Dodge Intrepid

uqmoore · February 2001

I love my 2000 ES but there are two big things I hate...

Number one is the road noise. It sounds like I'm driving a truck!

Number two is how many times I have scraped the bottom of the car. I don't know if its too low or if the suspension is bad but I scrape the bottom about once a week. I scraped my 98 Taurus about 3 times in two years. I literally have to crawl out of the parking lot of the local Mini-Mall.

qm2k

snowman · February 2001

Are you comparing your intrepid with your 98 Taurus or your previous car. If it was your previous car, then what was it?

marsha7 · February 2001

it will soon be time for tires for my 2000 ES...I am not looking for high-performance tires, just decent high-mileage tires at a moderate price...locally they are selling 80,000 mile tires made by Douglas Tire for about $56 each...has anyone ever heard of Douglas, and what can you tell me about it??? Thanx.

mark194 · February 2001

The starter on my sons 98 Intrepid (2.7L) fried (80000 miles). The dealer nailed him $353.00 for the repair ($230.00 for the starter). The starter was not available from any of the parts stores in his area except NAPA and they wanted 214 for a rebuilt unit. Lets hope this is not a common problem for you Intrepid owners.

spellbound · February 2001

Marsha7, I have not heard of Douglas tire. For all I know they may be a good tire. However I would recommend going with a "brand name". While I can understand you may be on a budget and just want to keep maintenance costs down, decent tires are a very important aspect of the overall safety of your car as well as affecting ride, feel and handling. Wet and dry traction ability, correct size, speed rating and good tire construction are the things to look for.

To start with you may want to browse at http://www.tirerack.com and do a search for tires for your Intrepid. When you select the vehicle it should give you a tire size of 225/60/16. You can then narrow the search by selecting boxes below. I'd suggest selecting Touring, Grand Touring, All Season & Performance All Season. You can then view a whole selection. Also when you are looking at specific tires clicking on specs will give you a table showing specifications. The 1st 3 numbers under the heading UTQG have to do with relative tire wear or how many miles they would normally last. A higher number is better meaning they will last longer.

There are a number of tires in or slightly above your price range for example the Bridgstone Potenza RE910 at $67 looks decent. Anyway once you decide on a tire or two that look good and meet your budget needs write down the manufacturer, model and size and call some local tire places to get their best price. It should be fairly close.

Hope this is of some help.

jsylvester · February 2001

Don't know much about the cost of starters, though I would guess the repair price itself is not out of this world. I know the infamous water pump failure on my 92 Taurus set me back abot that much at around that mileage. Whether it failed prematurely, I have not heard of any problems before on any model year with starters. Not like my old 69 Catalina, which would eat starters (I was only 16 at the time, probably not installing them correctly), but at $20 a pop, no big deal.

For tires, I would also check out Sam's Club. They tend to have very good prices on tires, and the mounting, balancing, stems, etc. are pretty reasonable. If you are looking for inexpensive tires, they sell General's, which are good basic tires. They also sell BF Goodrich and Michelin's.

Good luck.

andre1969 · February 2001

Jsylverster...
I had a '69 Bonneville that ate starters on a regular basis, too! Must have been something with that year, because I also have a '67 Catalina that has been trouble free in that respect. My main problem was the solenoid...the thing would try to start, but if it didn't catch, it would keep grinding until I either got it to start or yanked off a battery cable! There was most likely some other problem causing it to kill the starters, but I didn't have time to fool with it and got rid of it, because I already had too many cars. The starter on the 400 was easy to get to, though, so that was a small consolation!

As for my experience with starters on Chrysler products, I've replaced two starters on my '68 Dart, one on my '79 Newport, and two on my '89 Gran Fury, all of them 318's. The Dart's was 133, and when it failed the second time was still under warranty, so I only had to pay the $50.00 labor to put it on. That was May 1996 when it failed, and it's been fine since.

I think my Newport's starter was about $188 installed. I got ripped with my Gran Fury, though. I took it to Precision Tune or some place like that, and they said that because it was police spec, it would be very expensive. I forget the exact total, but it was over $300! It failed about 3 months later, and I would have taken it back, but the guy that had put it on killed himself that night, so I felt really weird about ever dealing with them again. So I took it to my regular shop (should have gone there in the first place) and they charged about $213. They also said it was a heavy duty police spec starter, but $213 installed seemed like a bargain. Plus, I trusted them enough to know they'd do it right.

All things considered, I guess $353 isn't TOO ridiculous for a dealer-installed starter. I don't know how much harder they are to install than older starters. Considering that's about what I got ripped for for my Gran Fury's first starter, from a chain-store. I bought the extended warranty with my Intrepid so at least it's covered to 100K miles. After that, if it goes, I'm taking it to my mechanic! I trust him a lot more than my dealership (and obviously, a lot more than that chain-store!!)

-Andre

-Andre

mark194 · February 2001

Maybe I should have given a little more info. I have replaced starters on quite a few cars and the most I ever paid for a rebuilt unit was 45 bucks. The hardest starter I ever replaced was on a 85 LTD wagon with a 3.8L. I had to unbolt the engine and tranny mounts and lift the motor about a 1/2 foot to remove the starter. The Intrepid starter did not look that difficult and if my son wasn't 350 miles from me I'm sure I could have replaced it for him (my cost @$175.00 for the starter). I'm just saying that I think he got wacked by the dealer because of the lack of availabilty by the after market parts distributors. Also the most simple starter I ever replaced was on a 69 slant 6 Dodge Corronet - man what a piece of cake.

lee1nyc · February 2001

Hiya Gang,

When I first got my '98 ES, I too would hear the front plastic air dam scrape the ground when I was going up and down my driveway. I had the Dodge dealership clip off about an inch of it, from side to side. That has solved the problem I was experiencing. You can't take too much of it off, otherwise it defeats the purpose of the part, which is to force air up into the engine compartment.

Happy Driving,
Lee

28,000 miles without a single significant problem.

marsha7 · February 2001

thanks to all who responded.

uqmoore · February 2001

The 98 Taurus was my previous car. It was the base model (read: manual locks

and I traded it in for the spiffier Trep.

qm2k

brisala · February 2001

I plan to test drive an Intrepid (ES 3.2, or R/T)soon and was wondering if someone can tell me what I need to do to reproduce this vibration problem that seems to be one of the consistant problems mentioned througout this board.

andre1969 · February 2001

The only vibration problem I'm aware of is when you put down the rear windows and get the car above 35-40 mph. They'll start to wobble, and the faster you go the worse the resonance. It'll give you a serious headache. You can achieve this by putting down one or both rear windows, but if you roll down a front window it will cancel it out.

It's not just the Intrepid that does this though. I've experienced it first-hand with the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Saturn L-series. I've heard the Stratus will do it, too.

-Andre

fuzzer34 · February 2001

Actually in my R/T when the sunroof is open there's a very, very bad buffeting around 20-25 unless I put the rear windows down...then it goes away else your head explodes....

Guess this is the price we pay for very aerodynamic cars these days....put the windows down and all the air comes INSIDE, not going around the car like it is supposed to....

In the summer I drive around with both fronts down and a rear down about 1". No buffeting....ahhhhh...

andre1969 · February 2001

Fuzzer34
After the experience with the rear window vibration/sunroof vibration in your Intrepid, do you notice that you can suddenly pick it up in other cars, as well? When I first got my Intrepid in November 1999 was the first time I had experienced it in ANY car, and it drives me crazy sometimes! I like to drive around sometimes with just the back windows cracked and the front ones up. But now, even in older cars, like my grandmother's '85 LeSabre, and my '89 Gran Fury, I notice it too! The LeSabre's windows only open half-way, and the Gran Fury's go down all but about an inch or two, but I can still sense it! And I never even noticed before I got the Intrepid!

I had thought the vibration was due to the fact that the window glass on the Intrepid (and most modern cars) is so thin that it will flex and vibrate if it's not fully up and secure. It's not that big of a deal though...I just learn to crack a front window a bit to neutralize it.

How is your Intrepid R/T doing? I'm kind of tempted to go for an R/T the next time around instead of another base model.

-Andre

fuzzer34 · February 2001

Andre1969, My Intrepid R/T is still going strong. 14K+ miles, no problems, and I don't baby it. Got a flat on the front the other day, glad I had the full sized spare. I plugged the flat and made it the new spare.

Got a scare when pricing out some new tires for the R/T. :O Even on Tirerack.com the 17" R/T tires are pricey($189ea). I guess you have to pay to play.
Talking about vibrations, I get the brain-beater vibes even in my ford truck. I'm guessing alot of new vehicles have bad vibes as even a friends VW passat suffers from this. Guess they don't runn'em through a wind-tunnel with the windows down huh? Must be some new EPA thing.....

Have fun drivin'.........

Bjor · February 2001

My 2000 Intrepid on cold mornings makes a creeking sound coming from the steering column inside the car. After it warms up I don't hear it anymore. Took it into service and they couldn't do anything because they couldn't hear anything (they had it until around noon). Has anybody else heard this noise?

joe525 · February 2001

Saturday I went to start our 96 intrepid and the alarm went off and also disabled the
engine so it would not start. I tried to set and unset the alarm as you normally
would but had no luck.
Will I have to tow it to a dealer?
Thanks if you can help.

2000trep · March 2001

Hello all. It's been a while since I've checked in. I have been encountering a problem I remember hearing about several months back either in here or over in the 300M area. The problem is when I'm driving at night (with my lights on), the dash lights (particularly noticable are the transmission status display lights and the clock on the radio) blink back and forth between the bright setting (for day use) and the dimmer setting (night use when lights are on). I watched this happen over the course of a few seconds and then I "dialed" a different brightness for the dash lights. It quit after I did this. Has anyone seen an explanation/fix for this? Thanx.

sysdude · March 2001

Sheesh, I just realized that there is an Intrepid forum, AND an R/T forum!

Anyway, I picked-up a 0% 2000 leftover. Got a grand total of 1,700 miles on it so far. I love the car, but I've got my first problem. There is a "rattle" that sounds like it's coming from near the glove box (nothing in it), maybe the right vent area. Had a friend in the car today but couldn't pin-point it.

I kind of remember seeing, but not reading, something on the net, a few months ago when I first started looking at the car, something like "what's that rattle". But I can't find it now for the life of me.

Not a big deal since I plan to take the car in for regular maint. Just wondering if anyone has had this "problem" of if ya have seen the mysterious document...

binu · March 2001

I have the same problem with my 1998 Chrysler Concorde Lxi. But it happens to me only during the day. It has never happened to me in the night time over the last 3 years of ownership. In my case, When it changes to the day (bright) settings the headlights also go off and come back on when it changes to night (dim) settings. The dealer was of no help. This problem does not happen always and so I learned to live with it.

jsylvester · March 2001

I think vibration from driving the car causes the dimmer switch to move up against the first stop, which causes the lights to switch back and forth between the two settings.

Turn the dial down slightly.

stgd · March 2001

I am responding to "Andre1969"'s message #153. Ive just passed 104K on my 3.3 L ES. The transmission is being rebuilt as I write this. Other than this issue, this car has been well maintained and seems to run fine.I am about to take it on a 2600 mile 6 day trip, virtually all at 65-70 MPH. Question for all you Intrepid fans: What is the statistical probablity that it will make this trip without any issues?

mystic99 · March 2001

I am trying to figure out which vehicle would be better overall to buy, Dodge Intrepid, Pontiac Grand Pix, or a Chewy Blazer. If anyone has any major problems or knows of any defects please let me know. I will be putting approx 2,000-3,000 miles a year on it.

Thanks!!

andre1969 · March 2001

The main thing I would worry about, on a long trip, is how well the rebuild was on the tranny. If you notice alot of the posts in these threads, people sometimes start having problems right after a rebuild or servicing, often a result of the wrong fluid or something else that would ordinarily be fairly minor.

I've only had 2 rebuilt trannies in my lifetime...one at 61K on an '82 Cutlass Supreme, and one at 230K on a '79 Newport. Just before the 12mo/12K mile warranty was up on the Cutlass, it quit engaging and had to be towed back to the shop. Turns out the bolts came loose and the whole tranny actually separated from the engine!!

When you mentioned staying at 65-70 on your trip, you reminded me of something I'd said I'd do a few years back when I took a trip. I drove from DC to Oklahoma in a '68 Dart with about 285K miles on it. I remember saying to myself "it's an old car, so I'm going to keep 'er around 60-65, and take plenty of rest stops. Well, before I knew it, I was doing close to 90 at times on those highways, and made the 1300 mile trip in about 28 hours (About 7 hours for sleep, plus had to stop for gas every 250-275 miles, and a couple of food/pit stops)

BTW, my '00 Intrepid is up to almost 42,000 miles, with no major problems so far. Serviced the tranny at 30K, and needed new tires. Those soft 300-rated tires that came with it just didn't hold up. Power lock actuator replaced under warranty at 35K miles, and new front brakes at 39K.

stdg, I'm catchin' up to ya! ;-)

-Andre

jsylvester · March 2001

Assuming you meant 20-30 thousand miles a year, not 2-3, I would tend to avoid the Blazer mainly because gas mileage sucks on those vehicles, and gas should be back up around $2 a gallon again this summer, unless the world economy tanks. Not to mention 4 wheel drive is expensive to repair.

Between the other two, they are both good buys, so it comes to personal choice if money is not the deciding factor. The Intrepid will be somewhat bigger, smoother styled, and with rebates and special financing, a good deal. The Gran Prix is a nice, but a little too flashy inside for my tastes. I actually prefer the Impala with the 3.8 to the Gran Prix, but all 3 are good choices.

Now if it is actually only 2-3 k miles a year, buy a used car.

xmann · March 2001

Add my vote with jsylvester. My company has had all 3. Forget the Blazer unless you need the space for carrying things. The ES and GP are both very good and have good records with us. Our vehicles log 25-35,000 miles/yr. and both seem to hold up well. But this is assuming the GP has the 3.8L V6. That is the only drivetrain to consider. Its probably one of the best V6's on the market, older technology but well proven and durable. But I agree the ES looks better.

neuronbob · March 2001

I haven't posted for quite some time....I've been out enjoying my base 2000 Intrepid. It now has 24500 miles on it (1.5 years in my possession today), without significant problems.

It's already time to replace at least two tires. In my line of business, I simply haven't had the time to go and get the tires rotated every 5000 miles. I'd like to expand on Marsha7's original recent question about tires and ask the general fund of knowledge here about replacements. What have been your experiences regarding various brands. What I'm looking for is the appropriate mix of all-season roadholding, reasonable performance (I drive this car HARD!), and longevity. My inclincation is to simply buy another set of the stock tires and take better care of them this time, but if there's something better out there, please tip me to it.

Cheers,
neuronbob

ps--glad to see marsha7, emale, and a few other oldsters (in terms of longevity in this forum) here still!

andre1969 · March 2001

Don't feel too bad...I DID rotate my tires, and needed all four replaced at 30,000 miles! I didn't rotate them every 5500 though. I rotated them at around 9,000, 17,000, and 24,000. I think the main problem with the stock tires is their 300 treadwear rating. Back in my "poor" days of being a college kid, whenever I'd have the tire shop put the cheapest tires they had on whatever clunker I was driving, they usually had a rating of 260.

I ended up getting tires from Discount tire online (www.tire.com, I think), and they had a treadwear rating of 560. I forget exactly which ones I got; I remember they were made by General. They're a little harder than the original Goodyear Eagle GA's, but I'm now at 42,000 (rotated at 39K), and there isn't the slightest hint of wear on them. If the 300 rated tires lasted to 30K, I'm hoping the 560 rated will last me to 86K.

I'm pretty rough on my car, too. I hit 30K miles in 11 months, and now, at 16 months and a couple days, I'm at 42K. I just couldn't justify replacing my tires every year, so that's why I went with the higher treadwear rating. I think they were only about $250.00 for all 4, too, and a local shop put them on for $50.00.

-Andre

jsylvester · March 2001

See my posting above about General Tires being carried by Sam's Club.

I had the factory set of Michelin's last 82,000 miles on my 92 Taurus. Michelin's have excellent reputations, but Generals are good basic tires. Both are carried by Sam's Club.

No, I don't work for them, just lucky that the closest tire retailer to me is them.

ramron · March 2001

Have a 94 Concorde 3.3, the same car as your Intrepid, bought in late 93, now with over 135K. So far, no drive train problems after trailering my boat many times and hauling furnishings to our mountain vacation home 10 hours away. I did have the dealer change the transmission fluid at 120K. No problem in running 75 - 80 MPH all day, but without the trailer or boat.

The original Goodyear GA's did fine, remounted and used the full size spare, and bought 3 new ones to 130,000 miles. Recently bought 2 new Michelin I radial plus. They resemble the GA in appearance, but are speed rated (118MPH), the GA's are rated (112MPH). Additionally, the Michelin's have a wear factor of 620, twice the GA's, and for less money. The Michelins are quitter and make the car handle like it is on rails. You might want to take a look at them.

regards, ramron

andre1969 · March 2001

How are you guys doing it?? I think the highest mileage I ever got out of a set of tires was 35K miles!! I'm starting to wonder...am I THAT abusive on cars? ;-)

-Andre

neuronbob · March 2001

I thought I was the only aggressive driver in the group, andre! The Intrepid drives like a car half its size, and invites spirited driving. I only wish I could afford the R/T....just bought a house, so that dream goes down the tube! 8(

I've been doing a little checking, and I've narrowed the list down to a few:

(OEM) Eagle GA. These had decent snow traction when new, but suck now. Then again, the drive tires have only 3/32 tread left. They tend to whine and squeal on aggressive cornering. Otherwise, they were competent, unexciting tires.

Pirelli 400P Touring Less expensive, but a good reputation, and decent wet and snow traction according to reports.

Michelin X-One A little more expensive, but the Michelin Roadhandlers (I replaced the OEMs) on my wife's Stratus have held up well, lasting so far about 40000 miles with minimal wear on the drive wheels. I also like what ramron said about the X-One. This one is winning so far....tirerack.com here I come!

I don't know much about Generals, but I'll certainly take a look. My local Sam's Club is literally right around the corner, jsylvester, so this'll be easy.

warzone2100200 · March 2001

how fast do the Intrepid se go. can it do 120. if so email me or post it. my email is mkitty@inreach.com

mbhes · March 2001

I have a 96 Intrepid. After 50,000 miles (mostly highway), I replaced the original Goodyear tires with a similar Goodyear performance tire using Sear Auto Center. It was more convenient than buying tires via mail order and having a gas station install/balance them. I have 87,000 miles on the new set with plenty of tread left. I guess it pays to buy good tires. For me it is also a safety issue. HR and above rated tires perform better in rain & snow than some of the others, especially at speed. Good luck.

hayneldan · March 2001

Check out the Goodyear Allegra it has a 75,000 mile treadlife limited warranty.

darpin1 · March 2001

An article on this site that might help making some choices:

http://slate.msn.com/shopping/01-03-08/shopping.asp

davos2 · March 2001

Just listening to NPR interview with editor of Consumer Reports and Jean Jennings of Automobile Magazine on reliability issue just out;

Most reliable domestic with 11 defects per 100 vehicles is the 2000 'trep!

Note that's domestic. Don't plan to start any religious wars!

For the record, my 2000 ES has 16K+ on it with no problems. Big whoo-hoo for Dodge!

ottowrkr · March 2001

just wondering if anyone has ordered an Intrepid with the Motorsports package????

jsylvester · March 2001

I saw what I believe was one at my Dodge Dealer - Inferno Red, lots of graphics on the outside, a spoiler, leather interior, etc. Not sure if that was a motorsports package, but the package was $1,900, and the list price was close to $30k. Problem is, they are discounting 300M just across the street for less, so the reason to buy the Intrepid over the 300M kind of goes away.

eneth · March 2001

davos2,

It proves the Chrysler Group can improve its quality.

Whether the Intrepid (a product of a largely French engineering team inherited from Renault-AMC, built in a plant designed by and built for Renault, in Ontario, Canada, by a now German company) is a domestic product is wide open to question.

The badge has a domestic history, but that's about it.

ottowrkr · March 2001

The Intrepid , as all the LH cars were designed by American Workers in Detroit. Since AMC/Renault was bought in 1987 and the first LH was not built till 1992 ,should tell you DC had 5 years to develop them. Sure its built by Canadians but its a NORTH AMERICAN car .Thats domestic in my mind

sysdude · March 2001

Here's what the sticker from my R/T says:

"U.S./Canadian parts content: 86%

Country of origin:

Engine: United States

Transmission: United States

Sounds pretty "American" to me...

eneth · March 2001

The LH cars have from the beginning been very related to the AMC-Renault Premier (what ended up being sold as the Eagle Premier). The engineering staff for the Premier project and the LH project was headed up by Franciois Castaing, who came to AMC with Renault's investment.

If you look at the engineering of the LH cars, you find a longitudinally mounted engine (the only one in a FWD Chrysler Group product), just like the Premier and other Renault cars. You also find similarities in the suspension design, the cab-forward design, and in other areas as well.

The LH cars are far more European in their engineering than anything Chrysler has sold under the Chrysler name since the French/British designed Omni and Horizon.

The cars are North American by assembly, but certainly not by design.

marsha7 · March 2001

Thanks for the kind words...yes, I am still here, and I have added two new topics to my posting and lurking...Sable and Taurus...my wife's 88 Prelude, 183K miles, 4 wheel steering, 30 mpg vehicle has kinda bitten the dust...needs 4000 worth of repairs to a 2000 vehicle (love that 4 wheel steering, that's why we kept it so long, plus no car payments since 1992)...anyway, I wanted a midsize (whatever that means to the EPA) and wanted to try a Ford, and this was the closest thing the budget would allow to a Lincoln LS (LOL)...first used car I have purchased in years, 2000 Sable LS, Duratec, 26K miles, adjustable pedals (hey all you carmakers, how about thinking out of the box for once and following Ford's lead on this...us short people are in heaven), car gets about 25 mpg so far...what really bothers me is that Honda refused to fix my car under the "new car" warranty...they said that 13 years and 183,000 miles was outside of the new car warranty...:):):)

Bob

hayneldan · March 2001

And the source of your information is...........
1. Opionion 2. Conjecture 3. Flawed logic ?????

andre1969 · March 2001

I don't know much about the AMC Medallion and Premier/Monaco that were sold here, except they were very roomy for their external dimensions, but unfortunately, very unreliable. It's a shame that they had such quality issues, because I always thought they were neat cars. I have relatives, who I haven't seen in years now, that had very bad luck with cars. Not reliability issues, but they'd always get into accidents and get totaled. They had an early 80's Cordoba that got totaled, then an M-body 5th Ave, which met the same fate. The next car was an Eagle Premier, which broke down too many times and never had a chance to get totaled. Last time I saw these people, they were driving a Toyota Corolla!

As for the roominess of the Chrysler LH cars, that's nothing new. Chrysler has traditionally built the roomiest cars in their class. For example, compare a 1957 Plymouth to a 1957 Chevy. My '68 Dart is roomier than any other compact from 1968. My old '79 Newport was roomier than an equivalent Ford or GM car (like a Grand Marquis, Bonneville, or LeSabre). I figured the roominess aspect was more Chrysler's heritage than any French influence.

As for the longitudinal engine, I've always wondered why they did that. Would a longitudinal arrangement help to reduce torque steer? One thing I never liked about FWD cars is their tendency to shoot off to one side when you stomp on the pedal, but the Intrepid's pretty good in that respect.

As for reliability issues...42K miles so far and only one problem (power lock actuator at 35K). And considering how many times I flick those locks on an average night of delivering pizzas, I guess it's no shock that someting like that would fail!

-Andre

tempron · March 2001

Picked up my new 2001 Intrepid SE last night. It is black with charcoal interior. I totally love this car!!!! Believe me when I tell you I am picky. Comming out of a BMW 528i lease into this
without looking back. I think the value of this car is outstanding. I'm astounded by the quality.
I want to live in the backseat and sleep in the trunk. Dealership experience was first class all the way through at TriState Toyota Dodge in Dudley MA.

yodog · March 2001

These and the kinda things, Please keep the good things coming. I love to hear about the best car Dodge has ever blessed consumers with, other than the Viper and the Caravan of course, lol.

eneth · March 2001

Nope, not opinion, conjecture or flawed logic. Take a look at the AMC and Premier sections of www.allpar.com (a DaimlerChrysler enthusiast site) and you'll see exactly the same documentation.

Dodge Intrepid

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles