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Comments
I felt long ago gas mileage was less with those alcohol-containing fuels. A discussion with the person handling those questions on their customer service line convinced me with his statements and my knowledge of the chemistry there at work in the fuels.
I still find I get better fuel mileage traveling when I refill with Shell compared to the local mixes I purchase here in Dayton area.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
i think toyota had a problem with designs and their smaller passages several years ago that garners them a suspicious image today from some people. i think they are past that.
what i would be suspicious of is the use of the wrong weight motor oil, and failing to change it and the filter on a regular basis.
2K intervals... that's up to you. 3500 seems too soon for cars these days as well. personally, in my cars, 4-5K with the proper weight oil and a good filter seems good to me.
I use high milege oil in the Sienna 2001. Oil changed every 4500-5000 miles. I live in Florida and have no issues.
I use synthetic Mobil 1 extended in my Camry, starting using it at 65,000 miles. No problems. Wish I did same for Sienna but plan on selling it.
Sounds like you need to start running syntehetic oil if you worry about sludge etc. It may cost twice as much as cheap oil but it can last 4x+ times longer. Also is better for your car. I get mine done for $55.00 at walmart, includes high mileage oil filter that can last as long as the oil can. I would not use the regular oil filter if you expect to run synthtetic.
Mobil 1 says the extended oil is good up to 15,000 miles. But I don't want to push it. I change at 7,500 miles using the long term filter. If I go over on the mileage a little I don't care.
As far as problems with Toyota engines. People give me a break. Toyota screws up engineering the engine for a couple of years and they get a bad rap. Even though they gave extended warrenties on their autos for those problem engines. Think of all the bad components that go into other brands. Don't worry about a problem that was supposedly around 4 years ago. I knew of the issue prior to buying my 2001's I have no issues.
P.S.
I just called mobil 1 up and asked them about the oil filter. He said the mobil 1 extended filter life all depends on the oil you use. So if you use cheap oil it last about 3000-5000 miles but with my 15,000 mile oil I can run it that long as well without worrying about changing a filter. I did not know this!
I currently change my oil around 7,500 but it can last up to 15,000 so the filter does not need to be changed during that term. However I will monitor the level around 7,500 to make sure no oil is being lost. I may move up my change interval knowing this new information.
Link to mobil 1 extended oil
http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_Extended_Performance.asp- - x
Link to mobil 1 extended oil filter
http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Other_Products/Mobil_1_Extended_Perfo- rmance_Oil_Filters.aspx
With his extensive driving, I think synthetic would be overkill for only 5K miles.
As far as the warranty requiring 5000 mile oil changes. I would ask Toyota directly about synthetic. They may have another option. I mean who wants to keep going to the dealership every 2 months.
So since he's going to have all his oil changes done at the dealer using coupons. If he actually went over 5000 miles would they screw with him about his warranty. You gotta wonder about that. I would be scared of getting so many oil changes done (every 2500 miles). Thats just more chances for a $5.00/hr kid to mess something up.
Would do synthetic change at 10k.
Funny thing is I just spoke with a friend of mine that has a riding mower. He said he runs it 6 hours straight to cut his huge lawn. After 2 seasons the engine would need a rebuild. But when he switched to mobil 1. He has no problems anymore. If that isn't a good promo for the stuff I don't know what is. Guess I need to put it in my mower.
I too am experiencing an ongoing rattling in the '07 Camry dash. It's occurring at the top of the dash where it seems to meet the windshield; near or around the clock insert, between the dash & windshield. It most often occurs in colder weather when the area has not been warmed by the sun, the heater or engine - although the rattle will occur even when it 50 degrees. The car's been to the dealer 3 times as described by other entries, once overnight so they could drive it while it was cold. The dealer has not been able to fix the ratttle but did did reline the clock insert with felt.
Can you advise on a few questions? Has the weather stripping continued to remove the rattle, how thick should the stripping be once the two sides are stuck together, and how was the stripping applied between the dash & windshield. Should I have the dealer do this & how would you remove the stripping if needed?
Thanks
WHen my car is cold the speaker on the front left {driver side} on top of dash horribly rattles.
I havent had time to bring it in for service yet, I have 4400 miles. Great gas mileage on this car though...
And for post 3518, my passenger seats shakes so bad without wife in it that I could mix a fruit smoothy by placing the blender on the seat.
DOES ANYONE have a problem with the driver power seat in that the seat feels tilted? I sit in it and feel as if I am leaning back and to the right, kinda like a rap star in a video. I hate it..
As you know from my postings, I own a 2007 XLE V6 Camry, and I do an extensive amount of driving, and I DO NOT have any issues with my vehicle.
QUESTION: ----- Why are some Camrys loaded with problems?
Best regards. ----- Dwayne :shades:
1/ The quality control of 2007 Camry is not consistent, therefore some have problems, some don't.
2/ You bought your Camry in January 2007, many complainants bought their 2007 Camry in 2006. The problems mentioned on the internet could have been corrected by Toyota during recent production or by the dealership before selling them.
Good for you for that you do not experience any problem with your 2007 Camry but it is by no means an indication that the complainants are lying.
I NEVER stated that others are lying! (Where did that idea come from in my posting?) It was a "rhetorical question"! I believe that there are problem vehicles out there in "Toyota Land," and I am VERY concerned for those owners who have these vehicles, because I could have been one of those owners. It would be VERY interesting to note, if the problem vehicles all came from one assembly plant! I am not trying to defend the Toyota Corporation. Personally, I think they did a VERY POOR job with the engine sludge issue! But that is another story that has already been discussed on many sites. I would like to see all the problem vehicles repaired to that satisfaction of their owners! While I like my Camry, I am going to think very carefully about purchasing another Toyota product in the future, if I see that these issues are not handled properly by the corporation. ------ Best regards. --- Dwayne :shades: :confuse:
In fact, I had sent a post to this website before the one that caused the misunderstand. In that post I actually praised you for being a sensible person for asking why instead of jumping into conclusion that the others are lying. But apparently that post was deleted by the host so I re-wrote it to be less aggressive to the other site but forgot to repeat the praise for you which I sincerely meant from the bottom of my heart.
I apologize again for causing aggravation on you due to misunderstanding. I am sure you can understand why I am so aggravated when that blogger maligns the complainants, including me, of slandering and talking nonsense when we have experienced some real problems. I don't know if the Toyota executives share his biased mentality. If they do, I see more people will buy from other auto manufacturers instead of Toyota.">
Thank you for your posting. I would like to know how many V6 2007 Toyota Camrys have been produced to date, and out of that number, how many have the "transmission problem", where were those vehicles assembled and who supplied the transmissions? Some manufacturers consider a one percent failure rate acceptable! If this problem is represented by a small percentage of the total units, then Toyota knows exactly what is causing the problem. If that is true, then why isn't Toyota doing something about the problem for the owners of the vehicles that have this problem? Something is different between the vehicles that have the problem, and those that DO NOT have the problem! The problem is either in the transmission itself, or the software that controls the shift quality of the transmission. Toyota could simply buy back one of these vehicle, and have their engineers troubleshoot the unit! They have access to component parts, and through a process of elimination, they could find the cause of the issue!
Best regards. ----- Dwayne :confuse: :shades:
ARGH.
Some owners have been complaining about transmission shift flare in the 6 cylinder and acceleration hesitation in the 4 cylinder. I think the major cause is the poor software in the drive by wire system.
I don’t think Toyota would buy back any 2007 Camry to figure out the problem and the solution. Any buying back is bad reputation. Since auto manufacturers have no problem crashing new vehicles to test for
safety, they should have no problem driving one to check out the problematic drive by wire device..
Some people on this site reported that Toyota has issued a Technical Service Bulletin to fix the hesitation problem by reprogramming the software. The results are mixed. But the bigger problem is that even though the TSB was issued last year, in April 2007 a customer still reports that the dealer says nothing can be done to fix the problem of hesitation and that hesitation is characteristic of other Toyota models that accelerate by wire. If what the dealer says is true , why issued a TSB? If there is a TSB that works at least in some cases, why do some Toyota dealership is still telling the customer that nothing can be done to improve the acceleration hesitation?
I don’t understand why DBW is necessary in an ordinary vehicle when direct linkage with cable can do the job without problem. I have seen on TV about an experimental car that can slow down and stop by itself to avoid rear end another vehicle when the driver fails to react to the dangerous situation ahead. This is the kind of vehicle that call for the drive by wire technology.
May be some car manufacturers are testing their primitive DBW technology on their new vehicles even though there is no additional safety features that require the implementation of such a device. Feel like having been used as a guinea pig.
in contrast, if you have a direct cable link between accelerator and throttle body, then the throttle valve HAS to move with the accelerator.
i believe there are other things DBW can provide, and that's a means to modify accelerator input and fuel flow as a function of things like coast.
so it is in part, safety, fuel efficiency, a platform / infrastructure for future functionality.
Toyota adopted DBW SOLELY for the purpose of protecting the drive train, in this case the transaxle clutch surfaces.
But the intended functionality only works when the software is well-programmed, not when there are glitches and errors.
I do believe DBW is the way of the future in automobiles. Looks like the Toyota engineers still have some work to do before the DBW in their vehicles becomes as reliable as ABS.
it may be another driver behind the technology, but not the sole one.
And isn't the engine delaying the rise in torque to give the transaxle time to complete a quick sequential downshift in response to footfeed depression totally the result of the DBW firmware coding?
The early, '99, RX300 transaxles aer failing prematurely as a result to complete that downshift without "protection". The ATF in the later series, '01-03, is overheating due to enlargement of the ATF pump in order to accomodate the downshift ATF pressure need.
Magically, the "04 and later RXes have DBW along with a delay programmed in to accomodate the downshift timing.
Yes, DBW is a fine aid for VSC/Trac dethrottling but that was accomodated previously in other ways. Even less expensive (fuel starvation via FI) other ways, one could argue.
And look at the rise of complaints and factory acknowledgement of engine/transaxle delay/hesitation in other Toyota and Lexus FWD products. The 2003 Toyota Camry, for instance, TSB initially issued in the spring of 2003.
next week I am having it fixed There is a pre TSB out to fix it the dealer would not give me a copy of it but i did see it.
I do also experence the hesitation after the TSB has been done. Also i get the shifting when the cruise control on when i hit the slighest grade in the road or bucking against wind
Sorry for not responding earlier, I haven't logged in recently. For the most part, the weatherstripping has stopped the rattle, although on occasion I still hear it especially during the first drive of the day when the interior is still cold. When I stuck the two pieces together, the result was about 1/2" thick but could be compressed to almost nil. I slowly eased it between the dash and windshield. Since my weatherstripping is black, it is hardly noticeable and can be easily pried out by pulling on one end of it. I don't think there is any need to take it to the dealer to have this done. Like many others have said, I would be very hesitant about the dealer disassembling the dash. Experiences with other vehicles have lead me to believe that it will rattle even more than before. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
J.
Plus the driver seat I feel is loose. When I turn left and my body leans right the seat cushion {bottom} feels like its shifting with me. Not firmly planted to the frame.
Oh boy....
I filed a case with Toyota, but not sure whats going to happen. I think Toyota should do a better job with identifying the mistakes in their cars and fix them properly.
Please advise us on how to deal with Toyota with the case. We are totally new to this and need some guidance in getting this fixed.
Thanks for your help and advise.
With that said, it is important to read the 2007 Camry owner's manual regarding the airbags. I do know that they are not designed to deploy in every accident. The details of when they should deploy should be in the manual.
Good luck and a speedy recovery.
At first in the city it was going for about 18mil./per 1 galon, after about 9 months it takes about 10 - 12/mil. / per 1 galon.
My driving pattern didn't change, and I don't drive any different then before. Any suggestions would be helpfull.
Oil chage was done on time ( 1st - 4500 mil, 2nd - 7000 mil), using premium gas only.
Thank you.
Second, since it appears you have an early production model, make sure you have the TSB applied by the dealer. TSB EG056-06 dated Sept 29, 2006 ECM Calibration: Enhancement to shifting performance and smoothness. You can check your vehicle manufacturing date on the drivers door jamb. The vehicle runs much better with the TSB, and it could be that the shift to summer gas is contributing to your problem.
1. getting the rotors wet right after driving, can warp the rotors. Either a deep puddle or carwash might do this. Hot rotors/cold water = possible warp.
2. If you are having the tires rotated, perhaps the person tightening the lug nuts isn't using the correct procedure/torque...
just a couple of possibilities
I did some research for you! ----- The five causes of warped brake rotors are:
1.) Not applying the correct "torque" to the wheel nuts
2.) The quality of the steel from which the rotors are manufactured, and the thickness of the rotor material
3.) The quality / material of the brake pads. (If you up-grade to ceramic brake pads, and you DO NOT up-grade the rotors, you will have a potential problem.
4.) Failure to clean and properly lubricate the caliper slide mechanism, which allows the brakes to release quickly and not drag on the rotors.
5.) You, the driver, could be the problem! (Hard Stops & long sessions of "Stop & Go driving" will get the rotors hoy enough to warp!)
Best Regards: ---------- Dwayne :shades:
I am shocked to learn that none of the 7 airbags in your sister’s 2007 Camry deployed even when it was totaled and she was injured. This is the second case of reported airbags failing to deploy in 2007 Camry at high-speed crashes that I know of.
Regardless of whose fault it was in an accident, if the airbags failed to deploy when subjected to a force of impact or rate of deceleration equal to or greater than that specified by the manufacturer in the owners manual for airbag deployment thus failing to protect an occupant of the vehicle from injury or death, the automobile manufacturer is liable for having produced a faulty and unsafe product sold to a customer who was victimized.
I suggest that your sister take the following actions:
1/ File a complaint regarding the airbag failure with the Office of Defects Investigation, which is a branch of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Filing her case with Toyota, just like filing her case with ODI, is only a record of complaint but I don’t think Toyota would admit any liability in her case voluntarily. (Remember that 42 people died in rollover before Ford succumbed to the fact that there was problem with the Firestone tires on the Ford Explorer?)
For filing complaint with ODI, go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/
2/ Get her insurance company involved. Inform her insurance company that there are indications that the airbags in her 2007 Camry did not work as specified by the manufacturer. Also inform them that there was a recall on 04/03/2006 on a number of 2007 Camry due to faulty airbags which would fail to inflate during a high speed crash due to insufficient amount of heating agents necessary for proper airbag deployment. Source of info: http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2007/toyota/camry/recalls/index.html . Ask her insurance company to check if her 2007 Camry was one of the 133, which have been found to have the faulty airbags. If her Camry was not on the recall list, ask them to check if the speed of the crash equals or exceeds that specified by the manufacturer for airbag deployment. If that‘s the case, the insurance company may help her to sue Toyota for damages so that the insurance company does not have to pay or does not have to pay as much. (Since the faulty airbags in the 2007 Camry were uncovered after they had been sold to customers, it is quite possible that there may be other 2007 Camry on the road with faulty airbags not yet uncovered by Toyota.)
3/ If her insurance company does not offer her help regarding the airbag failure or not helping her enough, she may find an attorney specialized in automobile accidents on the internet who are willing to take her case on contingent basis. That means she doesn’t have to pay attorney fees if she loses the case. If she wins, the attorney will be paid from the substantial figure of damages received. . (Search on the web under: auto accident attorney-contingency) She should also inform the attorney about 2007 Camry recall for faulty airbags so that the attorney would understand that Toyota quality control is not impeccable even when auto parts related to safety are involved. Having an attorney on contingency is better than paying to hire one because there is no financial risk involved and if an attorney is willing to take a case on contingency, it means he or she has the confidence to win the case instead of receiving money even though he or she has no confidence to win the case.
I would like to remind your sister again that suing Toyota for having faulty airbags in the 2007 Camry has nothing to do at all with who is at fault in a bona fide accident because airbags are supposed to protect the occupants in the vehicle as specified by the manufacturer even when the accident happened because the driver has made a mistake.
Hope the above information would help your sister and may her recover from her injury soon.
Please keep us informed about the progress in her case.
Best regards.
For example, if a car rolls over though 1 complete revolution (ending right side up), even at relatively low speed, this will almost ensure that the car will be totaled, yet none of the airbags will normally deploy (except for some vehicles, mostly SUVs, that have side curtain airbags that are specifically designed to deploy in rollovers).
Second if the injuries were confined to one hand (however serious), this is an indication that the crash forces on the occupants were not severe. Also, arms and hands are not effectively restrained in any crash and are free to flail about in any direction; it cannot be asserted that an airbag will prevent hand injuries.
What would really help us "experts" here (me included) to get a feel is to see pictures of the wrecked car. Would it be possible to get some digital pictures.
I was on a jury long ago and the pictures of the car (Honda) and how it deformed and the place in which it was hit convinced me (and therefore I convinced other jurors) that the etymology of her back injury and subsequent spinal fusion had little if anything to do with that low speed impact where most of the energy was directed into the motor's and transmission's masses.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Anyway it is up to the professionals to determine if the force and the circumstanes of the crash should have triggered the deployment of the airbags which are suppposed to protect raji's sister in addition to the seat belt. That's why I advised her to seek help from professionals.
When a driver is protected by the shoulder and lap belt in a crash in which the car is totaled, the lack of severe injury to the head and torso is not an indication that the crash forces on the occupant were not severe.
The first thing need to be found out in the investigation is whether the force and circumstances of the crash should have triggered the deployment of any airbags in her case.
If she had suffered a mostly frontal crash and calculations and/or simulation indicate that at least some airbags should have inflated to protect her and/or that analysis of the chemical composition of the agents for inflating airbags in her non-inflated airbag device reveals that there is a problem with the chemicals as in the case of the 133 recalled Camrys, then she would have a more solid ground to assert that her hand injury could have been prevent had the frontal airbag inflated to prevent her from lurching forward more than just the restriant of the seat belts.
You do have a good point with the flailing about of the hand in a roll over but we are not sure if her accident was a roll over. Hope raji would give us more info about the speed and circumstances of the crash.
Our 92 LS rear-ended a truck. The brakes were applied and the car was "almost" stopped. The front of the LS was "down" due to severe braking action and so all of the resulting damage, in excess of $10,000, was just barely ABOVE the front bumper.
The airbag do not deploy, but no surprise there.
With the high cost of labor today, and the increasing complexity of cars, even what "we" view as relatively minor damage might result in a car being totalled.
Also be certain the brake pedal "stroke" isn't positioned to be so sensitive that it sometimes doesn't fully open/release the braking when foot pressure is released on the brake pedal.
a specialist should know if the SRS system does retain this information, or if it may be retained elsewhere to assist in post-accident root cause analysis of a failure of the airbags to deploy. i thought they all did by this generation. i could be wrong though.
one need not be travelling at a high rate of speed to trigger airbags to deploy. i managed to hit a semi- which was stopped (in a different make and model vehicle) and was stopped by the bar that prevents a small car from going underneath the semi. i was doing probably less than 10MPH at the time. the location of the hit (front bumper) and the rate of speed decrease (deceleration) were enough. what i'm saying is it's not all about speed, and not all vehicles and designs are alike.
i also remember my wife being in a chain-reaction pile up where she was hit from behind and pushed into and under the car in front of her. in that case, she also experienced a hit in the front, but her bumper was driven up underneath the car in front and her bags didn't deploy.
one thought/comment (i'm definitely not an expert): if the SRS system called for one or more of the airbag(s) to deploy, and it (they) did not because perhaps the chemical charge, proportions, properties (what have you) were incorrect, the SRS system most likely would have recorded that and would stay in a state that would make it easy for an expert to determined that the system called for one or more to deploy, but of course they did not.
another thing you should know... airbags can and will hurt you. both my arms were black and blue from the airbag in the steering wheel rapidly deploying and hitting my arms; both my hands were on the wheel at 3 and 9:00 positions.
you may find this an interesting tidbit, but others might relate: want to know what the highway assistance responder, then the cop both asked me first thing when they arrived on scene?...
ans: "did you get hurt by the airbag?"
if anyone is reading this who allows their child to ride in the front seat of their vehicle... please think again.
What you say about airbags in the post is essentially true and insightful. However, I want to clarify certain points that the readers may misconstrue from the post.
1/ It is true that people may get hurt when the airbags, especially the front airbag, inflate (in fact it is controlled explosion) during accidents. Infants and children are most vulnerable. (There is a record of an infant’s head being blown off by the force of an inflating front airbag). Therefore, I totally agree with you that people must not put infants in the front seat and should not put children in the front seat unless the vehicle has a sensor that would automatically turn off the front airbag for the passenger who weighs less that the safe limit and when no back seat is available. Many 2007 vehicles of different auto manufacturers do come with a weight detection sensor (as far as I know both the 2007 Corolla and Camry have such a feature). So look for vehicle that has the improved front airbag when shopping for a new car. (A reminder: If you put some stuff on the front passenger seat and the car suddenly an alarm while you are driving. Don’t panic. It is probably the weight of the stuff plus the bumpy road condition that trigger the fasten-seatbelt- alarm. Just take the stuff off the seat and put it on the floor, the alarm will then be off.)
2/ It is interesting to know that both the highway assistant responder and the cop asked you first thing “Did you get hurt by the airbag?” This fact may be misconstrued by some people that airbags are no good and that they are better off without airbags. The fact is that during a high speed frontal crash, if there were no front airbags or that they failed to deploy as they should, a lot of those drivers who got hurt by the front airbag would have suffered severe injuries. To minimize the possibility of a person heavy enough for front airbag from being hurt during its deployment, it is extremely important that the person must not sit too close to the steering wheel or the passenger front airbag. The minimum distance recommended by the DMV handbook is 10 inches away from the center of the steering wheel or the airbag cover. Sit further away if you can maintain full control the vehicle at that distance. Vehicles with airbags that inflate in two stages or that the rate of inflating has been reduced to a safer limit would also help to reduce the possibility of people being hurt or injured by airbags.
3/ Children who lean against a side window are at risk of serious injury from side-impact airbags. So it is a good idea to close the side window next to the children while driving and teach them not to lean against the side window no matter when it is open or closed.
Some people believe the myth that people in a vehicle are better off without seatbelts because they get you trapped in a serious accident. But the fact is that they are much more likely to survive by being kept in their seats with the seatbelts than smashing their heads into the windshield or being thrown off the vehicle into the road. If they are afraid of being trapped, just buy a safety escape hammer with a seatbelt cutter instead of not using the seatbelt.
Similarly, let's not fall into the myth that adults at the front of a vehicle are better off without airbags because they may hurt you. The fact is that when people follow the above safety tips for using vehicles with airbags, they have a much better chance of surviving or even walk away uninjured from a serious accident.
We had the transmission and torque converter replaced last week and the car seems to be running very well now. No shift flare. The shifting does seem more pronounced though than it did before. However, we only have about 50 miles on the new tranny so it is a little too early to declare "Mission Accomplished!"
By the way, how long will it take for your tranny to arrive? Mine took 4 weeks.
Keep us in touch on your new tranny.
I am pushing the dealer to find out what is different with the new tranny vs. the old one. I am very concerned that it will happen again after another 7,000 miles.
What do you mean by your comment of shifting does seem more pronounced?
Anyway, the shifting is still very smooth but it is a little more noticeable. On the original tranny, it was sometimes hard for me to feel when the car shifted. The best way I could tell was by looking at the tach. Now, as far as I remember, I can feel a slight change in acceleration in between gears. However, it is my wife's car so I don't have a lot of time behind the wheel. I did notice that another person on a different forum said the 'shifting was more pronounced'. I think we are describing the same thing.
That piece lifts up without breaking or cracking anything. Mine came up rather easily. On the right side of that piece, you can stick your finger under it. YOu may have to slightly open your cup holder lid to do it. After I lifted that piece I inserted some padding on the left and right side of the "shifter console" and put that piece back in place. After that, all of my console rattles were gone.
You should try it or recommend your dealer does it.
Hope that helps!!!!
Fronts: [A-B] 0 +/- .08 in
Rears: [A+B] 0 +/- .4 degrees
[C-D] .16 +/- .08 in
For the fronts: A is the distance measured at the front of the tires (center of tread), B is the distance measured at the rear of the tires (center of tread).
For the rears: A is the toe in of the left wheel, B is the toe in of the right wheel, C is the distance measured at the back of the tires (center of tread), D is the distance measured at the front of the tires (center of tread)