy is transferred to the sway bar, which is no longer seated. NOTE: Since both sides wear out, and the stabilizer bar connects the two side of the suspension, this makes it harder to tell which side of the car the noise is coming from. TIPS to check your stabilizer bar, without pulling it...
1) Make sure it "knocks" at any speed, even very slow, like pulling out of your driveway. IMPORTANT: Do not subject both sides of the car to a bump at the same time. I noticed this can eliminate the noise, due to an even distribution of the pressure on the sway bar.
2) Park, and do not jack/raise the vehicle. Reaching in front of each rear tire, you can grab the sway bar. If it wiggles within the bushing, this is indicative of the problem.
FYI: I noticed Lexus (ES300) uses the same rear end and issued a service bulletin, to change the bushings with "greasabe" sway bar bushings.
Any questions, let me know. Special thanks to John and Jim at Media City Motors in Burbank, CA for use of their time, equipment and lift to troubleshoot this elusive problem. Hope someone finds this helpful...nomad
Just a few miles (<20)north over the Wisconsin Illinois border on I-94.
I'm working with them on a couple of different vehicles now (can't make up my mind) and they're much lower than any of the traditional style Toyota dealers. (And no advertising charges.)
My 2000 Lunar Mist XLS had a MSRP of $33,569, but CarMax gave me a *no haggle* price of $29,698, or $3,871 in savings!
It was great walking in somewhere, getting almost $4,000 off sticker, and I didn't even have to fight for it.
Plus, they give close to KBB on their used cars and that's how I got rid of my '96 Avalon.
Thanks Car Max Kenosha and the 85 mile drive round trip was well worth it!
I priced these tires and was surprised how expensive they were. I went to my dealer for an oil change and was telling him about how high the tires were. He replaced them for about $20 per tire less than discount tire. I even upgraded to a V- Rating (won't wear as well but I have noticed a slight increase in handling ability).
Still a great car. Never has been in the shop for anything in three years except oil changes.
2) Disconnect ABS sensor and sway bar links from the old strut-you'll see 'em.
3) Remove the 5 nuts that hold it in: 3 nuts in the top mount(behind your back seat!) & 2 nuts in the axle carrier.
****LEAVE THE STRUT TOP ATTACHED TO THE STRUT!!!!*****It is holding the spring under tension******* My tip here is DO loosen the center bolt on the strut, in the strut top mount, before you remove the shock with the top mount attached 'cause it will have to come off.
The hard part comes now. You have to transfer your old spring to the new strut!! I borrowed the right specialty tools, to compress the spring. You will have to do this, to get the top mount off. THEN: Place the rubber insulator and spring bumper over the piston rod, on the new strut, then the spring, and replace the strut top mount or install your new one! Tighten the nut on the piston end to 38ft-lb and start putting that side back together.
For the fronts, follow the above steps. It was real similar. I guess open the hood, instead of remove rear seat is step 1! -nomad