New Owner

[greenalien]

Hi,

My wife and I decided to pick up a black 05 Touring and we also bought the extended warranty. First thing I'm going to do is an oil change and than adjust the headlight cause its a little low. Other than that I'm going to give a Toyota dealer a call to see if the steering column recall has been done or not.

Maybe I should just bring it in and have the dealer change the oil and adjust the headlight, plus get everything checked over. As you can see I'm pretty new at this warranty stuff.

Hope the Avalon will behave itself.

[inov8]

Welcome to TN; I hope you enjoy the car and never have to use your extended warranty. Unless you are from the 50's (like me), you may find the oil filter design somewhat bizarre. I advise reading up on the oil and oil filter change procedures before deciding if you want to want to do it yourself. Its not hard, just different.

[Tom in Tacoma]

I agree about the oil change - it's not a spin-on filter.

And since you just bought the car used, if you haven't had it checked out thoroughly - it might be a good idea to take it to the dealership for the oil change and headlight adjustment (which they might do under warranty). They'll give it a pretty good going over and give you a report afterwards. The peace of mind would be worth the price in my mind.

...and welcome aboard!

[CassisPearl]

Congrats!

Does the Touring model come with the self leveling headlights? If so, maybe there's more to be done than just an adjustment.

[CAPTMARK]

Congrats -luv my '06 Avy Touring (BLK)-0 problems in 2 1/2 yrs !

[CAPTMARK]

Originally Posted by CassisPearl

Congrats!

Does the Touring model come with the self leveling headlights? If so, maybe there's more to be done than just an adjustment.

yes they do have self levelers

[greenalien]

thanks guys..

i've search about the oil change and it is a little weird but nothing hard.

As for the headlight it does have the self leveler. I hope it can be adjusted without any problems, just want it up just a little.

I can see the windows getting tinted this summer.

[ManyMods]

Hi!
I too just bought an '05 Avalon --- mine is a Limited. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine.

The first thing I suggest you do if you are keeping the car and wanting to do your own work is to get the complete set of Factory Service Manuals (FSM). They are pricey but I think well worth the cost.

My headlights and fog lights were also set too low and I had the dealer adjust them. After reading the procedure for properly aiming them I am wondering if the dealer really went through the trouble to do it accurately. The FSM outlines the procedure. The FSM also gives part numbers for tools need to do specific jobs, and I bought the factory oil filter wrench so I can do my own oil changes. I know you can go to WalMart and get something very similar for 1/10 the cost but I wanted the exact tool they recommend.

I just had the ECM performance emissions TSB EG033-37 done and it has greatly improved drive-ability. The steering column TSB was VIN specific and the air bag TSB only affected about a half dozen vehicles from what I could learn.

This forum doesn't go crazy exploring all kinds of mods, but it is a good place to be for basic intel. Have fun.

- Peter

[mbrem]

I also have an 05 Limited.

My questions are how much did this TSB EG 033-37 cost you? Was is covered under 3yr/36K warranty. Did it solve the transmission shifting delay?

Thanks

[ManyMods]

Originally Posted by mbrem

I also have an 05 Limited.

My questions are how much did this TSB EG 033-37 cost you? Was is covered under 3yr/36K warranty. Did it solve the transmission shifting delay?

Thanks

MBREM -
The work cost me nothing and if it did it would have been about $2500-$3000 according to other list members. It is a four hour job (estimated) and there is some serious dismantling of the engine exhaust manifolds.

It is covered under the emissions warranty and as far as I know there is no expiration to that. I have the premium 100K warranty that I bought when I acquired the car and looked at all the electronics involved in running this car. It is outrageous and those components cost big bucks. I had close to 39K on the odometer when it went in and my extended warranty had no effect on the dealer's decision to do the work. I did tell them I would pay the difference in the shop labor charge if need be because I wanted it done right and by their best mechanic. They did not take me up on my offer.

Absolutely! It shifts smoothly now with no hunting or hesitation. I know the ECM is still learning so I will know more when I get back from a trip to NY this week. That will put about 600 miles on the car and plenty of time for the ECM to adjust.

BTW, as a sidebar, I was just out playing with the car and putting some new PIAA bulbs in my high-beams and fog lights (I have the HID system). I also took off the air filter cover --- some AH broke a tang off the back of the cover, but it does not hurt the efficiency of the air box. You have to be very careful dismantling it and the first thing you do is release the hose clamp at the rear. I cleaned the filter; it was full of bugs, twigs, parts of leaves, etc. Then I looked at the snorkel that is plumbed to scoop on the radiator cross brace. I took some black nylon screen material and fabricated a screen across the front of the scoop to prevent anything other than dust and air from entering my intake system. I intend to start a thread and post a picture of what I did. I think it came out all right for what it is.

- Peter

[greenalien]

Originally Posted by ManyMods

Hi!
I too just bought an '05 Avalon --- mine is a Limited. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine.

The first thing I suggest you do if you are keeping the car and wanting to do your own work is to get the complete set of Factory Service Manuals (FSM). They are pricey but I think well worth the cost.

My headlights and fog lights were also set too low and I had the dealer adjust them. After reading the procedure for properly aiming them I am wondering if the dealer really went through the trouble to do it accurately. The FSM outlines the procedure. The FSM also gives part numbers for tools need to do specific jobs, and I bought the factory oil filter wrench so I can do my own oil changes. I know you can go to WalMart and get something very similar for 1/10 the cost but I wanted the exact tool they recommend.

I just had the ECM performance emissions TSB EG033-37 done and it has greatly improved drive-ability. The steering column TSB was VIN specific and the air bag TSB only affected about a half dozen vehicles from what I could learn.

This forum doesn't go crazy exploring all kinds of mods, but it is a good place to be for basic intel. Have fun.

- Peter

Thanks for the heads up on the recalls, I'll have to find the TSB and see if I'm affected. How much did you get the factory oil filter wrench for?

I'm enjoying the Avalon so far and have replaced the interior light bulbs with LED's bulbs. I'll have to replace the high beam and fog light with something a little better in the near future.

I haven't adjusted the headlight yet but it looks like it could be done without any special tools.

[ManyMods]

Originally Posted by greenalien

(Snip) I'm enjoying the Avalon so far and have replaced the interior light bulbs with LED's bulbs. (Snip)

I would like to know more about the interior LED bulbs --- Mfg? PN? Thanks

-Peter