Toyota Avalon 2004 and earlier

sparky53 · October 2004

Thanks abfisch for your help in replacing the air filter in my xls.It was fairley easy once I found the two clips at the top of the glovebox.Thanks again,sparky.

petras2 · October 2004

According to the owner's manual, coolant needs to be changed every 2yrs or 30k miles. The toyota coolant i use is supposedly long life coolant. Is 2 yrs really all it's good for? thanks in advance

deepan · October 2004

How easy/hard is it to change the plugs, particularly the rear 3. Any easy instructions.

55396 · October 2004

"Oh well, point well taken about used cars, I have had some good luck with them, but recently have been bitten a couple times, so this time I went new."

I guess I don't understand the concern about buying a low mileage used car. I buy daily rental cars. If there was an exposure to misuse, this would be it, however, I would like to think that most people rent a car for transportation and not to beat the crap out of it. You also get a warranty from the major companies, which doesn't mean much, as the manufacturers warranty is still in effect. I buy Japanese cars. I fail to see why there should be a problem in 20-30k miles no matter how they are driven. These cars should take it, and they probably get maintained better than some individuals do it. Some of my last ones were: A 90 Galant. Sold at 98k. In later years, we trusted it to provide reliable transportation when our daughter interned 370 miles away in Chicago. It never missed a beat. Only problem was a kinked heater control cable replaced under warranty. Next, we bought a 97 Camry that had not had a good life and had been in a front end fender bender. It had 13k on itWe paid $15k when it was 10 months old. It listed for $22k. We sold it last year with 64k on it for $8700. A first year car and never a problem. Actually, we bought 2. Our oldest daughter took the other one whick also had had minor front end damage. Still going strong at 60k and never a problem, and she does NOT take good care of it. We replaced the Camry with an 03 Avalon from Enterprise rentals.(pic's posted earlier after mods) It had 19k when we bought it and 33k now. No problems on this one either. The daughter who drove the Galant bought a rental 98 Diamante. It's now 04. She has replaced brakes. Other than that, no problems. BTW, my cars never go back to the dealership except for recalls or if something major would break. I have a pit in my garage and change my own oil and filter. Nothing special, just plain old Valvoline. Works great. I run Valvoline Durablend in my LS400, but just because the previous owner did.

sanandton · October 2004

setting up Wife's Avalon 2000 for 60k mile oil and filter with tire rotation. Rep at Dealer states needs 60k service: "Tune up" Fluid changes etc. Any feedback costs $240.00.

abfisch · October 2004

Sanandton:

I am not a big advocate of going to the dealerships with few exceptions with they guarantee the parts for life, like replacement exhaust, etc.

That being said, what specific fluids are being changed besides the oil??? And tire rotation??? In my driveway, that is about 1 hours worth of work on a nice fall day plus parts. You probably make $200/hour. Most of us don't. I would be very surprised if they included in that, an air filter, a cabin A/C filter, A/T fluid change, Power Steering fluid change, and radiator fluid change. If they do, then you got yourself a deal.

abfisch

sanandton · October 2004

Thanks for the response. I am typically inclined to skip several of the dealer recommended services along the way as I feel most of it is an attempt to pad thier pockets. I don't have the owner's manual at hand to confirm the service reps claim that this is a Toyota manufacturer's recommendation. My Wife has the car at this time. I guess I need confirmation that it is in the Owner's manual as we are taking it over today around lunch. I am afraid I don't have the time lately to do anything for myself. I typically love to do this sort of stuff, but to many other demands on my time are prohibiting it. If it is manufacturer recommended, I will consider it, but may have a freind take care of it (Certified Honda Mechanic works at home also and at a great discount). Thanks again

petras2 · October 2004

just thought i'd pass this along...my 98'avalon has been plagued by minor squeaks in the glove box door and ash tray areas...i found some 9 by 12" black felt sheets with an self adhesive backing at wal mart the other day in the crafts dept....just trim them to size and apply to the inside of the part where it's not noticeable when door is closed and squeaks are history...

suorangefan · October 2004

Hi all - thanks for the tips on Tranny maintenance. I was having trouble with my '99 - slipping out of gear. The dealer replaced the fluid and filled it (they said it was low) and the problem went away. However, the car still shifts sort of hard, especially when trying to accelerate from 50 MPH up. Am I just punching the gas pedal too hard? I'm not flooring it. I'm a little worried that there's damage to the tranny but for a car with 26k miles I can't believe that. Would a full flush fix or help?

alan_s · October 2004

You have a 5 year/60,000 mile drivetrain warranty which includes the transmission. If you are within these limits, go back to the dealer and PRECISELY document the problem on the workorder. Keep your copy of the workorder (and all previous ones pertaining to the problem) in a safe place!If the dealer doesn't do anything and the transmission fails out of warranty, then you will be able to prove that you reported the problem before the warranty expired so it should be covered.

kuol · October 2004

My "new" used car '96 Avalon XL mileage city 17 MPG. Is it normal? How can I improve it? Even Highway and City Mix run only improved to 19.8MPG......:(

Help Please!

fndlyfmrflyr · October 2004

It might be. Have had 96 Avalon since new. Mine gets about 30 mpg on long trips (high speed freeway driving). Around town it depends on which of us does the driving, but the norm is in the 17-18 mpg range.

fin · October 2004

If you drive entirely in the city..stop and go...your city mileage may be correct. It is a little low for most Avalons but if you sit long enough, yes. Highway only, above 55 mph, light to moderate load, you should get 25 plus. My '99 would deliver 30 on Florida interstates and many others have had the same result.

The term "mix" really does not say enough about driving to define a problem. If the "mix" has a lot of city in it, 19.8 may be a good number. Hope this helps.....

jluther2 · November 2004

We live in the New England Area and own a 2003 Avalon XLS. To my knowledge there is no factory wind deflector available in this area, however, there is a factory wind deflector available in the Southern States.
I did try an aftermarket unit, in fact two of them, and there were vibrations from the roof area with both deflectors.
Anyone have any comments?
Order a factory unit from one of the Southern States?
Is the vibration the reason they are not available in the Northeast?
Thanks, J.Luther

deepan · November 2004

we had a 87 camry that had a deflector and when i gave it away thats one of the things i removed. it on a 96 Avalon. the one that i have has rubber all the way around the bottom and it doesnt vibrate at all. This is an aftermarket deflector. i am canadian.

littlecf · November 2004

I have a 2000 Avalon XLS. When I bought it 5 years ago, it had the automatic door locking feature when you put it in drive and take you foot off the brake. Didn't like the fact that the doors didn't unlock automatically, so I had the dealer disable the feature. Had some body work done recently, and the shop disconnected the battery, which caused the auto-lock feature to reset. I found a post here (#212 from 9/2/2000) that tells how to disable this feature, but I've tried the procedure, and it doesn't work. Anyone else have any ideas?

jluther2 · November 2004

Littlecf: I'm not sure what you want the door locks to do.

I have mine set up so the doors lock when you shift from park into gear and unlock when you shift into park and turn off the key.

If you no longer have the owners manual, let me know how you want to set it up & I will check my owners manual and let you know.

J.Luther

boord · November 2004

jluther2: I would really like to have my 2000xls door locks set up like yours. My owner's manual simply states that if I don't like the factory setup I should go see a Toyota technician. Thanks in advance for any help.

J. Boord

littlecf · November 2004

Originally, the dealer just deactivated the feature so they didn't lock at all, but if there is a way for them to work the way you describe, I would prefer that. My owners manual says to see the dealer for changes.

bwia · November 2004

How accurate is the compass on the XLS?

Yesterday, while driving home my compass read SE while another Avalon going in the same direction compass read S. Continuing on the relatively straight road the compass read, S, then SW, then, S and then SE again. Everything thing else in the information display works fine including the temperature gauge, MPG and clock. Has anyone ever tested the accuracy of the compass? By the way I live and work in zone 12.

And on unrelated note. After test driving the new Acura RL I fell out of love with my Avalon. In my irrational exuberance I placed an order for a new RL with delivery expected in February. But after examining my finances I will have to renege on this deal. Is there a chance I can get my $500 deposit back?

jluther2 · November 2004

From owners manual 0 2003 Avalon:
Changing the mode.
The mode toggles through from 1 to mode 4. To change mode, do the following.
1. Shift the selector level into the "P" position and close all doors.
2. Push the power door lock switch on the rear side to unlock the doors.
3. Turn the ignition switch to the "ON" position.
4. Within10 seconds after the ignition switch is turned to the "ON" position, push and hold the power door lock switch to the front side for about 5 seconds.
5. open door warning sign will flash to indicate that the mode has been changed.
The flashing of the open door warning light indicates the mode which has been selected.
a. Flashing once changed to mode 1.
b. Flashing twice the function has been changed to mode 2.
3. Flashing three times the function has been changed to mode 3.
4. Flashing 4 times the function has been changed to mode 4.

Mode 1. All doors locked when shifting out of P.
Mode 2. Nothing functions.
Mode 3. All doors lock when shifting from P & all doors unlock when shift lever is moved to the "P" position.
Mode 4. All doors lock when shifting out of "P" & all doors unlock when you shift into "P" & key is moved to the ACC or Lock position.

Good luck.

J.Luther

jima · November 2004

I have a 2000 Avalon XLS w/JBL sound system. The woofer in the center rear deck is blown. Looking for suggestions (sources, prices, contact info, etc) for replacement. Anyone have an extra woofer from a system upgrade?

r/jimA

4936 · November 2004

We've moved to a apartment that has a Genie garage door opener and I tried everyway as discribed in my manual to get it programed. The door opener on visor does the proper blinking of lights etc., but does not open the door. The door remote is a Genie Intellicode. Any help would be appriciated.
Thanks

abfisch · November 2004

JIMA:

Double check, but I believe the subwoofer is a 8" JBL. I have looked for a replacement part, but think the only one is going through Toyota.

I believe your choices are to order it from the internet at a discount(Brandsport Toyota), through a dealership and pay full retail, or order from Crutchfield and put in a replacement.

Personally, I am not sure why yours is blown so soon, but you may live in an area of high sun exposure or moisture or play a large volume of bass. All will deteriorate the cone, not your fault, just time and weather.

Call Cruthfield and see if they have a 8" replacement, the most effecient one that takes the least (not the most power). Even the upgraded JBL unit does not match the power of the aftermarket, and you don't have that much power to push the subwoofer. I am confident most of the aftermarket subs are of better construct than OEM.

Let us know how it sounds.

abfisch

abfisch · November 2004

bwia:

Now you have got my attention with the compass. I ordered the XL some time ago now, and one of the options my friend talked me out of was the auto dimming mirror with the compass. He said they never work right after awhile or when you switch zones and have to reprogram it. Although it is very useful, and much less conspicious and complicated , never mind less costly than the GPS. I stick a tacky but analog high quality compass on the bottom ledge, and it has worked correctly ever since. If I was very skilled, I inset it in the dash, carving out the plastic but I don't have that skill.

If you want to see a very nicely done compass, the Lexus 430 has a digital, big letter one right in the middle of the dash near all the other gauges, not in the rear view mirror. Very useful to me but not worth the extra 20K for the car.

Perhaps, the 2005 will take that technology for us middle age, since they seem to be taking some of the other tech stuff such as the air conditioned front seats.

abfisch

deepan · November 2004

yesterday mysteriously the power window on the drivers side front door stopped working. It wasnt cold and i last used the window a day before. I had some rust proofing done including the door about a month back.. In the morning it started working again. Is there a overload protection mechanism in the motor and could the rustproofing oil do any damage. Its a 96 avalon xls.

abfisch · November 2004

DEEPAN:

It sounds like it is the tarish like rustproofing, if they got into the doors under the panels. If you are a DIYer, then what I would do, is first, check the tracks that the window go up into, as mine (02) had dirt in it and stop the window from going up automatically. If that doesn't work, then take off the inner door panel and clean up what they sprayed. Unfortunately, unless they take off every door panel, OR do it at the factory, that type of rustproofing is usually sloopy and I cannot recommend it. They usually get some on your stereo speakers as well.

abfisch

footie · December 2004

We have a 2000 XLS which has been shod in Michelin all season tires since new. They have been fine for short drives, even when snowy.

My wife is starting a new job soon where she will be driving the XLS over a variety of roads and longer distances in the metro Boston area.

We need two new tires for the front. Our mechanic recommends we consider snow tires.

Does anyone have a recommendation for or thoughts about snow tires that fits our highly variable winter weather here - from dry and very cold to 32 degrees, day-old six inch snow fall turning to icy slush?

Thanks

Footie

mostlyjazz · December 2004

I use a set of four Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires on my 2002 XLS here in Minneapolis.

They work very well during our various winter weather conditions.

bwia · December 2004

Since they are very good at plowing and salting Boston area roads snow tires are not really necessary. So I would recommend the original all-season Michelins that came with the car.

Unless your wife is a first responder where she may be on the roads early in the morning, snow tires is over-kill. Furthermore, they are noisy detracting from the Avalon's smooth and quiet ride.

mcclearyfl · December 2004

Like MostlyJazz I have purchased a set of 4 Bridgestone Blizzak tires mounted on steel wheels in preparation for our upcoming move to Chicago. Our Saab has almost identical original tires to our Avalon XLS, and the snow tires will be swapped between the two vehicles as needed.

Blizzak tires are unparalled in snow and ice, but wear very rapidly on dry pavement. If you have the capability of swapping wheels in your own garage in response to weather forecasts, the life of the snow tires can be greatly expanded, perhaps to several seasons.

For "normal" snowy conditions we will, like BWIA, rely on our regular all-weather tires.

abfisch · December 2004

Footie:

This is not the gospel, on IMO. I write to you from 30 minutes from the Thousand Island Bridge in very Upstate New York.

With wifes being a precious item, as your Avalon, it is difficult to decide. How long are you planning on keeping the car??? Your winters usually last about 5 months right??? Winter tires on in late November and off in early April, right???

If you are not going to keep the car say 4 years or more, than I would think that being 2 AS tires that are the exact same, would be the way to go. This is guesstimately on 20K a year.

You still will need two ALL season tires or summer tires after the winter, so it really depends on how long you are going to keep the vehicle.

If for a long time (we keep our vehicles over 10 years routinely), then the purchase of Winter tires would be a very good idea. They are snow and ice, not just snow, with differnet compounds. Choice one that sheds water well since much of the time in Boston it warms up.

I agree with all the posts above, with the exception of the recommendation about the Blizzak. Bridgestone hyped their name for a Winter tire before anyone else, but Consumer Reports did not choose their tire as one of their best, nor a "best buy". Actually, I find them over priced. From what I remember, the Goodyear Winter Snow High Performance (again, overpriced), and the Dunolp Winter High Performace were the best. Michelin and Bridgestone as well as Goodyear tend to be overpriced without giving superior performance in snow, water, ice, braking, handling, etc.

Refer to that article even though they have changed and updated their models this year.

abfisch

mcclearyfl · December 2004

Tire Rack (a major vendor) has a very full consumer evaluation and rating report on their website. Consumers (as opposed to consumer groups) consistently rate the Blizzak tire very highly, if your PRIMARY INTEREST is the ability to traverse snow and ice. The performance versions to which Abfisch refers sacrifice some degree of traction in favor of handling on dry surfaces and reduced wear. In difficult conditions performance is the last thing on my mind, and I stand by my recommendation and the recommendation of thousands of Tire Rack customers.

mcclearyfl · December 2004

Abfisch appears to be recommending the use of two snow tires, presumably on the Avalon front wheels. Tire experts consistently recommend four snow tires, with the obvious objective of avoiding unequal handling characteristics.

deepan · December 2004

if one is going with 2 snow tires the recommendation is to put them on the rear tires. This is because with braking (typically at the front wheels) if the rear doesnt have good traction is continues to slide or so ive heard.

abfisch · December 2004

mcclearfl:

If that is what you read I am sorry. That is not what I meant. What I meant to say above was that this person above, is still going to need 2 more AS radials in the spring, regardless of whatever winter tire choices he has. I never recommended two snow tires nor do I have them on my vehicle.

I do think that consumer ratings are helpful. But...consumers, unless you are very wealthy, can NOT make side to side comparisons, on the same car (they were a BMW and a Honda Accord I believe, on similar roads and similar conditions. So, theretofore, this is more objectivity in a comparison of tires when CR or any other publication can duplicate this than subjective ratings on different cars, in different circustances, etc. You would be comparing apples to oranges as well as the excitement of a new winter tire on all 4 wheels.

Additionally, the above does not consider cost into the entire purchase, which makes one wonder if cost should be a consideration. For most of us, it is, or else you would be driving a LEXUS or the like. Tires, are a non durable good on a vehicle. Most have to be replaced several times during the course of ownership, especially those that keep their cars for decades or longer. Instead of emotionally making recommendations, I find it genuinely helpful to find out the entire situation with how long the owner planes to keep the vehicle, to evaluate further if the initial investment in four rims and winter tires would be cost prohibitive. I have them but that doesn't mean they are good for everyone. At 6 months winter each year, and at 15K average per year, you would have to keep the car for 5 years (37500 miles) if you can get that in order to at least exhaust the tires.

Other tire sites, especially the Canadian ones (1010 tires and tire trends) have a good selection of winter tires as well.

I'll write again with other winter tips when I have the opportunity.

Good luck to everyone during their winter drives.

abfisch

abfisch

stmech · December 2004

I have had Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires on my 2000 XLS during winter months since December 2001. I live where we get a decent amount of snow and we have hills (not mountains). I tried one winter with the OEM all-season Michlins. This was clearly not acceptable. I consider the snow tires to be absolutely essential. Particularly because of hilly conditions (even if you only have one decent hill). It is true that plowing is quite efficient, but hills make the snow tires necessary anyway- both for going up and down the hills. I also have an Audi A-6 which has Dunlop Graspic snow tires in the winter. I consider the Blizzaks to be superior to the Dunlops because of far better dry road handling and lower sound with very close snow performance between the two. I would definately get the Bridgestones again, but would not say the same for the Dunlops. Over three full winters I have gotten about 25,000 miles on the Bridgestones. I replaced two that were most worn at the beginning of this winter. I purchased my tires (mounted on steel wheels) from Tire Rack. Highly recommend them for good prices and great service.

mcclearyfl · December 2004

My Tire Rack Blizzaks got their first tryout this week following the very heavy snow that hit southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. My area received 10" of a mixture of snow, freezing rain and then more snow. Two days later the road surfaces are like concrete, and very slippery.

In the worst conditions of loose snow, and later ice, the Blizzaks on my Avalon have been superb. In a quiet area of a supermarket parking lot, I was unable to induce a skid. Heavy rutted snow in my subdivision was no obstacle.

My Saab sits forlornly in the driveway. It can't move on its all season tires.

su_dc3 · December 2004

Hey,

I have a 96 toyota avalon xls and I live in Minnesota and its been freezing lately and it has just warmed up to 30 some degrees so I decided to wash my car and now that I retry to start it the lights on the dash all light up and my doors all unlock and the trunk pops open. Then the engine never starts. Any idea about whats happening?

famwald · January 2005

The subwoofer on our '98 XLS went bad within the first year. My husband took it back to dealer who said nothing was wrong with it. DH couldn't be bothered with the hassle (it was his car) but they just don't last. Not a problem unless volune is up loud, then we notice.

Factory-installed moon roof wind deflector on same '98 has never vibrated (here in Tennessee). Seems to have a rubber gasket on base.

Gas mileage does depend on traffic & driving - try a fuel injector cleaner like Chevron Techron or BG K44. It might help. I average 21 mpg but don't sit in commute traffic.

mcclearyfl · January 2005

I recently wrote of my favorable experience with Bridgestone Blizzak tires following a difficult Kentucky snowstorm. Personal business found me in Chicago for the Windy City's first storm of the season. Freeways and major highways are well serviced by crews in the Chicago area, but they become clogged with slow-moving traffic. I chose to use side streets through residential neighborhoods, through slush, packed snow and about 7 inches of loose snow. My Avalon performed impeccably, with only the occasional warning light from the TCS system to advise me of wheel slip. My 20 minute journey became a 25 minute journey, but otherwise everything was normal. By using city side-roads I successfully avoided traffic holdups, other than at traffic lights.

gerhard · February 2005

HELLO, out there! Any comments on the brand new Avalon? I've been seeing commercials on TV, but no discussion yet on the Town Hall - let's go!!

alpha01 · February 2005

Um, you just kidding?

~alpha

mikes. · February 2005

Read the Avalon 2005 thread, it has a ton of posts.

pat · February 2005

Check out the Toyota Avalon 2005+ discussion - I think it's just what you are looking for.

And this gives me an opportunity to explain that we're now trying a new approach for moving vehicle discussions off the Futures board when that becomes appropriate. That discussion was moved from Future Vehicles and renamed, and this one is now renamed to Toyota Avalon pre-2005. We are hoping this will make for a smoother discussion transistion when a "Future" hits the streets.

We hope you will continue to participate in and enjoy both discussions!

jsnow · February 2005

I just recently purchased a new 2004 avalon and seem to be having a pulling/drifting to the right. I've been to Toyota 2 to fix the problem to no avail. The alignment seems to be in spec. they crossed the front tires.

It does not always pull. It mainly pulls when the road surface is very smooth. If there is any crown, it pulls even harder.

Anyone else have a problem like this?

Thanks

maggie3 · February 2005

Can you advise how to replace the cabin air filter in a 2002 toyota? Thanks.

fndlyfmrflyr · February 2005

Sounds familiar (within spec). Some cars do not have adjustments for caster or camber. Front end toe-in normally does not have any effect on pulling. My old Avalon has no caster or camber adjustments for the front. The dealer kept saying the car was within spec, but a real front end man got rid of the drift (also to the right). In my case there was enough 'slop' in the mounting holes to change the alignment a tiny bit, enough to make a difference.

On another of my cars that also has no adjustments, I had to buy a camber adjusting kit (all it is a bolt that isn't round, making room for a little movement) so the front end could be adjusted.

I've also had one car that had rear toe uneven and that cause a pull (was within spec and still was after adjusting - just at the other end of the spec).

Suggest you make a few calls and find someone that knows how to make an adjustment to correct pull, even if the car is within spec.

Tire pull is a common problem, but crossing the front tires, if that is the problem, will either fix the problem or make the car pull in the opposite direction.

jdrewski · February 2005

I have subdued all but one of the glitches on my 03. At all times, hot ft cold, upon initial acceleration, there is an intake noise similar to an old four barrel carb with the air cleaner off. Of course the Avy's noise is more subdued but very noticeable given the relative silence of the rest of the car. Anyone know of a fix? Should I stiffen the intake ducts? Is there an insert to tame the sound waves? We have a yard full of v6 cars and none of them make this noise. Dealer says TADT. They all do this.

abfisch · February 2005

jsnow:

Is it the XL or XLS??? Steel wheels??? Have a problem with wheel runout when I purchased mine and did the same.

abfisch

Toyota Avalon 2004 and earlier

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