Taking care of a new Camry '07

[smc733]

Hi everyone,

In a week I will have my hands on a 2007, 1 owner Toyota Camry LE, I4, 42k miles.

I wanted to know what some of my first steps should be to keep this relatively immaculate car in good shape. My first thoughts were

-Oil/Filter (should I stick Toyota genuine or go Mobil 1? I heard the I4 can occasionally burn oil).
-Coolant (should I get a flush on this?)
-Trans fluid (Toyota fluid)
-Air filter/cabin air filter.
-Battery?
-Spark plugs (which kind)
-Get brakes/fluid inspected
-New wipers

What do you guys think?

[fatngs]

sounds like a good car

oil: not quite sure... my 06 doesnt use a drop of oil and i use full synthetic 5w30 but i kno the gen 6 takes 5w20 or 0w20.... not sure if thats why they sometimes burn oil or not

coolant: i wouldnt touch til about 100k..... i would watch out for water pump failure though, that is common on the 2azfe; make sure u stick with toyota pink coolant

trans: its really up to u, people do it at different intervals anywhere from every 30k to never......; make sure toyota WS fluid is used

air filter/cabin filter: again really up to you, toyota is good but more expensive..... aftermarket purolator is fine and if u want something a little better i would go with beck/arnley or denso

battery: i would have it tested just to be safe (advance does it for free)..... honestly brand doesnt make much of a difference the main thing your looking for is warranty and cold cranking amps..... toyota's are easy on thier batteries so they will last a few years between changes

spark plugs: i would highly recommend NGK irridium plugs..... denso is good too.... originals are good to over 100k but it never hurts to change them before hand

brakes: get them checked just to be safe but again, toyota's are easy on thier brakes when good stuf is used.... if pads need replacement i HIGHLY recommend akebono

wipers: just check them for wear and drive it in the rain and see if you can see lol..... if replacement is needed i would highly recommend bosch icon or valeo 900 series

good luck with the new ride!

[robtpren]

Was this car purchsaed through a dealer of a private party? If through a Toyota dealer is a Certified Used car?

Depending on the above might dictate what should be checked. If from a private party you may want to take it to your local dealer for a once over to make sure all the necessary updates and maintenance have been done and the car is in good mechanical shape.

If it is a certiified used from a toyota dealer, it should have been gone through and any necessary items have been checked and or corrected.

Good Luck with your new ride.

[smc733]

Originally Posted by robtpren

Was this car purchsaed through a dealer of a private party? If through a Toyota dealer is a Certified Used car?

Depending on the above might dictate what should be checked. If from a private party you may want to take it to your local dealer for a once over to make sure all the necessary updates and maintenance have been done and the car is in good mechanical shape.

If it is a certiified used from a toyota dealer, it should have been gone through and any necessary items have been checked and or corrected.

Good Luck with your new ride.

I bought it from a dealer, I will have them make sure they do the Transmission TSB before they hand it over, it is not certified though.

[deadrx7conv]

Oil/filter... stick with ANY name brand full synthetic oil. Most name brand filters work well but the OE cost is the same. I tend to grab whatever filter is on sale... bosch, wix, napa, purolator, stp...
Exercise the dipstick regularly so that you can monitor oil consumption. Top off as needed throughout your interval.

Coolant... 5 years... definitely change it out. Use the Toyota coolant or an equivalent like Peak Global or Zerex Asian.

Trans fluid, manual or automatic? Regardless, change it out. Use the OE fluid or an equivalent that mentions the spec.

Air filter.. change it if it hasn't been changed. Can't beat the Toyota OE engine air filter.

Cabin filter... mine doesn't last 6 months because of the 'country location'. It fills up with pine needles, leaves, seeds, pollen, critters... and all the dirt/salt that they pave the winter roads with. OE is best but Fram/wix/purolator make cabin elements too. You can even just vacuum it out.

Spark plugs... good for 60k-100k+. Get double platinum or iridium/platinum plugs and check the gap before installing. Sparkplugs.com has a good PN/brand tool. You can buy the plugs at the dealer, online, or any autopart store.

Toyota batteries have served me well usually for about 6-7 years+. If it starts fine in the cold winter morning, KEEP IT. When you notice that cranking is strained(slow), then replace it with a name brand battery. I'm a fan of Diehard gold/platinum and Interstate megatrons. I dislike floptima batteries and other overhyped batteries.

Brake fluid... bleed it now and every 2-3 years using name brand quality DOT 4 or 5.1 fluid.

Brakes pads... make sure there is at least a 1/4" material. Any less means its service time. I tend to stick with non-OE pads like Hawk, EBC.... 42k miles should still be original pads but your location tends to have aggressive drivers.

Check the thread depth of the tires. By 42k, they should be recent.

Wipers... any type you like. I don't care for the newer overpriced blades. Wax your windshield!

Toss in a bottle or two of quality FI cleaner. Techron Concentrate(the expensive bottle), 3m, Redline SI1, or BG44k are some good ones.

Find a car wash with a rust inhibitor undercarriage rinse. Don't want it to turn into a rust monster like so many Toyotas do.

CPO or certified by the dealer means NOTHING. Stoopid useless worthless checklists that silly consumers pay more for.

If its under warranty, go through the ENTIRE TSB and recall list. Make sure that NONE of the known issues are ignored.

[eighty5iv]

Originally Posted by deadrx7conv

Brake fluid... bleed it now and every 2-3 years using name brand quality DOT 4 or 5.1 fluid.

I think the manual stated we use DOT 3 for 07+ Camry. Is it okay to put DOT 4 into it?

[Zmon]

Originally Posted by eighty5iv

I think the manual stated we use DOT 3 for 07+ Camry. Is it okay to put DOT 4 into it?

According to this,and this too, I assume so. I guess we can use DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 (NOT 5). I'd get some more research before taking my word on it though.

[eighty5iv]

Originally Posted by Zmon

According to this,and this too, I assume so. I guess we can use DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 (NOT 5). I'd get some more research before taking my word on it though.

Thanks. I've seen reports of people using them on older Gen Camrys but no one with reports on Gen6+ until that last post you showed me. I'll keep up with the research but Thanks for showing me those posts.