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Comments
The 5* service guy ordered a Body Control Module. After they worked on it, the door locks are locking as soon as you close the door. I hope that is a programmable feature. (under great duress, our hero is forced to read the owner's manual ;>))
I asked the SA if I will get a new BCM, or a refurbished unit. He admitted that they will program one with the information from my VIN, and that it will be a recycled unit. Geez, I hope that works out OK.
Silver
Mike
does it work?
I once had a local pricinct support sticker of some sort, the first day I had it on my car, I got a parking ticket :-)
Mike
After the dealer performed the "Headlight Welt" TSB I could swear (but can't prove) the gap or seam between the front of the hood and the front fascia is larger than normal.
The TSB requires the R&R of the fascia, but I can't see how it could be adjusted any tighter. I know practically zip about body work.
Here's a link to some pics I just took:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/tsokol5/seam_problem.htm
What do you guys think?????
Had a similar issue on my car after AC belt was replaced. the hood would not close. took it back to 5*, they were clueless. sent my car to their body shop. Turns out, when the 5* guys moved stuff around under the hood, the AC condenser was reinstalled in such way that it prevented the hood from closing all the way - per body shop guy.
you may have something similar going on. For sure have it checked out by a body shop.
On another note, am I the only one here that was sent a video with the Motor Trend Car of the Year review for the 99' 300M? I got it back in summer of 99' with a package that had a brochure in it. The first 3 segments are by Chrysler showing the 99' Concorde, the 300M, and then the LHS. Then, it goes to Motor Trend TV and their review of a dark green 300M on a racetrack and driving in town. Anyone else have it?
http://www.chrysler.com/inside/videos/index.html
Doors that lock by themselves? What famous car could that possibly be? ;-))) Blonda- sound like the same car that flashes the lights? ;-))
I do remember something about being able to program the door locks so that they would lock x number of seconds after you got out of the car. I think the 99 had it.
fastdriver
Turns out, he worked for Chrysler for over 20 years. He went on to say that he didn't want to say anything bad about Chrysler, but their Jeep has been the worst vehicle they've had (what 99' GC wasn't!?) with it having to go for service quite often and that he's always gotten terrible treatment at the Chrysler dealer. On the other hand, with his truck, he's never had a problem with the dealer and they always did excellent work. I hope we get the same if anything happens to turn up (nothing yet, knock on wood!)
And, there has been a few people noticing that the M was gone from where my mother works. One who works at another office and drives by daily, called her at work today to ask her about the new car and "why did you get rid of your Chrysler". She had a 95' Stratus and now has a new Intrepid. Telling her of the problems with both the car and the dealer, she was asked who the dealer was. As it turns out, this person is related to the owners and just kind of had an "Oh".
Oh well, just thought I'd share that with you guys. You must admit, I'm not badmouthing the M this time!
Thanks for the compaments. I agree it does look better. It would even be better with larger wheels, but ride quality come first, and at least the lowering spring with the stock suspension doesn't hurt it too much. After all most of the driving I do is city and freeway driving. If I lived closer to the mountians then it would be another story.
Most experts say to "layer" your alarms. After they take the time to defeat 3 they usually move on, they do not want to spend a lot of time trying to take a car. That is what I have done to my car I have some dummy switches and wires set up that are hooked up but are really inactive. the wires usually are hooked up to a switch, but not the one they can see, usless they want to take the time to trace each and every wire.
BTW, did you have a chance to look at my page with the unusually large (at least to me) gap between the hood and the front fascia? Having removed the fascia yourself, does this look like a problem with the fascia or the hood????
Finally, if you had my old site bookmarked you can still get to all of the pictures from there. You can also get other links such as all of the TSBs, a parts list, technical specification documents and other things. The URL is http://www.ritchiefamily.com/300m.htm
Ok...I'm now finally organized! lol
It came in handy when I went the the Carlsbad 300M Meet last March. Just input the address and bingo it takes you right there. Well you still have to do the driveing.
4
see for yourself: http://www.infiniti.com/discover/ModelHomepage/0,9279,22756,00.html
Other than that, the vehicle has been flawless. Just like my 98 Intrepid, and my '02 Special have been.
If the 99 JGC was as bad as some make it out to be then DC did an extraordinary job correcting all the problems by '00.
I'm beginning to think that there is this certain part of the country where contaminates have seeped into the ground water causing all the local inhabitants to be negative naysayers.
Click the 300M album. All the cars are mine except the 300M. I sold it
http://community.webshots.com/user/jasontalbot
Igor
1. Lease a new Altima 3.5 not American but I like this car, good rep for quality/ re-sale and this thing really hustles(Purchasing a well equiped one puts monthly payment too high, although I am not thrilled with the idea of leasing)
2. 300M 00 or 99 (considerations on M below)
3. New Intrepid...no leather, less ponies, but the new warranty and cash back...
4. Buick Regal new/ used? Not really thrilled with the looks but it seems to have a following...
5. Chevy Impala new / used? Is this thing a dog off the line or what, Edmunds seems to think the Malibu would be a better way to go, but looks alone would steer me towards the Impala (maybe black w/ spoiler)
So here's where I'm at on the M:
I went down to a dealer and drove a 99' M and liked it but here are my thoughts:
1. The M I drove had a misaligned drivers door. This caused a most annoying whistle at speeds over 30mph. Dealer willing to fix this but how long would the fix last? Does this say something about the car's overall quality? Chrysler seems to get pretty poor marks here, are they justified?
2.) The ride and drive of this car seem excellent: great snot off the line and a pleasure cruising the highway but...will it inspire me on the back way home?
3.) It seems you get a lot for the money with a pre-owned M, but what re-sale can I hope for in 4 more yrs?
4.) What warranties/ certification programs does Chrysler offer, what do they cover and are they worth it?
5.) I'm tall and it seems I'm looking out the blue sun tinting stuff at the top of the windshield. Are there any other tall M drivers out there and is this something you get used to? My Passat has an excellent greenhouse and I love the visibility.
The M is at the top of the list, the greenhouse alone on the Impala would be a big seller, but I like the oomph and looks of the M. Let me know your thoughts...
ps good board here
As for warranties - if it's not out of the orig 3/36 (I think you can purchase an extended up to 4/48k though) you can get one. Chryslerwarranty.com is a good start as it's a chrysler warranty, but usually cheaper than your local dealer.
As for resale - it's already dropped in price
I love mine and highly reccomend it. If price is an issue you may also want to check out a new/used concorde. The lxi version is pretty peppy (not quite up to the M though) and is very conmfortable. Not quite a 'sports' car, but is wonderful. I would still have it if it wasn't for engine/dealer problems. otoh - it got me into the M so I can't complain
1. Cupholders added to the rear (fold down the armrest)
2. Performance Handling Group had a running change to 17" wheels and Michilen Pilot tires.
3. Improved rubber bushings on rear suspension (read that in a car mag)
4. In-dash 4-CD Changer (i'm not sure if the Premium sound system was available in '99).
5. Upgraded vendor for PW regulators
All of these may not be of interest, and there may be others here on the board with additional items. Regarding driving on the twisties, the M can hold its own (I have the PHG and Pilots).
Silver
The M will inspire you to drive it hard, especially if the car has the Performance Handling Package (called the Performance Handling Group in 01). The Autostick lets you keep the car up in it's rocket ship range of 3,000+ RPM and is almost like driving a stick...but without the clutch! I love my car in the twisties, expecially using the autostick and listening to the roar of my dual exhaust. Oh..I forgot to tell you, you'll start having the urge to modify your car. Don't panic, we almost all get it for some reason.
Resale values are terrible in some places, fine in others. I can get almost what I paid for my M out here in San Diego for my '01. Others have taken an immediate 8k or 9k hit when they drove it off the lot. The low resale value is likely one reason you can get into the 99 so cheap. Don't expect to get a lot out of it after 4 years. By then it will be 7 or 8 years old and you'll have put a zillion miles on it.
Check with your dealer on warranty programs. The car is probably out of factory warranty and I'm not sure what DC offers on used cars. Another source to check is www.warrantydirect.com. Good company, good coverage and good prices. Finally, one of the things people have raved about with the M is the ability to handle tall drivers. I'm NOT one, so wait for someone who is to chime in.
Here's some M information (including specification sheets, TSBs and other stuff) and pictures of my car and modifications. Good luck in your search. http://www.ritchiefamily.com/300m.htm . Also check out the 300M club at http://www.300mclub.org
Mike
All the lights and locks nonsense should be fixed by the "new" body control module next week. Oh, well. We're going camping this weekend at Cooper Lake with friends. It's been rainy this spring, so the lake is full. Last visit it was down 12 feet. Have a good weekend everyone.
Silver
My father also had a brand new 66 289/manual -- cost a whopping $2,200 back then.
what's the reason the door is out of whack...i
would suspect a collision (sp?) and defintely have
somebody check it out. you can check the undercarriage and the door jam for overspray from
being repainted...jack g
Blonda - I wish I knew :-D
The first thing to do is order food from Taco Bell.
I had a 1978 VW Scirocco that was rear ended by an Impala going 45 mph when my car was only two weeks old. I didn't tend to blame VW for the quirks that were related to that accident.
FWIW - there are some who might dis the Grand Cherokee. Fine that's their perogative. My brothers neighbor had the transmission and engine replaced in his Blazer, but he wouldn't consider a Jeep because they "weren't reliable". Get along and find a rattle in the Asstek and moan about deteriorating GM quality.
I put the M in my local 5* yesterday. It has 52K miles now and it's still on the original brake pads, plus there were a few other thing that needed attention (tranny and diff fluid, noisy window regulator, etc). Nothing major. I got a call this morning from the service rep to tell me I still have 40% of my brake pads left! 52K miles and I've only used 60% of the original pads?
I also had to replace 2 of the Goodrich GForce KDW tires I put on last August (sounds like they wore out too quickly, but I put around 25K on the car since they were new). I guess that's not too bad for Z rated tires that provide the wet and dry weather grip these tires do. I put the new GForce tires on the front, since the fronts wear faster.
I would rather not have to leave home for my new job assignment, but I'm kinda looking forward to getting the M out on a long trip in a way. I guess the bright side is I won't have any honey-do's to do for a while and I'll get to spend a lot more time racing '67 F1 cars on my computer simulation (Grand Prix Legends) than I get to at home.
sdmike: the job at TRW in the San Diego area fell through, so I won't get to have duals installed by the shop that did yours. Maybe I can find a good shop in Petaluma or Santa Rosa if I have any time when I'm not working so I can look.
Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas
On the Pontiac, thanks. I've never really been a fan of the excessively cheap interiors with those nasty red gauges, but basically like the GP for it's looks. And, from what I've been reading, I'm not to impressed with certain GP issues, like rattling interiors with all that cheap plastic. Because you KNOW I'm not a fan of car's that rattle!! Ah, but who knows what I'll buy?!
GC- My main point was that from reading the GC board since it's new 99' intro, there have been many, many owners with excessive problems, several lemon buybacks, etc. And, it seems that they all had the same problems. Each year past, they have gotten better though, and I liked one when I had a chance to ride in a friend's 99' Laredo. Aztek? It is ugly in every sense of the word, but they have rather high quality, and I very much enjoyed sitting in them all at the Auto Show this year. And, you just have to know the color I like most in them--bright yellow!
Like it? Good deal? Buy it! That's my motto when it comes to cars. You buy what you like and what you can afford, simple as that. It's the way all our vehicle purchases have worked in the past and will continue to for some time. Plus, once you buy an M, you'll start getting an "itch" to mod it a little! Too bad it wasn't my car, for duals, K&N, tinted windows, new tires, etc. would have been done!
Good luck with whatever you buy!