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!

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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:
http://300mclub.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17498&start=0
(300M has the 3.5 engine which is exactly the same engine you have but
with slightly larger bore)

 

Musta been a heck of a snow bank to take paint with it. Rarely does a
bumper need a full repaint. If you have an air compressor and a touch-
up gun, you should be able to make it look new for 50 bucks or so. If
you're gonna pay to have it done, expect 4-5 hundred...which would be
much better spent on an air compressor, a touchup gun, and some
practice.