Chrysler 300/300C

morseland

Dear Bigmike,

     Thanks for the moral support. The fact that the salespeople present when I walked out looked at me without batting an eye and even looked at me like I was nuts. Like you said enough is enough.
     I can wait and I am sure I will find a dealership that will treat me with decency.

Bill

crispiegee

Yes, that sounds like a really unfair trade for your 300M. My dealer offered me $3,500 for my 1997 Dodge Avenger ES, PLUS I am getting a decent deal on the 300C. Go to a different dealer.

My original dealer (the one that I bought my Avenger from) offered me $2,500 for the Avenger, so I told them that I would shop elsewhere. I will end up selling it via private sale for around $5,000 anyway, but it's the PRINCIPLE. I want to be dealt with fairly.

The dealer that I ended up giving my order to is the one that took my car to auction to get a preliminary bid. (Plus they gave a car to drive while they were using mine!) Great guys at West-Herr.

superdave

You’ll love this: GM is offering a $250.00 disloyalty discount (http://www.gm.com/automotive/vehicle_shopping/currentoffers/chal- lenge.html) to anyone that takes a 24 hour test drive of any eligible GM product but buys another brand instead. How awesome is that?!? As listed in an article on The Motley Fool today this is probably one of GM’s dumbest moves yet, and that’s saying something!

Take home a GM for a day and let GM help make your down payment on your new Chrysler 300C… :-)

carcom2

The only problem with this, is that per their website GM requires you show them you purchased a competitors brand by 8/2/04 - that would probably mean the 300C was delivered to you and you paid for it by 8/2/04. By the way things are going, since I just recently ordered my 300C it might not even by available by 8/2/04 to pay for it.

markcincinnati

Motor Trend July 2004 blurb about early 2005 premier of 2006 300C srt-8 (awd, I presume).

What does anyone know?

intrepidspirit

I finally got the Road & Track supplement for the Chrysler 300!

It seems almost like a commercial for Chrysler, but there is a lot of great historical information in it.

You had mentioned how much you liked the drawing of one of the early design considerations for the 300C. Wow! What a beautiful car! It was dismissed as "too European"? I think the real reason was it looked too much like the 300M. The front end lights and grill treatment are almost identical to the M.

Maybe they'll do a spinoff? I can only hope...

lowrider

Well, I just got my 300C, Lava Red with all options less block heater, Sirrius and Uconnect. I absolutely love this car...incredible.

For those who have been following the message boards...I have some early comments.

I ordered a magnesium 300C with sunroof, pedals, sound II, walnut trim, xenon headlamps on 4/26/04. After almost 7 wks in BG status, my dealer called me up yesterday and told me about the Lava Red car (which I have already name KOKO b/c she looks a little chocolaty??)

I checked the car out, the Lava Red grew on me and then bam, test drove it which sealed the deal (at this point I had only drove the 3.5 L HO). Big difference in engines...definately noticeable.

OK - problems....

Pulling -- I do not notice anything put road crown (both left and right). You might be able to say that there is the ever so slight hint of pull to right but when on even roads the car goes straight within standard auto tolerances. Not sure what everyone else is noticing.

Temp gauge -- Mine has flucuated between 61 and 64 and it is that cold here in NE Ohio (I know it sucks and the first day I own the car, it rains, go figure).

Nav system is a little tricky...how you use this and drive is out of my reach for now (no pun intended)but I will learn.

I love this car...the pride factor is definately here...everybody is looking at this car...Have about 80 miles on it...

If you can get a car close to what you ordered, get it...else you will most likley wait until end of August (as my dealer said that I probably would have done). Who knows if this is correct?

One last thing...extended 7/70 warranty with 0 deductable....1295!

michanth

Has anyone ordered the Uconnect option with their 300 and if so how well does it work with your cell phone? Also is there a wide variety of BlueTooth compatible cell phones on the market?

The 300 is growing on me, I really like the Bold Styling. Also, does anyone believe cylinder reduction on the 3.5 liter v-6/ to v-4 would help in saving fuel as in the hemi V-8 that reduces to v-4?

I'll be test Driving one this weekend

best wishes to everyone

581955

I don't know how many phone options are out there, but I do have the Motorola V600 hooked up to my UConnect thru Cingular service. I picked up my Cool Vanilla 300C on 5/20 and I've had the UConnect working fine for the last 2 weeks. I love my car, it certainly is turning a lot of heads. Good luck to you in making your decision. By the way, the navigation also works great here in the northeast.(Connecticut) I'm finding everything with minimal problem.

ddworries

Does anybody feel that Chrysler designs are becoming a little uninspiring? Many people are happy with the redesign of the new 300 but I actually preferred the styling of the 300M over this. It looks way too boxy. I'm not saying it's ugly, but I do feel that Chrysler has been taking a lot of steps in the wrong direction since Mercedes has taken over. I have long been a Chrysler advocate and have believed in their products and have loved their styling but recently my opinion has been changing. Even though the Chrysler 300 doesn't look like other cars on the road it doesn't necessarily mean that's a good thing. As much as I would like to say I like the redesign I really feel it's a little blah. The grill is way to large for the car. The overall look of the car is a box on wheels. I think it is too reminiscent of Mercedes styling, something I have never been a fan of. If you look at the cars that Chrysler has been turning out lately you'd notice what I have. The Durango has become too boxy as well,downright ugly compared to the 98-03 model yrs. Many people feel that the design was a major mistake. The new Grand Cherokee's design is very boxy as well. I won't even touch the Crossfire or the Pacifica. What really urks me is that Chrysler had a beautiful design for the 300 that would've been awesome if they would've actually put it into production and I would have surely bought it. I am wondering if anybody has seen the original 300 Hemi C convertible concept that Chrysler had planned for the 2004 model year. It was nixed b/c of Mercedes being too cheap to put it in production and thus save on production cost by fiddling around with an E-class which is bascially what the 300 is. The Crossfire also has an uninspiring design that is too dependent on the Mercedes SLK platform. Chrysler had it right when they were making their cars the way they were. Mercedes would've been best off just inputting their technology and such into Chrysler and let them build the cars that people liked, with sophisticated Chrysler styling. It feels like the Daimler in DaimlerChrysler is taking control and trying to cut on costs on the Chrysler side, and thus leaving products out that would've been a sure winner and bringing designs and automobiles that make the Chrysler just like all of the other American car companies, bland and boring. The 300 is being hyped b/c it looks "different". If anybody gets the chance, go online and look up the original 300 Hemi C concept from 2000 online and you'll see what I'm talking about. Everybody that saw that car fell in love with it and it should've been put into production. Totally a move by Mercedes and a bad one in my opinion. The new 300 is ok but nothing that makes my jaw drop. The 300M had distinct, beautiful lines and a beautiful shape as did many of the other production vehicles. Hopefully Mercedes will learn that designs really sell and they are missing the boat a lot lately. I guess if boxy and boring are for you though the 300 is a good choice but there are many other cars on the market that far surpass the car in looks for roughly the same price. I do give a thumbs up for the interior though, it seemed classy when I test drove it, but decided not to buy it because as I hard as I tried I just couldn't fall in love with the exterior styling like many people have. Just my thoughts, not out to offend anybody who purchased this vehicle, everybody has different taste. Just wondering if anybody feels the same.

carcom2

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I disagree with yours. I like the designs of most of the new DC cars-actually I like the exteriors more than most of the interiors - but that could be said about a lot of cars lately. I like the exterior of the new Durango more than the previous yr but DC could have done a better job with the kind of bland interior. However, it, like most DC cars drive great. There were a number of cars I was looking forward to see after seeing the sneak peaks online. The 300C was one of the few I liked inside as well as outside. Sometimes new designs take awhile to grow on you. That happens with a lot of things that are different than what you're used too seeing.

stephen

ddworries,

There are many who will agree with you, but I love the looks of the new 300C. I liked my 300M too, but that design is ancient history. Today the trend is toward taller cars. People like to sit higher. That makes a greater challenge for designers.

One thing I LOVE about the 300C is the top edge of the windshield is further forward. Or, to put it another way, with the steering wheel telescoped all the way back, and the seat back further, the seating position is much more comfortable now relative to the pedals, and there isn't so much glare coming right down in on me from the windshield. Less glass in the side windows is a great idea too.

stephen

300hemifl

I bought my Black 300C in last week of April - 1100 miles now. I'll rate it a 9.5 (out of 10).
Acceleration has been very strong. Under 6.0 sec (0-60) is a definite. You don't explode off the line, but after 30 yards, its gone. Best speed I think though is from 30-100. That's where I've "cleaned some clocks".
Gas mileage has been pretty good. Most of my driving as been city....I've calculated right at 19-20 mpg. I did take one highway trip.....came out to approx 26 mpg....not bad at all.
Interior space is nice. Played in a golf tourney last weekend. All 4 of us are over 6 feet - plenty of leg room for all. Comments from back seat were "very comfortable and roomy".
One negative I have found is that when I'm driving anything greater than 40 mph, with the back windows down, the noise is bad. The "cowl" is so loud that I have to roll up the windows.
Other than that, no other problems. Car has been great. Compliments are a-plenty.
Any questions, let me know.

Bill

tornado25

A lot of Chrysler's designs may be "boxy" and may seem uninspired. The thing is, Chrysler got a bit of a reputation back with good design and by being "ahead of the curve". You don't see too many "boxy" vehicles out there, this may be the start in a pendulum shift in design from the jellybean rounded design to more authoritative, "agressive" designs that allow people the "command seating" positions they get from trucks/SUVs without having to buy one. (Sort of what stephen referred to).

Personally, I like the way the Durango looks. It purposefully borrows off the Ram--that is, it's the SUV Ram and to me, it makes sense to "brand" their vehicles that way. You know instantly it's a Durango. With Chev/GMC, until you see the whole thing, you don't immediately know if it's a Suburban or Tahoe, etc.

There are so many choices in today's auto market, most of the designs are going to love 'em or hate 'em rather than "eh". The key isn't that a vehicle is hated but to make more vehicles more loved than hated.

scipio

Yes. A little.

Just enough for Chrysler to chop off the top line of the grille, and give it a leaner look in two-three years.

stephen

Hey, for my money, the grille could be bigger yet, as it is on a 1960 Chrysler 300, a car that in new condition today is worth around $75,000.

If nobody liked that gargantuan mean looking muscular grille, why would the old 300 be worth so much and why would the 2005 300's be selling so well?

stephen

soozpk

Hardly, as the grilles from the 50's thru the 70's covered the whole front end. The 300 series is supposedly based on the 1955 300, however the designers chose the "well-known" look from the early sixties. It would have been interesting to see what the 1955 split grille would have looked like, had the front end had been designed around it.

nmatson

I have a Nokia 6820 working with the UConnect in my Silver 300C. Reception is excellent and actually seems to improve over the phone by itself - don't know if there is an extra watt being provided by the ucoonect or not. Only gripe is that you have to touch the button on the rear view mirror to actuate (the phone will eventually hang up on a disconnect) it would have been nice to have one of the steering wheel buttons operate the phone. Heads up display does show the caller ID.

tayl0rd

jlm,

If you're using Keffer Chrysler-Jeep on Independence, forget about it! That is one of the worst places to go for sales/service. I bought my '02 300M Special from there only because they were the only ones with one in stock. The whole process was horrible! I'll admit that I got a great price on the car, but they pulled my trousers down on my trade, so it was pretty much a wash for them.

Anyway, I've taken it in to them a couple of times for service and it was just an agonizing experience. The service people are rude, unfair (another story), and don't listen to your concerns. For better service, go down the street a few blocks to Keffer Dodge. My experiences with them, so far, have been excellent (other than them constantly leaving greasy hand prints all over my shiny black car)! It's difficult to believe they're owned by the same guy; however, I saw him at the premiere night for the 300 and he seemed to perpetuate the attitude at Keffer Chrysler-Jeep. I wanted to pull him asside and tell him now bad that branch was until I saw him in action. It was like he was too good to be around the people that buy the cars he sells. What's that all about???

One of my neighbor friends tells me that Lake Norman Chrysler has excellent service. You might want to give them a try.

heman2000

i have had this same problem. i got my 300c the middle of may. and after acouple of miles it starts when it wants. especially after filling up the tank. i took it back once. and they could not find the problem. im going to take it back after i send them a certified letter.(if you know what i mean).

jeqq

I test drove two different 300c's and really liked the feel of the car all around. While driving under forty mph, the steering and handling always felt great. When I drove over forty mph, if I hit a bump in the road the steering wheel shimmied very quickly back and forth. Even though I never felt the car loose control, the shimmy made me feel less secure about the car's road hugging ability.

On the first test drive, the salesman said I was the second person to tell him this. I went to another dealer and found the same thing happened again.

Does anyone else have a similar experience? Anyone know why this is happening?

arnoldw

It's because of bumps in the road!...gotta go, time for a spin...in da hemmi

fooe

I took my 300c in because sometimes it'll only start with your foot on the gas.They said that they had to push in some relays.It was only hog wash because it still has that problem.I also have the am on the gps radio not working right and they told me that thats as good as it gets.But a car with an external antenna right beside it gets great reception.I wonder if there is a amp you can get for the am stations.

fuzzywuzzy

I have seen more Dodge Magnums on the road here in South FL then I have seen 300's. I must say I like the look of the Magnum alot better.

A + for me I have a friend who is now a salesman at a local DC dealer. I'm looking at a test drive of the Magnum next week. They are having a premiere night in a few days just like the 300's one.

mhe_xpehobo

which dealer is that?

emale

interesting grill:

kevm14

Why would E&G care? It's free advertising for their products.

fuzzywuzzy

Arrigo Dodge Chrysler Jeep

jerk_fitter

I want the license plate bracket. Is that a differnet bumper cover?

emale

dunno...but that is a limited and not the C model...

bigmike5

Forget the grill, it is nice, but look at the wheels on that car. Man, do those look sweet--what I can see of them.

emale

agreed! i hate the wheels they currently put on the limited...these would be much nicer!

intrepidspirit

Actually, they kinda look like the wheels on my wife's 2003 300M...and like the wheels on the 300 Hemi C convertible concept car...

mark_a

Here's a better view of the wheels with the euro grill

 

mhe_xpehobo

looks like a photoshop to me. I think I did a better job a few pages earlier.

300hemifl

do you have a link (for E&G) or grille? thx.

mark_a

www.egclassic.com They are a wholesaler, so you will have to find a distributor. On some other forums there has been a group buy. There is also this grill, but the euro and center bar are not yet available I believe.

300hemifl

excellent....much obliged. I'll wait a few months at least. I bought our dealership's first, and another buyer I met a few days ago said they stopped taking orders due to overwhelming demand. I don't see many in Clearwater yet....another 6 months I may do a few alterations (including wheels) when I see them alot more

mark_a

I'm in Palm Harbor. I ordered mine from Fitzgeralds on US19 on May 24th. I'm in C stage - sub firm schedule, so I am hoping for it to be built next month. I'm definitely going to get a new grill. I'm leaning towards the center bar. In the other forums, quite a few have added the original billet grill already. I'm also looking for a place to add the 3M urethane clear bra ala www.xpel.com. You wouldn't happen to know any in our area would you? Also looking for a good tint place too.

300hemifl

excellent....much obliged. I'll wait a few months at least. I bought our dealership's first, and another buyer I met a few days ago said they stopped taking orders due to overwhelming demand. I don't see many in Clearwater yet....another 6 months I may do a few alterations (including wheels) when I see them alot more

jrcase

I took possession of my new 2005 300C on April, 27, 2004. If you are not aware, the 2005 300C is a brand new design. That should have been my first red flag. You might say the 300C is Chrysler's "Flag Ship" car. The "C" version means it has the HEMI. I resisted my initial fears and said "What the heck"..... with the way Chrysler is touting this, it has to have been well tested and thought through. I was so naive......
 
Upon possession, I immediately noticed a pull to the right on the steering. I knew there was a pending TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) on this and thought it was a simple and minor fix. That is where my saga begins.
 
On May 31, 2004, I took the car in to have the front end aligned to see if they could fix this pull without the kit. David (the Service Director) said it might be better to just wait on the kit and just do it all at once. Good advise, I agreed with him. SO I drove it home to sit in my garage. I did NOT want to drive the car unless I had to until this problem was taken care of. The TSB kit was on backorder.... That should have been my second red flag.
 
THE KIT ARRIVED!! June 8, 2004 was the date. They kept it all day and called me to come pick it up. YES! I took it down the road and.......not fixed. I turned around and let David have it back. Hopefully, it just needed some more adjusting.
 
June 9, 2004 was another day the kept it all day. David (bless his heart) was really trying to get this car fixed. They tried to adjust it more. No dice. It was still pulling to the right. He said he was at a loss at this point and didn't know what to do next. He had two different technicians spend all day on it but was unable to get it right. He had another idea, however. He wanted to take it to an independent service center just to make sure their alignment machine was not out of spec. That was going to happen the next day so I let them keep the car yet again.
 
David called me the next day. I answered the phone with "I have my fingers crossed" his reply was....."uncross them, it didn't work". OK, so they couldn't fix it.
 
At this point we started talking about a buyback from Chrysler. I told him I would be OK with that or a different 300C (optioned like mine and the same color) that did not have this problem. Agreed. He would get the ball rolling in that direction.
 
After two days (keep in mind they still have the car) I called back to check the status of my situation. My answer was that the regional rep. was notified and would be at the dealership in "the next day or two". He had to be the one to make a decision. I got a call back later that day and David informed me that the RM (Regional Manager) wanted them to take the car to another dealership to see if they could fix it. WOW! After two mechanics from the original dealership could not fix it and then an independent service center could not fix it, what could another dealership do? Oh well, I agreed that it was part of the process even if I did not agree that it was reasonable.
 
So, they took the car to another dealership in town on June 14, 2004. I waited for the call.... Finally at the end of the day, David called me and said the car was back. The other dealership stated they "thought" it was OK but wanted me to drive it. I asked David if he drove it yet (he knows the problem and what needs to be fixed) and he said no but would drive it the next day to make SURE it was fixed before I came to get it.
 
On June 15, 2004 he called me back and said it was still pulling to the right. OK. Enough is enough. I want a resolution to this ongoing nightmare. David agreed and said that I would have a definitive answer no later than The 17th or 18th of June from his DM. OK, I thought, at least this is all over and resolution is at hand.....NOT!
 
I got a call this morning (June 18th) from the DM. He informed me that he wanted YET ANOTHER mechanic to look at it. Get this..... the mechanic is not local. He will not be able to be here until June 24, 2004.
 
After all the above people at all the above locations and after all the time they have fooled around with the car, how can this new mechanic fix the car? Is the Chrysler dealership's mechanics not up to par on their training? Is this new mechanic more knowledgeable than the other mechanics?
 
I will post this on all the 300C boards, so maybe I can get some resolution as I am aware Chrysler monitors this and other 300C boards. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

arnoldw

I can't understand how a car can pull to one side if the wheels are aligned to spec. A car is basicaly a box with 4 wheels under it. If everything is in line, the car HAS to go straight. If it does'nt it's defying the laws of physics! Maybe something else is wrong? Electronics? ESP system? Maybe a faulty sensor applying a brake? Maybe we're barking up the wrong tree!

stephen

Arnold, the car can drift to the right if you let go of the wheel even if the car is aligned within specs because apparently, the machine that makes the holes for the bolts that hold the control arm is putting them slightly in the wrong place on some cars. This can be compensated, the theory goes, with smaller caster/camber bolts that allow for wider adjustment to make up for the holes being off.

My advice to anyone who has this problem (and I am one of those people) is to go ahead and drive the car and be patient. Remember, rear wheel drive cars are designed to drift slightly to the right if you let go of the wheel so that if you fall asleep, the car runs off the right side of the road into the ditch instead of into oncoming traffic. So even after the fix is in on these cars, if you let go of the wheel, it will drift to the right. Just hang onto the wheel. You get used to it. You can keep it going straight with one finger. It's no big deal.

stephen

stephen

jrcase,

Ask your front end man to adjust the cradle and see if that helps. That took 75% of the drift to the right out of my 300C. It's very drivable now. Just a little drift to the right. New castor/camber bolts are on the way, and hopefully, that will make it even better.

Remember, roads aren't perfectly straight. There's nothing wrong with a little drift to the right. When the road goes to the right, the car is effortless to drive! In straight line driving, I can keep the car going straight with one finger. Very easy once you get used to it.

stephen

jrcase

Thanks for the reply, Stephen. Actually, they already tried to adjust the cradle (five different times) and the castor/camber bolt has been installed. It did help it some but the pull is still there. I am not one to "get used to" a problem. Maybe I am just hard headed..... I want what I paid for and I paid for a new car that should work right. It does not. It is just one of those things with me. I am focused on the problem like a magnet when I drive it. It makes driving the car undesirable at the least and a major headache at worst. I just can not overlook it, unfortunately. God Bless those that can, but I have to have it fixed. I hope you get yours fixed soon too. God Speed.

JR

arnoldw

I am quite happy with the way my 300c steers. I find it is sensitive to uneven surfaces and will pull right if the road is crowned that way, but nothing out of the ordinary. If the road crowns left it will pull left. When I first got the car I thought I might have a problem but quickly got used to it. (I am very, very happy with this car... everything works as it should, yahoo!). Gotta go, time for a spin!

tibbune

My 300C drifted to the right, quite obviously in fact. But now, at just over 2000 miles, I have recently begun to notice that the drift has subsided, in fact it may be completely gone. (hard to tell)

I cannot explain why, but letting go of the wheel used to cause a lane change, now she just goes straight with the slightest lean right, it would take a straight stretch of road about Nevada long to complete the lane change at the rate of drift it now features.

So if your car drifts, perhaps patience is the fix.

soozpk

We have 2400 on our C now, and still very much happy with it. As one who never had the "pulling right" routine, I'm amazed that topic keeps coming up at this late date....six months of production. JrCase, maybe they should get a 300 that doesn't pull to the right, and actually compare the way the front ends are set up on the two. At least they'll have something to go by, seeing that the 300 tech manuals aren't out yet.

On another note, we have a quirk on ours that has happened four times now. The wife and I never use our emergency brake, but about every two weeks the brake light comes on, where all we have to do is pull the emergency brake release, and the light goes off. I'll bring the problem up at 3000 miles when it's due for it's oil change. Just wondering if anyone else had this problem.

jcz1

I've had the same problem once, so far, in about 1000 miles. Also never use the emergency brake, so actually drove a couple miles, testing the brakes every so often, before I even thought to pull the release.
Hasn't happened since.

300hemifl

Cool....I got mine at Fitzgerald's too. I was their first Hemi sale. I dealt with Carl.....they didn't know what was going to hit them re: demand, so basically I stole it from them....a funny story, but don't want to bore you.
I'm leaning to the Euro grille, but haven't seen the original billet yet.
I got my windows tinted the week after I bought the car. My wife had used him for a couple previous cars. He did a great job. A warning though....he used the Metallic tint for ALL the windows. We all know its the best, so what's the problem? ..........yep, the antenna is in the rear window. He didn't know it, so now my a.m. reception is pretty weak. If you are not an a.m. guy, I would definitely go w/ the metallic....if not, don't get it....even though he and others have told me the non-metallic could cause problems in a year or two. Anyway, the tint co is Best Sun Stop Window Tinting in Palm Harbor right by the AMC Theatres.
(Sorry for the delay; this was actually the 2nd post, as I messed up and included the Tint guy's address and phone)