Chrysler 300M

alta_300m

Thank you for the welcome.

uxca300m - both my wife and I are already so attached to our new 300M we feel like we have another new born in the family! LOL even though its been 15 years since our last child was born Yup its COLD! -28 deg C tonight, but I think we have hit rock bottom, but we are now on the rebound starting tomorrow. I will be coming out your way (Kitchener) in mid February so please keep that warm weather happening.

mikeyjohn - I read with interest everyones posts about tires and winter handling. My 300M came with Michelin Pilot MXM4 all season radials and so far they have performed extremely well in our extreme winter weather. I believe its the law in Canada that all new cars have to be sold with all season tires if not it should be! I agree that removing the Chrysler decals does add a touch of class to the car and it will be my first exterior modification in the spring once it warms up. I also insisted before I drove our 300M off the dealer lot that they remove their gaudy dealer advertising sticker of her tail end or else they would not be a sale!

I have always loved the look of the woodtrim (Old Jaguar admirer and lover) and would like to add more to mine, but I am struggling with how much is too much. Did you put all 18 pieces in your M?

I did receive an Infinity 10" subwoofer (1020w) for Xmas as the family knew I wanted to add more bass, but could not afford to order a Basslink from the US. I have not unpacked the 1020W yet and am still debating whether to install it (need a box and seperate amp) or exchange it for a Bel 936 radar detector (I will sure need it once the spring thaw happens!)

Wow only 8000 kms so far your doing great! Ours had 9000 kms on it (demo) and we are already up to 11,900! Everybody is finding an excuse to go out for a drive lately LOL.

kosh_2258

I'm trying a set in my Jeep which is easy to change bulbs in.

So far I'm skeptical of them. The bulbs are non DOT wattage 80w vs 55w low, 100w vs 85w high. But with the blue tint the actual output probably breaks even.

I think the narrower beam pattern is the result of the fact the bulb itself is shorter than stock.
Put them side by side and you'll see what I mean. This puts the focal point further away from the reflector so you lose some beam width. If you have a Mag Lite adjustable flashlight adjust the head and you'll understand what I'm saying.

Overall the Eaglite bulbs aren't a waste, but they are by no means in the same league with PIAA bulbs which have a truly legitimate brightness enhancing technology.

I found it interesting that that mine had a little stuffer note that insisted you should wipe the bulb down with alcohol prior to installation to get maximum life.

denverm

Since you already have a domain and a web site, if the thumbnail thing is holding you back you might want to check out PhotoExplorer at http://ulead.com. It's only $25, and it's GREAT for viewing thumbnails or slideshows of digital photos in folders on your hard drive. It will also export HTML thumbnail pages or slide shows. I used it to create a combined slide show/thumbnail page of some wedding photos I shot, at http://btjdesign.com/wedding - very easy. If you want to put individual captions on slide show pages, you would probably have to manually do that, but otherwise it's all automatic.

sdmike2

Thanks! I'll take a look.

achance

achance

Hey Sdmike, can I come w/o my M? I have a kid in college in Chula Vista, so it would be fun to drop in on him and the meet. Who'll be the most out of place, a parent at a college campus or an M owner w/o his M?

sdmike2

Absolutely! No M required. However, you have to bring a picture of it. lol. You can ride with me. I just send out a Yahoo invitation to get some feedback but I left you off (didn't figure you'd ferry out of Juneau). I'll try to make sure you get it. I wonder if I can work a deal with Dollar to get you an M rental cheap! lol

If there is anyone else that would like an invite that doesn't get one let me know. I sent them to members listed as being in California, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona. In Yahoo I'm Beerninja1..just so you don't think you're getting invited to a beer fest or something.

M

mikeyjohn

Yes, I put all the pieces on my M, but I have the sandstone interior and it just looks natural to have all the woodtrim. I have done nothing with the stereo as I am hard of hearing from my military and police career so it would do me no good yet I like my music and the sound this system gives me is great in my opinion. I did have some rattles in my car and it was my son who pointed them out to me as I can't hear them, other than a few rattles I have had no problems. I have every option in my car including side airbags and this car was factory ordered, but without the smokers group. Yup the temprature is starting to move up and the Flames won!!!! We will have to have our own Alberta meet in the spring as my daughter is a Police Officer in Edmonton and I do get up there once in a while. Maybe we can meet at at Tim Hortons doughnut shop. (old habits are hard to break) I have not yet done the Zaino thing, but there is a distributor in Ontario if you want to order. I will be doing it in the spring. I am tired of hearing and seeing how good sdmike2's car looks. LOL

sdmike2

grrrr...every time you mention the joshua tree wood trim kit and sandstone (and inferno red) I want to mail you a digital camera so you can take pictures. I'm teetering on the edge of ordering.

300michael

I did not use all the pieces on my M. To me it was too much. I put on the switch trim, and lower trim on the doors. I did the center dash console. The vent, trip computer, glove box and cup holder trim I left off.
I wanted to cover the black areas on the interior.

300michael

We started at Noon until 3pm (it actually went until 4) but plan for extra time. When M owners start talking there is no stopping them LOL.

300michael

at http://300I.homestead.com/300I.html . It will give you an idea of what I was doing (although they are 2 months old) on the intake. Still fine tuning it.

alta_300m

Ahhhh Tim Hortons, X-Large/Double/Double for me! Never been in the force, but still enjoy Tims

I have the Dark Slate Grey interior and I am worried that by installing all 18 pieces it may be overkill and cheapen the overall richness of the interior. With your sandstone interior I agree it wood (would) go naturally!

Did you install the trim kit by yourself? If you did I would love to here your comments on how the install went and what tips you may have.

Getting together in the spring sounds like a great idea, look forward to it.

sdmike2

One of the users here, glennbp, installed a carbon fiber trim kit in his grey interior. It looks great. Here are the pics:
http://communities.msn.com/Glenns300M/my300mphotos.msnw

uxca300m

The purchase of my 2001M was similar to yours. It was the dealers owners demo car and had only 9000 km on it. I was about two days away from buying an Accura and happened to meet one of the salesmen in a local watering hole. He suggested that I come a take a look at this M he had for sale. I didn't have a clue what an M was but out of courtesy I dropped into the dealer the next morning. There was "Beast" sitting in the show room, shiny inferno red, chrome wheels, bra and spoiler.
My jaw dropped. It was love at first site and I owned it three days later. The only mods I made so far is to remove all of the lettering,lowered the front license plate, changed the air filter to a K&N oil unit, oil to Mobile 1 synthetic and installed the Joshua Tree dash kit.
Can you let me know what the cost was to have your dealer install the Astro remote starter? I thought they voided the warranty but as the dealer installed it I guess that can't be true.

mboomgarden1

I purchased the Eaglite bulbs some time ago, but have been holding off on installing them since others have been lukewarm about their effectiveness. I've used PIAA bulbs on my other cars and have been happy witht he improvement. However, I've also had a previous experience with bulbs that looked similar to the Eaglites and found that they actually reduced nighttime visibility.

I haven't found any reference to PIAAs that fit the 300M--do they exist?

drpixel

to WI Bob--no problem on the phone bill, bud.....ain't free long didtance via cell phone great? Was nice tawkin' to youse, too!
to sdmike2 great shots of your mini-meet! I too woulda had the gold 300m'er paged! There IS nothing like a row of shiny 300m's, is there?..(well, maybe one or two things...)
to beach15 Christine II is a nice name...how about Diablo?
to mrl859 You look an awful lot like James Woods--the actor to me!
to mrl859, glennbp, blonda I've taken the liberty of snagging your 'mugs' for the Rogues Gallery mugshots page 2. Your faces were taken directly from the images from sdmike2's mini-meet pages. If you don't mind, I'd like to add them to page 2 of the mugshot gallery. If you'd prefer a different picture, don't hesitate to send me at my work email:
glenn.beye@ny.frb.org

I've sent a similar message to your respective email accounts--pardon my duplication of messages
to Wtriffnerregarding 'haunted seat(s)': tel your 1/16th star dealer that the BCM (body control module) controls all electronics inside the car: dash lights, radio, door locks, SEAT controls... I had a similar problem (okay, the S.O. did..she drives eMily more than I do...). They replaced the BCM first with a 're-programmed' module-read here as NOT BRAND SPANKING NEW. That module also failed. Got a BRAND new one-untouched by human hands (dealer said BCM costs $1,000). No more haunted seat--or weird light show problems.
This module also causes the 'light show/door lock flicking up and down/dash light flicking on and off/gas gauge reading empty/ mileage read 95, 669 (???), and other weirdness. Have them contact Essex Chrysler/Jeep of Essex in New Jersey as they fixed the problem.

Regards from balmy Noo Yawk,
drpixel/Glenn

mikeyjohn

Mike, do it!!!! you won't be sorry. I have not got into the digital yet, I,m just figuring out my trusty Brownie Hawkeye.

Alta 300M- you might be right, the whole kit might not look too decent on your slate grey. I might just go with the radio and center console and possibly around the clock. I'm afraid you might just have to order the whole kit. Please don't order from any of the other outfits as I believe they are the fake woods and you don't want to mix and match. I followed the directions given and did it on a hot spring day and took my time. I did have one problem but was able to order a new piece which was shipped UPS from the manufacturer in Tijuana Mexico. It looks great.

Uxca300M- I was also under the impression that an auto start system would void any warranty and that came from Chrysler itself. What gives? Have they had a change of heart? We have had several monoxide deaths here because of auto start systems and they are not recommended by the local fire boys, but maybe it was the quality of the product used.

scotian

I don't think PIAA makes these bulbs yet, but they do make H-3 bulbs for the fog kights.

sdmike2

bah! You always raise that brownie arguement. I need to take a close-up picture of my dash so you guys can see the color and how it differs from the Joshua Tree piece that uxca was so kind to send me. I'm wondering if the canadian wood is different than the US wood. Naaaaaaa.

kosh_2258

No, unfortunately PIAA doesn't make bulbs to fit the 300. The 9005 and 9006 WILL fit earlier Intrepids with a little fiddling. But the 300M housing is totally different.

What sucks even more is that Sylvania, which makes the headlight housings AND bulbs, doesn't even offer their high performance near HID bulbs in XS variants. What's up with that?

slate300

Hi all,
I have been away for a long time enjoying my 1999 slate 300M. Now I have a problem that some of you may have come across. This morning I got in and cranked her up and the check engine light stayed on. I got on the road and the transmission kept shifting up and down and finally, after stopping and starting and such, it got stuck in 2nd.

If you have heard of this one before, can you tell me what was wrong?

Tim

lflowers

That's the dreaded "limp home" mode. I haven't had the problem myself, but it's been reported on this forum a number of times. It's a simple fix, just replace one of 2 speed sensors as I understand it. Drive (or have it towed) to your nearest 5*. I'm sure they've seen it before and will know what to do!

Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas

pjyoung

I believe it's a speed sensor. It's in it's "limp home" mode (stays in second). Hasn't happened to mine, but I've read about it here. I don't know what it would cost if it's out of warranty.

tictac3

Finally got around to having the Basslink installed to the tune of $125 – includes 4guage power wire and in-line fuse. Did not seem too expensive. Installer will retune after a 2-3 week break-in period. Sounds great even with settings at their détente positions (during break in)! Mounted passenger side near taillight. One question to those of you who have installed Baslinks (or another type of sub) in the trunk. Will I get better (improved) bass response from the unit if I drill a number of small (say 1/4 inch) vent holes in the rear deck to allow for air movement? Or, cutting a 6 to 8 inch hole in the rear deck, covering it with a thin fabric and putting a grill over it. Your thoughts please.

sdmike2

Mine is mounted behind the rear passenger seat, facing backwards with the passive radiator facing towards the back of the seat. I DO notice a small difference in bass level when I fold the seat down, but not enough to warrant the effort of doing what you describe. I can make up the difference by just turning up the Basslink. Try it for yourself. Fold down one or both rear seats and see what you think. Subtract about 50% of the change because you'd still have the padded leather seats in the way even if you drilled the holes. I'd like to see pictures of where you mounted it. When I messed around in the wheel well area I found that I couldn't mount it in there without blocking access to the spare tire cover/well.

sdmike2

They're heeeeeerrrre. Today I took delivery of the first batch of club sweatshirts plus some back stock of club polo shirts. Roger should send out information on them once he gets back from his vacation in a couple of weeks. Anyone want to be teased with pictures?

silverbullet4

Tictac-A couple of us have mounted ours right up against the passenger side of the trunk, angled slightly to the rear (controls accessable). This allows maximum trunk space and loading convenience. The unit is far enough forward that the cargo net can still be used, and by omitting one mounting bolt the spare cover can still be removed by sliding it to the left and out. As a bonus, the sound seems fine. You do not have to do any alterations to the seats to get plenty of bass. Just fiddle with the controls. I usually have the tone control on the head unit turned down to allow the BassLink to mask the stock speakers' less than optimum response. I may have a dip in the mid-bass frequency response but the sound pleases me, and in the end, that's all that counts. Be aware that the unit will stay powered on for a number of minutes after the car is turned off (at least using the speaker level inputs)-this is normal. Let us know if you have a really good tune to recommend. Enjoy!

Silver

easyrider300m

Tease us!

any plans on high quality plush color matched logo mats--Spring will be here soon and my factory mats are shot--Im using heavy rubber mats for the winter but want the quality look of carpeted mats in the spring--I think, if done right, there would be a big demand for logo mats for club members.

easyrider300m

my favorite for a nice test of bass and general audio is Hotel California. Or a nice classic blues number with some guitar riffs.

sj75

Hi all,
Bought my 300M, deep slate ext., with all the gizmos inside in Jun 2000. Haven't had too many problems other than windows creaking upon closing, replacement of the front passenger butt heater switch and a left suspension arm controller which happend just today. The main thing that bothers me is the window creaking. Have been to 3 5* dealers till now and no resolution. Has anyone managed to resolve it? If so, please let me know.

hayneldan

Beach15 & Mikeyjohn, a great squeek and rattle detector is a 2 to 3 foot length of clear plastic tubing. Buy one with a hole large enough for a small plastic funnel to fit in. Put one end near your ear and move either the funnel end or the tube end around the area you suspect the noise is coming from. The funnel end will locate the area, reversing the hose and using the funnel on your ear will get the noisy area down to about one inch. Don't do this while driving, have someone else drive! LOL!

sdmike2

Here are three pictures. You can't tell from the pic but the sweatshirts are nice and heavy. They're 80% cotton and 20% poly, and we'll have them in M, L, XL and XXL. The colors are grey (heather) and navy (although it looks black in the pictures).

Sweatshirts

Closeup of blue crest

Closeup of grey crest

As for the mats, I think Roger is working on that one and is having some success. Our clothing provider can't handle anything like that (however, they suggested we start thinking about club T-shirts for when it gets warmer.)

Mike

ajpiii

Well I finally recieved the kit from H&R to raise the motor and transmission 1/4". If anyone wants to see what the kit looks like I put some pics on my cardomain page at: http://www.cardomain.com/id/ajpiii

The pics are on page 2. Hope these spacers work !

uxca300m

I don't know what the problem is with the warranty issue. The better remote starters are designed to shut off after about 15 minutes of operation so that should negate any problems with C.M. build up. I also wonder if the M can be re-wired so that the seat heaters would also come on with the remote. On mine, when the ignition is off the warmers return to the default position of off and I have to manually reset to on by hand when starting up the car. Sure would be nice to have those butt warmers tuned to max. when I get into it.
P.S. Bet you guys in the southern U.S. didn't even know that the seats were heated:-)

denverm

My driver's window developed a loud creak at the end of its travel (closing). The dealer tried adjusting it a couple of times, with only temporary or no success. It then started also creaking while moving about halfway up. Dealer finally replaced the regulator, and that has cured it completely.

300michael

On the basslink will it fit inside the spare rim if turned up-side down? I have the full size spare and am looking for something that will fit in there so I don't loose anymore trunk space.

300michael

but I saw the numbers change from 6, to 11, back to 6 when filling out the club meet sheet you sent us. I hope it is 11.

bobhex40

I think I need a new power seat assembly. I replaced the bolts per the TSB and there is less movement but it still feels loose. My power window also groans in the full up position (this is my second). Also, I just had my tires rotated and the vibration (between 35 & 55) is back (went away after the front tires were rotated to the rear @ 7500 miles). I had the wheels balanced (Hunter GPS 9700) and they are better but there is still a slight vibration at low speed when turning the wheel slightly. I'm thinking of dumping the Goodyears (21K miles) and going for the Michelin tires offered on the 2002 but I fear that the wheels might be the problem. Any thoughts anyone? Also my sunroof appears to be sagging in the rear when in the closed position and I also hear what sounds like the cable buzzing when going over bumps in the headliner. I still love the 300M but the dealer support sucks in my area. A local Dodge dealer has offered to help and I might go with them.

sdmike2

Basslink - I can measure the basslink if you want, but I'm not sure how you would mount it in the spare tire well. It has mounting brackets that will allow mounting it on end and flat.

SoCal Event - I invited 49 people and only 9 have responded to date. Of these responses, 6 were "yes" with a total of 11 attendees, 2 were undecided (4 people), and one was a "no" (more like a "i'd like to but I'm moving")

sdmike2

lol. I LOVE my seat heaters! It's great when I'm wearing shorts in January and it dips into the 50s (F)!

mikeyjohn

Thanks for the tip, and just think if I don't need it for squeaks, I can have someone pour my favourite down the funnel. Again thanks!!!!

triffner

This is how the problems with my car started. Try the Michelins but they havent helped my car.
I would love to be able to go to a different dealer (other is at least 45 miles away) but may have no other choice. My seat moving too but not from bolts, this from motor. Contacted Chrysler direct yesterday and received Email telling me the seat movement is natural, even though you drive the car with the seat all the way back. Seat should never move either way. Took it back to dealer today and interesting enough after the seat pinning me up against the dashboard 4 times today the service guy pushed the seat forward first to see if it would go back after car turned off, of course it did not but you know it didnt pin me in either. So bottom line is you have to have seat all the way back, and when you get in to drive you push seat forward alittle so when you turn on the car it wont pin you in. I thought that sounded like a crock to me too. Please if anyone of you has to do this everytime you get into your cars please let me know. Still praying for this car. Hope to be glad I bought it soon. By the way this 5* dealer is Victorville Motors in Victorville, California.

sdmike2

You might try a Dodge dealer if it's different from the Chrysler dealer. Seats should not move when driving...period. Also, if a dealer tells you that your memory seat NOT remembering your setting is "normal" he's full of crap. He's lazy, a liar, or both.

My wife and I have our own keys and our own seat, radio and mirror settings. When either of us uses our remote to unlock the car the seat remains in the "all the way back" position until we put our key in the ignition, then it goes directly to the memorized position. When we remove the key the seat moves all the way back to let us out...and stays there. Since we have the luxury group computer we can tell it to move back for easy entry/exit or not. If you don't have the luxury group you may be able to manually turn the feature on or off (depending on your current setting) to see if it makes a difference. This is how the seats are supposed to work. Anything else is defective. Good luck!

denverm

I have a 2000 M, so that predates the luxury group (I don't know if that option makes it any different). I have the driver's seat #1 memory position set up for me, with the seat all the way back. The driver's seat does NOT move forward one bit when I get in or out of the car or start the car. It never moves at all unless someone manually moves it or selects the #2 memory position. The #2 memory position is set (I think) for my daughter, who drives with the seat a bit forward. The seat moves back about two inches when she turns the car off to allow easier exit, and it moves forward when she starts it back up. I also think your dealer (and Chrysler) is full of it. If the dealer won't fix it, you should escalate within Chrysler.

sdmike2

I know it's not in your back yard, but I'm sure you'll find willing DC dealerships in Norco, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario that would gladly take on your problem...ESPECIALLY if you called them on the phone and told them that you were shopping for a new service department that will take care of you since you're very unhappy with your current one. Most dealers make far more money on service than selling cars, and they're usually more than glad to take a customer from another dealer.

alta_300m

Finally I believe I have some valuable information I feel I can contribute and share with the group. I consider myself a somewhat self taught expert in the remote car starter field. I have had remote starters on all the vehicles I have owned for the last 10 years, even my children's and one of my good buddies installs them for a living. Also living in northern climate remote starters come in very handy! If you live in an extremely hot climate they also can pay dividends by also having your car frosty cold in the summer when you step into it

I have owned a Command Start, Viper and now two different Astro Start systems from Astroflex. Astroflex is a Canadian company from Montreal, Quebec that are recognized as being the industry leader in remote starter market. They make a superior product that does cost a little more, but you get what you pay for.

They have a website http://www.astrostart.com/english/intro.html that has some good information, but visiting your local knowledgeable car accessory dealer is also a valuable source of information about products they may carry and what are the features and benefits.

Most Canadian Car dealers will ask you right after you have signed on the dotted line if you would want to install remote car starter, along with their protection packages. They used to farm out this service, but any good car dealer now installs remote starters right in their own service department, they probably even have specialized installers due to the complexities of the Anti-theft systems now found on most cars and integrating the existing features that are already installed on your car (ie remote door and trunk locks, panic alarms etc.)

I was very happy that my 5* dealer only deals with Astro Start systems because this shows me that they had done their homework. I had them install model 2106 which comes with two 6 button transmitters that incorporates all the existing functionality of the Chrysler factory key fobs into their key fob therefore only having the one key fob to deal with. The total cost was $620 CDN (approx $400 US). The 6 button transmitter can even be programmed to add many new neat features, one I use all the time is by pressing a combination of two buttons a cool tune is played to locate your car in parking lot when you have lost you brains! It also incorporates a low temperature automatic start option. If you download the technical file form Astroflex website you will be amazed what they can do.

Now for the safety concerns, they have built in special relays to protect against theft and accidental starting if say the hood is open. As far as the concern about carbon monoxide, yes it is a concern if you have an attached garage and it is VERY VERY cold in there and you have the low temperature automatic start option turned on. The low tempature automatic start does have a timer built in to shutoff too. Any conscientious home owner of course would also have Carbon Monoxide detectors installed in their homes to protect against furnace of other types of Carbon Monoxide poisoning as I do so I dont worry about it.

Once you have a remote car starter installed you will wonder how you ever functioned before without one!

alta_300m

Dejavu...I never knew Chrysler even made such a car as the 300M until one day my son and I were checking out trucks and there was a stunning stone white Demo in the middle of their show room! I almost bought that one on site. I did manage to resist for a few days and shopped around a bit and then found the one I really really wanted.

My dealer assured me that the Chrylser factory warranty was in no way affected by installing the Astro Start. Having them install it also gave me peace of mind and also just one person to blame if any problems did occur.

alta_300m

I am definately going to look into the butt warmer issue (turning it on remotely) as it is a sore spot for me also and I would like to have that option. I have not seen my buddy for a few weeks (works at JB's Automotive), but I am sure there is a way to turn on the butt warmers from the Astro Start remote car starter fob.

Usually for these type of options no rewiring is required, the functionality is simply added by attaching another electronic relay that is part of the main remote start module that would tap into the seat heater circuit.

He really is an expert in this field and has added many remote options even one to remotely open his keyed gas tank cover without the key on his Acura. Comes in handy at the gas station when it is cold enough to freeze the b**** off a brass monkey.

achance

Don't have one on my M yet, hopefully spoiled wife will get one for me for Valentine's Day - she got hers for Christmas in her Sebring. Her's is an Avital, the only one available from a (more or less) reputable installer here. I agree that once you have one, you'll never know how you lived without it in a cold climate. That said, it is finicky as hell and a whole bunch smarter than the installers we have here. There have been "issues" - to use a current cliche. The best one is that if the car is outside and covered with snow, the starter can't seem to "see" the remote and doesn't work. I don't know what you need with one in a garage, so the CO issue seems to be a non-issue. The whole thing is for comfort and convenience; any car that won't start at zero degrees is out of tune or worn out.