Had my toy in for service yesterday, rotation and coolant. They changed all my tire pressures without asking me I keep higher pressure, 42 out of a max of 44 psi, and they lowered all to 35. What a pain!
I do not think they changed my coolant. Absolutely no evidence of change, same color, same crud in tank, no spillage anywhere same level, etc. etc,
As to my Toyota, I can relate to the differential change. I was in a conference call at my dealer (I have a 92) where the service manager, mechanic were on the phone with Corporate arguing about whether the fluid needed to be changed as the mechanic said it was the same pan (well the fluid eventually all mixed together) as the tranny whereas corporate and my service manual says two separate pans where the fluid never got mixed.
I have a 95 Camry LE 4cyl, just passed 150,000 miles. I bought another car now, so I don't have to put so many miles on it. One year I had almost 50k! This car is the best and when asked if I would trade this car in when I bought my new one, they offered $1500!! Get outta my face!!! Not as ambitious as you, I'm hoping to get 250k out of the Camry. I'm sure that will be easy to reach. So far no problems whatsoever.
I hardly go to the dealer/shops for service, real bad experience from a previous Honda dealer, they raised the car up and it sat there for 2 hours with no one doing anything on it. So now, I do everything myself, save for the timing belt and new tires. Oil change at 4-5k. Transmission at 80k. Fuel filter at 100k. coolant drains every 50k. As you can see I don't follow the damn manufacturer or the dealer service intervals. All this would've cost thousands of dollars at the shop and maybe without any work done on it.
I'm getting ready to leave tomorrow morning on a 500 mile road trip through central Oregon. I should get a good feel for how the Camry handles during inclement weather driving as I anticipate dry, wet, icy, and snowed road surfaces. I'll be returning Monday and will post again then.
May, 2005..... Ford Motor Company unveils their next generation auto with a new engine that runs on "fuel-cell" technology(hydrogen) at a world auto expo in Las Vegas, NV.
Sept,2007..... Ford introduces for public sale it's 2008 model auto with new fuel-cell technology hydrogen engine.
Feb,2010..... Congress passes legislation banning the manufacture of new gasoline/diesel autos and light trucks beginning with 2012 model year.
19 days later..... In an emergency legislative session congress passes gasoline/diesel "Junker Law" banning the conversion or retrofitting of any gas/diesel auto or light truck with a new fuel-cell engine.
Summer,2015.....Gas prices soar with the news that the Federal Government will no longer require auto manufactors to produce replacement parts for any gas/diesel auto or pick-ups.
Aug,2017.....Effective 1-1-18 Congress passes new law banning the sell of any replacement parts for any car or pick-up with a gas/diesel engine.
Oct,2018....On a cold rainy night While driving your gasser home you hear the dreaded "clunk,tink, shhhhhhhh" so you pull over to the side of the road. Like thousands of others, you reach into your glove box and pull out that big black sticker the Government sent you "STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT" and stick it on the windshield. You leave the car where it died and walk home. Three weeks later you receive a check in the mail for $37.84 from Jerry's metal recycling for that old car.
My personal prediction is 15-20 years none of us will be driving cars with a gasoline or diesel engine.
You may be just about right, since hydrogen propulsion technology is going to take about that long to go on line anyway. And some experts think this is about when gasoline reserves will peak and start to decline forever.
...there's a nuclear holocaust or some other world disaster. After the debris settles, only three species survive. The cockroach, the Dart, and Beethoven's Camry!
and others, I really neede a good laugh at work today, although now some of my coworkers think I am a little strange sitting here laughing at my computer. However, in a related note, I assume many of you have already seen some of the info on the GM Autonomy. All in all it looks like the car will definitely change in the coming years, although never discount the ignorance of congress, or the power of lobbyists to slow the technological advancements. I just read an article on MSN that stated congress has approved a no change for SUV/ pickup fuel economy for the 2004 model year.
Sorry it has been a few days since my last post. I took a road trip through central Oregon and returned to a non-functioning Internet connection.
Great trip... 500 more miles on the Camry. I drove through all types of road conditions. A large portion of the trip was on icy and snow covered roads. It's nice that they don't salt the roads here in Oregon so I don't have to worry about rust, but they do sand them. This said, I now have two small rock chips on the hood and bumper I will have to address. Any thoughts on how to do this? I don't want to just drop a glop of paint on the chip, I want a fix that will look as if there was never a chip. I read the article on CarCare.com regarding chip repair. It seems pretty sensible. Anyone ever followed their recipe?
Something just came to mind while reading about the stone chips... you'd better plan on putting 3 or 4 windshields in along the way to that million miles, they'll eventually become so sandblasted you won't be able to see through them on sunny days.
I happin to live in central oregon,Bend And your right the roads were a tad icy.I had this 3m product applied to my car,it's a thick clear film that goes where a bug sheild would and have yet had a rock penatrate it.The only drawback so far is when I wax the car the wax sticks on the edge and it takes a little extra care to clean off. Tony
Good point on the windshield. I of course have glass coverage through my insurance which I'm sure I'll need to use. So far so good though.
Also... I plan to add rain sensing wipers to my car (an excellent idea in rainy Portland). Despite the fact that the Camry has variable intermittent wipers, I find that I constantly have to adjust the wiper speed as I'm driving - very annoying. Anyone ever added after market rain sensing wipers? I hear I may have to have the windshield replaced as the sensors are buried in the glass...
Thanks for your post. I stayed in Bend this last weekend on my road trip. I also used to live in Bend - moved out in '82 (the population was only 17,000 back then). Despite Bends' considerable growth, I still love visiting (I visit at least 5 times a year). Anyway...
Thanks for the info on the clear bra. Can you give me a little more info? Did you apply the product yourself or have it done professionally? If you did it yourself was it easy to do and where did you buy the product? How noticeable is it on your car in the sunlight? Any additional information would be much appreciated.
I had the stuff put on by a professional he worked out of his garage on Awbre Butte. The stuff is about 1/32 thick and you can see it only because of the cut off points, you get this line as if you put clear tape on your hood. I lived in portland for 5yrs moved here 18 months ago. Their are a couple of auto dealers that install this stuff in portland I would drive around to some of the biggest Dealers you can find like Town and country or RonTonkin.When I was looking to purchase a used vehicle right before I moved I went to just about every dealer in the area and a couple had brochures on the product but I can't seem to remember which dealers. About 6months after I moved to Bend I heard a Radio commerical advertising this stuff,so I called . It comes with a life time warranty agaist peeling. I also had the headlight lenses covered It might save me 125.00 one day. Total cost was 85.00 and it took 1/2 hr.
Thanks for the info on the clear bra. I've called around to a variety of Portland area shops that can apply the stuff and have had prices quoted from $70 to $150. I'm still researching a bit, but will likely act soon at having this done.
I almost needed more than a front end bra this evening. I was driving home from a visit to the country and a full size Ford truck passed me and dumped some of it's load about 30 feet in front of me. The driver must not of even realized it as the truck didn't stop. Most dangerous was a metal hose reel (the type you mount to the front of your house to roll your hose up on). The reel hit the pavement with enough force that it bounced some 15' in the air landing within a few feet of my traveling car. I was very lucky... the roads were pretty icy and I had know way of quickly avoiding the flying debris.
Makes me think back to some of the posters who lamented that even if the Camry could make it to 1,000,000 miles the chance of a wreck would be quite high during the process. I guess we'll see... I certainly hope that if my goal doesn't see fruition it is because the car died rather than being wrecked.
So far so good - 11,000 trouble free miles (long way to go).
While on a recent trip to San Antonio I asked the cab driver if he owned the cab. He said yes and I asked how many miles on the engine and tranny. He said both original and had 300,000+ miles. So I asked how often he changed the oil and what he used. He said every two weeks with Castrol 20W50 dino. Tranny he didn't change?????
Interesting post. We're averaging about 18K per year in our 4 year old Camry, so only 51 more years to go. Looks like I'm going to have to do a few pushups and windsprints so I can see the odometer turn!
Thanks for the post on the cab. What kind of car was it? Did it seem like it was still in good running shape. It's hard to believe that he racked up 300k on an auto transmission without any fluid changes - especially given the way cabs are driven.
Thanks for your post. What type of Camry do you have 4cy, 6cy, auto (I assume), or 5spd? Have you had any problems with your Camry yet to date. Any more information I'd love to hear.
Any of the Camry owners who have posted on this thread had any sludge problems? I've been reading the sludge boards with horror. I'd sure like to believe that those who have suffered sludge brought it on themselves due to poor preventative maintenance. I don't know though.
To date my Camry is totally sludge free. It better stay that way too so I at least have a fighting chance to hit 1,000,000 miles.
There is a ping pong table at my office. I play very regularly and am a pretty good player. There are only two colleagues of mine that are better. I had never beaten either of these two until the other day when I managed to beat one of them (barely). He was so upset that he proclaimed I wouldn't be able to beat him again for at least six months. He even went as far as to place a wager on it. If I beat him one time in the next 6 months (1 out of about 120 games) he has to wash my car in the office parking lot wearing flippers, a snorkel, and a tank top saying "my wash boy". Of course if I loose I have to do the same.
I of course plan to win - I will post a picture of him in the aforementioned get up on this thread as soon as I beat him.
I'm going to the annual Auto Show tonight here in Portland, OR. Should be pretty neat - lots of concept cars and '03 models. I'll post this weekend on what I see.
There was a post below regarding a summer car wash. I feel remotely evil knowing how I am going to gloat after I have won this bet. I am nearly sure that my co-worker will be able drive his Camry one million miles, short of some unforeseen accident. There are maintenence and preventitive measures that he can and will take with his Camry I am sure. However, his Ping Pong playing, or Table Tennis if you will, is not something I believe he can do much about. I too will do my best to have his picture posted in six months time washing my car. I need to go put him in his place for the day.....where he will stay for the next 6 months.......
Can you believe that my colleague actually took the time to register himself with Edmunds just so he could make the above post? This obviously shows he has quite a high opinion of his playing skills. We'll see...
Frankly it's a rare but significant occurance. Testing has shown that on these engines the oil starts to shear at around 4,000 miles and thins to a lighter grade. Since it is too light it may start to cook at the newer higher engine temperatures.
Conservative advice, use synthetic and change every 4,000 at a Toyota dealer during the warranty period. Oil analysis would show if the thinning is occuring for your particular engine.
The Camry is a good choice, but not the best choice. The best vehicle to give you a shot at 1M miles is a Toyota 4 cylinder truck with a manual transmission. Personally, I don't want a truck, nor a manual tranmission, but this RWD vehicle is the most durable.
Had this problem in our '96 LE and got rid of it at 81k. We had every oil change at the dealer and were assured that 7500 between changes was the proper time incriment. We were lied to obviously and had sludge by 80k. Caused other problems that Toyota mechanic pulled me aside and said I should dump this puppy asap and did 2 weeks later. It was our second Camry, first was a '93 involved in a major collision, and was about to buy a 2001 also but the wife wanted an Altima this time. I still miss the Camry though. We've already had 4 Toyota's.
Selling my baby to Carmax with 123k on the clock for 3.5k. Just bought a new 2002 with the 2.4liter engine. My 95 still runs like a dream. Used Amsoil since 27k. The 2002 has much more power. Don't think I'll get to 1 million miles on this one.
I have an 86 with 2.0 4cyl and 187,000 mi. No sludge at all, I check when I adjust the valves. I use conventional 10w-30 in whichever major brand is cheapest at oil change time every 5,000 miles. Engine does burn about 1 quart every 1000 miles or so.
Thanks for your recent posts on sludge. I'm currently of the opinion (based on what I've read) that certain Toyota engines have a propensity toward sludging only when driven under severe conditions (as most of us do), and only when cheaper oil is used and left in for 5k miles or longer. I personally know quite a few Toyota owners who don't have sludge and who aren't particularly careful with their maintenance however. A couple of these folks even swear they could poor dirt in their gas and run the engine without oil and still have a functioning Toyota. Given all the bad media on Toyota and sludge though, I'm definitely taking all measures I can to ensure that my car doesn't develop the problem. If it does, it surely won't make it to the million mark.
You are probably right. A rear wheel drive 4cy Tacoma in a 5spd would have probably been a better bet when selecting a 1 million mile vehicle. Unfortunately, I just couldn't live long term with this type of vehicle.
I do plan on purchasing a Tundra 4x4 in the next year or so though. I will use this vehicle when building my home and to commute in adverse weather conditions. I'm sure I'll get an automatic - hopefully it will hold up nicely.
Did you use the Amsoil non API certified or the 7500 API certified oil in your old Camry? I'm assuming you must have used the non certified as I don't think the 7500 has been available that long.
I use the non certified, but still question it given a lack of API certification.
How does the 2002 Camry drive? I want to drive one, but am afraid that I'll find my 2001 inferior after doing so.
The car held up very well, it was a low speed accident that my daughter had. The Allstate approved shop made the car look new again and if not for the sludge problem and other things, motor mounts, o-rings, etc., we'd still have the car now. Drove great as does my '96 Corolla which is still fun and economical to drive.
I went last weekend - it was nice. Not too many concept cars though. I kinda like the new Matrix / Vibe twins. I don't think I'd own one based on my needs though. The new Corolla is very nice too. Outside Toyota, I liked the BMW 3 series. I drove a 330i a week or so back and fell in love with its handling and power. I'll probably add one to my fleet eventually.
Thanks for the info. I hear the Camry is quite safe. I haven't checked the safety of the new Altima - hopefully it is good too. Better yet - hopefully you will never need to know.
That is funny!! I'd guess that I would realistically need 7 Expeditions. Probably only 2 LandCruisers though. I think I'd rather take that route if I were to do it...
I'm trying to decide between Amsoil's regular high mileage synthetic 5w30 oil (not API certified) and their new 7500 synthetic oil (API certified) that is only recommended for 7,500 miles or so for my next change.
I currently use their, regular, non certified oil. I'm just a little bothered by the lack of certification. Any thoughts would be welcomed - Thanks...
you might want to go for the xl7500. I'm not sure if you were the one that just purchased a new camry. From what I read there was a gentlemen who used amsoil's extended drain oils for 10yrs had no problem during its use
Then he purchased a lexus rx300 after 21,000 miles the engine sludged up has had diffculty with lexus on reimbursment for the money he needed to fork out for engine replacement.
I'm just pointing out you may want to play it safe by using the 7,500 mile oil and changing it timely basis, I think it was bob the oil guy had told me that a number of toyota engines have been prone to this problem by people extending the oil drains.
You might just want to establish a baseline for oil changes if you do extend them beyond the manufacturers recomendation by taking oil analysis.
Then switch to the regular after that if you want. One of Toyota's biggest excuses for not paying is that a poor quality oil was used. If you have sludging issues, it will be a better layer of proof in your favor if you use certified oils.
I would opt for their 0w-30 little more expensive thant their 25,000 5w-30 and 10w-30 yet they have said it being the 0w-30 is their superior oil I would only extend that to once a year and a filter change in the middle, might I also suggest that you just for fyi purposes that you take an oil analysis to establish a base line on how far you can extend it.
The non certified 0W, 5W, 10W-30 weights are superior oils. The additive packages are better. the XL series was designed to market to quick lube places and customers that were leary of going beyond the manual recommended change interval. I uses the 10W30 since 1992 and the 0W30 for two years on one car only, all others use the 10W30.
As to Toyota's and sludge, see the Sludge board, Toyota has agreed that there is a problem and now recommends 3,750 mile changes
I wish you all the luck in your endeavor to reach 1M mi! It has been done before and may be repeated especially with the Camry. A co-worker tried it with a '78 Mercedes Turbodiesel but at 800K mi had to replace one piston because the wrist pin boss was worn enough to cause a major knock. After the repair everything was fine until a drunk ran into it for him. But at least he tried, there is something to be said for that.
Comments
I don't know if you can get to 1 million miles, but you can try getting 1 million posts in this thread. You are doing a good job so far!
Oh, well I am only kidding
I do not think they changed my coolant. Absolutely no evidence of change, same color, same crud in tank, no spillage anywhere same level, etc. etc,
As to my Toyota, I can relate to the differential change. I was in a conference call at my dealer (I have a 92) where the service manager, mechanic were on the phone with Corporate arguing about whether the fluid needed to be changed as the mechanic said it was the same pan (well the fluid eventually all mixed together) as the tranny whereas corporate and my service manual says two separate pans where the fluid never got mixed.
Now I do it myself.
I hardly go to the dealer/shops for service, real bad experience from a previous Honda dealer, they raised the car up and it sat there for 2 hours with no one doing anything on it. So now, I do everything myself, save for the timing belt and new tires. Oil change at 4-5k. Transmission at 80k. Fuel filter at 100k. coolant drains every 50k. As you can see I don't follow the damn manufacturer or the dealer service intervals. All this would've cost thousands of dollars at the shop and maybe without any work done on it.
Well good luck reaching 1,000,000.
Sept,2007..... Ford introduces for public sale it's 2008 model auto with new fuel-cell technology hydrogen engine.
Feb,2010..... Congress passes legislation banning the manufacture of new gasoline/diesel autos and light trucks beginning with 2012 model year.
19 days later..... In an emergency legislative session congress passes gasoline/diesel "Junker Law" banning the conversion or retrofitting of any gas/diesel auto or light truck with a new fuel-cell engine.
Summer,2015.....Gas prices soar with the news that the Federal Government will no longer require auto manufactors to produce replacement parts for any gas/diesel auto or pick-ups.
Aug,2017.....Effective 1-1-18 Congress passes new law banning the sell of any replacement parts for any car or pick-up with a gas/diesel engine.
Oct,2018....On a cold rainy night
While driving your gasser home you hear the dreaded "clunk,tink, shhhhhhhh" so you pull over to the side of the road. Like thousands of others, you reach into your glove box and pull out that big black sticker the Government sent you "STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT" and stick it on the windshield. You leave the car where it died and walk home. Three weeks later you receive a check in the mail for $37.84 from Jerry's metal recycling for that old car.
My personal prediction is 15-20 years none of us will be driving cars with a gasoline or diesel engine.
(or better yet, make a car as TOUGH as a cockroach--we've already made some as ugly, but...)
However, in a related note, I assume many of you have already seen some of the info on the GM Autonomy. All in all it looks like the car will definitely change in the coming years, although never discount the ignorance of congress, or the power of lobbyists to slow the technological advancements.
I just read an article on MSN that stated congress has approved a no change for SUV/ pickup fuel economy for the 2004 model year.
Sorry it has been a few days since my last post. I took a road trip through central Oregon and returned to a non-functioning Internet connection.
Great trip... 500 more miles on the Camry. I drove through all types of road conditions. A large portion of the trip was on icy and snow covered roads. It's nice that they don't salt the roads here in Oregon so I don't have to worry about rust, but they do sand them. This said, I now have two small rock chips on the hood and bumper I will have to address. Any thoughts on how to do this? I don't want to just drop a glop of paint on the chip, I want a fix that will look as if there was never a chip. I read the article on CarCare.com regarding chip repair. It seems pretty sensible. Anyone ever followed their recipe?
Also... I plan to add rain sensing wipers to my car (an excellent idea in rainy Portland). Despite the fact that the Camry has variable intermittent wipers, I find that I constantly have to adjust the wiper speed as I'm driving - very annoying. Anyone ever added after market rain sensing wipers? I hear I may have to have the windshield replaced as the sensors are buried in the glass...
Thanks for the info on the clear bra. Can you give me a little more info? Did you apply the product yourself or have it done professionally? If you did it yourself was it easy to do and where did you buy the product? How noticeable is it on your car in the sunlight? Any additional information would be much appreciated.
Did you use Toyota or other brand?
I almost needed more than a front end bra this evening. I was driving home from a visit to the country and a full size Ford truck passed me and dumped some of it's load about 30 feet in front of me. The driver must not of even realized it as the truck didn't stop. Most dangerous was a metal hose reel (the type you mount to the front of your house to roll your hose up on). The reel hit the pavement with enough force that it bounced some 15' in the air landing within a few feet of my traveling car. I was very lucky... the roads were pretty icy and I had know way of quickly avoiding the flying debris.
Makes me think back to some of the posters who lamented that even if the Camry could make it to 1,000,000 miles the chance of a wreck would be quite high during the process. I guess we'll see... I certainly hope that if my goal doesn't see fruition it is because the car died rather than being wrecked.
So far so good - 11,000 trouble free miles (long way to go).
Don't know the car year.
To date my Camry is totally sludge free. It better stay that way too so I at least have a fighting chance to hit 1,000,000 miles.
There is a ping pong table at my office. I play very regularly and am a pretty good player. There are only two colleagues of mine that are better. I had never beaten either of these two until the other day when I managed to beat one of them (barely). He was so upset that he proclaimed I wouldn't be able to beat him again for at least six months. He even went as far as to place a wager on it. If I beat him one time in the next 6 months (1 out of about 120 games) he has to wash my car in the office parking lot wearing flippers, a snorkel, and a tank top saying "my wash boy". Of course if I loose I have to do the same.
I of course plan to win - I will post a picture of him in the aforementioned get up on this thread as soon as I beat him.
Oil and filter at 7,500 with synthetic
Valve cover off last year for a new gasket, clean, no sludge.
Uses about 25 ounces of oil between changes.
Conservative advice, use synthetic and change every 4,000 at a Toyota dealer during the warranty period. Oil analysis would show if the thinning is occuring for your particular engine.
It was our second Camry, first was a '93 involved in a major collision, and was about to buy a 2001 also but the wife wanted an Altima this time. I still miss the Camry though. We've already had 4 Toyota's.
I'm curious, how did the Camry hold up in the accident you were in?
I do plan on purchasing a Tundra 4x4 in the next year or so though. I will use this vehicle when building my home and to commute in adverse weather conditions. I'm sure I'll get an automatic - hopefully it will hold up nicely.
Did you use the Amsoil non API certified or the 7500 API certified oil in your old Camry? I'm assuming you must have used the non certified as I don't think the 7500 has been available that long.
I use the non certified, but still question it given a lack of API certification.
How does the 2002 Camry drive? I want to drive one, but am afraid that I'll find my 2001 inferior after doing so.
Drove great as does my '96 Corolla which is still fun and economical to drive.
Talk to everyone soon.
(You'll probably have to go through about 10-13 Expeditions to make this work.)
I currently use their, regular, non certified oil. I'm just a little bothered by the lack of certification. Any thoughts would be welcomed - Thanks...
Then he purchased a lexus rx300 after 21,000 miles the engine sludged up has had diffculty with lexus on reimbursment for the money he needed to fork out for engine replacement.
I'm just pointing out you may want to play it safe by using the 7,500 mile oil and changing it timely basis, I think it was bob the oil guy had told me that a number of toyota engines have been prone to this problem by people extending the oil drains.
You might just want to establish a baseline for oil changes if you do extend them beyond the manufacturers recomendation by taking oil analysis.
Beyond warranties, certifications, etc., what do you guys think is the best oil - the certified or the extended drain oil?
As to Toyota's and sludge, see the Sludge board, Toyota has agreed that there is a problem and now recommends 3,750 mile changes
A co-worker tried it with a '78 Mercedes Turbodiesel but at 800K mi had to replace one piston because the wrist pin boss was worn enough to cause a major knock.
After the repair everything was fine until a drunk ran into it for him.
But at least he tried, there is something to be said for that.
Once again. BEST OF LUCK!