Dodge Intrepid

snapper_doggie · November 2003

Are the 2.7 liter engines as much of a problem as it sounds from reading message boards?

How many miles could I expect to get out of a average 2.7 liter Intrepid before the engine gives?

I might just be over reacting, but there are a lot of posts about engine sludge, burning oil, engines that stopped after low miles... Basically is the exception or the rule?

Thanks in advance.

mike372 · November 2003

TO ALL CURRENT AND FORMER DODGE INTREPID (SE,ES,RT,SXT) OWNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

andre1969 · November 2003

my oil pressure light decided to come on again. I'm finally giving in and taking it to the dealer to have them look at it. Got an appointment to drop it off next Wednesday evening.

I'll keep you guys posted as to what the problem ends up being. And if it ends up being so major that I come home with a different car, I'll still drop in from time to time to see how y'all are doing! ;-)

mike372 · November 2003

if you get rid of the Intrepid it'll be a disappointment because you were always a 'regular' on the Intrepid post!? Well, its time for another oil change and I decided to do it myself again with WIX filter and Valvoline 5W30 oil.

snowman · November 2003

What? Ford owners are not entitled to happy Thanksgiving? :-))
It is disappointing for me to hear sludge issue. Even tough I have Ford Taurus, the Intrepid is (now was) my dream car. For some reason, I couldn't get one and I was doing some research lately to purchase one used.
Syn. oil is also a good cleaner. I believe switching back to 0W-30 and replacing every 1K for a while may save other owners.
In this case, finding used one for me is a big risk, at the same time, I don't want to dump 21K+
onto new one.
Shoot, I think I missed my chance...

Jason5 · November 2003

I think you'd be fine with the 2.7... Just treat it as you would any motor with regular maintenance. Seems to me that all the posts are from one person--and that experience seems quite outside the norm.

mike372 · November 2003

I will keep Ford owners in mind next month. Actually, I do own a Ford TBird (1989). Plus a GM and Toyota so it looks like I have to keep quite a few people in mind.

jayrider · December 2003

Since there appears to be no activity on the Concorde board -- too few on the road? -- I thought I'd check in on what's going on with people with loaded ES models. I think the LTD is essentially the same car with cosmetic differences. I have a 2002 with 12k and am very happy with all aspects of the vehicle. The only two problems fixed under warranty were a slow transmission shift at start up and a leaky transmission hose. The ride is great and the interior and trunk are cavernous. With the limited slip differential and traction control, I breezed through snow covered roads last year with nary a slip. The 3.5 H.O. engine is no rocket but it has enough punch for my needs. On trips I average 24-26 mpg. The depreciation is big as far as resale so I would think they would be a great buy used. I'm keeping mine. Any ES owners out there with comments or info?

andre1969 · December 2003

but doesn't the Concorde Limited actually have a slightly stronger engine than the Intrepid ES? I know it's not a huge difference, but I thought the ES had like 234 hp, whereas the Limited had 250?

jayrider · December 2003

You're right andre. I think the R/T may have the same engine. I did find some talk on the 300M board lots of it. Still interested in hearing from anyone.

mike372 · December 2003

I think you said that you will bring your Trep in for service tonite. Keep me posted regarding the oil lite problem. Mike.

andre1969 · December 2003

will do. I'm heading out there around 5:30 to drop it off. Been driving my Granddad's old '85 Silverado pickup for the past couple days. Vinyl seats. Really wakes you up first thing in the morning when you slide your butt across that cold bench! Especially the way the temps have been these past couple of days!

mike372 · December 2003

Ok, all of the Mopar fans out there! In what year was the FIRST vehicle to bear the DODGE name produced and in what year did Chrysler buy an interest in the Dodge name?

andre1969 · December 2003

was when the first Dodge Brothers automobile was built. They had built engines before that...in fact, the first Ford automobiles used Dodge engines. Maybe that's where that one acronym for Ford comes from? >:-)~

Anyway, Chrysler acquired Dodge in 1928. In the event that they didn't get Dodge, they had a backup plan ready. They had another division in the works, DeSoto, which would be aimed right at Dodge, but undercut it in price. Well, they got Dodge, but introduced DeSoto anyway, for 1929. For the first few years, DeSoto was a step below Dodge, but then for 1934, it was moved upscale, between Dodge and Chrysler.

andre1969 · December 2003

got the car down to the dealership without incident. Naturally, the light didn't come on at all. Also turns out that the assistant manager there is good friends with some of my cousins. Maybe I can use that as an excuse for them to go easy on me, when it comes to the repair bill? ;-)

mike372 · December 2003

On Nov.14,1914, the first Dodge car is completed by the Dodge Brothers Motor Company. And, yes, Dodge Brothers supply Ford with engines. Dodge makes its first light truck in 1917. Walter P. Chrysler buys Dodge in 1928.

hayneldan · December 2003

Dodge Standard ? Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928.

indydriver · December 2003

I have just 2,000 miles on my '04 ES company ride. It replaced my personal vehicle, a '99 300M with 117,000 miles. Yes, the ES has a detuned version of the 3.5, but the ES is 100 lbs lighter than the M. The similarities between the two vehicles (and I imagine your Concorde as well) are astounding. I love my old M and my new ES as well. Nothing like the smell of new leather and the firm damping of a new, well tuned suspension. As you might guess, I'm a big fan of the LH platform.

mike372 · December 2003

what color and model (SE,ES,R/T, SXT) was the last Intrepid ever produced. You cant look back at the previous posts.

mike372 · December 2003

with the 3.5 motor is a beautiful car. But the Intrepid SE with the 2.7l is good too. Especially in steel blue. However, I could do without the leather interior. Just the seating surfaces are leather, the rest of theseat is cheap vinyl. I am a big fan of cloth interiors because in the long run they hold up better and do not crack. Actually, since my SE is a 2002 it has the same suspension as the ES model. Sometime in the 2003 model year Chrysler decided to cheapen the suspension on the SE model. By the way Indydriver, what color is your ES.

hayneldan · December 2003

What was the Chrysler corporation known as before June 6 1925?

andre1969 · December 2003

a white SE model?

As for leather interiors, well unless you get something like a Rolls Royce, or a car that came out before vinyl was invented, chances are only the seating surfaces are going to be leather, with the side bolsters, seatbacks, etc just clad in vinyl. Of course, there are also different grades of vinyl, and the color can also make a difference. Some colors just look better in vinyl than others.

andre1969 · December 2003

just got a call from the dealership, and the only thing wrong with my car is the oil pressure switch. So, the engine's fine. No sludge, verge of destruction, or anything like that!

It should be ready to pick up this afternoon.

mike372 · December 2003

Well that's GREAT news. I'm sure you are happy that its nothing more serious. And, yes, the last Intrepid produced was a white SE. I wonder if it will be a collector's car?! Well, probably not but who knows.

krusty2 · December 2003

I just bought a 2004 red SXT. Very nice ride and 3.5 power. Nice complement to my 2000 4.7L Dakota. I had to buy something as my old car got totaled. I like the Intrepid but hoped to wait and see what happened with the LX cars. I usually like to keep my cars a long time....hopefully the fact that mine is one of the last won't be a problem down the line. Anyway, I have been lurking and thought I would chime in. I'll try to report any problems/solutions as they come up (hopefully there will be nothing to report...)

andre1969 · December 2003

welcome aboard! When I dropped my '00 Intrepid off at the dealership last nite, I looked around their car lot a bit while waiting for my uncle to pick me up. They had an '04 SXT on the lot for sale, in red. Nice looking car!

I'm sure it'll give you years of faithful service. I have about 88,000 miles on my '00, and haven't had anything major go wrong with it. About the scariest thing was when my oil pressure light came on, but that was just a switch. Gawd, I miss real gauges!

andre1969 · December 2003

and my 'Trep's back in the shop! I went to pick it up after work, and at first it seemed fine. Got caught at a few traffic lights, and as the rpms dropped down toward the 500 rpm mark, I watched, nervously. No oil light. So I figured it really was fixed.

Well, naturally it waited until I was almost home, and then came on at a traffic light. So, a quick U-turn I made, and back to the dealer I went! Hopefully they'll figure out tomorrow what the real problem is.

Dammit, I just knew this was gonna be too easy! And then, to make things worse, I broke the power window switch in my pickup truck! It would roll down, but when I'd try to get it to roll back up, nothing. And of course, every time I rolled it down just a bit, to see if I could then help jiggle it back up, it just flat-out refused to go! Finally, I was able to jiggle the switch j-u-s-t right, and got it up.

I tell ya, it hasn't been a good day for dealing with cars! I just hope it snows like crazy tomorrow, so I don't have to go to work!

mike372 · December 2003

I was expecting another message from you dealing with the oil sensor. I try to maintain a positive attitude but kind of thought the problem was not fixed. There has to be something CAUSING the oil light to go on and its most likely not the sensor. The sensor either works or it does not work. And, in your case, it appeared to be working. I am not a mechanic, but I do have a considerable knowledge of cars, and it looks like the oil pressure drops enuf at idle to cause the light to come on. I just hope it has nothing to do with sludge. It could be that the RPM's are dropping too low. I dont think my RPM's at idle are ever as low as 500. They seem to be around 600-700. Keep me posted.

jsylvester · December 2003

My 2000 R/T has always normally idled (once fully warmed up) at 500 rpm without any problems.

Currently have 45,000 miles on the car, and I hope the original equipment Michelin's will make it through to spring. Funny thing is gas mileage is still slowly improving over time (from 21 mpg when new to 23 mpg now), maybe the tires are less grippy as they wear down. I'm hoping to find a quieter tire than the Pilots once I do replace them.

andre1969 · December 2003

I'm impressed that you've gotten 45K miles out of the original tires! Mine were down to racing slicks by around 30K. And I'd imagine the R/T would have stickier (i.e., usually wear out quicker) tires than my base model!

Anyway, good to hear your R/T is still serving you well. About 2 months ago, I almost tempted myself into trading in on a used '02 R/T!

jsylvester · December 2003

I've always gotten good mileage out of my tires on all of my cars. The Michelins I had on my 92 Taurus went 82,000 miles; I figured it was from paying extra to get Michelins over cheaper tires.

I'm only guessing I don't use my brakes much - I tend to do a lot of coasting when I drive, so maybe that is why brakes, tires, and mileage seem to do okay. I do drive fast, though.

Speaking of new cars, maybe it's my advancing age, but I find the 2004 Mustang GT 5 speed with the 40th anniversary package to be quite striking. Now that I'm married, I can get the wife a minivan when a kid arrives, and keep her Corolla for a winter car......

indydriver · December 2003

My '04 ES is Graphite with chrome wheels, leather, sunroof, big stereo, ABS. I am a die-hard leather man and would never go back to cloth but that's why they offer it both ways. The one thing I miss from the M is heated seats.

Also, ditched the OEM tires and put on Firestone LH 30's. Seems like a very competent tire in the dry and wet, waiting for the first snow to try 'em there. Anyone looking for a good, moderately priced all-season tire should consider LH 30's.

Jay-I had very good wear out of the OEM Goodyear Eagle LS's on my M. Got 60,000+ out of both sets. This time around decided to try the new Michelin HydroEdge. It actually has an 85,000 warranty. Hope they work in the snow!

andre1969 · December 2003

pulling the old "unable to duplicate" routine. I came back to my office today to find a message on the answering service, telling me my car was ready and I could come pick it up. They said they drove it around 20 minutes, and couldn't get my oil light to come back on.

But then, to make it even more fun, the girl told me that their phone system was down (she had called me from her cell) and that if I needed to get ahold of them to either fax or email them. So basically I figured screw it. The weather's starting to turn nasty, and I'd rather be driving my pickup than the 'Trep in this mess.

But at this point, I don't know what to do. I mean, it'd be dumb for me to just go pick up the car, because they should know damn well that the second that light comes back on, it's going right back in. Maybe this is just some subversive way to attempt to get me into a brand-new car?

Well, I'll just show them...before I get a brand-new car, maybe I'll go see if my cousin wants to sell his '75 Valiant... ;-)

mike372 · December 2003

I rotated my OEM Goodyears a little late, at 9000 miles. The front tires showed considerable wear. Probably only get 30-35K miles out of them. I am not surprised, all the used (rental) SE's I looked at also had considerable wear on the front tires. The only used one which showed almost no wear at 7752 miles was the SXT I looked at, however, it had Michelins as OEM tires. Andre, why don't you tell them to do a pressure test on the engine at idle speed. Or, find another dealer.

Jason5 · December 2003

Andre', Mike, etc... My OEM Eagle GA's lasted were wearing thin--particularly the one's that started on the front--at just over 30,000 miles. I researched a bit and promptly went to Sam's Club who replaced them with Goodyear Integra tires that carried a road hazard replacement policy and a 70,000 (?) mile treadwear warranty. I've already used the road hazard policy once from punctures. They ride a bit better, wear considerably longer, handle a bit worse--and have done yeoman's duty in the snow. Got me through last year's Christmas blizzard AND this weekend 12" here in PA.
Last trip to the dealer ran me $500 to replace the door seals, get two new mudflaps, check my thermostat and have my non-functional trunk release diagnosed and fixed. Turns out it was not the solenoid or the remote or fuse, but a problem with the wire running to the release. Today it goes in to replace the buzzing Infinity speaker and one of the door seals which the service manager wasn't happy with (free of charge). Just turned 76,000 and going strong. Incidentally, that's the most significant service to date on my 2000 ES.

krusty2 · December 2003

My new Intrepid is the first car I've had with the 5yr/100000 mile coolant. It is the Chrysler hybrid OAT coolant, which I don't think is the same as Dex-cool. Anyway, the manual says when topping off to use ethylene-glycol (standard Prestone). Is this right? What are you guys using to top off the coolant? Maybe I should get the same coolant from the dealer?? Hopefully it will be a long time before that is necessary, but I figure I should know what I'm doing in advance.

andre1969 · December 2003

how much did they end up charging to do your door seals?

mike372 · December 2003

sounds like something thats relatively easy to replace. Plus many dealers will give you a discount off list price just for asking (parts only). The local Ford dealer always gave me a pretty good discount off list, as did the Toyota dealer. I haven't bought anything except touch up paint from the Dodge dealer, so I am not sure what discount they will give me. But if they dont give me any discount, there are other Dodge dealers I can try. Its just something to keep in mind for all the DIY'ers out there. Some dealers, ie the local Honda dealer, has coupons on their website that you can print out. By the way, Andre, did you decide what to do about the oil lite problem.

andre1969 · December 2003

well, my car's still down at the dealership. I called them this morning, but got a recording, so I left a message.

As for door seals, I replaced my rear left-side seal by myself. The part was something like $45.00. The front door seal hadn't shrunk up as badly, so I was able to just adjust it. And that was back around April or May or so, and it's held good, so far!

Jason5 · December 2003

I don't have the receipt in front of me Andre--if memory serves the seals ran $30.00 a piece and had to be ordered in advance. I haven't broken down the bill--parts and labor--but my total to replace the two belts, fix the trunk actuator, purchase and replace the door seals, purchase and install two replacement mudflaps and check fluid levels etc was $560.00. Again, that's the most I've spent on the car in one sitting--including tire replacement. I'm happy with that.

andre1969 · December 2003

about a half hour ago, and had no problems at all. I ended up taking a different way home though, with fewer traffic lights, so I dunno if that had anything to do with it. But at one point, about halfway from the dealership, I stopped along the shoulder and let the car idle, to see if I could get the light to come on. Sat through Bob River's "Walkin' Round in Women's Underwear" (set to the tune of "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland) in its entirety, in fact. RPM's dropped to 500, but no oil light!

Got it home, and let it sit running for awhile, too, nothing. So, if nothing else, it's okay for the time being, but I have a feeling this isn't going to be the end of it.

In a little while, my roommate is going to ride down with me to pick up my truck from down there, so if it's going to, maybe it'll come on then! Although with my luck, it'll come on just as soon as we pull back into the driveway at home!

Oh yeah, the dealership had a nice looking white '03 Concorde LXi on the lot, with about 17K miles, for $15,995. Leather interior (which I guess is standard on the LXi), but no sunroof. Still, kinda tempting, though. And at least something like that should have the remainder of the 7/70K powertrain warranty, wouldn't it? Only problem though, is that I swore I'd never get another white car!

emale · December 2003

so, andre...what did they say they did to your car this time to fix the issue?

andre1969 · December 2003

it was the typical "unable to duplicate problem". On Friday, they drove the car about 15 miles, but couldn't get the light to come on. Did a pressure check on it, and it was fine. Also read the computer codes, and nothing. Although, I don't know if low oil pressure would register in the computer or not. Anyway, supposedly the lubrication system is fine, so if there is a problem, they think it might just be a bad wire or short somewhere.

So basically, I guess in the meantime about all I can do is wait and see if it comes back on again, and then bring it back in!

andre1969 · December 2003

just like I figured! On the way down to the dealership to pick my truck up, we stopped off at a grocery store to do some quick shopping, and then made it down to the dealership with no trouble. I got in the truck, and had my buddy drive my 'Trep back. We made it about a mile from the dealer, when he started flashing the brights at me and putting on the turn signal. Yup, it was on again.

Naturally, the dealership was closed by this time, so I parked out in front, unloaded the groceries into the truck, and slipped the key into the nite drop box.

I'm trying not to catastrophize here, but in the back of my mind, I'm already starting to think about what my next car might be!

mike372 · December 2003

maybe that black R/T is still available!!!!!!!!!!!! Or maybe a '02 steel blue SE with only 9K miles.

andre1969 · December 2003

heck, that's the first thing I did, was scan their lot while I was down there, to see if it was still there!

Jason5 · December 2003

How goes it? What do you think...hit NAIAS this year?

emale · December 2003

jason,

it seemed nobody was interested so i decided to go to vegas instead!! actually the vegas trip has been planned since last summer. when i initially mentioned about detroit...i didn't realize both fell on the same dates! RATS!

i really want to go one of these years...never been! therefore how bout' next year...any takers??

andre1969 · December 2003

I'll try to keep it in mind for next year. Might not have a 'Trep by this time next year, at the rate things are going >:-( but I'll still keep in touch!

Jason5 · December 2003

I think I'm going to try and get their this year--have enjoyed NY and Philadelphia--but I'm ready for the pilgrimage! Incidentally you should consider visiting the Dodge and Chrysler sites--hidden behind the "What's New/New Caravan" icon is info on the Magnum and 300C...

Dodge Intrepid

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