Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
We haven't had our T&C in yet for any fixes (now 3+ months old). The only other problem we have is the delaminating silver insets on the side body molding. Has anyone had these replaced? I'm interested in knowing if they replace just the silver strips or if the whole large molding piece is removed and replaced. If it is a major job (i.e replacing the whole large piece), I'm not sure I want to run the risk of whatever paint damage could be done on the door panel underneath, or the color matching when (if) they repaint the large molding section. The molding delamination is hardly noticeable unless you're looking for it after a rain when moisture has seeped in.
I'd appreciate hearing of any experiences people have had with this.
Also, just fromt he way it looks from the outside, I would supect that they have to at least take that whole molding off to replace the silver part from the inside. And, they'll probably have to do some damage to the molding to get it off; meaning that they'll have to replace the molding as well as the silver part.
Is it just one side?
Also, I would think that color matchig wouldn't be much of a problem since its the plastic part of things, not any painted portion, susceptible to UV rays. I would think that the plastic (the one being taken off and the replacement being put on) would hold their color very well.
D
With only two kids the short wheelbase (SWB) van should be fine on space. When we had two kids our LWB van almost seemed too large. However, if you plan more kids (we now have 4) you'll find the LWB van is much more desireable due to the luggage room behind the 3rd row bench seat. Also, if you will use the van a lot for cargo the LWB van is a big plus. 8' x 4' sheets fit in the back, and 10' boards can fit down the middle.
As a parent of two young 'uns, I am glad to have purchased the larger LXi model. If your kid-related stash isn't great and you don't expect to travel with either extended family or friends, then perhaps a shorter van will suffice. We start throwing in a few backpacks, a cooler, a jog stroller, and Grandma and Grandpa--and the van seems cozier.
I think budget will be your biggest challenge, as the Caravan SE is pretty spartan. Do consider checking out other decent makes such as the MPV, low-end (is there such a thing?) Honda, or '00 Sienna.
Dealer arrogance transcends any one type or brand. As one who previously only owned imports,I also disagree with your characterizing them as "rips." It seems like the whole automative sales industry is based on taking advantage of the uneducated and weak-willed. You either play the game or pay the price--and the latter happens anyway. . .
I had this on my current car, a 1995 Dodge Intrepid. The best thing about it is - you do not have to have the warranty work done at the dealer, you can take it to a certified mechanic. Got my transmission fixed with this, and my air conditioning which both had problems at about 80 - 85,000 miles. Along with some other incidentals over the years.
I have shopped around and nothing else has come close. Any salesman at a dealership will tell you it's a crock, don't listen to them. I have convinced many of my friends and neighbors to switch to GEICO and purchase this when they were buying new cars and they are all extremely happy!
Good Luck!
Please look at my post #1173 about extended warranty!!!!
Good Luck!
PS - if you live in the West Palm Beach area, and want to deal with the best, call David Bean of Arrigo Dodge on his cell phone at (561)762-8671.
I looked at it again (the molding) and it seems that the silver part is just a cover that fits over the body-colored molding underneath (probably held with glue). So, they just have to get that silver part off somehow without hurting the body-colored molding underneath.
Anyone working for/on Chryslers know how they would do that? Possibly with heat?
Note: I installed rear splash guards today. Very easy.
Ironically, I found out after complaining to my dealer that DC has indeed known about this problem, and are in the process of making new radios to replace those with this problem. However, the new radios will not be available until the Fall. The question: have any other owners of the 2001 GC / T&C noticed such noise/Interference? Are those of us with this problem in the minority? Does anyone know of a TSB covering this issue?
In my case, the interference shows up on only one AM radio station; It does not show up on the CD, tape player, or other stations ... and no, it is not a weak station. The station broadcast is fine and is trouble-free on all other radios in other vehicles. The static problem is caused by an interference source within the van and has been validated by the dealer and other audio specialists.
On a different topic, I would like to know from other owners the idle RPM while stopped at a red light in hot weather (AC working) on a 2001 3.8L engine. Mine hovers right at 600 RPM and I thought it was too low. The dealer says this is normal ....
Much appreciated!
I wasn't sure they would fit either (the dealer had a hard time finding them in the catologue and we weren't sure that what I got was what I needed), so I used a LXi (with the grooves) in the parking lot of the dealer to check and make sure they would fit (I didn't have my van with me when I picked up the parts). So, I know they would fit a van with grooves. I didn't install them on the dealer van, but just held them up to make sure the holes aligned.
I have a question for you: the ones that your dealer saw in the catologue, were they body-colored or black?
I have the black ones on my van. They look nice and they do block stuff from getting on the van. But, they would look so much better as steel blue. I wonder what is the likelihood of painting them?
We are interested in purchasing splash guards. Do you have them behind two or four wheels? Perhaps it is a byproduct of AWD, as it seems like lots of gunk is dispersed on the rear body panels. How effective have the guards been?
Does any one have these and if so can you supply a part #. The parts department told me there are no molded gaurds available for this. They gave me a set of flat ones which I don't want to install if there IS a molded version out there for this model van!
I noticed the earlier threads on splash gaurds but aren't sure of what's meant by 'grooves'? other than the Voyager rear was shaped smoothly where as the EX has a 'bump' or raised curved
{? hard for me to explain}
TIA
So, I called the dealer (parts dept) on the phone and ordered molded splash guards for my 2001 T&C. He looked and said that they didn't make them. I said, "I'm looking at them." He said to come in and show him. In the meantime, I called a place I found on the internet to see if I could get them cheaper than the local dealer. They too said that they don't make them for the T&C. I said, "I'm looking at them in the book." They told me it was a mistake.
The next day I went to the local dealer. He tried to find them. Couldn't. He did find them for the Voyager and the Caravan, but not for the T&C. I pulled out the book. He was a little surprised to see them in my book but looked in his ordering book again. Two pages backwards from the flat ones for the T&C and the molded ones for the Voyager, were the molded ones for the Grand Caravan. It also said "Town and Country". (turns out that they are listed in the book strangely and not easily found.)
I ordered them and they fit perfectly on the Town and Country. They are black, with no distinguishing marks to separate them from whether they were made for the T&C or the GC. But, I do note they they say "LWB" (which I take to mean "Long Wheel Base") on the inside of them. I would guess that the "SWB" ones may have different holes.
The part number is 82206552. I'm looking at the box and it says, "Splash Guard Kit, Dogde LWB Rear" so I guess that they were originated toward the GC. But, I can tell you they fit fine on the T&C. Maybe Chrysler will make body colored ones for 2002. But, the black ones fit fine and look fine. And, they do help some with gunk on the rear of the van.
They list in the book for $26, but I think that you can get them cheaper. The holes on the side line up fine, but theres a hole underneath to attach the guard to the van and hold it snug. They come with a screw that you could use to do that, but I didn't do it because I did not want to "make" a hole in my new van (even though it would have been underneath and hidden). So, I just attached that part of it with a bent paper clip (quite unorthodox I know). It works fine and they look nice. I wont be going off-road or using drive-thru washers anyway, so I'll just be a little careful around them when I wash the van.
Do you think that Chrysler, or even this dealer in particular, are laying off of the AWDs because of the resonance problem? I mean ~30 T&Cs and no AWD? Something must be up.
Anyone else noticing this where you are? I'm in MD, and we certainly have snow in the winter. I would think that AWDs would be a big selling point here. But, this dealer doesn't seem to be stocking them.
First pass with dealer didn't find anything -- but doubt if they looked very hard. So now off to battle we go....
Anyone else run into this problem?
Anyone out there have any knowledge of this? Sounds like the 'clock spring' is a growing issue for DC.
re: AWD availability - I happened to look a week ago - out of approximately 40 minivans, my dealer had 3 AWDs on the lot. Since AWDs are only made twice a year, once the spring production run is distributed, that's all there is until Fall. I ran into this same situation last summer when looking at 2000 AWD T&Cs. After the incentives and rebates have been in effect for awhile, there just isn't much selection left.
Is the dodge dealer coverage and Geico the same coverage?
Thanks for the help
Savings of over $2,200 between insurance and warranty
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0102.htm
I recommend any responsible father/mother to get rid of the vehicle asap.
Do not buy DG minivans before the problem is fixed. I am not talking about the fuel leakage. Look at the results! This is not acceptable in the 21st century!
The real world experience is far more valuable where ride, handling, and AVOIDANCE characteristics determine the severity. DC minivans drive and handle very well as indicated by the discount for SAFETY that USAA gives me on my vehicle insurance. It is much more important to AVOID an accident.
Surely DC should be learning from their experiences and not continue to suffer this embarrassment - look at the mediocre scores achieved by their full size cars (Intrepid, LHS, Concord, 300M) in last year's IIHS tests.
Last year a few months before after the '01 Chrysler minivan's launch at a dealer's convention, Chrylser did admit to the dealers that they had misjudged the very positive effect on sales that good crash test scores would have (they specifically referred to the Windstar and Ford's use of the crash test ratings in ads). As such, they did not design the new vans to have the best crash test ratings as they could've, and it was too expensive (and too late) at that point ot make any structural changes. They expected the vans to have good and okay crash scores in some areas (i.e. NHTSA tests), but not the best.
As far as the IIHS crash test goes, the Toyota Sienna is still slightly better than the Odyssey, even though both were rated "good". The Sienna was the only van to receive a "best pick" though.
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/summary_passvans.htm
Safe driving everyone,
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Certainly I'll press to have my MY2001 updated. After that we'll live with it, but I certainly feel DC should have done better following the performance of Toyota, Honda and Ford.
Require a Recall for the fuel tank - Submit a form today http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/hotline/
If Chrysler does not recall this part, no family or friend of mine will buy a Chrysler /Dodge product
What happened to the most safety at Chrysler?
From the above link, you will be able to see the detailed injury and cabin intrusion measures from the IIHS test and compare them to the other minivans. While this doesn't give the entire story, it does give you a good idea of why the IIHS assigned the ratings that it did.
Obviously as little cabin intrusion is best, and as low as possible injury indexes are the best. HIC is the Head Injury Counter; the IIHS can tell if the person would get a light concussion (Are there any light concussions? Probably not. All concussions are bad.) or a serious brain injury from the accident, if it was a real person instead of a dummy in the driver's seat.
Doesn't look like Chrysler will be recalling the vans because they think that the fuel leaks from the fuel pump/tank are not severe enough to warranty that.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Also worth noting that 2001 had the same crash worthiness of 2002 EXCEPT the fuel leak. A 2001 with the fuel leak fix should do as well as a 2002. Now just to beg for a recall. We should NOT have to beg for a recall for this type of defect. I know Chrysler says they crashed it 50 times and didn't have this happen. PROVE IT.
Silver with blue interior. Blue interior isnt that dark because headliner is still light gray. Blue does show the dust on the dash way more than tan but dirt on seat/carpet/mats is less obvious than the with tan. Choose where you want to see the dirt! Dont like the hard plastic that forms the center console and around the doors and the rear "trunk" area. This hard plastic scratches easily--but this is not limited to just T&Cs.
Had a 1988 GrandVoyager. 2001 visibility much worse out rear side windows as compared to the '88--due to higher seats/headrests and smaller rear side windows on '01.
Viewed chrysler web site and found part nbrs for hard splash guards and rear window wind deflector and had dealer order and install back in Feb-no problems as someone mentioned in earlier comment about splash guards. These all make big difference in less spray on doors and rear window.
When only 3 weeks old, took to carwash and when I returned home noticed lower left front bumper around fog lamps was all cracked. I suspect car wash attendant drove it incorrectly into the track (tow is on left,near where cracks were). This bumper is SO low-have avoided this wash since--anyone else notice this? Cost me $700 to repair.
Electric cooling fan for radiator is very noisy (low rumble) inside cabin-actually not that noisy if standing outside! Turns on alot when sitting in traffic. Dealer said many have complained about this-cant do anything. Have also noticed some sort of noise coming from center of roof (outside?)when going 55 or higher. Dealer said he heard causes were either rack is loose (not for me) or possibly because of the rear air deflector. Any comments? No problems with 3-zone auto temp control for a/c and heat.
What is this 2100 rpm noise in some of the discussions?
I had air bag light problem in March. Light off and on randomly. About that time D-C announced recall on 2000's for airbag clockspring problem. Never did one for 2001's that I know of. Took two trips to dealer to fix as I was one of first 2001s dealer dealt with on this--replaced some airbag connection wiring to clockspring first time then replaced clockspring second time.
Lastly, seems my console thermometer reads as much as 5 degrees too high (even when moving). Sensor too close to radiator? '88 was always very accurate. Anyone else notice this?
As it is I picked up a pair of flat molded figuring they'll due until Chrysler comes out w/ 'fat' molded ones made especially for the '01+ T&C [color matching?]. also a little cheaper, I was charged $33 plus tax, a bit more than you were and MSRP Mopar online is $26!
The there's the nagging thought about the latest IIHS test results.
Part of my buying decision was based on the NHTSA
results improving for the 01 models.
I also just called DC about the
The lower control arm pivot bolt [could fracture] recall since our car was manufactured in the month of the recall [Mar-Apr] and there's a big WHEW! does not apply to our car!
so all in all one nag gone and another in it's place.
DAnG!!!!
just hope our dealer has a knowledgeable and trained garage!
A car is only as good as the mechanic who may need to work on it.
GM station wagon horror story: 5 years later and moved 1800 miles [towed would not dare drive cross country! or sell] to get the 'death trap' finally fixed!
The President of DC in the United States:
Dieter Zetsche
Daimler Chrysler Corporation
Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2766
Phone Number: 248-576-5741.
LET'S FORCE A RECALL!!!