Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

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Comments

  • bj02176bj02176 Member Posts: 115
    Well I miss my 2001 626, squeaky windows, 1999 passat, rattles in the dash in cold weather, tribute, major rattle from rear end on bumpy roads, 2002 liberty, rattle from suspension when it was wet. Well they all had other failings also. The 2002 Camry, boring, other then an alignment, nothing, I'm use to having problems, this simply will not do, I believe another trade is in order as I need something to [non-permissible content removed] about on these boards. Good gas mileage, handling, ride, and everything in working order is not going to cut it for me. Give me problems or else!
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    hahaha very funny post! Glad to see you are enjoying the bland experience of your Camry-which trim line do you have?
    ~alpha
    PS-I think if you get a set of decent Pirellis or Michelins, you can have fun with ANY car, even a vanilla Camry or Accord.... when you push them to the limits.
  • jrawlinsonjrawlinson Member Posts: 11
    I may be in the market for a car for my neice going off to college.next year.I'm a Toyoto man with my wife having the Highlander and myself the Tundra..Can anyone tell me the pro's and con's of the different engines in the Camry?..Is the 4 cylinder plenty of power?..Thanks for any help you can give me
  • fredvhfredvh Member Posts: 857
    IMO, the 4 is plenty big in the Camry. I do not have one but everyone here says 4 is powerful. It saves on gas too. Insurance is cheaper too.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Is very strong. Not as strong as the V6 (obviously) but the car feels more agile, gets better MPG, and will never need a timing belt replacement.
    ~alpha
  • andyman1970andyman1970 Member Posts: 47
    Is there a message board where people are posting how much they paid for their 2002 Camry V6? Thanks in advance.
  • mimi919mimi919 Member Posts: 85
    In your post you said that the 4 cylinder "02"Camry will never need a timing belt and I thought in an owners manual I read recently in a rented 4 cylinder Camry that Toyota recommends replacing the the timing belt at 90,000 miles.
    I was just wondering.
    I also agree with you about the 4 cylinder engine being a strong engine with plenty of power.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    The 2002 Camry 4 cylinder uses a timing chain I believe.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Yup thats right. The 2002 4cylinder Camrys (NOT V6 models) will never need the timing belt replaced, because there isnt one. Many cars have timing chains nowadays, and the Camry 4 cylinder is one of them. Perhaps what you read, Mimi was in reference to the PRE-2002 models? Those certainly need belts replaced by 90,000 miles. About the 4 cyl and power- the VVT-i system really spreads out the engine's useful power band, and I think this is most evident when comparing highway passing power between the new Camry and our 2000 Camry.
    ~alpha
  • george00george00 Member Posts: 81
    My 2002 Camry LE4 drives beautifully. It is stable and quiet, responsive, more than adequate in power (I have no trouble in merging into 75 mph traffic), and makes 28 mpg on regular gas in mixed local and highway driving. I would say the car is ideal but for one thing: the driver's seat is awful. Worse, it feels fine for a while, which is why several test drives did not reveal the problem, then your back starts to hurt - at least mine did, and it got worse and worse.
    First I tried sheepskin seatcovers; they helped a little but the seat was still much too hard and strangely shaped. Indeed, it felt like a metal bar was strung across the back where the seam in the fabric is located.
    After a few weeks of increasing pain, I took the car to an auto upholsterer. I now learned that it felt like there was a metal bar in the seatback because there was a metal bar in the seatback! I had it removed, which naturally involved the removal of the hog rings which attached the fabric to the bar. That was an immediate improvement. There were two more metal wires down each side of the seatback, with more hog rings; I had all of them removed. Then I had small pieces of foam removed from the side bolsters where they compressed my shoulder blades. (To be complete, I should note that all of the above was not accomplished at one time or at one upholsterer, but that's what was done.)
    I then noticed that the fabric was much too tight, like a drum; that was fixed by first sewing in inch-wide strips along the side seams and then spray-gluing the fabric onto the foam.
    That's where my seat stands now: it is the right shape and, as it is a power seat, it can be put in the right position. But it's still much too hard. An earlier upholsterer tried to add more standard foam to the seat but that made it much, much worse. I am going to try to get or make cushions using what I believe is called memory foam - like Tempura-pedic mattress foam. I hope that will at last fix the seat, but isn't it amazing that Toyota can make such a fine car with such a lousy seat? If anyone has any suggestions for softening the seat without changing its shape or position, please let me know.
  • gleclerggleclerg Member Posts: 1
    The dealer told me that I can not have XLE L4 with Nav system, only XLE V6 can have Nav, is it true ?
  • jdeibjdeib Member Posts: 70
    Your dealer is mistaken, that is if you live in the northeast, I'm not sure about the other regions of the US. You can buy it as part of package 9 on the 4 cyl XLE or you can get it as an individual option. Check out the Build it yourself part of this site. You may have to find a dealer to order it though. It's not likely to be a very common option combination.
  • ttc136ttc136 Member Posts: 17
    anyone out here using Nav? mind to share your experience?
  • autonutsautonuts Member Posts: 138
    I take it from reading various posts that you are an experienced Toyota salesman? Anyway, I have a question for you if you are. I still really need to try to get out of my 5 year lease. Financially, I'm hurting. If I were to come in to your dealership and ask you for help with this situation, what would you say? I have a 2000 Camry CE, 8,000MI., power equipment (doors, windows, locks, mirrors), 4cly., A/C, AM/FM/CD. You get the picture. In February the payoff was $18,400. Payments are $310.63/mon. What would you tell me if I said to give the best price you could and tack the difference on a used vehicle, hopefully something on the lot for around $5,000? I'm being very serious! It's not fun being in the predicament I got my self in. Please be honest.
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    What would I say? "Did you get GAP insurance?" Then I would grin as you realize that I have make a joke about insurance fraud. At which point, I would get down to business.

    Without looking at a book, I'm guessing your car is worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $12000 or maybe a bit less. This means that you are roughly $6400 upside down. There isn't a good way to deal with that. Even if you found a car for $5000, you would be financing $11400 plus your taxes. Most banks will not fund deals like that. The banks that might are called secondary lenders and the interest rate is confiscatory.

    Now, you can get yourself out of this, but it will take cash. But if you had cash, you wouldn't be asking this question would you? I hate to say this, but you're stuck. Five year leases are the worst thing banks ever came up with. I hate them because in 8 years of being in this business, I have only seem one person who kept it until the end and was happy. Everybody else realized what a trap it really is and regretted their decision. I will only put somebody in a 5 year lease if they really insist after I explain the pitfalls.
  • ttc136ttc136 Member Posts: 17
    can you share more on what is the bad things to have a 5 year lease ?
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    It completely defeats the purpose of leasing. You don't have a short trade cycle. You don't avoid the big maintenance items (tires, muffler, 60K service etc). You don't escape negative equity in a short amount of time. If you're going to live with those problems, you may as well buy on a 72 month loan so you at least own something at the end.

    I am a fan of leasing. I realize that this is not the right topic for a full discussion on leasing, but it actually makes more sense than most people realize. Five year leases don't convey any of the real lease benefits though.

    There is only one reason to lease for 5 years and that is for the customer that is already upside down and absolutely must get out of it. The five year term prevents the payments from creeping too high for that customer if they don't have a big down payment. It buries them deeper in the new car, but it will get them out of the previous one.
  • civicwcivicw Member Posts: 135
    Assume some private party was ready to buy the car for $14-15K. Then autonuts would be upside down by $4k or so. Or could someone assume the lease at the current payment, if they qualified?
  • hawks1hawks1 Member Posts: 57
    For those that have this sound system in your new Camry's, what is your opinion of it? Is the sound quality very good, and how about the controls, speakers, etc? Is it worth the upgrade from the basic standard system?
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    If he has $4k to take care of the remaining balance, that would be a good way to handle it. You can't assume a lease and finding a person who would want to would be a trick.
  • autonutsautonuts Member Posts: 138
    First of all, thanks cliffy1 for your in-put and information. At least I can say I tried thinking of ways to get out of it, but more importantly, I'll never lease (5 year) or get upside down in another vehicle by my own fault. Secondly, for civicw, I tried that route with trying to find someone to assume the lease, but no go. There are too many great deals to be had in the market right now. So, like cliffy1 said, I'm stuck! I do have one more question for cliffy1. Do you think this car of mine will be worth $8555.00 at the end of the 5 year lease? If it isn't would you turn it back in or go ahead and purchase it? It will have very low miles, I'm sure since it only has 8,100mi. now. Please offer your feedback and I will go away! :)
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    It is hard to predict resale value, but with that low of miles, it probably will be worth $8550 at retail or maybe even a bit more. On trade, no it probably wont be worth that. As to whether you buy or not will depend upon your financial situation at the time. The biggest advantage is that you know the "previous" owner of a nicely priced used car.
  • phyu88phyu88 Member Posts: 2
    I saw a Camry on toyota.co.th website. Toyota is introducing it as a 2003 model. It looks like BMW 3 series in the back. It has better interior trims like walnut steering wheel, walnut gear shift knob, blue dash lights, fog lights and reverse gear object sensor in rear bumper.

    If it's going to be next year Camry, it might be worthwile to wait.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    I think the Camry you mentioned is just basically the Thai version of the one we have here in the US. Here, LE and XLE Camrys already have blue illuminated gauges at night, XLE Camrys have wood-ish trim, and SEs have fog lights. The only real difference is the steering wheel, a front grille that is a bit different (and less attractive, IMO) and different rear taillights. I don't think that the US will see these changes for the 03 Camry. (Though perhaps such stylistic revisions will be made for the 05 model year, which is when Toyota would be scheduled to "freshen" the Camry)
    ~alpha
  • sandydee1sandydee1 Member Posts: 26
    I was thinking of buying a 2001 Toyota Camry LE from Hertz Car Sales. They average 27,000-29,000 miles and are priced from $13,500-$15,000 on a no haggle basis. The only option they have on them is ABS. I would wait for one until it got down to $13,500. Has anyone had any experience with buying a Camry or any other car from Hertz? The cars are detailed very nicely and they show you all the maintenance records. Thanks for you advice.
  • jbkennedyjbkennedy Member Posts: 70
    My wife and I purchased a '97 Camry LE from Hertz 4 years ago and it has been a good vehicle so far. Just turned 60K. This was my second Hertz vehicle, and I would recommend them to anyone. If you are a AAA member, you can get an additional $100 off.

    Good Luck!
  • sandydee1sandydee1 Member Posts: 26
    jbkennedy-Do you recommend buying the Hertz warranty on the Camry? It can be 1-5 years . I was quoted $899 for the 4 year, 48,000 mile one.
  • scottr1024scottr1024 Member Posts: 3
    I purchased an xle with Navigation. It is excellent! I am curious about how often they update the CD ROM and what they charge when this is done. However, it is up to date in most cases. The other posts I have read are very positive about the Navigation Unit. It is fairly easy to use and the voice part works great!!!
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    You might want to take a look at a Toyota warranty instead. Claims are much easier to make and they generally cover a lot more equipment. As long as the car has less than 36K miles and went into service less than 3 years ago, you can get a new car warranty for it. Coverage can be as long as 7/100 from date of first use.
  • clhawkins01clhawkins01 Member Posts: 25
    Yeah ... this system is great. Easy to use and, from what I've seen on other newsgroups, is one of the better systems out there. I'm looking into a Mercedes C230 (the Camry is my wifes) and it's Nav system is CD based. I can't believe it ... I though all Nav systems would be DVD by now ... like Toyotas. Anyway, I've been looking at aftermarket systems (via the net ... not in-store yet) and keep comparing their interface to the Camry's and I always seem to like the Camry's better. If anyone is on the fence about the system ... I say you should get it ... Especially if you're in sales.
  • clhawkins01clhawkins01 Member Posts: 25
    I have the Bose setup associated to the Nav system. I think it is the same premium head unit as the non-Nav system. It sounds good, but the bass is WAY too strong. I'm no audiophile, but I keep the bass at it's lowest setting when listening to radio. When a bass-heavy song comes on, I can still here some rumbling from the speakers at low volume. This is nuts! I asked my service department to check it out and they said it's normal. I think it's the tuner because the CDs I listen to sound fine. I actually have to readjust the bass settings back to the norm. It is annoying to keep changing the settings relative to what I'm listening to though.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Just so you know, I am pretty sure its a JBL system, not a Bose system, unless you have some kind of aftermarket setup. Can you contact the stereo manufacturer to inquire about your concern, instead of Toyota's historically uncooperative service staff? Just a suggestion.
    ~alpha
  • tiger8tiger8 Member Posts: 120
    Let the betting begin: in what model year will Camry offer xenons as an option? I say it depends on what Honda does this fall with the Accord. If the new Accord offers it on the '03, can Camry be far behind? Already the Maxima and I think even the Altima have them, so the pressure is building. And if they offer it, who needs the Lexus ES300? The Camry XLE will be 95% of the ES300.
  • jbkennedyjbkennedy Member Posts: 70
    I did not get the extended warranty from Hertz. You will get the balance of the Toyota factory warranty, which includes a 60K drive train warranty. You might want to look at the Certified Preowned Cars at your local Toyota dealer as well, for a comparison.
  • clhawkins01clhawkins01 Member Posts: 25
    You're right about the stereo being a JBL and not a Bose. I've got a Mercedes on the brain ... it has a Bose system in it. I probably should contact JBL ... although, I'm sure they would suggest I contact Toyota.
  • bigconkbigconk Member Posts: 4
    We have an 02 Camry LE 4cyl AT with 1500 miles. Our main problem is an intermittent smell of rotten eggs. Seems to be especially evident at
    idle and on an incline. It will occur every 5 miles sometimes. The dealer service dept has no clue, says everything is A OK (naturally). Also brakes squeak (non ABS). Anybody having these problems with their 2002 Camry?
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    No problems to report, just had the car in for the 5k mile service interval. bigconk- in what area are you? I was under the impression that although the Camry LE does not have ABS standard, it was generally a popular option built on to most cars. Is there a particular reason why you opted against ABS? Just curious, and good luck with your niggling issues.
    ~alpha
  • stans40stans40 Member Posts: 16
    I bought a 2002 camry about 3 weeks ago, and was there when they did the prep. When he checked the AFT after it had been driven a few miles it was still at the cold level. He added some fluid(I don't think it was more than 1/2 quart)to get it up to the hot level. When he checked, it was at the first notch at the hot level so I said leave it there since I thought it might go up a little as it had not been driven that far.(it hasn't gone up any farther) I then noticed he was using Shell dexron II III AFT. I later went to to the parts dept. to get some Toyota AFT in case I needed to add a little extra and was reassured to see that the quart he sold me was dexron II III. However, when I got home and looked at my owner's manual, it said use only T-IV AFT. (side note: evidently Toyota doesn't want you to check the AFT as they make no mention of it any where else in the manual. They even leave the AFT dip stick out of a diagram that shows where to check the oil, brake and other fluids.)

    I called the dealer(50 miles away, but still the closest) and asked if this would hurt my car and if they had T-IV fluid. The parts man didn't know anything about T-IV fluid and transferred me to the service department, and he also didn't know anything about T-IV fluid, but said he didn't think a 1/2 quart would hurt my car. He did say to play it safe I might change the fluid at 15,000 miles. I told them to check on it for me to be sure. In the mean time I called Toyota customer service to ask if this would hurt my car. The lady I talked to didn't know anything and said Toyota didn't answer that type question. I later called the dealer owner and he said he would check on it. He had his customer service man call me, and after he investigated (his language) he said they poured the T-IV out of big jugs(I checked and it comes in 4 liter containers which is a little over a gallon) into the Shell quart containers. He also said the service man I talked to was an assistant who had not been briefed on the T-IV. So they aren't going to admit that they they put the wrong AFT in my car. So if anyone on this board knows what effect if any this will have on my car or how to ask someone at Toyota, please let me know. I was told that Toyotas have a drain plug for the AFT, but this will only drain out about half the fluid. Is this correct? Thanks for any help.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...is caused by certain brands of fuel having too much sulfur for the catalyst to handle comfortably. I see from your profile that you live in Oregon - this is not a common problem there, but it can happen. Try switching fuel brands and see if that helps.

    In CA, the RFG formula that is mandatory here has pretty much eliminated the sulfur dioxide smell ['rotten eggs']. The problem is common in Canada, and some of your fuel may be sourced north of the border. In any case, try a different brand...
  • cduongcduong Member Posts: 70
    I have '87 Camry with 165,000 miles. It serves me well for 15 yrs. Things that I have not changed are (1) fuel pump (2) fuel filter (3) PCV valve (4) Starter (5) Alternator. To the master mechanics out there : Should I change any of above parts due to old age. My local mechanic, who used to work for a Toyota told me that there is no need to, until it gives trouble. But I want to be pro-active than reactive. Any input will be appreciated.
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    Fuel filter and PCV, should have been changed a couple of times in the past 15 years. The others, wait till they fail. Now, if the water pump is original then replace this at the next belt change.
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Definitely a fuel filter (a [non-permissible content removed] to do, let a shop suffer instead).

    THere's no PCV valve on the 97-91 Camry 4 cylinder engine.

    If you haven't done it yet, change the water pump at the next timing belt change.

    stans40: Dexron IV supercedes DexronIII, but it shouldn't affect the performance of the transmission, nor its reliability. BUt if you want to, at 15,000 miles drop the pan and do a complete ATF change.
  • railroad17railroad17 Member Posts: 18
    Was driving on the road going about 55 MPH when the engine light came ON. I drove by my garage and the fellow said not to worry for now but monitor it for a few days. It is a 97 Camry LE with about 98000 miles. I know it could be a million things but should I be worried or take his advice and relax??
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    The most common cause for a check engine light to come on is the fuel cap. In most cases it is because the owner didn't tighten it down, but the seal may just be worn on it. There are a large number of other things it could be but something like 95% of all check engine light issues are related to this.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,242
    I got hit for an $85 bill once for the SAME problem... check engine light on, and my gas cap was missing. Discovered only AFTER they'd hooked up all the fancy-schmancy equipment. Lesson learned!

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  • rms_600rms_600 Member Posts: 14
    Hi,
    Can anyone answer an insurance question in the following
    scenario?

    1. A car is damaged by hail.

    2. After getting the insurance check the owner doesn't get
    the car repaired.

    3. 2 years later there's an accident in which apart from
    other repairs, body work is also needed (e.g. hood and
    fender need to be replaced).

    4. Will the insurance company raise any objections about
    paying up? What kind of objections or exclusions could
    they come up with?

    Thanks!
  • ttc136ttc136 Member Posts: 17
    I got a quote from dealer, can you advice if this is a good deal or not?

    selling price: $24,385
    2002 Camry XLE 4 Cyl, 4AT,

    Options included:
    Heated Seats,
    VIP Security With Glass Breakage Sensor,
    Package #8 (Leather Pkg., Dual Power Seat Adjusters, JBL AM/FM Stereo w/CD & Cassette, 6-Disc Compact Disc Changer, Aluminum Wheels & Power Glass Moon Roof. )
  • railroad17railroad17 Member Posts: 18
    Yup...checked the fuel cap and it was not tight enough so I adjusted it. The engine light is still ON after doing this and stopping the engine cold.

    As per kirstie_h's $85.00 fancy-schmancy equipment hookup, that is what one dealer wants to do first before checking it.

    Another dealer says it could have been the fuel cap but the engine light could stay in memory and they need to reset it. Is this normal???
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    The OBD computer on some cars needs a certain number of engine cycles, defined as a start and shutdown of the engine, before the light will go out. This will vary by manufacturer from 4-5 cycles up to as many as a dozen. Thus, you can speed up the process by simply starting the engine, shutting down, and restarting. However, some OBD codes can only be reset by the computer at the dealer - give it at least a week of normal driving to see if the system will reset on its own.
  • raybearraybear Member Posts: 1,795
    Good deal? It really depends on where you are located. I checked the market monitor on my website and it said you may have been able to buy it for a couple hundred less. Again, location, location, location! If there are only a few dealers around you the price could be much higher than you paid.
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