Toyota Avalon 2004 and earlier

travelerjb · May 2003

I don't find any issues with the current engine, and I came from other cars with plenty of juice, and am not left wanting. The ONLY thing I'd change is make it a genuine 4 speed auto with overdrive changing the ratios a tad to offer better hill climbing without the need to downshift. Otherwise I'm perfectly content with the current one. Also I agree with the tire size. Although it seems due to the limited number of 205 width tires out there, I'll likely end up replacing the stock Michelins that are on it now with 215-60-16's when the time comes. I have been very surprised at the performance of the MXV4+'s as I was told they sucked in the rain. NOT so. I drove through some downpours and hail storms at 80mph and never lost a beat. That's good enough for me. I haven't heard them squeal one time yet going through curves and onto onramps to freeways. I run 35psi in them at the least, maybe that helps........

gerry100 · May 2003

12 weeks and no sign of my XL/buckets/white.

I notice the local Toyota Dealers ( Albany,NY) humpin' almost every model in the newspaper, with incentives/deals etc.

Except the Avalon, which appears not to exist to these people.

What does this mean?

minuteman26 · May 2003

My special order 2003 XLS is on the truck, supposed to arrive tomorrow. It will have been exactly 16 weeks. I was originally told 7-9 weeks by a salesman who was probably afraid he'd lose the sale otherwise.

footie · May 2003

Gerry,

It's probably not 'on order'. It's on the 'wait till one shows up list'.

If you really want a white, XL buckets, start calling or emailing the dealerships in your area until you find one.

Get the info on it, go to your leasing company/dealership and tell them to go get it.

If they don't have your lease manager chase it for you. If they can't or won't, then therein lies the answer.

Good hunting!

pmoskal · May 2003

Gerry, this means that you say 'adios amigos' to that local dealer along with a few other kind words... Your white Avy is in the Chicago area. Get yourself over to the windy city & pick-up your white Avy XL, and drive it back.
Here is the exact page Gerry's shiny '03 White Avy.
I would get the Carmax.com sticker also and then drive your local Avy Dealer and show them your prize.

The below is optional reading but it kind of makes sense:

If you think of "exactly what you want", if you think of "Cheap", and if you think of "Fast", you get to choose two of these.

In working with a dealership you can caom across the following:

Scenario A) You can order a vehicle equipped EXACTLY as you want, but it could as long as 90 days . This would be "exactly what you want" and "Cheap".

Scenario

You can order a vehicle equipped EXACTLY as you want, but not "cheap" , and have it next week. This is the "exactly what you want" and "Fast" option.

Scenario C) You can get into a vehicle not 100 % as you want it, and have it next week. This would be your "Cheap" and "Fast" option.

In my opinion I see the Carmax option is a little bit of all 3 scenarios. I used the carmax site when I was purcahsing my new vehicle. You'll see why when you view the No-Haggle-Price and comapre it to your local dealer's price, same options.

avalon22 · May 2003

Thank you for the info. PMOSKAL regarding the upgraded engine in the '04 Avalon. It may well be worth the wait. If you learn of any info. regarding larger tires on the '04, please inform.....thanks!

avalon02wh · May 2003

Saw the following on canadiandriver web site.

"This year, the base XL model has been eliminated, leaving the fully-equipped XLS model"

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/tw/03avalon.htm

Our local dealer (US) has had only xls models for the last 5 months. On the other hand, toyota still lets you build an avalon XL on their web site.

footie · May 2003

Seems to me that this might be a Canadian issue.

pmoskal · May 2003

I just received a email from my home town in Ontario where I personally know the Toyota dealer in this town north of Toronto.
"The reason for the availability of the XLS only was the demand factor for the XL was just not there.".
The Canadian Toyota web site shows this also. Actually the web site is a nice alternative to the US site. Check it out Toyota Canada.

gerry100 · May 2003

Footie,Pmoskal thanks for the input. Unfortunately, I'm chained by my employer to this leasing company who have abused all field personell at our company for years, so I'm reduced to whining.

Company is nice enough to pay for all of the AvalonXL and I slipped the white paint by our lease manager ( all my othere cars are white), and pay the extra because I made a deal with the wife when she let me get the Porsche. You know it's one of those Mars/Venus,2 kids in college tpyes of things.

Any how thanks for listening,I'll check out Carmax.

I think Toyota is going for the bestseller title again and building/pushing Camry and letting the Avalon sell itself , which its seems to do very well.

gerry100 · May 2003

Lease company tells me Toyota confirmed a build date for my XL/buckets/white as 6/25.

Assuming two weeks for delivery,that would be approx 15 weeks for those who are interested.

It's actually longer, but I think a few weeks disappeard at my company and the lease company.

wachsmuth · May 2003

Hi, all !
     It's been 4 months now since I got my new Avalon & I love it. No problems yet - one oil change with Mobil l Snythetic oil.
     I have a couple of puzzling questions, which no Toyota person could answer. On Page 190 in the Owner's Manual, Item 2 explains how to reset the average miles per gallon. Can't do it ! It only resets when I gas up & the tank is down to l/4 empty. Any input?
     Also - on Page l56, under Program Types,I tried to tune in the Weather Station, as we are locally close to it, and should get a good reception on l62.4 mgh. No one at 2 Toyota dealers could find it on my JBL Radio (top of the line!).
     Maybe someone could help me on these 2 items? THANKS !
                        Gerhard

smu1976 · May 2003

Enterprise leasing is telling me that Toyota is not building the 2003 and I have to wait until August to get a 2004? Any thoughts on this? Seems a little early to cut off 2003's and seems a little early to get a 2004 for me?

footie · May 2003

Most dealerships in many areas have good selections of 2003 Avalons. In the Boston area, there are 35 Avalons at Boch and 22 at Herb Chambers.

But I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Toyota cut over to the 2004 in production.

smu1976 · May 2003

Yes, have to order, company car, company gets a good discount going direct through Toyota. But, from the above comments, if its got a little more engine power, maybe its worth the wait.

gerry100 · May 2003

They haven't stopped building the '03s, they've just stopped taking orders for them. When I've ordered domestic brands over th eyears the cut off date for orders has been in the March/April time frame

dennisv56 · May 2003

I'm a long time Av fan who took delivery on an '03 XLS just about a week or ago. Silver Spruce with an Ivory interior and wood trim. It's every bit as excellent as I knew it would be. The only thing I opted not to get was the nav system. I've already used the VSC. I paid $100 over dealer invoice, and got a 20% break on the extended warranty. After alot of due dilligence over weeks and months including emails to the local newspaper columnists, I chose the Av over the ES300, VW Passat, TL, BMW, RX330, Benz, Audi A6. Simply an excellent choice all around. On a side note, my research lead me to the decision not to do synthetic oil, or a ClearBra.

cusafr · May 2003

Dennis: I am seriously considering an Avalon and also thought about the synthetic oil and clear bra. They sound good, but I am old fashion and something tells me to stick with what I know. Could you tell me what put you off both these items?

Thanks,

CUSAFR

bwia · May 2003

Dennis,
You made a good choice selecting the Avalon XLS over the other midsize cars you mentioned; and the silver spruce is a great exterior color but mine has the pewter interior rather than the ivory. My four year old grandson loves riding with me and the first words out his mouth is grandpa's car even though his father drives an S500. What can I say, the boy has good taste even at his tender age.

I wish you many years and miles of pleasant driving and hope you have a pleasant ownership experience as I have had for the last three years. The Avalon rocks!

Welcome

wachsmuth · May 2003

Just me again - about my message #2238 - can anyone help me with the weather station or resetting my thing-a-ma-jig? I know these are just teeny little problems - but they loom larger with time!
Gerhard

carlw13 · May 2003

Which grade of gas are most of you using in your Avalons? How did you decide which grade of gas to use? Does it matter which model year? Thanks for the input.

Carl

travelerjb · May 2003

OK ok so I guess there's no way I'm going to convince the world that dino oil sucks. So hey, it's your money as they say. BUT when it comes to ClearBra I am astounded that anyone would say a word against it. I find it the most amazing product from the protective standpoint, ever conceived. I went in today for a first time service, getting ready for a long 5 State business trip coming up. Since it's going to be hot hot hot where I'm going (Southern CA and Arizona as a few places) I had them (at my Avalon's tender age of only 1780 miles) do a complete tranny flush and put it only Mobil One's fully synthetic ATF. 3 of the 4 service writers use the Mobil One ATF AND their fully synthetic oil in their own personal cars and applauded my going this route. Also they were all google eyed at the wonderful job that the local Clearbra installers did on my car. I had the entire front end (lower and upper bumper, lights, hood and front fenders and A pillars)done along with the lower halfs of the doors and entire rear bumper and trunk deck lid. It is totally transparent but wonderfully protective. Sure I'm anal and I'll admit it, but at least I won't hold my breath when a semi launches the next rock assault on me, nor when I plod through Wyoming and Colorado's notorious laying down of the gravel on the road for winter time, or the ample spraying of salt in the Midwest as I travel there on business for the winter. Over the years I've become accustomed to the foibles of where the car get's it worst beating, and FINALLY I have something on MY side. The Clearbra. I can't say enough good about it. Sorry you'll just have to live with the chips and dings that come without it's use. :-(

avalon22 · May 2003

Travelerjb...Since I have never heard of ClearBra, can you please provide me some info. about what it is and what it's uses are and where I can purchase one?? It sounds like a product worth it's money.

travelerjb · May 2003

There are actually 2 different sources for this "type" of material. it was originally manufactured ONLY by 3M as a material to avoid chipping on aircraft props. It was cleverly adapted, and is now more extensively used for the protection of painted surfaces on automobiles. More and more at auto shows and even OEM factory use on certain locations of various autos and trucks at the factory, you'll find the material being used in high wear areas, such as it is very commonly used on some of the newer manufactured cars by Toyota, Honda, Subaru, GM and Ford in the lower rear door area where it meets the rear 1/4 panel (rocks and gravel tend to hit there and wear at the paint). You can learn more about the material at www.clearbra.com This is an informative site, but their prices are quite a bit inflated as per the local installers here in my town for example. They have installers of the material all over the country. You'll just have to look in your local Yellow Pages or call around to find out. It is extremely common for dealers to off it as a add-on at the time of auto purchase. They too get a bit high of a price, so I went directly to the installers and saved about $30% on installation costs. That's why I did it so extensively on my new car. It's just that over the years all the areas I covered with it have had some chips or nicks taken out of the paint, and I wanted to put an end to it before it began. The service writers and manager over at my Toyota dealer were astounded at the job the guys did. It is virtually transparent and unless you examine it at inches length can't tell it's there, but that rock approaching it will know. :-) On average a simple "bra" treatment including the entire front end and taper up the hood and front fenders as well as over the light lenses is running an average of about $350-$400.......worth every cent and more if you're the kind of person that looks at a few year old car and how hammered the front end looks from rock chips and winces.........

02mdx · June 2003

travelerjb, what condition is the ClearBra after a couple of years? Does the ClearBra get chips or knicks? Or does the ClearBra act like a shield and "bounce" the road debris off the surface, without leaving a chip/indentation? Thus far on my Avalon, the paint on metal has held up very well, but the paint on plastic (bumper) does have about half a dozen chips/knicks. This is after 18 months, 18,000 miles of mixed highway and city driving in Southern Ohio.

pmoskal · June 2003

ClearBra is not made from metal and from what my dealer told me it too can be penetrated by flying debris that may hit the front of the vehicle. He's seen it. I only have it on the 1st part of the hood and back of the side view mirrors of my 03 Avalon. You will get chips after time even with a ClearBra if you drive in these rough-drive states.
My 98 Sienna has had a black bra on the front bumper and after 3 cross country trips and the west's crushed granite....the bumper is is prime shape after having removed the bra for regular maint. This has worked for me though I it involves more regular maintenance.
A black material bra, though it protects better than ClearBra, on a luxury sedan like the Avalon just does not do it justice (ie.look right), so I went with the ClearBra. I still think that a black bra is the way to go for the rough driving states of Wyoming and Colorado...or others like Ohio, at least in winter months ...though it's more maintenance to get more protection.

travelerjb · June 2003

as I've been a cross country sales rep for over 25 years now, and paid close attention to the wear patterns on a car due to gravel, bug abrasion. There is, to me, a very typical pattern of wear, and that's exactly where I had the ClearBra put on. Sure, it is extensive in my case, but it is more due to the extensive nature of my travel. The dealer also guaranteed that there would NOT be any penetration or tearing of the product for 2 years, and even after that he agreed to replace it if it was even questionable. Every towns installing dealer may have different policies, but theirs is based on experience. Indeed the previous damage I've incurred would NOT have happened had I been protected by the clearbra material as I am now, so I figure I'm not any longer going to lose sleep about it. It may not be STEEL but it's the next best thing. Without the pesky maintenance and removal needed by those ugly black behemouths so many cars have on them. The may protect, but over time wear at the clear coat unless you baby the installation and remove it regularly and wax below it as as well as wash the felt areas carefully. That's just way too much work for an ugly addition to a car I feel isn't half bad looking to begin with........

fredvh · June 2003

What changes, if any, are we expecting in the 2004 Avalon? I have heard rumors of the 3.3l engine. Will there be a 5-speed auto too? Is the 3.3l engine a new engine or just a larger 3.0l?

abfisch · June 2003

Has anyone had difficulty having the wheels balanced on the new Avalons??? (2001-2003). I have had a difficult time getting a shimmy out that is speed dependant from about 55-70 MPH. I had changed the tires, wheels, shocks, alignment, tire pressure, and still a little shimmy in the steering column.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Toyota dealerships just blow it off.

Thanks.\

Arthur

tmp89169 · June 2003

My Thoughts; If the tires are perfectly round (no high or low spots) and in balance and alignment, I don't see how there could be shimmy or shake in the steering. I had a new camry ('99)with a slight shimmy and the dealer could find no problem. I tried NTB and they found a slightly bent inner rim on the front wheel. They moved it to the rear and no steering wheel shake. Went back to the dealer with my work order in hand and told them I wanted a new wheel. End of problem. Hope you find the solution.
tmp89169

luffnutt · June 2003

Finally, after local trips in the '03 Avalon, took a 500 mile round trip to the Maryland shore. about 5 hours one way. Car performed flawlessly, with two adults, one 12 pound dog and 300 pounds of luggage. Another driver pulled out of a side street in front of me, I hit the brakes, stopped in plenty of time but I noticed a slow brake pulsing in the the brake pedal. Not the usual ABS chatter, so I suspect it was the brake assist kicking in. Never had this before and nothing since indicates any other problem. Made a board and covered it a throw rug that fits between the front bucket seats and the hole in the rear seat when the arm rest is down, for the dog. She really likes to be with her family, can see out the front window, and did not get car sick. Think I have a winner project going. It was cool, 60 degrees, and wet at the shore, so we came home a day early to avoid the rain on the Interstate and other major roads so did not get a chance to check the Michelins on a wet highway at high speeds. Used a portable GPS with a low end Notebook computer for a poor man,s NAV system. Worked well and the 120 volt inverter came in handy. Of couse I would not want download the info in front of the Judge, my lead-footed wife pushed the 80 mark at times. After 6 months, we know we selected the right car.

goatee · June 2003

I have an 03 XLS with the same wheel shimmy problem as #2258 plus low speed shimmy below 20 mph. My dealer found the problem to be a bent rim on the right front. I remember when this happened, it was a massive pot hole filled with water, I hit it dead center and felt something change in the steering right away. I had it balanced and moved to the right rear for now. The dealer quoted $372 for a new wheel plus tax & labor. I will probably have to be get the new wheel when its time to rotate again, but for now, the bent rim on the rear axle I cannot tell it is there. My dealer told me the changes for 2004 will be the 3.3L , 5 speed auto, possibly a bigger wheel/tire combo and maybe some sort of special edition model since this may be the last year for this body style before an expected redo in 2005 (hopefully).

fredvh · June 2003

What kind of mpg did you get on your trip?

alpha01 · June 2003

says that 2004 might be the last year for not only this body style, but also the Avalon line.
Can anyone confirm?

~alpha

neb5 · June 2003

I know of no other forum to get such informative feedback than this one. I have been window shopping for quite some time and have several vehicles that I would love. My dilemma is I am a conscientious person who looks at the most minute details. I am riding the fence on the following. I have always loved the look/style of the Jaguar S-type, have adored and said I would get one. However, even though I currently drive an American made vehicle, I still replay the old saying in my mind about foreign vehicles being "most exceptional" when it comes to detail and quality. So, I once considered the 03' 4Runner and sort of let it go, no need to have two gas guzzlers in our driveway, and opted to go with the 03' Avalon XLS. I would consider the 00' lexus GS/ES 300 as well, but overall it is the look of the Jaguar the I love. Since you all speak highly of the Avalon are there any horror story you know of on any of these vehicles that you can share to get me off the fence?

pmoskal · June 2003

Goatee, re your comments on the 03 Avalon .
First of all, the '04 Avalon is getting a 3.3 L engine 'cause the 3.0 is going into the 2003 1/2 Camry' so the Avy has to upgrade also.
Regarding the wheel size, you can put 17 or 18 inches tires on your '03 Avalon if you want it to have 'big-fat tires'. I wrote an excerpt on this in #2221. I would not wait for the factory to show me larger tires options.
Why 'hopefully' on the model redo. I personally hope there is no redo in '05 and rather that Toyota either drop the line altogether or keep the current model going. The current '03 model has a decent road presence when outfitted with color-keyed splash guards( done), big fat tires(thinking about it), and an after-market chrome exhaust tip(done).

luffnutt · June 2003

I got about 25 miles per gallon for the trip. Most two lane road, some four lane with traffic lights, only about 70 miles of limited access road. Air conditioning on, but generally averaged about 40 miles per hour on the highway and about 20 miles per hour ramming in and around Ocean City, MD. Tire pressures were 34 psi front and 32 psi rear. I was not pleased with the MPG, and there is less than 3000 miles on the odometer Best gas mileage to date is 25.5 MPG when is was cool enough to not run the AC, and trips were more even speeds. and I do not rely on the information center for average MPG. Use the mileage divided by the miles when filling the tank, and then average about three fills to get an accurate "average." I use regular unleaded gasoline and 'dino' engine oil.

tmp89169 · June 2003

Just wondering: My Toyota dealer tells me that they charge $99 to replace the AC and heater filter. (03 avalon) How much does this filter cost? The owner's manual states that this is a 10 minute job. The dealer said it should be replaced at 10,000 miles. I have some doubts about this cost. Is all of this in the ball park?

bwia · June 2003

The last time I replaced the AC filter was in August 2002 at Boch Toyota in the Boston area:
Labor (0.20 hour tech time)....... $15.00

Part......................................... $52.43
Total........................................ $67.43

The first time it cost me $75.00 total and it was not installed properly since it cause all kinds of rattling. The last time the job was done properly.

gscheil · June 2003

My trip computer in the miles to empty usually says about 377 miles when I fill the tank. On a highway trip, which is mostly what travel I do in the Avalon, it will usually build up to about 490 miles per tank. If you are getting low mileage with unleaded gas, just ease up on the throttle. I use the cruise 100 % of the time on the highway.

zster1 · June 2003

Does anyone have any knowledge on when (what model year)the Avalon will be redesigned ? My guess is the 2005 model year as Toyota seems to follow 5 year cycles for their models. Will the model even exist or will it be discontinued as some have suggested ? Will it have side curtain airbags which is something glaringly lacking in the present model. A 5 speed automatic and the 3.3L engine ? Any information would be helpful.

Thanks

kennyg5 · June 2003

I wonder if anyone who wish to buy an Avalon will cross shop it against the 04 Maxima. The two cars are similar in price and probably equal in terms of "near-luxury". Although the Max SE is supposed to be for the sports-oriented driver with gobs of horsepower, the Max SL provides a softer ride and is intended to rival the Avalon XLE in terms of comfort and serenity.

footie · June 2003

I don't think I'd ever cross-shop comparable Toyotas and Nissans. Nissan just doesn't have the factory processes, design and sourcing to produce vehicles with the same quality and reliability as Toyota.

kennyg5 · June 2003

Although I am not sure whether Toyota generally is more reliable than Nissan, I am sure that the pre-04 Maximas, which were all made in Japan, always ranked tops in reliability. As I recall, the Max has always equaled, if not exceeded, the Avalon and Camry in reliability.

footie · June 2003

Hi Kennyg5

You could be right. But I checked the JDPower "Initial Quality" survey results (for what they are worth!) for the last few years and Nissan hasn't faired as well as Toyota in their rantings. The same appears to be true in the JDP "Dependability" survey which is done on 5 year old vehicles.

The JDPower survey of initial quality for 2003 show Nissan had more reported problems than the industry average, though they mentioned that their cars produced in Japan, like other car companies with facilities there, did better than their domestic cars. The Max didn't win any awards this year.

The older Max model came in third behind the Avalon and Camry in 2000. Like them, it isn't considered enough of a luxury car to be in the entry-luxury class with the ES300 or BMW 3 series. The Pathfinder, on the other hand, has done well in the JDPower surveys in the Mid size SUV class.

Nissan was at or near industry average for Dependability in the other JDP survey while Toyota was near the top. The results in this survey were developed by polling owners for problems that they had encountered during the ownership interval.

I'll check out the Max at the library in the Consumer Reports files on my next visit. I think I'll find that their results are similar to JDP.

Good shopping!

alanberg · June 2003

I am thinking of buying a used 2003 Avalon XL with manual seats. I currently own a 99 Avalon with dual electrical seats. I was wondering if there is a way of adding electric seat adjustments or electric seats to the used 2003 Avalon that doesn't have them. Thanks.

nomad56 · June 2003

YES! You can absolutely add 'em. You must swap out the manual seats for electric ones though. If there are no empty powerplugs under the manual seats for the power seat option, you can salvage that (the wire harness) from the same "wreck" you are taking the seats from! -nomad56-

seajay63 · June 2003

Does anyone know what the cosmetic changes will be on the 2004 Avalon? I am ready to buy now but would like to compare the 2003 Avy to what's new in 2004. The dealers will not tell me anything, and the Toyota web page doesn't help either.

steveb84 · June 2003

No cosmetic changes that I'm aware of.

02mdx · June 2003

My perception of the Maxima as a class of vehicle ranks above the Camry/Accord, but below the Avalon. I defitely consider the Maxima to be more sporty in both appearance and perfomance. Prior to purchasing my Avy, I considered the Infiniti I30/35, but ultimately went with the Avalon b/c of interior refinement, ride quality (too soft for some people), huge back seat and better depriciation. Ultimately, it's all in what you want out of a vehicle.

'02 Avalon XL, 19,000 flawless miles. No rattles or signs of sludge. Mobil 1 synthetic oil w/ premium fuel (24/30 Mpg).

Toyota Avalon 2004 and earlier

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