Hi everybody, new to the forum. I just bought my wife a used 2007 toyota Camry with 67k miles on it. Automatic 4 cylinder. My question is, what do I need to know about this car as far as any known problems or issues I should be aware about. Maybe some of you could list pros and cons you could explain about your 2007 or 2008 camrys. What maintenance am I near also? I'll be looking around the forums to see if I can find some stuff on my own too Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forums!
I have an 07 as well and I have had only minor issues with my car. I bought the car with about 110k miles on it so I expected a few things. I did change my water pump as it was leaking. This is common on this year to have water pump failure anywhere from your mileage to about 120k miles. Basically, somewhere within that time frame you will need to replace the water pump.
Also, the 2AZ-FE engine that our cars have is prone to 'sludge' and oil consumption. Keep an eye on your oil level to see if it is consuming a lot. Some consumption is deemed normal if it falls within Toyota specs. I could be wrong, but because your car is under 100k miles and not 10 years old, they might fix it for free. Again, I could be wrong on this.
Also, the head bolts have been known to back out and strip out on these engines. A real PIA to deal with from what I understand.
I have had to deal only with the water pump so far, (fingers crossed!).
Make sure to get regular oil changes to combat the sludge factor.
You should not need to do anything really beyond that until you hit 100k miles. Then it is plugs, filters, coolant, etc.
Some other issues I have heard of is a melting dash. I think this only happens in really hot climates but I could be wrong. Basically the dash looks wet and is gummy to the touch. My dash seems just fine even in 90 degree plus heat. If you do your brakes, make sure to lube the caliper pin bolts. One of mine was dry and killed the pad and rotor in one corner.
Again, my car has about double your miles so I expect the basic stuff. To really tell if your car was routinely taken care of, see if the cabin filter has been changed. I replaced mine when I got my car and I could tell it had never been changed. At that point I knew there were going to some areas to look into.
Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd be more than happy to help. I'm sure other members will chime in with their two cents as well.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'll keep an eye out for the water pump. How much does those cost about? Parts and labor time.
I also read in the manual about the oil consumption. When I bought it, it was just changed and it showed right at the full line so I'll keep an eye on it.
How would I know if there is sludge build up? Any people try seafoam?

 

It only cost me about $60 to do my water pump, but I did myself. I would estimate it to cost you about $200-250 to have a shop do it. They'll also want to replace your serp belt most likely too, expect another $30 there.
Yeah, just keep an eye on your oil level, check every week like you're suppose to.
Seafoam seems to be one of those things that people will either swear by or cast off as snake oil and is harmful to your engine. I personally do not think it will hurt your engine any but I also do not use the stuff.

 

Repair Manuals -Basic information USA suppier
2007 camry repair manual | eBay

I have found these types of repair manuals in the link quite handy for any camry owner (you should find one local)

if the car doens'nt have a glove box owners book we can help you with a pdf one

If there are tougher questions you have - try

General tech and DIY do it your self forums- - - members here do know their stuff -

you will find a search function button along the top bar - just takes practise

 

Thanks again for the replys. I've been reading a lot about seafoam, found good things and bad things about it. A lot of people said to just make sure you keep oil changes at 3k miles to prevent sludge. The thing that's hard for me to know is how well the first owner of my vehicle kept up with the oil changes. So I just hope and pray they didn't go 5k miles plus on their oil changes because I'm sure that's how the engine sludges up. Anyways, i plan on doing an oil change this month because even though there's only less than 1000 miles driven with the oil, it has been 3 months since the last oil change, (the car was sitting at the dealership for most of the time. Even though I read to change the spark plugs at 100k miles, I would like to put some new ones in just cause I like to give my cars fresh tuneups whenever I buy them. And then maybe a little Lucas injector cleaner. I do have a owners manual so thanks for offering me the PDF of it but I'm good. Keep the feed back coming. Thanks

 

The 2AZ-FE engine had a few design issues.

One is the oil return holes for the piston oil ring plugged up with carbon resulting in increased oil consumption. The fix is replacement pistons have a different design.

The other is the block threads for 3-4 head bolts failed. The result is the head gasket loosened in the area of the now loose bolts. The typically signs are loss of coolant and coolant seeping around the insulation material of the intake manifold in the area. The fix is to repair the threads for which the methods have now been well published.

Consider switching to full synthetic oil which functions better at high heat and low temps. The ability to withstand higher heat without break down will help reduce sludging. Shop around for lowest prices which could be on the internet. Oil changes will cost more but less expensive then a rebuild. Synthetic is good for at least 10K miles in proper designed engines. Use the recommended weight listed in the owners manual.

Check the PVC system/valve for carbon plugging.

If planning on keeping the car, change the auto trans fluid now if never done. If mechanically inclined can do a complete change by using the trans fluid cooler return line disconnection method. This method is well published on the internet and auto repair sites. Changing just the trans pan fluid results in 1/3 as the other 2/3 is in the torque converter. Worn out and dirty fluid is the No 1 cause of trans failure.

Can also do a part fluid change of the power steering fluid. Draw out as much old fluid from the reservoir as possible and add new. Do this between drives until the fluid is clear again.

I prefer Haynes manuals over Chilton. The Toyota factory manual is best but the paper versions are very expensive.

Seafoam is good for cleaning throttle bodies by direct application.

If changing the plugs, use the part number(s) or brand equiv specified in the owners manual.