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07 camry: any way to monitor which gear the transmission is in?

Are there any aftermarket items that can be connected "somewhere" to monitor the current gear that the car is in. It's a 4-cylinder 2007 camry. The reason I ask is because I suspect that it's downshifting to a lower gear than it should during moderate climbs. The evidence of this is RPMs going above 3500 after the downshift. If it's not skipping a gear, then I believe the trigger for when the downshift occurs is too sensitive or too early.

Is it better to return to the original dealer for service or will any Toyota dealer work? i.e., am I likely to be treated better at the place where I purchased the car vs. a competing dealer? I know that in theory they should give me the same treatement. The reason I ask is because the location where I bought the car is about an hour's drive from the nearest dealer (a 10 minute drive).

Thanks,

-Ben

Reply to
Ben
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If I were you, I'd bite the bullet and take it back to the selling dealer, because you might find a cold shoulder at your local dealer. A friend of mine once bought a Buick from a distant dealer, and when he went for warrany service with a local dealer, the service writer wrote in large letters "BOT" on the work order. He asked what that meant, and the writer simply said "Bought Out of Town". He knew then he would not be getting very good conscientious service.

Reply to
mack

The 2007 Camry transmissions are known to skip gears. But if there is a defect, monitoring the status of the shift solenoids may not tell you anything. The transmission could be doing the opposite what the computer tells it. I guess the transmission could use 20% of the parts Toyota threw out.

You can probe the solenoid wires and see which ones are active, then compare with the expected active combination for any given gear stated in the service manual. Others may know a better way.

As far as dealers go, I personally would drive the 10 minutes. That's where you will most likely do all your service business with in the future, right?

Ben wrote:

Reply to
johngdole

I doubt about your theory. I always have our Toyotas serviced at one of three local dealers and never been treated differently. My wife's Highlander was not even bought from these 3 dealers at all. I sometimes take coupons from out of area dealers and have them price match it.

Reply to
Dan

Sounds like your casr has "Grade Logic" or similar Smart Trannies. If you'e climbing a Hill then it should downshift to where the engine is more comfortable. Bg

Reply to
ottguit

================ If you have a tachometer, with experience you should be able to determine which engine speed and road speed combination indicate certain gear ratios. If you determine the engine speeds at the upshift points during gentle acceleration, then those same points ought to be a guide when the transmission downshifts. For example, you might find that the tachometer goes up by some number of revolutions at each gear change (upshifting during normal driving) so that if the tachometer jumps double that number you know you've downshifted directly to a lower gear ratio. Remember that a lock up torque converter releasing will act a little like a downshift, even though you're technically in the same gear, but the engine would be turning faster.

Reply to
Daniel

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