'07 Camry:why no side panels?

Cheapo accountants strike again? Profits before customer satisfaction? Big-manufacturer mentality?

Another stupid design decision. I notice that every other new car on the road has them. I have a 2007 Camry and these are a few other things that drive me crazy:

1. 2 months old and the cheesy cloth covering my door arm rest is already visably worn. I reported this to 2 dealers and the Toyota 800 line but they don't care.
2. In twilight or on cloudy days the dashboard lights dim and brighten every time I go under a tree or underpass. There should be a 1 or 2 minute time delay before it changes. Again I reported this to both a dealer and Toyota but they don't care.
3. The transmission behavior is awful (V6 6 spd automatic). It often can't decide what to do. Shifts up and down (hard) at the strangest times or won't shift when it should, especially when cold. Dealer says it is normal (???) and I should always warm up the car for 10 minutes before I drive it (???). Toyota never responded to the case I opened on the 800 line. If this is normal performance it is the worst designed transmission I've ever had.

There is more (5 trips to the shop in 2 months, 2 check engine lights) but I'll spare you.

Sorry to vent but I now hate this car. I should have bought an Accord.

I checked my arm rests on an 07 Camry CE with only 850 miles on it, it's already starting to have some "permanent" markings (i.e., it's not due to the knap of the arm rest). I haven't contacted my dealer yet.

Also, I noticed that either the rearview mirror or the rear window is warped... when I look through the rearview, and move my head from left to right, I can clearly see serious optical defects giving it a warped appearance. I don't think it's intentional because it's not symmetric.

I think i'll just put some duct tape on the arm rest, take off the mirror, and put a gun rack in the back window... that'll fix'er up real purdy.

Laker wrote: