Chrysler 300M

bigmike5 · June 2003

I have no comment one way or the other on ArmorAll. I just used it in the past on non-leather areas. I didn't like the shine it caused necessarily, but felt like if it delayed the degredation/destruction of the vinyl/plastic I would use it. I ran out of AA [used it one time unsuccessfully trying to rehab a vinyl top that my son did not care for properly while living in the brutal Houston sun for a couple of years] and now have a similar product that I got from AutoTrim Design when I had the striping put on the M last year. I have to treat the striping twice a year with that stuff, so I have also used it on the dash, etc. However, the dash mat covers the area of reflection so I can put up with it. Hopefully the stuff will prolong the life of the dash and striping involved. But who knows?

ruski · June 2003

friends don't let friends use ArmorAll. That's all I have to say.

bigmike5 · June 2003

Ruski--I can say definitively that their tire shine stuff is the worst I have ever tried. I got a bottle a couple of weeks ago when my Eagle 1 stuff was running out, and I have found that it streaks when applied, doesn't shine all that well, or for very long, even when it doesn't rain. I had to use a small sponge to get it to spread evenly. The sponge turned dead black!! Unfortunately, I have a about a quart of this stuff to use up. I guess I will use it on the wife's Eldo and get some more Eagle 1 for my M. I thought all these products were about the same [having tried several] but AA was a dog. I also had some Maguires that I got as a handout sample at the Cruise two years ago, and it came out of the little squeeze package like a pasty gel. Uggh..., I figured it had gone bad and just threw it away without putting it on the tires. Don't know if it was supposed to come that way, but I wasn't gonna experiment.

chevydude2 · June 2003

Can anyone tell me how (if possible) to re-program the door locks on my 300M so ALL the doors unlock when I shut it off (now its just the drivers door). Thanks

russklass · June 2003

Mike, you threw away the best tire dressing on the market!
Meguires "Endurance" IS a gel, and comes in 2 flavors, HI GLOSS & LOW LUSTRE.
I prefer the low lustre, as it makes the tires look a more natural satin black.
Yhis product really lasts. thru rain & washings.
It comes with or without foam applicator.
If you can't find it locally you can order directly from Meguires, I do.

dustinnewton · June 2003

I personally use Zaino products on the dash and the door panels for the UV blocking properties. You can wipe the surfaces down the next day and still get the UV benefit while reducing the glare tremendously. The same works for ArmorAll.

Tire dressing-My opinion for the best tire dressing on the market is Stoner's "More shine less time" product. It has just surpassed Zaino as the best in my opinion. It's available at AutoZone for a reasonable price and it works perfectly. Stoner also makes a product called "Invisible glass" that cleans the glass so well, you hardly know it's there! I was skeptical at first but am now a believer! Simply spray it on and you're done. Beats everything I have ever tried (and I have tried a LOT of products!) for tires in my 20 years of driving!

General car care-Zaino is still the best by far. Never wax or clean your car with something you can buy at Wal-Mart!

bigmike5 · June 2003

Russ- Yeah, I figured I threw away something good after I dun it. But I only had 2 of those little hand-out squeeze packet anyway and it would have probably not been enough to go around. I will try the Stoners as we have an Autozone nearby.

rstilp · June 2003

I too prefer the Mequire's Tire gel. In fact, I use all their products. The car wash is great as are their waxes. The hotline is very helpful when needing advice on applications. Plus I can buy it anywhere. Have not tried Zaino Or Mother's products due to scarcity in my area.
Rick/Geezer300M

muskateer3 · June 2003

By shut it off, are you talking about pressing the unlock button on the remote, or turning off the ignition?

If it's the remote, you press once to unlock the driver's door, and press again to unlock all doors.

M3

chevydude2 · June 2003

M3... What I need to do is to program the locks to unlock ALL the doors when you shut the car off... The remote thing doesn't bother me with just unlocking the drivers door, then unlocking the rest of the doors, I just want it to unlock all of them when I shut the car off... Thanks

Brad

wire2 · June 2003

> The sponge turned dead black!!
Tires are made with lots of carbon black for aesthetic reasons. Without it they'd be a natural tan color. Some of the carbon black will come off on to an applicator when using a degreasing, detergent or solvent base dressing.

ruski · June 2003

Zaino is the best

I have used Meguire's Tire Gel (Endurance I think it is called) and it is very good.

I have also been a fan of Stoner's Invisible Glass, since before the time when you could get it at stores - it used to be available only via a mail order.

ruski · June 2003

there used to be a time, a few years ago, when 300M was full of Zaino-holics. Where did everyone go?

fastdriver · June 2003

ruski-

There was a time when there was hordes of 300M owners here too!! The hordes have left THIS topic for reasons we can't talk about, but the Zaninoholics are in the ZAINO topic! NOT the one that says NO ZAINO POSTS- the other one!

fastdriver

muskateer3 · June 2003

Sorry, I can't help you on that one.

But you may want to rethink that idea if you (or your wife) are driving into an area of questionable safety/security alone.

My guess would be that DC thought the same way when they designed the system.

M3

intrepidspirit · June 2003

Not only was this board full of Zaino-holics, it was also full of 300M-holics! Our board was always listed as the hottest topic in terms of the number of posts. Even now, the 300M board has the highest cumulative number of posts on the sedans listing...

For the record, I am still a Zaino-holic and a 300M-holic with 3 M's (soon to be 2 with my lease turn in ~ July 4)...

I have often been a lurker, but less often a poster...

dustinnewton · June 2003

I ahve about 15 bottles of their products at home right now!

fuzzywuzzy · June 2003

That's all I use. Check out their website recently? You can now order online.

lonestarsled · June 2003

I never buy anything that hides behind the mail order system, if they do not take a credit card or I cannot return it they do not get my cash. 3M has excellent products.

intrepidspirit · June 2003

That must be really new (ordering online). I just ordered about 6-7 weeks ago and I didn't see anything about online ordering...maybe I just missed it. I probably won't need to make another order for another year or so...

Have you tried the new additive to the polish that precludes the need for the Z-1 precleaner and allows you to apply several coats of polish in a short period of time? I bought some and was surprised that all you got for $19.95 was a very small vial of additive (mine was already half empty). I can't say I noticed a difference in the car appearance, but at least I didn't have to use the Z-1 on my new M, so I saved some time and effort...

pjyoung · June 2003

If I'm reading you correctly, you want all the doors to unlock when the engine is shut off. Even though you might think that the drivers door is "unlocking" when you shut down, it's still locked, but it will unlock as soon as you pull on the door handle to get out of the car (it's still locked to those on the outside.) But none of the doors unlock when you shut the engine off. Both front doors will unlock and open when the door handle is pulled to exit the car. Chrysler's have always been this way.

fastdriver · June 2003

lonestarsled-

You don't know what you're missing!! Besides, you can now order on line via credit card!

I've been a Zainoholic since the summer of 1998. It has been applied to both cars that I have owned since then- Christine, the "award winning" 1999 Chrysler 300M and my current 2001 Acura CL-S. The shine can be seen in pics I've taken over the years by clicking on my name above.

I guess there are other products that you THINK are just as good or shine just as well or last as long as what you're using now, but it "ain't" so.

Enough about Z before I get yelled at. Go to the Zaino topic in TH to learn/read more.

fastdriver

oreoke · June 2003

Wow, good to see all you old-time M'ers are still on! Although I was shopping seriously for an M back in '99 - '00 I never did buy a new car. I bought a Harley and got married and bought a HOUSE--but no new car. Since you're still here and posting I'll take that as a sign that the 300M (and N, I imagine) are still performing well for you?

Oreoke

toms99 · June 2003

Well, it's been a long time since I last checked this board! Howdy, friends!

My 99 just turned 52K and I have a couple of minor problems that I do not see (specifically) on the all-data TSB site, and I though I'd check in here with the experts before I headed to the dealer:

1) center speaker (the one up by the alarm led) is crackling like crazy (even at low volume levels). There is a TSB about "buzzing speakers" in general, but I have replaced all but that front center speaker. How the heck do I even get to it to replace it?

2) there is a 2 inch long vertical crack in the dash right above the glove box. This is the pass side airbag area. I'm assuming the crack is due to sun exposure and or just age (car is 5 years old.) I noticed a TSB on the driver's side trim, but did not see any for the pass side. Is this common? Is there a vinyl repair kit that is decent?

3) The heater/ac fan/blower makes a "fluttering" noise when it is first turned on. The noise goes away after about 10-15 minutes. I'm wondering if the fan/blower motor is on it's way out??

4)There is a "squeeky" noise when I turn the steering wheel. Does not appear to be suspension related...more like it is coming from the steering column itself. Clockspring, maybe??

Thanks for any and all help you guys can provide!

doc107 · June 2003

I have a 2003 Special and have an annoying and loud wind-related whistling between 40-50 mph. My dealer cannot seem to find it. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

toms99 · June 2003

where/how did you relocate the hvac vents??

ajpiii · June 2003

They made a piece to block them off... So the air from them just comes out the side and rear a little more...

scottjohnson · June 2003

Got a roadtrip coming up in a week so needed to replace the worn Goodyear Eagles on my 2000 300M. Only 26k miles, but I haven't been able to rotate them for the last 13k due to pulling problems and the front shoulders were getting bald.

I went with Toyo Proxes TPT 225/55-VR17s. They're all season and come with a 65k mile treadlife warranty and full road hazard, rotating, etc from our local Les Schwab chain. The tread pattern is similar to the Michelin Pilot Sport AS. Not cheap at $760 for the set so I hope this isn't a bonehead move. I could have gone to Costco and gotten the Michelins for about $60 more but that's a half-hour drive away. Around here, you're never far from a Les Schwab.

Haven't driven much on them yet, but they are quieter than the Eagles. They also don't want to spin when accelerating from a stop into a turn like the old tires had started to do.

silverbullet4 · June 2003

Their products rock! Been using them for two years on my bright silver 2k. I have a local distributor to keep me supplied.

Bill

intrepidspirit · June 2003

I posted 2 or 3 weeks ago on this.

My 2000 and my wife's 2003 both had slits (very clean, like a knife cut) in the passenger side dash. The 2000 dash pad was replaced under warranty. They tried to repair the 2001 pad, but it was not acceptable and got uglier by the week. They have since agreed to replace it and it is on order.

Here's the really bad news -- they told me it cost $1,200 to relace the pad. Apparently it's a full day's labor as they had to disassemble down to the fire wall.

Out of warranty, I guess I would try to mend it, but I wouldn't expect much as the "professional" mending job actually made it worse as the the dash pad buckled upward over a few weeks.

Sorry I don't have better news for you!

blonda · June 2003

I was getting my 99 M serviced and test drove a 2002 Special just for kicks. It's probably not the same issue you are experincing, but it had an annoying whistle as well at moderate speeds. The salesman and I determined it was coming from the air conditioning unit. Went away when we turned it off. Needless to say, even if I was serious about buying a Special, I wouldn't have bought that one (even with the 6K discount they were offering)

blonda · June 2003

My 99 has 61K and only similar issue I have had is the center dash speaker; however it only crackles with certain types/levels of sound. With my CD collection around 600 CD's I can think of maybe 4-5 songs in particular that will make it crackle. I have heard it's very easy to change out by removing the plastic covering on the side pillars and pulling up the plastic piece it sits under. I think it's a really small speaker. When it gets bad enough I'll change it out for something better.

laurasdada · June 2003

My local 3* fixed my driver seatback yesterday (that had broken due to the screwdriver that they had left wedged in the seat after the bolt recall service!). Took about 3 hours, had a nice lunch and then watched the Red Sox battle the White Sox (Red won...eventually) in their lounge.

Even though I reminded the SA as to why I had to come back, nothing was offered or given to apologize for my time and suffering (a wash, vaccuum or free oil change???). Not a big deal, really, as due to the continued reliability of my '99 M, I do not have to visit the dealer very often. Were it not for the safety recall, I wouldn't have been there in the first place. Nice folks, anyway.

Saw a Crossfire there, looks very cool. Very small (especially inside!), though. Washed, waxed (not Zaino...) my Platinum Bullet this weekend. Lookin' good. Now if the sun would ever decide to shine here in the Boston area...!

toms99 · June 2003

Mine is exactly the same ... a 1 to 1.5 inch slit...perfectly vertical...just like an exacto blade made it! Since it is out of warranty, I may take a shot at a DIY repair. This slit is so perfect (no jagged edges) that when I pinch the vinyl the crack dissappears. The comment about the exato knife actually gave me an idea: I may mix up small amount of glue; then take a small piece of vinyl trim from some obscure or hidden place and scrape off some small fragments for color and mix with the glue...then use an exacto to insert a tiny amount of glue *inside* the slit and then pinch the sides together. That's the plan...I'll let you know how it works out!

ajpiii · June 2003

Guys...

Dont pay full price to have it fixed... My dealer called Chrysler and they admited they had a problem with this and installed a brand new dash for $200... My car was not under waranty.

(Same Exacto Looking like slit, right along the seem to the passengers airbag)

300michael · June 2003

Yes, there are still a lot of Zanio users here. Although I do not use their tire products. Of course I do not use any tire products. I like mine flat black, just have the chrome wheels shine.

300michael · June 2003

I have not had any of the problems you mentioned. The only problem is the leather steering wheel which is showing signs of wear. at the 9 oclock section.

300michael · June 2003

Thinking about it I am wondering if the door locks can be wired to the Ignition so that the doors would all unlock whan you first start the car, ( the 16 mph feature would lock all the doors) and as you take out the key the last power section (ingition) would again trip all the doors to unlock. Something to think about.

toms99 · June 2003

thanks for the advice on the center speaker. i'm glad I won't have to take the whole dash out! But the location is so far up and near the windshield that replacing the speaker will probably be awkward, but worthwhile.

Do you have any idea what size the center dash speaker is? When I enter my car info on crutchfield.com only the door and rear deck speakers show up....

bluesky999 · June 2003

My, how can people get so revved about a car polish? As for me, I prefer zymol cleaner wax. It's easier to use (just put it on once and take it off; no pre-treatments); no way I'm going to polish a car twice if I can get a great result doing it once. Zymol has a superior shine judging by the survey in Consumer Reports and my own experience. Included in its ingredients are carnauba wax, beeswax, vitamin E, aloe vera, banana-coconut extracts, almond meal, etc. It's all natural and derived from nature; what more could you want??? 8>) I'm sure zaino does a great job too, but it's the work I'd object to. I'd rather be driving my 'M or playing golf than applying multiple finising treatments. Now I'm sure I'll get flamed by the zainoholics, which I guess I deserve.

silverbullet4 · June 2003

I understand where you are coming from, but the Z-1 pre-treatment is only done about every 6 months to a year, depending on exposure to elements. You just do a single Z-2 coat whenever you feel like it. Zaino shine sure outlasts most other products. If you have good luck with Zymol, that's great. I haven't tried it. My first wax job on the car was Maguiar's, but I switched after doing some research on the web. Did the survey you referenced include Zaino?

Regards, Bill

ruski · June 2003

that blue Zymol in the bottle is not a good thing at all. It is actually produced by Turtle Wax. And I believe it contains abrasives - great way to get swirlmarks.

The really good Zymol is not sold at stores and is really expensive because it is custom-formulated for each car. I am talking hunderds of dollars.

Why do you think Zaino is a lot of work? Maybe, when you apply it for the first time. And it is not really *work*, you just have to wait a while for it to dry really well. Go play golf while you wait. Then when it is dry, it is very easy to wipe off, unlike something like Zymol that you have to buff off.

Also Zaino will help you in the long run because it lasts longer than other products and keeps the dirt off really well.

fastdriver · June 2003

bluesky999-

No flames because we Zainoholics know that YOU don't know what you're missing. Glad you're happy with what you're using. Keep on shining! ;-))

fastdriver

PS Any pics of that car?

easyrider300m · June 2003

I hear some good things about that product for sealing the finish. I think it's somewhat like Zaino as it is a polymer finish as opposed to a wax and is supposed to last a long time. It's not cheap--I think a pint is like $15 but you get several treatments in a can and it's readily available at Pepboys and probably Autozone.

pster · June 2003

I've tried them all. NuFinish 2000 is just as good and less than $10. They are all basically copies of NuFinish. Yes, the same one you used to see on TV. It's been around for 15-20 years and it works fine.

fastdriver · June 2003

pster-

OH NO!!! No wonder you had so much trouble with YOUR Christine!! You gave her a KIA shine! ;-)))) She deserved a Cadillac shine to say the least!

fastdriver

ruski · June 2003

the only good thing about NuFinish is that it lasts a long time. Otherwise it is crap.

easyrider300m · June 2003

you could make your own Zymol. Just mix up some suntan lotion and some off brand pure carnuba wax.

bigmike5 · June 2003

I used Nu-Finish on the wife's former 96 Aurora in Loden Green color one winter day in the garage, and it nearly ruined the hood paint. My Ziebart guy had to buff the hood twice with some special stuff he had to get it back to acceptable. The clear coat had gotten a milky finish to it. I blamed myself for maybe doing it in a garage with 40 degrees, but man I never used it again. I tossed the bottle. Since then, I use nothing except the spray on wax cycle at the no-touch car wash. Only use that cycle about every three months. Couldn't use the Zaino because of the racing stripes on the car, not good for the striping material Sal said. So I just wash it twice a week and hit the wax cycle every so often. Platinum still looks great at 5 years.

I renew my comment on the Armor All wet wheel stuff. Used it again yesterday. Horrible. Streaks like the dickens. I'm relagating it to the wife's wheels til I can justify chucking it. Going to try the Stoner stuff if I can find it. If not Eagle 1.

russklass · June 2003

Mike, try the Meguires "Endurance"!
It comes in satin or hi-gloss, goes on easily, and outlasts anything I have used before.

Chrysler 300M

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