4 months with my 08 CE

[Corcel]

Well after 4 months of ownership I just thought I would share some observations with board members about my car. There are 3 things I am unhappy about so far with this car....however if it turns out to be as reliable and trouble free as my Tercel then I can overlook these issues.When I bought the car it was an overcast but warm day and I immediatly opened the sunroof while testing out the car. I was listening for any strange noises as this was a used car but relatively new with only 45000 km (27 000 miles), what I didn't notice was the wind and road noise at speed. Now that its winter and the windows are shut all the time I notice it alot more especially if there are crosswinds. Once the car reaches 60 mph the wind noise is pretty loud, dissapointing for a realtively new car. Road noise in wet weather is bad as well. I know this is an economy car but I thought it would be better than my Tercel considering its 10 years newer. Another irritating issue is how quickly the windows fog up...very noticible when the family is in the car. I find that I have to have the defogger on all the tim
e or else the windows start to fog up right away. Kind of sucks when you want heat to come out all of the vents instead of just the floor and defogger. Fuel economy is not as good as I thought it would be. From the middle of September until December we averaged 30.11mpg (8.1L/100km) thats mostly commuting thats 70% highway and 30% city at around 65 - 70mph. Oh one last thing that drives me crazy is when the fan is on high to keep the windows from fogging up and we come to a stop there is a noticible drop in fan speed and the lights dim a little....something I notice on my Tercel as well but it has 180 000(300 000km) miles on it. Am I being way too picky or are there isuues with this car?

[Shelbrain]

I have an 08 LE, so I can share some observations. I think you are doing great on gas mileage with an average of 30.11 especially in the fall/winter season. My lifetime average is about 29.7; I have 92k miles on my Camry. I have installed a lot of sound deadening since the car had 10k miles on it, and it DEFINITELY made a difference in the road noise. I haven't noticed the issue with the windows fogging like you mention, but I do change the cabin filter often to address this (every 10-12k miles). Good luck with your Camry, I am still in love with mine...

[gideon1331]

Wind noise on the 05-08 models shouldn't be too bad (they added a lot more sound insulation for 05, 03-04 is significantly noisier). Definitely MUCH less than a Tercel. Check the rear door opening seals. At the top rear corner are they separated from the metal any? If so shove them back into place. I do this on mine every 6 months or so.

When cold, you are (technically) never to have the system set to recirculate. It will fog up quickly no matter the car. I tend to have it on recirculate when I first start out in the cold to maximize heat, then switch to fresh air as soon as things start to fog. I rarely ever need to set it to defog (which runs the compressor even though the light doesn't come on).

I get around 33 combined in winter, 35 in summer, and I am a 'spirited' driver. Check your tire pressure, and put it to 38psi with the tires cold (after checking the pressure rating on the side. nearly all newer tires are good for 44psi when cold). The manual says 30psi, but handling is absolutely horrendous and gas mileage poor at that level.

The fan is normal and is due to the more advanced alternator on the car. Older alternators slowly changed output, but newer ones rapidly change their output based on immediate load. Lights will dim and the fan slow in the second it takes it to adjust to a new load on the system (eg: AC clutch engaging). This dramatically increases the longevity of the battery because the car isn't drawing power from it while it waits for the alternator to catch up to a new load, then recharging afterward.

[NMGeorge]

gideon1331, that's good to know info on the charging systems - thanks.

[GaviN]

My sister has had her 04 Corolla S since brand new and she doesn't take care of the car until something breaks. She's washed it once that I know of, mess, and all the panels that make it an "S" with the exception of the drivers side sill and front left lip are gone! For her not to take care of the car, its still running fairly well with 152k on the odometer and surprisingly on the original clutch.

There are three things I don't really care for with her car:
1. Blind spots from the rear headrests and the front pillars
2. Engine is loud or more pronounced I should say at all speeds compared to my 3rd gen Camry.
3. The way it cranks up, loud and abrasive

Aside from those 3 things, its an excellent car and fits her well.