Well, I had 42K miles on my 2000 when I sold it. There are several 99's on ebay with over 40K miles. In the 3 years I have been on this board I have never heard of a tranny dieing like yours. Some bad speed sensors which caused the limp mode(2nd gear only) to kick in, one guy blew his engine, but no tranny failures. Everyone is right, you are only 4K miles out of warranty, you need to fight this. Take it to Chrysler. I'm sure fastdriver, or another user can give you the right numbers, & people to talk to. Yes it's a long process, but fight it anyway. If you can show, you took care of it, & the tranny just went, chrysler should eat the whole cost, or at least some of it.
but cars are mechanical things and they break from time to time. We annually build 250 000 + LH cars a year , so you know a certain percentage will encounter problems . Nobody builds perfect cars. We just hope dealers will fix these problems so they will never reappear .
"I doubt many 300M owners have over 40k miles yet"
My guess would be that most 99 300Ms have over 40k miles by now. In most major metropolitan areas these days, people are driving about 15k miles per year. I've got 47k on mine, and I've car pooled off and on for about a third of the time I've owned the car. It will be 3 years old in 2 months.
As for extended warranties, I believe their main purpose is to judge the expected cost of repairs over the covered timeframe. These people make money selling them, so I figure it's a good bet I'll save money by not buying one. But it's a calculated risk. I'm sorry to hear you're coming out on the short end of it.
I'll echo the sentiments of many that every manufacturer can make lemons or have engineering problems. My first car was a Plymouth made by Mitsubishi. It was a great car for me, but the rear end had to be replaced every 80k miles. I was on my 3rd when I traded the car in at 192k.
I'm with you fuzzy! My 2000 has just under 48K miles right now and I rack 'em up at the rate of 600 a week. I've been reading this board since right after the 300M was introduced and have heard a lot of talk about Chrysler trannies being bad, but pster's is the first actual transmission failure I can remember reading about. I don't believe even fastdriver, with all his M's problems had a tranny failure. Other than alignments and one window motor, I have had no problems with my M. I do have 2 new items I need to take my car to the 5* for. I experienced a windshield (I think) leak during the heavy rains we had here in Dallas earlier this week and just this week also the driver's seat automatic adjustment (when entering and exiting the car) has become intermittent. I'm hoping my dealer continues his good service when I take my car in for these problems. I love my M and have never had any reason to regret the purchase, except, perhaps, when the payment is due! Lynn Flowers McKinney, Texas
How tough is this to install? Keep in mind I've got the mechanical prowess of a Harbour Seal. I'm thinking about this mod, but don't want to sink a whole bunch of money into having someone install it if it is relatively easy. Guesses at what someone would charge to put it in?
It really is very easy. The kit comes with everything you need and it takes about 20 minutes to install. The instructions are very clear and complete. Do it yourself and save a few bucks!
just wondering: did you change your tranny fluid at all over those 40K miles---I changed mine (comlete flush and filter change) at 17k just to be safe---and also I a made sure they used the recommended atf-4 fluid. I hear you could have short fluid life or tranny probs if you use any other type of fluid. If you did have it changed, who did the service and did they use the proper fluid. Also if you had it changed, did they do a complete fluid flush or just a pan drop.
do you drive it hard with fast accerations to the redline and frequent shifts--do you do lots of city driving or mostly highway--and do you use the autostik frequently or only occasionally.
1. I do not drive hard. I do not do fast starts. I drive 40 miles rountrip each day to work via freeway at 60-70mph. Approx. 60-70% freeway driving, the rest around town. I consider myself a "typical driver". 2. Car is garaged at all times, at home and office. 3. Car has never been on a dirt road. 4. All filters changed regularly. I change the oil myself using Mobil 1 synthetic and Mobil filter. 4. Transmissoin fluid was replaced around 20k miles(I like to get the new fluid out after engine breakin).
Guys (and gals), please understand I really loved this car and took great care of it. Waxed it at least once a year, usually twice. Chrysler has made me pay for one window regulator that broke at 38K miles and this tranny problem at 41k miles. I have begged and complained to the dealer. He isn't budging. If anyone has the name of a Chrysler rep I could talk to, I'd be more than happy. I feel Chrysler should bear at least the cost of the part. Anyway, I'm tired of the whole thing. They won. I'm not spending any more time on it. They've lost me.
You are more then welcome to use any or all the pictures you want. I consider all the pictures I have at my sites up for grabs. My exhaust diagram is probably on most of the 300M and other LH web sites I have seen.
It was only three weeks ago that both of the Amoco stations in my town were selling regular gas for $.99. Today I filled up with Amoco regular and paid $1.20. By the time I passed the same gas station two hours later, it had gone up to $1.24.
Does anyone have any idea why gas has gone up 25% in such a short period of time? Maybe I should be thankful I got gasoline today for the four cents a gallon less. We all must go in to see our bosses and demand that 25% pay increase.
I don't usually stick up for dealers, but I don't necessarily think you have cause to be unhappy with the dealer under these circumstances. I've run into a couple of instances over the years in which dealers have gone to bat for me when I've been a few miles out of warranty, but I viewed it as a bonus, not something I was entitled to.
Having said that, it does seem like a pretty early failure for a transmission. Have you contacted the Chrysler zone manager to see if they will pick up some of the cost? That sometimes works. Check your owner's manual/warranty book for further information on who to contact.
Also, were there any service writeups before the 36,000 mile point for transmission problems? If so, that may give you a strong argument for coverage--i.e., an undiagnosed defect that showed up within the warranty period. Finally, if you can demonstrate to the zone manager that you followed or exceeded the service intervals, that might prove helpful.
I agree that you have a right to expect better performance of your 300M; I'd suggest, however, that you should focus on getting help from Chrysler, rather than expecting that the dealer will cut you any breaks.
Be thankful you're not here in So Cal where I just filled up for $1.62/gal and that's for mid-grade 89 octane. I've given up trying to figure out the oil industry but rest assured they are not taking any profit losses! The amount of money paid to their top execs is absolutely obscene IMO!
Thanks for the info. I took the cdrom that came with it to work yesterday and printed the more "detailed" user manual. A whopping 199 pages! I found the settings and took some test pictures yesterday so I think I figured it out. It is a really cool camera. I love the zoom. Costco had it for only $479 so couldn't pass it up. I took a couple shots of the exhaust tips. I think I need to have a webpage set up first before I can post here. I may send you a couple to post for me if you don't mind.
I ordered mine on Tuesday. My husband is out of town for a few days....(all the better as he will complain about me spending yet more $$ on the car), so I will try to install myself if it arrives by the weekend. I'll let you know if I break a nail -- but it looks pretty easy. If I can do it then you can for sure.
I do have MS Office, also Adobe Photoshop and this software that came with the camera (Camedia) -- I need to sit down and play with them some to see what works best. I'll email if I have questions on the MS Office -- thanks!
Those of you who are considering single exhaust tips like the Ractives that me and nc300m have, I saw a Mercedes CLK coupe (240 I think) today (love that car) and it's tips are very similar but not quite as wide and the tip is more of a slant with rolled ends. Would look nice on an M if you could get them without paying the MB price.
You're right. Christine never had a tranny failure, but it shifted like crap. I just kept pulling out the TCM fuse every few months so it could "relearn" how to shift. Unfortunately, I think mine was a slow learner. That was ONE reason why I wanted it OUT of MY name BEFORE it hit 36,000 miles with no warranty. Got rid of it with 35,500 miles. In one week, my new car will be one year old. 13,000+ miles and not ONE problem. Best car I have ever owned of all that you see in my profile.
I've been thinking about all this talk about car problems. I think that maybe the reason I have been lucky with all my cars, except Christine, is because I don't keep them that long. Every 2-4 years they go. I can't remember all the mileage on my cars, but most likely none of them had 50,000 miles on them. I never replaced brakes/rotors or tires, transmission fluid etc. Most likely those cars had a lot less mileage, except for the 66 Caddy convertible because I kept that car for many years. As far as I know, it's still around! That was a nice car too. When my cars get traded, people are "waiting" in line to buy them because they are like the day I got them. I guess my Christine experience was LONG overdue, but I hope I never go through anything like that again.
pster-
E-mail me if you want a number for Auburn Hills. FORGET that DC "help" number. You have to go straight to the top. Of course, when I called, it was still Chrysler, not Mercedes! Things might have changed since then. Forget the Zone Office reps too. The two that I dealt with were WORSE than the dealer. Like people have said above, look for all your service slips. In CT, it's a LAW that they have to give you one when your car goes in for service. If you misplaced any, Auburn Hills or ANY dealer COULD see your service record with just your VIN number no matter what Chrysler dealer serviced your car. Doesn't matter what state it was done in either. When I ended up with my 3rd "5-STAR" dealer, a Dodge one, they made some comment about all the work that had been done on Christine. This came up when I had to bring it to them after all my tranny fluid drained OUT in my brother's driveway one Christmas while the car just sat there the 3 days that I was there. I was 90 miles away from home when this happened and never knew it until the next morning when my brother called after seeing the fluid all over his driveway. Sure enough, the oil level was all the way on the tip of the dipstick. I drove 90 miles home with it like that.
I MIGHT be able to get the service records on your car if that turns out to be the case. All I will need is your VIN number via e-mail of course.
Deal was completed over the phone today and we pick it up Saturday morning! Went last night and got the trade price, and then sent a counter offer last night. They sent an email back before 9:30pm and accepted the offer. They also got us 5.35% financing on the 60 month loan. Oh, but what is it? I'm still not gonna say, but I can now say that it's black with tan cloth. For someone who said we'd never get another black car after the M, all I can say is this, the deal was good and it was already on the lot. So, I guess, I should finally get some Zaino!
Also, I currently use a chenille wash mit and regular towels, but want the ultimate in scratch and swirl resistant. I know the "Absorber" is a good thing to use, but what's the best to wash a black beauty with? Also, are the California Water Blades a good idea too?
Wait until Saturday for the first pic as soon as we get home! I have to find something to do that day other than visit this board because the reaction may be just a little too much!
The past few days I've been thinking about how much we (mainly I) will miss the M. It still has that "specialness" about it, but I'm trying to just think of times like today when my mother said it took her 3 tries to start it at work today when she was leaving.
Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to say anything else about 300M or DC quality. You buy what's in your budget and what you like, period. Some people get good cars and others get bad ones. Enough said!
300michael Hey when your ready...let me know...maybe there's something I can do to help..got my spoiler on..looks great. Just upgraded to a faster computer using XP Pro so need to dink around with it to get it to read my digital camera but when I do I will post some pic's.
sdmike2 Got the sample...thanks. Your right it is a little red. Hmmm need to noodle on it. email me with the particulars of what you have. Thanks...kimies4886@aol.com
Someone posted the amp wires to patch, etc. for an Infinity Basslink installation a while back. I've got one, with the remote control, that I plan to put in Saturday. :-) Could somone repost this information? Thanks in advance! MOPAR or no car!
someone posted about a test to use on towels to make sure they are cotton--before I go out and buy a couple dozen different brands and spark em up, could that person please post what brands have proven to be the real McCoy---or anyone else that knows for sure--
If you want some moral support or even a hand with the Aircharger, I know two guys in your area that have installed them. If you come down our way I could give you your car polish you won as well
Long time no hear. Sitting around waiting for response from Daimler-Chrysler about refunding my money for this piece of crap they sold me. I DEFINATELY not buying again! Looking at Lexus and Infiniti. Really sad though. I loved this car but after all the BS, between the lies from the tech rep to the lies from ALL the dealers I've dealt with I'm done. If the servicing dealers only knew that they destroying company reputation well......You can read all day about lousy service from Chrysler. Well take care all!
I think blonda has checked out for the evening, so I'll try to answer your question. I believe the tips fit in the original opening on the left, and the muffler installer cut the hole on the passenger side to match. She had hers done at the same place I did, and they were happy to cut the facia on my car as well.
Thank god, at last a post from you that I am happy to read. I don't care what you get as long as it's not an M. You may miss your M already, but many of us here surely won't. And, sincerely, I hope that whatever you are buying turns out to be a great vehicle for your family. I also hope that you find an active board here on Edmunds for your new vehicle.
You know, those are the best dual tips I've seen yet. And since our cars are the same color, I know what they'd look like on my car. Where'd you get them, again?
I think I may have asked this before. I have an early Y2K M and want to know if the entire exhaust is stainless. What parts are stainless?
Others: How restrictive is the originalcollector on our M. I was considering leaving it on like smitty did on his when I install my duals. Wonder how much power you would lose if you leave it in. Also wonder if factory collector would be quieter than a free flowing replacement.
Don't worry about the power. If you replace the center muffler and remove the rear one you'll be improving the air flow significantly. You won't notice a difference whether you leave the front collector alone or not. Also, it appears that the sound is more influenced by what you have in the back as opposed to the collector. Glennbp has a flowmaster in the back with the stock collector in front, and his is a lot louder than my system with the magnaflow collector and the dynomax in back. Go for looks and sound, and don't worry about the collector because it won't make much difference. However, you might want to check with glennbp and see if he has any resonation around 2200 rpm using the stock collector.
As Mike said, I have the stock collector and a Flowmaster in the rear. There is definitely a "drone" at around 2200 rpm, but I enjoy that sound. Some do, other's don't; it's a matter of personal taste. What I recommend doing is leaving the stock collector in place and going with whatever you want in the rear. Then if you don't like the result, change the collector. That way your not committing the money to a new collector if you are happy with the stock one.
anyone add a resonator to lower the sound level--where did you place it and did it get rid of the drone at 2200---anyone here use an all stainless system
glen did you use all factory pipes into the real muffler or did you replace those as well
The factory intermediate pipe is stainless (or so I've been told), so you'll likely want to keep that. I'll echo what Glennbp said as well. Put in a lower cost system leaving the front collector, and if you have any sound problems you can always replace the front collector or add an additional resonator in-line to reduce the sound even more. That's what my muffler guy (Ed Hanson) told me. He said "go drive it a week and if it's too loud come back and we'll make it quieter". It's really pretty low risk to try something.
if the stock collector is stainless, I would probably leave it in---if its not, then I would probably replace it to save having to replace it later--same for the pipes---
I really like those oval tips and thats the route I would go if and when I take the plunge
IMHO after 9/11 there was a brief attempt by some to "gouge" in the midwest for about a day (I remember gas prices jumped 12 cents/gallon from the morning to the evening) on that day. After that gas prices just kept on dropping & dropping until recently. Maybe the oil companies were feeling sorry for us during our time of grief, or maybe Middle East oil suppliers didn't want to risk American ill will directed against that part of the world. Maybe there was fear about an angry America that might be determined to be less dependent on foreign oil (like increasing mpg standards for cars that was being considered for legislation). Who knows... but I did notice what appeared to be a dramatic drop in oil prices after that event. Maybe the coast is clear now to raise prices back to "normal". Just my 2 cents; doesn't have to be right.
If you use the stock stainless collector you will get the "drone" at 2200 rpms. If you change it out to the freer type of collector you will get the "drone" at 1800 rpms. In my book is is better to change out the collector to make it freer flowing. It is your call, enjoy.
Hi, Thanks for thinking of SO-CAL. Unfortunately, you're kinda out of luck. The whole reason we stopped working on the 300M is that the axles can vibrate even before you lower the car. Lowering merely worsens the problem. Basically, the axles are poorly made. The only way to eliminate the problem is to lift the motor with the car. We developed a kit for that but could not sell it because we could not be certain people out of state would install it properly. If you were local we could probably fix your car. Meanwhile, I would contact Intrax and see what they say. You will probably have to put the car back to stock and replace the axles as they could break—we've seen it happen. Sorry it's all bad news. What a shame because the car looks bitchin lowered! Sincerely, Tony Thacker
I have sent them another letter for more clarification and will post it when it arrives.
Not me yet. The other thing that has to be done is either getting another piece of re-breather hose or cutting the existing hose down about 3/4 of an inch. At the stock size it kinks with the Aircharger.
Comments
My guess would be that most 99 300Ms have over 40k miles by now. In most major metropolitan areas these days, people are driving about 15k miles per year. I've got 47k on mine, and I've car pooled off and on for about a third of the time I've owned the car. It will be 3 years old in 2 months.
As for extended warranties, I believe their main purpose is to judge the expected cost of repairs over the covered timeframe. These people make money selling them, so I figure it's a good bet I'll save money by not buying one. But it's a calculated risk. I'm sorry to hear you're coming out on the short end of it.
I'll echo the sentiments of many that every manufacturer can make lemons or have engineering problems. My first car was a Plymouth made by Mitsubishi. It was a great car for me, but the rear end had to be replaced every 80k miles. I was on my 3rd when I traded the car in at 192k.
Igor
Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas
Easyrider300M
1. I do not drive hard. I do not do fast starts. I drive 40 miles rountrip each day to work via freeway at 60-70mph. Approx. 60-70% freeway driving, the rest around town. I consider myself a "typical driver".
2. Car is garaged at all times, at home and office.
3. Car has never been on a dirt road.
4. All filters changed regularly. I change the oil myself using Mobil 1 synthetic and Mobil filter.
4. Transmissoin fluid was replaced around 20k miles(I like to get the new fluid out after engine breakin).
Guys (and gals), please understand I really loved this car and took great care of it. Waxed it at least once a year, usually twice. Chrysler has made me pay for one window regulator that broke at 38K miles and this tranny problem at 41k miles. I have begged and complained to the dealer. He isn't budging. If anyone has the name of a Chrysler rep I could talk to, I'd be more than happy. I feel Chrysler should bear at least the cost of the part. Anyway, I'm tired of the whole thing. They won. I'm not spending any more time on it. They've lost me.
Does anyone have any idea why gas has gone up 25% in such a short period of time? Maybe I should be thankful I got gasoline today for the four cents a gallon less. We all must go in to see our bosses and demand that 25% pay increase.
Having said that, it does seem like a pretty early failure for a transmission. Have you contacted the Chrysler zone manager to see if they will pick up some of the cost? That sometimes works. Check your owner's manual/warranty book for further information on who to contact.
Also, were there any service writeups before the 36,000 mile point for transmission problems? If so, that may give you a strong argument for coverage--i.e., an undiagnosed defect that showed up within the warranty period. Finally, if you can demonstrate to the zone manager that you followed or exceeded the service intervals, that might prove helpful.
I agree that you have a right to expect better performance of your 300M; I'd suggest, however, that you should focus on getting help from Chrysler, rather than expecting that the dealer will cut you any breaks.
You're right. Christine never had a tranny failure, but it shifted like crap. I just kept pulling out the TCM fuse every few months so it could "relearn" how to shift. Unfortunately, I think mine was a slow learner. That was ONE reason why I wanted it OUT of MY name BEFORE it hit 36,000 miles with no warranty. Got rid of it with 35,500 miles. In one week, my new car will be one year old. 13,000+ miles and not ONE problem. Best car I have ever owned of all that you see in my profile.
I've been thinking about all this talk about car problems. I think that maybe the reason I have been lucky with all my cars, except Christine, is because I don't keep them that long. Every 2-4 years they go. I can't remember all the mileage on my cars, but most likely none of them had 50,000 miles on them. I never replaced brakes/rotors or tires, transmission fluid etc. Most likely those cars had a lot less mileage, except for the 66 Caddy convertible because I kept that car for many years. As far as I know, it's still around! That was a nice car too. When my cars get traded, people are "waiting" in line to buy them because they are like the day I got them. I guess my Christine experience was LONG overdue, but I hope I never go through anything like that again.
pster-
E-mail me if you want a number for Auburn Hills. FORGET that DC "help" number. You have to go straight to the top. Of course, when I called, it was still Chrysler, not Mercedes! Things might have changed since then. Forget the Zone Office reps too. The two that I dealt with were WORSE than the dealer. Like people have said above, look for all your service slips. In CT, it's a LAW that they have to give you one when your car goes in for service. If you misplaced any, Auburn Hills or ANY dealer COULD see your service record with just your VIN number no matter what Chrysler dealer serviced your car. Doesn't matter what state it was done in either. When I ended up with my 3rd "5-STAR" dealer, a Dodge one, they made some comment about all the work that had been done on Christine. This came up when I had to bring it to them after all my tranny fluid drained OUT in my brother's driveway one Christmas while the car just sat there the 3 days that I was there. I was 90 miles away from home when this happened and never knew it until the next morning when my brother called after seeing the fluid all over his driveway. Sure enough, the oil level was all the way on the tip of the dipstick. I drove 90 miles home with it like that.
I MIGHT be able to get the service records on your car if that turns out to be the case. All I will need is your VIN number via e-mail of course.
Good luck.
fastdriver
Thanks Blonda, I'll look forward to hearing how it goes.
Also, I currently use a chenille wash mit and regular towels, but want the ultimate in scratch and swirl resistant. I know the "Absorber" is a good thing to use, but what's the best to wash a black beauty with? Also, are the California Water Blades a good idea too?
Wait until Saturday for the first pic as soon as we get home! I have to find something to do that day other than visit this board because the reaction may be just a little too much!
Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to say anything else about 300M or DC quality. You buy what's in your budget and what you like, period. Some people get good cars and others get bad ones. Enough said!
Hey when your ready...let me know...maybe there's something I can do to help..got my spoiler on..looks great. Just upgraded to a faster computer using XP Pro so need to dink around with it to get it to read my digital camera but when I do I will post some pic's.
sdmike2
Got the sample...thanks. Your right it is a little red. Hmmm need to noodle on it. email me with the particulars of what you have. Thanks...kimies4886@aol.com
Could somone repost this information? Thanks in advance!
MOPAR or no car!
toms99 Dec 18, 2001 4:53pm
oh, and by the way, I like your site--great job--its got real character, Man!
Oh, yeah--I wanted to ask ya--what kinda cigar was that? ;-)
Easyrider300M
http://www.ritchiefamily.com/car/blonda1.jpg
http://www.ritchiefamily.com/car/blonda2.jpg
Nice! They look familiar. ;-))
fastdriver
Others: How restrictive is the originalcollector on our M. I was considering leaving it on like smitty did on his when I install my duals. Wonder how much power you would lose if you leave it in. Also wonder if factory collector would be quieter than a free flowing replacement.
glen did you use all factory pipes into the real muffler or did you replace those as well
I really like those oval tips and thats the route I would go if and when I take the plunge
Hi,
Thanks for thinking of SO-CAL.
Unfortunately, you're kinda out of luck.
The whole reason we stopped working on the 300M is that the axles can vibrate even before you lower the car. Lowering merely worsens the problem. Basically, the axles are poorly made.
The only way to eliminate the problem is to lift the motor with the car.
We developed a kit for that but could not sell it because we could not be certain people out of state would install it properly.
If you were local we could probably fix your car.
Meanwhile, I would contact Intrax and see what they say.
You will probably have to put the car back to stock and replace the axles as they could break—we've seen it happen.
Sorry it's all bad news. What a shame because the car looks bitchin lowered!
Sincerely, Tony Thacker
I have sent them another letter for more clarification and will post it when it arrives.