Avensis 2005 Questions

[Stephenmckee]

Hi All,

I bought a 2005 Avensis 1.8 TX-3 at the end of July from an authorised dealer, as part of the deal I asked that the car was given a full service and was told that it had been.

Within 2 weeks of getting the car I noticed that the brakes were not very good, I checked the discs and pads and both were worn, the dealer eventually replaced both discs and pads but after a week ot two a very irritating noise has appeared when I am braking (does not matter hard or feathering), should I be worried about this or will it disappear?

I have also noticed that the coolant level has dropped a few cm since I last checked at the start of August, should it have dropped so fast?

I love the car but the lack of iPhone / MP3 connectivity is annoying, is it possible to put another double din device into the centre console? I saw the other post about replacing the radio but there's not a lot of information in it regarding how hard or easy it is to do. I have seen double din Sat Nav sytems that would look good.

Many thanks

Stephen

[t-spiritpete]

Hi All,

I bought a 2005 Avensis 1.8 TX-3 at the end of July from an authorised dealer, as part of the deal I asked that the car was given a full service and was told that it had been.

Within 2 weeks of getting the car I noticed that the brakes were not very good, I checked the discs and pads and both were worn, the dealer eventually replaced both discs and pads but after a week ot two a very irritating noise has appeared when I am braking (does not matter hard or feathering), should I be worried about this or will it disappear?

I have also noticed that the coolant level has dropped a few cm since I last checked at the start of August, should it have dropped so fast?

I love the car but the lack of Iphone / MP3 connectivity is annoying, is it possible to put another double din device into the centre console? I saw the other post about replacing the radio but there's not a lot of information in it regarding how hard or easy it is to do. I have seen double din Sat Nav sytems that would look good.

Many thanks

Stephen

Hello Stephen, the coolant level is your main concern here so take it back to the dealer and report it along with the other concern about the brakes, get them check for leaks, top it up and monitor the situation.

Can't help with the ICE but here is Toyota's view on your brake problem taken from their workshop manual:-

Noise from brakes:-

1. Pad (Cracked or distorted)

2. Installation bolt (Loose)

3. Disc (Scored)

4. Pad support plate (Loose)

5. Sliding pin (Worn)

6. Pad (dirty)

7. Pad(Glazed)

I wish you luck at the dealers, best regards .... Pete.

[theoilburner]

Hi All,

I bought a 2005 Avensis 1.8 TX-3 at the end of July from an authorised dealer, as part of the deal I asked that the car was given a full service and was told that it had been.

Within 2 weeks of getting the car I noticed that the brakes were not very good, I checked the discs and pads and both were worn, the dealer eventually replaced both discs and pads but after a week ot two a very irritating noise has appeared when I am braking (does not matter hard or feathering), should I be worried about this or will it disappear?

I have also noticed that the coolant level has dropped a few cm since I last checked at the start of August, should it have dropped so fast?

I love the car but the lack of Iphone / MP3 connectivity is annoying, is it possible to put another double din device into the centre console? I saw the other post about replacing the radio but there's not a lot of information in it regarding how hard or easy it is to do. I have seen double din Sat Nav sytems that would look good.

Many thanks

Stephen

Hi Stephen, I also bought the exact same car in July. :)

No problems with the brakes on mine, although mine had been sitting around a while and there was a grinding noise for a while as the rust was scraped off during braking. Yours might be down to the installation though, it's worth taking it back to have it checked.

I've had no changes in coolant level at all. Take a look under the bonnet at the coolant hoses going in and out of the radiator and expansion tank and make sure they're all connected OK. There's also connections through bottom corner of the throttle body (no idea why) and a coolant temp sensor on the RH side of the engine that could leak. Don't forget to check for signs of failed head gasket too, e.g. mayo under oil filler cap.

I found the standard stereo was rubbish, and I also wanted iPod connectivity. So I bought an Avensis to ISO adaptor cable (wasn't expensive), plus a facia adaptor for the dash (both from Car Audio Direct, very good service from them) and then fitted a new head unit with proper iPod integration. I went for an old model Alpine iDA X300 (bought from Car Audio Centre - who I *wouldn't* recommend for customer service issues I had with them). There's no CD player, just iPod and USB connections. You have to pay a few quid extra for the iPod lead (I think it will do iPhone too) and it works a charm. Because there's no CD player, the display is quite big, making it easy to find tracks. I would recommend it, or one of the newer versions that are around if you have deeper pockets! It can also be upgraded to bluetooth.

I considered double din units with Sat Nav and bluetooth as standard, but I couldn't find one I liked that also did decent iPod integration i.e. full speed connection - some don't. Prices went through the roof too...

BTW, with an upgraded HU the standard Speakers respond quite well and produce a very reasonable sound. The only thing I have lost is that none of the steering wheel buttons for the stereo or trip computer now work. I could pay extra to make them work again, but I can't be bothered. I can reach the stereo easily enough to change volume/track and the trip computer can still be controlled via the big buttons under the display.

Hope that helps!

Pete

[theoilburner]

p.s. if you do replace the head unit, it's a very easy job. Use trim tools (or plastic blades) to prise off the trim along the middle of the dash and around the gear lever. Then remove the 4x 10mm bolts holding the stereo (if using a socket wrench you'll need extenders to reach as the bolts are quite far in) and air con harness in place, unscrew the stereo from the steel harness and replace with new stereo, put it all back together. Your wiring harness adaptor and facia adaptor being pretty self explanatory to fit. Thanks to the fact that the new stereo will be screwed into the steel harness, it's a very solid installation with no new rattles created.

You may need a cheap adaptor to connect the aerial lead too, I did.

[Stephenmckee]

Thanks guys, much appreciated for the quick replies and excellent advice, checked around the various hoses etc in the engine bay couldn't see or feel any leaks, nothing under the oil filler cap. Car itself is running great.

I thought the noise wasn't that serious so I contacted the dealer and they have eventually agreed to take a look at it on Monday.

Thanks Pete (oilburner) for the info on the headunit, I'll take a look at the shops and see what I like, I'm hard to please :)

Cheers again guys

[bestseany]

I've been researching how difficult it is to replace the stereo and it doesn't seem that difficult, you just have to remove a couple of pieces of trim and then you should see the screws that hold the radio and A/C unit together.

Coolant could be an issue, but it's worth topping it up and keeping an eye on it.