Wifes 2006 Toyota Avalon rear sunshade retracts when transmission is put in reverse. It has started making a noise every time the car is put in reverse whether shade is up or down. Annoying to say the least. Searching has found this is a fairly common problem and costs from $800 to $1,500 to fix/replace. Rear seat, parcel shelf and decklid has to be removed to access the mechanism. The fuse for the shade has the cruise on the same circuit so removing fuse disables cruise and possibly other functions as well. I guess I'll have to go to the dealer next week and get a professional opinion. Any suggestions on what it might be to fix/disable this feature as it is rarely used anyway.
Powered rear sunshade
- Thread starter gman2304
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Fix? Dealer.
Disable? Unplug the connector or clip the wire. Unplugging the connector may take some disassembly; I'm not sure where exactly it is located on your car.
Disable? Unplug the connector or clip the wire. Unplugging the connector may take some disassembly; I'm not sure where exactly it is located on your car.
Hey, just be glad you don't own a Rolls Phantom. The window shades in the back are a $12,000 option. Probably more to fix!
OTOH, this is a perfect example of why you lease a luxury car with all the shiny electronics and buy a sports car. Electronics in cars rarely last as long as people intend to keep the car, you can buy a 20 year old Rolls for like $10,000 because the engine might literally be the only working thing on it.
OTOH, this is a perfect example of why you lease a luxury car with all the shiny electronics and buy a sports car. Electronics in cars rarely last as long as people intend to keep the car, you can buy a 20 year old Rolls for like $10,000 because the engine might literally be the only working thing on it.
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People buy older Audi,SAAB,Volvo,Mercedes cars because the depreciation gets them down to simple "used car" prices.It gives them the status they are looking for amongst their friends and strangers alike,however,as I have always said...if you cant afford to repair the car when its new,you certainly wont be able to when its old.Its not like parts prices come down as cars age (price a 58 Edsel shift motor for example)and if its bought used,that means the buyer has LESS money available for repairs.As for me,I'll stick to popular,older,mainstream cars that don't have all the gee gaws.Its just something else to go wrong....
Her car is 10 years old. We bought it for less than half half the new MSRP in 2009, which was less than the cost of a new Camry back then. Even when new, it didn't cost near what the mentioned RR's Audi's; BMW's, Volvo's cost. In 7 years, it has never cost me a dime 'out of pocket' for repairs, only normal maintenance items. It is the second used Avalon we have owned, and I can afford to fix it, but the sunshade is never used, and it will be traded in, for most likely another used Avalon, in a couple of years anyway. If it burned to the ground tomorrow, we're still ahead of the game on this car.
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
People buy older Audi,SAAB,Volvo,Mercedes cars because the depreciation gets them down to simple "used car" prices.It gives them the status they are looking for amongst their friends and strangers alike,however,as I have always said...if you cant afford to repair the car when its new,you certainly wont be able to when its old.Its not like parts prices come down as cars age (price a 58 Edsel shift motor for example)and if its bought used,that means the buyer has LESS money available for repairs.As for me,I'll stick to popular,older,mainstream cars that don't have all the gee gaws.Its just something else to go wrong....
This doesn't actually make much sense. When the car is new, it's covered by a bumper to bumper warranty so of course you can afford to get it repaired when it's new as the cost is typically $0.
The tricky stage is when the warranty just expires. At that stage, it's too new for there to be many of those cars at the junkyard and still a little too new for there to be aftermarket parts. For instance, many common items like brake pads and rotors are available on the aftermarket, you're not just limited to the manufacturer.
When they're older, then there's more likely to be aftermarket parts and you can also hit the junkyard for used parts.
But keep up the good work, that kind of FUD keeps most people from buying them and keeps up the massive deprecation. The flip side of a used luxury car is that they're less likely to have been abused. And you end up with features like xenons or panoramic sunroofs that you don't find on other average used cars. Yeah, those features can be expensive when they break, but many times, they don't break, or if they break, like a sunshade, if it's in the down position, you don't have to fix them.
People buy older Audi,SAAB,Volvo,Mercedes cars because the depreciation gets them down to simple "used car" prices.It gives them the status they are looking for amongst their friends and strangers alike,however,as I have always said...if you cant afford to repair the car when its new,you certainly wont be able to when its old.Its not like parts prices come down as cars age (price a 58 Edsel shift motor for example)and if its bought used,that means the buyer has LESS money available for repairs.As for me,I'll stick to popular,older,mainstream cars that don't have all the gee gaws.Its just something else to go wrong....
This doesn't actually make much sense. When the car is new, it's covered by a bumper to bumper warranty so of course you can afford to get it repaired when it's new as the cost is typically $0.
The tricky stage is when the warranty just expires. At that stage, it's too new for there to be many of those cars at the junkyard and still a little too new for there to be aftermarket parts. For instance, many common items like brake pads and rotors are available on the aftermarket, you're not just limited to the manufacturer.
When they're older, then there's more likely to be aftermarket parts and you can also hit the junkyard for used parts.
But keep up the good work, that kind of FUD keeps most people from buying them and keeps up the massive deprecation. The flip side of a used luxury car is that they're less likely to have been abused. And you end up with features like xenons or panoramic sunroofs that you don't find on other average used cars. Yeah, those features can be expensive when they break, but many times, they don't break, or if they break, like a sunshade, if it's in the down position, you don't have to fix them.
Nice solution, sure beats paying hundreds to the dealer.
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