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Chrysler 300M

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Comments

  • dukeofdallasdukeofdallas Member Posts: 52
    Well black tape IS the method that I used with my old '87 200SX but fortunately the M's computer seems to have reset itself. The check engine light was gone as of early this morning.
  • kosh_2258kosh_2258 Member Posts: 338
    This is from Chrysler website:

    Configurator description of the top line sound system for a standard 300M:
    "Sound system with AM/FM Radio/CD Changer, Amplifier and 9 Infinity speakers. $440"

    2003 Chrysler 300M SPECIAL Standard Features.
    Sound Systems
    > 360-Watt Amplifier
    > Integrated Rear Window Antenna
    > Steering Wheel-Mounted Audio Controls
    > Six-Disc In-Dash CD Changer
    > Sound System with AM/FM Radio/Cassette Player and Graphic Equalizer
    > Nine Infinity(R) Speakers in Nine Locations.

    The car I looked at had the Premium Sound and the sticker clearly said 11 speakers, 9 locations.
    The sticker says one thing, the website another - no confusion on my part.
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    kosh_2258-

    I'm sure ottowrkr can clarify the confusion. When I bought Christine, I had the "upgraded" Infinity system that was rated at 320 watts with 11 speakers in 9 locations. Then, one day, it became 360 watts?? Never did find out where those other 40 watts came from. ;-))

    fastdriver
  • kosh_2258kosh_2258 Member Posts: 338
    Agreed.

    I'm interested in finding out why the radio head unit changed again. Now it's down to bass and treble controls after having changed last year to allow for a different wiring harness and losing the LED's in the equalizer controls in the process.

    Of course if DC goes to a Bose system on the LX, there won't be any equalizer controls - Bose systems are in total control of that.
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    kosh_2258-

    Well, most likely what it boils down to is $$$$$$. DC is predicting profits for the next two quarters. How are they going to do that unless they "cut back"? You certainly don't think the upper echelon's PERKS will be affected- do you?

    By doing it this way however, they will surely turn off the repeat buyers who don't want LESS for their $$$$$! You would think that they learned from the 80's.

    fastdriver
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Hi all,

    As you may recall, I thoroughly panned the "upgraded" stereo that my Concorde LTD came with.

    However, I have come to notice over the past 2 months that the sound has improved significanty. It is still not what I would call premium sound, but I must admit that the speakers have warmed, the bass has tightened up, and the vibrations have mostly vanished.

    I attribute this to the same break-in period that is required of home systems. Speakers fresh from the factory typically need about 40 hours of high volume play before they sound right.

    I'm still not impressed (my Buick's stock system sounds MUCH better), but at least I can now live with it.
  • glennbpglennbp Member Posts: 327
    First, the "2 extra speaker locations" in the 11 speaker setup are the coaxial drivers. They count a coax as 2 speakers. There are really only 9 speakers, no more no less. As far as the head unit goes I'll bet it's being produced by another shop and was redesigned a little to save $$$. A buck here and a buck there really add up after a while and every dollar counts.
  • ottowrkrottowrkr Member Posts: 778
    glennbp- yup thats what I was going to say. Only 9 speakers in the car . The ones on the rear parcel shelf they count as 4 speakers .The radio's are still made by the same supplier , they just have $$$ taken out of them.
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    fedlawman-

    "I attribute this to the same break-in period that is required of home systems. Speakers fresh from the factory typically need about 40 hours of high volume play before they sound right."

    NOW you tell me! They should put that in the manual. I never heard of such a thing. You must be a true audiophile. The BOSE in my 94 Infiniti J-30 sounded GREAT from the minute I turned it on! The BOSE in the Acura CL-S sucks compared to the J-30 BOSE, but is still miles better then the "upgraded" radio in Christine!

    Learn something new every day!

    fastdriver
  • kosh_2258kosh_2258 Member Posts: 338
    That is true about speakers, they do need to be run in. But even that won't help when the amplifier is clipping because it hasn't got the jam to keep up.

    I gave it the acid test and it failed badly. I put in Paula Cole's "This Fire" CD and spun up track 2 which as some really low bass notes. At medium volume and the bass slider just past midline the amp didn't put out bass notes it just when "whump" - clipped big time. Sad...
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    fastdriver - Yup, Honda has never put much effort into providing good audio in their cars.

    kosh_2258 - I typically leave the bass slider set midway between the very bottom and the center detent. At loud (but not earsplitting) volumes, the bass is almost punchy and doesn't distort.

    I cannot listen to very loud music anymore due to permanent hearing loss (noise induced tinitus). 13 years of flying helicopters and shooting guns now make loud music (which used to be pleasurable for me) sound like nails on a chalkboard.

    I'm 35 and I have the hearing of a 70 year old. Treasure your hearing...I wish I had.
  • kosh_2258kosh_2258 Member Posts: 338
    Sorry about your hearing situation. I understand your warning because both sides of my family have problems.

    My father and his 3 brothers all served in WWII and they all had/have hearing problems attributed to unprotected hearing and firearms discharge during their service.

    When I said medium volume I meant normal to slightly above normal levels and the amp simply couldn't handle the low frequency - The speakers just let out a distorted "whump". The "Infinity Gold" stereo in my 2000 Jeep can handle it fine.

    I don't doubt DC is trying to milk every penny it can out of these vehicles until the new ones arrive. Too bad they do it where it's noticable.
  • silverbullet4silverbullet4 Member Posts: 449
    Same here. Years of hunting, plinking, and working around jets without protection have caused a severe hearing loss. It drives my wife crazy. Kind of like bad karma from shooting all those deer, squirrels, dove, and quail. I haven't hunted in 30 years, but the damage was done long ago. Having said that, I can still somehow differentiate between a good sound system and a bad one. With in-the-ear aids I can now hear the high note on the piano and the little triangle ping at the symphony.

    Regards,
    Silver
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,684
    9/29 is also my evil wife's birthday. Although she is a bit younger than you, she turned an age that I dare not mention in public! I hope your day was as nice as hers.

    Washed the Platinum M yesterday, lookin' good. Except for the two front Goodyears, both low on air? Someone playing a prank on me? Or is 40,200 miles as far as they're gonna go?

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • peters300mpeters300m Member Posts: 11
    I have a '99M and I want to change the shifter bezel to the newer ones with the leather boot. I went to my local dealer and they will only sell me the whole centre console piece. I went to the autowreckers and they too will only sell me the centre console. Is there anyone here or anyplace where I can get that piece. I have the agate interior.
  • scottjohnsonscottjohnson Member Posts: 61
    Just came back from the dealership where they replaced the steering wheel on my '00 garnet/agate 300M. The old wheel had chips of leather come out where my hands rest. No questions asked, they just ordered a replacement.

    The new one is lighter in color, the same color as my dash, instead of nearly black. And instead of a smooth feel, it has a bit of a sandpapery feel to it.

    On the plus side, the new leather smell is strong again inside the car.

    For those of you who've had the wheel replaced, did you have a similar experience and if so, what does the new cover feel like after some months of use?
  • silverbullet4silverbullet4 Member Posts: 449
    Yeah, I noticed the "cardboard" feel of the replacement steering wheel on my 2k. After a couple of months of oil from my hands and an application of Zaino Z-10 "leather in a bottle" it does not feel unpleasant to the touch. Maybe I just got used to it.

    Silver
  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    I agree with Silverbullet. I was disappointed with my new wheel -- I wished I had kept the old one and replaced it just before 36,000 miles. I'm kinda used to it now, but I still don't like it. My wife has a 2001 M and I remember that I didn't like her steering wheel as much as mine (2000). Now hers feels much better...we trade off cars for weeks at a time and the difference is really noticeable each time we switch cars.
  • 300michael300michael Member Posts: 1,815
    It is one assembly the boot, lighting, and surround is all one piece. The cost for this used to be 200 dollars.
  • 300michael300michael Member Posts: 1,815
    is that it gets dirty and I have to use a brush to clean out all the nooks and cranys. No signs of wear on it so far.
  • 300michael300michael Member Posts: 1,815
    I have two of the top end Chrysler stereo/CD/cassette units I plan to install in my car. The question is with the memory. Will each one keep it's own memory or will the two keep the same two memoryies as the other one? I also got another amp so that I can now have 8 channels (6 for the surround and two for the rear head phones) for the car. I also will add another audio vidio swith since the three inputs I know have is not enough. I will need some additional ones fro the front camera, Vidio game, and an extra hook up for digitalvidio cameras.
  • clpurnellclpurnell Member Posts: 1,083
    I went to my no star and they would not replace my worn wheel. I also had cracks in the leather seat they did order that part but not the wheel. I have 2001 M with agate interior. Any Ideas on how I can get it replaced.
  • bigmike5bigmike5 Member Posts: 960
    Try another DC dealer if the one you tried would not process it as a warranty repair. If that fails start the appeal process. I think Fast has some experience in dealing withe recalcitrant dealer.
  • cmyers300mcmyers300m Member Posts: 206
    The stereo in my M is pretty good. I have the 360watt(although I question that output rating) Infinity w/ 4 disc changer. However, the best factory stereo I ever had was in my 97 Maxima. That Bose system was awesome! It beats the DC systems hands down. I also had a Bose system in my J30, however not as good as the Maxima. I guess the newer Maximas have a subwoofer in them. Man, why doesn't DC do that!

    On the other extreme, the stereo in my wife's new Honda Civic EX really sucks! Why is it Honda has never learned that people love their music to sound good!

    Hey, has anyone heard anymore about the 300N?? Last I read, DC was building an excess number of the new Hemi engines for the Ram truck, those 'extra' engines were thought to be reserved for the upcoming 300N. Anyone hear anymore about this????
  • glennbpglennbp Member Posts: 327
    Brought up that question with my so-called 5-star too. The answer was... "if you want to drive, buy a car; if you want to listen to music, buy a stereo". Guess he thinks the two are mutually exclusive. How do you argue with a mentality like that?
  • ottowrkrottowrkr Member Posts: 778
    cmyers300m- yes the 300N will be getting the Hemi, but they would not be building them yet for a car that does not go on sale till sometime in Jan 2004.
  • splattsplatt Member Posts: 328
    clpurnell - Ask the dealer to show you exactly where in the warranty the steering wheel is explicitly not covered. Tell them if they refuse, you will go to chrysler corporate complaints. It is covered, they should replace it. They make money on the deal - heck it's a warranty repair.

    As for the wheel itself - I'm on my third. The second and thrid were both the 'cardboardy' wheel feel. However, this one seems a little better.
  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    "if you want to drive, buy a car; if you want to listen to music, buy a stereo".

    You can't argue with this mentality -- it's part of the 5* training, along with other non-answers like the crown in the road, etc.

    Reminds me of when I bought a new house from a builder several years ago. I had a small list of repairs I wanted done before moving in (gouges in drywall, warped subfloor from water damage during construction, etc.). The builder told me "if you want perfection, buy a diamond." LOL!
  • 300michael300michael Member Posts: 1,815
    That is a good line. If someone ever says is again I will say "both, so I guess I will not be purchasing this car". Then watch their jaw drop.
    I agree they are not the best out there, but it is only going to be connected to headphones in the rear. So the back seaters can listen to their own Cassettes,CD's, or radio. For my application they should be plenty good enough.
  • kosh_2258kosh_2258 Member Posts: 338
    They have a new service writer at my dealership and I had a chance to get to know him on the AD amp issue.

    This person sends out THE strongest "I REALLY hate my job" vibe of anyone I've ever dealt with.
    He has this look on his face like EVERYTHING has gone wrong for him today. He doesn't really even pay attention to who you are. I walked in identified myself and we discussed my issues. He tells me to go get a cup of coffee while he investigates, and when I come back he acts like I just walked in the place and he'd never seen me before. :b
  • cmyers300mcmyers300m Member Posts: 206
    thanks for the info. Have they talked anymore about price? Last i read it would be in the mid 30's? Do you know if it would be available in a hardtop? The only pics I've seen are of a convertible.
  • fastdriverfastdriver Member Posts: 2,273
    clpurnell-

    "Any Ideas on how I can get it replaced."

    LOL....SOME things NEVER change!! How I don't miss all this crap- the lies, the looks, the attitude etc. CALL AUBURN HILLS!! Try this # 248-512-8383. I would say to ask for Ginny, but I think she is LONG gone. Smart lady! ANYONE that I EVER spoke to in corporate was great! They were like from another world. Their attitude was like- they told you WHAT at the dealer or they did, did they? Well, we'll see about this. I'll get back to you- and they DO!! They call you back! Not like the "5-STARS" who never seem to know your number UNTIL they want something!!

    Don't wait! It DOESN'T get ANY better!

    fastdriver
  • 300michael300michael Member Posts: 1,815
    I striped my M down to check it over. Damage from the dealer. Both rear side pillar covers had 3 broken clips. The rear carpet deck cover had one broken anchor (totally missing), and a missing push anchor. The lower side covers had the line up pins totally bent up. The problem is how do you prove the dealer did the damage? It has been a couple of months. Over half the rattles/noises are gone now that I fixed (except for the rear deck clip). It does seem every time the car goes to the dealer more comes back broken then fixed. So for me the car will be fixed by me. That way at least I know I took the time to reassamble it back correctly. I is still a great car (especally with all the additions I have done to it) and the N or next car would have to be exceptional for me to get rid of this one. It is a shame that the dealers litterly destroy the cars when given the chance.
  • beach15beach15 Member Posts: 1,305
    Gotta love knowing the corporate office numbers and first names! It's like our knowledge of the 5*'s service dept....
  • ottowrkrottowrkr Member Posts: 778
    cmyers300m- you wanna know the price ? We dont even know what these cars are going to look like. All the pics you see on the web are not what the final car will look like .Convertible, I dout you will see one of these for quite a few years or at all. The only thing we know is it will be 4 door , RWD, and have an V8 motor as an option .Everything else is just a guess or rumour. If you want to see what these cars will look like plan on going to this years Detroit Auto show. I bet they will have something there for us to look at.
  • bigmike5bigmike5 Member Posts: 960
    Hey Jeff-- Do you have any idea when the show will be held in Detroit? Might be worth a visit.
  • jab02lhsjab02lhs Member Posts: 122
    Always at Cobo Hall downtown Detroit. I go about every other year if the weather is good as its about a 3 hr drive. My son lives in Ann Arbor and meets me there. Plan on spending about 4 to5 hrs if you want to look at everything. parking around the hall is $20.00.


    http://www.naias.com/

  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    I just got my 2000M back after driving my wife's 2001 for the last month. I immediately noticed a pulsating feeling when braking (front brakes, I think). From posts I have seen in the past, I seem to recall that this was likely a warped rotor problem. For anyone that has had that problem, did you have to have the rotors replaced or just turned? And are the rotors covered by warranty? (I know the pads are not).

    Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to have it repaired at my 5* unless it is under warranty. There are plenty of places that will do it for half the dealer's price, I'm sure!
  • bigmike5bigmike5 Member Posts: 960
    I had more of a shudder at high speed braking rather than a pulsating feeling. I changed out to higher performance rotors, but had the old rotors turned. After problems with the new I had the old put back on and my 99M stopped like it was on rails. No wobble or shake at any speed when stopping. Try turning the rotors first. Save a few hundred bucks and see if that helps. I think it will. Oh, yes, when I originally reported the problem to the dealer and had the rotors "checked" I was told that they were fine. Right. They were fine only when I had them turned.
  • ottowrkrottowrkr Member Posts: 778
    Hey guys found out some info on that crossed wire problem some of you are having. The problem occurs on 2002 300M and Concorde's with radio sales code RCP , the cars affected were built before Oct 13 2001.
  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    I will have them inspected and, I expect, turned this weekend (not by the dealer).

    From your response, I assume the rotors are not covered by the originl warranty...
  • splattsplatt Member Posts: 328
    Getting your rotors done will probably correct the problem. I had the same thing until I replaced the front pads and had them recut.

    No - they are not covered, as brakes are wear and tear...
  • 300michael300michael Member Posts: 1,815
    $20 just to park? What does the show run? I thought $5 at our convention center was high.
  • bigmike5bigmike5 Member Posts: 960
    Just give the guy with the ski mask the $20, and ask him to park it up real close and please to not joy ride it!!! Hey, carjackers got to eat too.
  • clpurnellclpurnell Member Posts: 1,083
    Well I have figured out a way to solve my 300M problems with the steering wheel, and the clunking steering wheel they haven't been able to detect in 4 visits. It will probably be gone for good this weekend once I trade it. I do not fault the car however, The issues I have had have been realitivly minor 2 window regulators, Seat & wheel Leather, clunking steering wheel and seat shifting. The thing is these dealers really p*ss me off. Out of my problems only the regulators and seat movement have been fixed. None of my dealers in this area are open on saturday, none provide loaners and they only offer one way shuttles. Add that to the fact that they can't diagnose or fix their way out of a paper bag is ridiculus. Not what I expected buying a 30k+ car (now only worth 17k by the way, it depreciated 1k a month lol). The car itself is beautiful, wonderfully engineered and a pleasure to drive. If they gave even decent service I would probably keep it. But it will be gone and I will buy my first Asian built car ever (actually truck). I really hope Chrysler gets it's service up to snuff cuz I would love to buy a 300N in '05.
  • blondablonda Member Posts: 542
    You should call the Customer Service number Fastdriver posted above and tell them what you said in your post. The more they hear people are trading in DC products based on poor customer service the better.
  • scottjohnsonscottjohnson Member Posts: 61
    I'm really sorry to hear that you're resorting to getting rid of the car because of dealer problems. On my steering wheel, all I had to do was mention that it seemed to be showing abnormal wear. There were a couple of half-hearted questions about hand cream, but they just quickly ordered a new one.

    On the loaners during repairs, that varies by dealer and in my case by brand within dealership. Or local Chrysler dealer is primarily a Ford dealership. When I got my 300M, good service but no mention of loaners. I just bought a 2002 Thunderbird from the other side of the house and guess what, free loaners come with the Fords.
  • scottjohnsonscottjohnson Member Posts: 61
    Week before last was spent on a driving vacation in my wife's new 2002 T-bird, about 1700 miles. It is interesting to compare it with my 2000 300M.

    Edge to T-bird: stereo controls on steering wheel, 6-disks in CD, many controls in radio/amp, dual zone climate control, 235/50 tires, telescoping steering wheel, cool factor

    Edge to 300M: heated seats, trip computer, compass, overall sound system, dual seat memory (none on T-bird), auto-stick, availability of info on car (top speed, red-line, etc.), doesn't require premium fuel ($2.05 in N. California!!)

    Toss-up: horsepower, weight, quickness, handling (my 300M is non-PHP)

    I'm still impressed at the value the 300M provides at $10K less.
  • bigmike5bigmike5 Member Posts: 960
    On loaners... I have seen the gamut from promises to actual performance. All the dealerships near where I work run shuttle service, not sure if they pick you up again, never used it. Others give you a loaner off the used car end of the lot, and some, like the Caddy dealer where I got my wife's Eldo will actually take her shopping in a limo when her car is in for work, or if it has to stay overnight they rent her a car at Enterprise [LeSabre last time]until it is ready. I think you should get it in writing on your sales agreement when you buy because at least they can't weasel out later if management changes.

    Sorry to hear you are giving up on the M. Instead of a rice-burner you could wait for the new Pacifica that is coming soon??
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