The only answer I could give for the life of an aluminized exhaust would be...on the average, somewhere in between that of galvanized steel and stainless steel, to many factors to consider such as the type of driving (i.e. long distance drives or short distance commutes).
But if you never keep a car long enough for it to see replacement tires, yes I would agree it does not matter. I have yet to keep a vehicle for less than 200Kmiles/10years+. So when I replace parts I choose the premium stuff.
My point was that by your statement it seemed that you equated all aluminum construction to all "aluminized" construction. As for the exhaust material used in the M, all the stuff that I have read says that it is stainless steel, not aluminized! Check this out:
well it does say stainless steel, but when i took mine to the road for the garbage man to take away i was sure it was aluminized, must be a dull stainless steel.
I do have one issue with the statement in that article. I know stainless when I see it and everything is stainless from the cats back, EXCEPT for the rear resonator, that is aluminized w/polished stainless tips ( I have an LHS), and of course there are different grades of stainless.
Well I have been digging more into this 02 car . Now I find that the engine oil cooler has been removed for 2002. All the 3.2 and 3.5 engines in 2001 have a engine oil cooler. The oil cooler was in the right side rad tank .
EASY-The temp sensor on the front bumper is very easy to change. No you don't have to remove the fascia just crawl under and look up . It is a small black piece with two wires going into it and held in place with a push pin.As for the interior sensor you have to remove the ATC (auto temp control) head unit. The sensor is screwed on to this unit.You say they just replaced your head ATC unit so the sensor would be new also . Sounds like you need the system recalibrated ,ask them if a newer version of the software for the ATC is available
Be carefull on "riding on someones bumper" Some people don't like being talgated. One might just decide to slamm on there brakes, & then you'll be in trouble. I have seen it happen a few times. Road rage is a powerfull weapon.
To be honest with you, since the Membership Agreement has recently changed (it used to say something about "without prior permission from Edmunds" but it doesn't say anything like that now), I do not know the answer. Hang tight, I will ask and get back to you when I get an answer.
Of course you can always post the link to the picture in the meantime, if you'd like to do so.
I have tested mine one at a time. But some in combonation will give different readings. The exhaust mod gave an .5 decrease with the air filter and exhaust combo. where as the exhaust alone gave an .4, and the filter bave an .2 (i had a dirty filter). All the other mods tubes, plugs, oil, and such are good for about a .1 decrease. Changing tires (better rubber and smaller deameter) will improve more. In the .3-.4 second decreases. Finally the Prowler Pro gears are the only thing I know of that will take off at least 1.5 seconds.
Actually, I'm sure some of you don't want to hear this, but your Membership Agreement does in fact state that "You agree to not promote other auto forums that provide message boards or chats."
So it would be appreciated if you would keep that conversation off-line, just as 99_300m_ric_va suggests.
Pat--I appreciate that you get a lot of flak for trying to keep people in line on this board, but it doesn't seem to me that merely providing information about other resources that are available on the web amounts to promotion of those sites.
I understand that the interepretation of the "non-promotion clause" is somewhat subjective, but I'd like to think that this is an environment where individuals without a financial interest in promoting a website or business could still refer other users to other information sources that might be of mutual interest. If the non-promotion clause is construed too broadly, it could really diminish the attractiveness of this forum. Thanks for considering my comments.
Yeah Pat I thought that was the case. Anyways, just because the club is developing a discussion board, doesn't mean we won't contine to support Edmunds.
IMHO, we just need a place where we can air club business and other things people are being told cannot occur here due to "agreements".
Although I agree some rules are required to keep things professional and from getting out of hand, the strict interpretation of the existing Edmunds User agreements and further modifications thereof, will continue to turn some people way and prompt creation of alternative and probably largely redundant sites. IMHO that is.
mboomgarden1 - no argument from me. The line tends to get drawn between "come here to talk instead of continuing in Town Hall" and "here's another board with some info on your question/problem" - the former being the problem, of course.
99_300m_ric_va - I am as cognizant as anyone that the 300mclub.org group grew from your associations in Town Hall, and Town Hall has done everything we can to support you. I look forward to our continuing this relationship.
concerning our club chat forum fairly by her statement in the first paragraph of her above post. I see the club chat area being mainly used for specific topic discussions, club event discussions, club business etc. I dont think the participation in Edmunds will decrease due to the club's board { http://www.300mclub.org/ }.Club members will probably still continue to post here as long as the rules dont become overly oppressive or unreasonable. If anything, participation here may increase as we have a link for Edmunds on the club site . And the club acquires members not only through this site, but through other groups such as Yahoo groups and also through our members distributing info cards to other M owners. Even some Chrysler dealers have helped by informing new M owners of our club.
So all in all, I think Edmunds and the Club can have a mutually beneficial relationship. Our club, being a nonprofit organization, exists solely for the education and cameradie of all M owners and enthusiasts.
thanks for your concern, but i find that the php brakes were built specifically for tailgating, actually what i'm doing is not called tailgating it's called drafting just messing with ya twin bro.
Pat--I hope that my earlier e-mail doesn't come across as too whiney. I appreciate your reply, as well as Edmunds' time and expense in sponsoring this forum.
Edmunds is providing a service here. They can make whatever rules they want. If some people find them riduculous or too heavy handed they are free to move on to another board. Edmunds has to follow copyright laws and keep things reasonably civil. Sometimes they can be a little too strict with borderline language, but most posters probably prefer a civil board anyway. If Edmunds gets excessively strict, they may find membership waning. But that's their decision.
Nobody forces people to post on this board. There are other forums and yes, soon the club will have its own which will probably also have certain guidelines. People can post on one or several boards {within the rules of those boards} as they choose.
The M will be going in to the local 5* star dealer tomorrow morning at 7:30. I have compiled a list of the problems with possible fixes or solutions from this board and have provided the TSB #'s that apply. At least this way, most of the bases are covered and they at least know what they are to do. We'll see though! Oh, and yes, after many months, I plan on getting the weatherstripping finally taken care of. They'll most likely have to be ordered and then installed on a later date. Only thing I'm worried about now is that the new ones will have the ripples all along them like the pics some of you have shown. Here's what I put on the list:
1. Transmission slipping and poor shifting 2. Engine knocking 3. Rough/worn section on steering wheel at 11,800 miles 4. Weatherstripping 5. Constant gauge cluster rattle 6. Loose rear door panels that vibrate and rattle 7. Car pulls to the right (Goodyear crap I think) 8. Sunroof squeaks while closing from full open position
I admit, not a short list but at least it'll give them something to do if they feel like working on a Monday. They'll have the car all day.
Now I know this has come up many, many times on this board, but I have a question about the front-end pulling. While not all that bad, if you take your hands off the wheel on a smooth flat road, you will see it turning to the right and the car veers to the right. The wife said that it has always done this but it didn't really bother her. I am almost certain it is due to the crappy Goodyears, but my father disagrees. He said if the car does this, it's the suspension not the tires but I think he's nuts.
Question, does anyone know what is entitled in the TSB # 02-16-99 for "Vehicle Leading or Pulling", and would having the tires rotated help get rid of this? They have never been rotated to date and we currently have 11,800 miles.
11,000 miles is way too long to go without a tire rotation. I always have mine rotated at every oil change, and have gotten very even wear. The proper 4-tire rotation pattern for a front drive car is the Forward Cross...cross the rears to the front, and the fronts straight back to the rear. If this changes the direction the car pulls, you have a tire problem. Good luck!
yes , time to rotate the tires--I usually rotate mine about every 9 to 10 k but I do a 5 tire rotation so that way I will get even wear based on 45-50k of tire life. I also had a slight pull, but since I rotated its gotten better so I havent complained about it--It really wasnt enough to worry me anyway--as long as the tire were wearing evenly I was not concerned. Russklass is right about pattern for rotation unless you are doing a 5 tire rotation. In that case you would crisscross the rear tires to the front, bring the left front tire straight back to the rear, put the right front tire in the trunk as your spare and mount the present spare on the right rear. I plan on rotating the 5 tires till they're worn, then keep the best of the 5 as a spare and buy 4 new Yokohamas.
Dont be surprised if you get the rippled weatherstrip. All four of mine have one ripple each--I dont think I'll complain though as at least they are all tight now. Good luck on getting the rattle fixed--but dont be too upset if they're still there.
I can't answer your question, but there might be a discussion in the Accessories and Aftermarket area where you can ask, or create your own discussion asking that question.
I've noticed that some of us here never post in the other discussions...
...regarding steering wheel wear, of all things. Driving home the other day, I had my hand on the 9 o'clock position for approx. one minute. When I picked my hand up, you could see the ridges from my hand melted into the stering wheel! The 12 o'clock posision literally has my fingerprints melted into it! Granted, its been in the mid 90's here in NJ, but still, I'd like to know what animal this "leather" came from! Let me know if they can offer any help with your steering wheel repair.
ok i was coming back from baltimore today with my dad. it was late we were playing a game where we had to tell what car was in front of us just from the tailights, and it was dark so i mean the actual lights. well it was tied but a 300 came up in front of us, and i knew right away. for some of them we couldn't figure out we had to get right on his back to see what it was, lol. point being, the 300m's tailights are already unique, already cool, no reason for me to change that. just thought i'd tell ya why i'm not doing it, telling myself too
yes , I think the 01 lights are unique and are very cool--just make em all red like Kyles--I dont think you should play that game too often cause one of these time the guy in front of you might get a little peeved with you tailgating him to see what car it is and he may stop short--as long as you're happy with the 01 lights, thats all that matters--that hinged gas door will make it unique enough!
The lighting harness is differnet on the 2001's. You still can use the connectors but the bulb holders are different. It (01's) make it easer to rewire the bulbs. Something that is far more difficult on the 99-00's. I may try to incorperate some of my old harness into the new lights. Backup lens needs two bulbs. I am looking for a Pontiac Gran Am backup lights to incoperate into my back bumper fesha.
The power went out today as I was painting my rear wing so the the compressor wouldn't work. It kind of screwed up the paint job a little. So my wing will have to go to the meet with less than the proper finsh on it. But figured you guys going would rather see it anyway. My plans got moved up so I only have a few days before I have to leave.
Are you going to start posting weather reports for the Meet????? If it is too cold there (under 80 deg.) I can bring a trunk full of heat, to warm things up somewhat. PS. I hope they fixed Hiway 1 north of San Fransisco. It was pretty bad last time I drove on it. Some sections had sections of the south bound lane totally gone, kind of like some giant took a bite out of the road.
When we post pictures is there a way we can identify them as ours? I only have my personal pictures to post (still trying) when I can get the proper address. I may not always agree with the rules, but in a civilized socity they are needed.
silver, SDMike--Well I took the floss to the dealer's plate this weekend. It came off ok with the floss only breaking once. Had double-sided tape on it. Bug and tar remover was then applied to the residue and the final "tool" Silver suggested--the thumbnail, did the rest. Final touch-up with Formula 409, and it was history. The paint remained the same [after 3 years with the dealer plate on it] so no fading, etc. I also worked on the M plate I cut off the 300 that is now on the center taillight. I took some metallic silver nail polish and went around the smooth edge of the plate with that so that it would all look kinda rough on the edge and then I clear polished over it. It doesn't look bad, and I may stick it on the fabric of the black dashboard cover I have on dash, centered where, if the airbag inflates, it can put a nice reverse M imprint on the passenger's forehead. Don't know if I will do that on not, but I hate to waste the remaining M, and I can't think of anywhere else to put it.
I may be going with the racing stripe decals but my Ziebart guy recommended a local guy to put them on, and I have to talk to him first and see what the cost will be. I also got to contact the company on the net and see if they will send me a sample in black, dark blue, and metalic gold as those are the 3 colors I am considering to lay on the platinum M. Their offerings are at www.superiorgs.com.
Your pulling problem is more than likely related to "radial lead". If you switch the two front tires (left to right, right to left) it should be corrected. You should really just rotate all tires and if you have the pulling after that then swap the two fronts.
Put a set on a Lebaron GTC I owned about 10 years ago. Funny thing you just asked about these, because I just made a comment to a friend of mine about a week ago asking if he remembered "those Falken tires I had". Let me tell you they were one of the best handling tires I have ever owned. Stuck like glue to the pavement. Also performed very well in the rain which was a pleasant surprise. Guess this means I recommend them! lol
I also heard they were a good tire--but dont think they come in original tire sizes of the M--It think they are mostly lower profile in the 17" size--- for a basic tire with good performance and reasonable price, check out the Yokohamas at tirerack--I had a set on my Mark8 and they were very good--and they come in the size for the M
So who has used the leather stuff? And did you get both the cleaner and the conditioner? Does the conditioner get into the perforations in our leather seats? Was it as good to the leather as it is to the paint? Thanks in advance!
Comments
But if you never keep a car long enough for it to see replacement tires, yes I would agree it does not matter. I have yet to keep a vehicle for less than 200Kmiles/10years+. So when I replace parts I choose the premium stuff.
My point was that by your statement it seemed that you equated all aluminum construction to all "aluminized" construction. As for the exhaust material used in the M, all the stuff that I have read says that it is stainless steel, not aluminized! Check this out:
http://www.automfg.com/articles/069802.html
I cannot rationalize down grading the exhaust system material. Just my 2 cents.
EASY-The temp sensor on the front bumper is very easy to change. No you don't have to remove the fascia just crawl under and look up . It is a small black piece with two wires going into it and held in place with a push pin.As for the interior sensor you have to remove the ATC (auto temp control) head unit. The sensor is screwed on to this unit.You say they just replaced your head ATC unit so the sensor would be new also . Sounds like you need the system recalibrated ,ask them if a newer version of the software for the ATC is available
If you can't wait email me at mailto:rpowelljr@home.com
Of course you can always post the link to the picture in the meantime, if you'd like to do so.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
All the other mods tubes, plugs, oil, and such are good for about a .1 decrease.
Changing tires (better rubber and smaller deameter) will improve more. In the .3-.4 second decreases.
Finally the Prowler Pro gears are the only thing I know of that will take off at least 1.5 seconds.
So it would be appreciated if you would keep that conversation off-line, just as 99_300m_ric_va suggests.
Thanks,
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
I understand that the interepretation of the "non-promotion clause" is somewhat subjective, but I'd like to think that this is an environment where individuals without a financial interest in promoting a website or business could still refer other users to other information sources that might be of mutual interest. If the non-promotion clause is construed too broadly, it could really diminish the attractiveness of this forum. Thanks for considering my comments.
IMHO, we just need a place where we can air club business and other things people are being told cannot occur here due to "agreements".
Although I agree some rules are required to keep things professional and from getting out of hand, the strict interpretation of the existing Edmunds User agreements and further modifications thereof, will continue to turn some people way and prompt creation of alternative and probably largely redundant sites. IMHO that is.
99_300m_ric_va - I am as cognizant as anyone that the 300mclub.org group grew from your associations in Town Hall, and Town Hall has done everything we can to support you. I look forward to our continuing this relationship.
I do appreciate both of your comments.
Thanks,
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
So all in all, I think Edmunds and the Club can have a mutually beneficial relationship. Our club, being a nonprofit organization, exists solely for the education and cameradie of all M owners and enthusiasts.
Thanks for letting me vent
Easyrider
Later
-Mike
Nobody forces people to post on this board. There are other forums and yes, soon the club will have its own which will probably also have certain guidelines. People can post on one or several boards {within the rules of those boards} as they choose.
1. Transmission slipping and poor shifting
2. Engine knocking
3. Rough/worn section on steering wheel at 11,800 miles
4. Weatherstripping
5. Constant gauge cluster rattle
6. Loose rear door panels that vibrate and rattle
7. Car pulls to the right (Goodyear crap I think)
8. Sunroof squeaks while closing from full open position
I admit, not a short list but at least it'll give them something to do if they feel like working on a Monday. They'll have the car all day.
Question, does anyone know what is entitled in the TSB # 02-16-99 for "Vehicle Leading or Pulling", and would having the tires rotated help get rid of this? They have never been rotated to date and we currently have 11,800 miles.
I always have mine rotated at every oil change, and have gotten very even wear.
The proper 4-tire rotation pattern for a front drive car is the Forward Cross...cross the rears to the front, and the fronts straight back to the rear.
If this changes the direction the car pulls, you have a tire problem.
Good luck!
Dont be surprised if you get the rippled weatherstrip. All four of mine have one ripple each--I dont think I'll complain though as at least they are all tight now. Good luck on getting the rattle fixed--but dont be too upset if they're still there.
Mike- thanks for the info
There sure is a lot of bum kissing going on around here!!! Gonna have to send out some chapstick soon
Have a nice nite: ;-)
Easyrider
show me some respect man
I've noticed that some of us here never post in the other discussions...
Enough already------now lets get back to posting about our M's
I may be going with the racing stripe decals but my Ziebart guy recommended a local guy to put them on, and I have to talk to him first and see what the cost will be. I also got to contact the company on the net and see if they will send me a sample in black, dark blue, and metalic gold as those are the 3 colors I am considering to lay on the platinum M. Their offerings are at www.superiorgs.com.
http://falken.innovapp.com/html/index.htm
Thanks,
Rick
The Consummate 300M Pages note, these pages have moved.
Thanks!