Love my avy!

[dapetrick]

I have an 02 XLS 70K that I just bought certified used. Just love it--wish it were a little more responsive steering-wise, but otherwise love it.

I have a bunch of questions but here are a few:

I recently had the alarm go off in the middle of the night. The manual says you have to open a door without a key to get the alarm to sound. Is that true? It also says that the alarm only stays on for 1 minute. I could swear it took me more than 1 minute to realize it was going off, much less, get out of bed, realize it was my car alarm, get dressed, find my keys, and deactivate it.

On the drivers' window switches, only one of them lights up for me. Is that the way it's supposed to be?

I read that the auto climate control system is perfect. For me, when it's hot out, I have to keep it on 78-82 to be comfortable, and sometimes have to just shut it off I get so cold. And now that it's cold, I'm having to keep it on Max because 85 feels cold. I called the dealer and they said they'd be glad to take a look at it, but it would have to go to their special location where the computer diagnostics are--and I could just smell the dollars going up in flames. So I put it off. But it seems to me that you pretty much have to ignore the temperature, and just turn it up and down and you see fit. There's no set it at 70 year round and it keeps you comfortable. I also find it kind of comic. Because when you have it on auto, it will suddenly switch, and you'll feel air on your face or your feet, and think okay it must be adjusting.

[USBP267]

Congratulations. I've had my Avalon since 2001. Isn't the leg room for the back seat passengers INCREDIBLE? That's what sold me. Anyway,
I have the XL model and the light only illuminates for my (driver) window switch also. That may be the standard.
You may want to find out if the alarm is the stock alarm or was later retrofitted with another alarm with additional features that may reconfigure the stock alarm's options. I live by a Naval Air Station. I retrofitted the stock alarm with an alarm that offered shock sensors. It is not set too sensitive but the helicopters and planes that fly over my residence to and from the air station set the alarm off. There has also been occassions where a cat climbs on the car to seek a warm area to lay down and triggered the alarm. I have a feeling this may be the case with your Avalon, shock sensor adjustment.
I don't have an answer for your climate control issue as my Avalon's climate controls are manual.
Hope my information helps.

[TrailDust]

The rear passenger space and the massive trunk are what sold me too. As for the climate control system, the problems you're describing, dapetrick, are why I opted for the "manual" system in the XL. Sounds like you've got some playing around to do before you find some level of comfort and control. Hope it works out all right for you.

TrailDust

[tr7driver]

The climate control on my 00 avy is also off. I have to keep it set about 89 in the summer or it will freeze me out. When I turn the AC off for the winter, the temperatures are more reasonable, like 75. I just learned to find the confortable temp and found that it will do the rest.

The control on my o1 highlander is spot on. I can leave it set at 73 year around.

[TrailDust]

Call me a technophobe or a control freak, but I want to have total control over my car. I want to set everything myself, and just don't want a computer to do it for me. That's just my personal preference.