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Comments
LOL... You're so gullible. Look at the title of the topic- Photoshop! ;-)) Just thought I'd have some fun to "liven" up this topic. NO Acura concept. Just a botched job with photoshop. However, it does remind me of that ugly MB hatchback! I cannot believe that ANYONE buys those things. Talk about UGLY! ALMOST as bad as the Aztec! ;-)))
fastdriver
They do. Our wheel roller conveyor won't handle anything bigger than a 17" wheel and we're not replacing it 'til next year. A while ago Otto showed a picture of a steel rack full of 18" wheels and tires ready to go on the Specials. That's how they come off the truck at one of our receiving doors.
I've printed post #20968 from 300mspecial1 regarding the need to pull the best 4 tires from 6 units to make 1 good set. I'll drop it off at the plant manager's desk.
Pat (host) can you tell me, either on here or directly to me, approximately how many people are subscribed to this list? Tnx.
1. Brilliant Black Special
http://www.manassaschrysler.com/Chrysler/290093.html
2. Deep Sapphire
http://www.manassaschrysler.com/Chrysler/290053.html
I really would like to see the new Brilliant Black in some sunlight~I think a black metallic would look quite good, not gray like Slate. Also, that's the first pic with the new chrome rims that doesn't look so good on the M, probably bad lighting or angle.
For myself and on behalf of others who are experiencing this problem, I'd like to thank you for making this effort to help figure this out at the higher levels. I think it's awesome that people like you take that kind of pride in what they do. That kind of commitment to customer satisfaction is not often seen, but please believe me when I say it is very much appreciated.
Swapping wheels between 6 units is certainly not the ideal fix, so anything that can be done before the units hit the lots will go a long way. I was shaking my head when the service dept at my dealer said they gave me the best 4 sets from all the Specials on the lot, all '02 models BTW. I had to go out and count 'em to see just how much work that was. One question though does come to mind. GM randomly pulls units for a more extensive quality audit. They will routinely put 20-40 miles on the car before they sign off on it and ship it out. If they discover a problem, the unit is brought back and fixed before it leaves the factory. Of course, the mileage portion of the warranty is adjusted so that the customer gets the full 36/36. Does DC do this? If so, has this ever come up? It seems hard to imagine that if random testing is done, that so many bad ones could get out and be purely an escape based on the sampling plan.
Thanks for the support. This is an awesome car and it handles and stops well enough to genuinely surprise the unsuspecting...:)
We also have a BSR room (body shake & rattle, I think) that can hydraulicly simulate any road condition by lifting and dropping all 4 wheels independently.
mrl859, you mentioned the tire problem materialized at 200 miles. Since we never put that much distance on a new car (at least not since the '80s, when Iaccoca had to say "Oops") we wouldn't pick up on that problem at the plant.
All I can say is so far I am very happy with them. They handled the entrance ramp at about 45 (could have gone faster) without complaining. They also seem to ride quieter than the Goodyears and give a comfortable ride. They handle expansion joints smoothly without much thumping. They are fully what I expected as I have owned Yoko Avids V rated on another car and was very happy with them
Plus the fact that I only paid $85 each plus about $18 each for shipping for a quality v-rated tire. And the mounting and balancing at my own mechanic was only $48 total. Such a deal. If you live close to a discount tire, you will probably pay a little more than $85 ea as I got mine on special, but they include mounting, balancing, valve stems, and rotations in their price. If you're not near one, call around to stores listed on the internet and you may get one who will ship them to you.
The Yokos are absolutely better than the Goodyears and would give the Michelins MXV4s some competition as I have had a set of those on another car and actually like the Yokos better. I needed an all season semi-performance tire and the Yokos fit the bill. They probably wont handle quite as well as the Dunlop or Michelin Pilot A/S performace tires but for an all-,season v-rated tire you cant beat the value with the Yokos.
Apparently, the power sunroof is a no-charge option for those buying a 'M at a Canadian DC dealer. The following comes from the DC Canada 300M Web site under "What's new for 2003":
"Power sunroof comes as a no-charge feature."
It didn't find a similar statement at the DC U.S. Web site.
On the 18" tires. Wire2--Yes, we did see the rack with those bad boys on it when we went thru the plant. There were about 6-8 of them ready to go on a vehicle. I just didn't know if a supplier brought them in ready to go or not. I didn't realize that the mfg's were outsourcing that part of the build until I saw a story on a minority firm down in L-ville that is doing that job for Ford at the Explorer plant near here. Figured a really good balancer or two with Hunter machines could do it better and cheaper at the plant. And that may turn out to be correct if the problem persists down the road for new buyers.
Dual Exhaust, part 2--Am supposed to have the additional Magnalfow collector tht was ordered 10 days ago added to the Hujo dual set-up today. Will see how that reduces cabin resonance in the 45-60 mph range. So far I am not real happy with the Ractive T-813 tips that went on 2 weeks ago. I noticed after just a couple of days a 1/8" ring of rust on the inside edge of each tube of the tips about a 1/4" in from the opening. I cleaned it up and applied a coat of vaseline to that area on each tip, figuring it might just be from normal condensation out the tip and then I e-mailed the company about their warranty on defective parts and material on their tips. Was told they were sorry about the problem and to check with the installer. I plan on doing that today when I get the additional collector put in. Stainless tips at just under $100 each should not do no rusting even if it is just surface rust after 2 days of being on the vehicle. It was unsightly but not scary given the thickness of the inner lining of the tip. I then checked the OEM dual tips on the wife's 00 Eldo with 2 years on it, and there was not a speck of rust on any of the tips. Strange huh?
If you own a Special don't be lulled into a false sense from this. If the snow was light and dry there may not have been much evidence of the Sports lack of traction because you were still making contact with the pavement. Once a snowfall arrives that covers the road - even a 1/4" - you will get a rude awakening.
We had a light but wet snowfall here this AM and I was very much reminded of the Sports limitations even though the road wasn't covered.
That was me. There was light accumulation of heavy wet snow on the roads. The roads were thoroughly wet and slushy. Given comments in earlier posts about these tires making the car darn-near unroadworthy in snow, I took it as a heads-up to pay EXTRA close attention. I'll be more careful and let you know how it goes the next time we get a good one.
One of the things that's easy for alot of us to forget is how to drive in snow after 6+months of clear pavement. It usually takes a storm or 2 for most people to remember to allow more distance and slow the heck down. I appreciate the advise on this car for winter driving.
Thanks.
http://files.vap0r.com/avi-mpg/dodge-k-car.mov
:-)
Toms99
Easyrider - glad you like your new tires! I had the same reaction. Have had mine for a week now, and still getting the good ride. :>)
I wish there was a way to CLONE wire2's and ottowrkr's attitudes and IMPLANT BOTH of them at every DC dealer in this country! You and wire2 are fairly new here, but ottowrkr has been here since 1999. Back then, he was 'undercover" and known by a different screen name. I believe at the time that I was the only one who knew what he did for a living. He was a TREMENDOUS help when I had my beautiful looking, but EVIL, Christine. Without ottowrkr, I think I really would have reached the point where I would have driven Christine through their showroom window for all the crap I put up with then. To this day, I don't even know how I kept my cool for ALL those 33 months. All I know is that it was an experience that I will NEVER forget and one that people here are sick of hearing. Unfortunately for some/many, I will always express my views and MY experiences with "5-STARS" and the factory reps who "monitor/rate" those "5-STARS"!! LOL...........
bluestec-
Canadian 300M's also had a longer warranty way before they extended it here.
toms99-
LOL... I love adcritic.com. That was a great QuickTime. Thanks for sharing it.
fastdriver
My M has the performance handling group, and I was not pleased with the handling of the YK420 as compared to the Michelin HX MXM4 that came on my car, so I exchanged the Yokos soon after I bought them for Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Both of these Michelin models will run more like $850 to $900 for four. There are less expensive Michelin models.
For more comments on tires, check out:
http://pub88.ezboard.com/f300menthusiastsclubfrm6
http://community.webshots.com/photo/53324520/53324537UXjUjE
I'm sure there are many more people like you and wire2 at the plant, but you're the only two that we know or are aware of here.
What's with all these complaint websites? Can't please anyone these days! ;-)))
http://www.thecomplaintstation.com/cgi-bin/frames.cgi?topic148
cebteb-
You know the old Dr. joke- it makes noise when I do this. Don't do that! ;-))
fastdriver
Based on the weather forecasts, the snows go on for the season this weekend. It's gonna be a loooong winter here I fear.
http://www.thecomplaintstation.com/cgi-bin/frames.cgi?0008
Thanks, we'll note that to our 5* service manager during our 300Ms next visit.
easyrider300M
I liked what you had to say about the YK 420 tires. At 18K miles or 99' 300M is still on its Goodyear's, but 2 were replaced by Goodyear at 15K miles because they wouldn't hold a balance and induced vibration at a given speed.
Road noise is still high for a semi-luxury vehicle and riding over any irregularities in the pavement produces sharp jarring and loud thumps. The ride noise and feel have been disappointing enough that my wife now prefers the ride in our brand new 03' Bravada to the 300M.
We were considering buying a set of the Michelins that come on the new 300Ms (non-PHP), but the YK 420s sound like they may be quieter and smoother than those. Ride quality is our one lingering issue with our 300M. Other than that, it is a very impressive auto that is luxurious inside and still draws looks when cleaned and polished (slate w/ chrome wheels).
Am I correct in interpreting your comments about the YK 420s as being a better solution for noise and ride than the Michelins currently provided on the non-PHP 300Ms?
Ottowrkr--On the rant by the guy who didn't like GM. Strange or just bad luck, or maybe I just had good luck, but I had an 87 Toro [1st year build just like with the 99M] and kept it for 9 years with the only problem being an alternator wire broke and ran the battery down somehow. Took the dealer 2 tries to find the problem. Other than that it was the most reliable car I ever owned and far and away had the best cruise control ever, adjustable by one mph at a time with a digital dash readout for speed, etc. I sold it after 9 yrs for $2K to my son, who kept it two more, and sold it for $1K. He later complained to me that he got flack from the guy he sold it to when the A/C needed work in year 12!!! Anyway the M has been almost as good, and about equal to my 93 Regal G/S. It's the dealers man, they make or break the customer loyalty thing. And I think I finally figured out why they push so hard to get the 5* rating. Only 5* dealers are on the Chrysler web site that lets the buyer check dealer inventories and get referrals to dealers for quotes, etc. Can't even call up the non-5* guys. I tried with the dealer in Kearny, NE [Spady] and his dealership wouldn't even come up. We know he's there, he is on the other [Club] board. So I figure that is the carrot that gets them pushing for the 5*.
have a good day!
andy
After a couple days, I exchanged the Yokos at Discount Tire for Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, which were $219 each (ouch!). These handle better on dry roads than the HX MXM4 (which are $209 each) and seem to be about as quiet as the Yokos. They also do well in wet, but I haven't yet driven them in snow. As of now, though, I am very pleased, and would definitely recommend this tire over the HX MXM4.
To date, it seems like all of the non-PHG owners who have replaced Goodyears with the YK420 are pleased with the Yokos. I have not yet heard of anyone else besides me who has a PHG-equipped M who has replaced the Michelins with the YK420 (which is a "V" rated tire).
Silver
????
I had a '73, with 455 ci, FWD,(a novelty in those days), no hump in the middle of the floor. A 6000 lb "boat".
I believe GM introduced them in "68 or'69
Geezer300M