Chrysler 300M

racefan9

don't call yourself an idiot the town hall monitors are watching!!!

http://www.techauthority.daimlerchrysler.com/

they don't show one for the 01 call and see

racefan9

here's the number:
Besides on-line, you may order by phone with Mastercard, Visa, American Express or Discover, call 1-800-423-7915 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Or, by sending a written, detailed description of your order by mail to:

Tech Authority, P.O. Box 360450, Strongsville, OH 44136.

sdmike2

My friend has a black/black 2000 GTP (leather, sunroof, heads up display, chrome wheels, etc.) and he's been trying to sell it for months now (not even a nibble). He paid about 25 for it and is trying to get about 17...no takers. He says while it's fun to drive with the SC, it's uncomfortable to drive for more than an hour straight and it rattles all over. I ride in the car quite frequently and I think the inside looks cheap and lacks class. The dash has the same look introduced in the Grand Am in 1985.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, I think the GTP with it's supercharged 3.8 liter six still has less HP than the M. He asked me if I wanted to buy it (since I'm upgrading from my Galant partially for increased size) and I just laughed.

sdmike2

Well, I never thought I would say this, but I sure am glad I paid for an extended warranty on my wife's 96 Grand Caravan. I read all the information about how this is a huge money maker for the dealers and how research shows that you're better off not buying it (also stated by Edmunds). Well, under this 7/100 warranty I've had the transmission completely replaced, the window motors and rear latch replaced, the water and fuel pumps replaced, and just yesterday the starter replaced. I think this $1,000 warranty has saved me about $4000 in repair costs. Will I get one with my M? Not sure yet. In the next two weeks I'll be reading very intently any reports of problems experienced with the 01.

Oh..I guess some good news is that when I took my wife's van in there was a guy dropping off his '99 M at the shop. I feared the worst (window motors? alighment? tire vibration? rattles?). Nope! He was just there for an oil change. He loves it.

-SD

sdmike2

why don't you provide a synopsis for the board? Not sure how many here get the magazine.

mykem

Thanks dude! That was simple and painless.

(For anyone's information, they do have them, just not listed on the website.)

-m

hazdaz

sugar, ya don;t get any more traction in 3rd verses 1st, but u have a lower chance of SPINNING the tires in 3rd (since its geared higher). and obviously when you SPIN the tired, thats when u have nearly zero traction - thus something to avoid. that is unless you doing it in the summer in a parkinglot just to impress your friends.

HAZDAZ

papaanton

Has anyone heard of or signed any good lease deals on the 300m lately? What is its residual value after 2 or 3 years? Is Chrysler running any special incentives or programs on it this month? Should I even consider leasing this vehicle?

easyrider300m

how many showed up at the chat session tonight--forgot all about it ---still recuperating from all that shovelling-

so how did it go tonight

all you newbies: be sure to check out the 300M Enthusiast Club--chat session is Wednesday eves at 10pm EST--where we discuss our M's and whatever else that leads to-

Check out "this thing of ours" at:

http://www.300mclub.org/

Later:

Easyrider300M

sdmike2

The local dealer here in San Diego is offering $5,000 off on a lease. Not sure exactly what that means and what the terms are, but they say it's a national incentive. I also think they have a $2,000 off incentive (although the chrysler website lists the rebate at $1,000). Carsdirect.com shows a $2,000 rebate included in their price.

300m_vt

Easy, Chat session went well. i300Michael, mykem, massivslinky, Marty, avalanche, ottowrkr and several others (sorry, can't remember all the others) were all in attendance. Talked

about the upcoming 300N, the Nor' Easterner, even entertained someone about the use of NOS. Join us on Wednes. 10P.M. (EST) @ http://www.300mclub.org

dustinnewton

My point exactly! And WE'RE accused of fighting here???

fuzzywuzzy

They seem to be talking about dogs more then anything else, including what the topic is supposed to be about.

dustinnewton

Well, I guess you could put a dog in an SUV and cart it around. Maybe it's a discussion about which SUV has the best dog hauling capabilities! ;-) (Typical message: Oh yeah? Well that's what you get for buying that tiny piece of junk. I can get FIVE St. Bernards in MY SUV!!!)

dustinnewton

FINALLY got off my butt and got my DC European 300M side marker lights installed. These are the actual DC part from the overseas M's. They weren't easy to put in (I also had to build my own wiring harness for the lights), but it's one of those deals where once you have done it, you can do it again in 1/3 the time. Kind of like removing the back seat for those of you that remember back that far in this board! I do like the look of them. I installed the badges 1.5 inches below the light. It does look cleaner without them, but having them there isn't too busy for my tastes. Everyone so far has liked the look. Unfortunately, my wife has the digital camera so I will have to take pics tomorrow morning and post them in Photopoint. Once I do that, I'll post a link here for comments. The hardest part was removing the remaining adhesive from the fender once the badge was removed. I used a dremel to cut the mounting cylinder off of the badge and remove the adhesive on it. I should have taken pics of the process but I didn't have the patience. MANY thanks to Roger for all his help, guidance, and tips that he amassed after installing his lights. Pictures tomorrow.

jedi_knight

From where did you aquire your sidemaker lights? I tried to get my local 5* to order them and he said no can do, export only unless I had a vin# from an exported M. My only other alternative is to order them from a Canada Chrysler dealer, have them shipped to my co-workers, mothers house, then have her ship them to me.

What a pain for something as silly as marker lights!

Keith

papaanton

I'll check carsdirect and/or check this site's 'incentives and rebates' area. By the way what is the name of the dealership in San Diego ,I might give em a call. And if you hear anything else, I'm still looking.

lalarry

Hey all! Been lurking about for awhile.

The 300M Enthusiasts website is really great!

I see that tires, balance, alignment has once again come up. I hadn't paid that much attention to them prior to now.

I'd just had my 3rd rotation done recently (at 15k miles) and afterward noticed a slight shimmy in the steering wheel anywhere between 60-70 mph.

I took the car back to the GY dealer and they re-balanced the front wheels/tires, but the problem persists.

Is this what I've got to look forward to with these marginal tires? Or is there something else that can be done besides having them balanced again and again? Will GY stand behind them?

fuzzywuzzy

Save yourself stress and just replace the tires with something other then GoodYears. This goes for all other that are having problems with vibration/shimmys/pulls. Sounds stupid, some might not agree, but it will solve your problems. And if you invest the money, you can get a good performance boost. My opinion! I will say no more on the subject.

fuzzywuzzy

Well, I heard from the G-tech people last night. My unit has a fried circut board. After a very loud conversation with them, they will replace the unit under the warrenty.(it was like pulling teeth I will get a new unit sometime next week. Will do testing next weekend. I will also have my 18's back on the car, so I will post some pics, & performance #'s.

fuzzywuzzy

Got one for everyone. Just though of it. When I was under my dash during the weekend, I noticed I could lift up the gas pedal, & it has alot of movement. I can hold the pedal, & lift it all the way up, Then let it go, & it will flop back down. I think it's normal, but just wondering if it is the same on other 300M's.

mykem

I believe in every car I've owned, it does that. Although I'm not certain why... maybe someone else can enlighten us on that one

But everything from my '78 Pontiac to the '01 M...

-m

rogor2k

I am one of the lucky ones who has Goodyears on my 2K 300M and (so far) have had no problems.


I can't personally attest to it, but a recent Motor Week TV show did a spot segment on the Hunter GSP 9700 tire balancing system. At first glance, this machine seems to go way beyond what most tire balancing machines do. The link is: http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/balancer/4159T/


They have a search feature that lets you see who has these machines in your area. If I have any troubles at all, I am heading for the nearest shop that has one of these puppies.


It might be a lot cheaper than a new set of tires. If you try it and get good results, let us know.

rogor2k

I just had a question from a new 300M Enthusiasts Club member. I didn't have an answer, but I'm sure someone does.

I'll just post the text of his e-mail to me:
-------------------------------------------
Roger,

Just joined up. Bought a new 300M this week with Performance Handling Group. The brochure did not mention that it came without a 118mph speed limiter, and the tires are Michelin Pilot HX MXM4, XSE P225/55 R 17; not a Z-rated tire as mentioned in the site's FAQs. So, is it true for the 2001 model that there is no 118mph speed limiter and, if so, why doesn't it have Z-rated tires? Any information on this?
---------------------------------------------

Anyone have the definitive answer on this??

Thanks,
Roger

rscheller

I can appreciate all the posts about the use of special (Hunter GSP 9700) tire balancing equipment, the crappy Goodyear tires, alignments, tire rotations and how some of us still have 300M's with steering shimmies and shakes.

Bottom line, who pays for all the after market work and who's ultimately responsible for the engineering of 300M's that exhibit these conditions. Who is responsible for all my time and inconvenience to get it here and get it there, miss work and be without my car?

I bought the car from Chrysler, I'm their customer... so Chrysler is responsible for all of it.

My 300M experience is beginning to show a lot of tarnish.

Rick

fuzzywuzzy

If it came with the PHG, the limiter would not be there. The stock tires on the PHG 300M are only rated to 149mph, because this is the supposed top speed of the 300M. Why equip the 300M with more expensive Z rated rubber. Z is for speeds in excess of 149MPH. I can attest to the 149 limit to the car. With the mods I have done on the 2000, I have been able to add 2 mph more to the top speed. On mine it's now 152mph. For 2001, The non PHG 300M has the same tires, But it is still limited to 118. DC needs you to get the whole package in order to get rid of the limiter. They just made the tires standard for cost purposes.

sugar300m

Please tell us where yous ordered these from. Seems like USA 5* don't/can't order them unless its for a Euro M. Or is it secret & every man/woman for themselves?

malyel

Hi, I am a new owner of a '01 300m. I bought it last week and I love it. I was able to find a white one with every option including the mopar 300m rear spoiler. The car was new and not a demo. The sticker on the car was $34,310 not including the spoiler which the dealer installed after they received it. I was able to buy the car for $28,900. This was around 2,300 under invoice price and they threw in the spoiler no charge. The $2,000 rebate was very helpfull.
I am looking for a wood kit for the car that matches the luxury package dash. Has anyone who has the new luxury package added a dash kit? Thanks

sdmike2

I second what fuzzy said. The PHG package removes the 118mph speed limiter, but I haven't seen this in Chrysler literature. I've only seen it in information on other automotive web sites (usually call it "high speed limiter" or something equally as cryptic). I confirmed with my local 5* that the limiter is removed with PHG. Your new member should have the V rated Michelin P225/55R17-95V tires on the car with PGH. These will handle the M's top end of about 150.

sdmike2

Here is what several people here have used...

http://www.woodtrim.com/catalog_woodtrim.cfm

oreoke

Malyel--where did you get your M for that price?

rklass

The Michelin H4 MXM4 tires are "V" rated, which is 149 MPH. I believe the car does have a limiter, but it is set for 149.
The standard suspension uses Michelin XGT V4 tires which are "T" rated for 118 MPH, and that is what the limiter is set for.

rklass

Cannon, go to the web site at message #880 for a wood dash kit for the Luxury Group 300M.

One caveat:

They are having a problem sending the correct shifter trim with the kit. I don't have the correct one yet, but I have 3 incorrect ones!
The company is Joshua Tree, and the owner is Mike Smith. Phone him at the number on the web site, oe e-mail him at: Mike@woodtrim.com

One other small problem is that the overhead switch panel on the Lux GP is different from the standard panel, and Joshua does not have that piece made yet.

You can see my installed kit at:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1501794&a=11408326&f=0

dustinnewton

I think the pedal is like that to prevent someone from getting their foot stuck behind it. Maybe if you had cruise on and had stuck your foot up there and nnede to make a panic stop, you might get stuck. Just a thought.

Jedi/Sugar-Jedi, that's a long way to go, but it would work. Sugar, I would love to tell you, but I was sworn to secrecy before I could get them myself. Sorry. i would love to be able to help you out.

All-I got through the now-funky Photopoint to post my pics. It's the last 5 on this page. Comments anyone?

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=984864&a=7235665&f=&sp=13&vt=vp

ruski

sdmike - I leased a Grand Prix GTP for 3 years and loved it. It held up pretty well and remained solid. It is an awesome car. Don't just look at the horsepower numbers. 240HP is nothing to snuff at, especially when it is available at low RPMs and stays high throughout the RPM range. But what's more important is the 280 lbs*ft torque, which is also available at low RPMs. This car will stomp a 300M.

raced a Lincoln LS - there was Lincoln LS on the road today. Not sure if it was V6 or V8. Its driver was very aggressive, starting to roll before lights turned green, swerved to get himself into the first position at the red light. I was in my 300M. At one light, I was stopped behind him. Before the light turned green, he started rolling. I waited for the green and quickly got on his tail and stayed there until 50mph where both of us stopped accelerating due to local speed limits.
At the next light we were first at the line, me in left lane he in right. Before light turned green, he started rolling. I went when the light turned green and quickly shot passed him, but he regroupped and stayed even with me until 40mph. At 40mph, I started pulling away, but then we both stopped accelerating, not wanting to go too much past the speed limit.

115mph vibration - there is a road I take home that is quite straight and empty. I tried to go past 110mph. I stayed in 3rd gear and reached 115mph. Normally my 300M is very smooth at high speeds, but at 115mph I noticed vibration. Not sure if it was coming from the engine or the wheels. Has anyone else noticed vibration past 110mph?

rklass - PHP does not have any limiter. Michelin XGT V4 tires come with the PHP and are rated for much higher speeds.

ruski

forgot to mention - I drove my GTP from NY to FL, 20 hours. Never experienced any discomfort. I am not sure why you say that the car is uncomfortable on a long drive.

lalarry

Thanks for the recommendation on the tire swap. Any recommendations on a better tire that is similar in appearance to the GY's? I like the look of the tires, just not how they're performing.

ajpiii

I also had a vibration at 110mph... It turned out to be the good ole Badyears... I put on some Bridgestones and it went away...

dustinnewton

Russ is right. According to tirerack.com, the tires in the e-mail (Michelin Pilot HX MXM4, XSE P225/55 R 17) are VR speed rated to 149, not R rated to 106. A lot of modern cars have a top end limiter for legal reasons and the M is likely in that group even with the PHG package. Jags, BMWs and even the Boxster have limiters, although they don't advertise that fact for obvious marketing reasons. I'll bet if we could talk to someone in the chip division of DC, they would tell us that there is a top end limiter on the M, even if it is the "non-limited" performance model.

rklass

Thanks for the support, Dustin.
I have the PHG on my '01 300M, and the tires are:
"Michelin Pilot HX MXM XSE 225/55 R17 95V"
The "95" is the load rating, and the "V" is the 149 MPH speed rating.
The etandard suspension tire is a Michelin XGT4 225/55 R17 with a "T" speed rating of 118 MPH.
Sheesh! As Packard used to say, "Ask the man who owns one."

denverm

I contributed to the confusion by incorrectly writing on the FAQ page of the 300M Enthusiasts Club site that PHG tires are Z rated, when actually they are V rated (and I own one, too!). That has been corrected. http://www.300mclub.org/faq.htm

indydriver

300michael: I agree that I am getting extraordinary mileage out of the GY Eagle LS's as I do drive a high ratio of highway miles. I admit that I am trying to "take it easy" and make this vehicle last as I bought it for business use and will gain financially if it lasts more than four years. My second set of GY's have been as good as the first, and I did take them up to 110 last week. I bought these from my local "Big O" tire store and have been very pleased with their pricing and service. I paid only $11/wheel for lifetime rotation and balance which they do every 5,000 miles. They even rotated my wife's tires on her 2000 DC minivan for no charge...hard to beat.

Fastdriver: I can't even imagine your disillusionment that would have you give up 300M for a Regal GS! Its unfortunate you got a lemon and similar dealer service but at least DC got the original design right, which is something GM is incapable of. I bet if you tried another 300M you'd have an entirely different experience.

Fuzzy: I can't agree more that this new TH software is a royal pain in the gluteus. I must really want to see the posts here to put up with 2 minute page changes. Remember when you could call up a custom post range without limitations?! Now, its 20 posts at a time, then 2 minutes to load the next page. Can this group be moved to a more user friendly site?

indydriver

While having my tires rotated at 59,000 miles I asked the tech to check the brake pads. The response was, "at least half left"! As I said, I drive a lot of highway miles but still, I'm used to 25-30,000 mile brake service. Amazing value.

WAY TO GO HOOSIERS! Advancing to the Big Ten tournament championship game.

beach15

I just changed the oil in my beautiful rattle box today. The car now has 6,000 miles on it and I'm wondering if I should get the tires rotated. The dealer said to do so at 6k because the Badyear LS's are, and I quote, "High dollar tires". Yeah right. I'm afraid that after they're rotated for the first time the well known vibrations and shakes will start--I absolutely do not need anymore problems that the stupid dealers can't fix. The front and rear tread still seams about equal (I've only burned rubber once). Should I do it or not?

Also, I change the oil myself but this is the most challenging vehicle I have ever worked with. The oil filter is so far up in and at such an odd angle that it's very hard to get at. It usually results in some oil running down the side of the block. Is there any special tool/technique for this? It was probably designed like this to give Chrysler dealers yet another chance to screw their customers over when someone can't get to the oil filter.

I was just reading some info. on the 300N and it said that the 300 Hemi C Convertible will be going into production despite previous thoughts. The base engine will be a "revised" 3.5 V-6 with a 5.7 Hemi V-8 optional. The car is supposed to look very close to the show car and it will be built on the next generation LH platform (codenamed LX). All LX cars are going to be rear wheel drive. As for the 300N sedan it was said that the preliminary designs were just as striking as the drop-top and that it draws from a strong letter-car history--yeah, just like the current V-6 front-drive sedan does. It didn't say much about the engines but I would imagine that it too will have the V-6 and V-8. Maybe a rear wheel drive Hemi 300N sedan will be a very hot car and one that should be better now with snooty Mercedes' help.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1172860&a=9559248

lalarry

Had my blue beauty washed today, and while it was being dried, my eye was drawn to the front drivers side tire. It looks like this tire is flawed or blemished.. NOTE: I have never rubbed a curb with these tires, ever. This blemish looks like, well, a blemish. And now that the tire is front left, may be why I'm getting the shimmy in the steering wheel. I did notice this mark just after I took delivery of the car, but didn't think much of it. I plan on taking it to the GY dealer ASAP. Anyone care to comment on what they might say? They've got 16k miles on them. Take a look at the tire, it's at

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1579064&a=12010153&f=0

rklass

I dunno, Larry, it's hard to tell from the photos.

Could be impact damage or belt separation. Best to get it checked.

As far as vibration is concerned, as previously posted, go to:

http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/findgsp9700.cfm

Locate a dealer near you that has a Hunter GSP 9700 wheel balancer. If the dealer can't balance your tires properly, get one of these operators to do it and ask your dealer to reimburse you.

On the subject of rotation, I have always had my tires rotated every 5,000 miles when the oil is changed.

My 5* has a lifetime rotation and balance for $39.95. He is going to lose money on me!

On a front drive car, the correct rotation pattern is the FORWARD CROSS.

This means crossing rhe rear wheels to the front, and the fronts straight back to the rear. This way every tire gets to every corner if the car every 20,000 miles.

lalarry

Thanks Russ. I'll try having them balanced by the GSP 9700 before I go back to the GY dealer where I also have free rotations every 5,000 miles.

BTW, it's amazing what a new computer will allow one to do. I now have more than enough memory and am able to finally upload pictures.

My "album" is at:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1579064&a=12010004&f=0

300michael

To change the oil filter, get one of the caps that fit on the end of the filter, and use a socket extension. it comes off real easy. You usually get only a few drops on the cross members. It took me about a minute to change the filter. I use Valvoline 10-30 oil.
I am going to have the dealer change the oil this Thursday because it will cost me 99 cents for oil and filter.

scotian

Nice pics! Especially those last two.

dustinnewton

Russ-No problem man, you were right on the money. I do wonder, though, why they throw the R in. I could see where that would get confusing.
Beach-I would go ahead and have them rotated. If you don't, you run the risk of having the "belt separation" issue (that is supposedly common with all low profile performance tires) that I ran into with my badyears. Have it done at a GY shop. Cost me $43 for a rotate and balance, but that includes all future rotate and balance sessions for free. Expensive on the front end, but will make up for it in the long haul. When mine started having the separation pull, GY worked on the tires twice for free to correct the problem.