Chrysler 300M

laurasdada · May 2003

My '99M turns 47,000 miles today. 11,000 miles out of warranty and not an issue to report, knock plood. While my M is not the quietest car (I blame some of the noise on the OEM Goodyears) compared to my '95 Intrepid it is a Lexus! I will definately be looking at noise levels in my next car. But, as previously stated, it is a great ride!

New C&D has a big picture of the 300C. While a bit less ugly (not Aztek or CTS ugly) than the pix I saw on the web, still not my cup of tea. Especially if compared to the M. Unless the exterior styling is "refined" significantly (or just doesn't photograph well) I may have to switch to the D side of DCX for my next car. Or Saab. Or Infiniti. Or Lexus. Or '99 300M...!

I've got an appointment for the seat recall next Tuesday. I've been told, worst case, 2 hours. So, I'll have a leisurely lunch whilst they work. No car wash for me, though.

lflowers · May 2003

Hi Bill,
I'm doing well, although still out of work (9 months now). Not a great time to be looking for work in the hi tech field. I do have a 2nd interview scheduled next week that I'm pretty optimistic about. I thought I was ready to retire, but 9 months off have convinced me that I'm not!
My 2000 M is up to 67K miles now! Still no major problems to complain about and I still love it!

Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas

300michael · May 2003

At least until I did some work on it. I foamed the wheel wells, laid some Ice Dam Membrane through out the interior and trunk. and did a few other things, including changeing the tires. It rides much quieter. It rides about 20dbs quieter now. (I use a RS digital sound meter) and no problems,except for a few I created. Not bad for 4 years and 4 months old. (at least most of the car is that old).

stsman · May 2003

I recently purchased a 00 300M.I was reading the e-mails of various problems,saying to myself,gee,too bad,I'm glad I don't have that problem etc.etc.Anyway,I recall seeing an e-mail relevant to "water?"leakage found under the passenger floor mat!Well,lo and behold,zippity do da,guess what?Right!My beauty also has a watery leak!Does anyone recall this?What was the problem and solution?We had recent rain and I have no idea where or how the water entered.Naturally,the next call is to the 5* for an appt.Any help guys would be greatly.Thanks,Mr.Mopar

fastdriver · May 2003

stsman-

Had the same problem with my FORMER 99 300M. The problem on mine was the passenger side rear floor mat and the spare tire area. A body seam had come undone in the wheel well area.

However, others have had this problem on the driver's side front. A good "5-STAR" SHOULD be able to look it up on their computers. In the meantime, take a look at the drain holes for the moonroof, if you have one. They may be clogged. Check the rubber molding around the passenger door and the A/C drain under the dash near the firewall area. Ottowrkr could give you more specific info.

Good luck.

fastdriver

bushpilot · May 2003

How did you foam the wheel wells. I have a 99 w/php and its pretty loud. Would consider your suggestions on how to add foam and liner to quiet it down so the bride can hear me when I explain why slamming the doors is not necessary. I've tryed everything else, so it must be the road noise. :-)
Bushpilot (hi fastdriver)

stsman · May 2003

Thanks for the "fast" reply.The AC drain could be the culprit,as the top of the carpeted mat is dry,but the rubber underside is wet,and the carpet is wet.Could be the rug absorbing the fluid.I'll mention this to the dealer.Your fast reply is one of the reasons why a forum as this is a great idea.Fast,quick, and ,it gets everyone thinking!The answers may or may not be correct all the time,but,you get a terrific cross-section of the way Americans feel about their wheels!thanks...stsman

bluesky999 · May 2003

Thx, Pster. 1.2 K is a lot of moolah for an a/c part. Since my car does seem to make it through one summer on a recharge, I'm going to just keep recharging it every spring. Since you had the problem after using the leak-fixer, I'm not going to go near that stuff. Glad your getting some promotions--much better that than pink slips I would think, but maybe not in your case if you want to retire!

300michael · May 2003

I got some of the expansion foam from the hardware store. I didn't use the 9" piece of tubing that comes with it. Instead I got a piece of 2.5" long tubing and attached it to the can (it is not a bad idea to use a clamp here) nozzle. I stuck it up the wheel well and started injecting the foam. Because the foam hardens at the tip of the hose, I cut it back after every use. By keeping the end of the nozzle inside the foam while it is expanding will make it denser. Use a little because it really expands. Also wear safty glasses and junky clothing (long sleves). Incase a can bursts on you (I had one do it on me). Also keep news papers under the car as it will ooz out and drop. It will clean up much easer. Did you add some kind of mat material to the inside?

dustinnewton · May 2003

On my way back home from Panama City Beach, Florida yesterday, I tripped the 50K mile mark. Every single one of those miles in My M has been very happy! I purchased my M exactly 3 years ago today as well! Best money I've ever spent!!

For those inquiring about headroom, I'm 6'2"/275 pounds and I have no headroom problems in My M with the sunroof. I do have me seat down and the seatback reclined a bit, but I only do this because I don't care to drive with the seat back sitting straight up. Horrible for the back!! I drove 5 hours straight last Wednesday and 6 hours yesterday (lots of bathroom breaks for my kids!), and it was a wonderful ride. It seemed like the miles flew by! A wonderful car that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone! It's the first car that I have seen in a long while that has enough room in the back seat to accommodate me without having to move the seat up from it's position all the way back! My knees don't touch the seat.

cmyers300m · May 2003

I had one of my 17" Pilots become 'unfixable' back in February on my '01 M. Since I was close to my treadlife end on the rest of my Pilots I looked too. Well, I didn't wanna spend 200+ on new Pilots. So I went with a BIGGER tire that fills up the wheel well and is half the price. I put on Dunlop Sport A2's and they are AWESOME. I got them for $104 per tire at the tire rack. They grip better than the Pilots on wet roads, great on cornering, and are nice and quiet at high speeds. I put 235/55/R17's on to replace the 225's...they look awesome since they fill up the wheel wells better. I would recommend them to any 300M owner!

Chris

silverbullet4 · May 2003

Thanks for the referal, Chris. I'll check them out. Is this tire wider, with the same height? Any clearance problems on the inside of the tire?

Bill

silverbullet4 · May 2003

Took my 2000 phg in today for long-delayed installation of the replacement moon roof. The dealer decided to replace the whole thing rather than mess with the deteriorating rubber gasket.

While there I had the coolant replaced, as it was looking pretty gross. Also had all the drive belts replaced for same reason. Total time: 3 hours, including consultation time with Tech. Oh, yeah. Had the recall seat bolt done, too.

Silver

dustinnewton · May 2003

Same issue with me. I had the chrome Razorstars and decided to go to a bigger wheel. I bought 5 18" Enkei CDR-9's and put BFGoodrich gForce KDWS 235/50-18 W rated tires on all 5 and got the whole lot for $1253 from www.tires.com . Free shipping on everything, and ride matched (Hunter balancing under load) mounting with hidden weights for $10/wheel. Free shipping on everything. UPS brought them to me and I bolted them on. That saved money too. I figure I can sell my chromes on eBay for around $800, and I will wind up with 5 tires/wheels in an 18" size for a net of $425! You can see them at http://www.dustinnewton.com/trips/300m/300m.htm . The tires corner like they are on rails, and it's not easy to make them spin, even in water.

pster · May 2003

yeah, I would go that route. Whenever mine starts to feel like it isn't very cold, I just add a 12 oz can of refrigerant. It seems to work fine for a couple of months and then it goes "warmish" again. it is very episodic and doesn't appear to be a slow leak over time. Rather, it cools fine Monday, on Tuesday not.

ottowrkr - can you "overcharge" the a/c system this way? Should bluesky99 and I be releasing all the refrigerant in the system and then refilling with 24 ounces instead of adding to what is already in the system?

cmyers300m · May 2003

The tire is wider and taller. Stock Pilots are 225/55HR17. The Dunlop Sport A2's are 235/55HR17's. The '55' is the ratio of the tire height to the given width, hence the 55% of 235 is greater than 55% of 225. (I don't know if that helps or not.)
To answer your other question, no there is absoulutely NO rubbing or clearance problems. That's what makes them so great. They help fill up the nasty gaps DC created. Hope this helps some...be glad to answer anymore questions.....

silverbullet4 · May 2003

Thanks! Dustin,You got a great deal. Did you reprogram something to recalibrate your speedometer? You would be covering more ground per tire rev. with a larger diameter tire. I would think this would make your speedo read lower than actual speed. Hmmmm--
"But honey, look! I'm only going 5mph faster than the limit."

Actually, I am going to keep my sparkle paint 17" wheels and will be buying a V rated tire.
My priorities are long mileage, all-weather perf-ormance, comfort (damn PHG is rough on bad streets). I'll gladly give up .05 G on the skid pad for the above.

Silver

cmyers300m · May 2003

No, I did not reprogram anything. SDmike calculated it once and he said the real difference is 1 MPH on the speedo. So when I'm going 60, I'm really doing 61. No big deal.

cmyers300m · May 2003

Oops! You meant your post for Dustin....sorry.

Well, the wider tires did improve the handling more. I also have the PHG and couldn't live without it! Ride and noise aren't all that important to me. My radio will drown out most noise not wanted, but I like to hear my Borla and K&N Aircharger!

bigmike5 · May 2003

Pat-- Got the package on Friday, thanks.

Had the M in for the seat bolt recall. Bad news, the 5* dealer had the wrong bolts, and I have to go back in on Friday. Bummer. First time they have let me down on servicing the car. They thought they had the right bolts but did not. Oh, well...

easyrider300m · May 2003

There is a Chrysler Dodge Day at the Museum of Transportation in Brookline, MA. Unless I go out of town for the weekend, I plan on going. Here is the link for more information. Click on Lawn Events for more info.

EZ

easyrider300m · May 2003

http://www.mot.org/index_flash.html

It's not a huge show but it's at a great location. About 40 or so classic and Antique Chrysler/Dodges are on display. Also admission to the Museum is included for the $5 per person admission fee. There is a Mercedes Gullwing among the cars in the Museum. There is also nice park and also a hill overlooking the Boston skyline where there are a lot of kite flying going on. Also there are cookout facilities and great hiking areas. It's also just a short drive to the Arboretum which has some great hiking trails among historic trees.

pat · May 2003

Glad to hear it, Mike! :-)

blonda · May 2003

I have the 235/55/17's on my M. Love them. Speedo isn't an issue, but you are traveling farther than the OH computer & odometer calculates. I have no idea what my REAL gas mileage is anymore (it reads less than I know i'm getting). I need to drive along side someone else for a mile or so and compare tripomoters to see what the actual difference is....one of these days.

Also - for 99/00 model years you cannot reprogram the OHC to compensate. Dealer already tried. Only options available are for the stock 16 or 17 wheels. Probably could on the 01's and up.

dustinnewton · May 2003

C-You said exactly what I was going to say! My difference is only 1.9%.
Silver-I know that this has been posted before, but it shold be useful again. The following link is for the (Miata, but itsn't car specific) tire size calculator. I used it to maintain a diameter as close as I could to the original tire/wheel combo. You can use it to play around with widths and profiles to see what you can get away with:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

It's a great link to bookmark and have on hand in case you get curious. The "But Honey" line might work on the wife, but I doubt the long arm of the law would warm up to it!!! :-)

fuzzywuzzy · May 2003

I never liked to have my OD off by the tires, I had a 245-45-18. That's the closest to stock for an 18. Also wouldn't a 235-55-17 be only wider? How could it be taller if your only increasing the width? You can fit a 60 tire on the M. The 99 & early 00 PHP model's had those 225-60-16's.

cmyers300m · May 2003

The 55 is a ratio of the width. Therefore, 55% ratio of 235 will be greater than 225(which is stock). So the tire is wider and taller. In order to do the proper +plus sizing of a tire for the stock 17" Pilot, you would need to put on P235/50-17. That would almost equal the original diameter or circum.

firebird69 · May 2003

My 2000 M has 38,000 miles and I was thinking of getting an extended warranty. There are many places to get one, chrysler.com, warrantydirect.com, etc. but can anyone tell me the "real" deal about which is the best. I've heard stories of people who purchased warranties from non-Chrysler companies and then the company went belly up or there was too much fine print and many repairs were not covered. What is a good price for another 3yr/36,000 mile warranty that will cover everything but wear and tear?

muskateer3 · May 2003

I got my extended warranty from www.1sourceautowarranty.com (100K 8yr(total) 0 ded bumper to bumper including emissions).

Have had to use it twice (window regulator, idler pulley) both times service was faultless. They pay the dealer by phone with a credit card.

M3

pat · May 2003

but there is a wealth of information about extended warranties on our Finance, Warranty & Insurance board. You might want to take a look-see.

muskateer3 · May 2003

If you decide to stay with the stock 225/55/17's, you should look at Discount Tire / America's Tire Yokohama YK420 (V rated, Traction AA, Temp A, 420 wear). appx $110.

I put them on a couple of months ago and am very happy so far.

M3

pster · May 2003

Looked at the Pacifica today at the local 5 Star pretender......there was not one of them with a sticker under $35,500. Amazing. Shocked. Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I was utterly unimpressed. This, my dear friends, is a station wagon. It might be a very expensive and good one. For some reason, I can't put my finger on it, the style struck me as being "already dated".

pster · May 2003

Will the current model Concorde continue to be produced by Chrysler, or will it be phased out with the introduction of the 300C? Might it be called the MinuteMan? Get it...Concorde....MinuteMan......geeesh. Long day.

dustinnewton · May 2003

GO RUBEN!!!

indydriver · May 2003

Silver, you mentioned you had all the belts changed. Would you check your parts list and tell me how many belts they changed, what they're called and what the P&L was for that part of the work? Also curious as to your reasons for changing them.

jscott13 · May 2003

I am about to take the plunge and buy a 300M. I have been looking at the 300M since 99. For those with knowledge of the various production years, a question: which year should I purchase 99-03? Are there any gliches/problems for any particular year? Any year model better than another. Once last question: what is the actual mpg? Most reviews state that mpg is below 20, combined hwy/city.

Thank you for your help.

bigmike5 · May 2003

First gas mileage-- I have a early build 99 300M. I get about 20 mpg around town and about 25 mpg on a good road trip. I started there and that is what I am still getting. Others have gotten from a low of 14-15 to a high of 27. I have never heard of anyone getting more than 27. The low figure was someone in TX and I am not sure what the problem could have been with that one.

On which one to buy yearwise, I am not sure except that the 99 and 00 years had the most problems with the window actuators, window mouldings shrinking, lock activators, and input tranny sensors. I think the later models were cured on those problems but some had lousy stereo systems or wires crossed on some speakers, and some of the Specials had trouble with the 18" wheel/tire mating. I think 01, 02 or 03 are all probably safer choices.

Kirstie_H · May 2003

Join us tonight, 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET for Town Hall Trivia Night and member-to-member chat  come test your knowledge and chat with fellow members!

http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html

See you there!

Kirstie_H · May 2003

By the way, we just bought an '04, and it's getting around 20 mpg, but it's been all city driving.

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

blowbyu · May 2003

It reminds me of the Acura MDX.

laurasdada · May 2003

I've got a later year '99M. Currently at 47,200 miles. Two window motors and one tranny sensor replaced, all under warranty. I'd start with a 2000 at the earliest as it offered some nice upgrades from 99 (a little less NVH, 4 cd in dash changer off the top of my head). I drive at least 250 miles/week, a mix of local/highway traffic (more local) and average ~21mpg. High 20's easily doable if you keep it below 75mph-ish.

Great car.

Re: Pacifica. I agree, it's really just a BIG nice station wagon. Not a bad thing, but not for me. I kinda dig the Infiniti FX, though.

blonda · May 2003

The consensus of most 300MClub owners I believe is that 2001 is the best model year to buy used. It includes many improvements over the 99/00 model years (sound proofing, more advanced overhead computer, etc.) and hasn't been plagued with the bad window motor and lock actuator issues some of the 99/00's have.

After 2001 Chrysler started decontenting interior/luxury items for cost savings. Although minor, the list is pretty big by the time you get to 2004.

(I myself have an early year 99 and have had very few minor issues)

fastdriver · May 2003

blowbyu-

"Pacifica -It reminds me of the Acura MDX"

LOL..... Have you had your eyes examined lately?? :-)))))

fastdriver

pjyoung · May 2003

Since I view laurasdada as somewhat of my "twin" on these boards - we both have about the same miles and experienced the problems (minor) at about the same time, and since he mentioned he's still got the OEM tires on his car ...I post this mostly for his benefit...I just replaced the OEM Goodyears on my 99 today with Yokohama Avid T4's. Fantastic difference. It's as if the car has been soundproofed. Hard to believe that an almost 4 year old car can end up quieter that it was the day it left the lot. The short ride on the freeway home put a smile on my face. I can't wait to take it out on the backroads to test how it handles the curves. If that's decent, then I think maybe this is the perfect tire. I replaced all 4 tires, mounted, balanced and 4 wheel alignment for $530. If you don't have a need for the speed rated tires, consider the Yokohama Avid T4's...you won't believe the difference.

300michael · May 2003

I have a 99 I had he window motors replace before they acted up. (what is this about the activaters?) never had that problem. But the 01 has the nice tail lights, and EVAC system with the real wood. It was the last year before they started taking parts off to save money. OF course any problems the 99's may have had sould have been corrected by now anyway. You could save on a 99 and build it up by addeding sound profing and such as I have.

indydriver · May 2003

OEM size on your Yoko's? What is their treadwear rating? My second set of Eagles now has 54,000 miles on them and they will last 'til the snow flies, 60+.

Regarding mileage, mine seems to keep improving. I am now getting over 30mph on cruise control at 75 mph, a few construction zones and an occasional touch of 80. That's over 500 miles on a tank of 87.

chevydude2 · May 2003

Hope someone can help... Wife's 300M died in the garage -- she tried to start it, the seat moved about 2 inches and everything stopped... Tried to jump it -- nothing.. Cleaned the battery terminals, interior lights came on -- would not start. Interior lights dim and blink like dim christmas bulbs. Dealer has had it 2 days -- also did the same for him. Then it stopped -- battery is good, held a charge and car ran great. Next morning, nothing. big current draw -- popped the fuse in the tech Ohm meter. Saying it may be the instrument cluster, ECM or BCM. Anybody ever had this? Dealer has been exceptional... just can't figure it out.
Brad

pjyoung · May 2003

My tires are 225/55/17. The Goodyears still had a fair amount of tread, but I was getting a bit concerned about belt separation as they tended to shake horribly at highway speeds as they got older and they just couldn't be balanced.. That and the left rear went flat while I was at a dinner party.

The treadwear is 420, traction A, and temperature B. They've got a 60,000 mile treadwear warranty. I took it out for a ride on the country roads this evening. Smooth as silk at all speeds up to 80 (that's the fastest I went). I was on various types of road surfaces and they markedly quieter than the Goodyears. Seemed to have good roadholding on the twists as well.

jscott13 · May 2003

on a 300M model year purchase. The consensus seems to be that the 2001 may be the best used car buy. Several of you noted that Chrysler started to remove luxury features starting in 2002. Does the 300M Special reintroduce those features?

ottowrkr · May 2003

pster - sure , if you dont know how much 134A you have in the systen and you just add a can you could overcharge and blow the seals ETC . Have you tried using that stop leak stuff as well?
I had some of this put in my sytem last year when I had my Trep recharged , seems to be working for me.
As of Aug 28 there will be no more LH cars , so yes the Concorde ,Intrepid and 300 will no longer be built.

2001-2 would be my pick for an M . Maybe a nice Special ;-)

Chrysler 300M

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