Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 1995 Toyota Camry. When I bought the car, it had about 8,000 miles on it. The day after I bought it, I wanted my money back, because the car SHAKES! The dealer refused. I called Toyota, and they tell me it is one of the "characteristics" of the Camry. I also contacted the Better Business Bureau, and they told me to put the car in Neutral at every "red light." Guys, is there anything else I can do? Help! -- Rose

Tom: Well, shaking in Drive while stopped at a light IS a characteristic of the four-cylinder Camry, Rose. And there's no magic solution that we know of. But we've passed your letter on to Toyota, who we hope will take another shot at fixing this for you. Perhaps they know something we don't.

Ray: But if I were your mechanic, before I wrote this off as an "unfortunate characteristic," I'd want to be sure that nothing was actually broken.

Tom: Right. If the shaking got considerably worse the day after you bought it, then you might have a broken motor mount or a cylinder that started to misfire. Those are not uncommon problems, and either one would make the "normal" shaking a whole lot worse.

Ray: On the other hand, if you just didn't notice the shaking when you test drove the car (in your state of euphoria comparing the '95 Camry with your, say, '82 Sentra), then Toyota may be right.

Tom: Still, there are some things they could try in an attempt to make you happy. One is different motor mounts. There was a service bulletin on some older Camrys that claimed you could solve this problem by installing some updated motor mounts. I've tried that on several customers' cars, and it simply changed the "shake setting" from "puree" down to "blend." But it might be worth a try.

Ray: The other thing they can do is to try messing around with the idle speed. Sometimes increasing or decreasing the idle speed by just 50 or 100 rpm can make the shaking substantially better. Or worse ... so be careful!

Wait! Don't buy another car without the mechanic's checklist that's included in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Secrets Only Your Mechanic Knows." It will help you get a good used car and avoid the clunkers. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 2000 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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