Chrysler 300M

ottowrkr · March 2002

Yeah Arby ,or the rust starts behind all that plastic.

fedlawman · March 2002

What did Beach do to offend you?

What did GM do to offend you?

Why are you so easily offended?

silverbullet4 · March 2002

I have my BassLink mounted as close as possible to the Infinity premium amp, with the active driver pointed to the left side and slightly to the rear. My road bike fits in the trunk after removing the quick release front wheel. Since my bike is kept pretty clean, that works for me. With a mountain bike, mud and dirt from single-track makes a rack more practical. I have seen some neat rectangular trays with upright posts for securing bikes. The trays plug into the square trailer hitch sockets. They also accomodate two coolers for serious campers and fisherpersons (pc). I have an old trunk mounted bike rack, but haven't felt the need to check its fit. The bottom retainer strap might not have a solid enough base on the bottom edge of the bumper.

Happy trails,

Silver

blonda · March 2002

Thanks for the info on the fogs. It did it to me again this morning. If you could send me that diagram I would really appreciate it.

blonda81@hotmail.com

Thanks

blonda · March 2002

In addition to my "screw" story ...remember the dealer told me they charge $18 each for the sparkplugs (the ones that cost $2.50 at the autoparts store). They probably charged you at least $20 for that fuse.

denverm · March 2002

Nope, they charged 90 cents for the fuse, $35.95 labor to put it in . . . .

blonda · March 2002

Okay....I'm doing my part to get the postings back up since SDmike has been slacking off lately... :-)

When I put in the K&N Charger over the weekend I disconnected the battery as they suggested (because knowing me...I'd be the one to short out my car. btw my fog light problems started before this). This put my tranny in learning mode. I don't like it. I disconnected the battery last summer to see what affect it would have and it is doing the same thing....hunting. It took over a month to stop the hunting and get back to "normal." I even asked the dealer to check it out about a month later when I had the car in to fix the window regulator (found no problems). So until I get it to stop the hunting I won't be able to really tell if the charger made a difference or not.

denverm · March 2002

I have never disconnected my battery nor tried this procedure, but take a look at this web page: http://www.allpar.com/fix/trans.html

They recommend a specific driving procedure for you to follow to "retrain" your tranny. You might give it a try . . . .

mikeyjohn · March 2002

Thanks, that's what I had on my truck. I'll check with DC here for the hitch that wire2 mentioned and then check the receivers from local bike stores or hitch shops.

I'm curious to what all the posts here are on the Avalanche, I thought this was a 300M site.They have a site that at least 1702 people have put posts on. So what gives?

kosh_2258 · March 2002

Seems to me I recall that buried in an obscure corner of the owners manual is something about a "parade" or "funeral" mode you can put the lights into.

The flashing you describe sure sounds like that.

I gotta do some digging to see if I can find that again.

kosh_2258 · March 2002

0-60 times are pretty much dependent on raw torque and good traction.

kosh_2258 · March 2002

This sentence was posted by a member of the 300M Club.

"As of monday the 4 march there were only 7 left in Ontario, population 12 million. I got one and and another went back to the plant with a stop sale order on it for a known connecting rod bearing problem. Feel lucky"

What's the story here and do those of us who have a Special need to be concerned? I don't want to spin a rod bearing or something worse on a new engine! If I need to go easy on the car for the time being so be it.

ducati52 · March 2002

Hey Folks:

I posted a while back regarding how to identify the Infinity II stereo vs. the base model while shopping for cars. Well, I ended up buying one -- a 1999, 50k miles, Platinum/Agate, moonroof, chromes, and the upgraded stereo. Bought it on Ebay for what, at least in my market, was a very good price -- $13,900

The car had the options I wanted (didn't want PHP -- fellow crumbling-road snow-belters will understand) in one of the colors I wanted (Slate or Platinum). We picked it up in Howell, MI (near Detroit) and drove it back Monday. Car runs/drives perfect -- no clunking, no pulling, no loud noises, and light shows. Ended up hitting one a nasty snow and ice storm in southern Michigan/Northern Ohio (we live in Central Ohio), but the drive back otherwise was uneventful. Hopefully, I got a good one. Car checked out on CarFax and through my local dealer's service computer. Owner said all he did was change the oil every 3,000 miles and did front brake pads at about 45k, and has all the receipts.

I've loved the 300M since it was introduced. I leased it's predecessor, an Eagle Vision TSi, and really liked that car. This is a third car for us (actually a fourth if you count my '59 Triumph TR3), so I probably won't be doting on it quite as much as some of you. ;-) It is a great car to drive, though, and as long as -- knock on wood -- it remains fairly reliable, it's a fantastic bargain at the prices they're fetching.

Now, a quick question: can the in-dash 4-disc CD changer be easily retrofitted to the '99 models?

Mark

wire2 · March 2002

Hi, this is Wire2's son, BlueBaron.

Can anyone tell me the date for the Mopar show at the Bramalea plant parking lot?

Also, when is everyone showing up for the tour? And how many people are going? As I remember it's only 8 per tour.

bigmike5 · March 2002

The Woodward Dream Cruise is in Detroit on Saturday, 17 Aug 2002. I think the plan is to attend the Cruise and events on Saturday, and then on Sunday the 18th go up to the Brampton area [hotel yet to be determined] and hopefully to visit the plant on Monday the 19th. Russ Klass has graciously agreed to head things up again this year. Last year there was a chart on the club web site that one could go to and let Russ know who and how many would attend. We did not have a real big turnout last year [maybe five Ms and owners], but things were pretty new to everyone then. The cruise was well worth the trip, but the hope this year is that we will have a lot of interest in going to the plant, and therefore a lot more in attendance. Don't know what coordination has been made yet for a plant tour. That is all I know right now. Russ, Roger and maybe Otto might have more/better[?] info.

beach15 · March 2002

Hey Arby, I'll say it straight out, I AM NOT A GM FAN AT ALL. Very few of their cars would I consider buying myself, as I think most are absolute garbage. But, if you had the M we did and then got our Av., you'd see what I'm talking about. By the way, I love your Special!

blonda · March 2002

Interesting way to train the tranny (but sounds like it could be fun on the right road!). You'd think it would retrain itself pretty quick as I drive 40 miles per day in both stop and go, freeway and town driving. The car picks up the "sluggishness" very quickly in lots of stop and go and gets out of the sluggishness pretty quickly, but for some reason when disconnecting the battery it takes much, much longer and acts very differently.

arby500 · March 2002

I know your folks had problems with your 300M. I just hope that owning a GM product after the experience you had with the 300M was the thing to do. I've had 3 new GM products in the last 20 years. 2 of the 3 spent more or the first 6 month of ownership at the dealer for various problems than sitting in my Driveway. This is no lie or fabrication on my part. I had a rear main seal problem on my 1st car the second week I owned it. The second car had a speedometer not working that turned into a whole new console... I won't go into any more horror stories. Just learn to say "Altenator". The repair man will tell you that word all the time... Why did I continue to buy GM? My parents only owned GM. They told me they were the best.

I hope your Truck-lite gives you nothing but pleasure. But you have to admit, they use alot of plastic on the inside and outside of that vehicle.

bmadden1 · March 2002

kosh; you may be correct about the "parade" or "funeral" mode. The wiring schematic I was looking at did show a "funeraL" position in the switch diagram, but the manual is for all 99 model LH series Chrysler's. I just assumed this must be an additional light function on the Concorde or LHS models, since I don't recall reading anything about this mode in the 300M owners manual. However, I may just have overlooked it.

You have peaked my curiosity on this "funeral/parade" light mode. Will have to do more research to find out just exactly what it is all about!

Brian

bmadden1 · March 2002

There may be a possibility that the fogs are doing what they are are supposed to do. We may have a "parade/funeral" mode in our M's that you have discovered! Will do more research to find out.

Will send diagram of fuse box anyway...it's nice to know what all those little gadgets in there are for.

Brian

rogor2k · March 2002

I believe this is just the first position on your interior lighting dashboard rotary switch.

It allows you to have your headlights on (as if driving in a day-time funeral procession) but still maintain full intensity on your instrument lighting (which normally goes dim when your headlights are on).

beach15 · March 2002

Yeah, plastic is used both inside and out but not to an overtly ugly level, but that's just my view. Believe me, when a car is cheap, I know it, because I inspect everything and I mean EVERYTHING. On the outside of the Av. the only plastic is the lower cladding and the back cargo covers. Inside, it's just like any other car but also very well built and solid as a rock. Nothing feels at all lose, makes any noise, or is out of line. This is a very well built vehicle inside and out.

As for the plastic, at least on the outisde it'll mean we'll most likely never get a door ding. And, when I do my weekly washing, there's less paint to pamper and less to wax. Overall, it's a very practical thing.

Now, back to the 300M stuff!

beach15 · March 2002

Well, it's taken a few days, but I finally got all the cleaning stuff I need for the Av. (I know, I know, this is the 300M board). I decided against Zaino mainly because of how much it would have been for all the stuff we needed, and the fact that I didn't want something in a stepped process. Zaino is an excellent product, but thanks to fedlawman, I got something that's closer to what I wanted, Klasse Polish & Sealant.

From ProperAutoCare.com:
-Klasse Polish & Sealant
-Eagle One 20/20 Window Cleaner
-Eagle One Polish/Wax Applicator
-Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel
-Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner

From Wal*Mart:
-Sheepskin Wash Mit
-The Absorber
-Sponge
-Turtle Wax Water Blade (Cal. Water Blade imitation for 1/3 of the price)
-STP Son of a Gun Plastic/Rubber Protectant

I think I know have all I need to keep the big black beast looking very good. Zaino stuff would have been over $100, but I spent just about $90 on all this stuff. We'll be busy this weekend!

300michael · March 2002

Congrats on the new,used car. As for the stereo question. No it is not designed for use with the built in 4 CD changer.

kosh_2258 · March 2002

Yep, I think you are 100% correct about the "funeral" mode being that first stop between the dimmer, and the interior lights stop.

I checked my shop manual and saw the wiring diagram for the dimmer and that "funeral" reference on it.

beach15 · March 2002

Anyone else seen the production Pacifica? I think it actually looks pretty nice and very import-luxury. They lost the M-like headlight bulges, but it now looks kind of like a Special, in Silver with the lower gray cladding. Take a look:

http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz/b032702.htm

lonestarsled · March 2002

Somebody was asking earlier about a 300M RC car and I incorrectly said that you could get them on ebay. The RC car that is available on ebay is the Hemi C! Here you go:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1716868009

ruski · March 2002

I liked the 300M-style headlights better. With "square" lights it looks a bit like a squashed Lexus RX300.

Also I guess they decided to stick with the 4-speed AutoStick tranny. When are they going to get the 5-speed drift?

Other manufacturers are probably going to start offering 10-speed trannies before Chrysler offers a 5-speed.

easyrider300m · March 2002

where is everyone!

300michael · March 2002

When ever our relitives have an emergency they call us. I hope it was lively.

sdmike2 · March 2002

Hope all is well with the family.

sdmike2 · March 2002

I saw and crawled around in a pacifica pre-production car this past summer, and I have to say it's marvelous. The interior is roomy but still feels very car-like. The front cabin is very luxurious. with leather and wood trim. The fold down flat second row and rear seats are almost worth the price of admission. Why "almost"? The initial pricing provided to us indicated that it's more expensive than the M.

fastdriver · March 2002

One year ago today, Christine became history with 35,500 miles after 33 months.

The new car is one year old today. 13,500+ miles and NO problems. Hope it continues this way. Might treat it to a wash if the temp goes up.

No calls yet from Chrysler financial about that $174.00 "bill" they sent me last Saturday! ;-))) Have NO clue what it's for and neither do I care! Looks like their bookkeeping practices are as good as their "5-STAR" dealer service! ;-))

fastdriver

bmadden1 · March 2002

Well rogor2k figured out the funeral mode syndrome which is good to know, but bad on account that you still have a problem. The diagram for the junction box/fuse box, should be in your e-mail.

Good luck!

blonda · March 2002

bmadden - thanks I'll check my email.

It now starts clicking and flashing immediately when I turn on the fogs, but if I turn on the headlights, along with the fogs, no problems. It also seems that if I have driven the car for awile, they don't flash anymore. This morning I switched to just the headlights for awhile because the fogs were flashing. Then tried fogs with headlights--no flashing. Then after several miles turned off the headlights and left the fogs on--no flashing. So it's either stopping because the car is warmed up -- or because the headlights/fogs are warmed up. Strange.

sdmike2 · March 2002

The ghost of Christine has moved to the west coast. You just stay in north county..away from me.

sdmike2 · March 2002

Suzuki Vitara - YUCK!!!

blonda · March 2002

Nah, not Christine. I think aliens are attempting to transport my car to their mother ship -- they want to study it because it's such a beautiful piece of machinery.

blonda · March 2002

Have you always lived in Texas? Just curious as I went to highschool with a guy with the same name here in So CA.

ruski · March 2002

is still on order

rogor2k · March 2002

The Woodward Dream Cruise is Saturday August 17th in the Detroit suburbs. Following that, those who want to will travel (caravan??) to Brampton on Sunday, and the plant tour will be Monday August 19th.

As I understand it right now, they can/will accommodate as many members as show up. This is all the detail we can provide at this point. There will be a sign-up page up on the Club web site soon, and more details as they become available. Stay tuned for more info as plans are formalized.

If you can't drive, fly in. That's what I plan to do.

ottowrkr · March 2002

Kosh -yes there was a problem with 3.5 motors in all LH cars built after your and Arby's . Not sure of the total number but if DC has not contacted you your OK. One guy I work with who's M was built a month after your cars ,got the call from DC . He gave the car back and ordred a Special. They gave him 3 options , change the motor , order a new car or return his money. So he just reordered a M with the Special package.

Wire2's son, BlueBaron- the spring fling is usally Mothers Day .So May 12 would be the show in the plant parking lot.AS for the tour being 8 max , I am sure the company would not have a problem with having lots of happy M owners seeing how their M's are built.So all you Happy M owners please plan to come to Brampton Aug 19 2002.

300michael · March 2002

You are not going to show them your new tail lights?????? and all your other mods. Just show them plenty of pictures, or video then.

300michael · March 2002

What is this May 12th show at the plant? Can anyone come?
National Enquierer

blonda · March 2002

I'll have to try that floor mat "mod". Someone had posted that Vmaxx link before. I like those door sills too. Let me know if you figure out how to order them and how much. The things behind the head rests are to hang a coat on.

peters300m · March 2002

I'm a long time reader of this discussion board and this is my first post. Anyways, I own a 1999 Platinum 300M. The same colour as Avalanche's 300M. I have a few simple mods already: K&N intake kit, Bosch Platinum +4 plugs, chrome billet grill, antifoam, logo debadging, ventvisors, custom clockface, Xenon high and low beam bulbs and foglights, RF 600A4 and RF BD1000a1 amps, 2 12" Phoenix Gold Xmax subs, PG wiring, Crystal 6.5" components, Alpine 7941 cd player, PG Capacitor, PG battery terminals, and aftermarket Cell phone holder.

My future mods: dual exhaust setup, 2002 300M special mirrors, Prowler Pro gears, Alpine DVD system, lowering kit and chrome door sills.

I found a company that makes some lowering springs for our 300M's. They are called Dropzone Suspension. Their kit lowers the front and rear by 2". I was wondering if any of u have or heard of this kit. If so, will they have the same vibration problems found on Eibach or H&R springs.

The price of the kit is $329US on their site.

Here is their link: http://www.dropzonesuspension.com/

There's another site I found that sells them for

$180.95US.

Here is their link:

http://www.gmpperformance.com/products/suspension/springs/dropzone.htm

Check out these new parts for our 300M's!

http://www.vmaxx.de/haupts/m300ext.html

http://www.vmaxx.de/haupts/m300int.html

I have my eyes set on the chrome door sills and

the TV pod in the dash. They have an accessory that fits behind the front headreats. What are they for?

I found a new free mod for our 300M's. Have any of you guys noticed the gas pedals seems a bit hard to push down or the pedal feel is not as sensitive compared to other cars. Well, what I did to fix that problem was that I folded the corner of the floor mat where the gas pedal is so that the gas pedal doesn't come in contact with the floor mat. I immediately took it for a test drive. Wow! What a difference. I just lightly tapped the gas pedal and my 300M easily chirped its tires. I decided to floor it. Holy smokes! My car never accelerated that fast before. U guys should give it a try. Probably the best and cheapest mod out there!

Anyways, I received my clock face from Scott yesterday and it looks sweet. Thanx Scott!

rogor2k · March 2002

You have been a busy boy. Some very good links, thank you. Have you communicated with VMaxx yet? I'm currently communicating with another German company (CS Car Service) that has some body kits (ground effects, etc), wheels, and exhaust systems. The biggest drawback I can see is overseas shipping, and of course converting currency to Euro dollars.

CS Car Service is going to send me some typical shipping costs for their accessories. Their link is http://www.cs-car-service.de.

Maybe we can negotiate a 300M Enthusiasts Club member discount. I'm always looking for more aftermarket vendors to add to our member discount list.

Thanks for the tip on the floor mat, I'll sure give that a try.

BTW, have you looked into the 300M Enthusiasts Club web site at http://www.300mclub.org? I think you'd fit right in.

peters300m · March 2002

I checked out that German site. Very nice body kit. I really like the carbon fiber front chin spoiler and the front bumper. Probably nicer than Startech's body kit. I've emailed VMaxx already but they haven't replied back to me yet. Yes, it'll probably be a good idea to join the 300M enthusiasts club. I probably do it this weekend. Please keep us posted on the price of the bodykit.

cbwongus · March 2002

You guys looking for body kits may want to check this out;

http://www.startech.de/homee.htm

go to programs tab, 300M

I'm seriously considering this kit, just got to free up some funds.

They sent me a PDF with pricing list. This is the contact info I got from them:

felix@brabus-usa.com

Felix Freudenberg

BRABUS NA

4040 Campus Drive

Newport Beach, CA 92660

(949)797-0177 ph

(949)797-9177 fx

kosh_2258 · March 2002

Thanks for the info. Not a word from DC and the car runs great. I would really hate to swap it for another ride.

Depending on who would do the swap, I would probably have elected to have the engine replaced, had I been notified.

Chrysler 300M

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