Chrysler 300M

fuzzywuzzy · February 2001

The torx screws are on the black plastic piece. Look at it, & you will find them.

fuzzywuzzy · February 2001

"The PHG does have a speed limiter"
Unless the 2001 is different, I have topped out my 2000 300M with the PHG at 152mph. Yes 152mph. I do not advise anyone to drive at those speeds. I only did it on a dead stretch of HW, in the early hours of the morning, & slowed down right after doing it. The 300M feels VERY stable. Will I do it again? NO! I value my life

How do I know I was going 152? I had a co-worker pace me with his Viper.

redsmithy · February 2001

Hey guys, it's been a while. Had some wx damage I've been attending to. Still have my phone line strung across the lawn, but at least I have one that works now.
Welcome to all the new faces & M owners. I for one have had little problem with my M. When I first picked it up, it vibrated a bit. Took it to a Discount Tire with a GSP 9700 balancing system. Have had no problems since. The weatherstripping on the "hole" was squeeky for a day or two when I first bought it, then went away on it's own. Dunno.
My only complaint would be the transmission - could be a lot smoother. Have an appointment to take her in on Monday for her 15,000 mile check-up - think I'll have the tranny power flushed like many of our comrades here.

2000 Dark Garnet Red / Light Perl, Hole, Big Boombox, PHG, 17" Painted wheels, and a donut.

dustinnewton · February 2001

Russ-Two things:A tip: Don't get into a p&*%ing contest with folks in the Bible Belt about values. I may not be old, but I can guarantee you that my values are proper and rock solid. For an INTELLIGENT post regarding the death of Earnhardt and it's importance, read Denver's post carefully. Are you prejudiced against anyone not from America? You say "the death of a sitting U.S. President...". Is the life of a U.S. President any more important than a foreign president's life? Not in my book. I like to think of everyone as equal regardless or race, color, etc., but I guess not everyone thinks the same way.
Denver-VERY well put. I appreciate your intelligent post and grasp of the situation, as well as your respect for those of us who choose to grieve over the death of a true American legend, regardless of whether everyone liked him or even knew him.
Race-Alabama was 25% 2 years ago. Insurance is now mandatory and you can't renew your license without it. They also randomly pull names to verify insurance coverage. We'll never be 100% of course, but we're not far away. Don't be worried driving in Alabama with all of our lousy drivers. If anyone here creams your M, you're covered!! ;-)
Sugar-Thank you.
All-I apologize for my rants with Russ. I never intended to waste your time and bandwith with an argument. I will say no more about the subject. Thanks for your understanding

sdmike2 · February 2001

I bet your buddy in the viper was a little surprise.

Thanks for the info. Maybe DC found out that you did that in your '00 and put the high speed limiter back on the '01.

sleepymw · February 2001

hey, fuzzy... wasn't it you that had a car named "christine?" if not.. who was it that had the car from h*ll?... and i don't mean Hellmary.. mine... i meant the one that was a true lemon and drove worse than it tastes?

beach15 · February 2001

I have very loud creaking sounds coming from the dash on the inside and near the windshield. Where exactly are these bolts, how do I get to them, and what do they look like. Maybe this might help some of the creaking?

Anyway, I had my car in the dealer a third time to fix the rattling instrument panel. They once again told me that they just tightened up any loose bolts they could see but found nothing else wrong. Just as before, once I left the dash started rattling and creaking just as loud as before. The rattles from the instrument cluster are constant. It sounds like something is loose inside right behind the gauges. It seems so simple but no one can find the source.

Well, I'll just have to turn the radio up. I've decided to give it until the spring and if it still makes the same annoying noises, well, I don't know what I'll do. I'm not sure if it could be classified as a lemon yet but the lemon law attorney did call and left a message that he wanted to speak to me soon--I don't think I'll call him back--at least not yet?

I've been reading consumer reviews from MSN's Carpoint for the 300M. Both the 99's and 00's received some ones or twos out of overall scores (they're out of ten). Many owners seem very dissatisfied like me and some have even gone or plan to go to court--even over annoying noises. Surprisingly, I read the 2001 reviews and there was not a single bad one. Are the 2001's really improved? I don't know but for now I'll just have to live with my crapper.

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1172860&a=9559248

ruski · February 2001

I have had some light rattling while going over rough pavement (continuously rough, not just a bump or two). It seems to come from the area of central air vents or the clock. Actually sounds like the bits inside the clock are bouncing around.

pjyoung · February 2001

Haven't seen him since the "change" in town hall. If that's the only reason he's not here anymore - I would venture to guess he was exaggerating some of the problems with his car (with little things being unacceptable).

Beach - every car's gonna have 1's and 2's - even Mercedes. If the car averages a 5 rating - that means that for every person who rated it 1, someone else rated it a 10. Mines a 10.

titanman1 · February 2001

The first five days of M ownership have been great. The car drives like a dream and looks even better. I live in Central Florida and don't see too many of theM on the road in Melbourne. Mine seems to stand out.

To sdmike - I would highly recommend the upgraded stereo. The 11 speakers and bigger amp put out some serious sound. The luxury package is also worth the $, the real wood trim looks much nicer than the fake and the other goodies are nice as well.

One question - I checked out another 01 M at a different dealer before buying mine. It had a chrome insert on the shift knob. However, the M I purchased does not have the chrome insert. I thought I read that this small detail was a new addition on the 01 M. Anyone know?

denverm · February 2001

Yeah, the chrome trimmed shift knob is supposed to come on the '01's. DC trumpets it at http://www.chrysler.com/300m/int/feature6.html

Some like it, some don't. Rogor2k put one on his '00 M. If you want it, tell your dealer - they should be able to put one on.

easyrider300m · February 2001

Just dropped by to say hello to fellow M'ers.

Fuzzy: Doing 150 must be a cheap thrill. I would think the M would drive just fine. Just dont think its a great idea as you never know when you might come across a tire carcass, a dead animal or other debris on the road. And no passenger car tire can take 150 for very long--the tires might self-destruct. Why anyone needs to travel at anywhere near the limits of either M is beyond me--unless you live near the autobaun! Just be glad you didnt get pulled over for drag racing, speeding, driving to endanger, attempted suicide, lunacy, etc. Would have been an expensive ticket. How fast has your friend had his Viper up to? And how many tickets has he collected. But I guess if he can afford a Viper, tickets are just an inconvenience, not much of an expense.

sdmike: I would listen to both stereo systems to make a decision. I haven't listened to the base system but I believe it has over 200 watts and 9 speakers so I bet it sounds just fine. I consider the upgrade system just acceptable, not great. The clarity of the highs could be a little better and some here have installed subwoofers to boost the bass although I find the bass to be acceptable in the base rig. The changer is nice if you see yourself using it , other wise the 1 cd system is fine. I bet the sound from the 2 systems are pretty close.

Drpixel: Glad to see you back participating again. We were all starting to miss ya, bud. You're one of the veterans here and we all appreciate the webmaster duties you have performed. I can understand your lack of enthusiasm with all the stressfull stuff going on in your life.

Race: Hope you'll join the new 300M club as you were one of the founders. It should be fun once we begin arranging regional and national meets. We can all get in our M's and parade through the center of small towns much like Harley owners do. You, Rogor, and 300 Michael can lead the pack with your purring dual exhausts. Tandy can ride side saddle with ya.

Well, bye for now. Lets get the posting back up to where it was last year!

Easyrider300M

indydriver · February 2001

...just dropped in, to see what condition my condition was in. 58,000 miles and still lovin' Mville.

TO HOST: I dropped out of this board because when you switched software, it now takes 1 min, 55 sec (I timed it) EVERY time I attempt to switch screens i.e., "scroll up twenty posts" or "read subscriptions" or "check messages". I have cable modem so all other sites are fast. Can you help resolve this problem, or is it this slow for everyone?

pat · February 2001

Actually, I find this site quite a bit faster than the old one. I'm only on a 56k modem and it takes just a few seconds for me to do the things you are saying take so long. That's very odd.

Perhaps there is something wrong temporarily with either your ISP or in the path you are using to get here.

If the problem continues, why don't you report this in the New Software! Your Questions Answered... discussion over on our News & Views board.

I hope the problem is temporary - welcome back!

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

jgoodson · February 2001

I thought I would share with all a problem I've had with my 1999 300M. I noticed a clicking noise on cold starts that would last about 60 seconds and go away. You can't hear it inside the car, you have to be outside. I took the car in for servicing and to have the clicking noise checked out. When I went to pick the car up, the service manager told me they couldn't hear the clicking noise. I had him go outside with me and listen when I cranked the car, upon which he immediately heard the clicking, apoligized, and offered me a loaner while they worked on it.

The problem turned out to be in the air conditioner. The clutch and coil were replaced. I thought others may want to check for this and possibly save themselves some air conditioner problems later on after the warranty expires. By the way, I had a very satisfying first experience with this particular five star dealer.

massivslinky · February 2001

If your service center were serious about fixing the problem, they should have total removed and re-installed the dash. Obviously they don't want to get inside and fix this. Are there any other Chrysler service centers in you area?
Keep making noise. Some people may think your a whiner and tell you to shut up, but my brother in law fought thought he arbitration process until the dealer finally bought back his lemon neon.
This is a good car. Mine has had zero problems to speak of (2000 with 20,000+ miles), but to think that there won't be some bad ones made is unreasonable.

L8_Apex · February 2001

My cable modem loads the pages in two to five seconds. The DS3 at work is even faster unless it's clogged with other activity. Have you tried a tracert to see how you're getting to the site?

Thanks,

L8_Apex
Host
Sedans Message Board

hayneldan · February 2001

I dont know if this will apply to all board users, but I have finally figured out how to access all the topics I read on the new board quickly. After reading the last message click on the blue "Mark" oval. It will bring up the message center and mark that one as last one read. Be sure to delete your old last message read (lower number). You can store all the boards you read in this manner, I read about five, and quickly get right back to the last one you read by clicking on message center in the upper left corner of the first town hall screen you encounter. Forget about sedans and sorting thru all the topics you ar not interested in reading. Try it!

beach15 · February 2001

When I start the car for the first time each day I hear a really loud clicking that rises and then falls over 2-3 seconds. It sounds almost like a rubbing fan blade that is hitting something loose. Who knows? With my mysterious car anything is possible.

massivslinky- Thanks for the support. I don't know what's wrong with the dealer's here in Delaware (I think they're just stupid). If I was still in Pennsylvania, the problems would have probably already been resolved and I would have been treated better. I'm just not so sure about the whole Lemon process and dealing with lawyers and courts.

Does anyone happen to know if the 2001 models are any better than the 99's and 00's on the quality aspect. From consumer reports that I have read, the 2001 models are rated much higher with greater satisfaction than the first two model years are. If I do replace this car I don't really think it would be too smart to try another 300M despite hearing positive things.

fuzzywuzzy- I still have no idea where the screws/bolts are to fix the creaking dash. Inside/outside? Where?

300michael · February 2001

the 2001 models (andy vehicle) are usually rated higher then the ones one or two years older. The 2001 300M's are nicer than the 99's, and a little nicer than the 00's. They have more features.
I have had no problems with my 99 at all.

rklass · February 2001

Ditto 300michael's experience. I put 69,000 trouble-free miles on my '99, and would still think it was my best car ever, had I not got the '01 two months ago. The '01 is improved in many ways, and has several new features I really like. I find it hard to believe the problems a few posters have had with their cars. My experience over 63,000 miles in two 300Ms has been nothing but positive.

denverm · February 2001

OK, since Tandee is out of town (and I think she invited someone to guest emcee), here goes. Fill in the blanks:

R_________ M____________: "Rich ______________ ___________________"

wencao · February 2001

I drove slowly at 60mile/hr, with borla exhaust, my 300M did 33mile/gal on average! Good for the car and engine.

racefan9 · February 2001

i'd like to buy a vowel!!!

R_____M________: "rich get richer"

wencao · February 2001

I drove slowly at 60mile/hr, with borla exhaust, my 300M did 33mile/gal on average! Good for the car and engine.

denverm · February 2001

OK, Race, I take it you want to buy an "i" or an "e" (I'll leave it to Tandee to rule whether that purchase and your incorrect guess cost you the point you won in a previous round!). I've also now indicated the number of missing letters by underscores. The asterisks below are just to separate words; it doesn't work on this board to hit the space bar more than once:

A phrase often said by Ri_ _ _ _ _ * M_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _:
"Rich * _ _ _ i _ _ _ i _ _ * _ e _ _ _ e _"

titanman1 · February 2001

Yesterday while driving my daughter to the mall a stupid F*&^%$g woman pulled out from a stop sign and caused me to run right into her. Luckily no one was hurt (the important thing) but my new 2001M sustained major damage to the right front end, hood, front grill area, lights, etc. and was towed off.

The woman was charged with a stop sign violation and luckily has insurance.

Question to the board: what am I in for from the insurance company? I know the car will never be the same. Do I have any recourse on forcing them to get me a new car (had less than 250 miles on it).

Needless to say, I am bumming out badly.

Any advice, recommendations, etc. would be most appreciated.

Thanks...

denverm · February 2001

OUCH! What a horrible experience, to have your brand new car wrecked! You can check with an attorney in your state, but I doubt that you have any legal right to force them to buy you a new car if they say this one can be fixed. You might have a decent legal argument that your brand new car was worth $30,000, and that even if repaired in a first class manner, its value now would only be $25,000 (who wants to buy a wrecked car?), and they should pay you the $5,000 difference in addition to repairing it. Check with your dealer to see if they could substantiate such a loss in value even if repaired. Maybe you or an attorney could rattle a saber sufficiently that the insurance company would decide it would just be easier or cheaper to buy the car from you and fix it and sell it themselves.

I think insurance companies will "total" a car if the cost of repair is more than 70 or 80% of the value of the car (then they sell the totalled car for salvage and probably come out ahead of paying the repair cost). So unless it would cost upwards of $22,000 or so to repair your car, my guess is they will say their only obligation is to repair it. If your airbags went off and there is significant frame or engine damage, maybe there's a chance at a "total." If they don't agree it's a total and if you can't pressure them into buying the car, probably the best you can do is try to make sure that it's a first class job by a first class shop.

The last time I hassled with an insurance company was over a 7-year-old car that they said was totalled and worth $3,600. I got some documentation together, pressed them, started talking about taking it to arbitration, and ended up getting $6,200. They will give some if pressed, but not without limit. Good luck!

sugar300m · February 2001

titanman1, sorry all I can do is offer condolences & wish you luck with the insurance co. I was just reading how much you liked your M & now this! Sounds like you kept your cool & didn't lash out at that poor blind woman; can't imagine how I would react but as you said, at least no one was hurt. Keep your head up!

300michael · February 2001

Just find the best shop to do the work, and go with denverm's advice.

easyrider300m · February 2001

One important point. Make sure they use all brand new parts. Get it in writing on the estimate sheet that they will not use any non-OEM parts. Make sure they don't use any Korean or other manufacturers parts. These parts are inferior in fit and material compared to OEM. Try to get the body shop to include a guarantee in writing for at least a year or two.

You should be entitled to a rental car of equal level to the M. Her insurance company should cover this.

Try to make them repaint the entire car so you'll be sure the paint is uniform in color. If the insurance company wont go for that , tell the body shop you will give them the work only if they paint the entire car.

Also make sure to get a copy of the police report for your records and be sure she is noted as being the at-fault driver.

I've had a few major accidents in my time and the repairs were barely detectable to the average eye. I think as long as the frame is not bent, you will be surprised how nice it can be repaired as long as you use a reputable shop.

The important thing is no one was hurt.
Good luck
Easyrider300M

71vette · February 2001

I just picked up my new 2001 300M last week and it is everything and more than I had hoped. Yery nice car at a great price($26928 plus tax: this includes rebate). I want to thank this board for all the input into my decision to buy this car over several others I was considering. FYI: the car is silver with dark slate gray interior, only option is side air bags. Steering wheel radio controls are nice. Also, car came with Michelin MXV4 P225/55R17 95H tires. This was a pleasant surprise. Thanks again.

rklass · February 2001

Dave, I feel your pain! I think I would at least TRY for a new car. Repairs will take at least a month, you could get a new car in a couple of days, and the Ins Co would save some $ on a rental.

I think you could make a good case, since the car is brand new. Let the Ins Co. fix it and sell it at the reduced value of a damaged/repaired car.

What have you got to lose?

New 300M owner: Welcome, John, and congratulations!
Hope you will be a regular visitor and contributor here.

titanman1 · February 2001

Thanks to all for the advice. I am still waiting to hear from the insurance company and to further complicate matters, I am heading to the West Coast tomorrow on business.

I am definitely going to push for a complete replacement, but am not holding my breath. I guess I need to wait and see what the appraiser says.

I will also push for all new OEM parts if it goes the repair route and for complete repaint. I hope they can get that Inferno Red pearlcoat, because it sure looked nice.

My 13 year old daughter is pretty shook up from the whole ordeal and, unfortunately, blames herself since I was taking her to the mall. I think she is just reacting to me being so bummed out.

Does any one have any idea how long the whole process should take? Sounds like at least a month.

Thanks again for all the advice and "condolences".

Hope to be back in my M soon...

Titanman

laurasdada · February 2001

Just thought I'd check in, as I ocasionally do. Today, my '99 Platinum 300M turned 20,000 miles old. It achieved this during a short jaunt (about 165 miles round trip, 67% highway, avg ~53mph, 25.7mpg) through some nasty weather (snow, sleet, rain) to the Mohegan Sun Casino in CT. The M felt rock solid in the nasty weather. Of course, my average speed was a little lower due to the conditions and the avg. mpg seemed a couple of mpg lower than usual.
Other than the two window motor replacements, not much to report regarding this excellent auto, reliability-wise. I continue to enjoy every aspect of this great looking ride!
BTW: ROI at casino: 25%. Of course, If I knew when to walk away from the Blackjack table, I would have doubled my money! I'm sure the mortgage company will understand....

Fastdriver, Bushpilot: Are you out there? Do you know where the others are?

Enjoy your rides, whatever they may be, folks.

racefan9 · February 2001

i give, no one else has given it a shot, what could it be? where did you dig that quote up from???

tandee · February 2001

Thanks, D, for filling in... although it seems like no one wants to play (except r and sometimes f)

Anyway, I know the answer... nayner nayner nayner... It's easy! Da Plane, Da Plane!

racefan9 · February 2001

what do you mean da plane da plane, this is chrysler trivia right???

racefan9 · February 2001

ok i faintly remember fantasy island, i'll give it one last shot...

Ricardo Montalban: "Rich In Love"

easyrider300m · February 2001

first part is Ricardo Montalban--second part is tough--its not da plane since your answer has an "i" in it--

I will split the prize with whoever gets the rest

What is the prize--a donut from Tandee?--so I get half a donut!--but I would prefer a full size spare!

racefan9 · February 2001

dumb me, i forgot i bought a vowel so it's not rich in love...hmmmm well i beat Easy to the name so he can't have half.

racefan9 · February 2001

ding ding ding!!! we have a winner!!!

Ricardo Montalban: "Rich Corinthian Leather"

he was the pitchman for the chrysler cordobas rich corinthian leather...so it was chrysler trivia after all

))

netcruzr · February 2001

I see that some of you have tried to reduce road noise in 300M by adding sound absorbing material. Where was it placed? where can you buy it? was it dificult to install. I have '99 300M with PHP. Am not sure whether majoity of noise is coming from road?wind? or PHP tires? Thanks for your responses.

300michael · February 2001

I added elastormeric materal to the floor and trunk and doors. I used expansion foam for all the cavities near the suspension. and spray sound deadener for the center (exterior) hump. The process took me 4 days (2 for the foam), I took out the seats, carpet, and door panels. It is a lot of work. My 99 M is just a litter quieter than the new 01's, and mine has a dual exhaust that is a little louder than the standard exhaust.
The only drawback is that after awhile the car seems to be as noisy as it was in the first place, although my sound meter tells me other wise. So every once in a while I have to drive a 99 M to notice the differance. I would love to do what I did to a 01, it would probably sound like a morque at night.
The roofing supply carry the elastromeric material or you can use Dynomat, B-quiet, or many of the other sound mats on the market. Building supply places carry the foam. Pep Boys carries the spray sound deadener.
Most of the noise is comming from the front wheel well- fire wall area. When you open your car door, you will see some foam in there. this and the plastic wheel well liner is the only thing keeping the noise out (it doesn't do a great job at this) for some more info go to 300mclub.org and check out my website on the sites section, under 300Michael

fuzzywuzzy · February 2001

OK, from the outside, Look at the black plastic piece at the bottom of the winshield where the wipers are. You will see some small black torx screws holding it down. Tighten those.

fuzzywuzzy · February 2001

Sorry man! I know the feeling. Do get DC replacment parts, As long as there was no frame damanage. It should drive fine.

fuzzywuzzy · February 2001

Yes I know 152 is not safe. That's why I havn't done it since, & will never do it again. I know it was stupid, but I was overcome with the exciement of my first new $30K:) My co-worker said he had the viper up to 180 on a track, but I didn't see it. He doesn't have any tickets.

fuzzywuzzy · February 2001

I painted my capilers this weekend. It was really easy. They look good. I painted them black. They don't stick out as much as say red, but they still look good. However, they do not have a smouth look. The 300M calipers have this rough bubble material on them. It comes out in the paint. In order to get them to be smooth, they have to be sanded down to bare metal. Race you will see what I mean.

fuzzywuzzy · February 2001

That wasn't me. My 300M has been great.

denverm · February 2001

I grew up in a Chevy family. For years my biggest impression of Chrysler products, or at least their advertisements, was Ricardo trilling "Rich Corinthian Leather." I thought it would be easily guessed - I'll leave the trivia to Tandee from here on!

Chrysler 300M

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