Hi Scotty!
Thanks for everything you do on here, and on YouTube!
I have a 2012 Toyota Camry automatic transmission with 108,000 miles. I’ve been noticing some vibrating/shaking underneath the car, as it struggles to shift up to the next gear. This happens when traveling at speeds of 45 mph or lower (I guess when shifting between gears 1 and 2). I took it to a Toyota dealership and described what was happening. Upon inspection they said the transmission fluid was black, and it is basically not fixable. They said I just have to wait until the transmission blows, and either get a new transmission, or get rid of the car. I had this same dealership check all the fluid levels (including transmission fluid), about a year prior. I’m wondering why this wasn’t noticed or brought to my attention a year ago, and if I should trust what they are telling me now.
I don’t really know much about cars, other than what I have recently leaned from watching Scotty’s YouTube videos. I’m not sure if the transmission fluid was ever changed, or if there is a way to check if it ever was. I always brought it in for regular inspections and maintenance, and had the oil changed frequently. I was under the impression that Camrys last a really long time. So I was a little shocked to learn of the bad news, when the car is not that far above 100,000 miles. We had Nissans in the past with much higher mileage, and never ran into this sort of problem.
I guess I had a few questions:
1) Is it possible something else could be causing the shaking, and/or laggy shifting? Like maybe a computer software glitch?
2) Would “Lucas Slip Oil” help in this situation?
3) Should I try using the Lucas Slip Oil to alleviate the symptoms, then trade it in towards a new Camry at a new dealership? (making absolutely sure the transmission fluid was changed every 50k miles or so this time around).
4) How much longer would my current Camry last, assuming the dealership was correct in their diagnosis about the transmission fluid? Would there be signs the transmission is on it’s last leg? Could I maybe get a few more weeks, months, or maybe a year out of it while I save up for a new car? Or am I just playing with fire at that point?
5) Would the 8 speed automatic transmission of a newer Camry last as long, or be as good, as the 6 speed automatic transmission of my current Camry?
6) Am I better off sticking with my current Camry till the end, and just save up for a brand new transmission? The car has been completely paid off for almost 2 years.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much again Scotty for all the great advice and content that you put out on YouTube. And thanks to anyone else who might come across this thread.
@infinitifxfan @oldandy @glen_stet
Thanks everyone for the information! Torque converter was not on my radar until reading these posts. That was a huge help. Did a little research, and found that there were extended warranties on the 2012-2014 Camrys for torque converters. But unfortunately, the extended warranty ended on June 5th 2021. Looks like I missed the boat 🙁 I asked the dealership why I wasn't notified about the warranty, as I have been taking my car to be serviced by them for over a year and a half. They said they weren't authorized to discuss warranty information, unless specifically asked for by the customer, or if a specific problem with the car pertained to the warranty in question. Sounds kind of sketchy to me. I may try calling Toyota directly. Anyways, thanks again for the advice!
Try using this and going up the Toyota food chain - it worked for me when I dealt with a bad dealer https://www.toyota.com/support/#!/app/ask
Your car has probably developed the torque converter shudder caused by a design flaw in the 2012-2014 Camrys. My daughter's 2012 transmission began failing soon after the shudder developed. I had been doing drain and fills on her transmission in hopes of preventing this from happening, it did not help. And her fluid was very dark every time I drained it. I paid 5 grand for a rebuilt transmission for her. My advice to you is to sell it if at all possible before it is too late or begin shopping around for a transmission shop. Sorry.
Well, my best guess is that ur torque converter is shot because that was the failing point on those 2012-2014 Camry models and they resolved it for 2015-2017 models. See if you can get it inspected by a mechanic who knows what he is doing and if the torque converter is shot you could gamble with a used transmission from a junkyard otherwise I would just sell it as a parts car because rebuilding the transmission is gonna cost a fortune.
This doesn't smell right. Have you checked to trans fluid dipstick for color and smell? It will be darker than the clear red of the new fluid, but for a trans to have *black* fluid at 100K, there would have to be some other, major problem with the car - like having been used for towing, drag racing, a blocked trans cooler, or such.
I would take that car to a different, independent mechanic to get a second opinion.
@glen_stet Yeah I kind of thought it didn’t sound right either. But then again I’m not a car person, so I don’t really know much one way or the other. I’m on vacation now, but I did plan on watching a YouTube video on how to check the transmission fluid myself. I’m assuming it’s not much different than checking the oil level? And no, it definitely was not used for drag racing, towing, or anything like that so far as I’m aware. I mean we bought the car used from a Toyota dealership in 2014, and it had a little under 20,000 miles when we got it. We had it ever since, and it ran totally perfect, no issues up until now.