Toyota Avanza Owners & Discussions [ARCHIVED]

[gensi311]

That dealer is simply trying to pull one over you. Last time I asked for the duplication service for the Fortuner's keys (pls see pic below), if I remember correctly, it was P2,000+++ for the integrated remote/key fob.

Oh really? Cge nga i'll challenge them.
Thank you.

[Ludwig]

Hello! My first post here... I too have been convinced to buy a new Avanza 1.3 and will be getting it this coming Friday. Since I will be picking it up from another city approx 145kms away(taga probinsya po kasi ako at sa next City pa po ang pinakamalapit na dealer), I would like to ask if there are any suggestions you can give as to the proper "break-in" methods to perform?
I have been browsing the net and frankly I have been reading conflicting answers, from the "gentle" break-in to the most recent "hard" break in.
Are there any suggestions in the manual that came with your units? If so, for the Avanza in particular, what may you guys suggest for me to follow? Since from what I read from the "hard" break in followers, the first 45km of your ride in your car amounts a lot to the sealing of your engines piston ring seal!
Thanks in advance and I would also be willing to join any Avanza club!

[k2tingx]

Hello! My first post here... I too have been convinced to buy a new Avanza 1.3 and will be getting it this coming Friday. Since I will be picking it up from another city approx 145kms away(taga probinsya po kasi ako at sa next City pa po ang pinakamalapit na dealer), I would like to ask if there are any suggestions you can give as to the proper "break-in" methods to perform?
I have been browsing the net and frankly I have been reading conflicting answers, from the "gentle" break-in to the most recent "hard" break in.
Are there any suggestions in the manual that came with your units? If so, for the Avanza in particular, what may you guys suggest for me to follow? Since from what I read from the "hard" break in followers, the first 45km of your ride in your car amounts a lot to the sealing of your engines piston ring seal!
Thanks in advance and I would also be willing to join any Avanza club!

IMHO, hard break in cause no engine trouble (top gear:source) i tried it in my fort just this nov. 2006, from , cavite - manila - baguio - lingayen - manila - quezon prov.. on my way up north.. medyo alalay lang sa 140kph, babad sa 130kph... on my way home down south 160kph kaya pa ng makina.. ako na sumuko... after 2000km the fort runs smoothly kahit nakababad sa 150.. try it yourself but not with the same speed since you have lower displacement..

[redorange]

Here's how I do it. I'm a surgeon by profession and I need to go around metro manila and up to epza cavite. Indeed we have a DOHC engine and I would say the pick up is very strong. When stepping on the gas, tell your driver not to be in a hurry and maintain the rpm up to 2000 or little above 2000. Avanza 1.5 A/T will shift a little above 2000 rpm. Don't turn off your overdrive. Kung medyo nagmamadali sya tendency is to step on the gas pedal para bumilis agad eh dun talo ka na sa gas bec. the ECU will not have ample time to adjust its valves. I shift to neutral in traffic of course. kasi pag d ka nag shift iinit brakes mu and at the same time medyo mataas rpm. kaya na notice mu na kapag nag shift ka to neutral mataas rpm kasi gumaan ang engine load and yun ang lag time for the ECU to adjust the valves intake again. I've been driving toyota's since I was 17 years old and ganito talaga ang rpm nila. Medyo exagerated lang sa Avanza kasi ang lapit natin sa engine and yung soundproof amenities nya eh hindi ganun ka ganda (low cost vehicle kasi)h. The manual will tell you how to use the overdrive properly. Tell na lang your driver na easy lang sa gas pedal.

Hope I was able to help.
Try reading www.avanzamalaysia.com. Marami sila comments dun about the defects of Avanza before. pati yung mga ingay sa suspension dami nila comments. Pero I believe Toyota improved on it a lot and corrected it for our Avanza. Malaking club ang Avanza Malaysia kaya maganda mga reviews nila. We can start our own Avanza Club in the Phils. Wat do you think?

Heat build up on the brakes only happen when the rotors are turning and you step on the brakes causing the calipers to press the pads against the rotor. This act causes friction and generates heat, however if you are at a complete stop there is no heat being generated between the pads and the rotor. A good example of this is when you rub your hands together, the rubbing causes friction and heat to be generated which in turn makes your hand warm. Now if you just press your hands against each other and without rubbing them there is no heat being generated, this is what happens when you are at a complete stop. As far as shifting between neutral and drive in traffic all that does is increase the wear and tear on your transmission, if the gas you save is worth the price of a transmission repair then save the gas.

Just my .02 cents.

[userfriendly]

Thanks Gensi311. I thought as much that the high FC is due to the driver combined with heavy traffic.

Sure lets start an Avanza club.

[gensi311]

Hello! My first post here... I too have been convinced to buy a new Avanza 1.3 and will be getting it this coming Friday. Since I will be picking it up from another city approx 145kms away(taga probinsya po kasi ako at sa next City pa po ang pinakamalapit na dealer), I would like to ask if there are any suggestions you can give as to the proper "break-in" methods to perform?
I have been browsing the net and frankly I have been reading conflicting answers, from the "gentle" break-in to the most recent "hard" break in.
Are there any suggestions in the manual that came with your units? If so, for the Avanza in particular, what may you guys suggest for me to follow? Since from what I read from the "hard" break in followers, the first 45km of your ride in your car amounts a lot to the sealing of your engines piston ring seal!
Thanks in advance and I would also be willing to join any Avanza club!

Hi there. It is in the manual on how to break-in your Avanza. Mine is automatic 1.5G kaya medyo iba tayo.

[gensi311]

Heat build up on the brakes only happen when the rotors are turning and you step on the brakes causing the calipers to press the pads against the rotor. This act causes friction and generates heat, however if you are at a complete stop there is no heat being generated between the pads and the rotor. A good example of this is when you rub your hands together, the rubbing causes friction and heat to be generated which in turn makes your hand warm. Now if you just press your hands against each other and without rubbing them there is no heat being generated, this is what happens when you are at a complete stop. As far as shifting between neutral and drive in traffic all that does is increase the wear and tear on your transmission, if the gas you save is worth the price of a transmission repair then save the gas.

Just my .02 cents.

Yes I got your point. What i meant was stop and go situation where you would let go off the brakes and let your car roll for a few meters then whe your about to fully stop again the traffic would start to move. That's the traffic I was telling. So its better to stop fully and let go off your feet on the brakes. You know the situation of our traffic here in Metro Manila.

[Ludwig]

Thanks for the reply k2tingx. Hmmm, will probably try the hard break in this time. Was a stickler on following the manual of my very old ride and have no complaints regarding its performance. But on the other hand, the reasoning behind the hard break in seems logical and plausible. Plus it would be most practical for me since I don't want to be caught driving in the dark on the way back. Ang pangit ng kalsada galing Iloilo-Passi-Roxas!! Wouldn't want to wreck the brand new tires and suspension and all would I? This would be an excuse for me to floor the new rig! wooooot!

[gensi311]

Thanks Gensi311. I thought as much that the high FC is due to the driver combined with heavy traffic.

Sure lets start an Avanza club.

Then most likely we need to see each other to finalize things out 'coz its not easy and it involves a little money for the web site.

[Ludwig]

ooops! Didn't know there was another page since I last browsed. Thanks gensi311 for the heads up. Will read the manual first before driving out. As I mentioned, I'm a manual freak. hehe. I always read them before even opening the other contents of the box.. You never know, there might be a warranty warning there! before you try anything funny...

[gensi311]

Hi userfriendly

Have you tried browsing Avanza Malaysia?

[gensi311]

ooops! Didn't know there was another page since I last browsed. Thanks gensi311 for the heads up. Will read the manual first before driving out. As I mentioned, I'm a manual freak. hehe. I always read them before even opening the other contents of the box.. You never know, there might be a warranty warning there! before you try anything funny...

From where are you?
Taga Iloilo ako eh.
Of all the Toyota Manuals I had, the Avanza is one of the best. Easy to read and will tell you on what will void warranty or not. I wanted to change to 45/205/R17 rims pero afraid baka pag may nasira sa suspension they will blame the low profile tires. hehehe. try browsing avanza malaysia. they are the one who had the 1st generation avanza. sorry actually indonesia pero yung web page ng indonesia, indonesian language din kaya malaysia ang nakita ko na maganda english nila.

[userfriendly]

I've browsed it and hope that our version does not have the problems they mentioned.

I don't find the ride bumpy. How about you?
Hope the brake fluid discoloration prob has been fixed.
How's your aircon? I find mine a bit weak at no 1 but too strong at no 2.

[gensi311]

I've browsed it and hope that our version does not have the problems they mentioned.

I don't find the ride bumpy. How about you?
Hope the brake fluid discoloration prob has been fixed.
How's your aircon? I find mine a bit weak at no 1 but too strong at no 2.

I don't find it bumpy. i came from a sedan kasi kaya medyo may difference talaga pag higher ang ground clearance. Aircon is fine with me. My thermostat is at the lowest always. Number 1 on morning and evening and number 2 during noontime. In the rear always number 1 kahit walang passenger para hindi hirap ang aircon e maintain ang lamig kaya dapat naka on palagi. I have learned this in Hongkong. Bigger vehicles hirap pag front aircon lang so ang tendency you set up your thermostat sa medyo mataas. Make the blower strong lang and maintain low thermostat plus turn on the aircon sa rear.

The cupper in the brake lining caused the discoloration of their brake fluid. Nag sloughed off yung brake lining nila inside kaya ganun. From what I know they changed the brake lining na. mga 2004 models yung mga nag uusap dun.

[number001]

Yes I got your point. What i meant was stop and go situation where you would let go off the brakes and let your car roll for a few meters then whe your about to fully stop again the traffic would start to move. That's the traffic I was telling. So its better to stop fully and let go off your feet on the brakes. You know the situation of our traffic here in Metro Manila.

For either an A/T or M/T vehicle, you can let go of your brakes on a full stop (red light), only when you shift to "N" and provided that the road is leveled flat. Otherwise not depressing the brakes will make your vehicle roll forward or backward depending on the incline of the road (even if its very slight). So if you dont want to depress the brakes on an uneven road, you can use the hand brake.

[Ludwig]

Thanks again for the reply gensi311. I'm actually from Kalibo. I'm vying to be the first to have the Avanza here The Innova and Fortuner are all common in the small and few streets of Kalibo already. Para maiba naman!
Theres a small (2 car display) dealership here but due to miscommunication, I was directed through Toyota Iloilo and thus began my purchasing the Avanza thru phone...I was actually inquiring about the Avanza there the Friday before Totoya Iloilo even started to display them!
I've read the horrors of voiding warranty and frankly I don't have much budget for unnecessary early repairs. (better save that for hopups and bling!) I wouldn't want to become among the ones knocking their heads on the wall for mistakes that could've been avoided...
Thats a nice tip regarding opening the AC at the back. Hopefully when I finally get to have my own unit I could also contribute my experiences with a 1.3 model. (Lahat kasi kayo 1.5 e. )

[Ludwig]

Hey guys, question again.. regarding the dual aircon. If you turn both the front AND the back at the same time, although at a lower thermostat setting, how will that affect your Fuel Consumption as compared to just turning on the AC at the front but at a higher thermostat setting?? I know it must be more comfortable and more efficient to have the whole inside of the vehicle filled with cold air than to have the AC struggle to keep it cold, thus the necessity to put the thermostat to a higher level. But FC wise, anu kaya mas maganda? 1 higher setting AC turned on vs 2 lower setting AC turned on?
Pasensya na daming tanong. Sedan lang kasi experience ko sa sasakyan! Never had a ride with a dual AC kasi. hehehe

[OTEP]

The change in FC is negligible since both a/c's run off the same compressor. Dalawa lang ang blower and cooling coil.

You can just turn both of them on to so that the cabin temp will be more consistent.

[cpudle]

I'm driving an M/T 1.5 and am not used to cars with low gear ratios (4.625 final drive) like the Avanza. Compared with my corrolla, the Avanza operates in a higher rpm range and am a litte worried on the effect on FC (Hmmm.. toyotang parang honda pero hindi). I try to shift higher earlier (to bring down rpm though at the cost of losing a bit of torque), thinking that this will save some fuel, however small. So is this a safe thing to do or maybe useless or stupid? Di kaya may masira by shifting early? Car newbie here.

I'm also thinking of plus sizing my tires to effect higher tire diameter thereby artificially increasing my gear ratio. A 27 inch tire diameter (from the 24.4 inch stock) will bring up my gear ratio effectively to about 4.2 from 4.625. What you think? Again, workable or stupid? I know this could void the warranty for suspension and chassis.

Travelled km so far is 450+. I've gone 360km from full tank and just viewing the meter it seems I've consumed nearly 75% of the gas, so my very rough guess is I'm consuming 10-11 km/liter (80/20 city/highway).

[redorange]

I'm driving an M/T 1.5 and am not used to cars with low gear ratios (4.625 final drive) like the Avanza. Compared with my corrolla, the Avanza operates in a higher rpm range and am a litte worried on the effect on FC (Hmmm.. toyotang parang honda pero hindi). I try to shift higher earlier (to bring down rpm though at the cost of losing a bit of torque), thinking that this will save some fuel, however small. So is this a safe thing to do or maybe useless or stupid? Di kaya may masira by shifting early? Car newbie here.

I'm also thinking of plus sizing my tires to effect higher tire diameter thereby artificially increasing my gear ratio. A 27 inch tire diameter (from the 24.4 inch stock) will bring up my gear ratio effectively to about 4.2 from 4.625. What you think? Again, workable or stupid? I know this could void the warranty for suspension and chassis.

Travelled km so far is 450+. I've gone 360km from full tank and just viewing the meter it seems I've consumed nearly 75% of the gas, so my very rough guess is I'm consuming 10-11 km/liter (80/20 city/highway).

Shifting early shouldn't cause any damage just a slower car when you accelarate because your engine won't be at the sweet spot of the torque curve. Whatever gain you make by up sizing the tires will be lost with the increase in weight of the wheels and tires.