Paint Estimate - 2000 Concorde LXi Rear bumper

Car has 98500 miles, runs well, has a rear passanger door latch (motor) that needs replaced ($95 part), new tires ($500 prox), idle arm bushing needing replaced (already have the part. Replaced one in Fall. Minor issue.) and it needs brakes all around ($250 maybe?). Now I backed into a snow bank and scrapper the paint off the rear bumper necessitating a full bumper repaint. Have no idea how much that will cost. Can anyone give me a rough idea please?

I'm trying to determine where or not to make these repairs or $1000 to maybe $1400. Car runs well and ... despite what may appear otherwise... is well maintained. All these issues seemed to surface with the last two months. It's as though Chrysler built in obsolescence and component failure for 100,000 miles!

Reply to
jaygreg
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Maybe you meant control arm bushing?

Don't forget that you or the next buyer has to replace the water pump and timing belt (and tensioner pulley) within the next 5k miles ("has to" as in if you don't you stand better than a 75% chance of losing the engine when the valves and pistons say hello to each other for the first time.

I don't quite get your obsolescence comment - the timing belt is the only thing that fits in with that. The rest of the stuff is random stuff that would be with any car - well, except for backing into the snow drift and messing up the bumper - Chrysler *did* make you do *that* within a very few miles of that magic 100k mark! :)

I don't have a good feel for body/paint work. Besides, that is subject to local markets, so best would be for you do get some estimates from local shops.

Reply to
Bill Putney

Hi Bill. Thanks for the reply. Yes. I meant control arm bushing. Sorry. But I'm confused about reference to these belts. I took you reply and pulled out the factory manual (FM). It says replace the timing belt at 100K on "Federal Emissions equipped vehicles only." But there's no definition of that vehicle. Does that mean my 3.2 liter engine? I know it has an emission control system but is that the same as a "Federal Emissions equipped vehicle"?

A mechanic gave me a quote last Fall for replacing a "Serpentine belt and water pump" but according to the FM, that's not the "timing belt"; it's the "accessory drive belt"... which does need to be replaced too.

And about those door latches/locks. I have a brother who has a 2003 Intrepid that had the same problem. And I've run into a few other people who complained of the same repair. I remember examining that component when it was removed ; it had an American manufacturer's name stamped on it. Whether they made it here or off shore, they should be held to tighter quality control standards. There's good reason to suspect - from comments on forums and those I've heard and personally experienced now... twice - that there was a failure rate in excess of what should have been deemed "normal". When I was in industry and representing a manufacture of durable goods in the OEM industry, I had the customer come at my throat with knives... and engineers, accountants, and lawyers. We always cooperated with concessions so the customer could go back to the end user and compensate them. Their reputation was at stake. But them... so is Chysler's and I think we see where that has brought them today with this type of mentality. This brand name is "toxic".

Enough on that. I have to make a decision on this disappointing machine I own. Can you help define that "Federal Emission equipped vehicle". If that fits my 2000 Concorde LXi... that's another headache to add to the equation.

Reply to
jaygreg

Whether it is California or Federal emissions will be listed on the under-hood VECI label.

The difference between the two WRT timing belt replacement is strictly administrative (emissions warranty), I'd replace it at which ever is the shortest.

Reply to
aarcuda69062

I'm pretty sure that Federal Emissions equipped vehicle means any vehicle manufactured for sale in the U.S. Human laws aside, the laws of physics and statistics say to replace the belt at 100k.

If the quote said replace the serpentine belt and the water pump, then someone didn't know what they were doing or wrote 'serpentine' when they meant 'timing'. The timing belt *has* to be replaced. It's prudent to (as in 'foolish not to') replace the water pump at the same time as the timing belt because when you expend the considerable labor to get to one, you get to the other - and in fact water pumps do wear out - and certain failures of the water pump would have the same effect as the timing belt breaking: Serious damage to the engine, either from overheating or locking up and ripping the timing belt apart. Hence, at

100k, replace the water pump and t-belt - not one or the other - both.

Oh - no question. Those latches are a common failure item on the LH cars. But if that's the criteria for obsolescence of the car, then they often become obsolete long before 100k. :) My point was that there's nothing magical about the 100k mile mark for those sorts of things to start going bad. Pretty much all the things that you mentioned are random failures, whereas, ironically, the one item you left out (timing belt/water pump) *is* a 100k mile item.

Unfortunately that's the accepted level of quality and longevity in the industry for certain items. Quality may be the wrong word there - I would say it's the design standard that is the problem (to me, bad quality is that the materials, processes, and tolerances used in manufacturing violate those specified in the design).

The car manufactures all shop among the same component and subassembly manufacturers. I agree that it is disgusting that components in certain areas are no more durable than they are by design. Window lift motors and door latches are a problem for many auto manufacturers because they all use the same component/subassembly suppliers/manufacturers - same marginal designs and modular components tweaked to fit the particular vehicle. They could fix those problems (obsolescence if that's what you want to call it), but they lack the will. They would say that if they did that, the initial purchase price would be more, or the car would weigh 4 ozs. more, and would make them non-competitive. Maybe they need to revisit their philosophies, eh? As Dr. Phil would say "How's that working for you? What were yew thinking!?"

Make no mistake: You need to replace the timing belt on schedule. Many have ignored it and regretted it. See:

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(300M has the 3.5 engine which is exactly the same engine you have but with slightly larger bore)

Reply to
Bill Putney

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Dipstick

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