Chrysler 300M

mbrown15

the TSB # is 23-019-01. What I know is that it involves replacing some of the mounting hardware. I am going to let my ***** do it when I need service next.

Sorry I don't have the answers to the rest of your ??

kosh_2258

I do my own oil changes too and actually the filter isn't that bad. You don't need a special tool as you found out. But having a end cap adapter makes the job a whole lot easier. You can get them at Wal Mart, or any auto parts store for a few bucks. I got mine at NAPA and it's been more than worth the investment.

It slips over the end of the filter and then you can turn it with a 1/2" drive wratchet with a 12" extension on it. Standard fair for anyone with normally stocked tool kit. The extension puts the handle out in the open making it easy to loosen and tighten the filter.

uxca300m

Hey Mike-Just wondered if you'd taken a look at the photos I posted for the dash kit installed on Beast (post 11974) The pictures don't do it justice but gives you an idea on how it looks.

beach15

Yeah, we know what you mean. I remember seeing the pics of your damage back in July, let me tell you, that was like a scratch compared to what our car looked like. But then again, what do you expect when a Volvo wagon is travelling just yards from a red light at 50-55 mph, lifts an extended length Dodge Ram van off the ground, and then throws it so hard into us, that its front end and grill are back where the rear parcel shelf used to be! It was absolutely horrible and very scarry with our gas going all over the place.

As for fixing it, 2 months and $11,564.25 total was necessary. Amazingly, though almost all of the sheetmetal on the left rear side had to be cut away and rebuilt and the gas filler tube was ripped away, the wheel on that corner was never touched! It all kind of went around the suspension and wheel and crushed up into the rest of the body. We could have sworn that it was totalled. It was both the visual damage and the rememberance of being in the car when it got creamed was what made us adamant almost not to keep it. Not to mention the fact that my mom said she couldn't sleep after having bad dreams about being in the car again (those must not have lasted that long!).

The work that the shop was able to do is absolutely amazing in my opinion. Yeah, if you look in certain places you can see where work was done but for the most part, you notice NOTHING. I think this is part of why my mother has kept the car, she was figuring that the paint wouldn't match right and you'd be able to see big areas where stuff was done, not to mention that it would never be the same to drive.

I was unable to get any pics of the damage before, but yesterday I shot a ton of new pics showing in and around the repaired area on the car. I'll post them probably sometime today.

Even though I actually thought we should keep the car and are happy that we did, I am a little bummed about not getting something new. Oh well, maybe if she she's a Special in real-life it'll grow on her!

300mlover

OVER THE YEARS YOU ALL HAVE PROVIDED ME WITH VERY VALUABLE INFORMATION. IT HAS ALLOWED ME TO MAKE MY 300M ONE OF THE BEST LOOKING(AND SOUNDING) IN MY AREA. I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE OLD TYMERS HERE (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) FOR ALL YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT.

 I AM NO LONGER AN OWNER OF THE BEST LOOKING SEDAN ON THE MARKET (300M). I HAVE FINALLY COMPPLETED MY ARBITRATION PROCESS AND CHRYSLER HAS BOUGHT MY CAR BACK FROM ME (EVERY DIME THAT I PAID INCLUDING ACCESSORIES). THE PROCESS WAS SLOW, BUT VERY EASY TO DO. I NEVER IMAGINED GETTING ALL MY MONEY BACK. THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE THING TO HAPPEN TO ME.

 HERE IS A LINK TO MY OLD CAR (300M) MY OLD TRUCK (MOPAR MUSCLE) AND SOME OF THE MODIFICATIONS. ALSO PICS OF MY NEW RIDE(I AM STILL A MOPAR MAN!)

 GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL, HAPPY NEW YEAR, AND ENJOY THOSE M'S!!

http://public.fotki.com/cmc300m/

CRAIG

indydriver

Regarding the driver seat, I never had any unwanted movement until the bolt holding the seat on one side broke in half! My dealer said he could not order a new bolt from DC without ordering the entire subassembly for the seat! So they ended up repairing it with a standard bolt and its been rock solid since.

sdmike2

Yes, I went out there when you posted them (and posted some other pics myself). Quick question...is your interior Taupe or Sandstone? Looks Taupe in the pictures. I like the look of some of the wood trim pieces and not of others, so I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. I think my thin wallet will help me decide for a while.

easyrider300m

refresh my memory--what problems did you have with your M that caused you to invoke the lemmon law---and what are you buying in its place--- maybe something special?

Easyrider300M

300mlover

I hade the infamous front end shimmy/shake/vibration problem. Went through 4 sets of tires (Goodyears and Mich), 3 sets of rims, and new rotors and pads(thought to be the issue) before deciding to go through Arbitration. No special(although it is really nice) for me. I have decided to go back to an SUV.

Click here to see it. http://public.fotki.com/cmc300m/

bigmike5

Craig--Might I suggest that you forward hardcopy of all the paperwork associated with the arbitration to Roger so he can find a niche to post it on the web site for those who might need it some day. Even if it is peculiar to your particular state, the paperwork may provide good insight for those few who might have to undergo the process. Let us know what you go to next.

bigmike5

Craig--Just looked at your new wheels. Another DC product?! I had forgotten how great the duals looked on your M til I reviewed that album on your site. Really a nice job, and the spoiler didn't look too bad either. Nice looking car. So far my new Dayton Datona tires 245/45-17s have solved the shimmy for me. Death to Badyears. Even cost me $2 a tire to have them disposed of, although I bet even money the tire place sells them as "used" [with only 33K on them] and makes a few bucks there too.

beach15

So, how do you like your new Durango RT? I know that it really doesn't compare in any way to a 300M, but what made you decide on it? I myself actually like Durango's partly because of the cool way they look and after riding in a friend's black 4WD SLT this past summer. I really liked how absolutely concrete solid it felt, how smooth and quiet it was, how high up, and that great V8 burble when accelerating. I'm almost sure it had the 4.7 liter engine.

I've been wondering, how bad is the gas mileage on the RT? I watched a review of a new 2002 on Motorweek not too long ago and that was the one thing that they didn't like. Anyway, good luck with the new ute'!

silverbullet4

Hi, Y'all from Texas. We had a trouble-free trip to Killington, VT and RI for skiing and family Christmas gatherings. When my wife and boy picked me up at the Boston Logan airport, she had rented a Ford Taurus. The trunk would not hold all of our luggage, so the Budget manager kindly upgraded us to a Ford Aerostar minivan at no extra charge. Pretty nice of him. The Airostar was very sensitive to small steering inputs, but was OK otherwise. The ghastly part was listening to Harry Potter tapes for hours on end.

We hit Killington right after a good snow, so had two and a half nice days on the 37 trails that were open. The last night it rained all night, so our timing was good. My daughter and wife drove over to Dartmouth to check out the campus for her college wish list.

Logan had lots of security. My wife, a known terrorist, had to take off her boots and have them x-rayed. We had a large cardboard box full of gifts which was never opened or inspected in any way. (maybe x-rayed)

The M started right up after sitting for a week.
My son and I went to the Cotton Bowl game yesterday. Not much going on there. I think ARK had 55 yards of offence on 50 plays.
Wishing you all a prosperous and healthy New Year, and new jobs for sdmike and me.

Silver

sdmike2

As if it wasn't enough for my company to close the local office this summer and make me fly every week, and THEN lay me off on 12/31, but I just found out that all of my reimbursed travel expenses for that period have been classified as INCOME and are taxable! It's because my "home office" was moved from San Diego to San Jose, and my travel expenses were considered a cost of getting to the office. It's about $11k in expenses! I'm not sure if I need a lawyer or a tax accountant. I think I'll get both.

Geez

dyadinc

Just came from a Chrysler dealer here in Phoenix and had a look at an M-special on their lot. It was black, no options. What I noticed immediately about it was how terrible the paint was. Heavy, heavy orange peel on every panel. My 99 deep slate had none of this. Im wondering if anyone else has noticed this if they have a black car. My brother is considering an M ( despite the piss poor customer service ive had with my warranty issues on mine ) and I'd hate to have his car delivered with cruddy paint when he orders a black one. Whats the word... did I just come across one bad one or are they all like this?
Thanks

sdmike2

Hey, sounds like you had a great time up at Killington! When I lived on the east coast it was one of my favorite places to ski.

Have you started the job hunt yet? I've decided I'm going to live off my severance for the next 8 weeks and then dive back into the job market. I'll do a resume in the next couple of weeks and get it circulating to head hunter firms, but I really need a little time off to re-charge my batteries and do about 20 projects around the house that I otherwise wouldn't get to.

I watched part of that game yesterday and I share your lack of enthusiasm. It was like watching paint dry. You guys needed something like our Holiday Bowl where an obscene amount of points were scored, including about 28 of them in the last 5 minutes of the game. heh.

grunschev

I am not a tax accountant, so this advice is worth what you pay for it. You might see if you can consider this a "temporary work assignment away from home." I did this about 10 years ago and it worked quite well. The IRS will allow some per diem, which is then applied as a deduction (once you meet the requisite AGI limits, etc.). Back then, I got $28/day and I spent 11 months away from the home office.

Be legal, but be aggressive!

Igor

svevar

As cold weather has finally set in here in the northeast, my 2000 300M has begun to make annoying, high-pitched creaks and rattles which persist until the car warms up. I did not experience this problem last winter. The noises come from both of the doors on the driver's side. Any suggestions on how to stop it?

99_300m_ric_va

Indy,

My seat fell back on me on one side too and I took it out and installed a standard bolt too.

I was stretching out reaching down into my deep pocket for something and it was just too much for the seat. The original bolt has a sleeve machined into the bolt so it's a custom part. Standard bolt should work fine given I don't move the seat very much. If it doesn't, I got a whole bunch more in the bin in my garage.

At the time I was doing that I was trying to figure out what causes the seat to move slightly. It's was not obvious so I gave up, but I'm interested in investigating it again, if I knew what part to focus on.

fastdriver

sdmike2-

Geez! When it rains it pours! Do any of those 100 or 20 chores include moving stuff around in the garage to make room for Big Red??? ;-)))

No snow here in So. CT yet! Can't wait for Spring! Hate the cold! Plus, I can't wash or Zaino my car!

fastdriver

300michael

We are freezing here in Phoenix too (60's) (That is very cold for us) I hate to have to wear a heavy jacket to work on the car. Just four months to go.

fastdriver

300michael-

COLD!!!!!!!! LOL......... As much as I like the warm weather, the temp in Phoenix during the summer is a bit too much for me. With temps like that, the regular wax must just melt off your car.

fastdriver

sdmike2

Fastdriver - lol! No, Big Red isn't going to see the garage unless she becomes the wife's daily kid taxi. We have cabinets on both sides of the garage, and unless one of our cars is a fiat spyder or equivalent there's no way that two will fit in. Nice try though! lol.

Michael - I was channel surfing last night and saw something that reminded me of Phoenix. In "Las Vegas Vacation" Chevy Chase and family visit the in-laws that live in a trailer in the desert (on a former nuclear testing range..but that's another story..). At dinner time the host brought out a pile of chicken parts for the "BBQ" and Chevy Chase astutely noticed the lack of grill. Well, the host walked over to a big rock and tossed the pile of chicken on it...at which point the chicken began to sizzle like it was in a skillet! I thought of Phoenix in the summer immediately. lol

ruski

hey if you wonder why it's called "fotki" - that's a Russian colloquial word for "photographs". I think the site is run by some Russians.

fastdriver

sdmike2-

LOL.. Well, I tried! Is there a raised portion ABOVE the garage ceiling? Can you put some plywood down and a pull-down stairway(on the wife's side of the garage) and move those cabinets up there so that Big Red will have shelter too? ;-))

Good thing you use Zaino with poor Big Red sitting under the palm trees 24/7! ;-))

fastdriver

sdmike2

Well, I don't know if you've seen these swell houses in California, but builders don't seem to know what basements are...or they think all of our stuff will fit into drawers or something. The rafters above the garage are full already. Let's see...about 4 giant bins of Christmas decorations, two for halloween and thanksgiving, one for Easter...plus luggage, roller blades, infrequently used sporting goods, etc. etc. etc. I'm thinking of digging a big pit in the side yard and making a bomb shelter...just for the storage! heh.

ruski

http://www.auto.com/industry/cross3_20020103.htm

I say they screwed it.

kosh_2258

dyadinc

It must be something to do with the black paint. The silver clearcoat on mine looks perfect. I haven't found any flaws yet and I've been looking hard. There's a couple pictures posted of a black M Special and the paint on it looked glossy in the pictures anyway:

http://custommopar.homestead.com/Special.html

svevar:

The seals are probably a little dryed out and if you have any residue on the door frame they'll rub and squeek. Get a can of silicon spray lube (the dry kind) and wipe down the door seals and door frame with it and buff off the excess. That should help.

sdmike2

that 215 HP will probably be mated to a slick MB 5 speed and pushing a car that weighs a half ton less than the M. It'll probably fly.

bigmike5

After reading the article, I sent the author a note asking if he had a typo on the HP for the Crossfire. The ads in the Chrysler magazine said this car would have 275hp not 215, and would be supercharged to go 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, and have a top speed of 148 mph. I don't see 215 hp being able to do that, even if it is supercharged and blown. Any thoughts?

On the computer. Since I went from 225/55-17 tires to 245/45/17's the Miata tire site said I am going 4% slower than the speedo says. For example, when the speedo says 60, I am really going 57.6 mph. My question for the smart/math/physics/engineer guys [Russ K] is this: Would this tire change also affect by 4% the mileage readings [high by 4% to a destination]and fuel efficiency readouts [low by 4% per gallon] that this computer thinks I am getting? I think it does, but I guess I will have to do a manual check to be sure.

300michael

Now you can go 80mph in our 75 mph freeways and probally not get a ticket. You should be able to use things like the Gtech Pro to do testing though since it does not use the car's computer.

lflowers

ruski....I just received this week's issue of AutoWeek last night. In an article on the Crossfire, they state that it will be powered by a 215HP 3.2 liter V6 with either a 6 speed manual or a 5 speed automatic. I don't know if a second source makes the info true, but AutoWeek is usually spot on in their articles on car announcements. They also mention that it will have a speed activated spoiler which rises above 50 mph. The photos of the preproduction car, IMHO, look better than the show car version I've seen in previous pictures. But I definitely prefer the 300M's rear view to the Crossfire's "boat tail" rear styling. The front view looks OK though.
otto.... from what I'm reading about the production Crossfire, it appears that you Canadian DC workers won't get any new work from production of the Crossfire. DC evidently plans to farm the assembly out to Karmann in Germany. Bad news, I'd guess!
Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas

lflowers

I also put 245/45/17 tires on my M, but I was told by several sources that the stock 17x7 wheels were too narrow for 245's. All the tire "experts" told me I needed rims at least 8" wide for 245 tires. Since I didn't especially care for the chrome Razorstar wheels that come on my M, I bought a set of Konig Tantrum 17x8 wheels and mounted 245/45ZR17 Goodrich Gforce KDW tires. The tires are lots quieter than the Goodyears they replaced and the dry and wet weather handling is phenomenal. They are not highly rated for snow and ice, but that's not a problem very often since I live in the Dallas area. We've had no snow or ice since I bought them anyway,
although it's certainly cold enough here right now (15 degrees F this morning, according to my 300M's thermometer). The Goodrich tires and the wheels as a package cost about the same as the price I was quoted for Michelin Pilot XGT tires in the original 225/55/17 size.
I was just curious if you've had any problem with the 245's on your stock wheels?

beach15

For any of you still confused, think for a moment, the 3.2 liter 115 horse engine that they're talking about is the one used in the MB C-class, E-class, M-class, and a car very similar to the Crossfire's size & performance, the SLK 3.2 mini-convertible. Matter of fact, this car seems a lot like the little SLK V6. It should be a pretty hot seller (or at least Chrysler gets down on their knees and hopes so!).

Well, overnight it started to snow here in Land of the Idiots, southern Delaware. From here to the tip of Delmarva, there has been snow totals ranging from 1-3"! Oh my god, what a blizzard! Come on people, get a life and move somewhere like Pennsylvania for a winter or two. For the past week and today, the local news morons have been using words such as, "Snow storm, blizzard, and saying that road conditions are bad". In addition, in about 30 minutes, there has been about 15 or 16 car accidents plus numerous fender benders! But then again, these people can't drive on a sunny day without creaming someone with their car (we should know by now!). Also, they have shut down everything with the 1" of snow. My school and many others for example, had either a 2 hour delay or were closed. Well, by 7:30 this morning, everyone decided that they now were closing for the day. So, what now? Who knows..just another day and time in Land of the Idiots!

bigmike5

I too was concerned about how wide I could go on the 7" Razorstars, but Avalanche indicated that he had the Nikko 245s on the 7" rims. The tire chain place I bought them [Tires Plus-used to be Michel Tire] and several others I checked, including the internet places I called] all looked at their book and said they would go. When I took it in, the first thing they did was put one tire on the rim to see if everything was ok, and the answer was yes, no problem. I told them that this was not a loss of sale thing because if the 245s wouldn't work I would go down to 235s. So they knew that they were going to get a sale one way or the other. They told me that the 245s were good to go. I have been running them at the recommended 34 psi, and doing up to 75 mph for extended periods [which is the fastest I will usually drive anyway, except to pass] and no problems. As it is cold in KY now 15-25 degrees daily [KY] I have not run them in hot weather yet. The longest straight highway run was 140 miles to Nashville on I-65--no problems so far. I will let everyone know if any develop, but right now I am delighted with the handling and vibration free ride.

russklass

A 4% spedo error would carryover to the ODO reading and computer estimate of MPG.

 To figure true mileage, you would need to subtract 4% from the ODO miles, and divide by actual gallons consumed.

A 245/50R17 tire would reduce the error to 0.4% too fast.

For anyone interested, here's the link to the tire size calculator:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

bigmike5

Russ--I figured you would know that tech stuff. Thanks for the confirmation. That Miata site is really great when one is thinking about changing sizes on tires.

lflowers--I meant Nitto not Nikko on the tires that Av used.

By the way... where is Av? Osman are you out there?? And also Tandee?? We need to run Tandee's pics again of the stereo installation that she did on her M. It was sweet. Those considering more vibes would find it interesting I think.

hatax

Remember that the WRX has 227 horses and the 0-60 speeds it's capable of getting. The crossfire has a 1.2 liter advantage and also rear wheel drive only advantage (No extra drivetrain componets to power), Also appears it will have one more gear in the manual box. Only disadvantage is the loss of a turbo/supercharger.
I think 0-60 in 5.8 would be attainable in that small of a car if the gearing were done correctly. And with a MB tranny, should be as good as done.

silverbullet4

Mike, there's got to be a deduction there somewhere. You were really screwed over by that decision. Any chance you could go over the bean counter's head and appeal to management? If it could be refigured as reembursement for business expenses, you would come out ahead (and I believe so would the company).

Lynn, those heated seats really have been appreciated these last few days. We had light snow flurries all day yesterday in the Park Cities. How about Plano?

Yesterday, while having a senior moment (couldn't find my car keys), I took out my spare key and unlocked the car. It would crank and fire for a second, then cut off. I found my regular key, and it worked normally. I tried the spare key again with the same crank/start/stop results. Do I need to have the spare reprogrammed or something? Does it have a security chip? Thanks for any info.

Silver

mykem

That sucks. My company's Corp is in San Jose and I always get expensed (tax-free) when I have to travel there. But I'm in Illinois, so maybe it's different for out-of-state people...

and heck... I expense my mileage, gas, and parking for when I come into the office at off-hours -- and I'm only 40 miles away -- and get it all back tax-free. Taxing you on expenses is almostl ike you paying two taxes... the sales taxes and then income tax. If you were 'forced' to go in to the office (they did not relocate you) then I believe they might be obligated to pay your expenses without taxation.

Sounds like your company is putting you on the ol' railroad. Your tax advisor should be able to work it out, though. If it was non-taxable income and they taxed you, you should get it all back in a refund.

A *GOOD* tax advisor should be able to tell you whether to get a lawyer or not...

I'm neither, but I've had experiences...

-m

mykem

the 300M keys have the chip in them.

a hardware store blank, cut key won't work.

i don't know if it's in the manual, but it was in the video...

-m

ruski

The SLK is not a great performer unless it is the AMG SLK with 340 supercharged HP.

Why couldn't they have put the 3.5L into the Crossfire?

tictac3

Recently had this work done. Took the dealer about an hour or so to do.

lflowers

Dohhhh!!! All this cold weather we've been having and I FORGOT to use my heated seats!
I guess it just doesn't get cold here often enough to get into the habit.
Yes, we did have snow flurries in McKinney and also in Irving (Las Colinas) where I work. But the flurries were very light and the snow didn't "stick" at all. Fine by me. It's kinda purty falling but I don't need any on the roads!
My outside temperature readout was interesting this morning. When I got into my M in the insulated garage the temp readout said it was 47 degrees. After backing out and starting to drive, it was fascinating to watch the temp readout fall!
In 2 blocks it went from 47 degrees down to 15! That is definitely cold enough for me!
Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas

splatt

I use the seats every day now. It's been freezing in the morning and they help so very much. However, now I find we need a heated steering wheel. Always one more thing to need...

As for the temp - I've found it does that when the car sits. It takes the temp somewhere under the car, since the wind doesn't effect it, and when it sits the temp can vary by several degrees. I've found in the morning, since it sits outside, it's usually accurate. However, when it's hot it's off more often for me until I get moving.

hayneldan

If you get the latest issue of Autoweek, you will see the production version of the Crossfire is a lot better looking than the original concept. No pillar on center of front windshield, Hemi C grill, Modified 300M headlights with projector lenses, and a speed activated spoiler a-la Porsche.That magazine also lists a 215 HP V6.

sirharper

Who else has got this absurd safety recall item (notification #991)? They clip on the center door support (B) pillar. They are touted to provide head protection as well as a nifty storage area.

I believe I will be putting my storage bins into storage. Is that so wrong?

scotian

I received a similar "recall" last year, and never could figure out what the heck it was for. If someone actually gets the bins, post a picture.

scotian

One of aftermarket Xenon-enhanced blue bulbs burned out, so I purchased a long socket extension so I can put my originals back in this weekend (I used someone else's when I replaced them the first time).

I still want to know how much a set of the Special's HIDs go for...

on1wheel

ok,my trans went into limp mode tonight.its stuck in second gear.engine light also came on.
can anyone remind me what the problem is.i think someone said a sensor or something.is this something i can fix myself?
i have no warranty left.(46,000 miles).
also, is there a tsb on this?
any info is much appreciated.
guess im off to the 5* tomarrow.