Chrysler 300M

300michael

I got this off a website.
Idiots at the dealer.
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told that the keys had been accidentally locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the drivers's side door. As I watched from the passenger's side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered it was open. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "it's open." The young man answered, "I already got that side."

300michael

How much of that increase do you give to the Tornado?

300michael

From the same we site as the Dealership one.
Idots in Management.
At a good-bye lunch for an old and dear coworker who is leaving the company due to "downsizing" our manager spoke up and said, "This is fun. We should have lunch like this more often." Not another word was spoken. We just looked at each other like deer staring into the headlights of an approaching truck.

videoman1

pster- Well, unless my trip computer is wrong, that's what the numbers said. We had 2 way radios so we could talk to each other on the trip. Robert Powell who was behind me also said his computer said 30-31 mpg. He too has a Tornado Air, dual exhaust but he had an Air Charger intake. On the way to Dearborn from Pittsburgh, I was averaging 27.5 mpg which inlcuded some hills and a few stops for potty and eating breaks. This was also with the air conditioning on.

300Michael - I put the Tornado Air in my car about 3 weeks after I got it so I'm not sure what the original mpg numbers were. Apparently from the skeptisizm of pster, the Tornado Air does make a difference...but I think only on highway driving. I still only get around 16-18 in the city.

-vman

easyrider300m

20,000 posts---and dont forget to add the 10,000 posts on the "other" board and then we're up to 30,000 posts---everything you ever wanted to know about the 300M is posted on these boards--I know its helped me plenty and I in turn try to help others---I solved lots of warranty issues, some that I didnt even realize I had, by reading this board---

glennbp

It certainly isn't unusual to see those mileage readings especially if you are on very level ground or perhaps a very slight downgrade. Under those conditions, a heavy vehicle like the M has a lot of momentum and all other things like tire pressure, etc. being ideal, 30-35 mpg is easily attainable.

pster

I think I will have to remain somewhat of a skeptic until I can even get close to 26 mpg on my own car. A +/- 20-23% improvement over Chrysler's own hwy rating would seriously warrant this car being torn apart by Chrysler automotive engineers. I've had my car up t0 45 mpg for brief periods (foot off gas, going downhill, etc.). But to average 30-32 mpg for any extended period is pretty impressive.

sdmike2

I'm with pster on this one. I've seen my "instant mileage" range from 2 (going up a hill from a stop) to 99 (rolling downhill on a freeway), but on average I get around 18.5 consistently with a mix of city/highway driving. On the freeway I've seen my instant mileage read in the 30s for miles at a time, but these are usually on flats or slight downgrades at full speed. Any time you push this tank up an hill the mileage is going to crater quickly. On a recent test trip of about 30 miles each way, pure freeway miles, I got around 23-24. However, this was in hilly San Diego and it's posslble that the uphills hurt the mileage more than the downhills help it.

uxca300m

You got some pictures of my car. Excellent. Although I really enjoyed the Brampton end of the tour, in retrospect I think I should have also been in Detroit. I really didn't get a chance to look at all the mods you guys have done in Brampton and I really kick my [non-permissible content removed] for not seeing them when they were so close. Ah well. Next year.

denverm

Videoman's post didn't claim that as an average gas mileage over a period of driving; it was only the immediate readout on the computer:

"just to let everyone know, the EPA mileage I was getting from Dearborne MI to Brampton Canada was between 30 and 32 mpg. This was the real time number on my overhead computer, not the average number."

I very rarely bother to look at that realtime, instantaneous eco function of the overhead computer, because I don't feel it is a meaningful number. You start off from a red light and it reads 4 mpg, you get up to cruising speed and it reads 30 or 40 or 50 mpg, but so what? Average miles per gallon in around town stop and go driving is what means most to me, because that's where I do most of my driving (and burn most of my gas). When I take a long road trip, I'm also interested in the overall highway mileage, but again that includes some starting and stopping, etc. My computer average readout is usually 18.1 in town driving, and road trips around 22-26, depending partly on just how fast I'm going.

videoman1

My "Real Time" gas mileage reading also jumps from 5 to 99 mpg. The 30-32 milage I was getting was on a flat road with the cruise set at around 75. Yes, if I hit the gas to pass someone or drift down a steep hill, the mpg would change.

I couldn't use the average mpg reading because the Woodward Cruise swayed the numbers too much for highway mileage which is what I wanted to know. The point I was trying to make is that on a flat road at 75mph, this car can get 30-32 miles per gallon. Also, I wanted to see what others were getting to determine if my dual exhaust, K&N filter and Tornado Air made a difference.

-vman

sdmike2

I highly doubt that I'd get 30mpg average on a flat road with no wind with the cruise set at 60-70 and 35lbs of air in the tires. VM...you should have just re-set the average mpg so you could get the overall highway average (not including the cruise). Maybe next time you're going to do some highway cruising you can do that. It will give us a better idea of real mileage you're getting.

intrepidspirit

I always reset my mpg when I take a trip. With my 2000, I generally get around 26.5 @70-75 mph with cruise control with 2-3 adults in the car. With my wife's 2001, we get around 26.2 under the same conditions. Both cars have K&N air filters.

Pretty consistent with the EPA rating (26), but we always seem to beat it...

Even though it seems flat, a slight incline/decline may exist in the road. For example, I always get about .5 mpg better on a return trip from the SF Bay area back to LA than I do going to SF. Most of that trip is through the flat Central Valley but I guess the elevation is a little higher as you drive North, although you don't notice it while driving...

smittyd

My 2001 M averages between 21.8 to 22.0 mpg according to the trip computer. I, luckily, have to do very little stop-and-go city driving...mostly two lane country roads and usually 5 - 10 mph over the speed limit. My M has 22,000 miles, K&N filtercharger, Bosch Platinum +4's, Hujo-style duals (with the stock collector and a Flowmaster in the rear) and Syntec synthetic oil. Like the rest of you, I've seen 2 - 99 on the instant readout depending upon the conditions.

MOPAR or no car!

http://dodgeboy.cjb.net

toms99

A lot of you guys know what I do for a living...I'm a School Principal. One of the "perks" of the job is I get my own reserved parking space...yippee!!

I recently decided to "spice-up" the space where I park my 99LHS every day:

jona57

FWIW- In my 2001 300M w/phg I am averaging around 19-20 mpg city and 28 highway (65-70 mph). This is in fairly flat Midwestern terrain and using a moderate driving style. (BTW- these are both around 1-2 MPG better than my old 95 Intrepid 3.5L on identical road conditions). Considering the weight of the M I can see where an aggressive stop-and-go driver could drive the MPG down to 15 MPG, but highway MPG should be fairly similar in M's on flat terrain.

Jon

sdmike2

lol! That's great.

ajpiii

Nope fortunately for me there was a nice access road which lead right up onto where I took the pictures... Not sure how legal me parking on it was, but it made a nice pic lol

ajpiii

since the springs and the 20's, speed-bumps are my ememies ! the car just doesnt like going over them... and the potholes in Providence are bound to cause some damage...

beach15

I don't know whether it's just in this area, but as new 300M offer was advertised in the auto section of the paper. What is it? Free, 3 year, 36,000 mile scheduled maintenanace. Just like some of the imports and Lincoln offer. There were two ads, each pointing out that it was "300M Only". Not sure if this is nationwide, but if so, they must be trying to offer the M with the same level of standard features as some of the imports.

I'll try to scan the ads and post them, maybe later.

videoman1

Boy, for someone who not long ago could say nothing but bad things about the 300M, you're sure going out of your way to enlighten us with new deals and offers. It seems you're no longer with the "Dark Side". Welcome back.

-vman

silverbee

We filled up before we went to brampton and on the tank I averaged 28.4.If I drive 55 or less I can easily get 29-30.Otherwise 26-28 is a consistent avg for me (until winter comes then it usually drops to 22)I just have the k&n filter.I wonder what John averaged on that run,a couple of times he was pretty close to 100 or over.
Nice pictures guys will take a look at all of them.Keep them coming I know we got enough for all winter.
SDmike My wife got one of the brief cases(I think she stole my ticket)really turned out nice.
would like to see big red one of these days hear a lot about it and you got some nice pictures.You influenced me on my choice of spoiler.That is what this club is all about and I think everyone sure does their part.
BOB

silverbee

He's back?????????

beach15

I've always been here, but the nice thing is relatively new and will stay I hope.

Hey, saw another silver Special today that went past us. I turned around and saw temp. tags, so they must have just bought it. Too bad it rained for about 10 minutes, enough to make it less than clean. Looked nice!

beach15

I have a question for you guys who came from non-PHP cars to a Special. We had a 00' PHP, and I always felt it was a little soft, with steering that wasn't as tight or firm as I prefer, same as with the brakes. It was by no means a penalty box to drive, but I always wondered what it would have been like with a few small improvements. We first drove a 00' PHP with 17" razorstars, and riding in the back, I loved the ride as it felt firmer, crisper, and more agile, all the while being comfortable. I immediately felt the difference when we took the non-PHP car we bought out for a test drive the next night. It wasn't bad, but just felt softer and not as crisply connected.

So, already liking the performance of the PHP/PHG cars, how much of an improvement is the Special? If it has firm, heavier steering, a more tighly connected ride that's also firm, and even slightly better brakes, I'd probably love driving one. For all those reasons, that's why I so much enjoy driving my grandmother's 99' Olds Intrigue. It's' a very nice car, but clearly not M-calibur with a cheap feeling, shiny plastic interior, and that fact that they're a dime a dozen everywhere. Still really liked it though.

It's not that I'd go buy a Special or anything, just really very curious!

dick4295

I constantly get 26 to 28 miles a gallon with my strictly stock 1999 300m. This is on a trip of 300 to 400 miles using the cruise control when possible.

I disagree with pster that because the 300 has 250 + horse power that you can't expect that mileage. I had a "92 corvette with 300 horse power that I would get about 28 miles a gallon constantly on the same above 30 to 400 mile trip.

fastdriver

99_300m_ric_va-

Greetings from the "Dark Side". GREAT pics. Thanks for posting them.

beach15-

Isn't it a shame that some people either don't know the name of the color of their car OR they're color blind! That 99 ebay 300 was listed as maroon/burgundy! One thing for sure- he doesn't use Zaino! ;-))

fastdriver

beach15

I noticed that too! Looked like it had the usual dealer prep and a cheap wax job. Nothing at all like a Zaino shine, especially those somewhat dull chrome Razorstars.

On our Av, I currently have 3 coats of Klasse All in One, 3 coats of Klasse Sealant Glaze, and 8 coats of Platinum Ultimate Paint Protection. The Platinum is a polymer much like Zaino, but gives a much deeper look, especially noticable on the pure black. The truck still looks amazing, but I plan on doing a wash, clay, wash and then adding 3 coats of Z-5 with Z-FX tomorrow! Can't wait to see what it looks like!

beach15

Hmm, I've now seen 2 different 99' M's on Ebay with Buy It Now prices of close to $11 grand. They're starting to get quite tempting, even though they're first model years with around 80k miles.

videoman1

While at the Brampton Plant, I asked Ottowrkr how much electricity costs to run the factory. He said they pay a flat rate of ONE MILLION dollars per month. Man, no wonder cars cost so much.

-vman

300michael

Of course the mileage is better going from San Fan to Los Ang. Look at any globe the trip is down hill. LOL

300michael

Add lowering springs and instant ride change. You should like it a lot.

videoman1

I was finally able to upload some more photos to the internet. If you want to view all of them, get some coffee cause there's 476 of them to look at. You can check them out at:

http://public.fotki.com/videoman1/dream_cruise_-_bram/

-vman

clpurnell

I am lucky to get 18 in the city and maybe 23 with the air off on the highway. I am usually closer to 16/21. The mileage has really disappointed me in this car. Acura has 260 hp and 20 in city and 30 on the highway. I think it has more to do with the transmission gearing than the engine size. But hey I haven't had to replace my trans yet I think ruski has less miles than me on his cl/tl and is on his 2nd or 3rd tranny. Just have to make sure I keep that gas card handy

hayneldan

Congratulations are in order for all those responsible for the Dream Cruise and Brampton plant tour. I know Russ was deeply involved as well as Roger, Ottoworker and several others? Thanks to all who posted pictures for those of us who could not make it. I have been a lurker here (have read all 20,000+ posts)and on the old AOL site doing battle with Becca. This is the best site for info for LH's on the internet. Roger I assume you will post some sort of thanks on the club site when you return. Tom Mizerk 99 Intrepid ES (2" short of being a 300M owner)If the Intrepid didn't fit in the garage it was going to be the 300M

99_300m_ric_va

Also don't forget the offical club message board, and the DodgeIntrepid.net site, great complements to the Edmunds forum. Between these three sites there is more LH info out there than anywhere else.

http://pub88.ezboard.com/b300menthusiastsclub

http://www.dodgeintrepid.net/forums/index.php?s=

Also TONS of 300M club related pics, nearly 1200 pics:

http://public.fotki.com/99300mricva/

300michael

There are about a half dozen with lots of good pictures too. (Just don't hit my links Glenn has not changed them yet)

ed12

I know many in this group are expert at taking care of their paint. As a former 300M owner, I have a question. My 5 month old 2002 inferno red T&C minivan has streaks on the hood. I tried washing them, but no luck. They seem to be in the paint or clearcoat. They are probably from tree sap or bird droppings. My wifes 96 Camry sits next to mine under the same tree, she has no streaks on her hood. What is my next step. Should I ask the dealer to repaint the hood?

This is a leased vehicle.

Thanx

Ed

lorinser

Hi there,

I have undergone a list of performance modification & couldn't get enough, anything that I don't know of. I need your expertise.

* Lorinser Lowering Kit
* KYB GR-2 Shock absorber
* A set of Bosch Platinum+4 spark plugs
* K&N Air Filter
* Jet Computer Chip
* Borla Cat Back System

I have done a comprehensive research over the internet for any supercharger that would go with my car with no chance at all. All what I found is that electric supercharger that would give me %3-6 additional horse power.

toms99

You might want to try a set of Prowler Pro gears. They won't give you more HP, but it will shift the power band for more low-end torque.

Check out this link as well:

http://www.geocities.com/custom_lh/

This guy is bolting up a Turbocharger to his Intrepid.

smokethemall

Anyone seen one of these before?

http://www.autotrader.com/findacar/vdetail.jtmpl?car_id=107113160

Looks sweet. Sounds like a good price for it as well. Did they make one of these for a 300M?

j3studio

Folks,

So we're going on a quiet (!) Sunday drive in our 99 PHP and the transmission slips (once) and it doesn't seem like a big deal, so we keep going...

A half hour later, all (semi) hell breaks loose: the speedometer stops working. It looks like more than just the speedometer, 'cause the transmission won't shift out of first (even when in AutoStick - I tried). Also, the odometer isn't moving and the trip computer is showing 0 MPG. Then, of course, the check engine light comes on...

We made it home safe (avoiding the highway) and will take it in to the 5* tomorrow. Anybody have an idea what went wrong?

Thanks,

John Mulhern

toms99

I'll bet it's one of the speed sensors - either input or output. You probably have about 40-50K miles, right? You are actually in 2nd gear - limp mode. While it's in the shop I'd have them replace both sensors. The parts are not that expensive...Don't let them rip you.

ottowrkr

speed sensors

glennbp

Here's a link to Meguiar's Clinics. Check out the one on swirl marks et al.

http://www.meguiars.com/clinics/clinics_template.cfm

99_300m_ric_va

John,

Long time no hear (since the Wall Speedway Event Sept 2001).

Since the speedo quit, it's more specifically the output speed sensor.

Here's a pic of the sensors:

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=47182

Here's a good discussion on this subject:

http://pub88.ezboard.com/f300menthusiastsclubfrm8.showMessage?topicID=98.topic

Hope this helps

Robert Powell aka 99300mricva

Richmond, Va

j3studio

Thanks to all for the quick responses - though it does make me wonder what everyone is doing on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

(NASCAR folks - I know Bristol was last night - thunderstorm cut my cable connection with 125 laps to go, but that's another story)

My (lovely) wife will be heading into the 5* with a strong output speed sensor suggestion...we were at 61 thousand, so I guess we were due.

Robert: doesn't Labor Day last year feel like forever ago? Best to you and your (much hotter than mine) 300M.

Thanks again to all,

John Mulhern III

sdmike2

The output speed sensor is part number 4800879. You can get them at www.oem-car-parts.com for around $15, and the "list" price is still under $20. Might want to check the dealer price before they do the work.

sdmike2

Forget those electric "superchargers" for any significant difference (other than a big hit in your wallet). If you want to have some fun, why don't you contact Paxton and see if they're interested in making your M the first with their supercharger system. It's a popular add-on with Prowlers (about $6k for the kit) plus installation, and since we use the same engine logic dictates that it should work. However, the layout of the engine compartment, the computer software and other things would make it a VERY interesting project.

As stated before this, for better 0-60 performance try the prowlerpro gears. They're something like $1,500 - $2,000 and if you're good mechanically you could install them yourself. Check www.prowlerpro.com.

bobspc

Anyone see any weather problems driving Interstate 5 from Oregon to Phoenix mid October? Looks like there might be a few hills, with tires on Special dont want to run into any snow or ice if I can avoid it.

Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks
Bob