Scotty, first I really enjoy your shows & honest candor. I inherited a 2000 toyota camry ce with less than 70k original miles. I am a rsearch buff & researched everything from best wipers to best fuel system cleaners etc. I believe this car will give me another 200k+ miles if cared for properly.
First, what would you recommend that I begin doing to it, such as oil change, radiator flush, tranny oil change, spark plugs, etc?
Secondly, does a Toyota camry require a special tool to change the oil filter?
Third, I read that either the double platinum or lridius spark plugs are the best? Suggestions? I'm looking at either Denso, Autolite, Bosch, Champion in this exact order based on my research. Your thoughts?
Any suggestions is deeply appreciated.
Darren
this is a bit much for one post. Try to limit it to one question at a time.
First, what would you recommend that I begin doing to it, such as oil change, radiator flush, tranny oil change, spark plugs, etc?
Oil change: every 5k miles or once a year.
Radiator flush: do you have any issues with the car overheats? How does the fluid look like? If it looks fine (not rusty) and you don't have issues just replace the coolant, no flush needed.
ATF: do the drain and refill.
Spark plugs: You still have some time if they are iridium spark plugs.
Secondly, does a Toyota camry require a special tool to change the oil filter?
No.
Third, I read that either the double platinum or lridius spark plugs are the best?
Stick to the OEM spec spark plugs. The iridium type should last a long time. I would consider NGK.
Secondly, does a Toyota camry require a special tool to change the oil filter?
No it doesn't need a special tool, but I usually use an oil filter wrench cap (I'll include a link of what it looks like in general) just to make things easier. It's not expensive either so you might want to try it if you find it helpful.
I was going to use Castrol Full Synthetic GTX 5W-30 & with STP extended life oil filter - on sale both for $30
You don't need to use an expensive oil brand; what matters most is getting the correct oil weight. For example I buy Kirkland Signature from Costco and it's good oil and meets specifications and is API certified. For oil filter I buy OEM ones from dealership parts department when it goes on sale (like $3.50 ish if you buy 3 or more).
First, what would you recommend that I begin doing to it, such as oil change, radiator flush, tranny oil change, spark plugs, etc?
Yes, also replacing the ATF is very important and with it being so cheap on old Camrys I'd do it every 25k-30k miles,
Additionally consider checking the condition of the brake fluid using special strips.
Secondly, does a Toyota camry require a special tool to change the oil filter?
No, it does not require a special tool.
Third, I read that either the double platinum or lridius spark plugs are the best?
As far as I know, (I could be wrong) Your car's manual instructs to "use ONLY twin ground electrode platinum−tipped spark plugs".
But according to DENSO, they have compatible "Iridium TT" series plugs - so that might be the way to go.
Also, on the subject of "Iridum TT" although they're the best plugs on the market - DENSO's claims of "The unparalleled Iridium TT spark plug is tested to last well beyond 100,000 miles, with minimal loss to performance" didn't hold up in my testing - after 75k miles these plugs did wear out on my car and did cause a long-crank issue (but they're reasonably cheap, it's good practice to replace them every 60k miles anyway if accessible)
researched everything from best wipers
I'd love to heap what are the best wipers in your opinion, personally I've tried cheap $10 Chinese make wipers, Bosch and RainX - all have the same performance, but Bosch seems to age a bit slower.
Just drain and re-fill? no flush?
Don't flush, but replace the transmission filter if acsessible.
measure the amount of ATF drained & replace with the exact amount - is this correct?
You have a dipstick, you should go by it when it comes to how much fluid you need to fill.
Thank you Scotty,
For your information, so far all replies on this thread are from other forum members.
Thank you Scotty,
I actually got a great deal at Reilly Auto arts. I bought 4 Iridium spark plugs for $9 each but got a $15 gift card (other parts @ Reilly) and a $12 pre-paid card rebate. my net cost was only $2.25 per Autolite Iridium XP spark plug after rebates! yea me, lol. Oreilly told me that these iriduim plugs would work just fine. I installed them & works great, no issues.
coolant/radiator - everything looks fine. so you said that I dont have to flush it. Three (3) questions on replacing the coolant. I saw on another tutorial video that mentioned draining the coolant. 1) drain thru the petcock; 2) drain the reservoir; and 3) drain the engine coolant in engine block by removing the bolt underside of the engine block - is this last step (#3) necessary? just want to do it right.
I also saw that Toyotas use a red or pink coolant. should I get this specific type of coolant or would any other brand be suffice? Oreilly has 'Peak 1 concentrated' @$15 gal and walmart has 'Supertech extended life concentrated' @$10.46 gal. your thoughts on your coolant recommendation?
ATF - Just drain and re-fill? no flush? I think one of your videos said to measure the amount of ATF drained & replace with the exact amount - is this correct? so I dont have to worry about replacing any tranny screen or filter?
Oil Change - I was going to use Castrol Full Synthetic GTX 5W-30 & with STP extended life oil filter - on sale both for $30
Deeply appreciate your recommendations. Please advise. {black}:smile: