I just purchased a used Toyota Camry 2008 SE model with mileage of about 89k . Please can you advice on how safe my car would be and safety tips to adhere to. Do I also have any worries with this car ? I have not had a Toyota before, reasons for my curiosity. Thanks for your anticipated response .
These are the kinds of questions you want to research the answers to BEFORE you purchase a vehicle. Just think, if it was totally unsafe you would be stuck with it now.
It scores well in the crash test ratings so you are fine safety wise. However, you'll want to keep an eye on the oil as that year they did have oil burning issues.
Thank you very much Mod_man . I will sure keep an eye on the oil with daily checks . Really appreciate 🙏
You're very welcome. If you take care of it, it should last you a LONG time. Be safe my friend.
I sure will. Thank you 🙏.
I have a 2008 Camry LE with approximately 150K. So, I have a similar vehicle, although I purchased it new, in December 2007. Here's what I can tell you:
1. It would have been wise to have had a pre-purchase inspection, top-to-bottom. There are some design-related issues (pistons and drain holes) around excessive oil burning with these particular engines (2AZ-FE) that can be mitigated, to some degree, by paying attention to the dipstick, and performing frequent oil changes.
Toyota had a Customer Service Program (expired now) that replaced pistons and valves, but that has ended. If you call a Toyota dealer, and give them the VIN, they can tell you whether you have an engine that has been partially rebuilt under that Program.
2. Do you have access to the previous service history of the car? This should tell you what services have been performed. (A Carfax report lists SOME of these, not all of these). Prior service history is a useful preamble to attending to needed service.
3. If none of these things has been done, they are worth looking into:
a. The braking system: What's the condition of the fluid, the brake lines, the calipers and the pads? For example, brake fluid is hydroscopic. It attracts water. Four percent water in the brake fluid leads to rusted brake lines, sometimes frozen calipers, and, obviously, less efficient braking.
b. The transmission has a dipstick. (This is not common on later models). Pull the dipstick. What does the fluid look and smell like? (If it's dark, and smells, it's time for a drain-and-fill. Do not have the transmission flushed)
c. The power steering fluid. If it is dark, it may need to be refreshed.
d. The coolant (a critical component). What does it look like? If it's not fresh (light pink), time for a coolant drain-and-fill. And if you're draining and filling coolant, it's probably time to install a new thermostat (much easier than you'd think, on this Camry).
e. The oil. Is it clear, or dark as mud, when you pull up that dipstick? Is there enough oil?
f. The valve cover gasket (which keeps oil from leaking onto the spark plugs). If it's the original gasket, 13 years is time enough for a change, because the gasket dries out (particularly if the oil hasn't been changed often) and cracks, leaking oil onto the spark plugs.
g. If you drive at night, get a DIY home kit to restore the plastic headlights, the better to see under difficult conditions.
h. What is the condition of the belts and hoses? Anything cracking, are the hoses hard?
i. The tires: Now there's a safety item. How old are the tires? (Anything older than six years is unsafe.) What does the tread tell you about alignment, etc?
j. An inexpensive and easy DIY maintenance item: Cleaning the MAF sensor and the throttle body. This goes to an efficient air/fuel mix. (Again, easy and less than a half hour of work for this Camry. Check your cabin air filter, as well).
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These are some of the issues. A significant number of these items (power steering fluid, transmission drain-and-fill, an oil change, coolant drain-and-fill, the valve cover gasket replacement,cleaning the MAF and the throttle body, perhaps even the brakes) are all potential DIY projects, if you're attentive to detail and have a place to work. If you do the DIY services correctly, you'll save hundreds of dollars.
Scotty has YouTube videos on all these DIY services, as does 1AAuto, and others.
So, get a history of services, if you can. And, get a general inspection (and expect to pay for that). I'd add a compression test to find out the condition of the engine's oil burning. (One shorthand way to assess whether the engine is burning a lot of oil is when the car's engine is cold, wipe your finger across the inside of the tailpipe. If the vehicle is burning oil, your finger will be covered with a thick oily black soot).
Good luck with the vehicle.
Wow this is really enlightening. With all that is listed here , can I replace the engine of the Toyota Camry se 2008 with a 2010 engine to avoid all these issues ? Please it’s urgent . Thanks
Those cars tend to burn oil watch out for that.
As for safety, check here. I did 2011 as more tests were available than in 2008.
There's a series of excellent explanatory videos by a Toyota Master Diagnostic Mechanic, aka, thecarcarenut, on the pluses and minuses of 2007-2009 Camrys. He's a honest, straightforward presenter.
The thing is that, accord to AMD (another moniker he uses), the subsequent engine, the 2.5 2AR-FE, also has some oil consumption problems.
I strongly recommend that you watch these videos, in whatever order you wish: Truthful speech.
You might benefit from listening to his sober assessment of the plus and minuses of these years:
2007-2009 Camrys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-31TleRcEY
2010-11 Camrys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00FrbkKcolg
Why Toyotas Consume Oil: https://youtu.be/v4JS7PybV2k
Thank you for the enlightenment. I have watched the videos . I appreciate 🙏
Unfortunately I bought the car as a used car imported to Nigeria juts January. To drive it down from Lagos to the south ,along the way the car engine knocked. I’m looking at the option for an engine replacement. The car was duly serviced before driving it down. But it couldn’t make it all the way home. It really makes me discouraged already. So now I’m at the bay looking for the best option for an engine replacement. If you have any further suggestions or guide , I will really appreciate 🙏
You have to find an honest and skilled diagnostic mechanic in (I'm presuming) either Lagos or Port Harcourt, or any point in between. I'm at a loss to tell you how to do that, in Nigeria. I just don't have the experience or cultural knowledge. You can't be the first Nigerian to have come to this situation. You're going to have to lean on local networks, and what you've learned about these Camrys, from these interactions and videos. One thing is for sure: The more you understand the vehicles, and how they work, and what their problems and strengths are, the less likely you're to be an easy mark for a con artist. If you look through these pages on the site, and Scotty's videos, you know (now from experience) that con artists have long been here, in the U.S., as they are in Nigeria. (Scotty and many who post spend not a small amount of time and effort debunking these con artists). The VERY FIRST THING you'll need is a decent scan tool, with enhanced data/mode6/live data capabilities. And, an honest general inspection of the car, to determine whether it's economically feasible to fix. (You don't know what other systems may be problematic, and whether concerns are only about the engine). Get a good general inspection of the vehicle, several cost estimates (the cheapest way in, however, may be the most expensive way out), and then decide either to repair or cut your losses. You need honest and accurate data to do this. Otherwise, you may be out more money and still not have a good working vehicle. Caveat emptor, always.
Thank you very much Geriscan for your honest opinion and advice . I will sure stick to this and give you a feedback .
Watch out for oil consumption on that 4 cylinder engine
Thank you 🙏
This brings up a question I've always had. I just watched Scotty's video on the Camrys with oil consumption and he says that the ones made in Kentucky had quality control issues the ones made in Japan didnt, but I'm confused as to how in this case it works.
Assuming the same quality parts, installing piston rings during assembly seems a pretty straight forward process that should either work or not. I'm having trouble visualizing a quality control issue that could cause premature wear. Can anyone explain? Maybe the parts actually werent the same quality? Maybe it's not simply installing the ring, but some sort of pre installation process done to the ring on site that was deficient?
The Japanese and Canadians are more attentive to details than American management. Workers are better paid and more involved than in the U.S.
The U.S. has been in decline for two generations. This difference in quality of product is just one manifestation of a place where day-to-day life quality is falling, as the rich get richer and the middle class disappears. You can read between the lines, even in this Forum, and clearly see many of us living in detritus and debt. The violent and reactionary politics of recent years, and the outrage-scapegoating-racist machinery of disinformation are manifestations of that socio-economic fact.