Lifetime Warranty Chargers

[Ghoste]

I didn't talk about how many were converted, I said how many were sold.  The fact is there were 30,257 318 Chargers in 69, just over 17,000 383 TWO barrels, and about the same number for 383 four barrels, and finally just over 18,000 440 cars.  We all know the Hemi sold the least.  The FACT remains that the 318 cubic inch outsold the other engine options.  You can try and lump all the big blocks together or even all of the 383's together if you want but my point still remains the same.  The family car engine was outselling the muscle engines.  And the 383 TWO barrel wasn't being purchase by too many weekend warriors.

[DodgeByDave]

Yeap, less than half = outsold. gothcha. Have a nice night.

[Ghoste]

Gotcha how?  Are you trying to tell me the 318 sold less than any other engine option?  Fact is fact, there were fewer people bought the 69 as a muscle car than there were bought them as family transportation.  I know I've committed a sacrilege by exposing the truth there but it can't be denied.
Oh, and you have a nice night too. 

[jaak]

I found out the lifetime provision I bought wasn't worth squat, was prorated to the point of pain and had more exclusions than Barry O'bummer's political record. they offered to replace it for 1200 under warranty (ack, it was explained that was about "half price").

I found that out too, and havent bought a (New) Chrysler vehicle since. There are alot of loop holes and exclusions in the policies. The car I had, the check engine light came on....found out it was a open circuit in the EGR valve circuit, so I got charged labor (per actual hour) it took to find the problem and labor to repair the problem. Can't remember now who much the bill was, but I shit a brick. I came in with my warranty papers, showing that it said "all wiring harnesses are covered". When I showed that to them, they said all wiring harnesses where covered, but we didn't replace your harness, just repaired you exsisting wiring. WTF? Anyways got on the phone with Chrysler and after bitching to them, they did offer a partial refund (less than half). I told 'em to f*ck off, I'd never buy another new vehicle from them again, and I haven't. About a year later I wrecked my Dakota, so when I bought a replacement, I bought an S10.



Jason

[Charger´69]

That new "Charger" should have been looked something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMdA9peQBA

[Old Moparz]

When I saw the ad campaign for lifetime warranties, I assumed it was simply a sales gimmick. There's no way any company can honor that set up without using loopholes that were written into the contract by lawyers at Chrysler. It probably has a maintenance program that is hard to keep up with, as well as forcing you to pay for all repairs outside of the warranty, just to keep the warranty valid. (they can't lose) It's the same reason I never buy extended warranties for anything. I bet in most cases of whatever product you buy, the original warranty that covers "everything" is all that is legally binding.

[Back N Black]

That new "Charger" should have been looked something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMdA9peQBA

]

It looks as aerodynamic as a brick.

[Charger´69]

That new "Charger" should have been looked something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMdA9peQBA

]

It looks as aerodynamic as a brick.

That´s true, like almost any other new car too  

Thank god we have still all these good old ones  

[DrHemi]

]

It looks as aerodynamic as a brick.
[/quote]

I seem to recall some modifications having to be done to the originals to make them more slippery. The new "Charger" is a Coronet.

[TCB09RT]

Nostalgia is a delicate thing, as are those old Chargers.
An old school Charger just doesn't work in my scheme of things.
They're great for trailering around and shining up at the car shows and talking about the old days when they used to tear it up...
That stuff is great, but I've still got some living to do...
I need a driving machine that can take my driving style without breaking, is intended for aggressive balls out maneuvers and has enough nanny tech to get me home alive and unparalyzed to my family.
The modern Charger does that and more.
To me the Charger mentality has always been to blast off the line and take any shi**er hard to hole, leaving them with a grill full of 'Right Lane Ends' sign.
That's the space I'm in, that's what my Charger enables me to do.

[jb666]

Nostalgia is a delicate thing, as are those old Chargers.
An old school Charger just doesn't work in my scheme of things.
They're great for trailering around and shining up at the car shows and talking about the old days when they used to tear it up...
That stuff is great, but I've still got some living to do...
I need a driving machine that can take my driving style without breaking, is intended for aggressive balls out maneuvers and has enough nanny tech to get me home alive and unparalyzed to my family.
The modern Charger does that and more.
To me the Charger mentality has always been to blast off the line and take any shi**er hard to hole, leaving them with a grill full of 'Right Lane Ends' sign.
That's the space I'm in, that's what my Charger enables me to do.

When I bought my Impala SS new back in '96 I remember saying the same thing, not realizing there were loads of daily driven stock/street cars that would blow me out of the water.. Luckily one of the GM techs wrapped my SS around a pole during a "test drive" and I got full replacement value for the car, allowing me to buy my first Vette....

I loved my '06 when I first got it, but it got boring REALLY quick... Even with an aggressive tune in the car I could barely get it to move out of it's own way.. And the handling left a lot to be desired.. It RODE awesome, like a Mercedes (same engineering???) but it handled like a bowling ball...

It was a good experience, but I can't say I've ever bought/modified and sold a car in under 3 months.. And I never looked back.

I keep telling those that ask "What happened to the '06??" that I "should have just bought the Challenger!!" 

To 99% of us, our Chargers (old) are not daily drivers.. So we can afford to let them sit & shine, waiting for the next show.. So I know where you're coming from there.. If my '69 was my DD I'd be bumming, and missing a lot of work.

[skip68]

  Have you ever drivin an old Charger ?   I'm glad the new one works for you and is more then what you need for your driving skills.      I really don't know much about them but, tell me the truth.... Do you play with the traction control button ?      How well does it smoke the tires ?   We won't tell the wife.  
 

I need a driving machine that can take my driving style without breaking, is intended for aggressive balls out maneuvers

I don't know if I would go that far.    

[jb666]

 Have you ever drivin an old Charger ?   I'm glad the new one works for you and is more then what you need for your driving skills.      I really don't know much about them but, tell me the truth.... Do you play with the traction control button ?      How well does it smoke the tires ?   We won't tell the wife.    

Dunno about his , but mine BARELY did.. My buddy's fairly modified Magnum takes a LOT of effort to get the tires cooking good...

[Silver R/T]

You know, there is Dodge advertising from 1969 that refers to the vaunted icon as a "family car".

66-74 Chargers offered a lot of room. My 68 has more room than our family sedan 4 door and bigger trunk.

[skip68]

  

I need a driving machine that can take my driving style without breaking, is intended for aggressive balls out maneuvers

I don't know if I would go that far.   I don't think the new charger is a balls out race car and it just might break.    
[/quote]

[Paul G]

As far as the "better selling" 318 version I don't know........Now bare with me, as I AM NOT claiming to be an authority on any production numbers and my source for argument is dubious at best......How ever, I think my point is valid



http://www.theautochannel.com/vehicles/muscle/chrysler/chry_68_chrg.frame

We have

PRODUCTION

2dr hardtop 6 cy               906  *I love the venerable leaning tower of mopar but what kind of twisted old fart ordered one in a charger
   
2dr hardtop 8 cyl          74,019   

2dr hardtop R/T 8 cyl    17,665

TOTAL:                       92,590

What I went looking for is a breakdown on the models and didn't really find much, and I do admit I am very lazy and the amount of effort here amounts to beer extraction. Anything further than that for this post would be asinine. Assuming this source is any where near accurate there where also:

Production figures indicate that a total of 19,012 Chargers were powered with the 383 c.i. V-8. 440 c.i. V-8 production totaled 17,107 units

So we have a subtotal of 36,119 non R/T big blocks. If the source is accurate, 53,784 chargers were big blocks, about half.

How many 318 Chargers remained 318 chargers? I have a 68 318 car. It hasn't had a 318 engine in it since at least 1970 (when I bought it it looked like it hadn't had any engine in it since 1970). Part of the reason for the lack of numbers matching anything these days is that these cars were going to end up with hot rodders. Chrysler knew it. The first true "Kit Race Car for the masses" was the Road Runner. Then the gas crisis hit. The Kids that bought the cars to begin with that did all kinds of crazy engine changes sold them because they were getting married or couldn't afford the commute gas to fuel the beast and turned them over to the next crew of crazy kids that did even more crazy engine swaps.

Dude in Monrovia, Idiana that raced at BeanBlossum (formerly Speeds) that was a die hard Fordnatic that got sick of getting beat by Road Runners ditched his Rustang and his Wife Blondie ran the car there for years with a 429 4speed. Very fast, very consistent.

Partial point of back then, part of the trend was to go get the plain jane version with the smaller engine with the intent of scoring insurance and then off to the shop?

Warranty? We didn't need any stinking warranty. We blew an engine and it was off to Joppa George's for a 50 dollar 440 4bbl out of some junk Polara (an old man 4 door car for sure, wouldn't have been seen dead in one of those 14 second 4 door "turd" either  ).

At the same time, even the joe average station wagon was not really. Another uncle of mine showed up one afternoon to show off his new company car, a 1965 7 liter Ford Country Squire estate station wagon . Yeah, the 427 med riser. 4spd. We liked riding with him. Were there a whole bunch more of the average made? Sure! However, back then half the average when applied correctly (stick a 500 inch stock cad engine in a t roadster). alas, I tread of into apples/oranges.

Part of my point though is that these cars aren't even considered with that kind of silly in mind. First, Big brother wouldn't tolerate it. They have their hands full with the modified ricers. I saw a really cool Mini-Cooper sporting some flavor of supercharged Hemi. Fer sure not a production item, however from a state with less than mandatory emissions testing. No way that unit would pass the sniffer in Cali. So the government isn't very kind to us wanting to help improve the product.

Alas, it is a better vanished time. In a way.

Hey, eventually I'll end up with one of these wrecked, cut the body off, do something with an english wheel and express myself. That wouldn't matter if it was 1978 or 2028 (I doubt I'll last much past that, according to "the death clock" dot com that is about right). Hey, brakes are good things. Imagine how many of the vaunted R/T's would be around today if you didn't need the feet of Flinstone to stop? I started to try and sort my wiring issues once via a test board set up and the E tech board we have. After some research I cam eto the conclusion of screw that. There is no logic in messing around with any questionable wiring harness with a nice car. Not if it will stay nice. How many chargers have burned because of the  ammeter feed? Crapola. We all know it. All I can say is I wish I had known about the vega plug years ago.

IDK how well a lifetime warranty covers electrical issues. I know full coverage would (w/fire provision? idk, I have never had more than liability. In racing, if you can't afford to wreck it you had bettered not unload. For daily drivers, I always find a 50 dollar something and when it breaks I sign the title and leave it there).

That is part of the spirit though. Take a 74 and so what it isn't an R/T? so what if it came with a 318? Gimme a weekend and it won't have one and all be bolt in.

I bought a new Dodge Dakota in 1988. 3.9l 5spd. Lasted about 50k before the rearend puked. When I went to deal with the vaunted Chrysler 7/70 I found out the lifetime provision I bought wasn't worth squat, was prorated to the point of pain and had more exclusions than Barry O'bummer's political record. they offered to replace it for 1200 under warranty (ack, it was explained that was about "half price"). It ended up with an 8 3/4 out of some long since crushed 1969 B-Body something or other with very minimal fabrication and no change in length.

At least gimme a break and build something I can work on. If nothing else, use lube if you are going to treat me that way.

Yeah yeah yeah I am not the average consumer. Point taken. Look around. Who is? The first 3 gens were never designed for the average consumer, regardless of what crazy old coot ordered what.

As far as your warranty dude, who knows. I'd expect the worst and hope for the best if you ever have to deal with a warranty. That way you won't be disappointed.

Dude!! I fell asleep twice trying to read all that!

[TCB09RT]

Disable the traction control and it will roast the tires immediately and endlessly unless it upshifts to 2nd gear.
When I first got the car and was testing the limits in a parking lot doing burn outs and such, I was taken aback when I cocked the wheel a bit on launch and found myself pointing in the opposite direction with the stab of a throttle.
I had not intended to do a 180, but the car was very willing to play, thankfully I was not near any light posts or parking blocks.
The car is responsive.
I've been into Mopar for years, I've driven big block B Bodies, and they're a blast to drive, and I love the scene, do the Dream Cruise, all of that.
But in my heart I'm a driver, not a cruiser, not a show and shiner, a daily driver clawing at the asphalt trying to get into clean air away from the clowns on the left and the jokers on the right.
This isn't a commute, this is WAR!

[TCB09RT]

I've only had one warranty claim, outside of the numerous Technical Service Bulletin fixes they've done.
It was in August of '09, the week after the Dream Cruise, when I noticed a severe rumbling in the drive line.
My friendly Service Advisor calls me up, and I quote,
"Sir, you are aware this is not a NHRA funny car.  Have you been launching the car from neutral?  Cause you've sheared a drive shaft bolt, that's why the car is rumbling"
I informed him I was a responsible adult, and that I was not abusing the car beyond the limits one would expect an R/T to be, check the computer if you haven't already.
I offered up that the sheared bolt was most likely due to piss poor metallurgy and quality controls from the Chinese bolt manufacturer that Chrysler had sourced for that particular batch of bolts.
He bit on that hard, and began bashing the shiftless Chinese supply base.
Anywho, they replaced all five bolts and it cost me $0.
I found half of the sheared bolt in my driveway, there was oxidation on the interior, which I viewed as being from a stress fracture that allowed the Michigan elements of water and salt to worm their way in and accelerate the bolt failure.
For the want of a nail the kingdom was lost...

[TCB09RT]

Looking through the Mopar cataloque I'm thinking I wont be able to upgrade my exhaust.
I keep seeing that pesky note about the headers and exhaust not being for pollution controlled vehicles.
I'm going to check with my guy up at Palace Chrysler and see what the real deal is...

[MRCHARGER]

Put some headers on that thing, a Kenne Bell twin screw, a diablo tune, and better axles then go out and kick some new car a**. It's time to show these old school carb dudes and new school SS/GT types what Hemi power is all about. Imagine having a new car that scares people when it leaves a stop light. Hey, Frank let me ask you a question. You have been acting a little psychotically.. lately... what the hell?

[Black Charger]

TCB09RT welcome to the forum! I drive a 2006 Charger SRT8 myself, so I also am an LX Charger owner. When you're out there beating on your Charger, just remember that ANY car will break if you abuse it long enough. The one weak spot in the LX Chargers is the driveshaft. Those who spend much time at the strip with the new Chargers will have more than likely busted a driveshaft or two. If you're looking for advice on what to do with your car, I would suggest either:

www.chargerforums.com
www.lxforums.com

There are lots of helpful folks (including some Dodge service techs) with lots of helpful info. Joining these sites has enabled me to learn a lot about my car.

I joined this site because I am looking for a nice classic Charger to park next to my SRT8. Sure, some folks on here are pretty vocal about their dislike of the LX Chargers, but even at that, you will find that there are a lot of nice people here as well.

by the way, jb666, what model Charger was your '06?

[71 Bee Man]

Nostalgia is a delicate thing, as are those old Chargers.
An old school Charger just doesn't work in my scheme of things.
They're great for trailering around and shining up at the car shows and talking about the old days when they used to tear it up...
That stuff is great, but I've still got some living to do...
I need a driving machine that can take my driving style without breaking, is intended for aggressive balls out maneuvers and has enough nanny tech to get me home alive and unparalyzed to my family.
The modern Charger does that and more.
To me the Charger mentality has always been to blast off the line and take any shi**er hard to hole, leaving them with a grill full of 'Right Lane Ends' sign.
That's the space I'm in, that's what my Charger enables me to do.

G'day mate, good to see another new Charger owner flaunting their wares.

Y'know.....maybe it's because in my country there's so many Mopar guys who are screaming out for new products to buy - but Chrysler won't sell them - that I tend to appreciate ALL Mopars and especially new Chargers. I was a little surprised at the cool - perhaps not intended - reception your post got from other Charger owners.

Guys.....I'm sorry to have to break this to you, but the history pages will show that there is a brand new 4 door Dodge which is - in fact - a REAL Charger.....whether you like it's design, or not. When I visited the beautiful U.S of A in 2007 and went to the Nats, some of the nicest machines I saw were brand new Dodge Chargers. I'm certainly not trying to stimulate the old debate about "who likes them and who doesn't", but the fact remains there's a lot of guys out there that DO in fact like them - me for one. 

Mate.....enjoy your nice black Charger - I know I'd love one in my garage.  :drool5:And don't worry......I have a 71 Charger, so I guess I'm one of the poor country cousins as well.

Regards,

Peter
Sydney, Australia.

[MRCHARGER]

Now that's one sweet Charger!