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Chrysler 300M

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Comments

  • arby500arby500 Member Posts: 68
    Is he drilling a hole then pulling the dents out? You guys then going for paint jobs? What's this guy do? Inquiring minds like to know.... 8^)
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Your Owners Club host explains the process here: KarenS "Chrysler 300M Club-Photo Gallery" Jan 29, 2001 12:41pm

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • glennbpglennbp Member Posts: 327
    I have to admit I'm anxiously awaiting your opinion on the "dent guy's" work. I don't have any dings, but I do have this nice scratch on my hood thanks to the wreck that occured next to me last week. It's only a 1/4 inch long, but a real eyesore IMO. If he takes out some scratches and it looks good, let me know. I really don't want to have to paint the whole hood if I can avoid it.
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    blonda, if don't come up with another solution, email it to me I'll post it at my domain and put a link here for you. glenn, I'm going to ask him to fix a 8 inch long scratch on my driver's door that looks *mostly* like clear coat damage (looks white, not the color of primer). I'll let you know how he does.
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    I have a sample I can send you if you don't get one from Joshua Tree. In fact, they're sending me a new shifter piece (there was a flaw on the original), but I may not put it on at all. So, I may have the radio trim, two shifter pieces and all of the vent pieces available for someone with the luxury group. I'll let you know.
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    They push the dings out using smooth tools from the back side. They remove the door panels and get at them that way. They call it "paintless dent repair". They can't fix things that are on seams or have sharp contours all the way, but with normal door dings they do a great job typically.
  • ducati52ducati52 Member Posts: 12
    Thanks for the tips, folks. Another quick question: do *all* the 99-00 stereo systems have the A-pillar speakers with the Infinity logo on them, or just the upgraded Infinity II Spatial Imaging system?
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    how did it go? Should I let him come to my house or tell him to take a hike? He's on his way so let me know quickly. lol
  • blondablonda Member Posts: 542
    He did a great job on the dings. Very difficult to tell they were ever there. The scratches he just did "touch up" for me. Buffed out a couple bad touch ups I did when I first got the car and filled in the one the dealer put in my door. This guy knows a lot about paint though...he used to be in that business. Funny when I was standing out there talking to him around lunch people (co workers)kept stopping and getting estimates from him so he probably spent at least an extra half hour doing that.
  • blondablonda Member Posts: 542
    I'll expand a little more on what he did with the ding removal. For the doors he either goes in from the side of the door if he can get to it by removing some of the weather stripping. If he can't get to it that way he may drill a hole there then plug it with a black plug--which would come in handy for the next ding repair. On my car, he ended up not having to drill a hole for the top repairs. I had one on the bottom of the rear door that he did drill a hole to fix but it's on the very bottom of where the door opens -- can't even tell it's there. He prefers to do it this way rather than taking off the door panels and they can be difficult to put back on correctly. The quarter panel he will try a variety of ways. He was able to get to mine by removing the gas door and reaching it through there(as the dent was caused by it being pushed back too far). as Mike explained - -he rubs them out from behind.
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    holes?!?!?! I don't want no stinkin holes!! He's here now. I better get out there before he takes a drill out. I asked him about my scratch and he mentioned "wet sanding". ACK! I told him I didn't like the sound of that! I found another ding on my rear 1/4 panel, and got $$ signs in his eyes when he saw my wife's van. I told him that since my wife doesn't care, I don't care. :)
  • 300kam300kam Member Posts: 29
    OK, I heard all talking about K&N filter, how about Amsoil, has anybody tried? I would like to have comments. Amsoil claims that they can filter smaller particles with as much air flow, is it possible? It is time for me to replace my air filter. I would like to put the air charger on hold util people passed the CA smog check.
  • blondablonda Member Posts: 542
    Isn't that the only way to get out those types of scratches? From the conversations I heard during his impromptu estimates he's very knowledgeable. He can even spot instantly a ding that has been removed in the past. One of my coworkers with a Lexus SC300 who got an estimate was upset at his dealer when this guy told him that his rear door had been repainted (they had told him it wasn't) but he showed him the tapes lines on the side of the door and sure enough...looks repainted.

    He mentioned how the factory paint on his GM truck was crap. I said I didn't think the M's paint was that good either, but he said actually it's pretty good and has been fitted and polished several times over (whatever that means).
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    well, he wet sanded out the scratch and it looks better. He didn't have to drill holes for the ding repair, but rather went in through the window opening in top of the door. He's now fighting to find access to the ding in the back. I can't see where the old ding was on the driver's door. Excellent job so far! He echoed what you said about the paint. He tells me the reason that the Inferno Red is more expensive is that it's a 3 step paint instead of two. After the primer and color there is another layer of special paint (I forget why/what) and then the clear coat. He says I should hope to never need it re-painted because it will be expensive.

    Did you see what the Shell station did to his chrome wheels?? Oh my god.
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    Great job! He was defeated by the one in the rear because of lack of access (said it would take him an hour just to get to it), but it's very tiny and I never noticed it before anyway. He also sanded and buffed out a spot where I used touch-up paint by my door handle, and now you can't see it. Overall I'm very pleased.

    Glennbp, he says he doesn't do paint work anymore but referred you to Mike at Old Town Collision (tell them Eddie at Dent Devils sent you). He said they do great work for a very reasonable price.

    300michael - he seemed genuinly interested in coming out to our meet on Saturday if he thought there would be work there. I told him that I couldn't guarantee anything, but there *might* be some interest. You interested?
  • mikeyjohnmikeyjohn Member Posts: 365
    I'm glad to see that you are all happy with the dent guy. I knew that if the guy was a professional that he could do the work without taking off door panels etc. I was also pleased that he was able to remove that ding by your fuel door. These guys or gals are really good in what they can do. I notice that you do not have many of these people in your area, and I was thinking. Mike you are unemployed! Do you want a new profession? As you can see there is good money in it, and think you could set up in a van in a Walmart parking lot, and if you are really underhanded you could create your own business. Just Kidding!!!!!!
  • indydriverindydriver Member Posts: 620
    83,000 miles on my '99 still going strong. I still love to drive this car. No problems in the last 40,000 miles. Great gas mileage on 87 at highway cruising speeds 75mph=28mpg all day long. Any other high mileage owners out there doing any heavy maintenance? Has anyone tuned-up this marvelous engine yet?
  • blondablonda Member Posts: 542
    Well my tips didn't arrive again today. I'm trying to get a status from these guys I ordered them from (Trailblazers Auto)they are closed now so can't talk (or yell at) them until tomorrow. Looks like I have to push back the duals install. If I don't do it tomorrow they can't do it until next week. Oh well.
  • blondablonda Member Posts: 542
    Glad he did a good job for you too. By the way, he slipped up and told me he scored a job with a Jaguar place yesterday (you were right) -- said he doesn't know why he took it -- Jaguars are extremely difficult to do. soooo that explains why he skipped out on us yesterday, but he could have told us that.
  • jona57jona57 Member Posts: 194
    sdmike-

    My 01 has the lux group & I have been seriously considering a wood kit. Are these folks good to deal with? Let me know what you decide to do with your extra pieces.

    Jon
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    Yeah, they seem real nice to deal with. The original kit got to me in two days, but the replacement piece is supposed to take three weeks. They answered my emails on the weekend (within minutes) and said there was no need to return the faulty piece, and that they would place a production order for it first thing Monday. Overall I'm very happy with the company and the product...although there are always annoying little product thingies. :)

    By the way, I'll be taking my kit to the meet so anyone there can see and evaluate it.
  • silverbullet4silverbullet4 Member Posts: 449
    Pat-I can't get the system to "scroll up 20 messages". First time that has occured.

    Thanks for your help.

    Silver
  • videoman1videoman1 Member Posts: 201
    For those of you with a Pocket PC handheld PDA device such as a Compaq iPAQ 3650, check out http://www.pocketpcthemes.com/preview.asp?ID=4445
  • lancerubinlancerubin Member Posts: 12
    So now that I have located this box that the antenna plugs into just before the back window, I am still confused. The box seems to connect to both the upper wires in the window and the lower ones which I thought were the window defroster. Is it possible that the defroster and the antenna are sharing the same terminals. Also, this box is powered and I don't understand why.
  • wire2wire2 Member Posts: 188
    >>The box seems to connect to both the upper wires in the window and the lower ones which I thought were the window defroster<<

    The 2 inputs are AM and FM. They're separate because the frequencies differ so much, (540-1700KHz and 88-108MHz). There's no connection to the defrost heater element.

    >>Also, this box is powered and I don't understand why.<<

    As I mentioned in a previous post, the EBL module is an impedance matching amplifier. Any amplifier needs external power to operate.
    If someone can explain to me how to insert pics along with this post I'll show the inside of one.
  • lee1nyclee1nyc Member Posts: 60
    I just turned 40,000 miles on my '98 ES. Even though the Goodyears that came as standard equipment are in good shape, I want to buy myself an "Easter Gift"

    I have been doing some research and am thinking of going with the Dunlop SP Sport A2's. Does anyone have an opinion on these tires? (225 x 60 x 16)

    Thanks
  • easyrider300measyrider300m Member Posts: 1,116
    someone on here bought the A2s and was very happy with them--and the reviews on tirerack.com are excellent---

    another choice would be Yohohama Avids but they are only T rated--good till 112mph. If you have PHP, you probably dont want to used them. They also have a high rating in Edmunds and cost about $88 each--with a 60,000 mile guarantee
  • glennbpglennbp Member Posts: 327
    Out of desperation I found and tried a paint touch up system that is the best I've seen so far. It is from a place called 1st Auto Touch Up Paints run by Joe Fink out of North Carolina and you can get to them here:


    http://www.1stautotouchuppaints.com


    You will need your car's paint code to order. The system comes with 2 bottles (your paint color and clearcoat) and a third bottle of something called "special blender". There is also a couple of syringes, a small black rubber block, some shop towels, regular towels, and detailed instructions. Now I wasn't expecting much especially since the touch up I was doing was a chunk out of my hood, but I have to admit this is the best system I have seen short of re-painting the whole thing. The key is this "special blender" stuff which appears to be a very diluted lacquer thinner in an oil base. After you place the touch up paint and let it dry for about 10 minutes, the blender is used with the rubber block and paper shop towel to literally blend the paint into the defect. The results are pretty amazing. I tried it on a few small marks and they literally disappeared! You can still see the area on the hood where the damage was, but it looks a 1000 times better. Anyway, for $40.00 and enough material to last the life of your car, I think this system is a bargain. If you have very minor paint dings and scratches that you want to get rid of, I would give it a try. There was absolutely no change whatsoever to the original paint. It is safe as I tested it first to be absolutely certain.

  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    did you take before and after pictures? Make sure you bring the kit to show-and-tell saturday.
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    I was amazed at how well this ding guy could remove scratches and swirl marks in the paint, and even make my crappy touch-up scratch repair invisible. The process for the touch-up repair (and the clear coat scratch) was to use some very fine grit wet sandpaper (well over 1000?) and then polish the area with a paint leveler or swirl remover of some sort using a soft poloshing pad attached to a cordless drill (not an orbital). I watched him closely and think i could do this myself given the right equipment & supplies. Anyone know a good place to buy stuff like this on-line?
  • glennbpglennbp Member Posts: 327
    Well, sort of... they didn't turn out worth a squat. The reflection off the Zaino obliterated everything and without flash they look terrible but I'll post them anyway. They might give some idea as to what it looks like.
  • glennbpglennbp Member Posts: 327
    Here's the pics:

    image
    image
    image
    image
  • blondablonda Member Posts: 542
    Well Fed Ex was running very late yesterday, my 3 business day by 4:30 shipment arrived on the 4th business day at 5:30 but I got them just in time. Will be getting the duals installed this a.m. afterall - yeah!
  • fuzzywuzzyfuzzywuzzy Member Posts: 958
    Car And Driver has updated their website to reflect the drive they did on the Special. FYI

    http://www.caranddriver.com
  • fuzzywuzzyfuzzywuzzy Member Posts: 958
    Can't seem to scroll up 20 messages either.
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    did you have any success posting those pics?

    glennbp - wow! hardly visible at all!
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Yes it is. :(

    The software engineers rolled in some changes last night, and some things changed that were not supposed to. AFAIK, no one can see anything but the last 20 posts in any given discussion.

    The problem is being addressed, I assure you.

    And no, at the moment there is no estimated get well time.

    We are sorry.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • cbwonguscbwongus Member Posts: 40
    Anybody with an 01 or later M with the chrome trim around the windows get rid of it somehow? Can I get replaced with the trim for the 00 or 99? They must still make it for replacement for those model yrs, right? Just not into the flash of chrome, I have a deep slate car and dark windows and the trim is just screaming.
  • cbwonguscbwongus Member Posts: 40
    For the guys with the KN air charger, would putting a duct in the hood over the intake to draw some air in directly at the intake improve performance?
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    probably, because the more cool air the better. However, the difference probably isn't enough to justify the effort & expense (IMO)
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
  • jj300mjj300m Member Posts: 24
    All of the a-pillar speakers have the Infinity logo.
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    Now we don't have to yell at Glennbp for taking up all the message space on this page. lol
  • dthobartdthobart Member Posts: 18
    ducati52 - Do you live in the Northeast? I am going to be trading in my 2000 300M in the next few weeks, but I'd much rather sell it to a devoted Edmunds poster.

    I live in Southern Maine:
    About 45,000 highway miles on her.
    Big Stereo
    Hole in the Roof
    Full Size Spare
    Dark Blue
    Zaino Preserved - But dirty right now (darn snow)
    No sport package.

    Reason for trading - Need to lease my next vehicle to take advantage of tax benefits of self-employment.

    Am currently test driving - 300M Special, Infinity G35 (when they eventually get one at the dealership) and Cadillac CTS.
  • 300michael300michael Member Posts: 1,815
  • 300michael300michael Member Posts: 1,815
    K&N stock replacment filter, Throttle body, some emblems, neon hot wire, and European side marker lights. See you at the meet Saturday morning at 11:30ish.
  • cbwonguscbwongus Member Posts: 40
    How much did you guys pay for the KN air charger?
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    $230 plus shipping at http://www.martelbros.com. Click on the K&N logo and put in part number 63-1029
  • sdmike2sdmike2 Member Posts: 2,909
    We're having a cold snap here, so dress for the 60s with wind. Not bad, but definately need a jacket.
  • blondablonda Member Posts: 542
    Just got back from a foreign land (you SD people will know what I'm talking about) where some really nice people but in the Hugo Dual system for me with wide oval Ractive tips. I like it! Sounds great and I'm not sure if the computer has picked up on it or not (drove about 25 miles plus some stop and go stuff) but I swear not only does it have slightly more power, but it's shifting smoother on hard acceleration. The tips look great and I haven't had a good chance to really look at and get used to them, but in hindsight I should have had them put them about 1/2 inch shorter. Currently they are about 1/4" back from the farthest edge of the bumper. I think the half ince would make the difference between Aggressive and Very Aggressive -- Very being what I have now.
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