The placement of the filiment is going to determen the light pattern. So if the HID arc is located in the exact same spot where the Halagen filiment is located the pattern should be the same. The amount of light and color my be different though. The one that matters more (IMHO) is the heat factor. The 300M's reflectors are plastic and the LHS's (Projector type) are metal. I have check the LHS lamps. and if the Eaglelight system is a no go then I may still get one and covert to the LHS lamps. I do agree with Blonda, I do not like the looks of the 300M's HID lamps on the Special. Maybe I will covert to grill mounted HID's and covert my head lamps to turn signals...Ouch, I didn't mean it.
While at the 5*looking for brake parts, I checked out the first 300M Special He (finally) got.
!!!! BAD NEWS !!!!
The delivery truck driver (or someone) F***ed up this Special taking it off the Truck. 2 major Gashes in the floorboard and Sub-frame. DC is buying it back from Dealer.
This note was taped up in side the windshield.
This is property of DC and is not to be sold. blah, blah, blah.... This car will be sold at AUCTION in Atlanta.
I dont know what exactly that means but beware of anyone with a "Really Good Deal" on a 300M Special. this one was a Platinum Silver model. sticker priced at $336xx I copied down the VIN so keep your eye out for this one. 2C3HE76K62H199435
I am assuming we are talking about true HID headlights w/ballast and capsules that emit light by striking an arc through xenon gas (somewhat similar to the operation of a fluorescent light). If so, then heat will not be a factor, the 9006 HID capsules consume 35 watts of power and the stock 9006 (xs) incandescent bulbs use 55 watts of power. True HID's use less power while emitting more light than incandescent bulbs as well as emitting a different spectrum of light.
Now unless we are talking about the Xenon charged wanna be HID bulbs that are just higher wattage incandescent bulbs in a capsule filled w/xenon (rather than halogen), then yes heat can be a factor.
the special that they rolled out for us to see at the carlsbad meet was a mess. Someone had drug a hose or something across the hood and scratched the bejeebies out of it. Looked like someone got up there with a mesh bag of sharp rocks and slid it around for a while. Apparently it was the guys that clean the cars. I wonder if THEY have a buyback program.
I am sure your GTP was a lot of fun and a great car. And now that Lutz is at GM it will be interesting to see new developments. I still prefer the 300M's interior a lot more though. But I guess the GTP has a different audience: more sporty.
I had been to Anderson a long time ago to look at a Chrysler Concorde. But that was in 97. I went with Normandin because I bought through the Costco dealership program and they referred me to Normandin. Buying was hassle free which I prefer. I agree, there are not enough 300M promotions here. Even the local Chrysler dealers hardly ever advertise it much. Don't get me wrong, I for sure think that A4s and 3 series BMWs are great cars. I just find them way overpriced. I feel like I get a lot more car for the money with American cars. And I am not the driver who redlines his car on Highway 9. I prefer a cruising machine.
Hmm, guess I have to take another look at the new G35 again. Somehow I find that Nissan is with their designs neither here nor there. I did like the 2nd generation of Q45s. Also, I think the Maxima is a great car. But again, styling could be improved. A friend of mine has a new Altima which I do like, but the interior is very cheap. I think the Acura TL is still the nicest looking Japanese car in the $30k price range.
I think the mitsubishi diamante is the best looking import luxury/sport sedan in that price range, but the reliability of the car is terrible. I drove the Diamante, TL, Avalon, ES300 (2001), Maxima, Mazda Millenia and a couple of other cars when I was looking around. I gave Edmunds a look and saw this thing called a "300M" listed in comparisons with these cars. I had never heard of it. Once I drove it and checked out the room and the equipment it boiled down to the TL and the M. I took the M because of the rear seat room....three car seats! My guess is the M is the only car of the group that cries out for mods too. I can't see myself modifying an ES300, for example. I've now officially done 11 mods (stop me before I mod again!)
Even if the HID arc were exactly the same length and position as the Halogen filament and emitted the same pattern as a Halogen bulb in the Halogen headlight assembly, it is still not a pattern suitable for an HID system.
If you look at pics of the beam pattern on a garage door that the Special spits out, you will see a crisp, clean cutoff and that it is lower on the passenger side. This is all intentional, and completely missing from the standard pattern. It is highly inadvisable to mix them.
I totally forgot about the Diamante and the Millenia. Yes, the Diamante is pretty nice (although it did loose in a Car&Driver test of all the cars you mentioned). I have also always liked the Millenia. You are right, hard to imagine a modified ES300. Your M for sure looks very nice. Time to get my M shiny again, pop in an Eagles' CD and do a nice long road trip.
The TL-S/CL-S gets it's increased HP from diffrent intake runners, bigger TB, different computer mappings & a free flow exhaust In fact the exhaust is so good on the S versions that replaceing it only changes the sound. There is really no performance gain. There are however alot of mods designed for the Acura's that produce proven dynoed gains.
You are semi correct about a 3.5 version of the CL-S/TL-S. A local FL dealer called Rick Case Acura(where ruski & me got our cars) does a 3.5L upgrade. It cost about $6-7K. It uses the 3.2 block, but it's bored to 3.5L. Then some internal parts from the MDX 3.5L are used. Performance intake, exhaust, & headers are added, & the tranny upgraded. Supposed to be about 300HP/300TG
I to miss some of the features of the M. I really miss the glide seat. What I did is link mem1 to the remote, set mem1 to have the seat all the way back. This way I can get out/in easier. Then when I sit down I press the mem2 button & that adjusts to my driving position. It's a pain at first, but becomes second nature after a while.
Silver: I recently had my Y2K M steering wheel replaced for the same reason. The dealer did not balk at making the change. As for a TSB, I am not certain.
The G2 kit in red came out great. On a "difficulty scale" of 1 to 10, with 10 being hardest, I give this mod a 3. Anyone that can remove a wheel and use a paint brush won't have any trouble. Just make sure to paint carefully and use multiple coats until you get a nice smooth and glossy paint job. Pictures to come once my wife returns home with the digital.
One thing to note. The paint is "activated" using a clear additive. I'm not sure if other kits are like this, but the G2 is. My guess is that it gains its self-smoothing properties this way. The kit tells you to mix ALL of the additive and ALL of the paint together...then you have 4-8 hours to use it before it sets. Because I wasn't sure if I could devote enough time to complete the job in one sitting I decided to mix the paint only when I needed it. The ratio is 4 parts paint to one part additive. It worked just fine doing it this way, AND I have paint left over if someone else wants red calipers.
Hello, folks! I too had eMily's steering wheel replaced as it began to molt--loose color, whatever. The replacement one--to me-does feel like cardboard, but am getting used to it. The S.O. says when the wheel spins back after a turn it 'sounds' funny (the hand on the leather I think she means...). One >|< dealer replaced my driver side weather stripping/gasket this morning and the S.O. says it sounds like a Mercedes. She mentioned about 'this thing of ours', and she said he had that look on his face. Tough noogies to him I say. If it wasn't for this board and my friends here, I wouldn't have known about the 'light show' trick body control module and other things! Nice 'seeing' some of you folks in the chatroom last night....
Hello, folks! I too had eMily's steering wheel replaced as it began to molt--loose color, whatever. The replacement one--to me-does feel like cardboard, but am getting used to it. The S.O. says when the wheel spins back after a turn it 'sounds' funny (the hand on the leather I think she means...). One >|< dealer replaced my friver side weather stripping/gasket this morning and the S.O. says it sounds like a Mercedes. She mentioned about 'his thing of ours', and she said he had that look on his face. Tough noogies to him I say. If it wasn't for this board and my friends here, I wouldn't have known about the 'light show' trick body control module and other things! Nice 'seeing' some of you folks in the chatroom last night....
Why in the world would the light pattern be lower on the passenger side. I have never been "blinded" by someones passenger side haedlight. I have been annoyed by a few driver side lights that are out of adjustment, especially on undivided two lane roads. If any light should be lower than the other I would say it should be the driver side headlight.
I don't think the US Specs need to have auto leveling. The Acura's have HID's & they don't have the auto leveling. The special also doesn't. The HID light pattern is different then a hologen one. It does need to be aimed differently, due to different hot/cool spots in the light. When you convert a non HID car to HID it is best to replace the reflector. however most "kits" only have the electronics, bulbs, & wiring. These kits will do the job, but the light patteren will not be the best. They may, or may not help in seeing the roads. You will have a true HID look though. On the M it would be better to get the specials lights. They include the entire housing.
So are you going to take a wheel off when your wife comes back with the camera to take a picture or are you just going to take it through the rims. Either way would be fine I guess and I woudn't think any less of you if you didn't have pictures both ways ;-) . As I'd like to do this myself just wanted to know if you did one wheel at a time with the stock jack and if you had a torque wrench to re-tighten the lugs.
Thanks for the response, guys. I have an appointment with 5* Preston Dodge first thing Monday morning to look at the wheel and a couple of other minor things. I got new rear shocks on my wife's '93 Grand Voyager next door at Sear's. At 127K miles, it's not so "Grand" anymore.
Saw a dark blue Special parked at that dealer. It was filthy from the rainy weather and the exhaust tips were very discolored for such a new vehicle. The tint was so dark I couldn't check out the interior to see how the carbon trim looked.
It is very rainy this spring. My strategy is to get a touchless car wash the day before rain is forecast, then get a raincheck freebie the day after the rain. I should be forced to wear a T-shirt that says "Carwash hate me". ;>)
So far I've got two coats of Z-2 on Beast and plan on putting a couple of coats of Z-5 on him this afternoon soon as the sun gets out of my way. This stuff is awesome. I used about 1-1/2 oz for the two coats of Z-2 with ZFX and no polish in the crevices. Buffs off real easy. Were back to normal temperatures this coming weekend ( below freezing at night), so this week of 80 degree weather has been a bonus. I did notice that the wood on the steering wheel certinally can fry your hands when you first grab hold it if the temp outside it high.
Last week I bought a new cap at my 5* and paid $26.40 WITH my club disc. 2 days later I bought the same thing at another dealer for $17.35. Was I p.o.'d? Took the first one back and got a refund, no questions asked. I didn't raise hell til they were done changing my oil, didn't want any sabotage while they had me hostage. I guess you really have to check a couple dealers to get the best price. I thought they were all working from the same pric book. Lesson learned!! Rick/Geezer300M
Glad to hear about #300 member although I've been telling prospective members that they could be the lucky #300. Oh well, ON TO 400!!!!!!!! Rick/Geezer300M
Well, after meeting with a client this morning and doing some errands this afternoon, I was finally able to spend 20 minutes to install the Tornado Air. It would have been faster but I took some pictures as I did it.
During the install, there was a minor glitch which prompted a call to a Tornado Air support guy. After 5 minutes on the phone, everything was fine. Basically, I tried to install it in the air intake tube right behind the air filter box. However, the Tornado Air was too small and would just slip right down the tube. Called the support number and he told me that on the 300M, it must be installed at the end of the tube near the firewall and to bend out the little tabs on the side of the Tornado to make it a snug fit. Sure enough, it did.
For those of you wanting to hear performance results, there's too much traffic out there now so I'll try to run some 0-60 numbers tonight. I really didn't get a chance to run pre Tornado Air 0-60 numbers but since it's such an easy install, I may just take it back out to get those.
Hi all FINALLY Chrysler agreed my car is a lemon. They repurchasing it. Getting most of my money back but no apology. But you know thats ok because thats the way they treat their customers AFTER you buy their cars. They are without a doubt the worst manufacturer to deal with wen you have problems with your car. I will miss you all, and I would really like to thank all of you for your help these last 2 years. I believe without your help and advise I may have given up and sold this thing. It is really hard to call this car a piece of crap butwell you've read my problems before. Looking at the BEAUTIFUL NEW INFINITI G35 now, wow what a car and you know for less money than I paid for that M car. Well take care all, may check in once in awhile.......
The special has a blind inside it to control the light pattern just like the LHS has (the LHS is halagen. So the LHS owners can use the kit easly. IF I have to I can install the LHS lamps on my 300M along with the HID kit and it would still be less then a third of the 300M HID lamps. Besides the 300m has a hood (that covers the lamp)that helps control the light pattern, By changing this you can also control the light pattern.
uxca - I might pull a wheel off and take a few pictures...if I get motivated. I'll at least get front and back pictures through the chromies. As for the jack, I went down to the local auto parts place and spent $15 for a 2 ton rolling floor jack. The 2 ton is meant for picking up one corner at a time and it's not real heavy duty. I did one wheel at a time because of my jack limitations. I tightened the lugs by "feel". Not the best solution, but I think I'm close enough. When I loosened the first two lug nuts I found that it was relatively easy, as they weren't overtightened. I then experimented a little to get my tightening technique to get the lugs the same tighness as I started. The best way for me was to tighten them while sitting with a 12 inch lug wrench, and them giving them a little "oomph" at the end. I didn't get up on my knees or put my weight on them as I think applying a portion of my 200lbs to them would result in overtightening.
fuzzy - I used the G2 caliper paint system. It's about $40. The paint has special properties to handle heat and vibration, and to self-smoothen when you apply it. The kit also includes brake cleaner and some other stuff. I think it's worth the money. There are other companies that make caliper paint kits too. Here's some links for G2:
Hey Mike, what color caliper paint would look good with my '99 Platinum M? Somehow I just don't think red would be good. Is red the only color they have?
G2 has 6 colors...red, blue, black, silver, yellow and purple. Glennbp (where have you been, glenn) used the blue with his silver car and it looks great. My guess is that any of the dark colors....blue, black, red or purple...would look great.
Got my 300M back from the dealer today. Rattles seem to be gone (I think). They took the whole dash apart. I am always afraid they will break more than they repair. Turns out part of the rattle came actually from the outside (behind shock tower). Took them almost 3 hours. All done under warranty. But there seems to be a part missing between under the glove department and the floor. On my receipt it states though that there is a trim part special ordered. Just strange that the service guy didn't mention that I have to come back for that. I guess he just forgot. Amazing, the driving difference between a Neon and a 300M. Guess it is a difference of $15000 :-)
I plan to paint my calipers at some point as well. Not sure what color would look good on my Almond Pearl either. I was thinking about red initially, but I just cannot envision it on my car. Anyone handy with Photoshop? :-) There is a guy at work that drives a blue Boxter with 5-spoke chrome wheels - he has red calipers and it looks great on his car. I may paint mine silver or black with "300M" lettering. Did anyone here try the lettering yet?
Someone tried to buy side markers at http://www.worldparts.com/pomocoauto/, but they, like Chrysler, apparently refuse to sell them to people in the U.S., according to the last comment:
I was wondering if someone can confirm that there is a trim part between the glove box and the floor. I wasn't able to reach my service guy at the dealership. Right now when I look below the glove box I can see a few black plastic parts and some wires. I assume a part (that they hopefully ordered according to the receipt) is missing there. Maybe someone could take a look. Thanks.
>>Besides the 300m has a hood (that covers the lamp)that helps control the light pattern, By changing this you can also control the light pattern.<<
I'd have to disagree. The low beam hood prevents light from radiating directly from the lamp towards oncoming drivers, since it can't be controlled. The contour of the reflector and the prism effect of some headlight lenses decide what the pattern will be. The Special doesn't use a hood, but instead uses a metal mask in front of the reflector with the desired pattern cut out. The actual slot is approx. ½" high x 3¼ wide, and is placed between the lamp and projector lens.
Scotian, I was confident you meant the shoulder side was higher, just a perspective difference.
Update; re defective 3.5's I found out today that all 3.5's that were assembled last December during 2 days before and 2 days after Christmas had suspect specs, and include 300's, Specials, Concordes, and Intrepid R/T's. A total of 1594 units, all will be bought back by D-C as a safety precaution/concern.
The calipers are kind of medium/dark grey. kind of mottled. Obviously not intended to be a decorative part. I think yours would look great red with the black body. I have enough paint to do another set if you want to give it a go. BTW, I got the package today. Thanks!
Just went and looked for you. Below the glove box are two things. The first is the lower section of the glove box "frame", which is part of the dash. It's about an inch wide. Under that I have the heating duct assemply, which is a black plastic cylinder laying horizontally with a couple of two inch diameter holes for the hot air to come out. Otherwise, there isn't any trim that I can see. If I look real close behind the heater duct I can see one small wiring harness (on the left) and some attachment points. I'd take a picture, but as everyone knows by now my wife has the digicam.
Well, there won't be too many available just yet, given the few months they've been available. I did exchange emails with a customer in CA who was unhappy over the tendency of his low front fascia to sustain damage going over sidewalks and/or parking lot curbs. I'd try the many used car sites on the 'net for a start.
I was more referring to the thousand or so that have been recalled and the engine replaced. I know they won't sell them as new, but they might has well be. Might be a good deal there if DC is willing to sell or auction them instead of using them as fleet cars or something less exciting.
those of you who have had a lemon will enjoy reading this link---about the Christine movie with trailers and descriptions: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0085333
Comments
I do agree with Blonda, I do not like the looks of the 300M's HID lamps on the Special.
Maybe I will covert to grill mounted HID's and covert my head lamps to turn signals...Ouch, I didn't mean it.
!!!! BAD NEWS !!!!
The delivery truck driver (or someone) F***ed up this Special taking it off the Truck. 2 major Gashes in the floorboard and Sub-frame. DC is buying it back from Dealer.
This note was taped up in side the windshield.
This is property of DC and is not to be sold.
blah, blah, blah....
This car will be sold at AUCTION in Atlanta.
I dont know what exactly that means but beware of anyone with a "Really Good Deal" on a 300M Special.
this one was a Platinum Silver model.
sticker priced at $336xx
I copied down the VIN so keep your eye out for this one. 2C3HE76K62H199435
Damn Shame. Beautiful car.
:-(
tnsc300m
auf weidersehen
:-)
tnsc300m
Now unless we are talking about the Xenon charged wanna be HID bulbs that are just higher wattage incandescent bulbs in a capsule filled w/xenon (rather than halogen), then yes heat can be a factor.
If you look at pics of the beam pattern on a garage door that the Special spits out, you will see a crisp, clean cutoff and that it is lower on the passenger side. This is all intentional, and completely missing from the standard pattern. It is highly inadvisable to mix them.
You are semi correct about a 3.5 version of the CL-S/TL-S. A local FL dealer called Rick Case Acura(where ruski & me got our cars) does a 3.5L upgrade. It cost about $6-7K. It uses the 3.2 block, but it's bored to 3.5L. Then some internal parts from the MDX 3.5L are used. Performance intake, exhaust, & headers are added, & the tranny upgraded. Supposed to be about 300HP/300TG
http://community.webshots.com/album/28735700qcpEYARHhj
I recently had my Y2K M steering wheel replaced for the same reason. The dealer did not balk at making the change. As for a TSB, I am not certain.
One thing to note. The paint is "activated" using a clear additive. I'm not sure if other kits are like this, but the G2 is. My guess is that it gains its self-smoothing properties this way. The kit tells you to mix ALL of the additive and ALL of the paint together...then you have 4-8 hours to use it before it sets. Because I wasn't sure if I could devote enough time to complete the job in one sitting I decided to mix the paint only when I needed it. The ratio is 4 parts paint to one part additive. It worked just fine doing it this way, AND I have paint left over if someone else wants red calipers.
One >|< dealer replaced my driver side weather stripping/gasket this morning and the S.O. says it sounds like a Mercedes. She mentioned about 'this thing of ours', and she said he had that look on his face. Tough noogies to him I say. If it wasn't for this board and my friends here, I wouldn't have known about the 'light show' trick body control module and other things!
Nice 'seeing' some of you folks in the chatroom last night....
Ciao4now,
Doc
One >|< dealer replaced my friver side weather stripping/gasket this morning and the S.O. says it sounds like a Mercedes. She mentioned about 'his thing of ours', and she said he had that look on his face. Tough noogies to him I say. If it wasn't for this board and my friends here, I wouldn't have known about the 'light show' trick body control module and other things!
Nice 'seeing' some of you folks in the chatroom last night....
Ciao4now,
Doc
Doc
Saw a dark blue Special parked at that dealer. It was filthy from the rainy weather and the exhaust tips were very discolored for such a new vehicle. The tint was so dark I couldn't check out the interior to see how the carbon trim looked.
It is very rainy this spring. My strategy is to get a touchless car wash the day before rain is forecast, then get a raincheck freebie the day after the rain. I should be forced to wear a T-shirt that says "Carwash hate me". ;>)
I didn't raise hell til they were done changing my oil, didn't want any sabotage while they had me hostage.
I guess you really have to check a couple dealers to get the best price.
I thought they were all working from the same pric book. Lesson learned!!
Rick/Geezer300M
Rick/Geezer300M
During the install, there was a minor glitch which prompted a call to a Tornado Air support guy. After 5 minutes on the phone, everything was fine. Basically, I tried to install it in the air intake tube right behind the air filter box. However, the Tornado Air was too small and would just slip right down the tube. Called the support number and he told me that on the 300M, it must be installed at the end of the tube near the firewall and to bend out the little tabs on the side of the Tornado to make it a snug fit. Sure enough, it did.
For those of you wanting to hear performance results, there's too much traffic out there now so I'll try to run some 0-60 numbers tonight. I really didn't get a chance to run pre Tornado Air 0-60 numbers but since it's such an easy install, I may just take it back out to get those.
You haven't been blinded by oncoming HIDs precisely because they are lower on the passenger side -- the side pointing at you.
Can somone post a link to the Special's headlight pattern on a garage?
FINALLY Chrysler agreed my car is a lemon. They repurchasing it. Getting most of my money back but no apology. But you know thats ok because thats the way they treat their customers AFTER you buy their cars. They are without a doubt the worst manufacturer to deal with wen you have problems with your car. I will miss you all, and I would really like to thank all of you for your help these last 2 years. I believe without your help and advise I may have given up and sold this thing. It is really hard to call this car a piece of crap butwell you've read my problems before. Looking at the BEAUTIFUL NEW INFINITI G35
now, wow what a car and you know for less money than I paid for that M car. Well take care all, may check in once in awhile.......
IF I have to I can install the LHS lamps on my 300M along with the HID kit and it would still be less then a third of the 300M HID lamps.
Besides the 300m has a hood (that covers the lamp)that helps control the light pattern, By changing this you can also control the light pattern.
fuzzy - I used the G2 caliper paint system. It's about $40. The paint has special properties to handle heat and vibration, and to self-smoothen when you apply it. The kit also includes brake cleaner and some other stuff. I think it's worth the money. There are other companies that make caliper paint kits too. Here's some links for G2:
http://www.g2usa.com/wheel.shtml
http://www.sentra.net/solm/november01/g2.shtml
And the headlight housing ISN'T a modification of to standard assembly it's different.
Is the Eaglite kit only for the the 9006xs or will they be offering a 9005xs kit for the highbeam side?
http://custommopar.homestead.com/HID.html
Here's another manufacturer: http://www.legendfive.com/caliper/
hey...this appears to be a different dash kit manufacturer. http://www.legendfive.com/dash_kits_new/
Looking at the last pic of:
http://custommopar.homestead.com/HID.html
that doesn't seem to be the case...
(I wonder what color they were when brand new...silver?)
There is a guy at work that drives a blue Boxter with 5-spoke chrome wheels - he has red calipers and it looks great on his car.
I may paint mine silver or black with "300M" lettering. Did anyone here try the lettering yet?
http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/300m/exterior/exterior/side_markers.html
Has the entire auto industry gone completely mad!?
I'd have to disagree.
The low beam hood prevents light from radiating directly from the lamp towards oncoming drivers, since it can't be controlled. The contour of the reflector and the prism effect of some headlight lenses decide what the pattern will be.
The Special doesn't use a hood, but instead uses a metal mask in front of the reflector with the desired pattern cut out. The actual slot is approx. ½" high x 3¼ wide, and is placed between the lamp and projector lens.
Scotian, I was confident you meant the shoulder side was higher, just a perspective difference.
Update; re defective 3.5's
I found out today that all 3.5's that were assembled last December during 2 days before and 2 days after Christmas had suspect specs, and include 300's, Specials, Concordes, and Intrepid R/T's. A total of 1594 units, all will be bought back by D-C as a safety precaution/concern.
Hope that helps.
I did exchange emails with a customer in CA who was unhappy over the tendency of his low front fascia to sustain damage going over sidewalks and/or parking lot curbs.
I'd try the many used car sites on the 'net for a start.