My lovely wife purchased this car new and it has been used by the entire family... we decided to give the 2005 Matrix to her son and I now have the '95 Camry to drive when I don't need to drive my Tundra.

The car has been well maintained and serviced, but with 232K on the clock it needs some TLC. The first issue was leaking valve cover gaskets and the possibility of gel/sludge. I took it to Japanese Motor Works in Athens, GA and let Peter Haughton and his crew work their magic. The good news, no sludge. In fact the internals are extra clean, but a small leak was detected from the crank shaft seal... I will monitor the leak for now.

http://www.athenswater.com/images/232K-1.JPG

http://www.athenswater.com/images/232K-2.JPG

http://www.athenswater.com/images/232K-3.JPG


My next challenge is to replace the struts, I'll start with the rear.

we are the second owner of the same vehicle. it now has 130k and the check engine light came on today. the ODBII isn't the same as on my 03 tundra. how do i pull the codes?

All 4 new struts are installed.

The ride is greatly improved, but I'm now thinking new coil springs would have been a good idea...

Slippery slope. Looks really clean for that many miles. :tu: Looks really clean, period.

My new rear coil springs, strut mounts etc... have arrived and I'll try to install them next week.

New struts and springs made a big difference, but replacing the 'made in China' tires
with a set of Michelin tires made all the difference. Not long after the tires were
installed the power steering pressure line sprung a leak and had to be replaced.
The only real issue I have now is slow oil leak from the rear main seal.

Getting close to 250K and thinking of taking a road trip in her early this summer.

we are the second owner of the same vehicle. it now has 130k and the check engine light came on today. the ODBII isn't the same as on my 03 tundra. how do i pull the codes?

Sorry I missed your question.

My check engine light is on all the time, it's been checked, reset and it just comes back on a day later.

My car continues to perform great so I'm not really concerned.