Chrysler 300M

300michael

There a couple of CD stereos for the car. Are you wanting the one with single CD or the 4 CD changer?

peva

Just the single CD (and cassette player built in).

indydriver

Has anyone purchased or performed a major tune-up on this 3.5? Valve adjustment? If so, what did it cost, what procedures are included/recommended etc.

jona57

I change my oil & filter (in or out of warranty) at least every 5K miles (or 6mo. iif I'm not driving much). At that interval I do not believe synthetics offer a significant advantage (at least not in a non-turbo or non-supercharged engine). Modern motor oils (e.g. SG rated or better) do not break down significantly under normal driving conditions within this period, so the main reason to change is due to contaminants building up in the oil. The filter traps much of this, but only for so long. Clearly a good filter is also important to long engine life.
- Regarding the manufacturer's warranty, I would closely adhere to the required oil change intervals. Following these service intervals is usually a requirement for warranty coverage, and failure to follow these service intervals has often been used to deny warranty coverage. It's not worth the risk of that hassle. (If you don't believe me, check out specific cases in your state's 'Lemon Law' files). IMHO, a regular lube/oil/filter is $ well-spent. (And BTW- check the dipstick yourself before driving away to make sure it is fresh oil and at the proper level!).

300michael

contact me at 300M@uswestmail.net I may be able to help you.

greasykid1

New to this board and haven't had a Chrysler product in a long time. Appreciate any recommendations other than the obvious one of price. Reliability, colors,service, equipment options etc. This is a big decision as my wife says this is my last car. Of course she said that last time. Thanks.

mikeyjohn

If I was in your position I would go for a new 2001 with all the options that include the PHP as the 02 M's I have seen here in Canada have cut corners and are not offering top leather, 11 speaker Infinity system, and I suppose some other internal things.They seem to have added a few of these things as options that drive the price up. It is hard to see a difference from a distants from the two years. The 2002 Special does have some differences, but by having to use premium gas to get 2 more HP, does not make any sense. Just my opinion.Also look at the money you will save and the US 7 year warranty that has just been added.

sdmike2

I second what Mikeyjohn said. With the discounts available on the '01s right now you can get an INSANE price. My local dealer is offering them for $7,500 off MSRP, which could get you a fully loaded car for around $27,000. I saw an ad from a dealer in Boston advertising $8,000 off! Now, since my car (Big Red) is loaded, I'll offer up my opinion on what "must have" options:

Must Have:

Luxury Group - Some might argue, but the real wood interior, tilt down side mirrors, and overhead computer console are awesome. Not a day goes by that I don't appreciate it.

Upgraded Stereo w/ Changer (unless you're going to replace it all) - The sound difference between the base and upgraded systems is dramatic. Add an Infinity Basslink to make it even better. Not a day goes by that I don't appreciate my stereo system too.

Depending on Taste:

Performance Handling Group - If you think this is more of a sports sedan than a luxury car, the PHG is a must. If you are a spirited driver, or even like to think you are, this might be the best $500 spent. Tighter suspension, better tires, removed speed limiter (non PHG are limited to 118mph) make it a fun ride. You get a slightly rougher and noisier ride, but IMO it's worth it. Besides, if you have the upgraded stereo you might never hear the extra noise. heh.

Chrome Wheels - It's a matter of personal opinion, but I personally think the chrome wheels add dramatic good looks to the car.

Sun/Moonroof - I've always wanted a convertible but never wanted to deal with the downside of owning one. Since I live in San Diego, being able to open the windows and roof to let the warm Southern California weather in is wonderful. I won't own another car without one, but I know others that can take them or leave them...especially at a $700 price tag.

Depending on Need:

Engine Block Heater - I'm not sure where mine is. I have one, but I've never looked for it or used it.

Smoker's Package - Matter of personal preference. I just sold the one that came with my car.

Full Sized Spare - I don't like donut spares. The full sized spare runs about the same cost as buying a rim, so having the full sized $200 Michelin tire for me was almost a bonus. For just a few hundred you get about $600 worth of tire and wheel...and the piece of mind to know you don't have a donut in your trunk.

As for colors, it's a matter of personal taste. I have to tell you though, lighter colors show dirt less than the darker colors. However, the darker colors shine up more dramatically. There are three interior colors available...light taupe, sandstone, and charcoal/black (sorry, forgot the real name). The taupe is very light...kind of an off-white, with darker highlights. Very nice looking in my opinion, and stays cooler than the black interior in hot climates. It seems that there might be some problems with windshield reflection with the taupe, but I've only heard that mentioned a couple of times. I have the sandstone and I'm very happy with it. It doesn't show the dirt like the taupe and it's still cool. I also think it looks classy, especially with the Inferno Red car. Black interiors tend to show dust worse than others, and they tend to get hot in the summer. Your call.

Add Ons:

Add on opinions are like...er....noses! Everyone has one. Window tinting looks great on the car, and dual exhaust is beautiful (and functional). If you lean towards the sportier side you might also want a spoiler which will run you a few hundred painted. Other popular additions include side marker lights, Infinity Basslink subwoofer, daytime running light module, improved air intake system (various), and even custom clock faces made by our very own friend and M-owner Scotian. Several other people have removed their Chrysler lettering, which really cleans up the car's look in my opinion. You'll also want to join "the club" at www.300mclub.org and get yourself some 300M-wear!

Here are some pictures of my car if you're interested in what I've done. Big Red is a loaded '01 Inferno Red with Sandstone interior. I've installed a spoiler, a Basslink, tint and dual exhaust, and I've shaved the lettering off.

http://www.ritchiefamily.com/car.htm

Here's one of the pictures that shows most of the enhancements that I made. You can see the dual exhaust and spoiler, and you can tell that I took off the Chrysler lettering. Following that are pictures of the sandstond interior, the basslink, and my custom clock face.

Big Red

Interior

Basslink

Clock Face

bigmike5

SDMike-- After seeing the prices for those babies, $75 for the chrome one from DC doesn't seem to bad. Nice looking knobs tho, but $130 is too rich for me--seeing as I don't need a 3rd shifter and the SO thinks 2 was too many. Oh well.

fastdriver

mikeyjohn -

Mmmmmm...........maybe when I retire I'll come to Canada and open up a Dent Dr. store too! LOL.......

On the other hand, with all the accidents here, I should open up a body shop! ;-((

dubbed-

Sorry to hear about your mishap! Glad you're ok. This happened to me when I had my 1990 Buick Riviera. I took an off ramp on I-91 a little too quickly when it was wet and skidded right into the guardrail. From the looks of that guardrail and all the colors on there, it looked like I wasn't the ONLY one who did that. It was an exit that I had never used before and didn't realize that the turn was so sharp.

Anyway, the car was at the shop for about 2 weeks. Went to pick it up and was very pleased with how it looked. You couldn't tell a thing. Anyway, I'm on my way home. I'm about 5 miles from the body shop and was entering I-95 from the on ramp and had to go slowly to merge because there was someone in front of me and it was rush hour traffic! I'm moving slowly waiting for the lady in front of me to speed up and merge with the traffic, when I'm suddenly hit from behind!!! I was in shock! The lady was looking to her left to see the traffic instead of watching ME in front of her!

I stopped, she stopped. Called the CT State Police and waited for them to arrive. A ton of people went by that I knew and wanted to know if I was okay. One person going by was the guy from the body shop!! He pulled over to see what happened! I was almost speechless. I said- can you believe this? He just shook his head. I told him I'd be back to the shop the next day! ;-)) I feel your pain.

Thank God I didn't have the problems that beach15 had!! I really would have flipped. Although I don't think that I would have had the same problems that they had because of our strong Consumer Protection laws here. Our Atty. General is one of the ones who is disagreeing with the latest Microsoft squabble whatever that's about. I have a MAC, so I'm not following it.

fastdriver

PS- Anyone ever see those magnetic car bumpers that you put on your car when it's parked? Kind of like the idea of boat bumpers! I think you should get a group purchase on those if this keeps up. It's not even funny.

ottowrkr

you missed one must have option " THE SPECIAL" package

sdmike2

It wasn't available in '01, and you can't get $8,000 off the MSRP on it.

300michael

Any track numbers out on it yet?
Interested to see how it would go up aganst my 99 moded out 300M.

fuzzywuzzy

It's not a 300M..... But it will do. Man what a difference in trunk space.

fastdriver

fuzzywuzzy-

STOP THAT! ;-))

fastdriver

fuzzywuzzy

Sorry man

Hey I heard that new Zaino stuff is out. Let me know how it works. Knowing you you have ordered it already

sdmike2

Ok fuzzy....since you fired the first round. Not too shabby here either!

300michael

You should have said fight wood with fire. Your is much hotter. Sorry fuzzy, I just call them as I see them.

hmk123

I got the DC Service Contract which has a coupon for a service every 7500 miles. After the 15k service the dealer put a window sticker on with an oil change mileage set for 18,000. I will wait again 7500. I sometimes wonder if these 3000 miles oil change recommendations are not a big scam here in the US because there is a whole industry (Jiffy Lube etc.) depending on them. I am originally from Germany and no one there changes their oil every 5000 km (3000 miles). Especially on newer engines. I am sure a new BMW engine can go without oil change/service for easily 10,000 miles. So I am sticking to my 7500 miles intervals. This is not your father's Oldsmobile any more :-)

300michael

I posted the pictures. All the pictures were taken from 25' away under the same conditions, using the same regulated 12 volt power supply. They are posted at: http://community.webshots.com/user/my300m_ Go to the exterior lighting section, the last 3 pictures (the last 2 are 300M ones). All the photos were treated exactly the same.

  I did through in a picture of an LHS light pattern to see what the projector type lamps put out and found it interesting. I used a set of Eagle lighs 100 watt Xenon type bulbs vs Standard factory (in the 300m and LHS) halagen 55 watt bulbs.

  If you like the look of blue bulbs you may find the sacrafices worth it anyway.

sdmike2

I think I'll compromise. The oil and filter commercials all say 3,000 miles but the owner's manual says 7,500. Mobil 1 says 10,000. Because I believe frequent oil changes are one of the best ways to prevent engine wear (and pretty cheap too), I plan to change every 5,000 - 7,500 miles depending on convenience. When I hit 5,000 I will start to think about it. If I get to 7,500 I'll stop everything and do it.

300michael - I agree, but we're both a little biased. Hey fuzzy, put some chrome on that car. I bet chrome wheels would look nice.

splatt

sdmike - you should cut/paste that post somewhere and save it. It would be great to just have to whip out anytime anyone is looking to buy. Very nice and comprehensive.

300mike - looking at the comparisons now. Thanks!!

sdmike2

But that would ruin the fun of me or someone else typing it all again. lol. Besides, my opinions might change by the next time someone asks. heh

sdmike2

Thanks for going through the trouble to photograph the differences. I can see why many might like the brighter Xenon lights, but personally I think that DC has done right with the stock halogens. My preferences lean towards a broader cast of light that shows me more of what is around me. My wife's Grand Caravan has bright lights but very targeted. My Galant (had) and my M (have) a wider dispersion of light, and I find that I feel more confortable driving like this.

ottowrkr

Sorry ,guess I should have read your post a little better. you sure wont get 8 G's off the special thats for sure.Kinda like that red car better than the silver one

dkrhardy

I agree with OttO - the special has 5 more HP, special lowered suspension, 18" wheels, special "dual' exhaust, special gear ratio. That is the name Special. Add all of that up and I betcha it's your $8000 worth and it's a 2002! Those gears are almost the exact ratio that the high priced prowler gear set offers only with a warranty and you don't have to find a shop to install them. My $.02

bb_lhs_2k

I believe someone here was looking for a cd/cassette radio. There's one on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=598855646&r=0&t=0

greasykid1

Thanks for the replies. Looking for a dealer who will REALLY deal.Local dealer has a lot of bs. Located in the Winston-Salem--Greensboro N.C. area. I have a trade and local guy is offering almost nothing. Have visited CARMAX site & they have the right prices but they are 300 miles away. Bought a Jeep from them 2 yrs ago & was well treated. Any recommendations are appreciated.

arby500

I get my special in a week or two. Pictures will follow. (Of course). Add the costs up on the additions in the special and it really is. "Special". The only add-on we are thinking about is the rear spoiler. It was ordered with everything else. Happy Happy, Joy Joy.

fastdriver

fuzzywuzzy-

RE: ZFX- ordered it? I already tested it in June and last month! Works great and looks great. Click on my name to see the pics.

fastdriver

fastdriver

otto-

I just saw THAT "tasteless" Chrysler Concorde commercial about Savannah and Concorde. They didn't change any wording around here! SAME commercial as before!

fastdriver

sdmike2

check http://www.carsdirect.com. A dealer should be able to beat their price by $400 or so. If not, buy from carsdirect or find another dealer. Also read up on buying a car at www.carbuyingtips.com. Much of it you might already know, but it offers some good strategies for getting the best deal on a car.

scotian

Nifty products Xtreme Catch-All floor mats:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1280646&a=14091815&f=0

There are no ridges, they fit nice and snug, and seem durable. They don't go all the way to the door, and the coverage beneath the accelerator could be better, but these should go a long way to trap road salt, etc. I'm also using some cheap mats with ridges from Wal-Mart.

splatt

greasykid - also try www.autovantage.com or www.autobytel.com or here through edmunds. I found my M that way (even though I orig. started looking for a concorde I had to drive a bit to buy it, but no biggie. I had everything done before I walked in the door - price for the car as well as the tradein on my old one (though they wouldn't guarantee it).

sdmike - your opinion change?? As long as it's always recommending the M ;-D

sdmike2

Well, here it goes. One reason I got my M is because it's so roomy inside. Big Red now has three car seats in the back and will be the wifey's daily driver (often referred to as the "garbage can on wheels"). The Grand Caravan is getting it's third transmission (second replacement) and I won't be back in town to pick it up until Wednesday night. Hopefully my wife and kids treat Big Red better than they treat the van. One good note though..my kids know I have a "no eating in dad's car" rule. Hopefully the also know that I have a no peeing or puking rule too. )

Catch you guys later today. Time to spin the big "wheel of Hertz" and see what I end up with in San Jose.

splatt

and it's...

A neon! ouch!

Hopefully it won't be that bad. I had a neon for several weeks when my concorde was in the shop. It's tough going from big a roomy to small and annoying

mikeyjohn

That's the great thing about leather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

silverbullet4

I started using a Pennzoil synthetic blend with the expectation that I would get 4500 miles between changes. However, the oil looked a little dirty at 3,500 miles, so I went ahead and changed it. I'll try and have a Mobil 1 filter available next time.

The air filter was also replaced, and I swear I can tell the difference in responsiveness, and I hope gas mileage will improve. I will be driving to Houston this Friday, so will have a 500 mile round trip to test that. I have never taken such good care of a car, but then I never spent near this much buying one either.

Silver

jona57

They changed the ending of that commercial here in IN to something implying the younger daughter was named after Concorde Mass. BTW- When I first heard the original "tasteless" version, it reminded me of the old joke about Driver's Ed. (Why don't they hold Driver's Ed classes on Tuesday afternoons? They're using the car for "Human Sexuality" class!)

splatt

I thought the commercial was pretty funny personally

I forget off the top of my head, but how often should the K&N filter be cleaned? Thanks!

kcbatch

This is my first entry. Just wanted to say hi to everyone. I also recently joined the 300M Enthusiasts Club (I'm member number 205).

splatt

aboard

cbwongus

Can someone provide the lug pattern and offset that the M takes?

sdmike2

LOL! You couldn't have been more wrong if you tried. I walked to stall 323 this morning and found a (insert drumroll here) a Lincoln Town Car. I think you could fit a Neon IN this thing. I went up to the counter and asked if there was anything else in that class (hoping that the would carry my upgrade over to another nice Volvo or a Jag..yeah, right), but I was informed that the only cars available on that giant lot were Escorts and mini vans. Pulling out of the stall I thought that big rear end was going to side swipe the car next to me, and I could hardly fit through the check-out gate because it's so wide. Funny though...the computer is telling me that its getting better gas mileage than my M...*sigh*

splatt

At least it's a comfortable ride! Should do you for a while till the M is back to you

300m_vt

Welcome !!!

So waddidyaget ????

Inquiring minds what to know

sdmike2

It could be worse...it could have a crappy radio. Incidently, it has a pretty good Alpine system and nice steering wheel controls (including fan speed). Not too bad. I'll still take the Volvo though. I haven't been able to luck myself into the nice Jag S class that sits by the office.

sdmike2

I checked the car specification documents that I have and there wasn't a mention of the size/pattern. Maybe if you tried some aftermarket wheel sites and looked up wheels that fit the M, maybe the details will give you the pattern info.

For future reference, here is a good PDF of specification information for the car:

http://us.media.daimlerchrysler.com/special/2001carryover/Chry_300M_SP.pdf

ottowrkr

They still have not shipped any Specials, not sure when they are going to start . They better start soon because they are starting to fill the holding yard. You should see it rows and rows of Specials .Man what a site.

sdmike2- the last two rules you have, what kid has ever obeyed them???

arby500

My wife keeps asking if I heard anything. Thanks for the update. All of those aren't customer orders are they? I know my dealer bought the 3 unseen (mine included). How many do you guys plan on making this year? I can imagine what a beautiful site all those cars are. I see a 300M on the road right now and I wonder how happy the person driving it is. Am I crazy? Probably. :-)