Chrysler 300M

oreoke

I agree with Fuzzy: you got hosed buying a car that was second best and you're venting where you'll get the most reaction. I don't own either, yet, but let me say this about the Concorde/LHS. They start strong (love those front ends) but end with a whimper in that bulbous butt. Kinda sad, I think.
My two copper's worth.
O-O

ruski

HAHAHA, you got ripped off on your Concorde! My 1999 300M cost me $29K with PHP and upgraded stereo. I got it back in 1998 when they were pretty hot. I hear you can buy a 300M for even less now.

Your dealer must have taken the extra money that you overpayed and put it down on a new 300M. And they probably framed your picture and hung it on the 'most charitable donation' board.

Enough bashing though.

How do you like the lousy brakes they put on the Concordes?

your friend Ruski.

P.S. I live in South Florida and even here the butt warmers come in cheeky... I mean handy... I mean... whatever...

oh - I have never had any problems with my memory seats. I love this feature. I always look for this feature when I get a new car.

dustinnewton

That's amazing that you have quality painted stripes in today's "just stick so cheap plastic on" kind of world! I haven't seen painted stripes in years. Was it difficult to watch him do it? I would have a fear that he would sneeze and put a mark down the door!! ;-)

luvmylxi-Did you just stick your head in to bash and then never come back to see the responses or address them? Pretty cowardly if you ask me. What do you think Andre? BTW-Zaino is a product for use on quality cars by people who really are automobile enthusiasts. With your "bash everyone else's choice" mentality, I seriously doubt that you could appreciate it's true worth. Go to Wal-Mart and get yourself a super saver tub of Sam's Choice paste wax.

bobhex40

I have the new door weatherstrips, driver window regulator and new front chrome wheel (old one was heavily corroded on the inside). The new weatherstrips are great and I think the car is quieter on the highway.

rogor2k

Thanks, we've noted all your suggestions and will check them all out. Nice to have someone familiar with the area.

tj300m

Wow! Beach15 really jumped in the fray to defend our 300M's! I new he really loves the car and just likes to complain.

As for Mr. Concorde:

I don't know if the extra speakers make a difference, but I love the fullness of sound the 11 give.

The seat warmers come in extremely handy here in Wisconsin. I used mine this morning!

Where did he get the idea tha memory seats don't work. My 5'1" wife loves having her own setting. I have never heard anyone complain of mal function.

As for the horsepower, my guess is this guy is 55+ years old or a mama's boy.

I paid $27,900 for a 2001 with everything but PHG.
If everyone negotiated like him Chrysler would be hiring, not laying off!

SDmike-Great looking exhaust system.

fuzzywuzzy

LOL

It only took an hour to paint, & then another hour to dry.

njerald

You have a small engine, no fog lights and overpaid. Get over it.

rogor2k

Stop pickin' on the 55+ crowd. I'm way beyond 55 and I love my 300M and every rompin' stompin' horsepower I can get. You don't have to be young to appreciate a fine car. ;~)

I looked at the Concorde when I was car shopping. I liked it a lot, but I was a goner when I saw the 300M. I just couldn't reconcile myself to that bulbuous rear end on the Concorde. Looks a lot like the old Hudsons (see, I am 55+).

denverm

Mine has handpainted pinstripes, too. The dealer had already them put on most of their M's, including the one I chose. I wouldn't have had it done, but they look OK (two colors, a red and a green, on my dark garnet paint). I'll take a picture sometime and post it.

sdmike2

Hand any human $28,000 and give them a choice of an M and a Concorde and watch what happens. You don't get to be Motor Trend Car of the Year by having useless add-ons that cost too much. By the way, I live in SAN DIEGO and I use the heated seats some mornings. Sometimes my butt just doesn't want to be 50 degrees.

Enjoy your Concorde, but any attacks on Ms in this room will certainly fall on deaf and sympathetic ears.

sdmike2

I would have throttled my dealer if he would have striped my car. Pin stripes are just another way for a dealer to charge $250 for $25 worth of work.

fuzzywuzzy

Got mine done for free. Part of the deal.

evd1300m

Does know how to remove the overhead console in order to replace a burnt out map light? Thanks in advance for your assistance.

sdmike2

I used to be the VP of sales and marketing for an internet software company, and I have a lot of connections with companies that supply logo-imprinted items of all kinds, including ones that do shirt and hat embroidery for amazing prices. For example, a nice polo shirt with an embroidered logo costs me between $10 and $15 in most cases. I also have an account with 4imprint (www.4imprint.com) where we can get logo items. Let me know if you need anything for the club.

evd1300m

Does know how to remove the overhead console in order to replace a burnt out map light? Thanks in advance for your assistance.

rogor2k

I'll be in touch off line. Thanks!

ottowrkr

Do you actually know what kind of car you drive? look at what you wrote" (2000 Chrysler Concord LEI) and beleive my LEI is a much better deal all around than a 300M." What the heck is a LEI ??? . I see hundreds of these cars everyday and seeing a 300 still puts a smile on my face, its one sweet car. The Concorde is nice but not its no 300M !!

mykem

It is held in place by 2 or 4 clips. Pretty much the only way is brute force, or a thin flathead screwdriver or needlenose pliers to squeeze & unclip if you are weary of breaking the plastic.

Maybe someone else with the service manual near-by can add, but I removed it once without a screwdriver/pliers and was quite weary when I heard the popping.

-m

ottowrkr

To remove the lights on the overhead console , there is a little hole at the back of the console. Inside is a small screw ,remove the screw and pull the console down . change your buld and replace unit.

mykem

forgot about the screw!

no jokes please.

(there are also little clips, aren't there?)

-m

illini4

Otto: I was going to jump on the LEI thing myself, but I believe it was probably caused by a spellcheck correction that luvmylxi forgot to override.

sdmike2

I also hate forcing parts that have little clips. I have broken several thing that way and I'm very leary of doing anything to my M like that. This is what makes me nervous about the clock face mod...prying stuff apart. I'd MUCH rather have a clip or screw that I can undo gracefully. "snapping" things apart never turns out well for me.

fuzzywuzzy

I'm like you But the clock was very easy. Took less then 5 minutes to do. I was very happy.

fuzzywuzzy

Just a reminder, I still have the 9005XS Fake HID High beam bulbs(Eglite) for the 300M. First one to email me at JTalbot@BroadwayTrading.com gets them for a whole expensive $5!!!!!

rklass

You gotta watch one of these guys sometime! I've seen my guy, who has been doing my striping for 15 years, stripe my car while his dog is running around his legs, and all the while carrying on a conversation with me. He never missed a beat.

Best of all, he currently charges me $40.00 to do any kind of stripes I want.

See his latest effort for me at:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1501794&a=11408326&f=0

alex18t

how do the eaglites compare to pricier bulbs (PIAA), why you sellin them?

silverbullet4

Does anyone remember the URL for the mail order auto sound equipment company? I know they have a hard copy catalog as well. I'm having a whole day of "senior moments" and just can't recall the name. It was mentioned thousands of posts ago.
Thanks, Silver.

sdmike2

My experience has been that when the *SNAP* happens, it's not a clip releasing, it's a clip BREAKING. Today I tried to slip my extra large fingers behind the radio panel above the ash tray to get an idea of how it would respond, and it didn't budge. I didn't pull hard, but the fact that it didn't release with the effort I gave made me nervous. What is it about the design of these pieces that makes them release instead of break...or is it just luck?

Mike

sdmike2

I don't remeber the post, but the big mail order autosound company is Crutchfield.

silverbullet4

Crutchfield! Doh! That's it. Shopping for a subwoofer for the Silver Bullet. Thanks, Mike.

Silver

jgoodson

The paintless dent repair did the trick on my door dings! He fixed 6 dings in two doors and it looks near perfect. It cost $80 but well worth it to me. Anyone have any suggestions for the best way to get out scratches?

sdmike2

how big/deep are the scratches? Some need professional attention, but real fine ones can be handled by Zaino Z-5. I have also seen some impressive results from the colored car wax/polish that you can get in any automotive store. It is supposed to fill those scratches and make them disappear. They do a real good job on faded paint.

Mike

fuzzywuzzy

There ok. No problems. I bought the high beam bulbs,9005XS but decided not to use them. I got them after I installed the low beams, but decided I didn't want to take the facia off again. There unopened, & never used.

tj300m

Sorry. I wasn't putting the 55+ 300m crowd in that category. I was betting on a 30 something mama's boy anyway.

laurasdada

My '99 300M is about to turn 22,000 miles. Other than replacing 2 window motors, I've had none of the other problems (shrinking molding, badyear tires, creaks, rattles or rolls, etc.) that have, unfortunately, plagued some of the posters here.
FYI: I average about 20mpg in daily 40 mile commute traffic, 25-28 highway depending on speed. I use 87 octane. As a '99, road noise is a little more than I would like, but a big improvement over my '95 Intrepid. The car was great in the snow this winter, and we had a good, snowy winter in Boston.
Concorde LEI guy: I can give you the most important reason as to why the 300M is a better car than the Concorde: Because I bought the 300M! For me, that makes it the better car as it is the one I wanted. As I pay Chrysler every month for it, mine is the only opinion that counts! The Concorde is a nice car, too, and for you it was the better car, so enjoy! I hope you didn't really pay $28,000, though. Doesn't seem like such a good deal...In June of '99 I paid around $29,300 for upgraded stereo, big roof hole and shiny chrome wheels. No rebates at the time, I believe I paid invoice. I did, however, get 0.0% financing! Also, heated seats are quite lovely during the long N.E. winter (as is the traction control!).
All in all, I am really enjoying this car.

brianw300

Well, I took Dustns advice and removed the vynil stick on pin-stripes. They were to easy to take off, and kinda makes me think how cheap they were in the first place. Didn't even have to use any adhesive solvent. I must admit the car looks a little more plain than it did, but I am going for that sleeper look anyway. It ought to be a really nice sleeper when I do the duals (someday soon)

Thanks Dustin, Good advice!

Brian

Brian

massivslinky

I actually test drove both 300M and LEI and liked both cars. They corner extremely well and move nicely when you drop the hammer, but there was only a 2000K price difference when I bought, and I didn't feel like settling for the lesser vehicle.
Whenever I see and LXI or LHS from the back, I'm not sure which is which. Only the 300M looks distinctive from both ends. They're all nice cars so I'm not going to criticize the cars, however if you were willing to pay $28,000 for an LXI, I've got some real estate next to some high power lines for you .

Read the article on duals. Anyone adventurous enough to consider a header replacement? Seems like the exhaust manifold is the primary thing holding this engine back. It will be interesting to see what they do to the exhaust to get 300HP out of this engine. Of course they could also monkey with the compression ratios too.

easyrider300m

I hear they are increasing the compression ratio and going to dual exhaust ---dont know if its a true dual though---one drawback of this is that you will probably have to use 91 octane gas so thats another 20c per gallon

concorde vs M is no contest --only benefit of the concord is the bigger trunk and 2 inches in the backseat legroom--unless your 7 feet tall, the backseat in the M is plenty roomy

Easyrider300M

300michael

Did you ever test the jetchip module out? If Alex did not want to try them I will give them a try.

300michael

That exhaust diagram must be known to every one who does muffler work in the US and Canada by now. We should give credit to the 1999 Chrysler Service Manual where it was (two diagrams put together) born. I should have put some disclamer on it when I first did it. sdmike I like you part #'s printing better then mine. Each one adds a piece to the puzzle.

300michael

I use the bun warmers in Phoenix when we have cold nights and mornings. There nice when you have a sore back too.

scotian

The Chime/Buzzer Warning System Schematic on page 8U-2 of the 2000 Service Manual states "* Auto fog & headlamps are only available on LHS and Vision". I guess Replace All didn't catch that one!

sled1

Thanks to responding to my posting #2193 both sdmike and 993000m Rick va. Yes they have confirmed no Vac. leaks and I agree with you on the auto stick but the LHS does not give that as an option. I shift down to 3rd in bumper to bumper traffic my previous intrepid with the 3.5 had the auto stick. I have not tried the bosh platinum plugs to date why do you think this helps? Regarding the bump shift, there have been no TSB's to date or so I am told.

Well Chrysler is stating that "that is how the vehicle runs", the dealership has offered to purchase the car back from me !!! What does that tell you . I love the car and selling it back is a last resort I would think that in today's world they could find out the problem... If anyone has had similar problems with the rough running please respond.

I have been waiting to get this resolved so I can put the new springs, 20" wheels and new exhaust in.

beach15

If the dealer is willing to purchase the car back from you, there must be something wrong. Otherwise, if you have any other problem you have to fight them on the issue. Unless you really, really like your LHS or think you can live with the rough idle, it might be better to let them buy it back and then you get a new one if you want. It still is very strange that they would offer to repurchase the car over a rough idle--not many Chrysler vehicles ever run all that smooth at idle anyway. Our previous Grand Voyager with the Mitsubishi 3.0 V-6 would always start but as it sat there on cold mornings you could feel the steering wheel and other parts vibrating from the gruff motor; after driving very briefly it would all smooth out and it was hard to tell if it was running. Our y2k 300M is the exact opposite- it just makes a few awkward noises while it is sitting there idling in the morning and doesn't get rough until after it is driven! As you sit at a stop light you can feel a vibration through the doors and floor. We haven't taken it in for this and don't plan to becuase it is sort of intermittent and were used to this characteristic after owning two new Chryslers in three years.

jedi_knight

One of the guys on the http://www.dodgertclub.com list bought an extra throttle body, worked on it a few times, increasing the bore to 68mm up from 62mm if I recall. He did the dyno test after and found his at the wheel HP had increased to around 180. Since I used to own Jeeps and knew that http://www.turbocity.com did offer ported throttle bodies for Jeeps, why not give them a shot. The email I received back indicated they had been thinking about it but had not done one yet. If there is more interest they may speed things up......So if you guys think this is something you want, drop them a note or call and pressure them into making it sooner rather than later.

Keith

pat

Hi folks

As I mentioned a little while ago, we are changing the names of some of our discussions to drop the various "Part" indicators.

Now that we have moved to our new platform, we no longer have the requirement to stop and restart discussions after the numbers of posts exceed a certain limit. Since this discussion can continue as long as anyone wants to talk about the 300M, there is no longer a need for the "XX" that has been included in the discussion name. Down the road, that could confuse our newer members so I have removed it. I altered the name of the original 300M discussion in the Archives to distinguish it from this one.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

beach15

Some 300M owners here have expressed that their cars are very prone to dents and dings from inconsiderate drivers. I on the other hand have an M prone to another issue: people flicking burning cigarettes at the car. About two months when we were slowing down at a stoplight on the highway at about 9:00 at night, my wife looked up and saw something red and glowing land on the windshield wiper cowl. It was a glowing red cigarette!! I had to jump out and get it while the light was still red. Then last night when my wife got home from work I noticed something that looked like a rolled up leaf stuck in the lower from grill--not so. I looked closer and it was the remaining section of a burnt cigarette stuck upright right in between two of the plastic bars! It fit so precisely, it looked like someone had stuck it there by hand! I worried that if it happens again, a spark will fly and the car will catch on fire.

redsmithy

I too had the poor shifting problem. Took my machine in to have the 15K service done a month or so ago, and mentioned it to them then. When I returned, they had "reprogrammed" the tranny under a TSB dated late last year. I can't find it on alldata though. It dramatically improved the shifting. I no longer have to switch to autostick in traffic, and the shifting with autostick is also much improved. I use it much more often now. If any one wants, I'll try and dig up the receipt and see if it has the TSB number on it. The tranny is still one of the weakest points - but I don't notice it now that they did their "magic?" on it.

I don't know about anyone else here, but my idle varies as well. I tracked mine down to the gas station I was using. When I filled up at my normal stopping place, I had no problems. When travelling, or whatever - and filling up at other stations - I would get varied results. Sediment? Picky car? Dunno. Use midgrade fuel.

Here's my take on the 300M thus far. 18K in 10mos.
Negatives:
2 bad Michelins (replaced under their warrenty - cost me 90 bucks because of tread wear - ripoff).
Poor shifting / bumps /etc. - Seemingly fixed by this phantom TSB.
Ride is a little too harsh, and the noise level is high.
A rattle behind the instrument cluster. (didn't someone find/fix this?)
Higher level of "chipping" in the paint from road junk than expected.

Positives:
PHG makes this machine perform like a car 1/2 the size, with great stability at 120+ (no floating).
Powerplant is not Viper material, but it isn't a bad match for this ride.
Traction control works very well in wet weather (and once in the snow.)
Stereo set up can be beat by aftermarket, but I still love the sound.
>>>>Premium drool factor.<<<<<

Y2K Dark Garnet/Pearl Beige, Hole, Upgraded Stereo, PHG, Donut. Added spoiler & Mopar bra so far, & Zaino it regularly.

Shane

rstilp

If someone on this board has connections with DC how about giving them a suggestion for the future. Put some drain holes in the side mirrors. I know, jam a towel in there or air hose the water out, but it's a hassle. I'm 55+ also and don't need hassles. I LOVE THIS CAR! Rick #12