Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan 2005+

badgerfan

It really does not hurt anything in the van to leave accessories on when you shut it down. We have been doing it for years with no consequences. Most, if not all, heavy load accessory items are temporarily shutoff when you crank the engine anyways, so no harm leaving them on.

As far as your problem, it seems a bit of a mystery at this point. Luckily you have three year 36K bumper to bumper warranty ahead, so I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point in time. You have plenty of warranty left for this problem to show again.

masterpaul1

It really does not hurt anything in the van to leave accessories on when you shut it down.

This may or may not be true. But one thing for sure is that every time you turn the ignition key to on, with all those accessories on, you are pulling more power from the battery that needs to crank that starter, so the vechicle will start. Also, I believe you drain the battery more and shorten it's life with those accessories on constantly. I like to save energy. When I leave a room in our house, I turn off the light. If I'm no longer watching TV I turn it off. I don't let the water continue to run when washing dishes, I turn the water on to rinse the dish then turn it off. I think you get my point.

marine2

http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.hp.HPAlbumPict?com=us&awp=albumshow.html&album_id=50558- - 57&RefreshRandom=0.06033091197086893

notice how your still able to get things in or out of the storage bin, even with the driver's seat all the way back. Click View to enlarge pictures

marine2

Seems like HP requires people to sign in after being up for an hour or so. To eliminate that, I reposted pictures on MSN. After bringing up, click on pictures on left hand side. Pictures show inside and out. One seat stowed and storage bin. There are two pages. I think this van is just beautiful. Maybe not as nice inside as Honda or Toyota. But every bit as nice outside. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge.

http://www.msnusers.com/Myminivan

hansienna

Nice pictures. I tried HP and it would not work.
DC minivan seats are NOT as comfortable for me as Odyssey. How is seat comfort for you (compared to the Odyssey or your Civic)?
DC minivans look cheap inside compared to Toyota and even Honda because DC has too much cheap plastic on the doors.
The Sienna has cloth, carpet, or soft material covering the plastic.

marine2

In the inside, the Dodge does not look nearly as nice as the Toyota or Honda. They do have too much plastic on them. But I think the Dodge looks nicer on the outside.

I also agree the middle seats are not as comfortable as the middle seats on the Honda. But I never found them uncomfortable in the least. As a matter of fact, I like them better than the bench seats in my brother's Plymouth minivan. But for me, I'd much rather have the Dodge seats that stow than the Honda and Toyota seats that don't. I also love the storage space I have under those seats. I didn't have the bin cover wide open, but you can still see a lot of the stuff I put in there. I did it that way to show the bins can be gotten into even with the driver's seat all the way back. Kids can put toys in or take them out, even when the van is moving.

One person on this board wondered how much room there was to get to the back seats. The pictures should show there is gobs of room. When it's raining and I had to pick up the grand kids at school, all I had to do is hit the button to the side door and the kids could run into the van and get in the back seats, putting their back packs on the floor where the one seat is stored. It has the versatility that you can't get with any other van.

Kirstie_H

A reporter is interested in speaking with people who have had their vehicle recalled in the first part of this year. If your vehicle has been the subject of a recall and you would like to speak with this reporter, please send your name and daytime phone number to Pam Krebs, Edmunds.com PR, at pkrebs@edmunds.com by Tuesday, July 5. Thank you.

marine2

A reporter is interested in speaking with people who have had their vehicle recalled in the first part of this year. If your vehicle has been the subject of a recall and you would like to speak with this reporter, please send your name and daytime phone number to Pam Krebs, Edmunds.com PR, at pkrebsedmunds.com by Tuesday, July 5. Thank you.

I noticed kirstie that you didn't post this message on the 2005 Honda or Toyota sites. Does this reporter just want to know about recalls on 2005 Chrysler/Dodge cars being recalled? Seems funny Pam wouldn't want to know about the others too. I think I have gotten a little to much of the CR prejudice in me to wonder why.

hansienna

Agree with you marine.
My 2002 T&C has had a recall for lower and upper power steering hoses (which were replaced quickly by dealer). Somehow, I did not worry and had it done when a routine oil and oil filter change was due.

marine2

Maybe I'm just a little paranoid after CR wrote that article that said the Dodge van was no longer competitive, when all the other testers gave it good reviews. Then when no one was complaining of the 2005's and you start feeling good about your van and disregard CR's report. All of a sudden, Edmonds wants to know about recalls on the 2005 Dodge/Chryslers and doesn't ask about the other makes. Makes you wonder if they heard of something we don't know about, or if Chrysler is getting a fair shake. I would trust Edmonds a lot more than I would C.R. Still only asking about one make, does get your mind working. I may get a chewing out for saying this, it seems I have stuck my foot in it before and got warned.

dennisctc

I was camping over the 4th holiday, in some very rugged areas where the roads are just rock. One day I start the van to head to head to a local store. When I turned the key, the IP Cluster lit up but NOT the LED dispay for trip and PRNDL??? It was all black. I turned if off and restarted and things were fine???? It hasn't happened again.

Anyone else have a similar issue??

kidd

I bought my 2005 DGC SXT in Jan. 05. I only have around 5K miles on it, but I have been experiencing intermittent problems with the remote sliding doors and lift gate. On several occasions I have pushed the overhead button to close the passenger-side sliding door with no response. I then pushed the remote on the key, and also got no response. However, 15 minutes later it worked again. Just the other day we started experiencing the same problem with the lift gate. Has anyone else had this or a similar problem. I thought it might have been some kind of emergency feature that didn't allow the door to open/close when the van was running with no one in the driver's seat. Through experiments I discovered that wasn't the case.

Can anyone shed some light on this problem?

marine2

I thought that too in my 2005. I find out the tranny must be in nuetral before the slidding doors will open and you need to press the button on your remote twice to get either to work, especially on the passenger side door. Once, I was sure the tranny was in neutral when I pressed the overhead button and the door didn't open, but it hasn't happened again. Funny, I bought mine in Jan. and have about the same amount of miles on it. I usually leave my middle passenger seat stowed on mine.

gsam

Exact same thing happened few weeks back when we had 1000 miles on 05 T&C Touring (after a 2 hour long drive), have 3000 miles on it now, did not happen again. Had called the dealer and he said bring it in when it happens again, since we had driven too many miles after the incident for them to do any useful diagnostic, they had not heard about this happening either
Seemed like an anomaly, not a feature
Also similar to post #777, the PRNDL lights were OFF during this 15 minute period.

hansienna

Appears to just be a routine computer glitch. :confuse:

seattletom

I am trying to decide whether to buy an "end-of-year" 2005 DC minivan or wait until the 2006 DC models come out. I am particularly interested in learning of pending engine and transmission alternatives as well as other major upgrades that will be available with the 2006 models. Stow'n'go is driving me to DC, but drivetrain issues are holding me back. Does anyone have a good crystal ball on DC's 2006 minivan offerings?

hansienna

Agree, but all indicators are for DC to make no major changes.
Sedona appears to be the only minivan with major changes for the 2006 model.

fish8

A major change from the '05 to the '06's is the newer vans do not come with the 7yr 75K powertrain warranty anymore.

chuckg

The ABS light on my wife's 05 GC SXT came on. Took it to the dealer and it turned out to be a wheel sensor. Repair took 45 minutes, and I was on my way.

Just FYI.

marine2

If you decided you want Stow-n-go, you can wait for the 2007 models to come out as that van will be completely new and will have stow-n-go on it, or buy the 2005 that will still have the 7/70 engine drive train warranty on it and I am sure good price discounts as it's going into the new year. I wouldn't let a new engine or tranny hold you back from a 2005-6. They are proven drive trains and as you can see from this board, don't use much more fuel than the new high tech engines and trannies which haven't been out long enough to know how reliable they are.

You might even think of taking a short term lease out on one now and buy the 2007 when it comes out later with all the changes. In a way, that's what I think I should have done.

nwng

after looking at marine2's picture on the dcx, I noticed the 2nd row buckets looked kind of small. I asked one of my colleague who just bought a GC SXT to let me sit in the buckets and they are noticeably much narrower and less comfortable than my ody's 2nd row bucket. But you really can't beat the stow & go if that's what you need.

marine2

after looking at marine2's picture on the dcx, I noticed the 2nd row buckets looked kind of small. I asked one of my colleague who just bought a GC SXT to let me sit in the buckets and they are noticeably much narrower and less comfortable than my ody's 2nd row bucket. But you really can't beat the stow & go if that's what you need.


Your right nwng, they are narrower and firmer than the Ody. But I have taken two trips up to Prescott from Phoenix with people sitting in them and they don't say they're uncomfortable. To be able to sit in them, you must lift up the head rests, or they hit you in the shoulders or neck. Did you also notice the room you have to get to the third row with that one seat folded? Also I hope you saw the junk I keep in the one bin that is not stowed. That lid is only a third open. It opens all the way if I move the front seat up. But being hinged like that, it allows you to get things in and out without bothering the people in the front seats. I only buy white vehicles because of the high heat here in Phoenix. White keeps the van and car cooler and it doesn't fade like darker colors. I put on a gold stripe on the van. The Civic already had one on it. Carrying stuff like I do, it's the perfect van for me.

rlimbach

Looking for 05 Grand Caravan SXT
Should the 2000.00 customer rebate and 3100 employee discount come off of wholesale dealer invoice price. The dealer is actually receiving this money from the manufacturer to give to customer

mttskys

No. The employee discount is off of MSRP. There is a specific line on the invoice the dealer has from the manufacturer labeled EP For the employee purchase price. The percentage off of MSRP differs between makes/models.... it is not a discount off of invoice.

And I highly doubt the dealers are getting a $3100 check from the manufacturer to cover the employee discount... dealers weren't selling these things at MSRP, they were selling them below invoice before the deals started.

rlimbach

I believe the dealers are receiving a special discounted invoice pricing on these vehicles. Otherwise why would they be willing to sell them at invoice price. And not make a dime at the dealerships. I had three dealers willing to show me there invoice, that may be the invoice when the vehicle is delivered to the dealership, but that;s not the true dealer invoice cost once the vehicle is sold. Holdbacks, dealer incentives, hidden money.

mttskys

I'm sure the dealers holdback is being covered by Chrysler in this program. Previously, they were eating some of their incentive money/holdback to sell the vehicles below invoice.

But $3100 is not the employee discount off of invoice. I bought a T&C Touring for the Employee Purchase price before they started the discounts for all. It was a few percent under invoice.... and I'm sure Chrysler covered their holdback and any other incentives they would normally get when I took the Emp. Purchase price.

I'm not sure what other hidden incentives they may have going on, but holdback for Chrysler is supposedly 3% of MSRP.... and my employee discount worked out to be about 10% off MSRP, so I doubt you'll get much of that money passed back to you off of invoice.

Dealerships were offering under invoice before any of this started, so they were eating some of their incentive money to move cars before.... maybe you can convince them to eat some of their holdback even now.

rlimbach

I have a very good source of info that says dealers are receiving actually 6 % holdback off of MSRP from Chrysler. 5 % reg holdback and 1 % advertising holdback. Haven't you heard just about every other ad on radio is about employee pricing. I've talked to a General Manager from Dodge Dealer and they haven't denied this. So what really seems like a good deal, is actually causing dealers and manufactures to laugh all the way to the bank. The dealers have to be getting special invoice pricing after they sell the car , other wise there selling at bottom line cost, not wholesale invoice when the vehicle is delivered. Actual dealer bottom line cost when all incentives and holdbacks are paid back to the dealer from the manufacturere. That's why dealers are willing to sticker or even show you dealer invoice. Because they know it's not really the bottom line invoice they will be paying for the car to the manufacturer.

vanbuyer2

Hi, I am new to the board and have a question regarding the DGC and Town & County. Does anyone have information on the DGC SXT Special Edition? Specifically, can you get this model with both a sunroof and side airbags? I thought on the T&C you could not get both.

kfdmed

Side airbags are not available with the sunroof on either the Dodge or Chrysler. I don't think you will find a DGC SXT special edition unless they are making them again. There were not many around when I was shopping in early February. Could not find the color I wanted so went with the T&C Signature series which were also scarce at the time.

vanbuyer2

Thanks for the message, kfdmed. Mind if I ask how you like the T&C? I think of the two I prefer the T&C. Not sure if I would opt for the limited but maybe the Touring. How has the van performed. I drive and Accord and a Corolla. To be honest, I am very hesitant to purchase a domestic brand. Overall, do you like the van and the features? Anyone else care to comment for me?

caravan2

Hi,

I know there is totally redesign in 2007.

I'm wondering what is new in 2006 from 2005 models. I heard that these will have optional stability controls on these models. This is nice feature to have. This is the only thing holding me back to buy 2005 model.

Any comments?

marine2

To be honest, I am very hesitant to purchase a domestic brand.

There has been very few complaints on the Chrysler/Dodge vans from 2002-2005. In long term quality, JD Powers said G.M has "the top model in eight categories, the most of any manufacture" The Chevy Malibu and Buick Century beat out Honda Accord, Toyota Camery and Toyota Avalon. Ford had two brands, ranking eight and twelth. Chrysler was the only brand to beat the industry average and even beat out parent Mercedes-Benz. So lets hear it for domestics once again.

dennisctc

I think what you need to do is review this forum for potential problems with any minivan you're interested in. The DCX vans appear to be very trouble free, which should be the case since they didn't change all too drastically from 2004 to 2005. Reliability plus some of the fantastic deals I'm seeing....they're almost too good to pass up.

veritasusa

Our new 2005 T&C Touring came with the luxury package which includes that removable console between the front seats. My wife and I prefer to have a cargo net there in place of the console.

Removing the console is no problem, but we wish something had been supplied to cover the remaining base which is screwed to the floor. We are especially worried about the exposed electrical contacts in the base which supply power to the lamp and and the power outlet within the console. We worry about dirt or even some piece of electrically conductive material getting into those contacts and doing damage.

Has anyone out there removed their console for any length of time? Any problems? Has anyone found or devised something to protect those contacts? TIA

cbwilsha

Look inside on the bottom of the console and you will find a removable rubber mat shaped to fit over the area exposed when you remove the console from the vehicle. If it is not there, make your Dealer get you one for free since it was supposed to be furnished for the very reason that you need it.

C.B.

dennisctc

Even if the terminals are exposed, it would take a LOT of dirt and grime to affect their performance. I sell electrical connectors and wiring to DCX and others. I believe it's a gas tight interface i.e.. metal to metal, with high mating forces.

kfdmed

I have the LWB Touring signature series ... it has just about everything ... power sliders/rear hatch, DVD with 6 disc changer, navigation, two tone leather, moonroof ... just about everything I wanted for 28k with 0% financing for 5 years. Would have liked to have the side curtain bags but that gets deleted by the moonroof. I thought I would get the Honda or Toyota when I started shopping but in the end it came down to the what I perceived as the best bang for the buck. A similiarly equiped Honda or Toyota would have cost me 6 - 10k more when considering the price up front and the financing savings. If price was no consideration I would have gone with the Toyota. I could not find a comfortable driving position in the Honda and the stereo was horrible.

Rides and handles great. I use to cart my kids around mainly and its just a great family van. Looks good too ... dont much care for the look of the Honda or Toyota.

I wouldn't go with the limited unless you want the fake wood trim and fancier leather seats. Not much difference between the two if you get a loaded up Touring.

I have had Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, and GM vehicles. I had the most issues with the Honda, practically none with the GM's. I wouldn't/dont hesitate buying domestic anymore.

One last comment ... Stow n Go is great. I can convert to a cargo van in about 2 minutes or less ... and thats with two car/booster seats in the 2nd row. Your time may vary if you are not adept at installing car/booster seats.

veritasusa

I looked in the bottom of the console. There is a rubber mat which lines the inside bottom of the console, but it is made for that purpose only and in no way fits either inside of or over the console base.

The owner's manual states that such a rubber mat is used to cover a removable console base, but only to cover the area exposed when the console is removed from between the second-row seats on vans without stow and go. I'll check with the service department tomorrow.

dennisctc

Has anyone installed the rear mudflaps or center console themselves??? I'm considering adding both to my SXT! Thanks for any advice

marine2

Has anyone installed the rear mudflaps or center console themselves??? I'm considering adding both to my SXT! Thanks for any advice

I was going to get a center console too. Then one day I went to Pep Boys auto store and they had one there that was the same color as the inside of my van. It looks bigger than original. Has slots front and back for cups & cleanex. A tray on top for misc. and a sliding, lockable lid. It can also be attached to the floor. I bought if for around $45.00. I didn't fasten it to the floor, as I wanted to be able to move it if I needed to. Only thing it doesn't have is a power plug, but there are two of those, inches away on the dash. Check it out, you might like it better and save some money too.

ruben12312

Where did you find the SXT Special Edition? I asked my dealer and he said he couldn't get one. The SXT Special Edition is very nice. That is whay I want or the Town & Country Touring Signature Series. Those two are basically the same thing. If anyone knows where I can get one, please let me know. I like the Special Edition and Signature Series because they have the memory seats, side mirrors, radio and all the other goodies. You can't get memory unit unless you move to the Town & Country Limited. Which I prefer the leather on the Touring.

chuckg

I've installed the rear molded mud flaps. Two of the screws line right up with the flap. They are located on the inner fender. Just unscrew these two screws and screw your flaps into the same holes using the same screws. You then need to drill a hole in the bottom of the fender for the third screw. This is a very easy install and the flaps came with directions. They were well worth the ~$40 I paid.

Give it a try......you can do it.

chuckg

I bought my wife a 2005 GC SXT Special Edition back in September. The sticker stated that they were only going to be produced through December 31, 2004.

Essentially what a Special Edition is that you get all available options, minus navigation, at a discounted price. And man this things got everything. They only came in one color (silver) and they even added special wheels to it. This van is really something else....even though it's still a van.

You can search around for one and you'll probably find one....but I'd guess that it wouldn't be located near to where you live. Go to your dealer and ask him to do a national search and see what he comes up with.

cbwilsha

I apoligize for misleading you. I have a new 2005 T&C SWB with the console but I ordered mine when the car was made so I wanted it. I saw the extra mat and assumed it would be to cover the base IF I wanted to remove the console but I never actually tried it.

I would inquire about some cover being available. On some models, it is even supposed to be movable between 1st row seats and 2nd row seats so there should be a cover for the place left vacant.

I'd appreciate hearing what your final outcome is.

Good Luck!

C.B.

veritasusa

We went to the dealer today to have various accessories installed. According to their parts and service departments, the official word is that there is NO cover available for the console base between the front row seats. I reckon I'll have to find some shallow plastic container of close to the right size to put over it and use the contents of the cargo net to both hold the mess in place and partially hide it.

Oh well . . . I guess every car maker has to have at least one example of sheer bloody-minded thinking in its offerings. In the Subaru Forester I traded in, it was their all-weather floor mats which weren't really large enough, were made of some cheap, not-quite-rubber material that never softened up enough even in the Florida sun to conform to the contours of the footwells, and didn't have good enough projections on their backs to stay in place worth shucks!

The Chrysler "slush mats" (DC's term) are much better - nice and big in all positions. But DC's lack of decent splash guards behind the front wheels and the availability of only black guards for the rear is a shortcoming. Subaru offers custom, color-coordinated splash guards for all four wheel openings at what I considered to be a very reasonable cost. It's not as if DC offers that many colors to make offering color-keyed splash guards a real problem.

gapch

The explanation I received about the sliding doors was the car should be either off or in park for the automatic doors to work. I also had a problem with the trying to shut and they would get half way and re-open, not sure what that is all about. :confuse: go figure

rlimbach

rlimbach

Anyone can tell me what a fair price to offer a dealer for a new DGC SXT ( Standard Equip) would be. Reading a lot about this employee pricing. Are the dealers more willing to deal this coming week with the end of the month coming. Or should we wait till 2006 come out in fall. Any word on EP being extended another month like GM did

Claires

Hi, rlimbach,

This topic is for talking about the features. attributes. ownership experience, etc. of the T&C. For pricing issues, I suggest you ask the folks in the Town & Country: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion -- they'll be happy to give you some feedback.

whelmar

Actually, they came in Atlantic Blue also...I know, I bought one last month for the Mrs...
Got mine in Atlanta, GA.
And yes, it really is quite nice :shades:
Had an interesting issue that I posted about...yes, it was the ac unit, and was replaced by a different dealer that following weekend. Original dealer should have caught it. No issues since. I now have 5K miles on it. The car was a demonstrator(?)..had 2800 mi on it when purchased 45 days ago.