In today's Wall Street Journal a question was asked regarding the onboard oil change indicator.
Do the Camry's have a mileage indicator that automatically reminds you at an interval of 5,000 miles after the last reset or is is based upon a sensors that evaluate the oil as detailed in the answer provide to the question that appears below?
In addition, assuming it is a mileage interval, how does the car calculate the mileage, is it total car miles, or some calcualtion based upon how much the engine is used. It is possible, that the car can be driven 5,000 total miles while not using the engine all that much.
Thanks!

 

The car goes by 5000 miles since the last reset of the oil change indicator. I wondered that too but my previous oil change was weeks late because I just couldn't schedule it, and this time the indicator didn't come on till well after I expected it to. And yet my dealer (imagine that?) still wants me to go back every 3k miles, it's almost like they'd make more money that way or something.

The first indicator comes on some number of miles (100?) before the 5k mark is reached, and blinks on for a few seconds with a tone when you start the car. Then after you've hit the 5k mile mark the indicator that maintenance is required comes on the MFD constantly--if you hit the display button and it changes modes to, say, cruising range, it will switch back to the warning after a few seconds.

But I do believe I read something a while back that Toyota had actually claimed 7500 mile oil change intervals but dropped it back down to 5k because too many people were pushing it and going over 7500. Presumably at 5k you may not need it yet but you'll be staying safe and still saving by the nice improvement over 3k miles (as I did on my old car).

 

In the Camry it's a mileage counter. The maintenance required display will flash on after a certain number of miles from its last reset.

 

With all due respect to dealers out there, they aren't always honest, nor do they have your best interest at heart at all times. They make a lot of money (typically charging twice the going rate for services) and try to have you feel that you need to adhere to their schedule.
I've heard of a dealer that recommended an oil flush (not positive what it is, since I am not a mechanic, but aparently it involves something like adding fluid to the oil before emptying the oil so that it gets all the oil out). My friend who owns a gas station told me that he recommends that after 75,000 miles and it costs maybe $5-10. The dealer charges $75 and recommended it at every oil change.
I've also had a dealer recommend new brakes, when they had 5,000 miles or more left on them (as determined by my friend).
Again, with apologies to anyone who works at a dealer service department, but I'd never bring a car to the dealer, unless it was for warranty work.

Remember, I am not a mechanic, so some of what I wrote might not be accurate.

 

The Camry (and Prius) use distance traveled.

Once it has been 4500 miles (7200 KM) since the indicator was last reset, the "MAINT REQD SOON" message will come on for 15 seconds every time you set your POWER switch to ON. At 5,000 miles (8000 KM), the message will change to "MAINT REQD" and will stay on while you have POWER ON.

Only problem/heart-ache I have with the indicator is that the MAINT REQD message is so "in you face" that it overrides the normal messages (outside temp/trip/odo/etc) except for about 15 seconds when you change the indicators (using DISP on the steering wheel).

According to the manual, Canadian cars do not have this indicator.

 

That's correct — Canadian TCHs do not have the maintanence indicator. It sounds to me as if this is something that I should be thankful for!

Stan

 

Easy enough to reset (No special tool(s) required) ---- and -- you could change the oil and filter at the same time.

 

I agree that it is easy to reset the indicator. Unfortunately, just after I left for a road trip from D.C. to Orlando, the "MAINT REQD SOON" light came on (I had already planned to do the oil change when I got to parent's house in Orlando). Before I arrived, the signal changed to "MAINT REQD" and blocked out some of the normal items in the MFD.

I just wish that the "MANT REQD" signal would come on at intervals, maybe every 15 to 30 minutes, rather than staying on constantly. It's not like going 1 mile over the recommended 5000 mile maint schedule will cause the car to shut down.

 

You can turn off the maintenance required by going into the maintenance schedule and deleting the mileage setting. Then, no reminder!

John

 

So does the maintenance schedule in the NAV unit impact the MFD?