Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

carrie12 · May 2003

I'm not sure what tranny means, but I certainly will take your suggestion and drive the car more aggressive.

Thanks for the suggestion superman5.

cliffy1 · May 2003

Means transmission and superman is correct that these things learn your driving habits. If you are normally easy on the gas, that is how it will adjust itself. If you are a lead foot, you'll have a faster car but with worse gas mileage. If you normally drive... mildly, but then jam the gas pedal, it will not move as fast as the guy who always floors it.

carrie12 · May 2003

Thanks cliffy1 for explaining "tranny" and kudos to xbbuster & nippononly for your comments.

I appreciate the feedback.

jtbruin · May 2003

Does anyone know of any good (&cheap) online "automotive sites/stores" that sells accessories like HID lights, exhaust, etc. or anything for import cars like the camry or accord? ALl of the ones i see look extremely shady.. thanks.

canoe2 · May 2003

My car has the same engine and transmission as yours (V6 5sp). I found the transmission was not smooth from 0-40Km range. My 89 Corolla is probably more smooth. Also I found after applying the brakes to slow down then lightly pressed on gas pedal, the car became hesitation or surging. Now I do believe the quality of Toyota has been down significantly.

masspector · May 2003

You still keep up on the smart shopper boards? haven't seen you around lately. Can you look at the speaker topic in Camrys? Any info would be appreciated.

cliffy1 · May 2003

The Smart Shopper topics have been taken over by a cadre of individuals with whom I have no interest in interacting. My time is more limited now so I don't see any value in wasting it there. I may venture back at some point, but not now.

As to the speaker issue, I only scanned many of the posts. If somebody would like to recap for me, I'd be glad to look it over. I don't have a lot of information on audio system which is why I didn't comment before so don't expect too terribly much from me on this.

raybrigfogs · May 2003

Huh, I don't notice it on mine. You do know that the computer "learns" your driving style. And you shouldn't floor it for the first 1000 miles, so I guess the computer will "learn" that you're a gentle driver, unless if you don't give a rat's [non-permissible content removed] about break in period.

cliffy1 · May 2003

Break-in periods are not all they are cracked up to be anyway. Going easy on the brakes is all I would worry about but that's just me... and every master technician I've ever asked.

Even if you do follow the break-in procedure as listed in the book, your transmission will re-learn your driving habits. It generally takes a good 2 weeks of normal driving for a new pattern to be implemented.

carrie12 · May 2003

I traded in my 98 corolla. I too believe that car had a better acceleration then my 2003 Camry V6. I've owned 5 other Toyota Models and never had this quality problem. I'm going to be patient and see how this turns out. I appreciate the feedback.

dudleyr · May 2003

There is a difference between percieved acceleration and actual acceleration. A smooth well isolated vehicle (v-6 Camry) will not feel nearly as fast as a higher revving, lower to the ground less isolated vehicle (Corolla). Of course the Corolla is far from being the extreme opposite of the Camry.

An LS430 would be on one end of the scale and a Miata on the other. Noise, harshness, proximity to the pavement, rushing air (with top down) all add to the feeling of speed.

nemotok · May 2003

#1 of 3 Camry XLE Speakers by nemotok May 13, 2003 (12:00 am)
Has anyone noticed that the 2003 Camry XLE comes with 6 physical speakers even though the sales person says it has 8 speakers where they said there's two speakers in this one speaker. How can this be? Can someone explain or prove this since the sales person could not.
------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------
#2 of 3 nemotok by masspector May 13, 2003 (7:52 am)
All of the sales info says "eight speakers in six locations". My XLE is on order and should be here in June. During my test drives, I did not spend a lot of time looking at all of the speaker locations. I was impressed with the sound system and thought there had to be a sub, but I could not see one in the trunk. When mine comes in I plan on going over it thoroughly and checking this out, But I guess the bottom line is how does it sound. To me it sounded pretty good, and this is an important feature to me.

If anyone has any info on this or a website with more info, I am very intersted in this subject also. Please post it.

Right now I am considering going to the factory in Gerorgetown for a tour at the end of May. If I do I will ask about this and try to post any more detailed info.
------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------
To: masspector
It sounds good, but could be better with 8 speakers like other cars where the speaker is located in the rear doors.

cliffy1 · May 2003

This was an issue with the Avalons back in 2000. There are two speakers under the covers in the front door panels. It was generally agreed that this was a pretty cheesy way to advertise 8 speakers but that's Toyota's story and they are sticking to it.

nemotok · May 2003

So 2000 Avalon had this similar sales pitch. Well the sales person here says the rear speakers are two speakers in one; he thinks. Go figure. Look at the JBL speakers in the trunk, do you see two speakers. Let review; I see two in the dash, two in the front doors, and two in the rear window. That's six physical speakers. Maybe, since the back speakers are large and has a tweeter and woofer, so they must count it twice to make eight. LOL

dudleyr · May 2003

All car makers count the number of speaker drivers as the number of speakers. It is really the only fair way to compare since some cars have their tweeters in different locations from the woofers - why should a company be disadvantaged because they are in the same housing?

The fancey cars that claim to have 20 speakers do the same thing.

canoe2 · May 2003

raybrigfogs,
I am always gentle with gas pedal and I never floored it. I am really suspicious about the computer learns your driving habit. If the car is for rental, are you telling me it would learn and compensate every different driving habit ?

cliffy1 · May 2003

Given a long enough time... yes. This isn't new, nor is it a Toyota exclusive.

carrie12 · May 2003

Since the acceleration on these vehicles are computerized, is it possible to clear the computers memory to start from ground zero? If so, does anyone know how this can be done?

superman5 · May 2003

yes i think so, i heard that you can just disconnect the power from battery for about 20 min(?) and let the computer reset itself.

masspector · May 2003

Maybe it is like cliffy said, if the dash or front doors have two speakers in the one location, I for one am not tearing the car apart to check.

Thanks for the info cliffy, I will continue looking online and check at the plant if I go there. You are missed in the smart shopper boards. i can understand your reluctance to go there, but your valued input is missed too. Mack is having to hold down the toyota fort all by himself. Take care.

18fan · May 2003

If you get the chance.... definitely go and tour the Georgetown plant. I toured it summer of 2000 and it was really fascinating. I highly recommend it!

--18fan

carrie12 · May 2003

Thanks Superman5, I appreciate the feedback.

jbollt · May 2003

...(and 1800 miles) since we bought our new 2003 Camry SE 4cyl automatic. It is absolutely the right car for us. We chose the 4 cyl because of decent power, a very refined sounding and feeling engine, and great gas mileage, (also lower insurance costs than 6 cyl!) The car is VERY quiet, with a firmer ride than LE or XLE (we like the firmer ride, yet it's not harsh.) We don't feel it is too firm, and it stays quiet...Unlike the Accords, which are firm, yet still transmit some road noise. We DID consider the 03 Accord, but the Camry is quieter, and with the SE "sport" suspension, leather steering wheel, 4 wheel disc brakes, fog lights, etc, we felt it was a better buy. We paid about $18,600 (MSRP was $22,519) for the car, after rebates, + tax and license in S. CA, with moonroof, ABS, spoiler, 16 inch alloys, Michelin tires. BTW, if you could equip the LE close to this, the MSRP would be higher, making the SE a good buy!..(some items that are included on SE are not avail on LE).

For those who remember my question just before buying this car about 3 weeks ago, it DOES have the hooks for the cargo net in the trunk, so the old net I had from a previous Avalon, worked perfectly!

Speaking of the Avalon (2000)... it also was a nice car, but WAY too softly suspended. The SE seems just right for us. It also seems that the new Camry may be riding on a modified Avalon "body/platform"? There seems to be far more similarities between the current Avalon and this gen Camry, then between the previous gen Camry and the new Camry. Which is fine by me, the only thing we really didn't like about the Avalon was the (too) soft ride, and the dash styling (both personal taste items)

One thing I miss on this new SE, lack of automatic ON/off headlights. Granted, everyone has their likes and dislikes, but I liked the automatic headlights, on at dusk, off when it is bright out. It does have daytime running lights, and auto OFF lights... Our previous Avalon, Solara, and 2000 Camry's all had auto on/off lights, (I believe even the new Corollas have it!) and I miss it...but oh well, I have to turn the lights on and off by myself! (LOL..Such torture!!!) The new SE has a "drl off" feature for those who don't like it, (I feel the more visible you are while on the road, the less chance for an accident...

Overall, this is an extremely nice car. I even got a "hey, NICE car" comment from a couple of 16-year-olds this week! Guess the alloy wheels and spoiler did that!

Sorry for long post.

alpha01 · May 2003

Great car, and you managed to get an awesome price? My question what color did you purchase!

Our 02 LE 4cyl is Stratosphere Mica- which I think is one of the sharpest colors. I think the Strat, the Black, and the Salsa red are great in the SE version.

~alpha

stretchsje · May 2003

I'm a regular at the Mazda6 thread, but this isn't for me- it's my wife's car this time.

Her 4cyl 2002 Toyota Camry just had the check engine light come on. The car runs fine. Any bulletins I should be aware of, or may I assume it's the gas cap? If no work is done to the car, it's a $80 charge, warranty or not.

How can I check the codes myself? On some other Toyotas I know there's a jumper I can switch. Which code is it for the gas cap?

Prompt responses appreciated (I haven't found anything by searching these boards). Thanks!

weathermanbob1 · May 2003

Hello, Auto Zone will check your check engine light for you for free. I hope it is something minor. Happy motoring Bob

jbollt · May 2003

We got the Catalina Blue with Taupe interior. The taupe interior on the SE is different from the LE, as it has Charcoal top of dash, and top of door panels, makes it look very stylish, especially with the "aluminum look" guages, center consule trim etc, and chrome door handles.

The great price was obtained by getting a price from Carsdirect.com, (I checked several zip codes to find the lowest price) and asked the dealer to match it...they did. It included a $1000 rebate and a $400 recent college grad rebate, as my wife had gone back to school and completed her RN degree 23 months ago...(just as I retired)(the rebate is good for 24 months from grad)

jtbruin · May 2003

I agree, the dark blue color looks really good especially on this gneration camry! I had the windows tinted and it looks especially sharp. i get plenty of compliments on my car, surprised that a cmry can look so good. Personally i think the color MAKES this car(for me at least). I'm pretty young (23) and feel that the color suits me, while I would never consider driving a desert sand colored camry, it just seems older because of the color. no offense, just my opinion.

p.s. anyone check the camry rattle board lately, i think that my car may be developing a rattle, but so far doesn't seem too bad yet, should i worry about it?

alpha01 · May 2003

I agree about the color- Desert Sand is nice, but older in appeal. (I'm 22.. the Camry is actually my parents' vehicle.). I insisted that they purchase the dealer installed split 5 spoke alloys- if just to distinguish the car slightly from the ubiquitous LE 4 cyl. They are very happy thus far with the vehicle... nearly 29,000 miles and counting...

~alpha

slov98 · May 2003

I just bought a white V6 (only saw one white in my area so far), when starting from a red light, I hit the pedal gently and calmy speed up if you keep accelerating you'll increase speed quikly without any 'jerks'

It's true right now I could accelerate faster with the 94 v6 camry we also have but I think it will improve in the future
it only has 240 miles on it, it had 130 when I bought it, I don't want to push it that much first 1000 miles but will occasionally

the breakes feel the same as on the 94 camry, I guess I'm used to their feel

price was about 300 below invoice, including 500 rebate, they didn't have the exact car I wanted, so they brought it in from another dealee with the options I wanted plus the cargo net/1st aid kit/trunk mat and simulated maple dash

masspector · May 2003

Thanks, I decided to take the plunge. I am going on a plant tour the first of June. I will post highlights if anyone is interested.

nippononly · May 2003

it is the other way around: the Avalon is a longer body on the Camry platform (that would be the old Camry platform, not the '02+)

jbollt · May 2003

So what platform is the 2002/2003 Camry on? Having owned the current gen Avalon, and both the previous and current gen Camrys, I see many more similarities between the current Camry and the Avalon then I see with the previous Camry. Perhaps just normal evolutionary changes, where higher end features/etc get moved down line?

jrct9454 · May 2003

...is supposed to be a new platform, based on Toyota info given to the press at launch. The Avalon is now just about the last of the products [now that the new Solara has been announced] that is based on the old Camry platform.

And don't confuse the availability of features and finish details with "platform", which refers to the underlying structure, floorpan, suspension pickup points, weld placement, etc. The Avalon has still, underneath the skin, the structure of the previous-gen Camry. The new platform is claimed to be much stiffer, in addition to being a bit larger in all dimensions. Note that platform sharing doesn't mean the all cars using it will be identical in dimensions - most shared platform manufacturing programs allow for wheelbase variances and other detail changes.

alpha01 · May 2003

From what I understand, there should be very few, if ,of the non-VVTi V6 in dealerships now.... production of this engine ended in late January, and assuming that, even allowing for transport and that most dealerships wouldnt keep more than a 65 day supply of inventory, the new engine, in theory, should be the only one available now.

~alpha

ellecin · May 2003

I have a 2002 Camry and have noticed recently that the passengers side radio speaker area is beginning to develop a squeaking sound when I go over rough pavement. When I pressed down on the speaker grill I heard squeaking, so I shoved some caulking under there, but it still makes the squeaking noise over rough pavement. The noise is not as loud as it was, but I can still hear it. I am not sure if others have experienced the same problem or not, but I would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Thanks!

masspector · May 2003

When I was looking over dealer lots in late april, early may there were still a few of the older V6's out there. It is easy to check a dealers inventory on line since the old v6 and the new one have different check boxes on the inventory search page. The way I was able to tell the difference in my area was that the old window stickers were all white with a red border. The new window stickers have a tan and blue background on the whole window sticker. Only the large volume dealers seemed to have them though since they had the biggest inventory in general. My guess is people, given the choice, wanted the new V6. I did not see any incentive to buy the old ones.

gonkraz · May 2003

jtbruin May 15, 2003 6:53pm

Did you have the back window tinted also. I was thinking about it but am concerned with the antenna lines.

alpha01 · May 2003

vary, which is unfortunate (Toyota's corporate website sucks as well), and for the dealerships around me, I dont see an option to differentiate.

As for me, if my family were in the market for a new vehicle, I'd have no problem getting the old V6 if it came with an extra $1500 off, compared to the new one (cause then it would be roughly the same as the 4 cyl!).

~alpha

nemotok · May 2003

Does others feel cheated on their JBL speakers when Toyota says there are 8 speakers. I've only counted 6 speakers (2 in the front dash, 2 in the front doors, and 2 in the rear window). Do you want to guess what Toyota dealer said to me; well the 2 in the rear window count as 4 speakers--go figure. Try counting yourself and please correct me if I'm wrong. Thank you

vcheng · May 2003

....are two or more complete speakers with independent magnets and coils and diaphragms sharing the same enclosure in the same axis usually and are called coaxial speakers. Thus, they can be counted as more speakers than meets the eye.

There are biaxial or triaxial speakers as well where the axes are offset, but the speakers are still complete and independent, and yes, they can look like one speaker too.

Toyota is not the only manufacturer doing this. This is a widely accepted practice, eg the Infinity stereo in Chysler minivans counts as 10 speakers, but you can see only eight locations, since one pair counts as four speakers due to their constructions.

andrelaplume · May 2003

Call Toyota parts and tell them you want to order an extra rear Left Speaker...just ONE not the set of two....I mean really who are they kidding. So if I go into Radio Shack and ask for a three-way speaker have I just purchased 3 speakers?

talon95 · May 2003

Technically, yes... you've purchased at least 3 speakers, probably a woofer, a tweeter and a midrange. In a 3-way speaker, they tend to refer to the woofer, tweeter and midrange as speaker elements, but each of these elements is a speaker in its own right and could stand alone without the others. Since each is optimized for a specific frequency range, it wouldn't provide good sound alone, which is why all three are combined in a single housing.

You may not like the way they advertise the speaker count, but I don't think anyone is trying to pull anything over on anyone. And if they use a coaxial or triaxial design, they wouldn't be able to sell you one of those speaker elements individually, because it's an integrated design.

petrnyc · May 2003

Toyota throws in a $1.99 set of chinese-made headphones and calls it an UPgraded 8-speaker Hi-Fi system. Doesn't it sound much better now ? Look for them in your glove compartment.

masspector · May 2003

Yeah, sorry I forgot about location. I am in SET region so all of the dealer websites are the same and the inventory search is the same. I do remember looking at some sites outside of SET and they ran from awful to the same quality as SET. It makes it tough if the dealer websites in your area are not that good.

Speakers---what is the big deal? Does the stereo sound good? During my test drives I thought it sounded great. As I mentioned earlier, I will ask about this at the factory. If you guys can wait until after June 6 I will post any info that they tell me.

andrelaplume · May 2003

I sold a stereo on Ebay last year....it came with 4 speakers, by Toyota standards I could have advertised it as 8. Somehow I do not think the high bidder would have been happy when when I explained that there are 8 speakers, just that they are packaged in groups of two. No doubt in my mind that this is misleading and even if others are doing it. You would think Toyota would at least advertise it both ways and get some respect for doing so.

vcheng · May 2003

...do state stuff like "10 speakers in six locations" so that the chance of being misunderstood or the impression of being misleading is not there.

alpha01 · May 2003

Could you provide one of the SET dealerships URLs? I'd be interested to see what those websites are like.

~alpha

talon95 · May 2003

Yes, your eBay bidder would not have been happy if you listed your home stereo with 8 speakers. That's because you'd be applying car stereo terminology to a home stereo.

You have to realize that you can't directly compare home stereos with car stereos. The term "speaker" in a home stereo typically refers to an enclosure, regardless of how many actual drivers or "speakers" the enclosure contains. So this may consist of a box with multiple integrated drivers (like the 3-way speaker), or perhaps BOSE-style satellite speakers and subwoofers, with each driver in a separate enclosure.

Because the speakers must be integrated into a car's interior, automakers usually mount each driver separately in an optimal location. They tend to put the non-directional woofers on the rear package shelf on sedans, and locate the more directional tweeters on the ends of the dash and in the doors to give you the requisite stereo separation. Since they normally don't integrate speakers in an enclosure as is done with home stereos, the convention with car stereos is to list each driver as a speaker, and that is an accurate description, since each driver IS a speaker.

Think about it this way... how exactly would you refer to 4 tweeters and 2 woofers that are all mounted separately in a car? Would you pair a woofer and a tweeter as one speaker? Then how would you refer to the other two tweeters?

You're getting way too hung up in applying home stereo terminology to car stereos. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison. What we really have is differing terminology, and you can't accurately apply one to the other. And just because the auto makers don't use your preferred terminology doesn't mean they're trying to cheat you, especially when your preferred terminology is inappropriate for the application.

I think the best way to represent this so that there's no confusion over which "terminology" is being used would be to list the actual drivers (for example, 8 speakers: 2 woofers and 6 tweeters, all mounted separately). But car stereo terminology has been around for a long time, so I doubt that you're going to see much in the line of change.

And that's my last word on speakers.

masspector · May 2003

Just go to toyota's website. Go to the dealer locator and put in a southern city and state, IE..Orlando, Fl. That will show the dealers in that area and you can click the name to go to the dealer website.

I have noticed the last few days that the camry selection screen in the new car inventory search section has been a little messed up. This may be due to the fact that they might be uploading info for 04 models. It used to list out all of the 03 variations, including the old v6/4spd auto. The selections are a little messed up, but if you select all models you can see their entire inventory. Hope this helps.

Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

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