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Smell appears inside the vehicle while driving.
Dealer says it is exhaust but this explanation does not seem probable if it smells while accelerating, or if you interrupt acceleration but have not yet stopped, how is the exhaust entering the front passenger compartment?
Dealer blames Ontario dirty gas, but cannot explain why my other vehicles do not have this sulphur smell and I fill them all at the same station.
Why can't Toyota admit their catalytic converters don't work as well as some other manufacturers and leave it at that. I think that is what I read between the lines. ULEV seems pretty meaningless when my 10 year old chevy is less smelly (at least inside).
A final note, some have said Toyota 4speed auto is the best, I take issue with that statement and my opinion is that Toyota auto's are ok, but not spectacular. GM auto's have better driveability. Note: I am not commenting on GM reliability here. My camry auto has this annoying habit of downshifting later than my GM would (given the same situation and power needs). I am not bashing one or the other. I own them both, drive them both, and my comment is my own opinion. There are a lot of things to be said (good/bad) about GM, but that is another topic.
On the upside, camry 4cyl vvti is quite peppy and light and agile.
Downside is the vehicle is too high (high center of gravity) for aggressive cornering.
Seats: Like many drivers I like to place one arm on the window, but in the camry it is just too high and I am too having seat comfort trouble even with the seat raised to the highest position.
First, it is not 'dirty gas' but excessive sulfur in the fuel, which is usually caused by the source of the crude oil used to refine it in the first place. North Slope [Alaskan] crude is particularly bad in this respect, and apparently there are some Canadian wells that share this characteristic.
Secondly, the sulfur content of the finished fuel product is entirely up to the refiner. They can make it as sulfur-free as they want, based on how much money they want to spend on the technology. Here in CA, there are legislative limits on the amount of the sulfur in both gasoline and diesel. This is even more true in Europe, where there is a mandate to make all motor fuel virtually sulfur-free by the last third of the decade. It is no accident that we pay higher prices for our fuel in CA than the rest of the country does, at least partly because of the demand to keep the amount of sulfur down.
Finally, it is true that Toyota seems to use catalyst technology that makes them more susceptible to this problem than some other makes, but they are by no means alone with this problem. Our '94 Mercedes C was also very much prone to this phenomenon until the new CA RFG formula became universal.
And finally, finally: GM does a few things well, and automatic transmissions are an example of same. Still, when it came time to buy or make one for the new CTS, they BOUGHT...from the Germans [ZF]. No one has a lock on automotive virtue...it's just that you stand a better chance with Honda and Toyota than most everyone else.
I don't exactly understand the correlation between odor and emissions. Are you saying that because you intermittently smell rotten egg odor that the car is actually not ULEV?
curious.
~alpha
As for the seat, I have posted my experiences in a forum which I started called Driver's seat comfort but will repeat a bit of it here. After several tries with different upholsterers, I had the metal wires across the back and down the sides of the foam removed, which also removed the metal hog rings which attached the fabric to the foam. There was an immediate improvement. Then I had small pieces of foam removed from the side bolsters where they compressed my shoulder blades. I then noticed that the fabric was much too tight, as tight as a drum; that was fixed by sewing in inch-wide strips along the side seams, and then spray-gluing the fabric onto the foam. At this point, my seat is the right shape and, as it is a power seat, can be put in the right position. However, 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 now going to try memory foam, but I will use it as a cushion as I can't do anything more to the seat without replacing the foam yet again, and also the fabric which is now wedded to the foam by glue, which I don't fancy doing. At the same time, I have ordered a cushioned seat from a Florida company. I am hoping one or both of these new fixes will work, as I have already spent a thousand dollars and a ton of time on this project - it's really amazing that Toyota can make such a fine vehicle with such a lousy seat, but I found nothing anywhere near it in price that was any better (most cars were much worse), and even if money were no object I wouldn't know where to begin, for other than the seat, the car has been wonderful: smooth, quiet, stable, responsive, fast enough to merge without difficulty into 75 mph traffic, and makes 28 mpg on regular gas in mixed highway/local driving.
If my new foam and/or my new seat cushion works, I will post again with information where they can be found. If you find anything that makes your seat more comfortable, please let us know.
Funny story: As with the hosts story, I was a manager at a small Chevy/Toyota dealership when one of my salesmen came to me to inform me of a check engine light on a Tracker. I am not a fan of those vehicles and thought I had received a defective car from the factory. I pitched a fit to the service guys and told them to fix this piece of junk so I could sell it. A half hour and $60 later, they came to me to inform me that my lot attendant needed to be more vigilant when filling up the inventory.
I was wondering though, any of you sales folks out there, since I have always heard you should negotiate the price down to a sales price before working the lease numbers (?)what do you think I could have leased this 4 cylinder auto Camry ($19,700) for over 36 months and with how much down....just curious.
What is a fair price to pay for the 72 month 100,000 mile 0 deductible warranty?
Also what is a fair interest rate based on 20%down 48 month loan and excellent credit?
Thanking you in advance for your response.
Mimi919
As to interest rate, it depends on far more factors than you may realize. There are people in this world with "great" credit who have a low beacon score due to the type of credit that it is. Combine that with the fact that many dealers use a variety of banks, and quoting a rate here would be unwise. I suggest checking with your own bank or credit union and then see what the dealer offers. If he offers more than what you can get, tell him and see if he can't find another lender to match or beat it.
I feel that with the information that Edmunds supplies here with the TMV price along with the friendly help from people like you with the finance end of the transaction it enables both the selling dealer along with the buyer to end up with an agreed upon fair price for both parties.
Well I got a Camry brochure and have been looking at Toyotas website. I pretty much have my heart set on the SE 4cyl with 5 spd.
But my question is on the option packages. On the build your own thing on Toyotas website it lists that the only option available is the keyless entry and alloy wheels. If you choose the SE 4spd it shows more options available.
See I want to get the JBL stereo, alloy wheels, keyless entry and ABS. Are these available on the SE 5spd?
Also I noticed while peeking around at local Toyota dealerships that most of their Camry inventory are built over in Japan. Is this usual for the west coast, or are the new Camrys in that high of demand?
Thanks
~alpha
The other big problem is the rate that is used. Toyota Financial Services has 4 different rates based upon your beacon score. Many people who have "good" credit can have a low beacon score so without knowing your exact beacon score, I couldn't even start figuring your deal.
The last problem is that I don't know where you live. In the Southeast, Toyota dealers don't use TFS and I wouldn't know their rates. Even if you don't live in the SE, some dealers will use outside banks for leasing. In fact, our dealership will sometimes uses Chase rather than TFS if the deal is better.
The questions you need to ask are more questions for yourself. Begin with "Is leasing a good idea for my situation?" and follow up with things like "are the payments in line?" and such. Examine the lease documents carefully and make sure they are actually selling the car in the lease for the same as they agreed to on a buy. Ask about residuals and money factors. A good money factor for a lease will range between .0028 and .0034 unless there is a good program on your car.
The last thing to do is to make sure the salesman and the F&I guy are willing to answer your questions. If they evade on the answers you are probably in trouble.
You buy a $20K car today on a 5 year loan. Three years down the road, you decide the car does not meet your needs. You find out that your payoff is still $10K (compounded interest makes this a reality) but the value is only $9K. You owe that difference if you want to get out of the car. Had you leased that same car, your "residual" value may be $10K and that is what you can buy it for, but if it is only worth $9K, you just drop it off without penalty. You don't owe the negative equity.
The advantage of owning new cars is that you avoid some of the more expensive maintenance items such as the muffler, tires, brakes, timing belt and such. You don't own it long enough to need to replace things like that. Combine that with a bit lower payments and a lease starts to make sense.
Leases are NOT for everybody. They are not for the guy who plans on long term ownership. They are not for people who derive satisfaction in not having a car payment. They are not for people who are very low mileage drivers (they don't get full use of the depreciation they are paying for).
They actually can work for high mileage drivers but that is another story and a fairly complicated one.
I work in the audio biz, and realize Toyota may not even be aware that there stereo manufacturer has this feature on the CD players.
Toyota parts -Wholesale: http://www.toyota-parts.com ?
Is this online store good or bad?
Highly recommend them
- changed my rear bumper four times spending around $500 at every incident. (as it is very flimsy and you can dent it with your own hands. I guess it is one of the cost cutting measures. Even Lexuses have similar cheap bumpers). Rear bumper sensors are a must.
- Plenty of door dinges (thin metal is used as compared to earlier models)
- Not enough pick up or power (disappointing after paying 24K for the car)
- Lousy original tires (did not last for more than at 30K miles)
- Always has sime kinda of bad smell, despite being clean with clean air filters and with air freshners.
- Lastly, it is a well maintained car. Expensive regular maintainence. Dealers suck your money right through (I had given the car to dealers all the way from Chicago to Texas)
One thing is for sure, I will never buy another TOYOTA because of their attitude. (Most of my friends who own lexus share the same feeling, these days)
~alpha
I concur though, Toyota dealers do have an arrogance. Not quite as bad as BMW or Lexus but getting there. Now we know (via the sludge) they have nothing to be arrogant about.
I will miss all the friendly posters in here and just wanted to wish everyone the best of luck with their beautiful Camry's.
Well,off to the Solara forum now..
Mimi
We just got back from our first trip out on the highway at 4000 OD miles. On four occasions, each time after a burst of passing speed to move around slower traffic, we noticed a "gunpowder-like" smell. I suppose this is the same smell mentioned before.
The smell occurred right after we dropped back to normal driving speed from the previous acceleration. Had to "roll down" the windows to get relief.
How does this odor get into the car from the exhaust system at 55-65 MPH? Is a component in the engine area capable of producing this smell?
======================================
I am only taking a wild guess here. But it seems to me the vapor canister could be allowing the fumes to escape into the engine compartment. You could get some back pressure when you suddenly back off the throttle.
Any problem with the emmissions control system falls under a seperate warranty from the rest of the car.
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Share your vehicle reviews
Dealer says it is exhaust feeding back into the cars vents. I do not agree, since it will occur even when you cruise after a heavy acceleration.
Anyway, I just tried a CD with nothing but MP3s on it and did not get any audio. Too bad; I was really hoping.
Does anyone know when the 2003 model goes on sale? Does it make sense to change the order to a 2003 (sounds like a newer car.) Will there be any significant changes for 2003? How about those rumored adjustable pedals? Any feedback or advice will be appreciated.
Anyone ever have a similar problem or any idea what may be wrong...if anything?
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#837 of 837 HELP!!! WEIRD STARTER (?) Problem... by andrelaplume May 15, 2002 (11:22 am)
3 times in the last 2 months while starting our RAV, you turn the key and nothing happens. Do it a second time and the car starts right up. I took it to Toyota today and they found nothing wrong but suggested that we listen for a clicking sound that might indicate the starter was going. (We never heard any sound).
My wife just called...This just happened again at Blockbuster Video...Car would not start after TWO attempts this time - no clicking or noise or anything. Some dude saw what was happening and said to put the car in nuetral and try to start it...IT WORKED. (Perhaps it was a coincidence - perhaps it would have started if she had turned the key in Park a third time...?) She has since been able to start and restart the car in park. The guy worked for Ford and said their cars have some sort of Safety switch that goes bad...he did not elaborate. We called Toyota back and I guess they told my wife there is such a part but to watch the situation and see if this is consistently the problem.
Again, anyone ever hear of something like this or what it costs to fix...hopefully it is covered under our Extened care Platimum!
What has your experience been with these tires, especially in rain and snow? If the Integritys will do an adequate job, I'll probably keep them. But I'd also appreciate any recommendations from anyone who could suggest a better tire for my needs! Thanks!
~alpha
Why does the exhuast pipe hang down so low, has anyone found a way of raising it up so it is out of the way?
For the rest, the car has been superb: quiet, smooth (Continental tires), responsive, easily merges into 65 mph traffic and even, nearby, 75 mph. Braking, without ABS, is fine - I don't know what it will be like on wet roads as we are in the midst of the worst drought ever recorded in southern Arizona: .68 inches of rain this year, temperatures already over 100, and humidity in single digits. Also, 28 mpg on 87 octane in mixed highway/local driving. There hasn't been the slightest rattle anywhere - and there were rattles in 3 of the 4 Camrys I tried before the one I bought. The sound system is fine (I was a professional chorister). Great car.
But the driver's seat (power) is terrible. I've had it worked on by 3 different upholsterers, and have the highest grade sheepskin covers, all of which cost me $1,000, and it's just OK now. The trouble is, I've tried many other cars and have found none better and many worse, even much worse. So I may have to drive with Tylenol ready to hand, but it really is a very nice car and likely to be reliable.