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Old 08-14-2014, 11:24 AM   #1
harkauto
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Help. Dad's new Avalon rides like a truck.

My dad has always owned Cadillac's and he is now in his early 80's and the last couple of new Cadillac's he has owned were seemingly in the shop more than they were on the road.
He called me one day and said he was going to get rid of the Cadillac and wanted to know what cars out there have excellent mechanical reliability histories. Being a Toyota owner for years and knowing the consumer reports for Toyota are excellent and my own experiences with them have been really good, I suggested to dad that he get rid of the Cadillac and buy a high end Toyota. He was reluctant when I suggested anything other than an American car.
Well low and behold he showed up one day driving a brand new "2014 Toyota Avalon. I asked him how he liked it and he said 'Come on I will take you for a ride". When we arrived back home he said he liked the car and especially the great fuel mileage but he said "heck, my truck rides better than this car, the Avalon he said rides like a lumber wagon". He said this suspension is so stiff and the ride so rough that he can tell when he runs over a cigarette butt." Exaggeration I know! Dad said for what you pay for an Avalon he expected a much better ride. I told my dad that even though Cadillac's do have a terrible mechanical history, the one thing Cadillac does have is a ride that is hard to beat.
Now.....fast forward a few more months he is so unhappy with the ride that he is now talking about trading the Avalon off for something else.
My question is...has anyone else out there had this same experience and what did you do to remedy the problem?
I did a little research and found that the new Avalon's have those low profile tires on them which is part of the reason for the stiffer ride and I do believe that my 1999 Camry with the higher profile rubber does in fact ride smoother than my dads Avalon.
Can someone recommend a specific tire that dad could put on the Avalon that would help smooth out the ride?

Thanks for your help!
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Old 08-14-2014, 12:52 PM   #2
Brian R.
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Re: Help. Dad's new Avalon rides like a truck.

I would try taking to a dealer, since it is still under warranty, and voice a complaint. There may be a defect in the suspension. I haven't heard of this complaint before, but anything is possible. Shouldn't cost you anything to try.

I expect Avalons to be smooth and quiet.
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Old 08-14-2014, 01:17 PM   #3
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Re: Help. Dad's new Avalon rides like a truck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian R. View Post
I would try taking to a dealer, since it is still under warranty, and voice a complaint. There may be a defect in the suspension. I haven't heard of this complaint before, but anything is possible. Shouldn't cost you anything to try.

I expect Avalons to be smooth and quiet.
Dad said he did take it to the dealer and the dealer said that Toyota recently did a survey of Avalon owners and it was found that they did receive a lot of similar complaints; but beyond that they did not offer to remedy the situation in any way.
The car is very quiet. Just ride like a truck.
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Old 08-14-2014, 04:19 PM   #4
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Re: Help. Dad's new Avalon rides like a truck.

I would be tempted to replace the struts with softer ones and keep the car. Beyond taking a hit in value after using it so little, they are really nice cars and ride can be easily modified both softer and harder. It seems you will spend a lot of money trying to replace the tires, and get less difference than replacing the struts.

Koni and Bilstein are brands that are well recommended. If you get tires, I recommend Michelins.
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