Chrysler 300M

clpurnell

this is definately a mod I would do on my 300. I do applaud DC for making it so easy to upgrade to nav. Most other brands if you don't get it from the factory you are SOL.

tayl0rd

I'm really glad it was so easy as well. The price that the dealer was going to charge, I figured you'd have to practically take the car apart to do it!

My girlfriend and I were at the Mercedes dealer last week and we found out that a Nav system isn't even available on the '03 E320 and it can't even be retrofitted with a factory unit! That's what the salesman told us, anyway. And this is on a car costing $20+K more than ours! I'm tellin' ya, DC made a big mistake getting rid of the LH cars! You just can't beat them when it comes to price:content ratio. I'm all about maximizing my dollar.

tayl0rd

Has anyone here had there M flat out? If so, how fast was it and how long did it take you to get there? I'm specifically interested if anyone else with a Special has done it, but the "base" M would be interesting to know as well.

Oh yeah. I remember seeing a photo (or link to a photo) that someone posted, I believe, on the 300M Club forum. A link to that pic would be most appreciated. I need some "tangible" evidence to show some unbelievers.

silverbullet4

My M developed a tremendous squeaking noise in the rear. I had visions of a defective new strut and having to go through another half day at the alignment shop. I noticed that the carpet on the back of one seat was not "hook and loop" fastened to the trunk carpet. After correcting the squeak went away! Thus allowing me to waste a half day on the Web instead. ;>)

Life is good.

ottowrkr

Thanks , good to hear its a simple job.

seeburg222

....on LH production, does anyone here seriously plan to keep their 300M for the long haul? Like possibly the rest of your life as I do?

I also have a '75 Imperial that bought used in 1986. As soon as I got it I went to the dealer and bought all the NOS chrome and some other items for it that were still available at that time. Other items such as new rear rotors and brake items since the Imp has the rare 4 wheel discs.

I'm wondering what do the rest of you think would be good items to get now while readily available to store away for the future. My 300M is a 2000 that I bought new, Inferno red with black interior and currently has 40K miles, always garaged and will no longer be used in bad weather. What on the 300M is bound to wear out or get ugly looking that 15 - 20 years down the road would be real nice to have on hand and tough to find?

tayl0rd

Lights, lights, and more lights. Especially for the 300M/Concorde/LHS. Head- and taillight assemblies for these cars will be very hard, if not impossible, to come by in 10 or 15 years. Then again, maybe not since NOBODY uses standard shapes and sizes anymore. Also, some of the electronics (EVIC, etc.) might be nice to have in reserve. I would suggest getting an account on ebay and keeping it up to date. ;-p

I plan to keep mine for a good while. Ten years? Probably not, but I intend to keep it at least 5 or 6.

pjyoung

I guess you could say I plan on keeping it for the long haul. My daughter is 10 this year, and I plan on "gifting" her my 99 M when she is able to drive.

fuzzywuzzy

I had my old 2000 PHP up to 151mph one time. That was about all I could get. Ran it with my co workers Viper, The speedo was pegged way past 120, his speedo showed about 150-151. Maybe his was off a little so maybe I only hit 149. I seem to remember the top speed limted to 149, but on my run the fuel didn't cut off, The tach wasn't at redline just yet either.

tayl0rd

GOD BLESS YOU, FUZZYWUZZY!! You're actually the person I was trying to fish out! There's some folks on the Car and Driver forums that refuse to believe that our cars can break 140MPH, let alone 150.

Thanks a million! Now if I could just find the person who posted that pic of his speedometer on his top speed run...

tayl0rd

You wouldn't happen to recall approximately how long it took you to reach that, would you? I'm pretty sure you were a little "busy" to be timing it, but just a good estimation.

scotian

As with all my cars, I will keep my M until it dies or it pisses me off enough. With that in mind, I spent some $$$ fixing a few minor things at 80K, like a noisy door lock that unlocked but didn't lock, a new sway bar end (or something like that) instead of new struts as I had feared, and new front OEM rotors and pads (in the final analysis, the slotted rotors amounted to decoration -- the M doesn't need better brakes). Also, new window trim because of this:

http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/300m/damage/smash_and_grab/

Now both front doors have new style window trim, and both rear doors have old style.

I also fixed a power window switch:

http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/300m/interior/power_window_switch- /

Foot pad visible in this pic:

http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/300m/interior/catch_all_xtreme/ns- -13.html

scotian

The one last major mod I would consider for Emmy would be HIDs. What are their part #s, and can I get them (& club discount) at www.familyparts.com?

Also, does someone have pics of where to replace the driver's seat bolts? I have a set of new ones, and should finally install them.

hampton2

My 1999 300M (60,000 miles) is experiencing a noise in the right rear that sounds like a measured repeating rubbing noise with each rub of the same duration; like a staccato that may repeat 1 to 10 times. It usually begins during a cornering force like making a wide left turn. The sound may repeat on the straight away, shortly after the turn, a couple of times then the noise quits. It does not make the sound after stopping at a stop sign then making a turn. It seems to occur within the first 5 minutes of use for the day. The car is at the dealer now for the second time trying to find the problem. I too have had trouble with the driver-side power window 2x, the muffler replaced, headlights blinking uncontrollably in the automatic setting; on my second fix of that problem now. I'm looking at a 2004 because I like so many things about the 300M. After reading about all the problems, I'm wondering if it's a wise decision.

bluesky999

Seeburg, I have a friend who has a classic car about 40 years old, which is what you plan to do, and he's always able to get parts either by looking through a Hemming's parts directory or just fishing around in one way or another. But the one item I would consider if I were you might be window motors.

Scotian/anybody; was it difficult to replace the window motor (was it the rear?). At 76K, 1K past the extended warranty, the rear right window no longer cooperates. I'm reasonably mechanical with a pretty decent set of tools and am considering doing it myself. I guess I should pull out my manual and see what's involved 1st, but I'd be interestd in how your experience was in changing it.

Re/300M flat out; realize guys/gals that you lose you license, at least in NJ, if caught traveling at that speed. I don't remember the details of the law, but once when I pushed her up to 125 or so a friend politely explained the law to me at that time, and it sure put a damper on my enthusiasms. Despite that I was on a freeway all alone, losing my license is just not something I, or anyone else I would think, could risk losing.

Bluesky

fuzzywuzzy

Yeah I didn't think about the time it took, it was the middle of the night on a long streach of road withiout traffic, or law enforcment. I should point out also that my car wasn't stock at the time. I had all the standard mods known for the 300M. If I had to guess I'd say under a minute cause we started out at 100.

silverbullet4

My 13 year old was riding in the back seat last night and volunteered the opinion that the ride is less jarring than the OEM PHG shocks. I noticed that the car is sitting up about an inch higher in the back. Maybe it will settle with break-in.

ajpiii

The Car is Finally Fixed... Only took 3 weeks in the body shop I was in M withdrawal... I had the special kit put on it and had the entire thing painted. Here are some pics... http://www.cardomain.com/id/ajpiii

These pics dont do the car justice, so much better in person... Im in love again

quietflyer

Hello, I bought a used 1999 300M back in April. It had 38,800 miles and looked great. It is deep cranberry with dark slate interior, 17" chrome wheels, sunroof. etc.. Since then I put new tires on it (Continental Contitouringcontact, P225/55R-17). I currently have 50,500 miles on it with NO problems. I change the oil and filter every 3,800 miles and have not had to do anything else. Most of my driving is interstate and this car is perfect for that! I made a trip from South Carolina to Michigan and back this summer and averaged 28.4 MPG for the trip (running 70 to 75 the whole way!). This is the second Chrysler I have owned and the best one yet. The car I traded in was a 1993 Chrysler Concorde. I bought it used with 62,000 miles and had it 5 years before trading with 193,000 miles. It had a few minor problems but had been extremely reliable. So far (knock on wood!) I have been very lucky with Chryslers.

ruski

congrats on the M. I had a '99 300M and it was great. Next time you want to put Continental tires on this car, go for ContiExtremeContact.

ottowrkr

ajpiii - looks good , nice package and you even got the Special door mirrors .

scotian

I had the driver front power lock latch assembly replaced by the dealer. Just over $200. There's nothing I could hve done to fix it.

scotian

Finally got around to replacing them. So far, so good.

http://public.fotki.com/Scotian/300m/interior/front_seat_bolts/

easyrider300m

Do you know if it also plug and play to install a nav system into a 2000M?

Also, how much did the nav system run and where did you buy it?

Do you find the radio better or worse or the same compared to stock stereo in sound quality.

bluesky999

Enjoy your car; it sounds like you got a good one. I think a lot of 99s came off lease and you may have gotten one of them. They were generally in real good shape I would think as the owners had to keep them well in order to not get charge at lease end. Regarding your '93 Concorde, was it still on the initial transmission when you traded it in? Just curious how long these Chrysler transmissions last. As an aside, I have a '99 also that I bought w/50K a year and 1/2 ago. I've had a few problems since (now at 76K) but fortunately most covered under extended warranty. But not the window motor which just went out last week.

300michael

Your car is looking good there. Looks good on your car.

300michael

The Special's HID headlamps are the best lighting system for the M. I have had the standard (Best looking IMHO) hand have made a HID conversion. and now have the Special's HID's. Do not like the look as good as the stock headlamps, but the lighting is better. I will use the HID Conversion to use on the Hi beams.

tayl0rd

From what I hear, for pre-'02 Ms you will need to buy an inexpensive adapter ($26, maybe), but it will fit with no problems. When I first turned on the radio, the sound quality seemed worlds better than the stock premium unit. The highs are more crisp and the bass has more punch to it. I do miss have mid-level adjustment, though. This unit only has "Tone" control (Bass/Treble). :-( My other unit has the 3-band equalizer, but just the cool factor of adjusting the tone, fade, and balance offset what I'm missing in mid-level adjustment. :-) I have noticed that the sound is much less distorted at higher volumes than before. I think this is a more powerful unit. It may not be; however, it IS an Alpine unit which means more than likely it has better guts than the Chrysler proprietary units.

The unit cost be $1510 including shipping and I ordered it online from http://www.leeauto.com/parts/300m.html . Good luck! It's worth the money and not nearly as confusing as the photos make it look. I believe they are shipping "older" units because the map DVD that I have doesn't show some roads in my area that have been here for a while now and I can't make any route changes unless the car is at a complete stop (that has been changed in a later release). I was going to wait a few months before I sent in for my free upgrade, but I might just go ahead and send it now.

tayl0rd

AjpIII, I noticed on your pics that you've installed a ton of sound deadening material. Was it worth it? How does the car sound inside compared to "upscale" luxury cars like a Lexus? Does your car seem more sluggish from all the extra weight of the heavy material? Any reduced fuel economy?

Also, I'm wanting to use Xenon lights for my high beams on my Special. Where'd you get your bulbs and what are they? It looks like you had the ground effects painted a different color than what comes on a Special. Did you?

ajpiii

I took advantage of the accident and turned a bad thing into a good thing... The insurance co needed to pay for a new front bumper, mirror, and rocker panels so I decided to just get the special ones and buy the rest of the parts and get it all painted while it was in the shop...

I didnt leave the plastic unpainted as is with a regular special.. Although it stands out more if its unpainted... Something about leaving unpainted plastic on the car bothered me... I also had the molding around the windows painted to match, this means no more nasty looking faded out trim.

As for a weight difference, I doubt there is much difference at all... I sure didnt notice it... Although Ive been stuck driving the beast (Full Size Chevy Pickup)for the last 3 weeks... and compared to that the M is a race car

ajpiii

Almost forgot, the sound proofing helps alot... but it will never be as good as some of the high end cars...

tayl0rd

Don't know what happened to my other post of this, but I'll sum it up again.

I noticed your performance numbers on CarDomain. What performance mods have you done to your car? Simple exhaust and filter change alone can't get you those numbers. Based on what magazines post for times on our cars, you'd have to have at least an extra 50 or so HP to get those numbers. And that's not taking into account all the extra weight of your sound system and the soundproofing material.

There's a guy (DScruggs) on the 300Mclub forums who's done a bunch of mods (what, I don't know) to his M and he's barely breaking 15.5 and hasn't been past 89MPH. You show 15.1 and 94MPH!! What's the scoop on your mods??? Do tell! Whatever it is, I want to do it to! Your numbers are more like what I would expect from these cars in STOCK form based on the power figures. Curses to that weak transmission of ours! If only the Special could have come with a manual...

ajpiii

Those Performance Numbers are old... But when I got them, they were from a Gtech Pro... I know its not 100% but close enough... That was with the Borla Exhaust, Lister Intake, Bosch +4's, springs, and smaller diameter tires (245/45-17's)... I think the tires were the biggest help for the times... Kinda like the poor man's gears...

These numbers are Definately not with the sound deadening, the stereo, the 20's and the rest of the performance killing features Ive added.

Im afraid to do more runs with the M after all that... I figure the numbers will be much different...

tayl0rd

Ah, I gotcha. I see you have/had an Ase Chip. How do/did you like it? According to the site, it can give us up to 276HP/281TRQ on our engines. That's pretty good. What was your fuel economy like afterwards and how long did it take them to get the chip back to you?

I've been thinking about stepping down to some 17" aftermarket wheels just to pick up some pep, but I really like the looks of my Specials wheels. So far I've only added the Bosch Platinum +4s. I haven't noticed any difference from the stock plugs that were in my M. They were NGKs and looked like performance plugs to begin with. They have a pointy tip on them; a little trick that old dogs in the business used to do to get a better, more concentrated spark for a more efficient burn. That might be where those 5HP came from. ;-)

ajpiii

I never ended up getting the chip... Came very close but since there was no proof at all (except fake dyno charts) that it did anything I never bothered... If I were to get one it would be the Kenne Bell... They have real dyno charts to show the increase... unfortunately the increase really isnt that much... I believe it just gave a few more horses at the shift points... it also raises the top speed limiter to 130Mph... which kinda sucks since a stock php car will still beat ya...

I kinda gave up on getting performance out of this car... You can do it if you want to go crazy with custom Turbo Installs, or Direct Port Nitrous, but Ive already blown my mod budget on other toys... I guess I'll just settling on making it look fast, even though it cant back it up that well... Its still a fun car to drive though

tayl0rd

I hear ya. It's next to impossible to find any kind of worthwhile performance mods for this car, unfortunately. I wouldn't waist my money on the Kenne Bell chip, either. What good does it do to increase HP at the shift points! All that does is firm up the shift. My Special has firm enough shifts as it is in Autostick mode.

But, alas, the M has always been more about luxury than performance even though it is a sports sedan. It still performs remarkably well for its size when it comes to handling. And you just can't beat the amount of stuff you get standard on the M for thousands less than the competitors.

quietflyer

Yes, the '99 M was coming off a lease. The dealer here had just got it in the day before. I guess I am taking a little risk as I don't have any kind of extended warranty on it. On the '93 Concorde I had bought it used with 62,000 miles and have no idea if any transmission work was done before I got it. The only work I did to transmission was to change the fluid and filter at 175,000 miles. It was bucking occasionally at 35 to 40 under light throttle just as the torque converter was locking up. Changing the filter and fluid fixed it.

bigmike5

Back home after a week in NE getting my daughter married off. Took the wife's Eldo for the trip and left my M in the dealers for some major maintenance updates. [5 years old now and 61K miles] Gave them a week to change all the belts, hoses, tranny service, lube service, replace input and output tranny sensors, and anything else they saw that needed work. Came home yesterday and the baby wasn't ready!! They found a dented cover on the top of the tranny and a leak in the radiator at the petcock I guess, and had to order and replace the tranny cover and radiator. Both no charge as only their people had worked on those areas of the car previously. Then they had to mess with the A/c to get at the radiator area I guess, so they wanted to put the colored coolant in the system to make sure it was ok and didn't leak when reassembled. I told em to take as long as necessary. But, I hope it will be done today. I offered to drive the Crossfire they still have [ 2 months now in red] as a loaner today but they said "Thanks, but no." lol. Got the wife's Eldo today instead. The Eldo averaged 28 mpg on the entire trip plus the in-and-around mileage. Almost 3K miles total. The hills in MD and WV killed the mileage otherwise it would have averaged 30.
 
Any of you guys that I sent Cruise stuff to before I left who got it please let me know.

greasykid1

Planning to change my 2003 wheels and tires. Need info from anyone who has mounted 235/55/17 tires.

What brand? Recommendations. Pavement not the greatest here. Looking for low noise & best possible ride.

silverbullet4

Stock PHG size in '00 was 225/55/17 (after an initial run of 16" to deplete the old stock). Your size is wider. Which brand are you considering? I just replaced my Pilots with Yokohama V-rated tires (stock size). The compound is softer, and the ride is a little better now. They are quieter than the Pilots. I don't know if I will get 45,000 mi. from them, like I experienced with the Pilots. They were about 30% less costly. Good luck!

bigmike5

I had the stock 17 x 7" rims on my 99. I replaced Badyears with 245/50-17s in the Comp TA's. Very little product out there for the 7" width if you are trying to go wider. The Goodrich tires were rated ok for that size rim. John Wyche used their Scorchers but not sure of the size. If you go stock size the Yoko's have got the best response from those who did on the quiet ride and low price, never heard anyone complain about them.

scotian

The bearer of the Minnesota license plate that reads "LHS 300" is a BMW 740iL.

cmyers300m

I put DUNLOP SPORT A2 235/55R17's on my 2001 PHG M. Awesome tires! Tirerack had them for $104 a piece. I personally like them better than the Pilots I had. The Dunlops are quieter and have better wet traction(no rubbing problem by the way). Since Pilots are over $200/pc, the Dulops are a steal.

silverbullet4

OK, there's a couple of ideas. Yoko's and Dunlops. Try a Google search on something like "tire ratings", or go to one of the tire dealer websites that post user opinions on tires. Then you can get an idea how the tire performs on bad streets.

Silver

scotian

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&- Product_Code=Z-12

"Not for use on Coated Glass"

As far as I know, all automotive glass is coated with something. Has this worked well on the 300M?

intrepidspirit

I have used this product and it does a good job, especially on the interior. As you know, there is a residue build up from the vents (A/C) in all cars and this removes it and seems to keep it from bulding up again as quickly.

One problem -- this product is somewhat difficult to remove from the dash. The 300M windshield (and rear window) are steeply raked, so it is difficult to clean the glass without getting it on the dash.

I don't know what they mean by coated glass, however, the product is meant for car windows. If you are concerned, send Sal an e-mail -- he has always answered mine.

BTW, I transferred my custom clock face from my 2000, which was leased, to my 2003, which was purchased. Having now done 3 installs, I feel like a pro.

Thanks, again!

bluesky999

I've had a number of different brands of tires over the years and my favorites in an all-season were the Bridgestone Turanzas. They used to be the top-rated All Season by Consumer Reports; not sure if they still are. If you want a more performance oriented one, step up to the Potenza. The Bridgestones I've had wore like iron and performed well in both wet and dry, snow, and were quiet to boot. I have top-line Michelin Pilots right now and will likely put Potenza's on next. You might try going to caranddriver.com and doing a search on "tire test". Same for CR (consumer reports), although some of the CR content requires a subscription. I have one but don't log onto it much lately. As for the Pilots, they're a great summer tire, but I no longer have space to store snow tires so I need an all year tire. If you live in the South no problem. As for noise, yes, because all 'Ms don't have a lot of insulation the radical tread of the Pilots generate quite a bit on cement or rough pavement. Those are my thoughts for what they're worth.

achance

Bought a new boat, so havent't been around much. The '99M has been neglected but soldiers on. Still a wonderful car, no real problems except front disks. Go thru those pretty regularly. With the end of the M, don't see anything out there I'm interested in. Guess I'll keep it a while. Art

speeds2much

I can understand your sentiments. The 300C is such a radical departure from the 300M. Much more a brute, whereas the 300M has a European style about it. Also changing from FWD vs RWD. (One of the distinctive things about the 300M is its capability in winter). The look of the front fascias is so different. Basically, Chrysler went from European-flavored American sedan to all-out American muscle car. It's a whole new market, and they'll probably lose a good chunk of their 300M customers...will have to attract new customers. Looking at their other products, such as the Crossfire and Pacifica, I'm not clear how the 300C fits into the lineup.

intrepidspirit

DC has clearly abandoned the "entry level luxury sports sedan" market for Chrysler products. I believe the 300C is a real departure from that market. It is certainly no sports sedan!

That's why I bought another 300M this year to replace my previous 300M which was turned in on lease. I didn't find anything else out there that gave me the bang for the buck that the 300M does, and I still think the 300M is the best looking sedan on the road today! It may still be the best looking sedan on the road in 5 years....

After that, I am going to have to look elsewhere for a new vehicle because I don't think Chrysler and I are headed in the same direction.