Chrysler 300M

sdmike2

overhead computer console piece, power mirror piece, and seat adjustment pieces? Possibly the ash tray lid.

Glenn, I'm tellin if you keep buying stuff. lol. By the way, the lollipop red is too light.

easyrider300m

I went to an auto parts store and saw about 5 brands of wipes for cleaning leather, vinyl, glass, etc.--

I would like to use one on the leather seats and vinyl dash for quick cleanups and dusting. Anyone have any luck with these products. I prefer a matte finish especially on the dash and tend to avoid Amorall products as they are too slippery and shiny--yuk.

EZ

rstilp

Easy; I just bought the Meguiare's 3pack (Leather,protectant and cleaner). All 3 work great. Used the cleaner then the protect. on the dash and hood bra. Looks new. smells new. I like all the Meg. stuff
Rick/Geezer300M

glennbp

Mike - you got 4 out of 4! I also used the door trim and console trim pieces. Too bad the "Lollipop" red is too light; I was really picturing that translucent candy red like, well, on a candy apple!

easyrider300 - I agree with rstilp about the Meguiar's wipes. Works great and doesn't leave a film like Armor-All!

blonda

yeah, but don't put it on your dash if you don''t like it glossy (I was almost blinded by the reflection of the sun on my agate dash the one time I used it there). Although it's not as shiney as Armoral, it does have a glossy finish (it's good stuff though).

blonda

I have to wait another week for the Pilot Sport A/S's I ordered on Monday. Sears said Michelin didn't have them and told them it would be 2 weeks. :-( I guess it's REALLY an uncommon size (245/50/17) -- when I had called Costco for a price quote they couldn't even pull up that size on their system (just 45's). Tire rack shows them as "low stock" and it looks like it's the only tire Michelin makes in that size. (Gee, maybe I'm getting custom made tires).

sdmike2

tell them not to rush them! lol!

sdmike2

pretty good guesses, huh? lol!

no1trust

I just rented another 300M, planning another SoCal trip. The rental car company is awash with 300Ms they just bought; no license plates - just temporary movement stickers. The car I rented has only 112 miles on it. As I'm going to be mainly on the highway doing 70+, isn't that bad on the M? I tried to find another car w/plates (to prevent unnecessary law enforcement stops) & get a car that I ASSUME was properly broken in (but maybe they do this to all rentals, don't break them in). Anyone have any words of wisdom for me what to watch out for, especially in Southern California?

toms99

No late model car (last several years) requires a formal break-in period. The engines are essentially "broken-in" at the factory. The usual recimmendation is to just vary your RPM's and try to avoid sustained wide-open throttle. I'd change the oil (not applicaple to your rental of course!) at 1000 to 2000 miles and then go to the usual schedule. That's about it.

guesswho1

my temp thing read 104 today in Hotlanta. what's the highest reading anyone has seen?

99_300m_ric_va

I central Virginia we've been having some serious heat and I think we were hottest in the country on Wednesday. Anyway, I've seen 105 so far this year. Last year I saw 110 at one point.

splatt

I've had 104 on my temp in the phila area... Not bad

sdmike2

I saw 100 the other day in Escondido (NE of San Diego). Thank heavens I only live 6 miles from the ocean. It rarely even gets to the 90s here.

sdmike2

My folks told me about those days (they still live there). At least it was a WET heat. lol!

no1trust

Low to mid-110s is pretty well normal in the height of summer in Vegas. Last weather update here shows a "cool" 106, with high tomorrow forecast at 111. "At least it's a DRY heat" lol. Phoenix tends to get a tad warmer than Vegas (I think 3-7 degrees) but they have a lot more humidity with their canals and all. The highest posted temp I've seen here and in Baker, Ca. is 116, though I know Death Valley gets much hotter. Another reason I'm getting some relief in Southern California.

300michael

How about 119 deg. It was 116 a few days ago, here in Phoenix. And yes it is (thank God) a dry heat, under 10% humidity.

300michael

We Phoenians go to Las Vegas or death valley to cool off. LOL

laurasdada

according to the thermometer in my M. And it ain't no dry heat! Good a/c in the M, thankfully!

I was in Vegas last summer for a long weekend. My favorite weather forecast told of a break in the heat with temperatures moderating to around 100! Gotta love the misters on Fremont St. Now, if I could just remember where I misplaced my $$$...

My '99 M continues to merrily roll along, heading to 38,000 miles with no issues to report of late.

guesswho1

someone pass the lemonade. ok i'm ready for the race soon as one of the teams score on this baseball game. i hate baseball. Daytona on FOX

toms99

...rather pleasant for a change. I bought the whole Zaino system a few weeks ago and have just been waiting for a day when I had the time to do it and it was cool enought! I decided to do my wife's Deep Sapphire Blue Concorde first. After washing with Dawn abd doing the claybar, my daughter comes out and says, "Gee Dad....nice shine!" I told her I hadn't even polished it yet. It did look pretty good tho. I guess since the Concorde is just 8 months old the ClearCoat still looks good even with-out any wax or polish. I'm letting the Z5 dry now and tomorrow will try doing my LHS with the new ZFX drier-enhancer stuff. Mid 80's temps sure feels good! Anything in the 90's and I think the clay-bar would melt on a dark colored car!

jab02lhs

Went to our Henderson Tenn plant last year. The plant manager was excited that he was able to get a group of tickets to the AA ball game for the second afternoon I was there. temp that afternoon was 115. He was not very happy when I told him that there was no way I was going to sit in the 115 degree sun to watch a ball game. Told him my idea of fun was a cold beer in a nice air-conditioned bar and he could find me there all nite,
The next day when I got to the plant all I heard all day long was how us damn Yankees are afraid of melting in the sun and about what a great time they had. I told them so did I and I didn't even have to break a sweat just twist a cap. lol

grunschev

I had mine up to 122 last summer on the drive home one day. The official high was something like 117 that day, but sitting on the highway in stop and go traffic I'm surprised it read only 5 degrees higher.

Igor

melzian1

Since posting my 6/23 message (please see below), I have learned that these knocking sounds may be caused by: a) Problems with STRUT Caps and Mounts; b) STEERING RACK Problems; and c) SWAY Bar hitting the frame (unlikely).

On Tuesday (7/9), I will be taking my car to the Dealer for the third and hopefully last time to try to solve this problem. Does anyone have a definitive answer to what may be causing these Knocking Sounds; especially after the car is driven for 1/2 hour or so? Thanks, and I appreciate any and all help that I can get on this matter which has persisted for several months now. The solution to this problem may also help some other 2000 300M owners.

6/23/2002 MESSAGE:

I have a 2000 300M with 32K miles and I recently noticed knocking sounds coming periodically from somewhere in the front end after: a) the car has warmed up and been driven for 1/2 hour or more; and b) the car is driven over some roads which contain numerous bumps or pot holes. These noises do not occur whenever I drive over large bumps or pot holes, and they appear to only occur after the car has been driven and thoroughly warmed up. They also appear to be coming from somewhere behind the engine, and beneath the dash board.

Does anyone have a clue what may be going on, and how I may fix this very annoying problem? Since my vehicle is still under warranty, and it has been great otherwise, I would very much like to fix this annoying problem as soon as possible. Thanks for your help!

guesswho1

did you have the strut mounts and caps replaced??? why are you going to the dealer for the third time, they fixed mine on the first trip!!!

glennbp

Well, I spent the better part of yesterday making an aluminum dash piece to fit around my voltmeters. After adding the few pieces that I got on eBay, the gauge area looked sad. I went to Home Depot and found a flanged home A/C vent from which I cut a rectangle and started working the metal to fit around the gauges. Metal working is a very humbling experience if you haven't tried it. I must of test fit the thing 100 times. Thank goodness for Dremel! Anyway, it only took about 6 hours and turned out rather nice I think. The "brushing" was simply done with 100 grit sandpaper.

easyrider300m

that aluminum trim goes very well with the graphite-look dash---and that shifter knob blends well with the overall hi-tech look of the dash---what are the voltmeters for--amps?

guesswho1

that looks great!!!

glennbp

I'm running a dual battery system; stock and one in the trunk for the sound system. The voltmeters let me keep an eye on both of them.

ottowrkr

last week in the plant it was 90 plus with the humidity at 60-70%+ . Glad that week is over. One more week for the 2002 model year and then its two weeks off for holidays. Then we start 2003!!

bobspc

I am looking for a trailer hitch for a 300M Special. Anyone have a line on one? Does not appear the Mopar will fit, most other hitch sites I have seen do not list the special.
Any info will be appreciated.
Bob

glennbp

20HP gains?!? I think not!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1842201589

sdmike2

Nice job. Pretty soon people won't be able to tell it's an M.

sdmike2

You might try the club board too at http://www.300mclub.org. I think the fascia/bumper on the special is different enough that the mopar hitch won't fit. It's made to pretty specific tolerances to the standard body trim.

sdmike2

I emailed him requesting a picture. I love his description...."just like nitrous". lol

videoman1

....I wouldn't have any luck at all. I ordered a wing from California Dream (like sdmikes) on Thursday two weeks ago. They took my order and credit card info and said it would be shipped on Tuesday the following week cause they had to paint it. I said fine as long as I get it by Friday July 5th cause I have a guy installing it over the weekend. Well, Tuesday comes along and it wasn't shipped. They said it didn't pass their quality control department and they sent it back for repainting. I said fine, as long as I get it by Friday the 5th. They said they'd pay extra for the shipping to get it here by then.

Well, Wed. July 3rd comes along and it still wasn't shipped. There was some other problem and the customer service guy didn't know what it was. Since Thursday was July 4th we lost that day. He then said they'd ship it on Friday and I'd get it early morning on Saturday. I said fine. I can still work with that.

On Saturday at 8:30 am, the doorbell rings and the UPS guy is there. I was real happy until he said the shipment was C.O.D.!!! I said what? I gave them my credit card to put it on. He didn't know anything about that. So I gave him a check and took the package. He then left.

Although a little peeved I was still happy that I got the wing.....until I opened the box. The color looked slightly wrong until I put it up against the car. It was really wrong. It was darker than my car's platinum paint and it didn't have nearly the metalic sparkle. Uhg!!! And if that isn't bad enough, the center post of the wing is too short...about 2 inches too short. I'd have to really push down on the center to get it to even touch the deck lid. I then saw on the bottom that it is model 2NM for the Sebring and not the 2N for my 300M!!!!.

So I'll be calling California Dream on Monday to return this wing and order the proper factory wing with the proper paint job from Chrysler. Man, I hope my luck starts to turn around soon.

-vman

bobspc

Just noticed a spacer on the front springs on my Special. Do these belong there or did the dealer neglect to
take them off after shipping. Service manual does not show them, of course it does not mention the special
either. I see a TSB entitled front spring spacer removal, PDI 02-005-01, anyone know what the content is? Does
PDI mean Predelivery inspection?
Bob

300michael

Nice job. I totally agree with you on the metal working (especially when you do not have the right tools), it always takes longer then planned. One question though, where did you get the digital guages? Those are nice and small.

300michael

Sorry to hear about your wing experance. I am fighting the UPS now because I recieved my 4 Special Door sills and they came looking like pretizels. The delivery person hid them behind some plants and because I didn't find them until 2 days later they said they were not responsible. I can see why the guy didn't ring the door bell.

300michael

Most of the springs have the spacers. When I replaced my stock ones with the Intrax springs they had spacers on them too. Probably used to dampen vibrations.

300michael

That guy has more mods for the 300M then anybody I know. Too bad they are not worth the paper they are printed on (yes, I know they are not printed on any paper, point made) I wish he would put his energies into something really useful. like a new transmission. If you spent the $50 for all his mods according to his boasts you should be over 350 hp on our 300M's. LOL

sdmike2

Bummer man. I had such a great experience with mine. They clearly need to get their act together on this one.

ottowrkr

The special has spacers put in at the factory to keep the front end from being damaged in shipping. If these spacers you see are orange in color,and look like the number three they left them in , go back to the dealer and raise a stink.

Guess we are building better cars...

http://www.auto.com/industry/dcx8_20020708.htm

glennbp

The gauges are from Dakota Digital. They have many styles and types. You can check them out here:

http://www.dakotadigital.com/

bobspc

Any idea if damage could have been done if left in? Have 2500 miles.
Thanks or the info.

achance

SdMike, did you ever post pictures of your hitch? I'm using my M as a truck far too often. I have a little4 x 8 trailer from a previous mommy-mobile that can be pressed into service. Is the hitch awful looking?

easyrider300m

If you want to get fellow M owners' opinions on Mike's hitch, go to the club site . There is a link there to some pics of the hitch. And be sure to cast your vote and post your opinion.

http://pub88.ezboard.com/f300menthusiastsclubfrm1.showMessage?topicID=345.topic

Easyrider300M

bluesky999

Recently, my '99 'M has developed a problem such that sometimes while driving down the road the instrument lights start to blink on and off. So far it has only happened during the day. After randomly blinking on and off for anywhere from 30 seconds to about 5 minutes, the problem stops. Has anyone else encountered this, and, if so, did you find out what caused it? I have an extended gold warranty to 75K, so I guess I should have them try to find it, but I'm afraid that an electical problem like this will be hard to find. I bought the car used w/48K miles, and this is the first problem I've encountered.

glennbp

This is a very common problem with M's especially the 99 model year. There are only 2 causes; one is the headlight switch and the other is the Body Control Module. Most dealers will replace the headlight switch first and if that doesn't fix the problem then the BCM needs to be replaced.

bigmike5

Those still thinking of a rear spoiler/wing consider Dawn Enterprises on the net. Paint is flawless, easy on for someone with skill [my Ziebart guy] and reasonable priced. I lost the web address but I think "Dawn Enterprises" via Google will get it.

Question: I noted this weekend when I had my right front wheel off, that there were four shrouds each about 6" long on the fender wall and a knuckled joint had a rod that went thru the middle of the four of them. They are flexible material and looked like their job is just to prevent water and debris from following the rod [tie rod?] into the engine area. The top, bottom and rear shrouds were all fine, but the front one was chewed up and had a 3" chunk out of the rear edge that was closest to the rod. I checked the driver side and that side had a little bit eaten out of the front one too. Anyone got an idea on how this could have happened? Could the 245/50s be touching the fabric on tight turns and chewing it up with the sidewall tread? Could the rod be doing it when the wheel is turned. Could the dealer have done it aligning the front end? I didn't feel any wobble when I pulled on the wheel when it was on a lift today. Mechanic just scratched his head. Any thoughts?

Special--Saw and carded my first Special at my golf course this weekend. Never saw the driver as he must have been out on the course. Silver over charcoal ground effects, Ohio plates. Nice looking ride. Now with just a little work--spoiler, stripes, etc. it would look really special. Looked real good anyway.

Rogor2K--Did you get the package?