Chrysler 300M

cal300 · April 2002

I know about that front end vibration and how to fix it! After years of owning British Cars I found out that NO tire is truly round. If you can find a tire shop with a truing machine have them true your tires. They shave off the High spots and leave your tire ROUND! The ride is very smooth afterwards and tire will actually last longer. I do this to all my cars and it always makes a big difference.

cal300 · April 2002

It seems that one of the most common mods is personalizing the clock face. How do you get the small 300M decals? or Chrysler Wings?

easyrider300m · April 2002

one of our Edmund posters and member of the 300M Enthusiasts Club, Scotian, has been very generous in his designing, producing , and mailing a custom clock face of your choice. Here is his website with detailed information.

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

illini4 · May 2002

I had a leather deterioration problem with the driver's seat cushion and backrest on my previous car, a '98 Intrepid. It was repaired under warranty. The dealer sent it to a trim shop, and they replaced only the damaged panels. Dealer said Chrysler would not pay for replacing the entire leather seat cover. I saw the bill from the trim shop, and I'm sure it exceeded Chrysler's cost for a complete replacement. Regardless, the repair was adequate.

josterholt · May 2002

Hi,

I have a 99 300M, and my dark tan steering wheel is turning really nasty looking from 45,000 miles of use. Has anyone found a really nice matching cover, or replacement, or way to restore it?

Thanks,

Jack

glennbp · May 2002

Many of us including myself have gone with Wheelskins. They come in many colors and even 2-tone combinations. Mine is the black-gray combo and goes great with my slate interior. They are very well made and hold up beautifully. You can check them out at various online places like:
http://www.wheelskins.com

videoman1 · May 2002

I checked out the site and like the two tone ones. How are these installed to make them fit so tight? Years ago I had a steering wheel cover and it was never tight enough.

glennbp · May 2002

The covers are a tight fit to begin with. You stretch it on the wheel and get it positioned properly. It is then laced on with an unbreakable and I do mean unbreakable black cord. It also comes with the lacing needle that you will need. It is a lot easier than it sounds as all the reinforced holes are already there and the instructions are very clear. I have pulled this cord as hard as I could and it simply will not break! If you take your time and lace the cover on tightly and properly, it will take you about 30 minutes. When you're done you'll have a steering wheel that looks as good or better than the factory one!

alta_300m · May 2002

Thanks wire and ottowrkr for checking into the feasibility of the installing the 300m Special wheel center caps on the 17" chromies. You guys are most efficient and it saved me a trip to the dealer to buy a 300m sample cap and then seeing if it fit only to return it!

Damn only a 1/4" difference too, oh well DC probably lost out on a lot of aftermarket sales on this one.

ducati52 · May 2002

>>16136 of 16558 ducati52, cd changer by grunschev Apr 22, 2002 (08:24 am)
I have the "factory" 12 disk changer in the trunk. I believe it is actually an Alpine unit rebadged. The wiring is definitely *not* preinstalled. My unit has 2 remote controls; 1 is wireless and about the size of a credit card. The other is at the end of a wire that runs along the center console.<<

Thanks for the info. Can you tell me where the display unit mounts in your 300?

It looks like the only way to fit a CD changer to a '99 300M is to use the factory CD changer (which is just an add-on FM changer) or an aftermarket FM changer. It's amazing to me that Chrysler would sell their top of the line automobile in '99 with a stereo (the upgraded unit, even!) not equipped with CD changer controls. (My wife's '96 Mitsubishi has one, for god's sake) Checking my '99 300M brochure shows indeed the only option is the "Dealer Installed" CD changer that is an FM changer. Aside the loss of sound quality, it also means tacking a display unit somewhere. Bummer.

So, who out there has a CD changer -- factory or aftermarket -- in their '99? Any info your could provide, especially brand, model #,and where you mounted the display unit, would be appreciated. Pics would be *greatly* appreciated.

TIA!!

drpixel · May 2002

Greetings from suny Noo Yawk! Just a reminder, tonight is chatroom night. While I was unavoidablly detained last week, I hope to see some of you tonight in our little corner of the web. I go tomorrow to see the doctor who will be operating on my bum left knee. It looks like I will be out for about a month. I am currently making arrangements to send the appropriate files to folks so that the membership package process continues in my hopefully brief absence.

This will most likely occur around the beginning of June, as I have two websites in the process of being constructed and want to get some of that work out of my hair. Thanks to the Workman's Compensation folks, they've delayed this surgery by almost TWO years due to one of their representatives 'forgetting' to send my legal counsel a key report from one of their doctors. Since my 'schweetie' has gotten to the point in her physical therapy where she can now drive herself, it is time for the doctor to 'heal hisself'. I estimate that I should be about about 4 weeks. I look forward to 'seeing' you tonight!

Doc

drpixel · May 2002

Greetings from suny Noo Yawk! Just a reminder, tonight is chatroom night. While I was unavoidablly detained last week, I hope to see some of you tonight in our little corner of the web. I go tomorrow to see the doctor who will be operating on my bum left knee. It looks like I will be out for about a month. I am currently making arrangements to send the appropriate files to folks so that the membership package process continues in my hopefully brief absence.

This will most likely occur around the beginning of June, as I have two websites in the process of being constructed and want to get some of that work out of my hair. Thanks to the Workman's Compensation folks, they've delayed this surgery by almost TWO years due to one of their representatives 'forgetting' to send my legal counsel a key report from one of their doctors. Since my 'schweetie' has gotten to the point in her physical therapy where she can now drive herself, it is time for the doctor to 'heal hisself'. I estimate that I should be about about 4 weeks. I look forward to 'seeing' you tonight!

Doc

silverbullet4 · May 2002

Dr, best wishes to you and your wife for successful surgery and rehab. I thought about you last night while viewing a PBS special on the WTC buildings' collapses. Pretty chilling to watch, even after a year.

Silver

drpixel · May 2002

Many thanks for your good wishes. Fortunately, I missed the PBS special. It took me 4 hours to get home that day, and when I arrived home I was covered in soot, ash, you name it. I watched the nightmare on the TV for the following two weeks I finally returned to work to yet another nightmare. As the weather got warmer, the stench became very apparent and got worse deepnding on which way the wind was blowing.
To this day, I don't sleep well at night, have recurring nightmares, and ANY loud noise runs shivers up and down my spine. Oh, well...there was nothing on the tV like being here-2 blocks from Ground Zero....

Regards,
Doc

fuzzywuzzy · May 2002

I heard of that too, however it's not recommend on low profile tires, because too much gets cut off, or so the guy doing it said. I saw them do it, & they took alot of the tire off.

andy300m · May 2002

my Dad works in the financial district and he also told me it was unbearable to go outside for a smoke because of all the stuff in the air. They live in Staten Island and could feel all the crap in the air. Thank God, my family was not affected, although my sister used to know one guy that did not make it out. Tragically, his memorial service was held in the same church and on the same day of his scheduled marriage ceremony.

get well soon!

josterholt · May 2002

Hi,

I am trying to find the magic formula that will make the yellow haze/discoloration leave my headlights. I guess the Florida sun plays hell with the plastic covers. Anyway, has anyone faced this problem, and successfully fixed it? What did you use to take the discoloration away?

Thanks,

Jack

rstilp · May 2002

What are you having done? A month sounds like a new knee. Go for the titanium. Plus, tell them to use screws rather than glue. Good luck
Rick/geezer300M

clpurnell · May 2002

Thanks guys for the insight on the seats. Taking it in on monday. I have a question though, I am looking for a stablemate to the M. Looking for somthing slightly more spirited and a little more compact for the wifey or I to drive. Looking at the G35 or TLS or v6/W8 Passat. Since we all have similar tastes in cars (I love my M) thought it would be a good question for this crowd.
TIA

glennbp · May 2002

Of the 3 you mentioned, the G35 hands down IMO! How about a Sebring convertible?

clpurnell · May 2002

Even though I'm soon moving waaay south No convertibles. Still has to be able to haul around two little ones in a pinch. Only drop top my wife would go for is a sc430 and that is slightly out of my price range right now

The G is #1 and now that I won't have to worry about snow and only ice once a year maybe RWD is a definite plus. I have driven the G and love it. Haven't driven the TLS (have driven base) or the W8 yet. keep it coming also suggest any other alternatives

grunschev · May 2002

I never mounted the display unit. I just keep both remotes in the little cubby hole above the ash tray. The only time I use the cordless remote is to hit "play" once a week or so after changing discs. I just plain didn't like any convenient location. The display unit is pretty much "squared off" and doesn't fit nicely on any of the curved surfaces on the dash.

I'm probably not as picky as some, but I don't notice any degradation in sound. I'm not unhappy with the FM converter, I'm just unhappy with the remotes.

Oh, and the Chrysler CD changer is a bit strange in random/shuffle mode. It tends to play one track from each CD before it plays a second track from any CD. This means if you have, say, a CD with 20 tracks and 11 CDs with 10 tracks each, the last 10 tracks you'll hear will come from the CD with 20 tracks.

Igor

toms99 · May 2002

The Wheelskins product is great!

Don't confuse this product with those perforated things that have been around Wal-Mart and Pep Boys for years. This is real leather. The wheel feels a lot better than the original "leather" wheel. I wasn't sure about the "2-tone", but after seeing the "half-wood" wheel on the 2001's I thought, hey, I would try for that effect. Well, it's not exactly the same, but for $50 it was well worth it! Here's my link:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/tsokol5/wheelskin.htm

I used a procedure called a "baseball" stitch. If anyone wants instructions on how to do this stitch (I think it looks more professional) give me a shout and I'll send it out or post it.

toms99 · May 2002

Thanks for the tips on the speakers! I have the upgraded Infinity stereo and I added a 12-disk changer and the Infinity Basslink. I'm generally happy with the system, but was curious about the Blauplunkt speakers. I checked Crutchfield's site and they are indeed going for $50. But the power handling seems to be 50 watts. I'm not sure how much of the "320 watts" in the upgraded amp gets to the front speakers...Are you sure these speakers can handle it? I noticed other replacements on Crutchfield's site. If I'm going to take apart the doors anyway I don't mind spending a few more bucks, but If you recommend the $50 Blauplunks, that's the way I'll go!

toms99 · May 2002

I think I installed the Pioneer 12 Disk changer the weekend after I got my 99 ! I mounted the cahnger in the trunk underneath the rear deck (in the pass. side corner.) Since I have an LHS I have more trunk space than you guys anyway <g>!)

If you look closely at the second pic here:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/tsokol5/wheelskin.htm

You'll see I have the display unit mounted in the cubby hole above the ashtray, and I put the tiny remote on the center console to the left of the shifter with velcro.

Oh...one more thing: The "FM Modulation" units have increased *dramatically* in quality in recent years. They are WAY better than the first generation units. I can not tell the difference between a CD in the head unit and a CD in the changer!

josterholt · May 2002

Tom,
It really looks good...thanks for the pictures..i would love to know how you did that baseball stitch...
thanks in advance.

Jack

andy300m · May 2002

i remember seeing somewhere an trunk-mounted mp3 player. it is not a cd-changer thing, but it has an internal laptop-type shock-resistant hard drive (15gb or something like that). it has a PC-docking part (fits CD-ROM/floppy slots in your PC) and trunk docking part. allows you to transfer ALL of your music to the mp3 player from the pc - it sees it as just another hard drive. I am thinking of putting the thing in my M using the FM modulator since I have a spare 30 gb laptop drive :-). Of course, for evaluation purposes only. I cant remember what the device is called, I will post a link here when I find it. It was going for about $500 last time I checked.

toms99 · May 2002

1. First, Get rid of the "Chads": Wheelskins covers come pre-punched with all the holes needed to sew them up nice and tight. Sometimes though, a few of the leather plugs (or "chads") remain in the hold. I recommend you take the supplied needle and just poke it through EVERY hole in the cover on both seams to drive out any remaining plugs. Then run your fingers across the seam all the way around to make sure they are pulled loose and none are stuck inside the cover on the bare leather surface. If any of these plugs get under your Wheelskin during installation, you will see a bump that may bother you every time you get in the car. This bump will also wear its surface off before the rest of the cover. If you get part-way through an installation and notice a bump, then take the time right then to un-stitch the cover till you can pick out the offending particle and go ahead with your stitching.

2. Use a baseball stitch: The instructions with the Wheelskins show a typical loop stitch. If you want your wheel to look more like factory, use a baseball stitch. While there may be enough waxed thread to do this, if you decide to do a baseball stitch, let the folks at Wheelskins know when you order and they will include an extra needle/thread kit at no charge.
How do you do the stitch? I will do my best to describe it, but also look over a baseball or my link above to get an idea.
First, you have to have two needles. I took two thread kits. I threaded one end through each seam meeting in the middle at the bottom of the wheel like in the Wheelskins directions. I tied the two threads together and then had one thread going out each seam. Use holes that are directly across from each other. Then you cross the threads over and go under the seam and back out the other side. You will want to always cross the threads the same way (front one under or over) each time, or reverse them every time (front thread under one time, over the next) remain consistent!
Like with the loop stitch, you want to pull tight EVERY stitch then go on. You will see the V shape of the baseball stitch starting to form, and get the idea. If it doesn't work at first, start over.
When you come to a spoke, the baseball stitch has two advantages over the loop. First you have a thread on each side of the spoke and you can loop the thread on both sides. Second, with the baseball stitch, you can pull the seam tighter and closer to the spokes than with the look stitch. Take care to choose which pair of holes to end with....if you don't like what you see, do it over. (by doing it over, I mean un-stitch the last few pairs of stitches and go again, not start with all new thread. The waxed thread can take a lot of abuse. If you use two sets of thread, you almost have twice as much as you need so you can cut off some and start over if you have too). When you get to the other side of the spoke, pick up the next logical pair that you can close almost all the way and keep going. When you get to the bottom again, take the last stitch and then run the ends out the seam, tie a knot, cut off the excess and tuck the knot in the seam, as shown in the loop stitch instructions.
The hardest thing about the baseball stitch is keeping all that thread untangled, because it is so long, especially at the beginning. Take your time, and go slow.

Any questions, e-mail me:
tsokol5@comcast.net

wire2 · May 2002

>If I'm going to take apart the doors anyway...

I'm not sure if you're aware, you don't have to remove the inner door panel to access the speakers. Just pry the mesh grille out with a taped up flat screwdriver. The retaining tabs point outwards.
At the plant they use what looks like a sharpened white plastic tongue depressor.

easyrider300m · May 2002

baseball stitch--sounds almost like tying a pair of shoes--once you get the hang of it, it's easy----and it sure do look perty!

speaking of baseball--Red Sox won AGAIN---15 to 3--go Martinez--go Sox

This is OUR year ya know. The curse of the Bambino is going to finally end!

Isn't it?

Easyrider300M

sdmike2 · May 2002

How many years in a row have you said that now? lol

sdmike2 · May 2002

...someone over at ezboard better fix the chat or we're not gonna be able to meet.

toms99 · May 2002

Well, I'm from Noo Jerzee, and since we don't have a team of our own, we are equally divided between the Mets and the Yanks. I'm a Yankee fan myself...Never count them out...King George has deep pockets!

BTW, as a former mechanic, I'm going to add a page to my web site regarding my experiences working at 2 dealerships. Might lend some insight about what goes on...

For instance, Friday was always payday. We'd look for the best car on the lot brought in for service and at lunch-time and we'd all pile in to take it for a post-service test drive! We'd cash our checks and then go out for a "Baseball" lunch. Ya know what kinda lunch that is? "8-0"
Get it? (Ate Nothing!) !

glennbp · May 2002

First, that "320 watt" Infinity factory system is peak power. That means with all channels maxed out and just before clipping. The RMS or steady output for all frequencies is less than half that. The 50 watts that the Blaupunkts will handle is way more than the Infinity factory amp will ever be able to put out. You are in far more danger of blowing a speaker by an amp that is clipping than by overpowering it with a strong amp delivering a clean signal. So not to worry!

BTW - It shouldn't take but a few minutes to replace a speaker. Just remove the grills carefully and there it is! If you need to, you can drill a couple of new holes. I also recommend putting a bead of Lexel (an elastic sealant) around the perimeter of the new speaker. It seals any air leaks isolating the front and back of the speaker and also helps absorb any stray vibration that may occur. Makes a world of difference! Lexel is sold in most hardware stores. Oh, and make sure you connect the new speaker with the correct polarity.

sdmike2 · May 2002

We don't have polarity here in San Diego. It's too warm.

Hey glenn..listen to that BMG CD yet?

andy300m · May 2002

found the link. here it is http://www.carplayer.com/ssi/cpm25/hddunit.shtml

this might be my next mod

sdmike2 · May 2002

now that is cool

99_300m_ric_va · May 2002

Andy,

Kenwood and other brands make in dash CD players that play MP3s stored on a CD too if you're thinking of a whole or partial system upgrade.

http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=20&productLineId=1

99_300m_ric_va · May 2002

I saw the new new Caddy CTS up close yesterday in the parking lot where I work. I have only one word to describe it. Fugly. LOL What was GM thinking?

bigmike5 · May 2002

Haven't seen it up close yet, but will when I take the wife's Eldo in for its next service. If you test drive one they were giving a free oil change coupon for the next change. People either love the design or hate it. I am neutral on it, at least til I see it up close. The problem I see is that it doesn't have a Northstar power plant and seems like it is another under-powered Catera. I am patiently waiting to see which comes first that I can afford--a one year old XLT [debuts next year] or the Hemi C [debut unknown-Dieter are you reading this?]. I'm trying to get my GM MC up to the vaunted $3K level, so I am ready to cash in when an exec XLT becomes available, if ever.

ajpiii · May 2002

You can also get a 6 disk changer from Alpine that plays Mp3's on CD... I just put one in a couple of weeks ago and love it... the model number is CHA-634

turtle8081 · May 2002

I purchased my 01 Non-PHG M used from the Marshalling center in MI with 20k miles.

I spoke with the prior owner who claimed to have performed all regular maintenance.

I just rotated the tires in accordance with the owners manual recommended method (fronts to rears, left rear to right front and right rear to left front). Now my M pulls to the left and vibrates during breaking.

I don’t think its an alignment problem since there was on pulling prior to the rotation.

I know about warped rotors on non-PHG Ms so I figure that I need to have my rotors sanded level and maintain 100 lbs torque on all my lugs, but why the pulling? Could my tires need to be “trued”?

Any thoughts?

ducati52 · May 2002

Thanks for the info and the pics, toms99. Question on the Pioneer unit -- we have a similar unit in my wife's car, and the lighting on the display unit is so poor it's almost unreadable. I've seen those same sentiments in some other evaluations on the Pioneers. What's your opinion? They all look good in the carefully under-lit stereo store, of course. ;-)

>>#16575 of 16592 ducati52 - CD Changer by toms99 May 01, 2002 (04:16 pm)

I think I installed the Pioneer 12 Disk changer the weekend after I got my 99 ! I mounted the cahnger in the trunk underneath the rear deck (in the pass. side corner.) Since I have an LHS I have more trunk space than you guys anyway <g>!)

If you look closely at the second pic here:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/tsokol5/wheelskin.htm

You'll see I have the display unit mounted in the cubby hole above the ashtray, and I put the tiny remote on the center console to the left of the shifter with velcro.<<

jona57 · May 2002

turtle-

If the problems you describe were not present prior to the tire rotation, it is logical to assume that something changed with the rotation. It is possible they overtorqued a lug nut or 2 which may distort a brake disc- I would try re-torquing the lug nuts first before resurfacing your discs. Regarding the vibration, I would check the tires for pressure (underinflation causes more rolling resistance) & a missing wheel weight. I've had these knocked off during a rotation & had the shop rebalance that tire (they'll usu. do it free if they feel they lost the wheel weight). I would also check the tires for any obvious sidewall bulges or abnormal treadwear. Relatively minor tire problems which cause no problems in the rear may be quite noticible when that tire is moved to the front (esp. on a front-drive car). I am not sure I would invest in truing tires with 20K+ miles unless there was alot of good tread left.

Re- CTS: I like my 300M interior with the lux pkg MUCH better- classier and larger. Hard to compare the exterior styling as it is an entirely different theme (very angular vs. the smooth lines of the 300). I prefer the 300M, but I can see the appeal of the CTS. I have not driven one , so I cannot comment on its road manners.

Jon

glennbp · May 2002

Pardon my ignorance here, but exactly what is the XLT?

sdmike2 · May 2002

Unless it's something totally new, I think it's a ford explorer.

glennbp · May 2002

Last night I installed a pair of these bulbs. They are touted as being the closest thing to HID bulbs for your foglites. (or as they are called here in So Cal, marine layer lights!) Anyway, I have to agree. They are a brilliant white with no hint of yellow or "rainbowing". For $20.00 the pair, they are well worth it. You can find them on eBay, just do a search for "Nokya H3". Changing them out, however, was a semi-nightmare as the screws that hold the light assemblies to the fascia were stripped. Since the lens bulges outward, there was no way to get any sort of screwdriver up there, so I resorted to taking all 4 screws out with a needle-nosed vise grip. Took about 45 minutes for what should have been a 10 minute deal. Oh well, the end result was worth it.

silver300 · May 2002

Hi all,

It looks like I'm going to h ave to sell my 300M and I was wondering what you guys thought might be a good and fair price. It's a 2001 with 3900 miles - loaded PHP/PHG late model.. Chromes the works. looks as near to mint as you can get both inside and out.

Thanks in Advance
Pete

andy300m · May 2002

had same thing on my 2001. bought it with 20,500.
one of my tires was out of round/separated. took me 3 visits to 5* and 2 visits to Michelin tire dealer to have it resolved.
To repro this, ask the mechanic to get the car up on the lift, have another guy put it in Drive and spin the front wheels. observe how your tires behave. in my case, the right one was ok, the left one was jumping up and down. they both balanced fine. 5* also did alignment for me and it did not help.
when you go to the tire shop, insist that they replace the tire. balancing will wont help you. have them put the front tires on the back and see if you still have the pulling problem. if it goes away, you have a bad tire.
be prepared to the tire shop guys telling you your tire is fine. just ask for replacement under Michelin warranty once you find out which tire it is.
I *think* that the warped rotors have nothing to do with pulling.

silver300 · May 2002

Hi all,

It looks like I'm going to h ave to sell my 300M and I was wondering what you guys thought might be a good and fair price. It's a 2001 with 3900 miles - loaded PHP/PHG late model.. Chromes the works. looks as near to mint as you can get both inside and out.

Thanks in Advance
Pete

Chrysler 300M

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