2006 camry slowly approaching death

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

so here’s a little history on my 2006 camry, mom drove it brand new I think for about 7+ years before I started using it about a year ago, never really had any major problems, in may i rear ended someone clipped the front passenger corner broke the headlight had to get new hood and all that good stuff but still no major damage to the inside or under the hood as we know up to this point.

alright so pretty much ever since the lil fender bender i was in my car has slowly been having more problems, it still runs and everything but i have not been able to figure out what the hell is wrong with it there are so many things it does, its been used a lot (the car hasn’t really been abused my mom just drove far for her work and i am a delivery driver) has about 281000 miles on it so i figure its just getting old and wearing down and honestly I don’t really want to know whats wrong with it because it seems like multiple parts are failing and i do not have the money to fix it.
so onto the problems sorry for all the dumb talk so here are the main things that it has started doing over the past few months:

-car jerks when shifting to higher speeds, jerks randomly at other points too feels like a transmission problem (haha awesome right)

-it feels like it has significantly less power, i really have to push on the gas pedal to get it to accelerate faster and even then i cant push it too hard because it feels like the cars gonna poop out and this low humming noise gets louder almost like the car is just pissed that i am making it drive more and so its moving slower on purpose

-everytime i hit the gas pedal there is a constant low toned humming sort of sound coming from what seems like the engine

-the gas pedal feels real rough on my foot, almost like a vibration but not exactly, like im driving on really rough concrete but most of the time it isnt as rough as it feels (steering wheel sure does vibrate tho)

-steering wheel feels loose i think also ??? not sure if this is the correct way to describe it just doesnt feel right ehhhh

-knocking sounds inside car when i take too fast of a turn (sometimes its from under hood like something just hit something else, idk sometimes it sounds like its from a tire though too i am just lost here folks)

-road sounds really loud when driving (read it could be like a wheel bearing problem???I HAVE NO IDEA THO, car feels like its lightly bouncing when going like 20 mph, entire car vibrates around 70 mph and I do not really like going over 70 in this car anymore tbh bc it feels like the whole car is just going to collapse lol : (

-almost like a light rumble strip sound when going anywhere around like 50-70, not all the time but i definitely hear it occasionally and its when i am on normal road

also recently had my brake pads and rotors changed bc the brakes were pretty bad for a while, and they work fine now other than that there is still a loud squeel when i put a certain ammount of pressure on them that has not gone away and its been about 2 months since they got fixed almost 3

all i am really asking is for some sort of answer on any part that might be a problem, anything that sounds familiar to anyone just something pls anything lol

2

Stick a fork in it.

It’s done.

Tester

2 Likes
3

You described what a bad wheel bearing sound like.Had this happen on my Corolla last year.I think your title says it all, its time to let it go.

4

“You described what a bad wheel bearing sound (SIC) like”.

Perhaps, but it more likely to be symptomatic of a bad torque converter lock-up mechanism in the transmission.
:thinking:

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5

The steering looseness and vibrations really should be fixed if you are going to use the car at all. It could mean a sudden loss of control and a terrible accident. You are describing the warning signs.

The other stuff also sounds serious in that you could be stranded. But you or other people injured/maimed/killed… a whole lot more serious.

It sounds like much wear and tear has built up, and giving the car its RIP would be wise. Can you afford another car? If not, can you afford to get the safety items fixed ASAP? Can you get by without a car to protect yourself and others from getting hurt? Best wishes.

6

It sounds like you have more than one problem. The steering looseness problem should be the first priority probably. The lack of power and the weird sounds when accelerating – presuming all the regular “tune-up” stuff has been done – might be caused by a partially clogged catalytic converter. Or it could be just that the valves need adjustment. You’ve been averaging about 23.5 k miles per year. That’s quite a few miles per year, and is actually good news b/c it must be mostly freeway type driving, which is easy on the car and engine. If you want to keep it on the road, have the steering problem looked at asap. As part of that the shop should check all four CV joints. After that, give the transmission a proper service, evaluate the cat, check the valve clearances and a compression test. Any diagnostic codes showing up should be addressed as apart of the reboot process too.

7

Sounds like the end of the road, and just putting money into it will be a bad idea. Even Toyotas don’t last forever.

8

I think your real problem is that you are a delivery driver with a worn out car and maybe not being reimbursed by your employer enough to replace it.
The IRS allows a $.54 1/2 cent a mile deduction for business use of a car. If your employer is not reimbursing you that muck, you are losing money by using your car. Unless you are very well paid for this, you would be much better off by getting a job where you don’t have to use your car.

I think this car will make that decision for you very soon.

9

I agree with everyone else, but let me just ask this: Do you ever check the level of your transmission fluid and the power steering fluid?

10

I suspect the OP may be a person under 25 years of age . They rear ended a vehicle - have some sort of delivery job that they use their own vehicle for - a vehicle that has so many problems that it would be silly to spend the money on - I can’t even imagine how much the insurance must be - this is another vote for sending the vehicle to the crusher and finding a non driving job.

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