Dodge Magnum

voyager_663rd

I've had my '05 RT for 5 mo now/8300 km.

I LOVE IT ! !

I look forward to getting in and driving anywhere, anytime. No warranty issues, no repairs, just fun, solid driving.

I can't say enough good things about it. I guess the only possible negative thing will be the tread wear issue. With only 8300 km, its not an issue yet but I'm watching. And that's not the car, it's the tire mfg.

THANKS DM. Got a winner here.

angel6

Me too! No problems so far. Have had my 05 Magnum RT for over a year now and still just look for an excuse to take her out! Just love how it pushes you back in the seat..Like riding in an airplane!! I let my husband drive it once in awhile!!

mrclean

Good point, and I agree that Dodge is doing something right to get us into their showrooms. Its good to hear your experiences with the reliability issues. It'll help me feel more confident with buying a Magnum for the long term.

rehrauer99

I waited six months for mine. I ordered it in May 05' and received it in Dec 05'. I kept getting the run around about the length of time. It seems Union Auto Workers get quite a bit of time off.

scott57

My wife loves our Magnum RT AWD which we have had for 13 months. It is an exhilarating performance car that doesn't require sacrifice of comfort or utility. Acceleration, braking, handling, stability on slippery surfaces or at high speed, are all impressive.

"FWD vs. RWD vs. AWD"
FWD's have a large % of the weight is over the driving wheels which helps in winter. But, the RWD Magnum is heavy and near 50/50, which used to work well years ago with big old cars. BMW and MB get by in the winter with RWD. Most owners report (search dodgemagnum.net) decent performance in snow. I think it depends somewhat on expectations and local conditions. The standard all-season tires are not very good in the snow. Folks with winter tires say they have no problem at all on winter roads.

However, when it comes to handling in slippery conditions, the Magnum really shines. It is very controllable and provides a feeling of confidence and safety. The traction control cuts the throttle to prevent squirrelly RWD handling, and stability control applies brakes to wheels individually to control understeer and oversteer. It really works!

The AWD Magnum is awesome in winter and surprisingly helpful with acceleration and cornering on wet roads too. The full-time AWD is helping in all road conditions.

MPG: Hemi is 15-18 around town, 20-22 on hwy. V-6 1-3 MPG more.

Scott

shaggyadg

buying from wreck yard,may be 2 expens,would it be compatable with with yre yr?been checking jegs and other sites,autotrucktoys.com//you can get approx.475hp from the 05 with just bolt ons..i'm spending the money on tires after,i've really made sure there is no value to them;; you are rite,got local saturdys paper,the challenger and camaro look bad [non-permissible content removed]/gm nixxed the nomad saw concept yrs ago//i had to retire from there this yr(med)29yrs,they wait till they can throw some ill thought out car to the public-after they let others risk inital investment=new products..how could they not figure that this nostaglic phenom would'nt exist..Babby bomers that havent grown up and gotten senile,might now have the money for the cars we craved as kids..more power

scquattl

Thanks for the feedback.

John Q.

js1421

just wondering if ur gas mileage changed with the tranny problem, and what kind of mileage you were getting with the 2.7 v6?

js1421

Im looking to do the same to my 05 SE 2.7l..Can u tell what kinda mileage you were getting before and after the mods, and where I can locate the intake/exhaust/chip and what kinda gains you have noticed or had on the dyno..thanks much

js1421

Getting a Magnum this week have a good price on both SE and SXT, but really need some info desperately on real world MPG? Any rapid responses will be greatly appreciated..thanks

equinephotos

Jay,

I had been complaining since I got the car the mileage is not what it should be. Looked under the car yesterday and the tranny pan gasket has a leak.
Could you let me know the particulars about your trans issue?

Thanks

mascotdad

I have an 05 Magnum R/T. I would like to have the daytime running lights operational as they are on Canadian Magnums. Does anyone know if there is a way to turn on that feature or modify/add something to make it happen? I asked the dealer and was told "not possible" although I fail to beleive that.
Love the car with the usual complaints, milage and tire wear.
Go Mopar!

peterskm

Daytime running lights can be enabled by the dealer through their Starscan tool. They generally charge a fee for this.

teve

Specs for my 2005 say max tow load is 4000 pounds. However, the jeep limited with the 5.7 engine, same tranny, and a 3.73 rear end instead of the 3.55 rear end in the Magnum can tow 7200 pounds. The rear end will not make that much difference. What does???

hardhawk

The Jeep is a truck with a much beefier chassis than the Magnum. My 270 HP I6 GMC Envoy tows my 5000# boat/trailer and my 340 HP magnum won't! We have the engine to do the job, just not the chassis/frame.

Kirstie_H

A newspaper would like to interview a female consumer who has been turned off by Dodge: either she shopped for a Dodge vehicle but couldn't find anything to meet her needs, or she did not like the macho approach that Dodge uses in its ads. Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com before Friday, March 3, 2006 with your daytime contact info, your vehicle's year, make and model, and a few thoughts on the subject of interest.

christoz

Just to make you feel better....My RT was also pulling to the right. Well before I went over the 12,000 mile warranty. Have been to the dealer 5 times times. First 4 times they could not work on the allignment because "they did not have the right equipment or the right technician was on vacation ". Was so frustrated that I went to another dealer who did allign it and I had to pay for allignment. This helped for a while, but now it is pulling to the right again. Had excessive tire wear (just replaced continentals for Goodyears ...and had to replace the rotors at 15.000 mile..because the car was shaking when I had to brake....paid for that to.
I love the car..but respons from dealer (insulting questions like tire pressure and roadconditions...) and Dodge has been bad.

indigomustang

i average about 15 mpg with the hemi and 17 on the highway

bbfd86

My dealer did this for me when I took delivery of the car. It took them 5 minutes. They didn't charge me, but told me it would normally cost $65.

mrssgtjones

Wondering if anybody has driven this in the snow. Im unfamiliar with rear wheel drive. Im going to Buffalo for two years while husband is overseas with the military and want to make sure Ill be safe. I grew up in the area but never drove a rear wheel drive there.

bbfd86

I just installed an AFE cold air intake on my 2005 Magnum R/T AWD. Its advertised to increase horsepower by 10 horses and improve gas mileage. An added bonus, the car sounds awesome at full throttle. The unit was quick and easy to install by myself, taking only 30 minutes.

Anybody else have any results (HP and MPG) after installing a CAI?

poorshe911

I drove a 2005 SXT yesterday for the first time. Nice driving car but I have no idea about any issues about them. Also, what's the difference between the '05 & '06. I was surprised that the cargo space, with the rear seats up, was about 3" narrower than my 528IT.

donnak1

Trust me as an owner of a 2005 Mag, buy the '06 if you buy one at all. I've owned mine since 9/04 and kick myself that I ever bought it. It had the right pull issue and still does. The engine light keeps going on now and I've had it back in 4 times for that. It's the number 3 cylinder that keeps indicating that it's not firing. They've replaced the coil, the injector, and now they tell me they have to do some carbon flushing thing all on that one cylinder. Now the damn car refuses to start when I park it at the shopping center. It's way past buy back time for me. Now I just have to bend over and take it.........
Donna :mad:

hardhawk

I have a 2005 RT that I picked up on 10/21/04. I love it in every way. Got it over the 300C because of the extra cargo space. Could not be happier except that the stock 18" Continental tires only lasted 17,000 miles. The 06's come with Goodyear tires on the RT's. No other issues so far in 17,500 miles. The 05's have the 7/70 powertrain warranty and the 06's cut that back as I understand it. SXT if fine if you don't need the Hemi or some of the electronic gizmo's that you can get with the RT. The Hemi is nice though, for the extra power. I still get almost 25 MPG on the highway with the Hemi and its MDS. Friends with the SXT V-6 get about 27 MPG on the highway. The Magnums are much rarer than the 300's and have the practicality of the wagon cargo space. Mine's a winner in every way.

poorshe911

Is the right pull issue because of the tires or is there an alignment problem that needs to be corrected?
How about the engine light problem that Donnak1 is having ... is that rare?
I still don't know what changes were made from '05 to '06 besides the tire supplier.

hardhawk

Some early models, especially the 300's, had a suspension problem that caused the right pull. I don't know what engine Donnak1 has to be having her light problem, but I have not heard of any widespread engine or engine light issues with the 300/Magnum models. The powertrain warranty was cut back from '05 to '06. The other change on the Magnum's that I am aware of is on the dash of the RT models, there is now a brushed aluminum surround on the center dash stack that replaces the carbon fiber look of the center stack surround on the '05 RT. There may be some minor changes elsewhere in the car but nothing major was changed that I am aware of from '05 to '06. Having the powertrain warranty be 7/70 rather than 36/36000 is a big plus if you paln to keep the car a long time. The vast majority of Magnum owners have been very happy with their cars. Of course, as with any machine as complicated as a modern car is, there will be some that have problems. Does not really matter whether it is a domestic or import as you hear horror stories on these boards for every make and model. In fact, these boards seem to draw out those who have had misfortune. It much more natural to write about problems than it is to tell about how great a car is. There is nothing out there that can compare with the Magnum RT within $10,000 or more of its price. It is a screaming bargain. I continue to be amazed that I would be so juiced over a Dodge station wagon, but I am. A 340 HP Hemi family rocket that drives like a sports car just does that to you.

marz4112

Just wondering if it's possible to convert my base dodge magnum to accept the navigation system found in the upgraded Magnums.

bbfd86

I agree with hardhawk. The R/T AWD is an awesome car and is an awesome value. I was looking to replace my 2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon with an new high performance wagon with AWD, which Saab hasn't yet figured out how to make. I looked at the Volvo V70R street rocket, but wasn't willing to pay an $18,000 premium to the Magnum. I don't expect the Magnum to be as good as a Saab quality-wise, but then I have had more than my share of repairs with the Saab durning it's 112,000 miles. I've driven the Magnum on the NYS Thruway in a white-out near Syracuse, NY and have driven it in the snowy mountains of VT. It rocks with AWD and four snow tires! It sounds great with a CAI too.

skrapps

I bought a 2005 R/T about 2 months ago (leftover 2005- I got a fantastic deal on it!!!). It also had a slight drift to the right. After putting about 1000 miles on it, I finally got it back to the dealer, who promptly fixed the problem- no excuses. Other than that, this car has been awesome!!! I would highly recommend it and completely agree with Hardhawk from an earlier post- there is nothing within $10000 that compares to it.

jak62798

Has anyone that previously posted about having transmission issues had them resolved? My '05 SXT is now in the shop for the third time with the same trans issue. Each time it is "fixed", yet the problem continues to remain. In addition it now on occassion will jump foward (a noticeable increase in RPM also) when you let off the brake when at a stop. It did this the other day, and almost caused me to slam into the car in front of me at a drive-thru. Just wondering if anyone has had any luck with correctin gthe issue or any luck with getting Chrysler to actually do something about it.

donnak1

:lemon: I am still having problems with my engine light going on and staying on. It's been back in 4 times as I mentioned before. It's a pain when I have to take her back in as I don't get a loaner anymore. Then when I pick her up, the problem comes back. It is very annoying to have paid so much for a car that I love, but can't depend on. Even if they gave me my money back, I would still have to have a Magnum, albeit a 2006. I will keep trying to have her repaired so I can fully enjoy the drive. I spoke with my friend the Chrysler mechanic last night and mentioned the #3 cylinder issue, and what the dealer was going to do. He said that there is a TSB out for the mid 6 engine and this problem. The fix is that they have to manually turn the cylinder (?) to fix it, not just put some carbon flushing chemical in. I have ordered the TSB to take to the dealer, but in the meantime, the car is acting up and idling so rough at a stop light that I have to put it in neutral to keep it from shaking itself to death! That is why the engine light keeps going on. My pull to the right has started up since I had the tires rotated, but again, I really don't want to have to be bothered by them telling me it's a road crown thing and a safety issue and "all cars to that". Any thoughts????
Donna

donnak1

Hi all, had to call the "ambulance" for Maggie to be towed in to the dealer. She went bezerk on me a mile from home. The BAS light went on, the electrical indicator (the lightning bolt) was flashing, of course the engine light was on as it has been for some time, and she was shaking and ready to die. I pulled into a side street and shut her off, called my neighbor for a ride, then called my dealer. Called roadside assistance and had her towed in tonight. I am at my wits end with this constant irritation. The car only has 16K on it and I cannot depend on it at all. What the heck am I supposed to do? $30 grand for what? I love this car, but cannot rely on it and with camping season coming up, can I tow my pop-up without having roadside assistance on speed dial?
HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!
Donna

hardhawk

Donna:

Call a lemon law attorney ASAP. See if he or she can get a buyback for you. They will deduct an amount per mile of use, but it would be worth it to get another vehicle. You could ask for a replacement 2oo6 model, but would still have to pay for the miles. Sounds like you just got a bad one. It sure is unfortunate. There is no excuse for what you have had to go through.

cparmar

Hi Donna,

I've had the same exact issue (and I mean exact) and I'm so disappointed in my experience as you are although I love the car. My 2005 SXT 3.5L Magnum did the same thing and the dealer gave me the following excuses:

1. It's normal for Magnums
2. It's a California Emission type function that causes this issue
3. You need to get used to the Magnum LOL!

A week after I bought the car with 20K on it I get an engine light message. So I take it in - two days later the dealer tells me they had to replace, get this:

Both cylinder heads (ouch!)
Intake and exhaust valves in cylinder #1
Coil for Cylinder #1
Fuel Injector
New spark plugs
Knock Sensor wire
Right Bank 02 sensor
Replaced Coolant bottle

I was sick to my stomach when I read this in the service invoice. Can you believe it a car that has 20K on it less than a year old and all this done to it...

Anyway, this was done under warranty and I've had the car back for a week and the shaking at the stop light is not happening so far! I feel like I've been cheated - I truly do love the Magnum and am seriously considering giving this one back and getting another - just becuase I'm so worried something else is going to happen!

Chet...

donnak1

Hi Chet and Hardhawk

Thanks for your support hardhawk, but it's been over 12 months/12000 miles for Maggie. I checked the Illinois lemon law and it's too late for that. Chet, are you sure that since your Mag had 20K on it when you bought it that it hadn't been involved in the buy back program and you just inherited someone else's lemon???? Can you check on that? Why was it traded in with such low miles? I don't mean to scare you, but I'm so jaded with Chrysler that it's not funny. Luckily, I have a friend who is a Chrysler mechanic who got my right pull fixed last year after 4 tries and excuses like "It's a built in safety feature so you don't have a head on collision if you fall asleep." etc. He told me about the latest TSB on the engine light thing. Maggie had been in the shop 4 times previous for this issue and they changed the coil, the fuel injector, and probably did nothing the other 2 times. The problem persisted. Then my friend told me about the TSB. That's when I had to have the car towed last Monday night. They turned the valve on #3 cylinder, replaced a seal, and "decarboned" the cylinder with chemicals.I'm wondering why, since they had the valve cover, etc. off, they didn't turn all of the valves on that side of the block? Are they going to wait until I have to have this done one cylinder at a time? They also finally fixed the annoying squeaking that was caused by the flap on the exhaust. I'm in love with my car again, but like you, I'm waiting for the next problem to pop up. I'm afraid I just can't depend on the car and it only has 16K miles on it. I'm also looking to replace the Continental tires real soon.
If there's anything I can do to help you, please feel free to just ask me.
Donna

donnak1

Did you ever get this pull thing fixed? Check out the TSB (the latest one) on this and see if it helps. I had the exact problem from the second I drove the car. I had it in 5 times, then took it to my friend (the Chrysler mechanic) who finally fixed it. It had something to do with " moving the right front end back a hair and the left rear forward to make the car go straight. It's a screw up from the design department at DC. Did you ever think about the buy back/lemon law?
Donna

mag300x

:shades: Donna, I've had a similar problem with my car. I notice whenever I start up with two major electrical products on, mainly the radio and air conditioner. The engine light comes on, the car is in a high revved state and I have to keep my foot firmly on the brake because it seems like the car just wants to take-off. There also seems to be a moderate vibration to the whole car. To remedy this, I turn the car, radio and air conditioner off, wait a few seconds and then restart, everything goes back to normal.

I also have to admit that I think it really is the road crown, because the right drift has become really less of an issue for me. I notice on a truly level street, the steering wheel is straight and the car tracks straight (though it tracks straight most of the time). My only gripe is the gas mileage in the city which is terrible, but I expected that from a HEMI, I didn't expect gas prices approaching $3.00 / gallon. :shades:

sxtawdguy

Hello mrssgtjones,
I’m living in Quebec, the winter-country. If you have to drive on snow or ice, forget a RWD Magnum. I drove a 06 SXT RWD with new winter tyres 6 weeks ago in a light snowfall. It was awful. No acceleration because of the Traction Control. Gone to my dealer and ordered a Caliber RT AWD. But I love too much the look of the Magnum, so gone back to the dealer last week, cancelled the Caliber and bought a Magnum SXT AWD. Will take it tomorrow.

tyresalezzz

yes you can :shades:

tyresalezzz

The Dodge Magnum is a Great Car to Drive And To Trick Out

donnak1

Hi Mag300x, have you had your car back to the dealer? I'm just curious as to what they had to say. These Magnums are a strange breed unto themselves. I'm wondering when the next problem will come up with my car. I am having new tires put on this weekend and I don't like the fact that I cannot depend on this car. I tow a 12 foot pop-up in the summer, and I'm hoping I won't get stranded somewhere with it. There is the latest TSB on the engine problem that I had, but they only repaired the #3 cylinder. What if the other ones do the same thing? What they did was turn the exhaust valve and cleaned it off. If carbon is building up on that one, who is to say that it is not happening on the others and how often am I going to have to have this done? What happens when it goes out of warranty? I don't feel I should have to pay for an extended warranty because the car was improperly built? I guess the best thing to do would be sell it when it gets close to 36K/3 years. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Donna

shellymeister2

I rarely post on these boards, mainly because I find them overrun by whiny people who always have an axe to grind.

JUst wanted to get my 2 cents in.

My Magnum, now almost 1 year old has been a joy to drive, and aside from wanting a bit more road feel through the steering wheel, I feel the Magnum is almost a perfect car.

Responsive, reliable, and stunning good looks. :shades:

fourteen14

"I rarely post on these boards, mainly because I find them overrun by whiny people who always have an axe to grind."

Thank you for condescending to add a post to this forum!

"aside from wanting a bit more road feel through the steering wheel"

Try a set of 265/35WR22 tires! These firm tires combine with the soft RT suspension to produce excellent handling and road feel with a smooth comfortable ride! The 102W load range adds a nice margin of safety over the 99H of the little, undersized, overloaded, low quality, OEM tires!

sammin

Does anyone have the inside line on what changes can be expected for the 2007 magnums?

Thanks

hardhawk

2007 Dodge Magnum

Models:

SE
SXT
SXT AWD
R/T
R/T AWD
SRT8

Engines:

2.7 (SE only)
3.5 (SE, SXT only)
5.7 (R/T only)
6.1 (SRT only)

Navigation:

Model REC

Colors:

Bright Silver Metallic
Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl
Inferno Red Crystal Pearl
Marine Blue Pearl (new)
Silver Steel Metallic
Steel Blue Metallic (new)
Stone White
TorRed (new) (SXT and R/T only)

Discontinued colors:

Magnesium Pearl (discontinued Feb 2006)
Midnight Blue (discontinued late May 2006)

New Features:

SE:
Automatic oil-change alert message

SXT:
Automatic oil-change alert message
Wheels, optional 18" aluminum, chrome-clad

R/T:
Automatic oil-change alert message
Wheels, optional 18" aluminum, chrome-clad

Road/Track Performance Group option:
-350 HP 5.7L V8
-Heated, power performance front seats with Preferred Suede® inserts
-Performance steering
-Performance brakes
-Performance suspension with load leveling and height control shocks
-20" aluminum, chrome-clad wheels
-P245/45WR20 all-season performance tires
-Power adjustable pedals,
-Automatic headlamps
-Automatic Dual Zone Temperature Control
-Heritage R/T badge
-Driver’s and front-passenger one-touch auto-up/down front windows
-Performance dual exhaust system

SRT8:
Same key features/options/wheels as 2006
Automatic oil-change alert message
Kicker audio system major enhancement (surround?)

sammin

Thanks, I appreciate the information.

Do you know if the Road/Track Performance Group will be available on the R/T AWD model?

I live in the Northeast, so I think I better opt for AWD.

hardhawk

I do not know about the AWD. Your dealer should know by now.

andre1

I have noticed a number of Dodge dealers still have NEW 2005 Dodge Magnum's left over even though the 2007 version will be coming out in a few months. Is anyone getting any great deals on these 2005's? I would expect with the 2005 version almost 2 years old, they should be selling for $7000 to $10,000 under MSRP. I have seen used 2005 Magnum R/T's for around $20,000, so I certainly would not pay anything over $25,000 for a 2005 NEW Magnum from a dealer.

luvmbooty

I'm a family man looking for a midsize to large wagon under 25000. The SE has an MSRP of 22,680, but every review I read states it's under powered and don't bother with it! The 3.5L SXT is exactly what I'm looking for but it's over my budget! I even considered hatchbacks but they are also almost all are compact under 25000! There's only the Chevy Malibu Maxx, which didn't get rave reviews! Why is all decent size wagons over 25000! I hate SUVs! Why won't Honda, Toyota, or even Hyundai come out with other than a compact wagon! :confuse:

peterskm

What about the Dodge Caliber? I know its smaller, but it looks like a baby Magnum.