Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Is now the time to consider trading, not worth much as a trade in now.
And yes, the fix is to either turn the rotors or replace them if they are too thin to turn.
The replacement LHS ('99 -- current) has thicker rotors to begin with but you will feel some of this vibration on the current group after about 25K miles (in my case, anyway). It definitely is felt more when the rotors are warm as like after a lot of braking. Let's face it, most rotors warp as they are worn.
The solution, IMHO, is to drive with anticipation and use the brakes sparingly. Panic braking will warp the rotors, particularly after the rotors have already been turned. My '99 is just beginning to have this vibration at about 35K with no turning of the rotors yet. BUT, I had the same problem, just much worse on my '83 and '88 Mercedes 300SD and 560SEL. They required brake service after each 12K miles. So, what you are experiencing is not unusual, at least in my experience with DC cars. I have had other brands also which had the same problem.
As to whether you are a candidate for trading, you will find that the '97 LHS isn't worth a whole heck of a lot. But that is also true of any other 4 year old car. You might want to consider leasing but then you are committing yourself to payments forever. :^((
You wanta play, you gotta pay, unfortunately.
Thanks a lot...
Please see my msgs on DRL's, #554 and 586, for answers you need. In #554, there is a glitch on the stock number -- it should be 04602229AC. This is for the '99's and up. There is a similar module for the '94 -'97 series of LHS (the current module probably fits; check with your dealer.
If you have any installation problems, yell and I'll help you. It's very easy to install.
Regarding the CD player, etc. My solution for 2 LHS's thus far has been to buy a Sony 10 disk player which goes into the trunk and then attaches to the Infinity system via a RF coupler. Works fine. Big benefit to me is that I have a Sony magazine player in the home also which accepts the same 10 disk units, so I just swap the entire magazine from home to car, etc. Makes it very simple to get a new set of disks. A 10 disk magazine lasts about 10 or so hours without repeat.
I long ago painted my outside mirrors to body color on my '99. (The '94/'95 LHS mirror were body color from the factory). They dismount easily and it is best to spray paint them after a suitable undercoat (rough up the base plastic, first). Be sure to paint the mirror hinge first so it can dry before you paint the rest. The actual mirror glass pops off when pressed at the bottom (they are held on by velcro). The screws holding the mirrors are behing the small door/glass speakers, just remove them. The matching paint can be obtained from any good auto paint supplier, just get your paint code from the tag under the hood.
Hope this helps you.
Thanks
BB
So with that said, I am very happy to say that I have sold my 2000 LHS silver /agate exactly 364 days into ownership and 17950 miles. In that time I had the car in the shop 12 times and two zone reps out to see the car. I finally decided to get out of the car after the rough idle, bump shift, dead nocking sound behind the instrument panel and clunking in the front right side could not be fixed. I was told " yes I hear it feel it etc, but the car is working within factory acceptable tollerences." Need I say more! I did not lay down 30k to deal with that. I spend 8 to 14 hours a day in the car I put on an average of 35k miles per year ( for those of you doing the math yes the loaner cars I a given had totaled over 12000 miles on them)
I wish you all he best with your cars, I will check back to see your posting and responses.
I will be replacing the LHS with my first foreign car ACURA 3.2TL type S.... While I do research I am driving my JEEP WRANGLER with 6" of lift and 35" tires 67,000 miles.
shakey buyer.
my brakes vibrate and i need to cut the rotors, does anyone know if they are composite?
When I start my car I get a lifter noise for about 5 seconds every time, is this causing damage to my engine, dealer says they know nothing about this problem.
I purchased the car in 1999 and after 6 months the dealer replaced the seat cover on the drivers side as the light pearl dye on the leather wore off!!! I had only 9,000 miles on it then.
This past week I installed a spoiler (low profile) that I purchased from the dealer, looks great. Cost $160.00 and $70.00 to paint from the body shop.
Sorry to vent like this but I do have some concerns as my car is no longer covered by warranty.
Also, I just replaced the goodyears with continentals that i got from tirerack.com, same size as the factory tires and were only $88.00 each, these are 60,000 mile tires and are real quiet. They are H-rated and handle much better than the goodyears. Hope this gives anyone some good ideas.
Thanks,
Don
I have a '90 Ford Ranger 2.9 Liter V6 w/196,000 miles and it has a noisy lifter problem at initial startup. I run the same Mobil 1 in this truck since about 10K miles. Since I have experienced the noisy lifter problem w/this vehicle it did not really alarm me with my new Chrysler. It costs me more in oil and filter w/Mobil 1 than the quickey lube places charge to change oil including labor. I rather have my money put towards a quality product than tied up in labor and a marginal oil, plus I go about 6k miles between oil changes.
I have never had any luck getting rotors turned to true them up. The mechanics always tried to clean them up with one deep cut. Should take at least two shallow passes to properly clean up the rotors. So I always just buy new rotors (not even near there w/the Chrysler).
What do you mean composite, are you talking about the brake pads. On the 2000 LHS they shipped w/ceramic composite pads, they are low noise and low dust and cost more than typical pads. I guess 50K miles is about right for the rotors, the LHS has the big rotors, the 300M has smaller rotors unless you get the PHG option.
Also, I'm really interested in the spoiler that you've installed. I've seen a few different styles that fit the LHS, but am not sure how good they would look on a long trunk like this. I would love to install one, but I'm a little nervous about doing it. If possible, could you post some pics? Or maybe e-mail me some.
BTW- Did you install it yourself?
Thanks, BB.
In regards to the lifter problem, i tried synthetic oil and slick 50, this usually works for about a week then it comes back. I don't know if it's just that the oil doesn't circulate fast enough to the top of the engine during start-up?
#3736 of 3737 Re: Lifter Noise by tucsongil May 28, 2001 (04:24 pm)
I too have this problem.
I talked to my 5* service adviser and he asked me if I used a Mopar Oil filter when I changed the oil. He asked this because the Mopar has a "valve" in the filter that prevents all the oil from filtering down to the pan. So this valve leaves oil in the heads so at start-up it would not be a dry start-up(since there is oil already in the heads).
I believe that SDMike got info online that said that the best oil filters to use are the Mobil 1(it is $10 at Super Kmart, ouch!!!!)and the Puralator Pure One. I guess these two and the Mopar have the "valve" in it.
BTW, I believe that I have a Fram in my "M". I had a Pennzoil 100% synthetic oil change done at Walmart(since it is about 1/2 mile from my house) and I believe that they use Fram brand filters on all their changes.(Fram brand was said to be the worst from that online site).
Go here: California-Dream
Also put the medallions on the wheels.
www.ehomebook.com/users/njerald
Select Photo Album and then LHS.
LHS Spoiler at SpoilerDepot.com
I even have the full front end bra that doesn't have the cut out for the front plate.
lonestarsled- I, also, have my front tag in the trunk, it covers most of the grill (really bad design). I'm actually looking into chroming the whole grill, I think it would look more elegant than the dark plastic.
beach15- Amazing, I also found Spoilerdepot.com last night and really liked the Concorde spoiler. They don't mention the LHS, but I'm sure the Concorde's would fit just perfect. The only problem is that my 2000 LHS is Bright Silver and the 2000 Concorde did not come in this color. I think the 2001 Silver might be the same (I'll probably order this one).
I had removed my front license plate on my '99 LHS for over a year without a yelp from the cops.
BUT, a few months ago, a local deputy sheriff just happened to spot its absence and issued a ticket for $50!! So my plate is back where it was. This was in Northern VA, BTW.
Also noticed that you've installed splash guards with LHS on them. Is this a chrysler part, I've never seen it?
www.chrysler.com
then - LHS accessories, exterior protection, splashguards.
They have flat and molded. Chrysler, Concorde and LHS lettering.
They keep the mud/snow from being thrown up on the sides of the car.
Question - would you happen to know if the automatic dimming outside rear view mirror on the 2001 LHS lux package could be easily adapted to the 2000 LHS, that is are electrical connector(s) and mounting the same? Is there an interior mounted switch to turn off the automatic dimming feature like there is on the interior rear view mirror? I would love to upgrade to this option. Thanks for any assistance.
I wasn't aware of how much forward vision I was losing due to the reflection until I did this experiment. I would say that there is at least a 15% loss!
I had a dissapointment last week, when I came out of work, I found that 2 rocks have been thrown over the parking fence and landed on my LHS's hood. Left about 4 small dents and a bunch of little scratches. Luckily, the guy from "Dent Wizard" was able to get rid of all the dings. And next week, I'll check with the dealer about touching up the scratches or wet sanding it? I don't know if they can do anything, we'll see : /
BB
-Has anyone purchased the trunk-mounted CD changer for their LHS?
-Does it take up much space in the trunk? (I know that's almost a joke, given the beautifully cavernous trunks on LHS's.)
-How easy is it to operate?
-Did you opt for the 6-disk changer that connects directly, or the 12-disk changer that connects via FM modulation, and why?
-Is there reason to avoid FM modulated CD changers?
-What tires should I consider (and which should I NOT consider) when it comes time to replace the set that came with the car? I don't know much about tires, so any suggestions would be welcome.
On your questions. Yes, I have a 10 disk Sony trunk-mounted disk changer. It is located off-center on the top of the rear edge of the trunk near the left hinge. Previously, I had it installed on the right side, sitting vertically, just to the rear of the right side of the net. I prefer that position now that I have three years worth of the new position. It interferes a bit with loading the trunk and suggest that you put it on the right just forward of the net hooks, sitting on its back end, and vertical. Never fear, it will not skip if you use the Sony or one of its copies. Right now, here in N. VA., Best Buy is offering that unit installed for $199.99, a huge bargain, since I paid over $460. Be sure to get enough magazines (at about $32 each) in case Sony makes a change to its design so it will no longer fit the changer. Last time they did that was in '97. My changer is a duplicate of the one in my home, so I just move the loaded magazines from house to car and vice versa for minimal problems. It uses X-15 magazines. Must have about 35 of them. It is an RF mod and works fine, first in my '94 and now the '99 for a total of about 10 years with no problems. Recommended, particularly at Best Buy's current price. I'm sure they have them in FL also.
Operation is simple, just set a push button on your radio for 88.9 FM and set the trunk unit for that freq (I use the 2d position on button #1). It will play fine. There is a push button unit which I velcroed just over the ash tray which I never use. There also is a small remote which can be stashed in the vacant spot where the 4 disk player now goes. As you can surmise, my changer goes from car to car; there is no inherent value in turning it over w/the car unless you can be sure to get a new one which will play your magazines.
My 10 disk magazine lasts for about 10+- hours, enough for me to go from here in VA to Hilton Head without repeating a disk. :^)) Pretty neat!!
BTW, stay away from the Chrysler trunk unit, it is made by Pioneer, a substantially deficient unit which does NOT work as well and costs a bundle.
Hope that helps, if not or if you need more, give me a yell on e-mail.
Miles
You will find that very few tires are made for that car w/the 17" chrome wheels. I used to use Michelin on my 2 Benz models a few years ago and was perfectly satisfied w/them to over 100K on each car. Personally, after the blowout at less than 32K, I will never buy another Goodyear.
My '99 had both and literally lived at the dealers for the first 3-6 months of its life. Under warranty, I simply demanded that the product be fixed.
Both doors on the left side were realigned and all the door and window weatherstrips were replaced. You probably need the same types of repairs. If your LHS was bought used and if the warranty has run out, there isn't much you can do except to complain long and hard; maybe a Chrysler dealer will listen to you. If that doesn't work, contact Chrysler at Detroit (phone number is in your manual) and see if you can get some help that way. Good luck!
car I presently have. I now have the opportunity to trade the 97 LHS for a 1998 Cadillac Deville with 11,000 miles on it and in like new condition. The cost would be $ 12,000 cash and the LHS, is this a good trade?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=592580114&r=0&t=0
Personally, if done tastefully, I wouldn't object, but doubt if I would want to add one to my present LHS. I'd rather see the factory paint the outside rearview mirrors body-color and put a lock/remote onto the gas tank access hatch. The latter was on the last Imperial but hasn't survived to any current Chrysler product that I am aware of.
I'd also like to see them put out a new model which doesn't take 3 model years to get it right on build quality. But then what would we have to complain about??
I don't plan on taking the car to the dealer for this because, frankly, I beleive that the less a grease monkey touches my car the better off my car will be. When an obvious problem arises the car will go to the dealer, but not for this.
Has anyone had a similar problem with their LHS?
Also, we're pretty sure we're going to purchase the Chrysler extended warrany before the first year of ownership is up. Do you have any thoughts or experiences that you care to share? I'm usually against extended warranties but as sophisticated as these cars are getting I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea. We usually keep our cars a long time.
Thanks for your time.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=592735093&r=0&t=0