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Hope it was you who had one...
http://custommopar.homestead.com/files/Blue-Night2.jpg
So it won't show up too well in the daytime, but will look good at night.
-BlueBaron
I understand your mod. You've reworked it so that both the low and hi lamps are on at low power with the lights off. But when the lights are on the DRL is disabled. Either the LO's are on or all four at full tilt if you flip on the HI. The only situation I can think of where the lights would work as you describe is with the lights off and you use the flash to pass which kicks on the HI's leaving the LO's in DRL mode (I guess).
I dunno, the whole notion of messing with the vehicle lighting except to replace bulbs with LED's or upgraded DOT compliant stuff makes me nervous. The potential for liability if the mod is cited as contributing to an accident puts me off. I wouldn't want to be on a personal injury or insurance company lawyer's radar screen.
The reason cars like BMW and Benz do the DRL stuff like they do is that HID's are either on or off. You can't run them at low power so they use auxiliary lamps to do the DRL function especially if the have quad HID's.
that the only way I will have four head lights
at full power is when the lows and highs are on
you are right when just the lows are on it looks
like auxiliary lighting. its really no big deal:)
look at post# 20228 there is a link that explains
everything
If I understand correctly, they have modified the DRL module so that the lights operate as follows:
1. When lights are switched to "off": the DRL lights (high beam lights lit at low power) are on (just as is the case with the unmodified DRL module);
2. When lights are switched to "on" and low beams: the regular headlights are on AND the DRL lights remain on (unlike with the unmodified DRL module, where the DRL lights go off when the headlights come on); and
3. When lights are switched to "on" and high beams: the regular lights are on and the high beams are on at full power (just as is the case if you have no DRL module or if you have the unmodified DRL module).
by not giving us the option for DRL'S or side markers but if you look in you owners manual it
talks about this module. and when they ship the
M's over seas they have DRL'S and side markers
Already. this module is oem part that plugs right in to your fuse box. this is the same module that
they put in when the cars go over seas. so you can
have just DRL'S. but dg300 figured out how to keep
the DRL'S on all the time.so you can have just DRL's if you want. or have the look of benz,bmw
auxiliary lights.
By the way, my A/C is still working great - I never took it back in to be tested after the dye was added. Keeping my fingers crossed but I am convinced there either was no leak, it is so small as to be a long term problem, or the dye somehow plugged it. 46,000 miles and car is running fine. Still love it.
Thanks,
Phil
The side markers are required in Europe so that's why the provision is there for those and the European bound cars have a manual headlamp leveling feature not offered here. But they can't get automatic headlamps there and we can here. They also have high intensity red rear "fog lamps" in Europe too. The only car I've seen here with them so far is the Aurora.
I'd be one of the first to vote for a world wide uniform standard for vehicle lighting but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
Personally I dislike DRL's so the fact my car doesn't have them is fine with me. I would probably have disconnected them if the car had come with them.
Your should have recieved a mounting (backing)plate for it. I cut a slit in the headliner and slid the plate between the roof liner and the top. I got a electrial fish to "fish" the vidio, and power cables to the rear (I chose the rear because my Vidio junction is under the rear seats) (you can do the connections under the dash and just use the front piller)piller panel. You will have to make sure on yours that the screws you use do not protrude past the plate or they will ruin your sun shade. Too you have to check for the clearance of the Power and Vidio cables, in reguards to the sun shade.If possible I would use flat screw heads and have the threds protrude into the cabin and use nuts to secure the screen (reverse what is normally done). I made a template of the mounting bracket to mark the holes for the attaching screws. My ceiling has droped a little .25" on mine so I will glue the headliner to the roof.(I should have done this the first time. I do prefer the larger roof screen to the smaller head rest screens to to they offer a bigger picture for the rear passengers. I will try to post pictures (later tomorrow.
It was really a pleasure to meet all those who could make it to Detroit and to lead the parade of Ms up Woodward Avenue. [We lost track of everyone on the way back down Woodward when a porta-potty on a side street caught my wife's eye and demanded immediate attention!] We got to get a lot more folks there next year. Great to meet the Prez and wife, and the guys from the plant- Jeff, Mario, Cosmo and of course Jeff's dad, Ray. A swell bunch of guys. The plant tour blew my socks off. Can't believe how intricate and yet well controlled it all was. Wow. Even my wife liked it. The drive home was uneventful, and I averaged about 26 mpg running at about 65-70. My "300M Speedway" sign now resides on the wall next to my parking space in the garage, with the "Dream Cruise-2002" and "Woodward Avenue" signs on the center wall. I have to add a "Eldorado Alley" sign for the wife's side of the garage next.
DRL's if you don't likem in the first place
Scratches Head HMMMMMM )
I get a lot of looks from other M's too wondering
How I have DRL'S on my M. and it looks good with
low beams (eaglite bulbs) and fogs at the same time too. and my billet grill
Well, yes you can. I've experimented and it operates just fine down to 7.5 volts, (at reduced output of course)
I test drove a Mercedes CLK with only dual headlights and it had HID's as a $1500 (Canadian) option. I'm 95% certain that it used the DLR module on the HID's judging by the color.
BTW, I've come across 2 used razorstars w/ center caps for $100 Canadian ($66 US) each if someone needs 1 or 2 spares. Is that a deal??? Email me.
Anyways for another battery recommendation, I put in a Interstate Megatron MT-34 at the three year mark. I did it as preventative maintenance, since many Chrysler OEM batteries have quit on me over the years at the worst time for no good reason.
No problem there as long as you remember that a deep cycle has thicker plates and separators, so you get less ampere-hours (storage capacity) from it than a similar sized normal battery.
>A regular battery doesn't hold up as well being completely drained each time.
That's been my experience. Killing a regular battery several times in succession seems to greatly diminish the total life expectancy.
http://www.optimabattery.com
You confirmed that I had it correct.
I commented further because I got the impression you thought I didn't understand the DRL or auxiliary lighting situation on LH cars, which I do. And I added my $.02 regarding my personal opinion about DRL's in general.
That pretty well sums it up.
Wire2:
Yeah, I see your point. Same is true of a regular bulb - either on or off it's just a matter of how "on" they are. It's just that with HID's you have to maintain a minimum voltage to keep the arc going where a filament bulb is pretty infinite. I've passed a BMW or two with HID's on in the daytime but never checked to see if the taillights were on too. I just recall they were bright enough to appear to be full on.
Ike
We also enjoyed meeting all of you . What a weekend we had. Take care and let us know how the repairs on the M go
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1855503419
So maybe that isn't an advantage depending on the state.
1)Has anyone had any hands on experience with the driveability of the Special as compared to an '01? My Special seems to have more engine vibration at idle than the '01 did. It only has 134 miles on it, so it may smooth out. Just wondering if any other Special owners have an opinion.
2)The transmission shifts seem to be much more noticeable under normal driving. Also, if the transmission kicks down to 2nd on the freeway (which it does very easily), it does not shift back up for a few seconds after the gas pedal is released. It would be great on a racetrack going into a turn. Is this normal for the Special? I know the Special claims to have different transmission control logic.
3)The stereo sounds poor. I drove a co-worker's 1999 yeterday and it sounds a million times better, as did my 2001. I've already corrected the out of phase wiring on the front door speakers. The 2002 stereo does not seem to have as much "presence" as the earlier ones. Have the speakers changed? I know a lot of people have claimed the amp is much worse, but I have trouble believing it's the amp. I'm thinking speakers. I got ahold of a shop manual and they don't show a reference for the solid green and solid black wires that are soldered to the sail panel front door (tweeter) speakers. How does one know if they're in or out of phase? The manual does not acknowledge the existence of this small harness on the speakers themselves. I tried swapping the one out of the 1999 and it seems like it has better highs. Suggestions?
Thanks one and all.
Good luck,
Silver
I swear- I haven't been near your car! ;-)))))
fastdriver
mrl859 - you can find the tsb here http://pub88.ezboard.com/f300menthusiastsclubfrm8.showMessage?topicID=132.topic and there is more useful info here http://pub88.ezboard.com/f300menthusiastsclubfrm11.showMessage?topicID=30.topic you can check to see if the wires are crossed - also there seems to be a recall on some of the headunits. Good luck!
Engine: Mine was "tight" when I got it and seemed a bit rough at idle. As it got broken in it smoothed out and runs fine now.
Tranny: Yeah, the shifting is more aggressive than the standard one. It holds the gears longer when you step on it. But with only 134mi on it it's still learning your driving habits, and the stiff engine doesn't help. Give it about 1000 miles to get settled in. You'll start noticing improvement around 500 miles or so.
Stereo: Yeah it lacks presence to be sure. I've totally upgraded the speakers and it helped some but the music still has no authority behind it. Glennbp is right that the amp is the culprit. I'm pulling together my plan to replace that amp very soon with a good aftermarket one.
My prediction is that when the LX cars arrive on the scene the premium audio will be by Bose. Reason? The LX electricals will be shared with the MB E Class. MB's sound systems are now almost exclusively by Bose and Bose totally integrates their systems right down to the vehicle wire harness. If the LX is sharing the harness with the E Class there isn't much room there for anything else. That's likely the reason that the Infinity branding is being phased out.
Splatt, I suspected there were probably others but I don't see many Volvo's around here. Oddly the Aurora has a pair. I've followed them on occasion when the fogs were on. They are an extremely intense red and can actually get a bit painful if you follow too close. But they definitely made the car show up in the haze.
BTW - I gave my stock speakers to 300michael. By now, he has probably hooked up a public address system under the hood! LOL!!!
Did they say all 4 were worn? Unless your rotors were seriously scored which I doubt at 23K, I smell a snow job. And its too early to snow yet. I have caught so many mechanics trying to squeeze some extra bucks out of me for work not needed that I trust none of them . But most didnt succeed and some lost my business. Learn all you can about your car and you can prevent a snow job. I bet if they knew what you did for a living you would get treated a little more honestly.
I have 39k on my original pads . I have another few thousand miles still remaining on them. My other cars usually needed brakes at about 22k. I use the autostik on occasion to slow down a little quicker but dont abuse it by jamming into 1st too early. That may explain the extra life I am getting. My rotors however show signs of warping. I may go with the raybestos rotors but will stick to factory pads.
otto- It's a shame you have to keep getting shut down, but Chrysler is clearly to blame. Rarely do you ever see this situation with other auto plants, with the exception of dirt poor Isuzu who just announced the same plan "to reduce overstocked dealer inventory". You'd never hear of something like that happening at a Honda/Acura plant, or even the stupid Chevy Impala plant, as they're working constantly just to keep up with demand. These are also the cars that happen to be advertised, hmm, what a shock!
I'd venture to say that from now until the day the last LH-car is built, things are going to be increasingly slow, as you can't keep selling the same un-changed designs for such a long period without promotion when there's such strong competition beating the doors down. They must really be trying to make the new LX-cars quite a step up from the LH, with pushing the intro dates back so far. But, the problem is, a lot of people are left idle in the meantime when they just can't figure out why designs that are on their 5th or 6th year are growing less and less popular.