3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
First of all, I absolutely love the car. Bought it from a friend for 750 bucks with 148,000 miles, it runs great. I do need to fix some things though.
1) The exhaust rattles. It sounds like it's coming from under the engine. Is this a broken bracket or something?
2) The AC is shot. Is it more likely there is a big leak somewhere or that the compressor went out? How do I check? He said it worked last summer.
3) The wood trim on the inside seems to be sun damaged. There are yellow spots that seem to be under the clear laminate. How do I cover this up? Would an indoor wood finish painted over it do the job?
4) I tried washing the car by myself today and seem to have phailed. I used dish detergent with warm water (The clear coat is already gone). It didn't do it's job very well. There seems to be a dust-like cover over the paint. If I swipe it with my finger very hard, it reveals a very shiny undercoat. I'd like that showing all the time.
Welcome to the forums, I'll try my best to answer them all.
1. You need to get under the hood with it running and just look. The exhaust can rattle anywhere for any reason.
2. Does it blow air, just not cold? Or does it blow no air at all? If it's blowing warm air it probably just needs recharged. It could be something worse, I've read the A/C components aren't the greatest.
3. No, that won't work. You're options are to paint over it or purchase a wood dash trim kit, usually from eBay.
4. Clay bar the car next. Then follow up with another good scrub down. Finally, wax and polish it. You should be good. However, keep in mind the car is 10+ years old, it's not going to shine like a new one.
Welcome to the forums, I'll try my best to answer them all.
1. You need to get under the hood with it running and just look. The exhaust can rattle anywhere for any reason.
2. Does it blow air, just not cold? Or does it blow no air at all? If it's blowing warm air it probably just needs recharged. It could be something worse, I've read the A/C components aren't the greatest.
3. No, that won't work. You're options are to paint over it or purchase a wood dash trim kit, usually from eBay.
4. Clay bar the car next. Then follow up with another good scrub down. Finally, wax and polish it. You should be good. However, keep in mind the car is 10+ years old, it's not going to shine like a new one.
1) Alright, I'll go over to my brothers garage and look at it with him.
2) It blows air. I'd say it's a bit cooler than the outside air..but not by much at all. And when you see "recharged", what does this mean exactly? I know my Dad puts freeon in his car, but it didn't work because he says his leak is too large.
3) I'd rather not purchase the kit. What kind of paint could I use?
4) Where should I buy the clay bar from, what brand, and how many? How many do I need to do a rundown of the whole car?
For the air conditioner, recharging is basically adding freon to the air conditioning unit. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's usually the cheapest method and the easiest so I always suggest that first. If it doesn't work, report back and we can try to diagnose the problem from there.
Painting the interior can be done with any paint. Most people just use regular spray paint but the steps to make it looking good can be time consuming and often rushed or overlooked completely. If you can hold out, I'll be posting up a write up on how to "paint" wood grain dash part. If you look through the forum you will find pictures of my own dash with this done. Can you post up any pictures of your current dash and it's problem spots?
Clay bar I've never used myself. I just know what they do. I always send my car out for a detail so I can't really answer that question. I'm sure with some time spent on Google, however, you will be able to find some good information on using one. From my understanding, you'll only need 1 bar and you can get them at any automotive store and sometimes places like Wal-Mart and K-Mart carry them too.
I just looked at your pictures. I have the same color wood grain, but like I said mine is worn. I'll take some pictures tomorrow morning when I have decent light.
I took some pictures with the best lighting I could manage. The yellow sticks out more in the dark because the trim is dark. In sunlight it's noticeable, but not a humongous ass eye sore like the photo shows. Either way, I want it gone.
Well, it looks like that is one of the dash kits itself and you can simply remove them. Once you pull them off, get a rag and some acetone and clean up any glue residue and you'll have a clean dash to start with.
Well, it looks like that is one of the dash kits itself and you can simply remove them. Once you pull them off, get a rag and some acetone and clean up any glue residue and you'll have a clean dash to start with.
That's what I thought...it looks like it would pry off easy. So I won't be left with some eye sore if I pry it off? Ie. screws underneath or anything?
Nope. You'll just be left with a plain dash piece. If you want the wood, you can wait for my write up or PM me and I'll help you out. Once the pieces are cleaned up, you'll be good as new.
Nope. You'll just be left with a plain dash piece. If you want the wood, you can wait for my write up or PM me and I'll help you out. Once the pieces are cleaned up, you'll be good as new.
If I remove the wood, could I store it and have the option of putting it back on once you have your guide up and I knew how to paint it? Or would it be too worn (or cracked) to do that.
It's not real wood. It's just an overlay that's glued on. My guide involved painting right onto the dash pieces themselves and is aimed at people who never had wood installed before.
I guess I'll just pry it off then. I don't like the wood look anyway.
Thanks!
I removed the trim pieces from my car and used a heat gun set on low and was very careful. The faux wood came off fairly easy. Take care to not scratch the trim pieces.
W95C
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