I've just joined the ranks of PT Cruiser owners

[Aurock]

Hello everyone. I just bought a used PT Cruiser this week, and am glad to find a good resource for discussing it.

Mine is a 2002 Touring Edition, with 35k miles on it. I paid just under 5k for it. It's in pretty good shape, except for scrape/scuffs along the front right bumper and headlight area, where it was apparently run up against some kind of immoveable object. There are also a few scratches in the paint, it doesn't look to be down to metal, but a whiteish primer. Unfortunately, the small scratched areas show up in sharp contrast to the dark blue paint.

Also, I did have a mechanic look the car over before buying, and he pointed out the cv joint had been leaking and tried to seal it, but not well, and a problem with the boot at the right front wheel. I'm going to go ahead and have the right front axle replaced just to get it out of the way and avoid the problem getting worse. Other than that, it got a clean bill of health.

I guess I've got a couple of questions to start off with at this point, I'm sure someone here will have good answers for me. Here we go...

1) I noticed the other day when I walked out to the car on a cold wet morning that there was moisture on the inside of one of the headlights. It could have been rainwater that seeped in, but it really looked more like condensation on the inside of the lens to me. I'm assuming this shouldn't happen. Is there a seal of some kind that can be replaced, or would the whole headlight assembly have to be replaced to correct this?

2) The shelf inside the rear lift gate is missing. I asked the previous owner about it, and he said he doesn't think he ever had it. (He was 2nd owner). I'd like to get it replaced, but it's not worth spending a fortune on. I'm planning on stopping by a junkyard to see if I can grab one, but is there another source where I could possibly order one at a reasonable cost if that doesn't pan out?

3) The storage drawer under the passenger seat was missing, but the previous owner just gave it to me. I had noticed quite a rattle that seemed to be coming from the passenger seat area, and suspect that it may have been because the drawer was missing. I just put it back in place tonight, and haven't driven it yet. The drawer seems to be made of simple molded plastic, with no metal rails or rollers, and it just slides into a slot under the seat. Is that the norm? Having looked closer at it, I'm not sure if putting the drawer in would actually make a difference in that rattle or not, since there don't seem to be any moving parts with the drawer.

4) In general, is there any advice on things I should do to/for the cruiser, or look out for with it? Is there any 'required reading' for a new pt cruiser owner? I've not been much of a car enthusiast in the past, but then the cruiser doesn't seem like just any car. . .

Thanks!
Aurock

[Hooligan]

Aurock, welcome to the Forun!!

Depending on the model of the car (basic, Touring Limited, GT) you may not have had a shelf. Some headlamps will have condensation if the seal or cover itself has a small crack. You mentioned that the front right bumper and headlamp area was scraped, but you didn't say which headlamp had the condensation, could it be the right lamp also?

[Aurock]

Originally Posted by Hooligan

Depending on the model of the car (basic, Touring Limited, GT) you may not have had a shelf. <snip> but you didn't say which headlamp had the condensation, could it be the right lamp also?

It's a Touring. It does have all of the spots to hold a shelf in the back, and the owner's manual described the shelf, so I assumed it was supposed to be there. Even if it didn't come with it, I still would like to get one.

Yes, it is the right headlight that had condensation in it. The scrape on the headlight is fairly minor, there's some yellow paint transfer, but only a bit, most of the scrape marks are lower on the bumper and under bumper. I don't think the scrapes on the headlight are deep enough to have cracked all the way through, but I suppose it could be enough that the seal was damaged. . .

[CREWZIN]

Aurock, Welcome to the forum.

I think the Touring Edition did have a rear shelf and I've noticed that a few owners of used PT's said there's were missing also. Don't know what happens to them. A salvage yard would probably be the best place to look and I've also seen them on eBay. I could give you a link of a place that sells custom wooden ones but yo mentioned "reasonable cost" and the wood ones are as expensive as the dealers price.

The passenger seat drawer is, like you said, just a molded piece, an as Hooligan said not all models came with them. I have a Limited Edition and I still had to buy one after-market. Yes, they just slide in, no extra brackets to hold it.

Keep an eye out for rough idle. At your mileage, the original plugs and ignition wires, if they weren't already replaced, have short lives and one of the first signs of going bad will be the rough idle.

Good luck with your PT.

[Aurock]

Originally Posted by CREWZIN

I've noticed that a few owners of used PT's said there's were missing also. Don't know what happens to them.

I suspect a previous owner probably just pulled it out to make extra room for a trip or such, put it in a corner of the garage and forgot to put it back in... someday they'll stumble across it, but long after the car has been sold.

[ucantcme]

Welcome to the forums!

All the help you could possibly want under one URL....Good stuff here!

[NuYork]

Welcome to the forum. I have found it very resourceful and its great to know that there are so many of us who take pleasure in such a hobby. Keep Cruzin!!

[CREWZIN]

NuYork,

Check out the Classifieds: For Sale Section

[loxmith]

Welcome...

[CruiserChris]

Welcome to the site and happy cruising!