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From: Leftie on 20 Sep 2009 17:51
mred wrote:
> On Sep 19, 8:51 am, Leftie <N...(a)Thanks.net> wrote:
>> We are buying a very low mileage (28k) 2002 Camry that was owned by
>> an elderly woman who drove it mainly once a week on errands. The car is
>> in remarkable shape, but aside from oil changes and tire replacement, it
>> has not received all the maintenance it should have gotten. It shifts
>> perfectly, but the trans fluid is reddish brown. No burnt odor. So,
>> should we go for a flush, or just a drain and fill now, and another in
>> the Spring? I'm not up to working on it, so multiple drains and fills
>> aren't really an option.
>>
>> Should I also have the brake fluid replaced? It supposedly has ABS.
>> The brakes work fine, but the pedal is a little soft and low. Is this
>> normal for this model with ABS? We will have the coolant changed, but
>> what about the water pump? This engine uses a timing chain, right?
>>
>> It really ticks me off that people buy cars like this and then
>> neglect them...
>
> 2002 Camry fours have timing chains not belts
> Ed


I just found out this car may have had an 8k mile odometer rollback
(!) and that this year only was rated "Poor" for side impact crashes.
How in hell did they fix that for 2003 - standard side curtain airbags,
or structural changes...? Not sure we're going to buy it now. The
Corolla actually seems to have better crash ratings for that period...
From: Ralph Mowery on 20 Sep 2009 17:21

"Leftie" <No(a)Thanks.net> wrote in message
news:vF3tm.45356$ec2.35854(a)newsfe13.iad...
> We are buying a very low mileage (28k) 2002 Camry that was owned by an
> elderly woman who drove it mainly once a week on errands. The car is in
> remarkable shape, but aside from oil changes and tire replacement, it has
> not received all the maintenance it should have gotten. It shifts
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

> It really ticks me off that people buy cars like this and then neglect
> them...

Just what do you think was suspose to be done up to the first 30K miles ?
About all to do is change oil/filter, and rotate tires. Just inspect other
things is all that I see listed in the manual.


From: Leftie on 20 Sep 2009 19:40
Ralph Mowery wrote:
> "Leftie" <No(a)Thanks.net> wrote in message
> news:vF3tm.45356$ec2.35854(a)newsfe13.iad...
>> We are buying a very low mileage (28k) 2002 Camry that was owned by an
>> elderly woman who drove it mainly once a week on errands. The car is in
>> remarkable shape, but aside from oil changes and tire replacement, it has
>> not received all the maintenance it should have gotten. It shifts
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
>
>> It really ticks me off that people buy cars like this and then neglect
>> them...
>
> Just what do you think was suspose to be done up to the first 30K miles ?
> About all to do is change oil/filter, and rotate tires. Just inspect other
> things is all that I see listed in the manual.
>
>

If you, and everyone else, would read what is actually stated, there
is a *time* period as well as a mileage period in the manual. That means
not leaving the coolant and transmission fluid in the car for 7 years
because it hasn't hit 30k yet.
From: camryguy89 on 21 Sep 2009 01:08
After reading that the car's odometer may have been tampered with, it
would make me wonder what else has been touched or messed with.
Honestly, in my opinion, I would leave it sitting where it is and
forget about it. There is no reason to have to part with the odometer
for any other reason than to mislead a buyer. I'd take my business
elsewhere. And to clarify, my Camry is equipped with ABS. Sorry to
neglect that in my previous response.

From: dsi1 on 21 Sep 2009 04:16
camryguy89 wrote:
> First off, 28 K isn't that much on a car like this. However, a
> transmission drain and refill wouldn't hurt. I don't think you need to
> have the brake fluid replaced. My Camry has over 200,000 kms on the
> dial and since owning it, I've never changed the brake fluid and it
> still drives and brakes fine. How low is the pedal? I find that it is
> softer and lower then other makes and models. Maybe too low, but in my
> Camry that is the norm. When we first got the car, my wife described
> the brakes by saying, "I had to almost put the pedal to the floor,
> just to stop the thing." She got used to it, so did I. Your Camry
> might use a timing chain, or a timing belt. Mine has a belt, but I
> have an older model (2000 LE 4-cyl.) I have read that the Camry engine
> from 2003 up has a Chain, but ask your local dealer to verify that. If
> it is a belt, Change it every 80,000-90,000 miles, if its a chain, its
> probably good for 150,000-200,000 miles. Hope this was a help.

What I do to test for a mushy pedal is to press down on the brakes
several times to bleed-off the vacuum assist. The pedal will get
progressively harder to push until it will will get very firm. If
there's some mushyness, you could have some air in the brake lines.

Apply pressure to the brakes for a minute - if it slowly goes towards
the floor, you could have a leak in the lines or your seals in the slave
or master cylinders could be leaking.
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