Applegarth

2007 Camry Altise White, bottom of the range ex. Hertz renter Bought 2009, 73,000 K's, exactly two years old when I bought it, 105,000 K's now Missed the grunt of my manual Falcon I traded but happy with the Camry Totally reliable and a pleasure to drive would recommend a Camry to anyone I've never got a ticket since I sold the Falcon !

Seven years of getting very hot has reduced the elasticity in the induction hose and made it brittle Ring your local dealer for a price on the hose then ring your Toyota mechanic for a price to supply and fit the hose, you may find there is very little difference in price as the mechanic can buy Toyota parts much cheaper than you can Worth a try, may save getting your hands dirty !

Thanks for the quick reply Your logic is irrefutable; I'll stick to genuine Toyota coolant One other query if you would be kind enough to further advise My mechanic recommends never changing the automatic gearbox oil, claiming it adds nothing to the life of the automatic gearbox, unlike regular service to the engine oil and filter Is this the acceptable practice for modern automatic gearboxes? This is my first vehicle with an automatic gearbox so have very little knowledge of them

Water and oil/petroleum spirit do not mix Water and alcohol (ethanol) does and that is the unmanageable problem When ethanol was first released, in our sometimes humid climate, an unacceptable amount of moisture was absorbed and vehicles were breaking down These days ethanol is added at a later stage and more care is taken to keep atmospheric humidity out In older vehicles, seals which work reliably with petrol and oil, slowly dissolve/break down in ethanol Modern cars have seals designed to cope with ethanol I use 95 octane fuels in my Camry, as 95 and 98 octane fuels give better economy the extra cost is less than it appears The computers in modern cars adjust to the use of the better quality fuel and an improvement in driveability can be noticed after a few tank fills

Repco sell the red coolant that they claim is OK for Toyota It's OAT whatever that is Anyone use their coolant for Toyota Aurion, Camry etc How often does coolant need changing, is five years about right ?

Much too late to offer any help but for anyone else having similar problem: Mechanic friend recommends first thing to do is put a bottle of injector cleaner in the fuel tank He reckons it fixes most running/misfiring problems !

Some Camry models may not My 2007 model Camry does have a cabin filter, it's behind the glove box Got a replacement from SuperCheap !

Any one seen the new Toyota Ruckus Apparently based on the Corolla floor pan with a Rav4 or Camry engine Ugly as a monkeys bum ! Aimed at the younger demographic, who will probably grow to love it ! Sounds like it would suit older and retired folk too Roomy as a Camry, economical as a Corolla and zippy too ! Maybe my next car, have to see what Jeremy Clarkson says about it ! Edit: Sorry, its Toyota Rukas http://www.carsguide.com.au/site/news-and-reviews/car-reviews-road-tests/toyota_rukus_review

The oil used in the auto gearbox of my model Camry '07 is a synthetic This oil tends to look a little dusky from new, so there is no need to panic ! You need to establish if your Camry has synthetic oil too Even so the auto gearbox mechanic who did mine recommends changing the oil, filter and gasket every twelve months despite Toyota's claim that it never needs changing This bloke has an excellent reputation around the area and I don't doubt that his advice is sound Have a look at the Valvoline, Castrol etc books in Automart, Supercheap etc to find what oil they recommend for your gearbox Some of the staff may be able to check it out for you I've found Supercheap to be very helpful and anything they don't have in stock they will get in for you in a couple of days !

Your mechanic is right should be 1zzxxxxxxx It's on the engine block facing forward where the gearbox bell housing is bolted to the engine block Just under the water hose, to the right of the exhaust manifold, should be easy to see !

Have a read of this too ! http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29489

Check what is suitable for your car in the Valvoline or Castrol books, in Supercheap or Autobarn etc Don't forget a new filter Your car may use a synthetic oil which can look darker but that doesn't mean it needs replacing but for a six year old car that may never have had a auto box service it's a good idea to do it It may be wiser to get the auto box serviced by a professional the first time I bought my '07 Camry Altise when it was two years old, it's now three years old and I've just had the auto box serviced, despite the label on the dipstick saying service unnecessary, call me old fashioned but I just don't agree ! Call a couple of mechanics in your area and ask who they recommend to do an auto gearbox service, they'll know the good ones It cost me $160- for the service, oil change and filter, and I intend to do it every year, much cheaper than replacing an auto gearbox I sat there and watch them do it and the new (synthetic oil in the '07 Altise)oil looked dusky red, the synthetic oils don't look red or pink but check what your car needs You may be lucky in an Autobarn store or similar and be able to look though an Altise '04 manual to pick up a few clues !

I use Valvoline in my '07 Camry Check what is suitable for your car in the Valvoline or Castrol books, in Supercheap or Autobarn etc Don't forget a new good quality oil filter, 10,000 kilometres between oil changes is a lot of kilometres At each oil change I put in a bottle of Nulon E20 oil additive, this way I have peace-of-mind that the engine is protected Others do an extra oil change at 5,000 kilometre intervals but my theory is that having the extra protection of the Nulon E20 there is no need for more frequent oil changes than at 10,000 kilometre intervals PETER WHERRETT, one of Australia's foremost motoring journalists and others, have done extensive tests using the Nulon E20 and it has always performed exceptionally well in all sorts of extreme conditions Good luck doing your own maintenance !

If it is only you sleeping in the wagon then moving the passenger seat forward or removing it entirely and putting a box there to extend the sleeping area should work If you get a girlfriend to share with you, make sure she is short !

Use better quality fuels and you may never need to use an injector cleaner I use 95 octane fuels in my Camry, as 95 and 98 octane fuels give better economy the extra cost is less than it appears The computers in modern cars adjust to the use of the better quality fuel and an improvement in driveability can be noticed after a few tank fills I never use 91 octane as it contains ethanol and god only knows what other rubbish !