An excellent rationale why recalls are on the rise---a quote from another forum:
"Recalls: This is an entirely different story because while it was scandalous in the past like divorce was in the 40's and 50's recalls now are just a common occurance to fix potential problems before they become major fiasco's like Ford and Firestone went through. I think this is perfectly rational and good business. All the automakers learned what not to do in the Ford/Firestone mess.
Yesterday Chrysler just recalled 200K vehicles to fix ... cupholders. Yes there might be a potential problem affecting safety but the real story is that likely every vehicle being built will have some minor adjustment made to it, it's just that the fixes will be done using the recall mechanism. Priorly these adjustments were done as 'service campaigns' but they were still being done. After all autos are only electromechanical objects.
Fixing carpeting and fixing cupholders receives the same weight of importance in recall statistics as any very serious problem so I expect the recall statistics for all manufacturers to balloon in the coming years.
2005 recall stats
GM .. 5 Million vehicles Ford .. 6 Million vehicle DC .. 766,000 vehicles Toyota .. 2.2 Million vehicles
snippet: But safety officials cautioned that recall numbers vary widely from year to year, and it is hard to draw conclusions about safety trends from them. While 2005 saw far fewer vehicles recalled than in 2004, the number was pretty close to the total in 2003, when 19.1 million vehicles were recalled."
Although LED-based tail lights have excellent life, you DO NOT want to pay the cost for replacement, as compared to a simple light bulb. In some cases, including this one, simpler is better, and ultimately cheaper in the long term.
Well said, Helofanrus!!! And just to add one more thing. This isn't a forum comparing a Toyota Camry vs. the Chevy Impala. Just thought I'd remind Priggly of that fact.
I just got my XLE this weekend. I have tried the procedure you described several times but the car does not start. Is there a way to disable/enable this feature? Any other thoughts?
geez, my bonne's remote has a engine button which you just press once. I quess Toyota has some ergonomic issues after all. All that button pushing is going to wear out your FOB's a lot sooner. But I quess that will make Toyota even more money. :mad:
Recently when I dropped off my wife's Sienna for servicing, I was given a (brand new) free rental Camry LE. My own car is a 2005 XLE V6. The differences were very interesting.
The new 4 cylinder LE is definitely able to keep up with fast traffic on steeply graded roads here in Northeastern NJ/Southern NY state but had to be revved up a lot more than I am used to on my V6.
I definitely feel that my V6 is much quieter than the four cylinder. The four cylinder is definitely noisier at high RPM. Unfortunately one is forced to use high RPMs a lot more when driving in this area. Apart from the engine noise, other noise was commendably low in the new Camry.
Theoretically, Toyota's 2.4L 4-cyl. motor could be tuned to delver the same 268 hp as the 3.5L 6-cyl. motor. But, to do so would require revving it to 3.5L/2.4L x 6,200 rpm, or - 9,042 rpm. to achive the same air flow capability* to compensate for the 4-banger's reduced displacement. Practically, there aren't too many motors capable of sustained operation at >9,000 rpm - certainly none in serial production for passenger cars so far as I'm aware. Obviously, Toyota stopped well short of extracting equivalent power from the Camry's I4 to that available in the Camry's V6, but the useable power available from the I4 still necessitates more frequent (and somewhat noisier) forays into the I4's available upper rpm range than is necessary with the V6 powerplant. To its credit, the I4 is less mass over the front wheels - which should translate into more neutral handling when compared to 6-cyl models.
*Reciprocating internal combustion engines are basically pumps. They must move air efficiently, both in and out to produce useable power. Unless there's sufficient air in the cylinders to accomodate it, merely pouring excess fuel in the mix returns nothing but unburned fuel in the exhaust as smoke. There are two basic ways to increase the air pumping capability of a piston engine: increase its diplacement or resort to compressing the air charge through supercharging - belt or gear driven, or exhaust driven.
I-4 cylinder ,automatic After reading & hearing all the raves about Hondas & Toyotas i took the plunge & bought a Camry. It gets terrific gas mileage cause its always parked in the dealers shop!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lemon: first it was the left turn signal that did'nt work from the start, brought it in after waiting 3 weeks for a switch. Before leaving I checked & it still did'nt work, :lemon: come to find out it was a broken wire, then it won't start. :lemon: After 3 1/2 hours they turned it back over to me & everyting seemed fine but the next time I tried starting it , noting except :lemon: spining the engine over. Finally got it started & drove to the dealer 36 mile' s 1 way for the 4th time & left it there for the pass 3 days & hope to get it back Monday. Is this :lemon: what everyone is praising Toyotas for? jeaux
Murphy's Law dictates if you have many problems up front , you will have many trouble free years ahead. Your the lucky sod who has probably bought the best car Toyota's produced in a decade. Your car has a character.
)) "I can find all of the 5w20 that I want and use it in my Odyssey, but I think that I should run 0-w20 in the Camry 4cyl." ((
Why? It doesn't lubricate any better than 5W-20. (I believe your owner's manual lists 5W-20 viscosity as recommended, too, doesn't it? Or do you reside in the land of Frozen Canucks?) I'm fairly certain you can write off finding a 0W-20 conventional oil. There may be 0W-20 oils at the larger autoparts chains in full synthetic varieties. If not, try the performance autoparts stores - but be prepared to pay premium prices. Unless you reside where winters are exceptionally cold, there's probably not any need. Once the engine warms up, both 5W-20 and 0W-20 become 20 weight viscosity - the first number indicates its ability to flow well when frost forms on your eyeballs. Even the more commonly available 5W-20 conventional varieities are good to go down lower than -25 deg. F., and, though rated the same viscosity, the full synthetic 5W-20s are probably good for at least ten degrees colder than that.
(Just checked a bottle of 0W-30 Castrol Syntec (made in Germany but bottled over here - $7.00/quart) a neighbor insists on using in his Corolla here in southern California (!) - it states that it allows unaided starts as low as -40 deg. F. Do you live in an area that gets that freakin' cold?)
Thanks for the replies guys. (And no I don't live in the Arctic Circle....)
I've heard the 0-w20 gives better mileage than the 5-w20, but at what cost?
I'll see what the dealer uses and what they charge, and if it's not reasonable, I'll just buy the 5w-20 and use that. I'm sure that it will be fine.
Anybody have any experience changing the canister type oil filter? I've read that it's not a spinoff filter?(I've never seen an oil filter that doesn't spin off.)
I just checked with me dealer about the oil that they would use in the 2007 Camry 4cyl, and they claimed to use 5w-30 bulk oil for all oil changes. I'm definitely not taking it there!!!
I've heard the 0-w20 gives better mileage than the 5-w20, but at what cost?
I doubt that any improvement in mileage due to 0W20 oil that's more fluid when the engine is not warm than 5W20 can be measured outside the laboratory...
Usually, the owner's manual specifies one oil to use where the temperatures can get below OF in winter and another oil elsewhere. 0W20 sounds like oil for the snow-belt and if so 5W20 could be the one recommended for the bible-belt. As I don't own a Camry, what does the manual say, just 0W20? If so, that's the oil that must be used or you risk voiding the warranty.
Us frozen Canucks resemble that remark! In the dead of winter -40F is freakin' warm. That's why we have plug in block heaters, even when your at work you plug in. If you don't, you don't shut off your car.:shades:
The new 2007 Nissan Altima is coming out with the 3.5l v-6 engine and a six speed manual transmission for all those who like to row themselves. Toyota had better get off the pot and offer a stick or a Volkswagen like SMG, instead of just with the SE 4cly.
Toyota has allowed this to be the domain of Mazda, Nissan and to a lesser extent Honda at least here in NA. I'm certain its Marketing has told them that MT's are intended for the margins not the center of the market.
)) "Anybody have any experience changing the canister type oil filter? I've read that it's not a spinoff filter?" ((
If your 4-cyl engine uses the same type cartridge filter used in the Camry and Lexus 6-cyl engines, this might give you an idea. First, though, verify that there isn't really a spin-on filter on your car's 4-cyl engine.
(I believe the complete transition to spin-on oil filters in cars sold in the U.S. ocurred around 1965 - my '64 Chevy Biscayne had a cartridge-style oil filter.)
)) "That's why we have plug in block heaters, even when your at work you plug in. If you don't, you don't shut off your car." ((
I remember the electrical "hitchin' posts" on a trip to Calgary and Edmunton. I also remember that over half of Calgary's shopping was well underground - nicely air-conditioned year 'round. Warm-hearted, cool people, too!
That's what G.M, Ford and Chrysler thought when Toyota brought out the T100. A new generation is growing up and they are weaning themselves off their Civics, Lancers and Yaris's. They like rowing their own. I caught the bug from my Dad's 1983 Honda Civic wagon and never lost it.(I'm 42). Yes I have had auto's, but prefer a manual. I guess I like not being mainstream, just like the new generation. :shades:
I prefer a manual also, and I've always had one in my "fleet." But a lot of the "new generation" doesn't know how to drive a stick, and even worse, many don't care.
I'm afraid the manual is going the way of the dodo bird. I suppose its last stand will be in lower-priced sports cars like the Miata.
)) "I'm afraid the manual is going the way of the dodo bird. I suppose its last stand will be in lower-priced sports cars like the Miata." ((
Add to that upper echelon luxo-sport sedans such as those from Munich, Bavaria, et al. I suspect we'll be seeing more steering wheel mounted "paddle-shifter" A/T variants in many cars, regardless of price, instead of nudge-the-console-shifter-one-way-or-the-other arrangements, though. Basically merely a matter of moving the up-down switches in the console and acted on by the shifter in its "sport" position to the steering wheel for engagment by the driver's thumbs.
)) "Could you explain what's "worse" about drivers who don't care to learn how to drive standard? What's the big deal if they care or not?" ((
I suspect 210delray's unguarded comment was merely in reference to the increasingly prevalent apathy in learning the fine art of deft clutching and shifting among the general population. I don't believe he intended to characterize people who prefer automatics as intrinsically inferior in their ability to learn or as inherently lazy. (Okay - I'll make an exception to that in the case of certain politicos... )
lol ray_h1, always the diplomat. When are you going to get off the high road and join some of us in attacking others! lol That said, considering Ferrari makes their automatics with sequential sport shifting like formula one... I'd agree with you that manual transmission are on their way out.
My Porsche Boxter S is manual and I love it, but living Downtown Toronto and having to drive the #1 busiest highway in North America often, I don't even consider touching the Porsche unless I'm leaving town. I prefer my SE I4 5A for daily driving in city traffic, or My lexus RX350 in bad weather.
"...living Downtown Toronto and having to drive the #1 busiest highway in North America often, I don't even consider touching the Porsche unless I'm leaving town."
Bingo! I have an 8 mile commute thru town. Depending on which way I go, it's either 12-15 lights or 10 lights and 4-5 stop signs. Why would I want to drive a stick on that route (which I did daily for over 14 yrs, btw)? I don't have the luxury of owning a weekend only car so I now drive an automatic and I don't miss shifting a bit.
From one crazy Canuck to another, all this auto loving seems a bit shifty to me. In my original post I tried to compromise with the auto lovers with the Volkswagen SMG transmission. A transmission that is a manual but with a computer activated clutch that will automatically shift gears for you if you want. I would take either one. Remember one thing though, a manual tranny has a lot fewer parts and is cheaper to buy and maintain.
Yes, ray_h1 covered me nicely, thank you very much!
"Unguarded" is a good way to put it. Not to imply anyone was lazy or some such. One of my own sons tried but gave up on learning to drive a manual. The other son took to it.
I will just hate seeing the manual transmission fade into the sunset.
I ordered my 07 Camry XLS, Bisque Leather interior for $28,500 on August 1, 2006. I recieved word that my car will be here Friday, September 29, 2006 (Aproxiamtely 9 weeks) It includes: DVD Navigation Push button Start Smart Key Bluetooth Traction and Stability Heated Seats Body Side Moldings and 4 mats and Trunk Mats
I can not wait to recieve it. I just wanted to let you all know. But I was wondering. When you price the camry on the toyota website, some of the accessories are not showing up as something to add or is it not available depending on what type of car(such as LE, XLE, CE, or SE) you get. For example mudguards, carpet and trunk mats, body side molding and wheel locks do not show up as an added accessory for the 07 camry XLE. Does this mean that the accessory that is not showing is already included with the car?
But I was wondering. When you price the camry on the toyota website, some of the accessories are not showing up as something to add or is it not available depending on what type of car(such as LE, XLE, CE, or SE) you get. For example mudguards, carpet and trunk mats, body side molding and wheel locks do not show up as an added accessory for the 07 camry XLE. Does this mean that the accessory that is not showing is already included with the car?
mudguards, carpet and trunk mats, body side molding and wheel locks do not show up as an added accessory for the 07 camry XLE These are options added at additional cost, and probably dealer installed in most cases.
Looking at buying a 07 XLE V6. What is the minimum recommended octane of gas--87,89, or 91? I was told the V6 in the 2006 Avalon requires 91 octane--- is this the same engine? Also, can anyone list the pros and cons of the V6 vs. the V4?
Actually the mats and body side moldings are now factory options, and your car has them according to your itemized list. (They are also sold as accessories by the dealer.) I believe wheel locks MAY also be a factory option, but your car doesn't appear to have them.
In any case, the mudguards and wheel locks are available as dealer accessories.
Recommended octane "for optimal performance" for the V6 is either 91 or 92, but the car can safely run on 87 according to the manual.
The 4-cylinder is designed to use 87 octane, and gets better fuel economy. The V6 is more powerful at the cost of a few mpg's, as well as higher purchase price.
I've been perfectly happy with 4-cylinder Camrys, but you may feel differently -- only a test drive will inform you.
It will run fine on 87. If you put in 91, you probably won't notice the difference in power but your mileage may improve (though just about enough to offset the cost of premium).
Comments
"Recalls:
This is an entirely different story because while it was scandalous in the past like divorce was in the 40's and 50's recalls now are just a common occurance to fix potential problems before they become major fiasco's like Ford and Firestone went through. I think this is perfectly rational and good business. All the automakers learned what not to do in the Ford/Firestone mess.
Yesterday Chrysler just recalled 200K vehicles to fix ... cupholders. Yes there might be a potential problem affecting safety but the real story is that likely every vehicle being built will have some minor adjustment made to it, it's just that the fixes will be done using the recall mechanism. Priorly these adjustments were done as 'service campaigns' but they were still being done. After all autos are only electromechanical objects.
Fixing carpeting and fixing cupholders receives the same weight of importance in recall statistics as any very serious problem so I expect the recall statistics for all manufacturers to balloon in the coming years.
2005 recall stats
GM .. 5 Million vehicles
Ford .. 6 Million vehicle
DC .. 766,000 vehicles
Toyota .. 2.2 Million vehicles
snippet:
But safety officials cautioned that recall numbers vary widely from year to year, and it is hard to draw conclusions about safety trends from them. While 2005 saw far fewer vehicles recalled than in 2004, the number was pretty close to the total in 2003, when 19.1 million vehicles were recalled."
And just to add one more thing. This isn't
a forum comparing a Toyota Camry vs. the
Chevy Impala. Just thought I'd remind Priggly
of that fact.
Jim
Why do you want to know?
The new 4 cylinder LE is definitely able to keep up with fast traffic on steeply graded roads here in Northeastern NJ/Southern NY state but had to be revved up a lot more than I am used to on my V6.
I definitely feel that my V6 is much quieter than the four cylinder. The four cylinder is definitely noisier at high RPM. Unfortunately one is forced to use high RPMs a lot more when driving in this area. Apart from the engine noise, other noise was commendably low in the new Camry.
*Reciprocating internal combustion engines are basically pumps. They must move air efficiently, both in and out to produce useable power. Unless there's sufficient air in the cylinders to accomodate it, merely pouring excess fuel in the mix returns nothing but unburned fuel in the exhaust as smoke. There are two basic ways to increase the air pumping capability of a piston engine: increase its diplacement or resort to compressing the air charge through supercharging - belt or gear driven, or exhaust driven.
After reading & hearing all the raves about Hondas & Toyotas i took the plunge & bought a Camry. It gets terrific gas mileage cause its always parked in the dealers shop!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lemon: first it was the left turn signal that did'nt work from the start, brought it in after waiting 3 weeks for a switch. Before leaving I checked & it still did'nt work, :lemon: come to find out it was a broken wire, then it won't start. :lemon: After 3 1/2 hours they turned it back over to me & everyting seemed fine but the next time I tried starting it , noting except :lemon: spining the engine over. Finally got it started & drove to the dealer 36 mile' s 1 way for the 4th time & left it there for the pass 3 days & hope to get it back Monday. Is this :lemon: what everyone is praising Toyotas for?
jeaux
Actually you can and all car makers try to do it. The Japanese are just better at it than the Americans. It's called poke-yoke.
Anybody have any ideas for me?
I can find all of the 5w20 that I want and use it in my Odyssey, but I think that I should run 0-w20 in the Camry 4cyl.
Thanks in advance.
Why? It doesn't lubricate any better than 5W-20. (I believe your owner's manual lists 5W-20 viscosity as recommended, too, doesn't it? Or do you reside in the land of Frozen Canucks?) I'm fairly certain you can write off finding a 0W-20 conventional oil. There may be 0W-20 oils at the larger autoparts chains in full synthetic varieties. If not, try the performance autoparts stores - but be prepared to pay premium prices. Unless you reside where winters are exceptionally cold, there's probably not any need. Once the engine warms up, both 5W-20 and 0W-20 become 20 weight viscosity - the first number indicates its ability to flow well when frost forms on your eyeballs. Even the more commonly available 5W-20 conventional varieities are good to go down lower than -25 deg. F., and, though rated the same viscosity, the full synthetic 5W-20s are probably good for at least ten degrees colder than that.
(Just checked a bottle of 0W-30 Castrol Syntec (made in Germany but bottled over here - $7.00/quart) a neighbor insists on using in his Corolla here in southern California (!) - it states that it allows unaided starts as low as -40 deg. F. Do you live in an area that gets that freakin' cold?)
If mcdawgg wouldn't mind, I'll take a crack at this.
No matter how good any car maker is, you cannot completely eliminate all human error on the assembly line.
I've heard the 0-w20 gives better mileage than the 5-w20, but at what cost?
I'll see what the dealer uses and what they charge, and if it's not reasonable, I'll just buy the 5w-20 and use that.
I'm sure that it will be fine.
Anybody have any experience changing the canister type oil filter? I've read that it's not a spinoff filter?(I've never seen an oil filter that doesn't spin off.)
Thanks again.
I doubt that any improvement in mileage due to 0W20 oil that's more fluid when the engine is not warm than 5W20 can be measured outside the laboratory...
Usually, the owner's manual specifies one oil to use where the temperatures can get below OF in winter and another oil elsewhere. 0W20 sounds like oil for the snow-belt and if so 5W20 could be the one recommended for the bible-belt. As I don't own a Camry, what does the manual say, just 0W20? If so, that's the oil that must be used or you risk voiding the warranty.
HTH
If your 4-cyl engine uses the same type cartridge filter used in the Camry and Lexus 6-cyl engines, this might give you an idea. First, though, verify that there isn't really a spin-on filter on your car's 4-cyl engine.
(I believe the complete transition to spin-on oil filters in cars sold in the U.S. ocurred around 1965 - my '64 Chevy Biscayne had a cartridge-style oil filter.)
I remember the electrical "hitchin' posts" on a trip to Calgary and Edmunton. I also remember that over half of Calgary's shopping was well underground - nicely air-conditioned year 'round. Warm-hearted, cool people, too!
I'm afraid the manual is going the way of the dodo bird. I suppose its last stand will be in lower-priced sports cars like the Miata.
Could you explain what's "worse" about drivers who don't care to learn how to drive standard? What's the big deal if they care or not?
Add to that upper echelon luxo-sport sedans such as those from Munich, Bavaria, et al. I suspect we'll be seeing more steering wheel mounted "paddle-shifter" A/T variants in many cars, regardless of price, instead of nudge-the-console-shifter-one-way-or-the-other arrangements, though. Basically merely a matter of moving the up-down switches in the console and acted on by the shifter in its "sport" position to the steering wheel for engagment by the driver's thumbs.
I suspect 210delray's unguarded comment was merely in reference to the increasingly prevalent apathy in learning the fine art of deft clutching and shifting among the general population. I don't believe he intended to characterize people who prefer automatics as intrinsically inferior in their ability to learn or as inherently lazy. (Okay - I'll make an exception to that in the case of certain politicos... )
My Porsche Boxter S is manual and I love it, but living Downtown Toronto and having to drive the #1 busiest highway in North America often, I don't even consider touching the Porsche unless I'm leaving town. I prefer my SE I4 5A for daily driving in city traffic, or My lexus RX350 in bad weather.
Bingo! I have an 8 mile commute thru town. Depending on which way I go, it's either 12-15 lights or 10 lights and 4-5 stop signs. Why would I want to drive a stick on that route (which I did daily for over 14 yrs, btw)? I don't have the luxury of owning a weekend only car so I now drive an automatic and I don't miss shifting a bit.
Love Toronto, btw.
"Unguarded" is a good way to put it. Not to imply anyone was lazy or some such. One of my own sons tried but gave up on learning to drive a manual. The other son took to it.
I will just hate seeing the manual transmission fade into the sunset.
DVD Navigation
Push button Start
Smart Key
Bluetooth
Traction and Stability
Heated Seats
Body Side Moldings
and 4 mats and Trunk Mats
I can not wait to recieve it. I just wanted to let you all know.
But I was wondering. When you price the camry on the toyota website, some of the accessories are not showing up as something to add or is it not available depending on what type of car(such as LE, XLE, CE, or SE) you get. For example mudguards, carpet and trunk mats, body side molding and wheel locks do not show up as an added accessory for the 07 camry XLE. Does this mean that the accessory that is not showing is already included with the car?
These are options added at additional cost, and probably dealer installed in most cases.
In any case, the mudguards and wheel locks are available as dealer accessories.
The 4-cylinder is designed to use 87 octane, and gets better fuel economy. The V6 is more powerful at the cost of a few mpg's, as well as higher purchase price.
I've been perfectly happy with 4-cylinder Camrys, but you may feel differently -- only a test drive will inform you.