Need someone to calm me down. I'm in panic mode.

GuySakar

Just bought 04 LE Camry with 87K miles.

Everything went good on the test drive, everything checked out, looks good, etc...


However, I only got it up to 65 on the test drive, but on the way home I got it to 70, and there is an intermittent vibration in the wheel. Like about every 2-5 seconds, the wheel vibrates for a second or less.

It only does it above 70, and is intermittent.


I'm hoping tires, but fearing the worst. Could tires cause an intermittent vibration?







So that's not really the part that has me worried. I'm worried because the left (driver) headlight (low beam) is brighter than the right. I looked into the headlights themselves, and there is some kind of diffuser or something directly in front of bulb itself, and it appears to be pitched just a little on the drivers side, but straight in front on the passenger.



Now I'm worried that maybe the car was wrecked and the guy just fixed it himself, etc... so as to not have a salvaged title, etc....




Am I just overreacting?


What on earth would cause the headlights to be different brightness, or that difusser thing to be a little off pitch on one and straight on the other?




Thank you very, very much in advance for any help at all. I wanted to be happy with my new purchase, but am stressing out now.

shebzie

Your vibration could be something simple, like tracking and balancing might need to be done bring it to advance or any place that does tracking,

ardle1

Calm down...
Doesn't sound to serious, but I would check ASAP to make sure all the nuts on said wheel are tightened. Everything else can wait until day-light.
As for bulbs, could possibly be just two different bulbs. The pitch on the 'difuser' could be set to avert light from oncoming traffic.

GuySakar

Awesome, thank you both. I do feel a little better now. So the intermittent vibrations could in fact be tire related? I just found it odd that it wasn't constant, which is what made me start fearing the worst.

Atlantic Dawn

GuySakar wrote: »

Awesome, thank you both. I do feel a little better now. So the intermittent vibrations could in fact be tire related? I just found it odd that it wasn't constant, which is what made me start fearing the worst.

Yes bring it to a car tyre fitter to get the tracking done or wheels balanced.

Cee-Jay-Cee

It's very possible that the bulb simply isn't fitted into the holder straight. It' could also be just two different bulbs so if your fussy about things like that but two new matching bulbs and fit thrm. The diffuser in the left headlight is angled and set at a different height to the right side to light up the left side of the road at night

Gazzmonkey

@ OP, you've very little to be worrying about I would say...

on / off shudder at a particular speed is very likely an unbalanced wheel, had the same thing on more than one car.

Headlight alignment is probably off a little or one bulb is older than the other and fitted without care.

If these are the sort of problems that make you panic just wait until you have real engine or gearbox trouble which you probably won't since you bought a Toyota.

wandererz

Could be a driveshaft on the way out.

I had a similar problem recently. Car vibrates at 80KPH +.
New driveshaft from the UK was approx €80 and about €120 to fit.