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SuperTrouper · 02-25-2014, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkottum

Bob, would you have some words of encouragement. He's already been beat up by some of his fellow Airstreamers, no need to put a stick in his eye.

If this is a problematic engine, Chrysler most surely needs to get it fixed, not try to worm out of it. Their future may be at stake on this engine if what we hear, here, is true.

If this was not a problematic engine, I suppose they could worm out of it and get away with it.

Everyone knows the problem is not a towing issue, it's an engine issue.

X2- Brad

Bob4x4 · 02-26-2014, 06:40 AM

Not poking any sticks. Just the facts-if the op had facts before he bought the 300 as a tow rig he would not be going through this now. Just because a shop in Canada recommends using small tv's not rated by the oems does not make it right.
I have towed all kinds of loads with big and small tvs. I have modified them all to do a better job. More times than not the rated rigs will be cheaper in the long run

xrvr · 02-26-2014, 06:52 AM

Again to repeat myself, it would be interesting to see the warranty record for this car before you bought it. Might tell you if the PO had work done on the same issue. Service dept. should be able to pull this no matter where the work was done. Maybe I am wrong? Jim

SteveH · 02-26-2014, 07:04 AM

"Chrysler hasn't issued a recall of its popular, most used engine—the Pentastar V-6 that powers its Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and other best-selling vehicles—but it has acknowledged that it is repairing some for malfunctioning cylinder heads. To compound the issue, Chrysler is also undergoing a shortage of supply parts including the replacement heads, and some customers are left with no choice but to leave their vehicles at dealerships for weeks. In the meantime, Chrysler is paying for rental cars for affected customers. According to a report in Automotive News, at least 1,300 cars were at dealerships waiting on replacement parts. Chrysler has begun manufacturing a newer, "more robust" cylinder head that is said to fix the issue, one on which Chrysler has released few details. The automaker says a small number of vehicles are affected, and a particular combination of a certain fuel and driving conditions causes the problem, without being more specific. Chrysler's senior vice president for quality, Doug Betts, said dealers have since been given the parts necessary and Chrysler now has additional supply parts on hand to resolve new issues. Betts adds that about half of one percent of Pentastar V-6 engines are affected."

Read more: Chrysler Fixing Pentastar V-6 Engines for Unusual Problem

I donno, they may have more of a problem than they are admitting to.

I recently waited two months for a recall to be done on my Ram 2500 truck for the replacement of the center steering link and tie rod ends that had a history of failing, and when they did, would potentially cause a crash. And, to get it done, I first had to get on a waiting list, and then call frequently and complain. (With this truck, I've gotten very good at that)

mstephens · 02-26-2014, 08:09 AM

I am back home today and will visit the dealer and talk to the SM about the whole thing and really see what is going on. What's being done, how long the wait will be, what the warranty will be, and if possible, what the warranty history has been on the car.

gmw photos · 02-26-2014, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob4x4

One more thing as I recall your trans cooler is not in the radiator but is in front of the radiator unless it is different than the hemi version

If this is the case, that is certainly good news, at least in this situation as it likely helped keep engine heat away from the trans.
Mark, thanks again for keeping us in the loop on this. As some others have noted, any time you come to an open forum like this, folks can sometimes pile on. I know you're not taking it personal though, and the whole thread sure can be considered a useful learning tool for others.

gmw photos · 02-26-2014, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zigzagguzzi

Again to repeat myself, it would be interesting to see the warranty record for this car before you bought it. Might tell you if the PO had work done on the same issue. Service dept. should be able to pull this no matter where the work was done. Maybe I am wrong? Jim

I've never done a carfax report, but won't that also show the history of warranty ( and possibly other ) repairs ?

SteveH · 02-26-2014, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmw photos

I've never done a carfax report, but won't that also show the history of warranty ( and possibly other ) repairs ?

Carfax is a joke, IMHO. Just because a dealer works on a vehicle, does not mean they have to report it to Carfax. It's a nice tool used to sell used cars and make money for Carfax.

When I bought my '12 Ram truck which was a program vehicle with 20,000 miles on it, I asked to see the Carfax, and they showed it to me. It showed only one oil and filter change in the 20,000 miles, so I asked why it had not been serviced more frequently, and was told that the rest was just not reported to Carfax.

gmw photos · 02-26-2014, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveH

Carfax is a joke, IMHO. Just because a dealer works on a vehicle, does not mean they have to report it to Carfax. It's a nice tool used to sell used cars and make money for Carfax.

When I bought my '12 Ram truck which was a program vehicle with 20,000 miles on it, I asked to see the Carfax, and they showed it to me. It showed only one oil and filter change in the 20,000 miles, so I asked why it had not been serviced more frequently, and was told that the rest was just not reported to Carfax.

Thanks for the comment on it Steve. I've wondered about carfax, but have not bought anything used in recent times, so I just don't have any experience with it.

mojo · 02-26-2014, 08:34 AM

I wouldn't put too much trust in Carfax. I signed up to pull a report on a car I was looking to buy. And just for kicks, I pulled a report for my car that I was planning to sell. It did not show all of the service records and had no record of the two body shop visits for damage repairs from accidents.

mstephens · 02-26-2014, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob4x4

Not poking any sticks. Just the facts-if the op had facts before he bought the 300 as a tow rig he would not be going through this now. Just because a shop in Canada recommends using small tv's not rated by the oems does not make it right.
I have towed all kinds of loads with big and small tvs. I have modified them all to do a better job. More times than not the rated rigs will be cheaper in the long run

Bob,
Just to be clear, this particular car had the faulty heads that Chrysler has been fixing. This issue wasn't caused by my two short tows. It was part of the vehicle I bought and would have failed anyway.

Now it is true, that if I had done my homework on the V6 Pentastar head issues, I would have bought the Hemi version of this car. That's on me, for sure. As for the C 300 being a tow car, that's a separate idea all together. I totally understand the argument of "manufacturer's ratings." That's neither complicated or controversial. You read the spec sheet and buy the one indicated therein. My preference was to go with actual road experience instead. And on the road, these cars do very well as all the real data shows.

I don't resent anyone for "going by the book" and following the instructions given my manufacturers. That's a perfectly understandable choice. Others take a chance, and based on careful evaluations, try other things not recommended by manufacturers. If they fail, it goes no further. But if they succeed, something new has been created. It's one of the forms of innovation. Hot rodders have been doing this for generations. Computer hackers have been doing it since the PC was invented.

I think I've said many times that I understand the risk, and that if it fails to work out, I have no one to blame but myself. I am not blindly following CanAm's advice. I read it all, looked at all the information, looked at the car, and made the decision it was worth the risk. No one twisted my arm. For me, the benefits of having a comfortable sedan TV instead of a big pick up truck are so great that the risk was worth it. Do you know anything about my circumstances? Or, the reasons for my choice? Or the benefits I think I will get?

All I am saying is that I already know all those risks and I accepted them to gain the benefits.

My wife and I do not want to drive around in a pick up truck. That has zero appeal. I can't climb around in the back bed of a pick up truck. That's out of the question for me. I don't want to have, nor can I afford, a special vehicle just for towing the trailer. New SUVs with the capability of PUTs are more expensive than we want to pay. I want a vehicle that gets better non-towing gas mileage. For all these reasons, the C-300 is the perfect answer. It solves all those problems IF it can tow. And, the CanAm people appear to have answered that question with many successful cases of the use of the 300 as a TV. For me then, it was the "right" choice. I am not telling others they should do it, nor I am telling others they shouldn't choose a PUT.

I value ALL the opinions offered about this. And I read each one carefully.

mstephens · 02-26-2014, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmw photos

If this is the case, that is certainly good news, at least in this situation as it likely helped keep engine heat away from the trans.
Mark, thanks again for keeping us in the loop on this. As some others have noted, any time you come to an open forum like this, folks can sometimes pile on. I know you're not taking it personal though, and the whole thread sure can be considered a useful learning tool for others.

I have a very, VERY thick skin. I am not bothered by any comments made. I did want to to be clear about the facts though. No worries guys, I can take any form of piling on. I know it isn't personal. It's just how forums work. No harm assumed here!

crispyboy · 02-26-2014, 09:47 AM

Mstephens,
even if the dealer just replaced the cylinder heads I would give the car another shot. It seems that beside the overheat issue you really liked this vehicle.
If they only replace the cylinder heads then watch the oil consumption. This can be a tell tale sign that other damage may have been done internally. If everything seems normal then run the heck out it!
I have been around numerous older cars, pickup trucks and tractors that have overheated in the past. The key was not let it get too hot for too long. When your car shut down hopefully it was due to the computer fail/safe mode and not the motor at a point it just couldn't operate anymore.
This is one of those situations where you have to stand back an take a deep breath before you make any major moves.

xrvr · 02-26-2014, 12:11 PM

Might be time to trust the dealer and give it another try. All work is now documented and hopefully warranted. Car fax may not be the best but sometimes it can help. Good luck, the 300s are good vehicles in general, if I were not such a truck nut it would be my choice. Jim

mstephens · 02-26-2014, 12:56 PM

Just got back from a long tussle at the dealer. It ended up in the dealership's General Manager office with the service manager being handed his arse, and me having the direct line number to the GM.

Long story short, my car got put aside because they only have 2 techs qualified to rebuild engines. My heads ARE going to be replaced at a minimum, and by Friday they will have an answer on the block. It turns out that the procedure is this:
-Pull heads (they will be replaced)
-Measure a bunch of parameters on the block
-Send all block data to Chrysler STAR. They will decide if new block or not
-Repair accordingly - either put new heads on the old block, or put in a new block.
-no effect on warranty. My 3/36 will end when it ends, and the 5/100000 will be in effect to cover the new engine/heads
-"Can not access previous warranty records," Which I took to mean, we don't want to do that.

Earliest completion is Tuesday. If it needs an engine, add 14 days.

The runaround and total BS I got from the service manager before getting to the GM was just unbelievable. I won't bother with those details.

So, that's it for now.

**DKB_SATX** · 02-26-2014, 01:28 PM

Re: those "previous warranty records"... See if you can contact a regional rep for Chrysler about that. You should also be able to find out what dealership initially sold the car and ask them about previous warranty records. My guess is the dealership doesn't want to admit that they had access to information about prior problems when they sold the used car.

It sounds like they're moving in the right direction now, at least, even if they needed a push.

**GCinSC2** · 02-26-2014, 01:32 PM

Sounds like progress and a hotline connection to the GM, that can be pretty important.

Good luck and hopefully a swift satisfactory solution.

newroswell · 02-26-2014, 01:41 PM

There may be other ways to see if it was a lemon law buy back also. If it is, it sounds like the dealer is in violation of DMV requirements to notify you.

Lemon Law Buyback Vehicles FFVR 17

kscherzi · 02-26-2014, 02:23 PM

I had a 1989 Chrysler Grand Caravan that I bought new and used to tow my popup all over the western US. Went through 2 transmissions and 30K into the third one before selling the vehicle at about 100k and shortly after the warranty expired. The transmissions seems to have a life of about 35k. Chrysler honored the warranty replacement every time. Other than the transmission issue we really liked the van.

I suggest keeping the car for at least another 20K to 30K and see how things go. Sounds like the problem is pretty well focused to the heads, and since those will now be fixed you're out of the woods (for a while at least).

**DKB_SATX** · 02-26-2014, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kscherzi

I had a 1989 Chrysler Grand Caravan that I bought new and used to tow my popup all over the western US. Went through 2 transmissions and 30K into the third one before selling the vehicle at about 100k and shortly after the warranty expired. The transmissions seems to have a life of about 35k. Chrysler honored the warranty replacement every time. Other than the transmission issue we really liked the van.

I suggest keeping the car for at least another 20K to 30K and see how things go. Sounds like the problem is pretty well focused to the heads, and since those will now be fixed you're out of the woods (for a while at least).

A side note, before comments on whether that '89 transmission was designed to tow... lots of people who never towed anything chewed through a transmission or two on that vintage of Caravan/T&C. Lots of AC compressors too, as I recall.