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The local dealer here said the noise is "normal" and that he had to really STRAIN to hear the noise. I'm thinking he must have been deaf...
--rolfe.
Please let us know who it is so we can refer our own service guys to him as needed.
When I negotiated for the van, there was an exactly similar Lxi AWD on the lot and since my friend needed one, we bought two at once. He also notes the resonance at 2100.
I will say that in fact the van otherwise is superb, and the drive and features continue to amaze me.
By the way, the owners manual mentions a "scan" on the radio (we have the 4 cd changer) but I just don't see one. Can anyone help?
Andy
Andy, to scan the CD hit the seek button, if I recall it is to the left of the radio/cd readout.
After four weeks, we are still learning many of the facets of this full featured and fairly complex vehicle. As an information systems guy, I usually shy away from admitting this, but reading the manual helps. We also learned a few tricks from the video such as that the power door control system learns the incline and decline of hills and then adjusts the speed of door closing accordingly. Very slick.
So far, this is about the most impressive vehicle I have ever driven, let alone own. Only nit (besides the 2100 rpm noise issue) is the obnoxious beeping of the rear hatch when it is remotely opening.
To ease my conscience a little, I've removed one rear captains chair and the rear split bench seats. Just trying to get to the 17 mpg (city) mark...
As for gas mileage I have a 2K1 LXi FWD with 6500 miles and according to the trip computer i am averaging 18.5 on the highway and 16.1 around town. this is up from when it was new mileage was 16 hwy and 13 cty.
Actually, I'm trying to find the button to scan the tuner to find radio stations. The manual shows a scan button, but it is not on my radio.
The seek button is present and accounted for.
Mileage:
2001 LXI AWD with beefy Nokian Hakkapalita Q snow tires: 16.4, 18.1, 20.1 (hwy). On 4th tank now...
Andy
Expedition has 111 cu feet cargo
Town and Country awd has 167 cu feet cargo
Expedition 18 mpg
AWD Van 22 mgp
Expedition: rollover potential
Price: similar
Andy
I think SUVs are also in the shop generically too, though the reputation of the Chrysler transmissions lives on. Our gamble is that with this new model, those problems will be less frequent.
We considered Expeditions, Suburbans, Tahoes, the new Sequoia etc. All were really nice vehicles, but anything we liked reached $45-50,000--a bit out of our range.
Secondly, getting to that third row in most SUVs is much harder than just about all minivans. Our needs focused on grandparents being able to do that. The step up with a minivan from the street is a bit easier too. Same for younger kids and toddlers who insist on doing everything themselves.
The interior space is also more configurable with a minivan. And they are just easier to maneuver in traffic compared with a Suburban or Sequoia. They may be safer too-- stay tuned another month or two to see how the new T&C fares in the gov't crash tests.
We have a small SUV and enjoy that a lot, but a minivan is better on long trips because the better ones handle and feel like high quality sedans. At least with our T&C AWD, the snow handling (including icy roads) is just as good as the part-time 4wd system on the SUV. That was a pleasant suprise.
Of course an SUV is more macho and intimidating, but I don't know how important that is to adults however.
The system has been another mess. Are they fixed? Even though I have VIP plan, I think I am going to pay sticker for a Honda With the problems I have had with my Caravan, I am guy shy...
Thanks for any thoughts.
PS: I got rid of a Honda Accord for the T&C. The T&C is soooooo much smoother.
Geoduck - any problems in your t&c AWD ltd like the ones described above at vibrations or whining noises at certain speed or RPMs? You seem to be in a similar place as far as what you looked at before buying. Ford trucks are noisy and trucky, thought the Navigator was had noisy trucky drive, my leg was getting tired from braking on the test drive - third seat unsafe/unusable, despite the luxurious appointments. I owned a 95 jgc ltd and now 99 rx300, happy with but need more size. Price for me is not an issue but LX470/TLC have no trunk space with 3rd seat in, drive great but I need more room. Veering towards Sequoia - it has more space in the back with the 3rd seats - plus I only need 1/2 of that 3rd seat in right now for my son, also it drove well. Then I also think the Yuk Denali xl would be better with all that trunk room but wary of GM and have not driven this car. I cannot deal with going to the shop to fix my car or noise problems - I have infant and 4yr old. Need to have a car without problems. Really like all the amenities described in the brochure, have not driven it yet but glad they are upping the horses (from 180 to 210 to what 235?) as I like to move. Any comments?
The Limited bench is far more comfy for three people, but it is twice the weight (total about 120 lbs). We preferred the flexibility offered by the split bench (especially freeing up space for toddlers to run around or to change diapers) . The lower weight also let my wife somewhat easily yank out the bench half by herself. The dealer told me that this was a common criticism of the Limited.
Otherwise, the Limited has suede leather, shiny wheel covers, and a few minor amenities.
Both are great vehicles.
I plan on having this vehicle for 5 years, so I want the most current technology available so it is easier to sell in 5 years. Plus we travel a lot with kids, so both items are desired.
Have fun and look good in life BUY A SUV>>>>
I remember seeing those options for my van when I used the site to construct it.
Hope this helps.
-Brian
So far very satisfied with the car. Fit and finish are better than on the 96 T&C. Car is quicker than the 96. We looked at the '01 T&C,
went with the Dodge because she liked the body
better. Dodge has a somewhat sportier appearance. Got the Dodge fully loaded; power doors,
liftgate, heated seats, leather, the works. Only thing missing/not available were memory driver's
seat, as far as I can tell.
As to fwd vs. awd, couple of weeks ago we were on the NJ Tpk in a major snowstorm. Car handled perfectly in very poor driving conditions. I cannot imagine what awd would have added to the equation.
We had probs with brakes and transmission with the 96. Sure hope Chrysler has their act better together with the 2001, but of course time will tell.
Edmunds has a few of the latter sites. Enter in your requirements and they will let you know the differences; it can be tiresome reading all the fine print.
Nope, the LXi didn't have autodimming mirrors and I don't believe our seats have memory, but I am not sure. That over-the-top stuff wasn't all that important to us anyway.
Let us know about your decision.
We just leased the LXi yesterday morning... the optional Video system is very expensive as an option. You can from what I understand get one after market installed for a much better price. As far as getting better resale for your vehicle after 5 years..ha,a,ha...I love my vehicle and it is the first minivan or American made vehicle I have ever owned (only one day so far)... but they are typically known for terrible resale even after 3 years. Also, if you have young kids, which you probably do since you are getting a van, if the television is always available to them, I heard from people that have one permanently installed that it could be a negative thing too. One more thing to consider;some of these systems only play videos while some you can also watch television (no cable though..ha,ha again). A couple of places you can check out for aftermarket van products are JCWHITNEY.COM or a place STYLINCONCEPTS.COM . By the way, so far we love the LXi. We leased it for 39 months w/ 15K miles/annually...came out of pocket total of $1000 including first mo, tax, tag...we got the 29-U package (which I highly recommend, the 3.8L engine, power rear liftgate, and a 4 disc indash CD changer)..list price was $33,160 and we are paying $490/mo + tax...I am in Florida and every other dealer for the exact same vehicle wanted anywhere from $418 to $468...before the end of Dec, we could have leased the exact same vehicle for $25 less a month, but residuals went down quite a bit after the new year. We got Bright Silver w/ Navy Blue leather...It looks GREAT!!! You should also look into leasing the vehicle...shop a few dealers as the price can vary quite a bit depending on which dealer you go to and what incentives they are willing to offer...by the way, they also have dealer cash right now going on (which I am sure the dealer would not voluntarily tell you about..from $300-$1000 they get if they hit certain sales volume levels...ask your dealer to dip into this money if he wants to earn your business...anyway, whichever you do, good luck on your future purchase!
Just purchased a 2001 T & C Ltd yesterday. Great car!! Patriot blue, x Package, trailer tow group, Preimum leather, quad bucket w/child seat and 4 disc cd changer. Only thing I didn't get was the Navy blue interior that I wanted but for $4500 off the MSRP plus the $1000 rebate ($30590) I don't mind do a little cleaning. I even bought the running boards at invoice price but will need to do installed it myself (save $400 on prof. installation).
Thanks for the clarification, but I actually meant auto ON headlamps. I believe all except the cheapest minivans come with auto off headlamps nowadays.
Drew
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It was caused by the full sized spare tire pressing against the exhaust pipe!
It sounds to me like there is a natural frequency of the system at about 2100, but this spare tire thing amplified it greatly. The resonance is now down to a dull roar (sorry). I'm delighted.
As far as whether this is unique to AWDs or not, it may actually be related to whether you have a full sized spare, and then to whether it is centered properly. (I'm not certain whether you can buy an AWD without the full sized spare, since it seems to me that it might might confuse the AWD system if one wheel was rotating faster than the others.)
In an earlier post, I mentioned that a service rep said that he'd seen some kind of bulletin on this problem. I'm sorry to report that he cannot come up with it, and now is not sure what vehicle it referred to.
So, I'm happy -- and hope this helps someone else.
--rolfe.
Without actually looking, I assume properly centering the spare means, among other things, removing its contact with the exhaust system.
Thanks for the good work! You have saved many of us lots of hassle.
Rolfe still says the resonance is there; it is now probably at the level that we all have it.
Mine is not that loud, just noticeable, mostly a 2100 hum and a vibration which can be felt through the accelerator pedal. I will check my full size spare but I doubt if it will solve my or anybody elses "low level" low frequency noise problem!
Andy
-Larry
With twins on the way, needed something more "user friendly" than the Tahoe. Looked at the Honda, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota and Oldsmobile. The Chrysler/Dodge twins are hard to beat. At first I lobbied for the Honda, reliability, resale and build quality at the top of my lists. After a good look at the Honda, I was disappointed. Average interior materials, poorly operating power doors, somewhat noisy engine, but I did love the "magic seat". The Ford did not impress at all. Cramped feeling inside, bulky looking outside and expensive. The Dodge and Chrysler's were an obvious choice, but which one. Grand Caravan AS had the 17" wheels, touring suspension, spottier appearance, came pretty much loaded. I&I LXi's were less expensive but harder to find equipped my way (3.8L, tow pkg., touring suspension). Limited's seemed expensive for the suede/leather combo, painted roof rack and memory driver seat.
Fortunately, Carmax is a Chrysler dealer in Atlanta and after X-mas, had prices posted on their T&C's that, before the 1000 rebate were still about $500 less than invoice. Apparently there were some dealer incentives as well.
My wife decided she liked the Dodge's appearance better, wanted Silver with Navy Blue leather. Peachtree Dodge had one, I offered the comparable Carmax Chrylser price and drove out than night. MSRP was $35,250 (every ES option but roof rack and block heater). With the dealer retaining the rebate, I paid $30,150 plus tax and title. I felt good about the deal.
After one week, both my wife and I are impressed. An earlier post referred to these vehicles as the most refined Chrysler products. I'd have to agree. Everything, from the turn signal stalk to the HVAC controls feels almost Lexus like. Why GM can't figure this out is beyond me. The 3.8L is quiet and smooth and feels adequate for the vehicle's mission. Most impressive is the handling. The $95 touring suspension is well worth the money. Very controlled at higher speeds and with minimal body roll in turns, it truly feels like a well suspended sedan. So far, everything works as it should, there are no rattles, squeaks or vibrations and the general fit and finish seems to be at a high level.
I'd encourage anyone in the market for a van to take a good look at the Chrysler product. Time will tell it's overall worth but early on, it is quite impressive.
The only damage that will occur by using high octane fuel will be to your wallet. But one advantage of using high octane fuel is the slight increase in performance you may notice due to the decreased weight of your wallet.
I believe the cargo organizer is brand new for the 2001 models.