Chrysler 300M

300michael

The only chance is in the Mount Shasta area. but it is usually kept open. From there it is smooth sailing (excuse me, simi smooth driveing (with the Special suspension) all the way to Phoenix. I live in North Phoenix, so let me know. If no meet, maybe we can get to gether for a short time (depending on you schedule).

300michael

the K&N, Borla, and to a lesser degree the +4 plugs are the extent of your (speed) performance mods. To spend $6-10K I would wait for the N or drop a Small block and rear drive train in the M. The Prowler Pro gears are your only real option in my book. With too much more power the drive axles going, could be a real problem. The Lorinser Lowering kit (if just body skirts) then no added problems, If it actually lowers the suspension then you could have big problems.

mikeyjohn

What's this I hear on the news that the big three in Canada have taken a strike vote and may go out the middle of Sept? Who is going to build our cars? What will happen if Chrysler decides to close the plants? I suppose you and wire will cross the picket line to keep us going AYE!!!!! LOL.

fuzzywuzzy

Bought the wrong car to mod for speed. There's nothing major made for it. The intake, & exhaust, are good, the plugs will increase your milage a little, forget the Jet Chip modual, It's a waste of money, that does very little(I had it, & might have been the only one to try it) In fact it fried 2 MAP sensors, & doesn't do anything for shift points. The Prowler Pro gears are good, but expensive.

beach15

If you guys haven't already seen the link to this car on the LHS board, take a look:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1853835613

It's now Viper Red, but didn't start that way. I emailed the seller and was told it was Dark Garnet Red or as he called it "burgundy" when they bought it, but his wife didn't like the color. So, they had it custom painted, "Viper Red". Actually looks kind of cool, but some chrome Razorstars would make it look 100% better.

wire2

>...how much electricity costs to run the factory. ...flat rate of ONE MILLION dollars per month. Man, no wonder cars cost so much.

It's not a flat rate, it averages 1 mill+. Actual billing is by kilowatt hours and demand penalty. We buy power from the utility wholesale from 2 sources at 27,600 volts and have our own substations and distribution.
Keep in mind we make 21,000 cars per month so it's $47.62 ($30 US)per car.
In winter the gas bill is also over 1 mill per month. Needless to say we usually pay on time to avoid the 5% late penalty added on.

sdmike2

In october I don't think you'll have any troubles. The two places I think you'll need to keep an eye on would be the range between Oregon and California, and the San Bernardino mountains NE of LA, but you shouldn't have any issues until November.

300michael

Are you talking about the "grapevine" on I5? Don't remember snow ever being a problem there.

sdmike2

No, and if he hits the grapevine on his way down he's gonna end up fighting LA traffic. If he comes across from I-5 north of the city he'll likely take some state highways through the mountains on his way to the I-10 out near Riverside. I remember going north through the area (on the 138 I think) on my way to Palmdale from San Diego and there was snow in the pass. I think it was November though.

fastdriver

clpurnell-

Ruski has only had his transmission replaced ONCE! Like they tell me, every car maker makes some 'lemons". Some just make more then others.

fastdriver

bobspc

Thanks for the info, sounds like I should be ok. 300michael, we are relocating this trip so will meet at some point. Moving to Goodyear, really looking forward to hot and dry, only reason I bought the Special was I did not intend to see much snow once I leave Alaska.

pster

I have had the speed sensor fail twice on my 99 300M, both while it had 30-40,000 miles on the odometer. It's a simple and easy fix. However, the third time my tranny acted up at 42,000 miles it turned out to be a failed hydraulic pump - $1200. The speed sensor is the most common failure that affects the tranny on the 300M, but not the only one. It's hard to tell the exact problem because in all cases the tranny is designed to default into the limp mode which is 2nd gear. Good luck. Let us know.

300michael

Boy! from the icy cold to the blistering heat. You will be right at home after a rain though. The streets get slippery due to the oils that accumulate, and when you get rain, well you know that water and oil don't mix well. Looking forward to seeing you. A 300M owner and their car is always welcome.

silverbullet4

Great pics for the Brampton tour! I am really wanting to do this next year.

Rainmaker for hire. Even tho we are in the usual hot, dry part of the year, the last four times I washed the silver bullet it rained within 12 hours. If I re-wash it today it may cause flash flooding! LOL Better wait another day ;>)

Silver

grunschev

When I had a blowout a couple years ago, I drove 400 miles on the donut spare. It says don't drive over 50mph or more than 50 miles on that donut. I didn't top 55 the whole time, and on the straight and flat with cruise I was getting in the neighborhood of 40mpg.

Keep it to 55 and you'll get great mileage. I was run off the road on several occasions by the big rigs, though, so it's not recommended.

Igor

laurasdada

My '99 300M averages 21-22mpg in my daily driving (40 miles per day of stop/go and some highway cruising). On trips, I've averaged about 26mpg at 75mph-ish.

Could be worse. We just got back from a week in New Hampster (Ossipee Lake, beautiful!). Took the evil wife's RX300. Loaded with two adults/two kids and stuff for a week, according to the trip computer for 580 miles driven averaged 21.8 mpg at an average of 34.8 mph. I guess that's not too bad for a loaded up AWD pseudo-SUV!

Got a bit of a light show in the M last night. It "self-corrected" when I played with the rheostat. 39,200 miles and hoping for no problems for at least another 20,000...

intrepidspirit

Yes, I know San Francisco is at a higher elevation than Los Angeles. I actually don't drive all the way to SF -- only to about 90 miles south of SF. I don't know what the elevation is there.

In driving through the Central Valley, the terrain appears absolutely level to the naked eye. When driving North on this "level" terrain, ny real-time mpg is about 1 mph less than while driving South. My point is that a road that appears level, may be not be, and hence mpg may not be as expected.

No big deal, just an observation...

pjyoung

My 99 averages about 20.6 according to the trip computer. My commute to work is about 12 miles each way, on roads that are 45 mph, and an occasional run on the freeway when running errands. Highway only (at 75 to 80 mph) returns about 26 to 27 mpg.

sosborne_300m

I remember seeing an old post in here with a pic that shows the fuse to remove to reset the computer?? Seems that it had something to do with the shift points of the Tranny. Any ideas about what I am talking about? - Or - was I just dreaming.. - Thanks in advance....

underbloom

Transmission controller fuse - a pic is on Scott Jensen's site:

http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/300m/engine/engine/transmission_fuse.html

j

ottowrkr

mikeyjohn- cross the picket line? not a chance, I want to live . I am not a union fan by any means but I would not be doing that. Our contract expires Sept 17.

uxca300m

So my local 5* has a deal on for an oil change including 5 quarts of oil and filter plus 15 point inspection for $24.95. So this must be a loss leader cause their not making any money on it but what the heck, I decided to take advantage of it. Took my M in and told them I wanted the oil change but to use synthetic oil in place of the Mopar oil and to charge me the difference. My bill was $68.70 !!!!. The most interesting part was that the labor cost was $31.73. I tried to get them to explain why I could get five quarts of oil and filter including labor for $24.95 while the labor alone on mine was $31.63. Still waiting for an answer from the service manager.

fastdriver

uxca300m-

Mmmmm.......don't you just love them? Do they EVER stop surprising you? ;-)) Just when you THINK you've seen/heard everything, they come up with something new! They must be working "3-shifts" at "Chrysler U" to see what they can come up with next!

fastdriver

trashman2

are there any after market kits that you can buy just for the tranny and radio covers without buying the whole kit.

easyrider300m

you are partially at fault for not getting a price before work was done---and you could have supplied your own brand of synthetic and filter and asked for the sale price less materials--but why the labor should be more than the base oil change is beyond me---let us know how it turns out..

mikeyjohn

Otto, I kind of thought you would have a reply like that. Can't figure why those unions like Buzz so much. He sure makes his money on the back of the workers!!!!

Uxca, There is an old saying "If it sounds too good, it usually is" It sounds like you got taken to the cleaners. By the way the $24.95 price is the normal price we pay here for a change. I don't know the price of the synthetic oil.

greasykid1

Am trying to find out how to add another "SUBSCRIPTION" (wifes car).Since edmunds format seems to have changed I have not been able to add to my message center index. Even sent an e-mail to edmunds but no reply. I find the "unsubscribe" but no "subscribe" position. I know that this is not 300M business (I have a 2001 M)but I'm hoping someone has the answer.
Thanks

300michael

I believe the higher price ($31.73) is to have Dieter Zetsche change your oil. $12.00 is to have some shop jock do it. LOL

pat

In any discussion that you open, you should see either a Subscribe or an Unsubscribe button between the Read Subscriptions and Message Center buttons towards the bottom of the page.

Which do you see? And in what discussion? Let's go to Talk to the Sedans Host (or whatever it is called - the link works, just click on it and post a message there about what's happening) to talk about this, since it is off-topic here.

dick4295

Interesting that "laurasdada" had a light show at 39,000 plus miles. This past Friday night I had the same light show at 39,000 plus miles on my '99.

pjyoung

I've had the light show in my 99 a couple of times. Turning the headlights on manually, then off again usually stopped it.

My question is about the speed sensors. I had mine replaced a couple of months ago, but I was wondering, since it's apparently an "electronic" device, would it be possible to get it out of "limp" mode by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes and "resetting" the electronics. At least if you were out in the boonies when it happened, you could at least get home at highway speeds instead of second gear. Anybody know?

300michael

In most cases yes, but if as in this case a bad (stuck) switch then the computer apon starting up will detect it and go back into limp mode.

300michael

For getting the HID coversion kit group buy to 20 instead of 30. This puts us within reach. We currently have 17 buyers. Go to www.300Mclub.org and click message boards then buy,sell, trade and look up the listing. The bulbs kits are for 9005XS (hi beam), and 9006XS (lo beam).

300michael

A tech said the heat of the HID bulb is actually less then the heat generated by Halagen bulbs. So you should have no problems.

cardosino

Consumer reports has it on their "used cars to avoid" list. Are the 2000's any better ? I notice a lot of TSB on both the 99 and 2000.

Maybe I'll get a Passat instead.

silverbullet4

2000 vs 1999. The '99 model had a lot of window regulator replacement issues. (problem with the vendor). The other common problem was the amazing shrinking weatherstripping around the doors.

The 2000 model had improvements:

PHG went to 17" wheels sometime after the start of 2000 production run. Pirelli Pilot tires.

Better body sound insulation

Improved rear suspension bushings to improve ride.

4 disk CD changer

cup holders in fold down rear arm rest. (not sure the '99 had this)

Common to both years:

Problems with both years are Body Control Module causing door lock and "light show" problems, speed sensor failures causing limp home mode, and driver's power seat movement.

I believe Comsumer Reports has the 2000 model rated highly. Chances are any of the warranty issues with the '99 models have already been taken care of. Just check the dealer database for that VIN. Good luck.

Silver

cmyers300m

Let me know when to order man, I'm ready!

denverm

Carpoint rates the '99 reliability pretty highly: http://carpoint.msn.com/vip/usedrelover.aspx?make=Chrysler&model=300M

I've had some problems with my 2000 (including the shrinking weather stripping), but nothing major and all taken care of under warranty. My impression of the posts here over the last two years by '99 owners would not lead me to think '99's should be avoided. Only a few posters have had serious problems.

Silverbullet4 meant Michelin Pilots, not Pirelli.

intrepidspirit

Interesting that the '99 and '00's are reported to have light show problems. I have never had one on my 2000 -- however I have had 2 with my wife's 2001.

The first time, the car was parked in a parking lot and I could see headlights flashing as I entered the lot. When I got to the car, the lights were still flashing and I thought it had been broken into. I disarmed the alarm and the light show stopped (no evidence of breaking in).

The second time, I was driving during the day, when I heard a repeating clicking sound. It was the headlights going off and on. I turned the light switch to the right and back to the left (auto position) and the light show stopped.

I have never taken it in to the dealer because I know they could never "duplicate the problem..."

easyrider300m

could you be the proud owner of Christine II. You and fastdriver should exchange notes. Time to call in the exorcist.

easyrider300m

wont these new lights have a problem with proper light pattern if they use the factory reflectors? I wonder if they will pass inspection.

muskateer3

Is this a TSB? If you were still under warranty, did they replace it for you?

wire2

>...HID bulb is actually less than the heat generated by Halogen...

Correct. A typical D1S xenon lamp draws only 35 watts, and features a cooler heat/light ratio than halogen.

>I wonder if they will pass inspection.

Any modified assembly won't have DOT type approval so it might be an idea to run it by your insurance agent first to see where you stand legally after the change. The phrase "I didn't know" doesn't sway a policeman after an accident, even if it wasn't a direct cause.

toms99

My 99 is 4 and a half years old and has about 45K miles. I have not had a single out-of-warranty repair. Yeah, I had the front window motors replaced, the rear passenger weather stripping was shrinking (the dealer replaced ALL of them free of charge) and a couple of TSB's (keyless entry range) done. I consider these things minor, basically because they were not drive train related and they were fixed correctly the first time. I replaced my GoodYears with Michelins at 30K not because of any pulling or vibration but because I wanted a better tire with better wet weather traction. Heck, for a first year model, I think that's a pretty good track record. Let me put it this way: I leased the car for the first 3 years. If there were reliability problems I would have just turned in the keys. Instead, I bought the car at lease end. I can't think of a better reliabilty endorsement!

sosborne_300m

Have a 2001 that had the shrink going on - Was under warranty so the local 5* replaced with no argument - as well as the drivers window motor - it was squeeking - so they just replaced it at the same time.

denverm

All four replaced under warranty. My dealer (Medved, Denver) has been VERY good about taking care of any problem I have brought up, and they always call the next day to make sure I'm satisfied. While it would be nice to never have any problem with a new car, I wouldn't expect complete perfection and it doesn't bother me that I've had to have a few things fixed. Driving the 300M is worth it! Just hoping nothing major goes wrong in the future, now that the warranty has expired.

ottowrkr

WE built a ton of Specials today with the 17 inch chrome rims . For anybody thinking of this option
DON'T DO IT
Get the 18 and buy yourself a cheap set of tires & rims if you plant to drive in the winter. It isn't Special with 17 . Repeat after me , it isn't special with 17!!!!!

beach15

It isn't special with 17!! I really do think that too, I can imagine that it just wouldn't fit with the look. You use the new chrome 17's don't you? Nah, that wouldn't be special at all.

Why are there so many being built? I can't imagine that the winter traction issue is that bad nationwide that this option would be in such demand?! It's just stupid in my opinion, but then again, when have I and Chrysler ever had the same idea...

I've been checking a few dealer inventories and there are quite a few Specials sitting around still, in all colors and options, even with the end of year deals. I have started to see more on the road lately though, but they still don't seem to be going like hotcakes. Hey, I'd even take one with a good deal!

300michael

The HID coversions do not alter the headlamp assemblies at all. To install you install the HID bulb the exact same way as you would a 9006XS Halagen bulb. The light pattern should be simular with the HID throughing less light up (The bulbs have little hoods on the bulbs, simular the the fog lamps on our M's) Any time you alter the lens or reflector assembly you can drasticly change the light pattern.

99_300m_ric_va

If a 17 is not special, then what about my 16" 1999 Special?

http://public.fotki.com/99300mricva/300m_special_badges/