Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
What should I expect when Toyota Camry goes hybrid-only?
John Paul, AAA Northeast's Car Doctor, answers a question from a reader curious about changes coming to the 2025 Camrys.
Q. Recently I read an article about Toyota Camrys being hybrid-only beginning with 2025 models. Do you know if this will be a brand-new design or just an update to the 2024 model? If new, what have been Toyota’s problems, if any, when they redesign a model?
A. There was a time when Toyota stated that every model vehicle would be available as a conventional gasoline car, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and maybe even electric. Recently I was speaking with Zack Reed, one of the PR managers at Toyota and he told me that over time conventional gasoline engines would be replaced by hybrids, as in the case of the new Camry. The body has been redesigned and the drivetrain is a conventional 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine with either two or three electric motors. The third electric motor is for all-wheel drive models. The mechanical design is familiar, and I would not expect any issues.
Advertisement:
Q. What would you recommend for cleaning car seats in a 2020 car that has been used as an Uber?
A. Depends on what the seats are made of. If they are leather, then a good quality leather cleaner, such as Meguiar’s Cleaner/Conditioner. On cloth seats, a foam product such as Tuff Stuff (a good value) and on vinyl or imitation leather, one of my favorites is from the Dollar Tree, Awesome Cleaner. It is strong, smells terrible, but cleans even the heaviest dirt and grime. As with any cleaning product, try the cleaner in a hidden area just to make sure it doesn’t cause more harm than good.
Advertisement:
Q. Is there anything I can do (like wax, etc.) to counter the “sunburn peeling” on my car roof and hood? I assume it is the clear coat disintegrating from the sun.
A. This is a fairly common issue with some vehicles – the clear coat cracks and flakes off. The correct repair is to sand all of the clear coat off and then re-spray clear coat on the affected areas of the car. If you don’t want professional results, I have had pretty good luck using a Scotch-Brite pad, removing some of the damaged clear coat and then machine buffing the paint. This won’t restore the paint, but it will look a bit better from ten feet away.
Q. I wanted to know if you knew how I could fix the problem I have with my 2012 Toyota Highlander. It seems every time it rains or I go to the car wash, my floors end up soaking wet, like a sponge. This happens to the front and rear floors. Do you have any suggestions for a permanent fix?
A. The most common issue, if your car has a sunroof, is that the sunroof drains are clogged and water is backing up into the car. Also, the door drains need to be cleaned periodically. Since it does it in the rain this rules out an issue with the air conditioner drain. Some dealers will use water leak specialists to find these problems, they trace leaks looking at everything from the windshield (always a possibility) to a failed seam on the body.
Advertisement:
Q. Is there any difference between automotive gas line tubing and marine tubing? I need to replace the fuel lines in my boat over the winter.
A. Although they both carry fuel, the marine fuel line is designed to be more resistant to breakdown from UV (sunlight). For safety purposes I would use only marine grade fuel lines.
Q. I have a 2014 Toyota RAV4. The AC didn’t work all summer. Now I wish to recharge the system to help defog the windshield in the colder weather. Is the AC Pro refill kit a good choice? It seems to have a sealer in it. Does it need to have oil lubricant for the compressor or is it still in the compressor? Can I recharge the system in cold weather?
A. Before adding any refrigerant, a few tests should be performed. The system may not be working due to an electrical issue and trying to add more refrigerant will be a waste of money and potentially do more damage to the system. If you think there is a minor leak, yes, the ACPro kit does have a sealer and depending on the leak may get the system operational again.
Advertisement:
Q. With all the discussion about premium fuel requirements, I thought I would ask: Does the 2021 Lexus RX 350 run on 87 octane fuel? My wife and I are considering the Lexus vs. some of the others (Acura RDX) based on the assumption that it runs on regular grade.
A. For 2021 the 3.5 V6 engine in the Lexus recommends 91 octane fuel. The key word here is recommend, which means the engine will be fine with 87 octane which is the minimum octane required. Using 87 octane you may notice a very slight reduction in performance (most people don’t) and fuel economy will stay the same. With almost 80 cents difference in 87 to 91 octane any difference in miles per gallon is lost in the extra cost of premium fuel.
John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car Doctor. He has over 40 years of experience in the automotive business and is an ASE-certified master technician. E-mail your Car Doctor question to [email protected]. Listen to the Car Doctor podcast at johnfpaul.podbean.com.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com