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thanks!!
The problem is they corrode and leak prematurely, and to replace it requires removal of the entire dash - you are looking in the $1,000 range for the repair.
Does the dealer have to do this or can the local exxon mechanic handle?
What surprises me is mechanics who don't try to find a leak, but just refills the system. A system that is operating properly is a closed system. If R-134 is escaping, then somewhere there is a leak.
On finding a good mechanic, my suggestion is to ask for references; I prefer independent shops. One reason I use the shop I do is their main tech was a Dodge dealership technician for 12 years, which covers my Intrepid, and they do all the work for a local police dept. (Crown Victorias), which covers my Grand Marquis
I dunno...part of me wants to trade the car in before anything really bad happens to it, but then on the other hand it's paid off, and any new car I want would probably set me back about $500-600 per month or more! My Intrepid would have to start breaking down a lot, and on a regular basis, to run me up into those kinds of repairs. Like maybe a tranny every 4 months and an engine every year. Of course, if the engine fried, I'd dump the car. I might be willing to splurge on a tranny though, if it came to that...
So for the time being, I'm just going to let it go, don't worry, and be happy!
Enjoy,
ES 99
They were "marginal", meaning that they still had a bit of meat on them, but would soon be cutting into the rotor. And they had also glazed over, so that damaged the rotor a bit. Still, they were able to machine the rotors rather than replace them, and while they were in there they cleaned and adjusted the parking brake, and put on new Bendix pads. So hopefully I won't have anything to worry about back there for at least another 50,000 miles.
My 1999 Intrepid ES has 146,000 miles on it, on the original engine & tranny too. The engine is still so quiet I sometimes wonder if I had it turned on.
My only problems with the car in 6 years: 1) The fan assembly needed to be replaced 2) The blower motor needed to be replaced 3) The ignition switch needed to be replaced.
I've had to put some money into the front end and I'm still not happy with the ride on a rough road, but other than that, I see no reason why this car won't go another 150,000 miles. To that end a 300 HEmi AWD or a Dodge Charger (AWD when available) are my next chioce.
I doubt anyoe can say for sure how long a belt will last. But I wouldn't wait - if the car has over 100,000 miles you're due. And yes you should change the water pump at the same time since the entire front of the car will need to come off anyway.
Anyone have any ideas? Do I need to go to heavy duty Struts or Air shocks?
My Trep just passed its two year mark. With only 17K miles its almost as good as new. Looks like the tires will need replacing at 30-35K miles. I just changed the oil with Mobil One and a Wix filter.
One of my friends just had the timing belt and water pump changed on his 1998 Tracker. Total bill came out to about $838, which included an unrelated $75 to diagnose a Service Engine Soon warning light. Now I have no idea how hard it is to get to the water pump and timing belt on a '98 Tracker. Everything else on that truck has cost more than I thought it should, though!
Back in '96, I had the timing belt changed on a 1988 LeBaron turbo coupe. I think that came out to around $300, once you factor in the camshaft and crankshaft seals. I hear that the 2.2 was a really easy engine to work on, though.
Replace L/S Stablizer Link
Replace Timing Belt
Replace Alternator / Power Steering Belt
Replace AC Belt
Replace Water Pump
Repair L/S Rear Tire
Replace Engine Seal Kit
Regarding your dad's SUV...It appears by your post that he wasn't hurt badly and that is GREAT news.
Back in 1999 after my first wife invited me out the door, I didn't want to put a $10,000 down payment on the Intrepid to keep it somewhat affordable. I put $4000 down and leased it for 36 months, then I bought it (with 85000 miles) for $13000 over 4 years. This is the WORST way to pay for a car. You will pay more dollars over the longest period of time for a car. BUT - you get the car you want, rather than putting around in a Honda Civic.
My gut tells me Heavy Duty Monroes or some Chip-Foose design at all four corners would fix the problem. But I hear ya...what could be better than what originally worked? Anyone else wants to chime in?
Yea, Edmunds took the Escape post off because they said that it appeared like I was offering the wreck for sale plus they said the topic didnt fit the Trep forum. I kind of figured that they would not like it.
A rear tire separated (but didn't go flat) at about 75 MPH on I-95 north just south of Cape Canavaral. A lot of vibration and little chunks of rubber flying out the rear. Got it changed pretty quickly to the full size spare (one of the original Goodyears) and on our way we went. Have a couple of new Michelins on the front now. My wife had run that tire flat for a few blocks about 18 months and 20,000 miles ago, so that probably had something to do with that one going.
We got help up for about an hour, due to Explorer we eventually saw up on the tow truck. It had obviously been completely rolled--all the glass was broken out and it looked like someone had beaten it with a sledge hammer. I hope noone was hurt badly or killed.
The Trep is now at just over 98,000 miles. Regarding the timing belt and water pump, yes, I'm going to have the pump changed at the same time. That's what everyone seems to recommend given the labor required just to get to the pump and belt--you don't want to do it twice.
Enjoy,
ES99
:shades:
But yeah, like Smithed says, if you're going to do the timing belt, and water pump, you might as well get new accessory belts as well, since they're going to have to take them offf anyway to get to the water pump/timing belt.
You also might want to check the brake pads and see how much "meat" you have left on them. Most likely if you bought the car from a dealer, it had to pass inspection. However, those brakes could have been at the bare minimum to pass. If they wear down too far and the rivets start cutting into the rotor, that's going to be another expense. BTW, what year is your Intrepid? I recently replaced the front brake pads and rotors on my '00 Intrepid. I did it myself, and it cost maybe 85 bucks. Expect to pay a little more for the mechanic to do it, though! And rear disc brakes tend to be pricier than the front.
As for my brake pads, they are starting to feel rough so I will get them done within a week or so. The best part is I know how to change the front pads, unfortunately the rear will need to be done by the professionals.
also change oil and filter, and tranny fluid has probably not been changed for 50K or more (unless you have repair records showing what was done)...rear end fluid is probably original, and I would bet that your power steering fluid is deep black (filthy), probably original, and should be flushed with fresh fluid...most folks when they approach trade-in of their car, let maintenance go to hell...
as long as I am having a good time spending your money, consider flushing the brake fluid with fresh fluid, since the brake fluid is hydrophilic (it likes and attracts moisture, aka water), and old fluid is the best way for brake calipers (you have 4 with 4-wheel disc) to rust...fresh fluid may save rotors, brake pads and calipers, since rusty calipers from bad brake fluid can cost you big $$$ if they freeze up...
all this might not be necessary of you bought the Trep with, say, 30-50K miles, but you are just shy of 100K miles, the time when almost EVERYTHING should be changed, flushed, replaced as routine maintenance, etc... you bought the equivalent of a 10-15 year old home just before you would expect to replace the roof, the furnace, and paint the outside...it would be nice if you knew that some stuff, especially fluids, were changed at 70K or 80K (not counting engine oil, every 3K if dino or 5K-7K for synthetic), but if you do not know, better to change fluids as a precaution, because old fluid may cause you severe costly repairs, but routine fluid maintenance may let your Trep go another 50K-75K miles, which would more than pay for the cost of routine fluid maintenance...
yes, I am a stickler for fluid maintenance, since perioodic fluid flush is virtually the only way to clean various components of the car, and fresh fluid to the component is like taking a shower with soap and water after being in the hot desert for a week without a shower for 7 days...if you can imagine how you would feel, that is how your components feel with fresh, clean, fluid...almost sounds like a Zest commercial, doesn't it???...
seriously, I know you probably were not prepared for this kind of expense, but unless you have maintenance records, you really did buy the car when all this stuff is recommended to be done anyway, and unless something is literally on the verge of mechanical breakdown, changing fluids will help the car dramatically...I also forgot air filter (easy to remember) and fuel filter (not so easy to remember, change every 25K miles or so)...don't be surprised if the fuel filter is also factory original...enough for now...
but please tell me what your power steering fluid looks like...if you have a clear plastic reservoir, I will bet my nickel that your fluid is solid black, instead of a clean, clear color...
this started out as one paragraph, but I went back to edit it so that I would not be cited by the "paragraph police" for running on and on...I hope I am beginning to attain a passing grade...it's so hard when I really cannot speak the English language, but I am tops in Sanskrit and the language spoken on the lost island of Atlantis...:):):):):)
Isn't the fuel filter actually in the gas tank? Wouldn't that get expensive to have to change every 25,000 miles? I do my air filter around every 15-20,000 miles, and try to get the pcv valve at the same time.
New to the posting on here. Just wanted to put a statement on here, before my Intrepid is GONE!!! I am no stranger to Dodge, I have owned 4. I know that ALL cars have their own little problems, BUT, I can say that this is the last Dodge I will ever own. I bought the car from a Dodge dealer in the Capital District here in Albany, New York. It is a 1998 Dodge Intrepid and only had 9,000 miles on it (purchased used at the end of 98). I never abuse my cars (pay more attention to cars and relationships) and this one was no exception. From needing to replace 3 Serpentine belts and pulley systems (not covered under contract), to the replacement of 2 Engines (1 covered/1 not), and 1 Transmission, as well as MANY, MANY, MANY, other parts (that were not covered) in this car (if you would like to call it that), I have decided to just get rid of it at 113,000 miles. I got soooooooo tired of putting all this money into a car that is only valued at $1700 +/- (trade in). I liked the car for the size. The leg room was awesome (very tall here). Who can forget the styling, it is very nice to look at. But the problems are out weighing all of the benefits. All said and done, I have put more than $5000+ outta pocket and contract work put about $4000+ into this car, at first I thought maybe the problems will work out. Why wouldn't I, I owned a Neon. But they just kept going and going and going. As a matter of fact, the engine blew in the car again last week :sick: , so when I trade I will only get about $500. To me its not even worth it to keep on trucking this oversized paperweight. Again I liked the car, but advise to people THINKING of getting into an Intrepid, think long and hard. Is it going to be worth it? :lemon: I personally will be sooooooooooooooo happy to get out of this car, I pick up my Brand New Car tomorrow, mind you it WILL NOT be a Dodge!!!
My '00 2.7 is running well enough though, with around 103,500 miles on it, that I just don't see the need to get a new car anytime soon. Plus, I just bought an old '76 LeMans, which I'll drive occasionally, like during nice weather, so that'll take a few miles off the Trep.
I'm of the opinion that whenever you produce x-Thousand number of units some will invariably turn out bad. I got lucky with my Trep, and like you I love the size of the car more than anything else.
Most Importantly...Good luck with your Pontiacs...We've had several in my family and one - a 1979 Bonneville - either had 300,000 or 400,000 miles last time I checked up on it (Sold it in 1995 but I know the owner who kept it until about 1999 - he lost count on how many times the odometer turned over). Ya never know...
Would there be any real advantage to going to the dealer and getting a Mopar battery, versus just going to K-mart or any generic auto parts store and getting one?
I have bought Sears Diehards, Pep Boys and Service Station batteries and I've seen no difference in their performances. 5 1/2 years is a good amount of time for a battery to be in a car. I changed the batery in my Intrepid in Novemver 2004 (5 years, 3 months). I didn't NEED to change it but my thought was that you would CERTAINLY want to change the battery before it got cold...
FAQs for car batteries here: http://www.autobatteries.com/faq/index.asp
Between now and when you buy a new battery, perhaps Consumer Guide could give you an idea which batteries may be "better" than others.
BTW - My '99 Intrepid rolled past 148,000 miles this past weekend and is in the shop today for an oil change and tire rotation. As far as I'm concerned it's got another 152,000 miles to go before I expect any troube out of it ">
1. be sure you have a good chain of stores for warranty purposes...altho most folks don't think of WalMart, they are everywhere and I think they sell Champion batteries (same company that makes spark plugs)...now you have warranty service all over most of the country, depending on where you live...here, in GA and the South, I would be covered everywhere...
2. check you battery case and see if the case is bigger than your battery...if yes, there is probably a heavy duty battery available that will fit in the larger case...I might guess that a 2.7 engine in a Trep might come with a smaller battery than, say, my former 3.2 ES which had every option on it, mostly electrically controlled, like power seats both sides, moonroof, power trunk, etc...since these require more guts than a stripped 2.7, a larger battery MAY be available, but Dodge may only have installed one size case for all batteries, since the underhood space may be identical in all models...check your base and check the book for the most decked out Trep, and see if the batteries (or dynamo, if you are British) differ...
3. let us know what you did...
Bob