Chrysler 300M

sdmike2

ok...I'm bashing my wife a bit but she deserves it for being so careless with my car. She's actually a very sweet person, as glennbp would attest to. Just got to get her to be more careful.

smittyd

Definitely white. When I was cutting the back bumper cover for my duals it looked like it was snowing from all the shavings flying from the roto-zip blade.

http://dodgeboy.cjb.net

MOPAR or no car!

andy300m

sdmike2,
how does this clay bar work? Is it effective on masking minor (just clearcoat) scratches? I got a couple of those little ones - mostly door areas (parking lots of course). is it easy to fix or should I go to a detailer instead? thanks!

videoman1

Hmmm. Although sdmike had to suffer the consequences, this turned out to be an informative thread.

The front bumper of my '99 M has a small yellow streak on it which I thought was paint. I tried everything to get it off with no luck. I then noticed that inside the door, there's a very faint (only I would notice cause I'm anal) line of yellow too. I'm almost to believe that my Platinum M is yellow underneith and not white like everyone else.

But here's my question. Why is it that everyone can cut out the underside of their bumpers for the dual exhaust and not see the white (or yellow) underneith? Is this part molded the color of the car?

SDMike, you may need to call back the door ding guy to touch up your white streaks.

sdmike2

The clay bar isn't for filling in scratches, but rather removing very small deposits on the paint's surface. Ever clean your car and find the surface still a little rough...like a glossy sheet of paper instead of a mirror? That's because stuff falls from the sky constantly and sticks to your paint. Even washing doesn't remove it. The clay bar, which is similar in feel and consistency to fine modeling clay....kinda like Playdoh...has minor abrasive properties and can remove this stuff. I had never tried it before, but it's awesome.

You might dig around on this site for what you're looking for. I'm not sure of the severity of the scratches you're talking about, so you might need a "swirl mark remover" (low grade paint leveler) or a higher grade leveler. The guy that did my door dings did a miracle with some VERY fine (like 1500 grit) wet sandpaper combined with a leveler. http://www.topoftheline.com/hitligcutswi.html

Correction on my previous post. The clay bar kit I got was from Mothers, not McGuires. I'll probably get one from Zaino with my next order.

sdmike2

I had my muffler guy do it, that's how.

intrepidspirit

The part of the composite bumper that is turned under the front part of the wheelwell on my M is yellow. And my M is inferno red, like sdmike's.

The reason I know mine is yellow underneath is because the red became blotchy in the wheelwell area and I tried to rub it out -- I ended up rubbing off pieces of the paint.

Of course, my (recently awarded) 5* claims the paint came off due to road debris and is not covered under warranty -- I think it's a paint application problem they have with that material. The paint on the spoiler of my wife's '98 Avenger had the same problem a couple of years ago and they repainted it.

But now they are 5*...(sigh)...I think I liked them better when they were trying to become 5*! Remember the Avis/Hertz ads a few years ago -- trying harder because you're #2....?

wire2

I sometimes juggle cars in the garage, I have a 2' piece of 2x6 on the floor for 1 and a tennis ball for the other.

>...those stupid plastic clips...trunk liner..

$2.00 each? Wow. You should see how many end up on the floor every day and get swept up and tossed.

andy300m

thanks for clarification! I will check it out.

fedlawman

http://www.properautocare.com/

for clay bars, polish, wax, etc.

I ordered a bunch of stuff from them when I bought my Buick last year and they great.

lonestarsled

>$2.00 each? Wow. You should see how many end up on the floor every day and get swept up and tossed.

Those parts are tagged for shipment to the dealer.....right?;)

steve276

my 2000 M has a vertical crack in the dash pad on the left side of the air bag area on the passenger side. This developed at 11000 miles. Dealer said it looks like a knife cut but it is not. Do others have this problem? What can I do to get Chrysler to fix it?

russklass

Just finished painting the calipers red on my summer ride(Mazda Miata).
I had the same experience as sdmike2...2 full coats and a touch up. Looks great!
One suggestion...buy a decent brush, the one that comes with the kit is a real coarse cheepo and is no good in tight spots.

sdmike2

That's the first I've heard of a dash crack from any M owner, including those in Arizona (killer sun), or Alaska (killer cold).

sdmike2

I second that. The one they give you is fine for broad strokes, but to get into the nooks and crannies properly you need a fine craft brush. Both are necessary IMO.

Gonna do your M calipers?

tnsc_300m

10:00PM Eastern.
go to 300mClub.org and go to club chat room.
log in and join the fun :-)
tnsc300m

russklass

No, the M is leased, lease is up Jan 30th.
I trying to decide if I should get another M, my third, or extend the lease for 5 months and get a Pacifica. Tough choice!

ezaircon4jc

sdmike2, try www.bumpers.com They may have something for you. I can't vouch for them as I've never used them. Just a thought. Once upon a time ago, my evil wife closed one of those one piece wood garage doors on the trunk lid. Instead of just letting the door hit the trunk and go back up, she put it in drive and gouged the paint down to the metal and put a crease in the lid. The body shop wanted $400 to fix it. I bought a trunk rack and just covered it.

What about this rain?? The only weather guesser that I watched that forcasted "possible" drizzle was Aloha from channel 8. Even our wonderful FAA "forcasters" didn't see it coming, even though it was a couple miles offshore!

Good luck with your bumper.

ottowrkr

smittyd -Hey ,I see your car was from Statesville NC. I was in that area once .Stopped off at Ray Evernhams race shop on the way to the Daytona 500.

lonestarsled - tagged for the dealer? more like the landfill!!

steve276 - complain ,complain and then complain more.

sdmike2

Sorry if you told me once already and I forgot. I must have spent those brain cells remembering the theme to the "Superchicken" cartoon instead. The only nice thing about this weather is that Big Red was in the garage. I took the evil wife's van to golf because I had intended to pick up some lumber at Home Depot. Needless to say i didn't do that. Didn't need to have that nice lumber sitting in the rain on my patio.

I wonder how much that 50lb bag of quick setting concrete will weigh tomorrow when I go to pick it up after being in the rain all day. Any votes? Should I start a pool? lol

sdmike2

Hey, I haven't gotten anything from you yet. Did you spell my email address right? A lot of people use an "l" instead of a "1" in my address. To be sure, go here: http://www.ritchiefamily.com/contact.htm

kosh_2258

Dealer says: It "looks" like a knife cut.
You say: I said it cracked, YOU PROVE to me it's a "knife" cut and I'll shut up. Otherwise I want if fixed under warranty. If you aren't willing to do it, I'll contact Chrysler customer service and get them involved. Either way, it IS going to get fixed under warranty.

In other words don't take no for an answer and keep pushing until you get satisfaction. Like otto said: Complain, complain, complain.

seefive

I purchased a '99 M. I was considering getting dual exhaust. What would be a good price range and also is there a HP increase? Would an different air filter help as well?

tnsc_300m

my bad forgot the "i" before the "1"
corrected and sent info.
also see message about contact info.

Thanks
tnsc300m

seefive

I purchased a '99 M. I was considering getting dual exhaust. What would be a good price range and also is there a HP increase? Would an different air filter help as well?

tnsc_300m

Did the one you bought have PHP?

I've gotten prices for duals from $275- $500. Definently shop around and ask friends who've modded cars for a reference.
I would recommend a K&N air filter PN#33-2136 or the Aircharger kit sdmike and glennbp have done.
The 300Mclub.org website and sdmike2's 300M homepage have lots of great info on parts and mods.
Welcome to the enthusiastic group of 300M owners who obsess about their favorite car here :-)
tnsc300m

silverbullet4

Just got a call from 5* Preston Dodge (formerly Preston Chrysler Plymouth). My replacement steering wheel is in. I will go there tomorrow and let them install it. They estimate 1-1/12 hours for the job. The part was ordered a week ago. Not too bad for a cosmetic replacement part.

I thought you might like to hear about a good experience for a change. :>)

Silver

on1wheel

hi everyone! its been a while since i posted .hope i havent missed too much,i still read the posting every chance i get.
i repaired the drivers door glass last week. seems the metal bracket that holds the glass to the track broke where it folded. it is also glued,but that came apart also. i simply took the glass out,and welded it together at the seam.now its stronger than stock! really a simple fix.

sdmike2

Welcome! Two relatively easy mods that a lot of people do to their Ms is to replace the stock spark plugs with Bosch Platinum +4 plugs, and the stock air filter with a K&N high flow filter. The plugs will run you about $35 total and the filter is around $40. If you want to go further than that and have a little more money to spend you might try, as suggested, the K&N Aircharger kit which replaces almost all of the intake system with a non-restrictive tube. It's not considered "street legal", but we all believe it just to be K&N covering their butts. There's nothing about the set-up that should mess with your emissions. The Aircharger kit is about $250. On the other side of the car many have installed dual exhaust systems using one of several different designs. A popular one is what we typically call the Hujo design (after the guy that drew the picture ) where you take out the existing two mufflers and one collector and replace it with a new high-flow front collector and one dual output muffler in the back. Some have left the stock collector in and just did the rear muffler. Many different mufflers have been used for the rear, but popular ones include a Magnaflow (which I've used), a Rhino (little louder) or a Flowmaster (lot louder). Tips are a matter of personal preferance and actually might make up a large part of the cost. I paid around $500 including parts (mufflers, pipes, tips) at a performance muffler shop with great prices. Others have bought their mufflers and tips on-line and taken them in a box to a muffler shop for install. It's all about what you're comfortable with and have the resources for.

I have a lot of pictures and diagrams on my 300M website at http://www.ritchiefamily.com/300m.htm . I also have a MS Word document there that has the part numbers for the K&N drop in filter, the Aircharger and the plugs. I think the plugs and drop-in K&N will add about $100 of "pep" to your car. The Aircharger and the duals have me up over 270hp according to a person here with some dyno data. I can do 0-60 in under 7 seconds now, which at least makes me feel better.

Enjoy your car!

Mike

sdmike2

You have a "home welding kit" or something? lol! Nice job!

russklass

What are you trying to do...run up the post count?
Or is that mid-life tremors when you hit the "post my message button?

sdmike2

If I were going to run the count up I'd do it with small ones. lol. That's called hitting the POST button again after a 3 minute wait for a response that didn't come....and then doing it again. At least there's a delete function.

sdmike2

Another great source for modification information is Scotian's photo pages at http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/300m/

scotian

http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/300m/interior/clock_face/roman_numeral_mockup/dcp_0582.html

blonda

If I remember right, Ezair lives in my neighborhood (SM) is that correct? By the way Ezair, what color is your LS? Maybe I've seen you around.

Speaking of the suprise rain yesterday, when I parked my car at work in the morning I cracked both my front windows about 1/4" as the day before it was about 85 degrees and the car was sweltering hot. Well I totally forgot about it when the rain was coming down. My car was pretty wet inside...I even had some water pooled in the window control panel and the little finger cup on the arm rest. The carpet on the sides of the seats was pretty wet too. Everything electrical seems to work okay. I did take a blowdryer to the carpet last night and it seems totally dry this morning (I didn't want to get any mildew smell).

blonda

Why don't you just leave the cement where it is and remove the bag, then carve it into the shape of the 300M? Might be easier than moving it. Of course you're wife will think you're totally obsessed.

ottowrkr

For those who are into "TYPE R"

http://members.cox.net/marklein/rtype/toilet.htm

kosh_2258

Two things should be present:

1. Arrows on your 1 & 5 preset buttons. 1 is pointed up 5 pointed down
2. There should be a "CD-C" marked on one of the buttons to the right of the presets.

If you have the Infinity II, I would think that you'd have the cd changer type receiver.

kosh_2258

LOL! Now that brings new meaning to the saying: "driving the porcelain bus"!

russklass

I want one!

russklass

You just keep getting better!
You should offer this one to Chrysler in exchange for a new M;)

alta_300m

Wow does that ever look nice! I think you are going to have a lot of people contacting you requesting one....including me. It is just gorgeous and definately very elegant. How can I go about getting one

grunschev

I think it's great you have Word doc files of part numbers and stuff, but did you know you can make the file(s) easier to access for everyone by using an open file format rather than a proprietary one? I'm pretty sure even MSFT supports the rich text format (.RTF). You'll find the file is smaller and people running Linux or Apple OS's will be able to read the file.


Sorry, I couldn't resist. I'm not really a MSFT basher, and my copy of OpenOffice.org handles all MS Office formats very well, but I think it's Wrong to assume everybody wants to pay the MSFT tax.

Igor

silverbullet4

Yesterday I removed a large red paint patch that had been rubbed into a gold Sable's front bumper. I used a couple of very worn out Zaino claybars and the recommended diluted carwash liquid as a lubricant. My M-in-Law had tried to remove the paint with a polish with no success. Then I cleaned up a two square inch red blemish on my own rear bumper.

Total time: about 10 minutes.
Two claybars: $7.95
Happy Mother-in-Law: Priceless!
;>)

Silver

300michael

Welcome to the group. SDmike and the 300mclub.org site has lots of information. There are about as many different types if intakes as there are M's on the road.
Check to see if your M has 16 or 17" tires, this will tell a lot. If your 99 has GoodYears (17") on her, my suggestion is to get rid of them and get some good tires. Most will offer better traction, and be quieter. The exhaust will be the most expensive addition (mine ran $360). The intake systems will run from $37 to $250 depending on type. I have a hood scoop and ram air system that cost me $80 for the parts (made myself) and other like scotian made his own air box too.
One thing you will quickly learn is that there is not a lot of after market stuff the the M (which is a shame(it is getting a little better)) so a lot of us have to resort to manufacturing our own goodies. You have come to the right place for discussions and ideas for your M.

300michael

Mine is a very light yellow tint to it. They are painted not molded in colors.

300michael

Has Dillon sent you the results from his latest dyno testing yet. He told me he was going to send it to you last week.

scotian

Requires you (not me -- I've already done mine) to carve up a new CD case with an exacto and to remove the existing OEM plastic clock face held on by melted tabs. Much easier than it sounds, though.

andy300m

dude, you need an underscore there or it wont parse, I would personally use :-)
as far as use of word docs, I agree if you had just simple text, but sdmike2 has tables in his word docs - I think use of this format is justified.. I personally dont know anyone who cannot open a word doc (MS Word Pad that is standard in all editions of windows can read that too). just my $0.02

hmk123

Good news from Chrysler:

http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0204/25/-474597.htm

I hope they can stay on track...