Chrysler Town and Country EX/LX/LXi/Limited

dave210 · June 2001

It might be noted that next year Chrysler will be offering a DVD Entertainment system integrated into the CD Player, which I guess would be a CD/DVD Player. Anyway, this will free up the video player console up front. Upgrades will be available for anyone with a 2001 VCR entertainment system that wants one. Also, a couple new colors will be available along with a tire presser sensor, and optional adjustable front pedals.

cgaydos · June 2001

dave210 -- thanks for the info. Any idea when this will be available? Presumably this would be a dealer-installed option, so wouldn't necessarily have to be synchronized with the model year changeover.

dwgutwir · June 2001

You don't mention what dealer is local to you. We just bought an '01 T&C LXi from Jerry at Fullerton in Somerville. He's a little gruff in manner (don't take that as a negative), but very friendly and helpful. He spent a good two hours with is showing us and LXi and a Ltd so my wife could understand the differences between the spilt/fold seat and the slide/fold bench.

We got great price on the van with a little haggling.

As for the VCP we couldn't be happier with it. I think my son is still trying to figure out how we got a TV in the car. The current unit does have jacks on the back that could be used to plug a portable DVD player into the system if you wanted. I haven't heard anything about the previously mentioned integrated DVD player. If the current system can be upgraded I'll be first in line.

As for the removability, I've heard some say that the VCR console can be moved regardless of where its installed (we were told as much be the dealer, but we all know what their info is like sometimes). I'll have to try it tonight and see. I'll post the result tomorrow.

sbullock · June 2001

My service engine light came on a few days ago (37,400 miles). Right away I noticed that I was unable to shift out of low gear, and the speedometer died. My van is at the service department now, though I haven't heard from them regarding a diagnosis. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Also, since I've owned the van for almost two years, I have noticed a loud noise when turning the steering wheel at low speeds (backing out of the garage or a parking space, for example). In addition, the driver's side mirror seems to have a mind of its own. It never stays where I put it. It's been replaced once.

shepherd5 · June 2001

80% Hwy, 20% City -- I usually get around 20 mpg
80% City, 20% Hwy -- I usually get 17-18 mpg

david872 · June 2001

I stated that I averaged 16.7 mpg in an earlier post. I would estimate that my van is used 85% city, 15% interstate.

dwgutwir · June 2001

Well, I tried removing the Mopar VCP floor console from out '01 T&C LXi. I'm happy to report that it is very easy to remove and reinstall. Once I found the release handle (a ring in the bottom center of the phone compartment) it took all of 5 seconds to pull it out.

Reinstallation took about as long.

dave210 · June 2001

I'm assuming it will be available to buy or upgrade from a 2001 VCP starting in August or September when the 2002's come out. Here is a link for more info on the 2002 Chrysler's.

http://www.car-truck.com/chryed/buzz/buzznews.htm

It talks about the DVD system about half way down the page.

cgaydos · June 2001

The VCP console is removable. And it can be put in either the front or second row. But it will only function as a VCP in one of the slots (you choose which one). This is because the connection from the LCD screen to the VCP is wired through the jacks that connect the console to one of the console slots.

I'm sure it is possible for an installer to splice wires and connect the LCD to both console slots, thereby allowing the VCP to function in both slots. But that is not how the product is designed, nor how the product is described in Mopar literature. This would have to be a special request with the installer.

dwgutwir · June 2001

Its nice to know that '01 owners can have the DVD system added to their vans. I wonder if that includes adding the second row jack panel for headphones and game systems. I'll be interested to see if the upgrade costs more to install in an '01 van vs. the '02s.

As for removing the VCP, I wasn't so much concerned about wanting to swap it with the second row as I was about taking it out all together and having the regular console upfront for the storage for times when we weren't hauling the kids around.

darnbusy · June 2001

I've been reading up on how to negotiate price, and about MSRP vs Invoice. Right now Chrysler has .9 to 2.9% financing. Can I really expect to be able to get the car for close to invoice, and the great interest rate also?

shepherd5 · June 2001

Yes. I got the low APR AND $500 below invoice. From what I have read here, it seems that at the right time and the right dealership, you can get invoice plus holdback and then some.

samochesq · June 2001

I'm feeling desparate. My 2001 T & C LXI is getting extremely poor mileage: 10-12 country and 16-17 highway. My average combined city/highway mileage is 14. I have 3000 miles on the van and have kept track of every tank of gas. (No, I'm not neurotic, the first tank was 11 mph and I couldn't believe it). The dealer says Chrysler knows that people are complaining about the mileage, but there are no plans to do anything. I want to go to the Attorney General or the Consumer Affairs division. A car rated for 17/24 should not get 10/17. Anybody else having such a severe problem? Any suggestions on where to go? By the way, this is my third van from this dealer and the first that has gotten such poor mileage. I think it's a lemon, but if a lot of other people are having the same problem, maybe Chrysler needs to take responsibility for inaccurate EPA ratings.

shepherd5 · June 2001

You probably already checked this, but I was experiencing a 10% drop in my mileage in my Honda Accord. The problem went away when I replaced the one bad tire that kept on losing air. One tire bad tire -- 2-3 MPG!

geoduck · June 2001

Our AWD LXI exhibited lousy mileage for the first 3000 miles, but then started to improve over time. Perhaps we can provide some help with more information: Which engine do you have? Are your mileage figures based on the onboard computer or your own calculations? What highway speeds are you commonly cruising at? Do you always have a box on the roof?

If your car is truly a lemon, then there should be serious disabilities that seemingly cannot be repaired. Have you brought the vehicle into the dealer in response to the poor mileage? I hope time will fix this.

bjurick · June 2001

How much have people been paying in DFW for a 2001 T&C Limited? And where are you shopping?

4084tb · June 2001

I am the original owner of a 96'T&C LEI and I am
very concerned about my van stalling. It seems to
be heat related but I can't pinpoint the problem.
During the winter months I don't have this problem. It started last summer and is happening again now. At any given time it will just die. It doesn't matter if your going 65 mph down the why
or just pulling out into an intersection. I can put it in nuetral and immediatly start it right back up. There are no fault codes given on the computer and the dealer is no help. I also have the luggage rack noise, the wipers that decide to come on on their own and the continual door lock problems. At 93,000 miles I feel somewhat fortunate that I haven't had any transmission problems. However, I don't feel right selling or trading this vehicle with the stall problem. Anybody out there with any clues. I think I have narrowed it down to an electrical problem but I sure could use some advice.

bholio · June 2001

My 3.3L 2001 T&C Lx gets about 19-21 MPG local driving. This is according to miles/gallons when I fill up. I live in a rural area. Very little highway driving, but also no major bumper to bumper.

4aodge · June 2001

Our 2000 Town & Country LX with the 3.3L V6 got about 19.1 mpg on average according to the trip computer before I put more air in the standard Michellin MX4 tires. Now with the additional air I get about 21.3 mpg on average. My two front tires have 38 pounds and my rear tires have 36. It seems to me the dealers don't put enough air in the tires to improve ride quality but at the expense of good fuel economy. Despite the dissapointing mileage on some of these vans, I hope everyone here who owns Town & Country minivans have enjoyed theirs as much as I have mine!

dsoiam · June 2001

Hi. I've been in the market for a van, and had zeroed in on a D-C van. Then, after reading posts on Edmunds for several weeks, I was trying to decide on a 2001 or a used one. People seem to be reporting nice experiences with pre-2001 versions, so I was willing to try and see.

Well, today, I test drove a '01 T&C LX (pretty well equip'd) and right after I stepped out of that, I test drove a '00 GC Sport (very well equip'd). So, I was able to compare one right after the other. I know this is probably old news to most of you.

The '00 only had 23k miles, so it wasn't over-used.

Anyway, I found the '01 very much (very much) smoother. The '00 is really a nice van, and moreso in the range of price that I was looking in; but, the stereo, the ride, even the air vent placement was much nicer in the new van. I actually probably skewed my view by doing them back to back. I probably should have done one and then the other the next day. But, the dealer had them both on the lot, 50 feet from one another.

The '01 had a firmer feel to drive and sit in, and just seemed designed better (say, taking into factor 5 years use on each van, the '01 would still feel like a better quality van because it just seemed designed and put together better than the '00).

Anyway, I just wanted to share my impressions.

I will say that the engine-transmission setup in the '00 seem set to get more low-end torque, and that was actually nicer (felt more powerful).

But, I'm kind of sold on the '01 now. Its a smoother van (of course its new, but the design seems smoother also). I was willing to foresake some things to save the money and still get a nice van (which I feel the '00 is). But, I guess the extra several $$K is worth it for what is a better product (and may give more overall value because its just a better product).

Also, for those looking now, the dealer told me off the bat about the incentives ($2500 below invoice), showed me the invoices (actually gave me copies) and said whenever I'm ready, he's ready. I didn't get the impression at all that they are trying to hide money and get anything over invoice for the car.

Perhaps its because its the end of the month?

dsoIAM

david872 · June 2001

Hi Thomas (4084tb) I had a problem with a 96' Voyager that sounds similar. It would stall only in hot weather or after a long run (over an hour). Was never consistent. Darn vehicle left me and the family stranded several times. Dealer couldn't find any fault codes when I would bring it in. They recommended new plug wires and some general maintenance and tune up work. Finally, it happened to the dealer while they test drove it with the computer hooked up. It was the fuel pump. They replaced it and the van was fine.

geoduck · June 2001

dsoIAM, I think your impressians are right on the money. After 7 months, our '01 T&C's driveability remains outstanding. The subtle design details we have appreciated over time. And the AWD and cooling system performance served us extremely well when we recently drove 1600 miles to the Eastern Oregon desert--300 of which were on gravel roads in 90 + degree weather. Enjoy you new vehicle!

4084tb · June 2001

Thanks David. I'll give it a try. I have changed out all the plug wires and the engine control module as well as the fuel filter. I cleaned the butterfly valve as well. Maybe I'll get lucky with
the fuel pump.

cgaydos · June 2001

If you'd be satisified with invoice pricing, check with CarsDirect.com.

Keep in mind, though, that on domestic cars in good supply, as the T&C is, you should be able to beat CarDirect.com price by 5%.

scoyle1 · June 2001

My quest for a new Town & Country has finally ended. Thanks to all who helped with advice!

After taking a close look at the Limited, I decided it was hard to justify $1,800.00 for the few added features. Also, with a daughter getting ready to hit the terrible 2's, I decided the suede would end up looking pretty terrible too.

While I had a horrible experience at the first dealership where I tried to buy the car. -- Colonial Chrysler of Belmont, MA, -- my CarsDirect experience was fantastic.

At Colonial Chrysler, I waited more than 5 weeks for a car and still did not get one. After I realized that they forged my signature on the invoice -- Yes! Forged my signature, I sent them a letter telling them that I was cancelling my order and wanted my $500.00 deposit back. Luckily, no-one from the dealership signed the contract, as clearly indicated in the documentation, and I was able to get out of the deal. In fact, someone at the dealership forged my signature (and a bad forge it was) where the dealer was supposed to sign. My letter did not mention that they forged my signature, only that they had failed to sign the contract and that 5+ weeks had expired, and still I had no car. My letter resulted in the manager calling me at work and screaming at me at the top of his lungs. He exclaimed that I never meant to buy the car, that he had spent $35,000 on the car the he had ordered, yada, yada , dada. It was a horrible experience. Luckily, I got my deposit refunded to me. - Thank God it was on a credit card! The worst part of this experience? This was a Five Star dealership. Can you believe it? I even told the manager that I was going to report him to Chrysler and he said go ahead and gave me the spelling of his name!

I then went to CarsDirect. Within three days they had located a vehicle. Within a week I got it. The local dealer with whom I dealt with was great. His name was George Manthorne at Bill DeLuca Chrysler in Haverhill, MA. I can not recommend Bill or CarsDirect.com enough.

If I had dealt with Bill at first, perhaps I would have had a better experience. All I know is that I am very happy and that CarsDirect and Bill both delivered.

My only reservation with CarsDirect.com is that the financing that they used has a prepayment penalty. I did not know about this until the closing. Bill, the local dealer's rep, was great in that he brought this to my attention and did not try to hide anything. In fact, Bill's dealership even has a 1,000 mile money back guarantee. (How many have that?)

While I might have saved up to 5% by going directly to the dealer. My first experience shows that unless you get lucky and find a great salesman like Bill and a reputable dealership like DeLuca Chrysler, you might get burned by sleazy dealerships and salespeople. Nothing was worth what I went through at Colonial Chrysler of Belmont.

carleton1 · June 2001

But maybe not since your 2000 LX has Trip Computer that was NOT available on 2000 GC SE but is on my 1999 GC SE. Also, you have Michelin tires and I have Goodyear "Conquest".
Meanwhile, our 1999 GC SE with 3.3L has an OVERALL average of 23.5 MPG. Whenever I have topped off before a trip, reset Trip Computer, and topped off at the end of the round trip, the Trip Computer is the same as using a calculator.
On our first trip to Disneyland in 2000, the round trip was 1402.8 miles and it used 51.615 gallons of 87 octane gasoline. That is 27.178 MPG but the Trip Computer read 27.1 MPG (indicating I should have kept trying to put gasoline in after it shut off 3 or 4 times until 0.341 gal more gasoline was put in at last refill).
On 4 round trips of approximately 1400 miles, our 99 GC SE has delivered 27.1, 27.0, 26.0, and 27.5 MPG. During the 3rd trip we were driving through a rain storm both going to and returning from Disneyland...and thus the lower economy.

samochesq · June 2001

Thank you for all your responses. To answer the various questions, I keep track of the mileage on both the trip computer and by calculating it following each gas fill up. I started doing that because I couldn't believe the trip computer could be right!! I NEVER have a box on the roof, my driving is mostly country driving, although I do drive around town sometimes. I've never taken it into the city, because w/ 10-12 mpg around the country, I'm afraid. Highway driving I cruise 60-70 mph. I found that it makes no difference in the mileage. When I was keeping it at 55 or under, the mileage was the same. I got the van in the winter, when the dealer says mileage is about 10% lower. As it has not improved into the summer, my feeling is the mileage is actually getting worse. I have the 3.3 liter engine w/ traction control, nothing fancy. We have over 3000 miles, and it is definitely not getting better. By the way, another alert for van owners. Our airbag light has been coming on. We took it to the dealer and they told us that we have a broken clock spring (or something like that) that prevents the airbag system from deploying! So if your light comes on, get it checked. The worst part is that although it is a 2001 car, Chrysler did NOT have the part in stock (how a part for a 2001 car can be out of stock is mystifying). The van has been at the garage for a week now, waiting for the part--this, even though the service manager put an urgent "off road" code on the order!! Obviously they're checking the computer about the mileage, and finding nothing.

carleton1 · June 2001

Do NOT let Chrysler give you the run around. There is something or some part defective in your Town and Country LXi. Be persistent and keep bugging them until they get it fixed to run properly. Locate a Factory Representative and describe your problem.
We got a used 1977 VW Bus in January 1979 when it had just over 20,000 miles. We took it on a 210 mile round trip 2 days later and had to refuel 3 times! I drove at 50 to 55 MPH to get the best gas mileage possible. Can you believe 11.1 MPG for a road trip? By comparison, our 1999 GC SE with 3.3L V6 got 31.4 MPG on the same road on a test where the 1977 VW Bus got 11.1 MPG.
Although we had a written 1000 mile / 30 day warranty, the Volkswagen Dealer would do NOTHING to help us. Said VW Busses do not get very good gas mileage in cold weather, etc.
Eventually we were referred to the Volkswagen Factory Rep by another dealer. When we described the problem, the VW Factory Rep told that was nonsense and a 1977 VW Bus should get as a minimum 20 MPG. He said to have the dealer check the Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor. We took it to another VW dealer who replaced the Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor and then tested it. WOW...30.4 MPG on a similar test drive.
The critical Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor was a very inexpensive part and the entire service by the 2nd VW dealership cost $106.31 on 3/27/79. List of work which was done: Replace Head Sensor, Check Compression, Check Spark Plugs for leakage, Check Ignition, Check Secondary Ignition System, Check for fuel contamination, Check Injection system pressure and flow test, Remove and Replace Air Flow Control Box, Fix squeak in hand brake.
As with Volkswagen dealerships, it is probable that some Chrysler dealerships are completely incompetent while another dealer may have an outstanding service department.

tim91306 · June 2001

Hi Thomas,
I too have a 1996 Grand Voyager 3.3L that have stalling problem while driving,it turn out to be the Idle air control motor hope this would help.

smithcon · July 2001

I have a '98 TC LXi with leather quad seating, and this seems to be a very poor setup for getting a tight fit on a forward facing car seat for a toddler. Our child is just reaching the age of twelve months, and has already passed the weight limit of his current rear-facing seat.

I am astonished at the lack of information available on child-seat compatibility with different vehicles. I can look at any car audio chart and find multiple detailed speaker recomendations for every nook and cranny of any vehicle on the road, but no published set of recommended child safety seats for different vehicles? Even the kings of kid-haulers, the minivans?

I have tried to get an Evenflo Ultara to fit either the mid-row buckets or the back bench, but no amount of strategicly placing tightly rolled towels, forcing my weight into the seat, and cinching the belt will yield the desired tightness. The reason seems to be that the bucket, and to a lesser extent, the rear bench, both are contoured so that the receptacle for the seatbelt ends up being FORWARD of the slots for the seatbelt in the carseat. So even though I have the seatbelt cinched so tight that the child seat is making a VERY deep impression in the vehicle's seat, nothing prevents the seat from "rocking" forward and side to side under stress.

This is true even with tightly rolled towels squeezed between the seat and child seat. This seems to me to be a huge oversight in the design of the seatbelts in these minivans.

The child seat specialist at my local fire station was unable to improve on my installation as well, and he agreed that the seats/belts are not well suited for normal child seat placement. He sent me away in the same condition I arrived, and stated that I should look for a toddler seat that is a better fit, but he knew I would have a difficult time finding one.

A trip to Toys 'R Us revealed that virtually all convertible toddler seats possess the same slot placements for the belts, so I am faced with the grim reality that I am endangering my 1 year old every time I load the family into the van.
So how about it, minivan experts? Has anybody found a good, tightly installable carseat anywhere in these vans? Any seat selection or install advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Greg

cgaydos · July 2001

Greg - something in this picture is missing, otherwise we'd be hearing similar stories of woe from 60% of 96-00 DC minivan owners. I don't doubt you're having problems, but at the same time wonder why we're not hearing more of this problem. I wonder ... I suppose the car seats you're buying are all made to work with the new LATCH system? I wonder if the LATCH devices on the car seats are getting in the way?

For the record, we haven't had problems with any stage of car seats in our 94 T&C leather/quad (very different seats from the 98) nor in our 01 T&C leather/quad (similar seats to 98). For our 14 month old we use an older model Fisher-Price seat. For toddlers we're using 2 year old Century NextStep 20-60 lb booster seats, which are among the easiest to install I've seen.

Two suggestions: 1. Check with the car seat manufacturer, either on the instructions or via their web site. They usually have an 800 number to help with installations. 2. Look into retrofitting a tether hook on your current seats. The tether strap started being shipped with US car seats in 2000 (and with Canadian many years before) and US cars started having tether hooks starting in MY2000. Most car seat manufacturers sell kits that will allow you to put a tether hook into a pre-MY2000 car. I did this with our 94 minivan with little trouble.

todd1108 · July 2001

Greg, A cheaper alternative would to pick up a device called a mighty-tie. It is sold at babies I us, and will tighten any seat belt. It costs about $16 and works wonderfully. I use it in both my cars.

caviller · July 2001

Smithcon-

First, I suggest finding a convertible seat that has a rear-facing weight limit of 30 or 35 pounds. Rear-facing is the safest option for children. Under no circumstance should your child be front facing before 1 year AND 20 pounds. Once your child is near 30-35 pounds, you could then turn the seat front-facing until 40 pounds.

As for compatibility, there is a user-submitted list which may or may not be of help to you:

http://www.carseatdata.org

Third, with the types of seatbelts you describe (buckles that come from in front of the bight), you might try the Fisher Price Safe Embrace or the Britax Roundabout. Their built-in locking clips may also help. A "good" fit is one where you can't move the base of the seat more than one inch front-to-back or side-to-side when pulling at the point where the seatbelt holds the carseat (i.e. dont wiggle the top or sides to test).

Using a tether may help also. For '96-'00 Town&Country the part number for the second row seats is 04864118AB. For the 3rd row its 05018506AA. You may be able to get a dealer to install one or more free.

If your vehicle has switchable locking retractors, make sure you extend the seatbelt fully, then retract it into place as you put weight on the seat. This will retain all slack and help get it tighter.

Next, you must NOT place a rolled up towel or noodle under a front-facing carseat. This is only acceptable for rear-facing seats to get an appropriate recline for young infants.

It is unlikely the LATCH straps will interfere with regular seatbelt installation on any current models.

Last, but not least, try a different certified child passenger safety expert. Police stations and hospitals sometimes have one on the staff as well, or you can search for one online. Going to an organized checkup event is also a good idea. There will usually be some experienced techs who can help, sometimes an instructor with significant experience.

For more information, see also:

http://www.car-safety.org

caviller · July 2001

Please beware of aftermarket products like this one. They are neither tested nor recommended by carseat or vehicle manufacturers. Unless an item is specifically approved by the manufacturer, you may be adding risk to your installation. Not to say these products will or will not help, but carseat technicians will not recommend them for this reason.

geoduck · July 2001

I think a tether may tighten up the seat's slack. Check out whether Evenflo makes an add-on tether for your model seat. Tethers make all seats significantly safer anyway, so it is critical to get the add-on tether hold in your vehicle.

We have had a great experience with our Britax Roundabout for both our young children. It has a tether and as Caviller aptly says, it's own belt locking system.

I assume your child is over 22lbs and more than a year old. We kept ours facing rearward in our Britax seat for a few months after that. Most good seats today let toddlers up to 30-35 lbs face rearward.

new_tc_owner1 · July 2001

I picked up a new 2001 T&C Limited AWD this weekend from a dealership in Central NJ for $500 below invoice (I probably should have done better). Although the dealer calls it $1000 below invoice since I didn't pay the advertising fees listed on the invoice(so they say for charges with codes NY DPP or something like that) totaling over $500.

Anyway, the odd thing is that the speedometer needle is on the wrong side of the pin, so it does not show any speed. It gets stuck when it hits the pin. The dealer said he will fix it for me. Has anyone seen this before? Makes me wonder about the quality control at Chrysler.

Other than that, it is a great van. I have no regrets that I didn't settle for an Odyssey for thousands less.

shepherd5 · July 2001

I started paying attention to my mileage due to the previous discussions. After fill up, I drove 36 miles on the freeway to the airport -- 65-75 mph -- and averaged 25 mpg. We ran into some very nasty traffic at LAX -- covering less than a mile in 30 minutes or more -- and mpg fell to 17.5. But after driving back -- about 42 miles -- avg. mpg on the trip computer was back up to 20.5. I have a 2k1 LTD.

enfuego1 · July 2001

I am currently in the process of shopping for a minivan. I like the features offered in the Town & Country (particularly all wheel drive). I have a fairly steep driveway, and all wheel drive is necessary on a limited number of days to get out. I also like the Honda, but it does not come with all wheel drive. However, it is much cheaper (to the point where I can hire someone to plow my driveway every day and still save money). The styling and comfort of the Town & Country are better, but I am very leery of reliability issues. Accordingly, I have been attempting to explore leasing options, so that I will not the stuck with the van when I perceive it may begin to fall apart. However, I have been told by various dealers that leasing rates for an LXi with all wheel drive will be slightly more than $700 a month. The salesman ultimately admitted that lease rates are now high because the residual value at the end of a 36 month lease is so low (40% of MSRP). I perceived that this is because significant mechanical problems may begin to appear at this point.

I live in western Pennsylvania. I am looking for an LXi with leather seats, an automatic tailgate and to automatic doors. Does anybody have any experience with the recently leased similar vans?

dsoiam · July 2001

Did you mean that you paid $500 below invoice AFTER rebates, or before?

Also, I drove a 2001 Voyager that had the speedometer needle on the wrong side of the stop-pin --- just as you described. It made it difficult to determine how the car felt at normal speed (couldn't tell whether it felt smoother because I was going slow or what). And, it made it a bit stressful when a cop pulled up behind me (he turned off later). I thought that it was just an anomaly; but now I wonder?

D

mrl859 · July 2001

We leased a '01 Limited in May and got it for 300.00 under invoice before rebates.

shepherd5 · July 2001

I called the nearest dealer to my house today. Don-A-Vee in Fullerton, So. Cal. and asked to order the new roof rack. They told me to bring the car in to make sure it needs to be changed.

When I got there, I showed the service guy the TSB number. His immediate response was to explain to me the difference between the TSB and a recall -- telling me they are not free. I told him they should be. He then proceeded to say, only if the car is under warranty. He asked me what year my car is -- a very strange question from a service manager, given I drive a 2K1 LTD -- I was under the impression he's seen enough Chrysler to know what year my car is -- couldn't be a 2K2 and definitely not a 2K model. Nonetheless, I told him anyway -- then he checked my odometer -- also kinda strange, given that 99% of the people who's owned this thing since it came out less than a year ago, probably hasn't driven 36k miles.

He then asked me, "Can you leave it for two days?" He wanted to have his mechanic check it and make sure the roof rack is the reason for the howl. I said no. He then asked me to make an appointment to have this checked -- the earliest being a week from now (I understand it's a short week, but this is a low volume dealership), so I told him, "Absolutely not".

For those who went through this -- does it have to be difficult?

I get the impression that these guys are trained to make it difficult so Chrysler doesn't have to replace this part! But don't Chrysler pay them to swap out my roof rack?

rht · July 2001

I have a 2001 Limited. I brought my vehicle in to the dealer and complained about the wind noise.I gave him the TSB # and he looked at the roof rack. He then ordered me the new cross bars.They came in in two days and they installed them in less then 30 minutes. No hassel at all.

cgaydos · July 2001

You have a problem with this dealer. The two Chrysler dealers I've used have had their various problems, mostly to do with very long waiting lines, but on something like this both are quick to make the fix and keep the customer happy.

Suggest you change dealers. If he gives you trouble with a simple issue like this imagine how bad he'll be later when you need him to give you the benefit of the doubt.

shepherd5 · July 2001

I knew something was wrong when he asked me my model year (2K1).

grh7 · July 2001

Under certain unique shipping conditions, the pointer can get bounced hard enough to flip it all the way over. There is no spring return. Although, the dealer should have noticed this, the condition can easily be corrected by anyone. All that you need to do is push and hold the trip odometer button for about 10 seconds (with the ignition key in the "off" position). The instrument cluster will then go into a self diagnostic mode and re-position all the pointers to the proper orientation.

gvahe · July 2001

Hello Gerald,

Nice Trick! I didnt have the spedo problem, but Like Car electronics. How did you know about this "Holding the Trip Button for 10 Seconds" thing?

Are there any "Goodies" you may know about with the Overhead Trip Computer? I know there is a whole bunch of Diagnostic Info Avail over the OBDII interface. (Like Fuel Remaining etc) Do you know if you can access any of this with the trip computer?

THanks!
-gerry

cgaydos · July 2001

Gvahe: From previous posts, grh7 works at Chrysler. I wish all car manufacturers had someone like him monitoring Edmunds news groups and popping in to answer difficult technical questions.

Grh7: Thanks for your help. Here's a question you might be able to answer that I've not seen answered here previously: The A/C symbol on my T&C Ltd climate control never goes off when the CC is in auto mode, no matter how cold the interior is relative to the temperature setting. And from what I can tell, the A/C compressor is always on when the CC is in auto mode. Is this as designed?

dsoiam · July 2001

Well, yesterday I bought that van that was mentioned previously. Here're the details:

I got a 2001 T&C LX for $500 under invoice (Dealer's rebate of $500) plus $2000 customer rebate. Total financed came to something like $19k (I threw in some $$ to get the payment down). It is a simple Steel Blue LX with 25h pkg and rook rack. I like it a lot (color and smoothness). We're all taking it on a 100 mile trip today to see some relatives.

Wife did complain that it didn't have the "oomph" going up a hill. But, I really don't see the problem. I do think that I recall someone saying here that the engine gets better after break-in (it only has 55 miles on it).

Oh, and the dealer found me a 6.3% rate for 60 mo! The best I saw on-line was 6.4% or 6.7%. I couldn't get Chrysler's special 3.9% rate because I took the $2000 rebate.

Dealer was very nice (though they skimped a little on my trade-in; they're going to make a lot of money off of that car). I got a 7yr/100k miles bumper to bumper warranty from the insurance company tacked onto my regular ins pymnt for about $7 a month. (Insurance actually went down between 2001 T&C and my 96 SUV!)

All in all the van costs less than my old RAV4. And, insurance went down (crash test results from what I understand).

Somehow I ended up with 10 speaker even though its not supposed to be on the car. And, I can go back and get about $200 of parts for free. I'll probably get mudguards, rear net or organizer, and wind visors. I may want a spoiler later (they handed me a dealer-priced accessory catalogue that they said they didn't need any more because the 2002 one would be out soon).

I tried to get 2100 rpm rattle to happen on the test drive. I couldn't. I couldn't hear any roof rack wind noise either. But, I wouldn't know what it'd sound like. To me the car is quiet.

Only negative that I know of now: how do I go back and figure out what TSBs to haggle over?

Lessons learned:

I mis-calculated when trying to figure out what my financing would look like. You take dealer cash off the top (it lowers what you are paying for the car so the IRS doesn't need to see it). Then, you do the taxes/tags and add that the cost. Then, you take off the customer rebates. Thats your financed amount. I made the mistake of adding dealer/customer rebates together, then taking that total off of the car cost, then doing taxes/tags, then calculating pymt from that. It makes a difference (taxes slightly higher) when you do it my way.

I used carsdirect as a guide, but I couldn't get them any lower (to get them to the 5% below carsdirect price that I've seen mentioned before). I tried but he told me that I was eating into the dealer holdback and they couldn't do it. So, I just settled.

Anyway (sorry for the long post), I like the van, and will check back with updates. I'll also try to remember buying experience tips to share with those who are thinking about buying (I found some things here really helpful as I was considering but some more things may help others).

Oh, I did find that the tires were under inflated. I added air. Does everyone else have 45 psi pressure? Am I reading that right? I only inflated UP TO 40 psi for now to be safe (I think the dealer had it down to about 35 psi; that can really affect mileage). Should I go up to 45 psi? I have goodyear something or other.

Thanks for all your help.

D

drew_ · July 2001

Yikes, 45 psi and even 40 psi is too high and you're getting a much rougher ride that you should. I think the maximum tire pressure (written on the sidewall) is only 35 psi. Check the driver's side door jamb for the correct pressure recommended by Chrysler.

Drew
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grh7 · July 2001

Gvahe – Unfortunately, no. The unit does have a pass/fail self diagnostic test that can be run but it is not capable of displaying any of the vehicle diagnostic information available to the externally attached service tool.

Chrysler Town and Country EX/LX/LXi/Limited

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