New '95 Avalon owner looking for tips etc. - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

KeepItSimple · 08-09-2006, 07:20 AM

Hello!
I just bought a '95 Avalon from a private party here in Sacramento, CA, USA, and I love it! It has 144k but drives like a new car.

Are there any other Avalon owners out there that would mind sharing what's good, bad, or ugly about their Avy?

The only problem at this time is wind noise through the front windows. I understand that can be fixed but i'm not sure if i take it to the dealer (i'd rather not) or to a body shop or glass shop or just my regular Toyota repair shop. Also, is the usual problem noise coming from the weatherstripping or from the window seals? I can't tell.

Thanks!!

ShiningArcanine · 08-09-2006, 08:58 AM

I have a 1995 Avalon. I am not sure what makes the highway noise, but it is probably one of the two things you cited.

Anyway, the two remotes that came with my Avalon do not work anymore. The plastic piece on the sun visor has one of its hinges broken, The mechanism that opens the compartment next to the drink holder is broken so that I have to hold it in order to close it; otherwise it will not close. There are rattles in the car. So far I have found three rattles, one on the driver's door, another on the compartment where the CD player would go and another on the plastic circle that is around the key hole for the ignition. They only happen from time to time though. The rattle on the plastic that is around the key hole for the ignition is the most common one. The one on the door first happened yesterday and the one on the compartment where the CD player would go also first happened yesterday; I suspect happened because I had a paper in that compartment. Also, sometimes with extreme temperatures, the powerlock on the driver side door fails to function properly. When it was under warranty, the dealership could not find a problem with it.

As for problems the car had in the past, once its muffler became loose and it had to go to the dealership for repairs.

KeepItSimple · 08-09-2006, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShiningArcanine

The plastic piece on the sun visor has one of its hinges broken, The mechanism that opens the compartment next to the drink holder is broken so that I have to hold it in order to close it; otherwise it will not close. There are rattles in the car. So far I have found three rattles, one on the driver's door, another on the compartment where the CD player would go and another on the plastic circle that is around the key hole for the ignition. They only happen from time to time though. The rattle on the plastic that is around the key hole for the ignition is the most common one. Also, sometimes with extreme temperatures, the powerlock on the driver side door fails to function properly.

No problem here with broken parts as this Avy has been well cared for in that respect.

There is an intermittent rattle that comes from the glove box door. If I drive with it open the noise goes away. Anyone had a problem with that?

Also, there's a slight rattle from the front vent/stereo area when I go over hard bumps but not bad.

One thing that I probably need is feedback from you Avy "veterans" on how, ummm, anal to get about little squeaks and noises. I'm not used to a quiet car (my other is an '85 Celica) and am not sure how much to try to fix or just live with.

Thanks!

PB65stang · 08-09-2006, 11:44 AM

My '95 has about the same number of squeaks that my mom's '03 has. For me, in an 11 year old car (with 166k) there isnt much of a point in searching around for a rattle. The only ones I get are occasionally in the roof at the back of the sunrrof, and very rarely at the front of the dash, near the windshield. Just my $.02. If you have a rattle that involves a hinge (i.e.) door, trunk, glovebox maybe, then you can try some white lithium grease. My doors on my '65 Mustang squeaked like crazy when I opened them, and when I sprayed some of that on them, they stopped instantly. Maybe worth a try on the glovebox.

silverxls · 08-09-2006, 12:15 PM

i'd bet you can fix them all with a little perserverance a note about the lock not working on SArcanine's...i've seen two other people with this sort of prob, both not toyota's. one is a mazda suv...the woman having the same prob when hot...at the end of day she'd come out from work and door wouldnt open. she had it to dealer several times, and they finally told her there is no problem....it's just that the servo which opens the door is heat protected, so it won't burn out if it were to jam or something, and the extreme heat is just tripping the breaker. so now she goes out in the afternoon and moves the suv to a diff parking space that shades her door.

ShiningArcanine · 08-09-2006, 02:32 PM

I would like to fix that problem one day, so for future reference, what type of breaker would I need to buy to fix that problem?

silverxls · 08-10-2006, 11:34 PM

it's built in to the servo....the dealer replaced the servo several times, and they all did it. like they said...there is nothing wrong...just that extreme heat can cause it to trip.