Stage 1 Emission Test and Warranty Concern

[SteelBlueGT]

I would think keeping clean and cool fluid in the tranny will increase its life quite a bit.

[AA PT]

quote:Originally posted by rszappa1

Why would you want to put the stage 1 on a car with an automatic???? You are putting that extra power in a tranny that already cant handle what it has and has a bad track record for failure. Now you can say that you will be O.K. if you dont race and drive normally....But then what is the point to install stage one if you are going to drive it no different than you do now. The Auto Tranny has been a problem for Chrysler for many years...

To answer you first question...So I can blow off the rice burners with a chesseburger in one hand and cell phone in the other.

I went to the Chrysler dealer a few weeks ago to get a 2006 GT but I don't like the new dash, at 6'4" the electric seats don't go back far enough, I don't like the wheels and spoiler and I don't like the new colors, so...

My 2003 GT Turbo has 109,000 miles on it as of tomorrow and it'll still smoke the tires for 100+ feet. I was one of the first to put a stage one kit on and I drive my litle blue GT about as hard as you can without getting killed in the process. I am also a maintenance freak. I have replaced (at my option) the timimg belt, all hoses and belt, water pump (same time as the timing belt since it was off the engine anyway), seviced the trans and replaced tires and brakes several times. The tranny fluid was inspected and found to contain no abnormal "stuff" (metal or clutch material) or smells (burnt).

Now I hope I haven't jinxed myself or my car here, but I plan on keeping it until the odometer rolls over 200K miles. By that time the new Hemi Challenger will be out and I'll go get one of those...keeping in mind that I may just prep the GT for another 100K mile run beyond the 200K it'll have on it.

Just to add to the dilution of the tranny failure "theory" I have been towing my Harley on a trailer behind my GT as well as a Yamaha FX140 Waverunner. One thing for sure....with about 200+ tongue weight on the Mopar hitch you can smoke the front tires all the way up a freeway onramp without any problems at all. You should see the looks on the faces of the people you are merging in front of!

I just bought a Freightliner Toterhome for my race operation that has a 500 HP Detroit and a 12 speed Freedom transmission. Now that's a sweet automatic.

RG

[rszappa1]

You probably did...You seem to be the exception not the rule...You dont buy a PT if you want to keep it for 150 plus miles...It is not like a Honda or a Toyota...Nothing fancy put they just keep on going and going with very little problems...

[AA PT]

quote:Originally posted by rszappa1

You probably did...You seem to be the exception not the rule...You dont buy a PT if you want to keep it for 150 plus miles...It is not like a Honda or a Toyota...Nothing fancy put they just keep on going and going with very little problems...

Frank (Zappa):

I'm sure you mean no harm here, and I haven't thumbed through all 300+ posts you've made...but I get a sense that you just plain ol' don't like the PT. It's almost like we have a cheerleader here rooting for the failure of our sweet little muscle cars.

First, according to you, the GT's automatic trannys suck and at 80,000 miles we'll be asking the next paper boy who happens to pass by for his cell phone so we can call a tow truck at 80,001. Then people with a positive experience mention their supposed good fortune and the bottom line from you is something to the effect of "Well, you're just the lucky one."

I mention my trouble-free nearly 110,000 mile experience in spite of my aggresive driving style (plus towing trailers) and plans on taking it to 200K and now you've predicted the PT GT will be toast at 150K because it's not a Honda or Toyota.

Now, my own personal opinion is, I'd rather drive one mile in my PT GT than 200,000 miles in a Honda or Toyota, but that's just me and that's besides the point.

So, I would have to guess that whenever you take a ride in your PT GT (if you have one) your lack of confidence in the little car makes it necessary for you to have a fully charged cell phone in hand. You keep one finger ready to hit speed dial to summon that fleet of tow trucks you have on standby for the inevitable break down you are most certain will occur.

Well, lunch is ready and I must go. I'll keep you posted on the many break downs as they occur. But don't hold your breath. I'm the lucky one, remember?

Good luck.

[rszappa1]

[}]at this point you are...but dont step on any cracks.....I do own a 2004 pt cruiser touring edition along with a 2003 honda civic....the PT I bought because it is fun to drive and in about three years I will get rid of it and get something else...The honda I bought for a troble free and long lasting car....There must be a reason why just aboyt 99 percent of the used cars that Cinsumer Reports reccomend...I said used cars...are from Honda...Toyota and nissian...The ones they dont reccomend are mostly American Ones...That is the fact...check it out for yourself....

[AA PT]

Frank:

Just so you know...I used to work for Chrysler's NuCarPrep in So Cal back in the good ol' days (late 1970's). We would take delivery of the new cars off the trains and service them before they were sent to the dealerships. The cars were so bad from the factory that the dealerships contracted us to "intercept" and fix the new cars before they ever saw them. Interesting fact was that 3/4 of the cars in the employee parking lot were everything EXCEPT Chrysler products. I swore I would never own one, as did many of my fellow employees. Based on all of this, I did not take the purchase of a PT lightly.

Fast foward to now. When I purchased the PT, several of my old buddies were shocked. But a little research goes a long ways. The fit and finish, quality, etc. of the DC cars today in my opinion is as good as it gets. My next new car (if they decide to make it) will be the new Hemi Challenger. All this from a die hard GM guy, who's owned several Nissan's, too.

My first PT was a 2001, inferno red, Limited Edition. At slightly more than 27,000 miles I was stopped to make a right turn. Without any warning I was rear ended by a driver who told the police he was going 50 miles per hour (residential street) and they even gave him a ticket for it since he admitted it. The PT gave it's life for me as I emerged and survived a little sore over the ordeal, but basically unhurt. One day later I replaced it with another PT.

All of this to say: My experience with the PT and Chrysler in general is all first hand. My pals that own PT's along with me are having a good experience. Now you may choose to read crap from magazines that generally throw every US automaker in the can year after year. And rightly so because many of these writers are my age and remember the good ol' days I stated in paragraph one above where the fat cat US automakers figured everyone would buy their mass produced feces. But, as an individual who prefers to think for himself, I would put most any of the US produced vehicles of today up against any foreign counterpart...any day. Even if they did choose to assemble the PT south of the border.

Did you notice Mitsubishi is looking to get out of the US market because of declining sales? That says a lot about the US buyers. I think confidence in buying US products is very strong andgetting stronger. And the recent surge in interest toward American muscle cars of 30 years ago is going to help because it creates a strong retro market.

Like I said, I'll keep you posted on the miles and any issues. I don't think the cracks in the sidewalk will have anything to do with it.

I'd suggest you trade the n/a PT you have in for a GT. Then you'd understand where the person who originaly asked about the Stage One kit in an automatic GT Turbo was coming from. Totaly different animal, PT vs. GT. Surprises me you even comment on the GT board when you don't even own one.

RG

[rszappa1]

Fit and finish is great as you say...But what I am talking about is 4 to 7 years down the road...Look at some of the forums with people that own 2001 2002 and 2003 and look at the parts they are already replacing....In the intiail quality they are as good as any...in the long haul they are not....

[rszappa1]

Another item is I always purchase an extended warranty from the dealer on the chrysler cars I purchased in the past....such as a 1987 lebaron turbo...1989 plymouth acclaim turbo and a 1999 dodge grand caravan and my current 2004 pr. they have saved me from proplems...Now on the Honda's I dont even worry about this...very little problems down the road as long as you do the required service...I have donr the required service and more on the other cars and still had problems...I.E. Head Gasket on the Lebaron and the Acclaim along with the Auto Tranny in the Acclaim....Tranny in the caravan at only 80,000...gone....This does not keep me from buying a chryler product...they are actually better now then they were...but I always get the Extented Warranty on them to be safe....

[AA PT]

Frank

Neither of my PT's ever west back for a waranty item, so buying an extended warranty would have been money in the warranty program's pocket. I got the 70,000 mile warranty from the factory and never exercised it.

At 109,000 miles it use no oil, makes no noises, and runs like new. What else can I say.

RG

[rszappa1]

[:I]Awhole lot of other people that are not in your shoes....