Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

haefr · February 2006

I have no specific recommendations FOR a replacemnt tire on your Camry, but based on my personal experience with Michelin ENERGY MXV4+ original equipment tires on a '96 Accord and my current '03 Sonata, avoid them unless you're hearing impaired. In the dry climate here in So-Cal, traction hasn't been an issue, but these are --N-O-I-S-Y-- tires on concrete. (Guess what material the great state of California uses for freeway construction...) They do wear well, though, and return respectable fuel mileage.

guill · February 2006

I have the factory-supplied Michelin MXV4, not a bad tire but not highly recommended. The Yokohama AVID TRZ is a very highly rated tire according to tirerack consumers. This tire is often praised on many other automotive enthusiast websites. In addition to the high performance ratings, the tire is also very reasonably priced, currently priced at $68 for a 215x60/16. Also check out the AVID Touring and H4. Bridgestone Potenza G009 and Bridgestone Turanza LS-T are also two very good tires. All of the aforementioned tires are either performance all-season or standard touring all-season.

edmund2460 · February 2006

Thanks, so I won't get top engine cleaning or fuel injector cleaning. I have used Top Tier premium Shell gas on my V6 almost exclusively. How about trans service at 30K?? Don't see it recommended in manual. Note: this car is driven 90% of the time on short 1-3 miles trips.

210delray · February 2006

If it were me, I'd just get the transmission drained and refilled (no flush). You only get about half of the fluid out, but if you keep doing this every 30K (or fewer miles), less and less of the old fluid remains behind.

Just be sure to refill with the genuine Toyota ATF. You are correct; the manual recommends no changes for typical service.

Premium gas is recommended in the V6 for top performance but isn't required, as it is for some engines.

lmacmil · February 2006

Has anyone done a regular to premium mileage comparison over at least 3 tankfuls with a similar driving schedule? I've read that premium will yield better mileage but I wonder if it's enough to offset the extra $.18-.20/gal.

another_person · February 2006

According to the November 2005 issue of Consumer Reports, the Goodyear Assurance tripletred was a quick pick with an almost excellent rating. The Hydroedges were slightly lower, but was still at 6 and recommended for long tread life. The turanza's were towards the bottom of the list, but was recommended for long tread life.

(consumer reports Nov 2005)

andypai · February 2006

Colud you please tell me where did you buy the warranty? And what is Platinum Plus warranty? I searched and can not find it. Thank you!

andypai · February 2006

Thank you for your help, just need more extended warranty info.

andrelaplume · February 2006

I got my Platinum Plus Warranty--NO deductible from my dealership. There once was a very good source for warrany info around here. He worked at a dealer and even gave what fair prices were. Do a search on Cliffy1 and you should find a wealth of info on Toyota warranties. Though he did not solicit, I know he worked for a dealer and I was even going to purchase over the phone from him....but then my dealer cut their price in half when they heard I was about to do that.

andrelaplume · February 2006

By the way, in 02 it was called Platinum Plus...I assume it is still called the same. Essentially it listed items NOT covered. Almost everything was covered. The difference between the $0 ded and $50 ded was very small, though they really do not let onto that at the dealer. I paid $690 for a 7/75K at the time. You have 3 years though to make the deal; the price may go up $50 - $100 or so over that time. The downside to purchasing right away is that though the warranty is prorated, it starts as soon as you buy it. Since you have 3 years of coverage already you may want to wait a couple of years to buy it...just to be sure you really like and want to keep the car.

andypai · February 2006

Thank you so much! I talked to KC summers, the best price they offer me is $875 for 6year/10k/0 deduct.

johne417 · February 2006

Just turned 175,000 on my 2004 4-clinder LE. This past winter the timing belt slipped a notch, it was the first time I'd had to take it in for 2.5 years.

jbollt · February 2006

I can't imagine you would have had time to take it in with 175,000 miles in 2.5 years!

day9 · March 2006

I am thinking buying a 06 Camry 4c in the beginning of April. Is it quiet and comfortable on highway? I won't want a sunroof anymore since the one on my 95 camry makes a lot of wind noise. Any suggestions? Thanks.

motownusa · March 2006

Well this is from my loaner experience. My 03 Camry just had its 30,000 miles service done and I was eligible for a free loaner. I got the 06 Camry LE no sunroof or any other fancy option. I must tell I was actually quite impressed with the car. Never felt underpowered, crisp smooth transmission shift although I must admit the engine isn't quite as quiet as my 03 V6 Camry. But it wasn't loud by any means. The 4 cylinder also had better handling than the V6 version because it is less front heavy due to the smaller lighter engine. Since the 07 Camry is coming out very soon I think you could get an excellent deal on an 06 since dealers will be ready to deal to move extra inventories. Hope this helps. Keep us posted as to what you decide.

P.S. if you can wait a little longer why not test drive the 07 ??

msasa · March 2006

Hello,
I'm Japanese auto fan.
In Japan, the famous reviewers have expressed the impression of camry is sober, but better vehicle.

In NA, how about impression of '07 camry ?
I'd like to know.
Thank you.

day9 · March 2006

if you use google.com, you can type in "2007 camry review" and you will find a lot of articles about the car.

statecat · March 2006

We currently have an '01 Ford Expidition w/ 85000 miles. It feels like we are just around the corner from having the thing in the shop every other month. Plus its a gas hog and that aint good these days.

We have decided to buy a Camry. I think we'll be buying the LE w/ 4 cyl automatic. We've got 2 small children and In-laws who live 3 hours away. I like the economy and reliability of the camry. We've never owned a toyota or an import for that matter.

So I'm asking you. What advice would you give for a first timer? What options are, in your opinion, a neccessity/ not a neccessity? Any advice on when to buy this year? I see the '07's are coming out soon so I assume the dealers will be trying to sell out the older models.

Thank you for your time.

day9 · March 2006

"I see the '07's are coming out soon so I assume the dealers will be trying to sell out the older models."

That is what I thought. Let's wait and see. Good luck.

wwest · March 2006

Going from a RWD vehicle, especially one as heavy as the expedition, to a lighter weight FWD, can be a treacherous move.

Unless you have extensive experience with FWD or front biased AWD, especially during the winter months when the roads might be slippery, this could be a BAD move.

With the engine weight in the front the Camry will have better traction than an equivalent RWD vehicle, up until you need to turn while accelerating, or begin to understear due to insufficient traction at the front.

Take one of those sprint cars and convert it to FWD and see if you can be even close to competitive.

NOT!

As you may well know, if your expedition begins to overstear you can quite readily recover from that circumstance by lifting the throttle and turning into the direction of the skid.

The equivalent loss of traction on a FWD vehicle most often results in understearing. With an automatic transmission your only options at that point will mean quick action on the e-brake provided it's rear implemented, and as the AAA is now recommending, a quick shift into neutral to alleviate the engine compression braking that resulted from your instinctive lift of the accelerator pedal.

It gets even worse if you happen to have the need to use snow chains on occasion. Can you imagine what might happen with tire chains only on the drive wheels if you inadvertently lift the throttle quickly going down a steep slope on a slippery roadbed?

Offhand I can't think of a RWD car equivalent to the Camry but were I you I would spend some time looking for one.

And don't forget to search around and read up on the engine/transaxle delay/hesitation seemingly involving the entire Toyota/Lexus fleet of FWD and front biased AWD vehicles. The clear majority of owners/drivers of these vehicles have no problem with this issue. But the relatively few that do claim that the vehicle is unsafe, even hazardous. Given the circumstances in which the Toyota TSB indicates the delays most often occur, and assuming the owner claims of 1 to 2 second delays are correct, these are patently unsafe vehicles.

So buying one might turn out to be much like playing russian roulette but with a "gun" having 1000 chambers, and only one with a bullet.

sandman46 · March 2006

What are you talking about? Your whole post made no sense at all. What are you trying to say????
Statecat, buy the Camry if you like it. They're great reliable cars. Any Camcord will give you many trouble free miles. Almost 1,000,000 owners per year can't be wrong!

The Sandman :confuse:

lmacmil · March 2006

Ignore the nonsense in wwest's post. Test drive the LE 4 cyl and buy the one with the options you like. Be sure to take your child car seats and see how they fit in the back seat.

There are probably very attractive prices available on the 2006 models since the 2007s will be showing up in a week or two.

You should also look at the Accord. Very similar size-wise but with a bias toward better handling at the expense of ride comfort. A little more power from its 4 cyl engine. I'm sure you will be happy with either one, especially after driving that giant truck.

petl · March 2006

Don't be afraid to buy a FWD vehcile (particularly a Camry). Pick the one that suits you best. We've owned a 1986, 1994 and 2002 Camry (2 Corollas, 2 Tercels, 1 RAV and 1 Matrix). Maybe we've been lucky, but they have been the most trouble-free, economical cars my wife and I have owned (we switched from GM and Ford). I'm sure that wwest is a nice person, but he is on a one man crusade in an attempt to discourage people from buying FWD vehicles. In the over 35 years of driving I've owned the 3 types. For all weather driving AWD/4WD is the best, next is FWD and last is RWD. You can choose not to believe me. However, Consumer Reports came up with the same conclusions. You may get a real good deal on 2006. Whatever you decide, good luck.

rickg22 · March 2006

Hey guys hows it going? well str8 up iam a guy that is 6'5 and i own a 01 toyota camry V6 5 speed manual and my bigest problem is iam tooooo tall and i dont have toooo much leg room in the car but i love the car great gas millage and gets me every and i wanted to know and wanted your guys help to see if there is anywhere outthere where i can extended or get longer seat brackers for my 01 toyota camry. thx in advance for your help.

statecat · March 2006

Yeah our vehicle prior to the Exp. was a Grand Prix. I think we'll be ok.

I just talked to a dealer and he shows the 07's being in transit to his dealership. Hopefully, it wont be too long before they start pushing to get the 06's off the lot.

210delray · March 2006

I've had a '97 Camry, and now have an '04 and an '05, all with 4-cylinder engines and auto transmissions. All have been very reliable, much better than the prior new car I bought, a 1990 Mercury Sable.

That business about front-wheel drive being dangerous is pure hokem. But you ought to know, since you have had one (your Grand Prix).

Geez, when's the last time I had to use the e-brake to get out of a skid because my front end plowed straight ahead?

lmacmil · March 2006

"Geez, when's the last time I had to use the e-brake to get out of a skid because my front end plowed straight ahead?"

You mean you don't do that instinctively? :P

wwest · March 2006

I don't have to do that any more, the VSC system in my 2001 AWD RX300 automatically applies both rear brakes if it senses impending or actual understearing.

"...pure hokem...."

Before you decide that then you might want to take some time reading up on how VSC/Trac interact with AWD, or their equivalent, operate in the following:

Volvo XC90 AWD system

Ford Freestyle

Acura RL & RDX

Lexus GS & IS

All of these only allow engine torque to the front during straightline motion. The instant any significant level of the front tires' roadbed traction needs to be allocated to directional control the engine torque is quickly biased to the rear.

Acura is even going the extra mile and eliminating the propensity of FWD to understear during a turn, they not only bias the engine torque to the rear, 30/70, they also force up to 100% of the rear torque to the rear wheel on the outside of your turn.

Who would have thunk it, an Acura with more tendency to overstear than understear!

Maybe there is some small grain of truth to the old saw that the money'ed seem to be smarter. Or maybe the real truth is that the older you are the "smarter" you become and being money'ed is only a side effect.

With only one exception these are all upscale vehicles.

210delray · March 2006

I really don't know where you're coming from. What's money have to do with anything? I probably will never have an awd/4wd vehicle. I hope to get stability control when I eventually buy a new vehicle.

All of the awd vehicles you cite are based on front-wheel drive platforms. When the going gets tough, obviously some or most of the engine torque is going to be transmitted to the rear wheels (that is, you get all-wheel drive). That's the whole point of buying awd. But they're not set up to deliberately oversteer the vehicle, which definitely wouldn't be a good thing.

Understeer is inherently safer than oversteer for the average driver, before stability control came onto the scene. The "natural" tendency is to lift the throttle, which slows the car down and helps the front end to regain traction. When a car understeers, it simply runs wide of the turn or in extreme cases, plows straight ahead.

Oversteer must be corrected with a quick countersteer. Remember the Corvair? This car was dangerous because most drivers were unaccustomed to oversteer, even in the RWD domestic cars of the era. Today's cars, FWD or RWD, tend to understeer, unless you goose the throttle in the latter.

If FWD was so dangerous, why did it become so commonplace over the last 30 or so years? Have crash rates, injuries, and deaths gone up? I think not.

With that said, let's get back to the Toyota Camry, a wonderful car!

wwest · March 2006

"...if FWD is so dangerous..."

The main reason is the lower manufacturing cost which also resulted in savings to the customer. The public accepted it because it eliminated the "hump", more useable interior space. The majority of the public had little or no experience with driving in adverse roadbed conditions, let alone with FWD and therefore could make no buying judgment initially.

But the good side is that out of the now declining (thankfully) FWD era has come Traction control, anti-lock braking, and maybe even VSC.

With the public's "need" for HP in these FWD vehicles something had to be done about the rising rate of accidents due to loss of directional control arising out of applying too much throttle, especially while turning tightly. So many manufacturers began dethrottling the engine when wheelspin developed at the (front) driven wheels. ABS allows you to maintain directional control during braking and traction control, engine dethrottling, prevents loss of control by alleviating the loss of traction due to engine torque.

The electric power stearing on the new RX400h and HH will actually "resist" the driver turning, entering into a turn, during high engine torque development by reducing the level of assist in that circumstance.

Due to laws over which none of us have control the effects of braking have always been heaviest at the front. If one happened to want, need too, stear the vehicle during heavy braking the front wheels could not be allowed to stop rolling entirely.

With the advent of FWD the equation became incalculable. Throw in FWD engine compression braking when the driver suddenly releases the gas pedal in order to quickly slam on the brakes severely and you have a recipe for instant loss of directional control.

And no, not all of those vehicles are natively FWD, the GS & IS for instance. I could add the "RWD" 4runner as the description of its AWD is much the same.

The XC90 and FreeStyle AWD system will allocate engine torque primarily to the rear as you enter a turn and then back to the front as you reach the apex and exit the turn. Brilliance of that is second only to the Acura method IMMHO.

FWD vehicles are more dangerous than RWD in the same way as true 4X4, locked center differential. Both will give you "extra" traction over an equivalent RWD for initially getting up and going, acceleration. But once the traction coefficient becomes marginal you cannot "drive" and change directions simultaneous without the threat of exceeding the traction coefficient of the front tires' contact patch.

"...."natural" tendency"..."

"...which slows the car down...."

Obviously you have never experienced an actual, serious, understearing "event". The most serious of understearing events occur because the front tires do not have enough traction with the roadbed to move the cars weight, and lets not forget inertia/momentum, SIDEWAYS.

And now if you lift the throttle on a FWD the INSTANT result is a higher requirement for roadbed traction at the front. Obviously that would, exacerbate, the understearing circumstance.

Since your Corvair (and my 78 911) is rear engined and RWD lightening the throttle only affects the tires that have NOT lost traction and yes, that would/will help to slow the car and thereby allow the front tires to regain traction and bring the car back under control.

lmacmil · March 2006

You know it's really hard to take anyone seriously who purposely misspells steer...

njerald · March 2006

See fitzmall.com for their inventory and arriving vehicles.

wwest · March 2006

Spell it my way and then use Edmund's spell checker.

Stear: to guide.

Steer: a neutered male bovine.

dudleyr · March 2006

There is nothing wrong with front wheel drive.

It is not dangerous.

If you are accelerating with enough force to break traction while you are turning it can be dangerous as you will understeer around the corner. Of course in RWD you will oversteer around the corner in the same situation and that is just as dangerous. In both cases taking your foot off the gas will bring things back in line.

Keep in mind that it is counterintuitive to accelerate with that much force in a turn when conditions allow for wheel spinning. Also keep in mind that traction control will limit or eliminate wheelspin.

If anything, it is dangerous to go from a nimble FWD car to a large and ungainly 4wd SUV because it will not be able to avoid many accidents and will trip and flip if it hits a low obstacle.

imidazol97 · March 2006

I love FWD for its ability to pull through snows and on ice. I've had more close calls with loss of control with rear wheel drives--scariest was 79 Mustang turbo 4 on a park drive with a hairpin turn coming up.

frb263 · March 2006

The English language has no such word as "stear". The correct spelling is "steer" for any definition of this word. Look it up. If Edmunds (or anyone) says it's "stear", they are just plain WRONG.

sandman46 · March 2006

Wwest, let's get back on subject here. Your posts are long and a bit "boring" actually. Let's talk about the Camry.
When will the final pricing come out for the '07's? I'm hoping they will start hitting the dealerships this week or so. And is the dealer allocation really dependent on what was sold last month or a year ago at this same time?
The pics I've seen look great but I hope it'll look much better in person.

The Sandman

lmacmil · March 2006

I believe the 2007 pricing was posted on the 2007 Camry forum. Also lots of pix of the new model taken at dealers today.

wwest · March 2006

Then google for "stear" and "stearing"

Common useage, you and I, not the dictionary, determine what words are in the English language, and how they should be spelled.

lmacmil · March 2006

Give it up. I have never, ever seen the (non-)word "stear" other than in your posts. Even if common usage determines what words are accepted (and I don't necessarily accept that premise), no way is "stear" common usage regardless of how many people misspell it. Google does not determine proper usage of the English language...and thank goodness for that.

lmacmil · March 2006

Pricing for the 2007 model is now on the Toyota site.

sandman46 · March 2006

The Sandman

wwest · March 2006

is "googled", as in "I googled for Camry, transaxle, and hesitation", now common to the english language??

dudleyr · March 2006

But goeogled is not common.

corkscrew · March 2006

Stay away from Michelin's. We have been using Yokohama's on our Acura for over eight years now with no problems. I know, what is a Yokohama? http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires.asp

pat · March 2006

let's just try to focus on the content and not worry about hoo spels wut werd witch weigh.

:P

210delray · March 2006

I don't know how you can make a blanket statement like that: "Stay away from Michelins." They generally have a very good reputation (pricey too).

I went with Yokohama Aegis replacement tires for my former '97 Camry and was quite pleased with them overall. They did generate a noticeable hum though, especially on smooth blacktop.

imidazol97 · March 2006

I have to say Michelins will be round and stay round. They also will roll round in today's world where the 9700 Road Force Balancer by Hunter is needed to remove some imbalance from tires that crush differently on different sides under weight but are round when spin balanced.

I have heard some people post that certain versions have less snow traction. I wonder if it's from having been worn partly and then when you replace with new deeper treads those deeper tires do a lot better.

I do realize other tires have stickier rubber, quieter rubber, and may not last as long--you give up something to gain something. Those tires serve many people needs better than Michelins do.

lightfootfl · March 2006

Maybe it is because of the lack of tire life? My new ones (Michelins) are supposedly great, but they are rated at only a 300 tire wear life or about a 30000 mi rating. I so far haven't noticed much of a difference with them, good or bad. :confuse:

wardoggie · March 2006

Hi all,

I just bought a used 2001 4-cyl. Camry Gallery Edition. I was so excited to buy my first new(er) vehicle in 16 years, I forgot to ask if it had ABS. It didn't come with an owners manual, either. I think ABS was an option at the time, but I don't know if the Gallery Edition had it standard, or if the previous owner added it as an option. Is there a way I can tell without slamming on the brakes on wet pavement? :-)

EDIT: I just remembered that it has drum brakes in the rear, so I can't count on the 4-wheel discs as a visual cue.

I love everything else about the car (except the lack of power, but with my driving record, that can be a good thing), so even if it doesn't have ABS, I'd keep it. I'm just wondering if there's a way I can tell. I don't want to find out the hard way, but I'm not exactly changing my driving habits just because it might have ABS. I still drive like I'm behind the wheel of my old Mitsubishi 4x4 -- with plenty of room between me and the car in front of me.

Any input is appreciated.

Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

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