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CONSOLIDATED MODS/SWAPS/ DIY UPGRADES THREAD

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106K views 791 replies 94 participants last post by  B.D.  
#4 ·
I know it's a sedan and not a lot of customizing or performance mods going on but still, we do love our cars and like to personalize them or at least make them more functional so thought I'd start this thread that I see in almost every car forum.

I'll start with I added the center console insert and it makes a HUGE difference. It make your console two layers with the bottom layer still a good 3" deep and room for the more useful stuff as soon as you open the console. This is the one I bought: Amazon.com but there are many now for sale on Amazon and all appear functionally the same, just some cheaper.

I also put a screen protector on the multi-media touch screen. Again, many available, I bought this one: Amazon.com Easy to install and will protect the original screen quite well. They also have them for the larger media screen.

My final mod to date is to accommodate my insistence on using old GPS technology in the form of a Garmin Drive 60 LMT. Didn't want it on the windshield so took a tempered glass screen protector for my Samsung A13 and put it on the inductive charging pad. I can then suction cup mount the GPS to that, it's out of the way but still easy to glance at quickly (or turn on voice guidance) and yes, the charger will still charge a device with the screen protector on there and the suction cup stays stuck until I release it.

My other mod hoping to make some day is the hood lift struts but due to changes in the hood, someone has to reengineer what's on the market for 8th gen cars to fit the 9th gen.

So share things you have done or are contemplating doing and it may inspire others of us.
 
#6 ·
I ordered this for arm rest cover as well as the screen protector and center console insert.

 
#9 ·
I just added gloss black door handle covers to my XSE in Heavy Metal with a black roof. I would highly recommend them.

They snap right on, are secure, don't use tape, and really add to the look (especially with the black roof, mirrors and black overlay emblems). I was concerned after I placed the order because it said it was for cars without sensors and was ready to return it upon arrival. To my pleasant surprise I am able to lock the doors through the plastic when I touch it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5B3QY1P?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Here is a quick shot of it on my car:
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#52 · (Edited)
I just added gloss black door handle covers to my XSE in Heavy Metal with a black roof. I would highly recommend them.

They snap right on, are secure, don't use tape, and really add to the look (especially with the black roof, mirrors and black overlay emblems). I was concerned after I placed the order because it said it was for cars without sensors and was ready to return it upon arrival. To my pleasant surprise I am able to lock the doors through the plastic when I touch it.

Amazon.com

Here is a quick shot of it on my car:
View attachment 460325
Just what I have been looking for. I drive an XSE with panoroof, but not the full black roof like yours. My car is red. My side mirror covers are red, but I like the black mirror covers on yours and other XSE with the black roof. I have ordered the OEM black mirror covers.They got delivered yesterday. I will install them sometime next week.

I was really looking for black door handles too that do not have tape. I will definitely buy this that you got. I think it will set off my car very well.

Besides, I am planning an appearance look on my car that may interest some people. I am giving my car a TRD appearance look.

Pictures and mods to come as I receive the OEM parts for it from Toyota. I will add this door handles to the list.

I like any mod that is reversible. I enjoy seeing what others are doing to their car. Keep the mods coming.
 
#10 ·
Hello Forum. New member here, but not new to the Toyota Camry. I have owned a 1992 Camry LE, a 2001 Camry SE, and a 2003 Camry SE.

It has been over 15 years now since I owned a Camry. I am back in a Camry after owning a lot of Nissans, Infiniti, and 2 Honda Accord Hybrids in the last 4 years.

I have been very satisfied with the performance and mpg of my Accords. I look forward to seeing what the Camry offers in terms of performance and mpg. I have never owned a Camry hybrid. This will be my first Camry hybrid but not my first hybrid.

I was originally looking to buy a 2025 Camry LE because it offers the highest mpg numbers. I like to hypermile and I love getting the highest possible mpg.

The LE was too stripped down and I absolutely needed leather seats. When I factored the cost of all the upgrades I had to do to get my LE the way I wanted, the cost fell into the SE range. I decided I would buy an SE.

I contacted a lot of dealerships but nobody would give me an appropriate deal.

I went out yesterday and stopped at this dealership which had 4 XSEs. They needed them gone. They gave me what I think was a good deal and so I went home in a 2025 Toyota Camry XSE.

I need some help guys. I wish to buy the 16 inch rims and tires from the LE to put on my XSE. But I will never ever sell my OEM 19 inch XSE wheels and tires.

If anybody finds a set of the 2025 LE 16 inch rims and tires, and can send me a message about it, I will be interested to see if I can afford it. Or if there is anybody here with the 16 inch wheels and tires willing to sell, I am interested. Please, PM me.

Thanks a lot in advance.
 
#11 · (Edited)
After 10 months of owning my 2024 Accord, I made the decision to get a Camry. My main reason for the switch is because the Honda seat is not very comfortable for me. I have endured it for long enough. I also miss having XM satellite radio.

I purchased a 2025 Camry XSE today.

I never wanted an XSE, nor did I want a red car.

Initially, I was going for the LE trim, but it is so stripped down, and the drive out quotes I got were too high and closer to the SE. I wanted LE for the best mpg numbers since I enjoy hypermiling

I then decided to start looking for an SE, but I was not happy that the mpg number was lower. I got some decent offers but not all the options I wanted. The ones I wanted were priced very high.

I went to this dealership. They had only XSE in stock, and they wanted to get rid of them. They had Blue, Black, Ocean Gem, and Red. I picked the Red.

We went back and forth until we settled on $38,000 OTD. That includes TTL.

I then presented my trade. My 2024 Accord, which is paid for. It was a hassle then until they accepted to buy my car based on CarMax's offer. They then tried to make it fit in the price, and so my balance is $11,500.

They asked me to finance through Toyota. Toyota rates are not good. I have the Tier 1 interest rate of 5.25%

My loan is $11,500 for 60 months @ 5.25%. My monthly payment is $220 a month for 60 months. My goal is to try my best to pay off the car in 12 months or less since I will be paying at least 3 car payments each month.

Too bad my XSE has 19 inch tires, so my chances of hypermiling to get great mpg is greatly reduced. I honestly wish to buy the oem 16 inch wheels and tires to put on my car for some serious hypermiling. But I will never sell the oem 19 inch wheels and tires.
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#15 ·
I hate that painted grill on the XSE but to each their own. You would be better off looking at aftermarket wheels and tires which would cost you less than OEM and probably be even lighter for better mileage. I couldn't sleep at night if I had one car payment much less three but then you traded in a 1 year old car and I traded in a 21 year old car so different priorities.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I picked up my 2025 XSE with 23 miles on it. Since I picked it, I have driven for 123 miles, and I am currently averaging 56 mpg. That is good for the XSE with the 19-inch wheels. See pictures below.

My 2025 XSE has 19 inch wheels and is rated for 48 city and 47 highway. I like to hypermile, and I seek to beat that number as often as I can.
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I wish I had the 16-inch wheels, but I will make do with what I have. I am interested in buying a set of 16-inch wheels/tires take offs. If someone finds a set and can point me in that direction, I will appreciate it.

I took a 36-mile trip today doing 60 mph, and I ended up getting 56 mpg. That was pretty good.
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On the return trip home, I took a long way, which took me 48 miles to get home. I averaged 60 mpg on this trip. I was pretty amazed, but I also was doing some hardcore hypermiling to see the most mpg I could get. I did 60 mph on most of the trip.
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#18 · (Edited)
I am interested in this wheel. It weighs 19 lbs.

OEM has +45 offset, weighs 23 lbs, and uses a tire that weighs 20 lbs. That is a total of 43 lbs per wheel.

This wheel has +38 offset, weighs 19 lbs, and the tire I want to use with it weighs 21 lbs. That is a total of 40 lbs per wheel.

It's slightly lighter than OEM setup.

I might go for this setup and experiment to see if I can get very good mpg numbers.

I think the wheels look good on my car.
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#19 ·
I called Jerry today to get a quote for the Toyota Extra Care Platinum VSA. The warranty is transferable if you sell your car. The warranty comes with zero deductible.

This is the quote I got;

6 years 100,000 miles = $895
6 years 125,000 miles = $1,140

7 years 100,000 miles = $1,025
7 years 125,000 miles = $1,250

I think I may buy the 6 years 125,000 miles for $1,140.

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#20 · (Edited)
I bought my Camry hybrid mainly for the efficiency and reliability. I originally wanted the LE because it gives the best mpg numbers. Since I ended up with the XSE, I will swap my tires for the same setup that the LE comes with.

I love to hypermile, so I care about seeing the best mpg numbers. So, I look forward to seeing if I will be getting the same mpg numbers as the LE.

Here is a comparison of how both wheel/tire setups compare.

XSE wheels/tires vs LE wheels/tires
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#21 ·
It's been 153 miles since I bought my car. It is averaging 56 mpg so far with those 19 inch wheels. I am impressed. I think I am slowly getting the hang of this car.

I will order the 16 inch wheels from Costco and Sentury tires from Discount Tires. I will also order new OEM Toyota sensors. This is my setup for my car to hypermile and see how well this XSE does with 16 inch wheels. It will be my setup for a while. I will remove my 19 inch wheels/tires and store them in pristine condition. I will wash and wax them before storing them for a long time.

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#24 ·
Stop posting and go enjoy your new ride.
I am enjoying it a lot already. Hypermiling and seeing high mpg is what gives me the most pleasure with this car. That is why I am trying to get 16 inch wheels and tires on this car so that I can do some hardcore hypermiling.

Posting is a good thing. That is what makes some people come back to the forum to read and possibly share their own experiences and give suggestions to some people's problems.
 
#25 ·
Why do you want to go with narrower tires? I too will be replacing the OEM wheels and tires on my 2025 XSE when it's delivered, but my priorities are to have a slightly taller sidewall and higher quality tire for comfort and noise reduction. It will shave ~10 pounds per corner so acceleration and MPG should improve to a small degree. FWIW, I will go with 235/45R18 tires.
 
#26 ·
Why do you want to go with narrower tires? I too will be replacing the OEM wheels and tires on my 2025 XSE when it's delivered, but my priorities are to have a slightly taller sidewall and higher quality tire for comfort and noise reduction. It will shave ~10 pounds per corner so acceleration and MPG should improve to a small degree. FWIW, I will go with 235/45R18 tires.
I'd love to know how you are shaving 10lbs per corner off the car unless you are spending huge dollars on forged wheels, it's about impossible staying with an 18" tire. Any quality forged wheel in 18" is going to weight close to 20lbs which gets you 3lbs in reduction. Tires don't vary that much in weight, maybe 3lbs at the very most so that gets you another 3 at most. 6lbs would seem to be the very best you could do but I think closer to 2-3lbs is all you are going to save. Now, at $800 each a cast wheel would come in around 15lbs so you could probably get your 10 that way but that's a hell of an investment in a family sedan and don't know that anyone bothers to make a cast wheel that fits a Camry unless it also fits something in the performance world. Put the wrong type of tire on and it will cost you MPG - just ask all the Prius owners out there.
 
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