Greeting fifth generation Camry owner.

[iconman]

Hello guys I have recently started driving my father 2003 Camry XLE I4 which he bought off a mechanic shop, the car have a salvage title probably due to a severe accident which the mechanics bought off and fixes it for resale. Apart from the dirty interior and minor scratches on the paint the Camry look ok. Closer inspection, some panel parts look uneven when fully close for example the hood and trunk have a wider gap on one side than the other. The steering wheel is uneven or something because everytimes I turn the steering wheel it would grind against the plastic column and produce scratch marks. Also if I make a turn, I could hear a loud screech as if I’m making a fast cornering turn. This is a common problem among the Camry community.

I also had to buy an owner manual since there isn’t one. Car came with only one master key and a valet key with a Toyota FOB for the Corolla or maybe an older generation Camry because it didn’t have a trunk release button.

Bare with me I have a couple of questions. Thanks a lot.

• Is there a solution for the screeching noise everytimes I make a turn?
• Is the trunk release button supposed to be on the 2003 Camry model FOB? Could someone show me a pic of the FOB.
• The windshield reservoir is filled with a blue fluid. Did the Camry roll off the assembly line with this fluid or is this something the mechanic put in. What is the color of the windshield fluid on your Camry?
• My engine coolant level is low and I need to pay a visit to the dealer for the coolant. The engine coolant’s color is cherry red which I’m guessing is the Toyota Long Life coolant. I can stick with the red coolant or should I switch over to the new pink Super Long Life.
• If I want to get a duplicate of the master key, where can I go for that?
• Car doesn’t have a cargo net for inside the trunk. Where can I buy one off online (No Ebay please).
• I think ABS is standard for XLE trim model but I don’t know if my car has VSC and Traction control. Is there a way to tell? (By the way there are no buttons on the dashboard to turn on/off those function but everytimes I cranked up the car I could see the VSC and Traction control light stay on for a second or so along with ABS and airbags). Don’t know if my car have alloy wheels or not but the spare wheel in the trunk have a black metal rim while the four wheels have a clear coat plastic like rim. Also the lever for turning on the light have a on/off switch for fog light but the car have no fog lamp so does it mean that the fog lamp switch is standard on all model even if they have don’t have the fog lamp or is it because the front bumper is a replace one with no fog lamp.
• Could you guys give me a list of tools to perform an oil change and spark plug? (possibly engine coolant and air filter change as well).

Thanks for taking the time to read.

[iconman]

The four wheels look exactly like this picture. Is this the standard or alloy wheel? XLE trim model have 16'' while the LE have 15'' rim and also the LE rim is basically a hub cab while you could see the five lug nuts on the XLE wheel.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2...y8365b2za9.jpg

[MrSo0h0o]

• Is there a solution for the screeching noise everytimes I make a turn?
  Check your steering fluid reservoir. It is probably low.
• Is the trunk release button supposed to be on the 2003 Camry model FOB? Could someone show me a pic of the FOB.
  I am 99% sure it has the trunk release button on the 03. my 05 has it.
• The windshield reservoir is filled with a blue fluid. Did the Camry roll off the assembly line with this fluid or is this something the mechanic put in. What is the color of the windshield fluid on your Camry?
  The color doesnt matter. They could be using any brand of windshield washer fluid from a local auto parts store.
• My engine coolant level is low and I need to pay a visit to the dealer for the coolant. The engine coolant’s color is cherry red which I’m guessing is the Toyota Long Life coolant. I can stick with the red coolant or should I switch over to the new pink Super Long Life.
  Whatever the manual says to use, use it.
• If I want to get a duplicate of the master key, where can I go for that?
  You will have to go to the dealer to get a master key, especially if you have the immobilizer on your car.
• Car doesn’t have a cargo net for inside the trunk. Where can I buy one off online (No Ebay please).
  trdparts4u.com
• I think ABS is standard for XLE trim model but I don’t know if my car has VSC and Traction control. Is there a way to tell? (By the way there are no buttons on the dashboard to turn on/off those function but everytimes I cranked up the car I could see the VSC and Traction control light stay on for a second or so along with ABS and airbags). Don’t know if my car have alloy wheels or not but the spare wheel in the trunk have a black metal rim while the four wheels have a clear coat plastic like rim. Also the lever for turning on the light have a on/off switch for fog light but the car have no fog lamp so does it mean that the fog lamp switch is standard on all model even if they have don’t have the fog lamp or is it because the front bumper is a replace one with no fog lamp.
  You can have the dealer run your VIN and they should be able to tell you what was on the car. From everything you said in this bullet, I would try and get your money back from the mechanic. Who knows what is missing after the accident. If you have the fog light switch on the stalk, that means it originally had fog lights, which leads me to believe the accident was a front end crash.
• Could you guys give me a list of tools to perform an oil change and spark plug? (possibly engine coolant and air filter change as well).
  Oil change all you need is a socket wrench set, oil filter wrench attachment, and a ramp or jacks(unless you are super skinny and can work within a 10" tall area). As for spark plugs, im not sure.

Again, i would really consider getting your money back. This sounds like a real big money pit and who knows what problems lurk in the near future.

[CamrySExxx]

how many miles on the car? plugs might still be good

[iconman]

The Camry have 68,000 miles on it.