2007 Toyota Camry

babyrocket

Has anyone investigated the new Lockpick by Coastaletech? According to their website, it is compatible with many Toyota and Lexus models (including the 2007 Camry), and does the following:

UNLOCK ALL THE HIDDEN FEATURES OF YOUR NAVIGATION SCREEN!!!
UNBLOCK VIDEO AND AUDIO INPUTS!
REMOVE "I AGREE" SCREEN
UNBLOCK DESTINATION ADDRESS INPUTS
UNBLOCK TOUCH SCREEN SCROLLING ON MAP
UNBLOCK BLUETOOTH PHONE NUMBER ENTRY
UNBLOCK FACTORY DVD PLAYERS
THE LOCKPICK features fully automatic detection of all factory equipment and goes to work unblocking each. Need an input for your DVD or VIDEO IPOD? NO PROBLEM!

Installation is made for the do-it-yourself installer with simple plug-in connectors!
EASY TO PUT IN AND EASY TO TAKE OUT SO YOU CAN PUT IT IN YOUR NEXT TOYOTA/LEXUS

Information and demo videos are here:

http://www.coastaletech.com/LOCKPICK_MAIN.htm

They also have an iPod interface that appears to be what I've been looking for. It's here:

http://www.coastaletech.com/ULTIMATE%20IPOD.htm

I'm not affiliated with the company, I'm just looking for information on them and whether their products do what they say they do. If so, I'll be a customer.

mcdawgg

I drove a 5 speed manual CE, but could not decide if 2 car seats and a small adult would fit in the back seat? Anyone have any experience??

kiawah

Have had 3 teenagers in the back seat, no problems.

Having had youngsters from a long term practicality perspective, if you have a need for 2 car seats......get yourself a minivan. Space to haul stuff, other kids, travelling, ease of entry/exit, etc, can't beat them.

mcdawgg

True about minivans, but the higher cost and the lower MPG is a main factor against them. We do not travel too often, so if the four of us can fit (wife, two kids in car seats), then that's what we will do. I was just curious if my wife would be able to sit in the backseat occasionally with the two car seats, to help on those long trips.

w9cw

I, along with my family, just spent almost a week, and 1,500 miles, in a rental 2007 Camry SE 4-cylinder automatic, and I thought I'd post some of my observations.

1). Overall - The impressions are very good, and gas mileage was 34MPG with A/C on for the entire trip to western NY - mostly highway driving, but some city driving. This is with 4 adults aboard along with luggage. Speeds on the interstates typically varied from 65 to 75 MPH.

2). Interior - Seat comfort (see below) is very good for long driving stretches, and we covered around 600 miles to our destination in western NY from central IL in one day's driving. The dash is assembly is quite large, and I noticed some metallic resonance emanating from the gauge cluster area at various engine RPMs. Not a rattle per se, but a resonance dependent on engine speed. Occasionally, the driver's seat would squeak, but it would disappear after a short time. No other abnormal noises were noted from the interior.

3). Trunk - Having rented the previous generation of Camry many times, I missed the extra cu.ft. provided by the old Camry design. And, the exposed goose-neck hinges on the 2007 Camry is a step backward in my opinion. We had to carefully position the luggage to keep it from interfering with the hinges.

4). Brakes - The 4-wheel disc brakes on the SE are excellent with perfect modulation and excellent feel.

5). Handling - The SE handled very well, and the ride comfort was most acceptable. Certainly, it was firmer than the LE, but the extra control was welcome. The suspension was firm, but not harsh even over rough two-lane roads.

6). Engine - The 2.4L 4-cylinder engine has plenty of power and acceleration for most normal use, even with the load we carried. Plus, it's an exceptionally smooth engine. The only time I wished for the power and torque of the V6 was in the hills and mountains of NY and PA. I could easily live with the 4-cylinder. Gas mileage was excellent with an overall average of 34MPG. For example, on the return drive, we filled the tank in Erie, PA and drove to central IL witout stopping for fuel. Excellent cruising range . . .

7). Transmission - Most of the time, the 5-speed automatic shifted smoothly, but forget using the cruise control in hilly or mountainous terrain. While going up a fairly miminal grade in Ohio, the cruise control shifted down at least two gears, as the RPM went from 1,900RPM to 5,000RPM in a blink of an eye. On a level terrain it was perfectly fine, but I ended up not using the cruise most of the time, especially while in NY and PA. I think Toyota has a firmware issue here. Otherwise, I did not experience any of the spiking problems noted in this forum, and the drive-by-wire system felt quite natural.

8). Visability - In comparison to the previous generation Camry, the 2007 does not have as good side-to-side visability. With the headrests properly adjusted, and four adults in the car, I found myself straining with some blind spots unlike in the old Camry.

9). Headrests (or, more specifically, head restraints) - As previously mentioned in this forum, they do lean forward a bit as they are active head restraints, and I did have to get used to this. Over time, however, it was fine, and not troublesome at all.

10). Seats - Very comfortable for long drives, and very adjustable. I never experienced any lower back pain even with 5 to 6 hour continuous streches on the road.

11). Audio System - It may be my imagination, but it doesn't seem like the standard audio system has quite as good a "sound" as the previous generation's system. And, I noticed that the embedded antenna caused some signal fading, especially on marginal FM stations and on AM when you change directions. And, I must say, I'm not totally sold on the color of the gauge and audio lighting either. The analogous "Timex IndiGlo Blue" is not quite to my taste.

Interestingly, the rental SE did not have a moonroof. In our section of the country, it's impossible to purchase an SE without the moonroof option. Too bad, as I would prefer one without the moonroof.

Would I buy one? Most certainly, however, I would wait to see if they sort out the automatic transmission and cruise control quirks. At first, I didn't like the exterior of the new Camry, but now that I lived with it for a bit, it's actually quite attractive. Maybe it just has to grow on you! However, I still don't like the front end/grille design - I guess it's the new Toyota corporate sedan look along with the Yaris. I wonder if the new Corolla will have the same nose??

ctl

Camry is ok for an average built person plus two car seats (97 V6 which is smaller than newer ones). My wife is doing that all the time. Although more room is always better if you want to keep it a car instead of a van. So if I were to get a 2007 it might be an Avalon instead of a Camry.

lmacmil

"7). Transmission - Most of the time, the 5-speed automatic shifted smoothly, but forget using the cruise control in hilly or mountainous terrain. While going up a fairly miminal grade in Ohio, the cruise control shifted down at least two gears, as the RPM went from 1,900RPM to 5,000RPM in a blink of an eye."

That's the difference between the V6 and the 4. I just made a similar trip from Indiana all the way across I-80 to NYC and back across I-90 thru New York. Cruise on all the way and my 3.3 liter V6 (2005 SE) never downshifted once, even on the longest grades in PA. At 72-73 mph where I set the cruise, rpms are 2400.

I averaged 27.5 mpg for the entire 2500 miles, 28.5 or better on tanks that were all freeway. I used premium which gave me about 2 mpg more than regular has.

spiff72

I hate to break this to you, but you are wasting your money on premium gas. Unless the Camry specifically tells you it needs premium, it isn't necessary.

Premium gas doesn't improve your fuel economy, or increase power - it only helps to reduce detonation/pre-ignition in high compression engines.

lmacmil

Gee, the Toyota manual says premium fuel will increase power and my empirical evidence says it increases fuel economy. What's the source of your data? :P

spiff72

It is all an oil-cartel conspiracy to get us to spend more money on premium gas when we don't need it!

Seriously, though...

I suspect that your car falls into the category of "vehicles designed for premium fuel", or at least "vehicles capable of taking advantage of premium fuel". What does the manual actually say? Does it recommend premium?

And I always question emprical evidence that isn't gathered in a laboratory. There are simply two many variables in the real world to be able to claim an improvement of 2mpg.

My manual (07 Camry Hybrid) simply states that you must use a minimum of 87 octane.

My sources:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-07-30-premiumgas_x.htm

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041008.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/02/earlyshow/saturday/main517335.shtml

http://money.cnn.com/2006/07/19/pf/saving/willis/index.htm

lmacmil

The manual says "for improved vehicle performance, the use premium (91 octane) fuel is recommended."

Are you saying that driving 2500+ miles and recording gallons used at every fillup (9 in total) is not going to accurately measure fuel economy?

I did this as an experiment. I'm satisfied with the results and my data says my mileage increased due to the use of premium. I will freely admit that I didn't save any money but it didn't cost me anything either due to the increased mileage. Psychologically, I prefer to think that I can get 28+ mpg rather than the 26 I have always gotten using regular.

Btw, what kind of mileage does your hybrid get in steady freeway cruising at 65 mph or above?

cakes99

I really appreciated this information on the Camry. I think these kinds of posts are very valuable for us new car shoppers. I am still tossing between the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camary. I am trying to understand what is the difference between the two. Any feed back on Honda Accord VS Toyota Camry?

pat

Check out this discussion: Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry.

spiff72

OK - that makes all the differnce. When I made my original statement, I should have said "unless your car recommends premium fuel" rather than requires it. Your vehicle clearly falls into the recommended category. It will reduce power to accomodate the regular fuel (often through retardation of the ignition timing). These could cause reduced mileage/efficiency as well.

I stand by my earlier statement - if you car doesn't require or recommend premium fuel, you are wasting your money by buying the premium!

And my mileage on my Camry Hybrid thus far (on the highway) with the cruise set around 70 is about 38-39 mpg. I am only on my third tank, but I have found that the sweet spot for cruising is around 60-63 mph. I took a fairly long trip (200 miles) on some 55mph two-lane highways, and my trip average for that segment was about 43mpg! I love the car.

bill3777

I got a quote on a 2007 Camry LE 2.4L with no addtitonal options for $19600 excluding destination fee, tax, tag and title. Is this too high? What did others pay for this?

ray_h1

"Gee, the Toyota manual says premium fuel will increase power and my empirical evidence says it increases fuel economy. What's the source of your data?"

I'm not spiff72, but suffer another armchair observation. Your point about increased mileage and power is true since virtually all current engine production for North American passenger car use includes knock sensors to advance ignition curves to the maximum consistent with the grade of gasoline in use. Most online sources attribute ~3 more horsepower at the driving wheels when premium unleaded is used. If we speculate that the increase is somewhere around 5 hp at the engine output shaft before parasitic losses in the transmission/differential occur, the Camry V6's nominal 268 hp might measure in the neigborhood of 273 hp. That translates to a munificent 1.86% and change increase. Folded over to Toyota's published fuel economy figures of 22/31 mpg, city/highway, that translates to an equally munificent 22.4/31.58 mpg. While you and others may disagree with me where the rubber meets the road, I don't find that paltry improvement worthy of an extra 20 cents/gallon where my wallet meets the cashier.

njerald

Yes, paying 5-7% more to get 2% better possible mileage is a loser but people do it.

pat

Hi Bill - have a look at this discussion: Toyota Camry: Prices Paid & Buying Experience. You should be able to learn a lot!

califfam

Looking at getting XLE V6 soon and I change my own oil,here's the question. Does this canister type filter change easy or does it make a mess all over the place.I prefer a spin on filter,sounds like Toyota is going backwards on this one.

lmacmil

"I stand by my earlier statement - if you car doesn't require or recommend premium fuel, you are wasting your money by buying the premium!"

I would never have disputed that statement.

Is the much smaller hybrid trunk (about 10 cu ft vs 16 for the regular Camry) a problem for you?

lmacmil

My Olds Intrigue had a canister oil filter. I never changed my own oil in it because 1) it was in the center of the engine and would have req'd me to jack up the car and slide way under and 2) I thought that all the hot oil would drain almost instantly and probably scald me.

Not sure if the Camry is the same or not. For me these days, I happily pay the dealer $25 for the oil change and multiple inspections that my local dealers do at the same time.

lmacmil

My observed mileage increase was on the order of 7.5% and the premium for premium was 7% so it was a wash. As I stated, I did it as an experiment, not to save money. Plus, the 7.5% increase in fuel economy was invaluable to my psyche

w9cw

Normally, using a premium fuel when only regular is specified does not increase fuel mileage. However, so many variables exis that anything is possible.

In turbocharged engines with APC systems, using a higher octane fuel increases HP and Torque output, as the engine management changes the turbo's boost. Of course, this is not the case here.

ray_h1

The oil filter service for the Toyota 1MZ-FE V6 engine doesn't appear to be to be particularly arduous or messy. You'll need Adobe Acrobat or Reader to open the pdf file the link directs you to.

mcdawgg

I see I got no replies to my post about manual tranny Camrys. I guess there are so few that noone has one?

cgmax2k

mcdawgg,

you think the CE manual is rare, try the SE!! I have a Barcelona Red SE in a manual that I picked up in April. Had to order it and wait 5 wks. I was told 7 wks so I was very happy to get is sooner. The shifter is OK for me, not different than other manual cars that I have driven. It is definitely more fun to drive!! The CE is slightly different as far interior styling and certain features and of course no ground effects, but you can always add that later although the money you are going to spend for that you are better off going with the SE, which you will most likely have to order. If you live near PA you can try fitz auto mall, they had a few manual SE in stock.

good luck!!

poorcruzer

It's just a pity they don't make the V-6 SE with a six speed manual or DSG equivalent transmission. If Toyota did, the replacement for my Bonnie would already be in the driveway. I'm hoping and praying. :shades:

lmacmil

With today's computerized engine controllers, it's pretty easy to optimize an engine for peak power using premium and let the software "detune" it to run fine on regular with a little less power.

The Accord V6 specifies regular but I've seen posts that Honda engineers have said using premium ups the hp by about 10.

lmacmil

Never happen. Manual transmissions just don't fit the Camry demographic and they probably don't even have a manual tranny for the V6 engines.

It would be interesting to know how many manual Accord V6 sedans Honda is selling now that they are offering that combo. I'd bet it's in the low single digits percent-wise.

califfam

Well I said Toyota was taking a step backwords with this oil filter canister I was wrong their taking 10 steps back and falling dowm, Only a very old farm tractor or a 1940's ford would use a canister filter and a hose to drain it. Thankyou everyone for all the info, Thank God for these forms. The Camry is one of the best but I own a farm I servics all my own tractors truck and cars and this canister filter on a 25 to 30,000 car just doen't do it for me.

w9cw

All cars are moving away from the spin-on oil filter to the cannister-style cartridge filter. It's driven by the enviromentalists, and the desire for auto manufacturers to be more "green." I believe Volvo started this trend a number of years ago. In fact, all of their components and parts are stamped for recycling capability, a requirement of the Swedish government.

Welcome to the 21st century!

kiawah

Years ago I owned a 1980 Mercedes 300Diesel. Had a canaster oil filter as well, but you accessed it from the top of the engine. This is certainly not new technology, I'm just personally surprised to see it gaining popularity among manufacturers.

lmacmil

"I'm just personally surprised to see it gaining popularity among manufacturers."

I wonder if this isn't a conscious decision to make it more difficult for the DIYer?

ray_h1

A spin-on oil filter mounted so that it spills at least several ounces of dirty, suspected carcinogen, used motor oil as soon as it's loosened, or a cannister oil filter arranged such that slipping a 12" length of hose over the drain accessory to direct the flow into a pre-positioned receptical for mess-free maintenance. Gracious! Whatever was Toyota thinking in coming up with that easy to manage and environmentally friendly configuration?...

kiawah

The internal canister in the diesel, was 2-3 times larger than a typical external can oil filter. I didn't find it harder to change oil, in that case it was actually easier because you could get to it by just opening the hood. Still needed to crawl under to drain the oil, but didn't have to work under the car trying to get the filter off.

I didn't question it's use back then, because of the diesel technology and the absolutely black filthy used oil. Seemed they needed every bit of filter as possible.

I haven't looked at the size of the Camry 6cyl filter, but being able to have a large filter might be the advantage and the reason to use an internal canister.

2007carmyxle

Toyota Part Numbers -
Oil Filter Element: 04152-YZZA1
Gasket for oil plug: 90430-12031

2007carmyxle

If you have Auto Club membership you can get it for $750 over invoice. Some credit unions and Costco have a similar deals as well.

njerald

read the forum:

Toyota Camry: Prices Paid & Buying Experience

No one should pay more than $300 over dealer invoice (non Hybrid) unless they choose to.

It's easy and it's been documented by many in that forum.

lmacmil

I guess that is potentially better. I wasn't aware of the hose thingy. My Olds didn't have that. Btw, I always spilled my oil into the drain pan when I removed the spin-off filter (except for the little that got on my fingers.) :P

califfam

I solved the Toyota canister oil filter problem. Went yesterday and bought a Acura TL with navigation after a 6 month long search. Wife drove TL and TL came home with us, end of story. Thanks again and I'll see you in the Acura TL forms.

kiawah

That's a lot of oil & filter changes !

califfam

No (Kiawah) I was going to buy a Camry V6 but got the Acura instead because of oil canister issue.

waynethepain

Sorry -- But I don't see the need for a manual tranny with sequential shift automatics (basically manual or AI)......who needs an oudated manual tranny...

aldyt

Hi, just a quick simple question, does Camry 2007 have tiptronic transmission? I have seen some pictures that SEEM to show that it does, but I mostly seen those that doesn't SEEM to have one.

ray_h1

The Camry automatics have a gated shifter that allows "tipping" the tranny into the next gear, up or down, with a forward or rearward nudge of the spring-loaded shift lever while in its "Drive" position.

njerald

The Camry automatics have a gated shifter that allows "tipping" the tranny into the next gear, up or down, with a forward or rearward nudge of the spring-loaded shift lever while in its "Drive" position.

That description fits the V6 automatics.

The I4 is a gated shifter that allows you to select a lower gear (down to 1st) or the highest gear that you want the transmission to shift automatically up into.

lonewolf1187

ya i used it a couple times before and there seems to be a lag whenever i upshift or downshift...is there anyway to fix this?

mboliver

Where did you buy yours? How did you get them to come down so much on the price? They are selling like hot cakes around here (Houston, TX) and I can't get them to negotiate much. Any tips are appreciated! Thanks!

mboliver

Hi everyone! I have been haggling for months with Toyota dealers trying to get them to come down on their price and basically am being told that the market isn't fluid right now and they aren't being allowed to come down anymore. Can y'all look at what I am looking at and see if you think it's a good deal?

2007 Camry LE 4 cyl Manual Trannie
with installed options:
Sunroof
Sunroof wind deflector
Leather seats
Aluminum Wheels with locks
Tinted windows
Vehicle Sheild Package

For $22,600

Also, has anyone seen the Sky Blue Pearl color???? I can't find it on any lot and have only seen the pics on Toyota's website. I am wondering how accurate the color is there. I am wondering if this is a pretty color.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated. I am willing to travel to get one if I have to.h

njerald

No lag in my '07 5 speed auto, manually or on its own.