New Crossfire owner Talk Me Down
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Joined: Feb 2016
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From: Columbus OH
New Crossfire owner Talk Me Down
Hello All,
So I am a new Crossfire owner of a couple of weeks now. They are beautiful cars, as you can all atest to. Mine is a 2004 coupe with only 44k miles. The dealer I purchased it from is reputable and certifies used cars with Motor Trend prior to selling. They put new Summer tires on it, new brakes, and new valve cover gaskets. Ive read this is not uncommon (valve cover gaskets). I have a moderate skill level in mechanical reapairs of vehicles and have even rebuilt a couple of dinosaur engines (pre elctronic era). I am beginning to think, however, that I should have done more research on this brand before I signed up. (tell me I'm wrong, please) The first night I came home I was introduced to the washer fluid resevoir. Ha! Ha! Good Joke! I hope to meet the engineer some day. The following Sunday I ran into a friend, who is an insurance adjuster for Allstate. He told me to be sure never to wreck it because parts are scarce. He shared a story with me of a client who needed a new bumber cover and the part shop couldn't locate one so they were trying to piece the client's back together from four pieces. AAAAAK! The other night my daughter drove it to a basketball game and the locks froze. No problem I live 5 minutes away and was there with lock deicer and got in. The only problem was that the key fob would not lock or unlock the doors after that and neither would the lock button on the dash. I have read threads here that seem to explain that the locks work off of a pneumatic system?!? Say it aint so! Who does that?!? The next morning the key fob and the button on the dash operated the locks fine. So my question is: Was it the frozen locks or the beginning of a bad pump that caused the issue with locking and unlocking? Help? Tell me I bought a fun car that isnt going to cause me more gray hair. LOL
So I am a new Crossfire owner of a couple of weeks now. They are beautiful cars, as you can all atest to. Mine is a 2004 coupe with only 44k miles. The dealer I purchased it from is reputable and certifies used cars with Motor Trend prior to selling. They put new Summer tires on it, new brakes, and new valve cover gaskets. Ive read this is not uncommon (valve cover gaskets). I have a moderate skill level in mechanical reapairs of vehicles and have even rebuilt a couple of dinosaur engines (pre elctronic era). I am beginning to think, however, that I should have done more research on this brand before I signed up. (tell me I'm wrong, please) The first night I came home I was introduced to the washer fluid resevoir. Ha! Ha! Good Joke! I hope to meet the engineer some day. The following Sunday I ran into a friend, who is an insurance adjuster for Allstate. He told me to be sure never to wreck it because parts are scarce. He shared a story with me of a client who needed a new bumber cover and the part shop couldn't locate one so they were trying to piece the client's back together from four pieces. AAAAAK! The other night my daughter drove it to a basketball game and the locks froze. No problem I live 5 minutes away and was there with lock deicer and got in. The only problem was that the key fob would not lock or unlock the doors after that and neither would the lock button on the dash. I have read threads here that seem to explain that the locks work off of a pneumatic system?!? Say it aint so! Who does that?!? The next morning the key fob and the button on the dash operated the locks fine. So my question is: Was it the frozen locks or the beginning of a bad pump that caused the issue with locking and unlocking? Help? Tell me I bought a fun car that isnt going to cause me more gray hair. LOL
Last edited by MrZarumba; 02-15-2016 at 11:33 AM.
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 13,591
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From: Fort Worth, Texas
Re: New Crossfire owner Talk Me Down
You bought a wonderful car that comes with a great group of friends and virtually NO dealer support. If you want to have a bad day, take it to a Chrysler dealer and see what happens.
But if you come here, we can usually help you.
The lock thing is odd. Yes, the locks are pneumatic. The pump is in the passenger side rear wheel well. I'm finding it odd that both the fob and button did not work. Gotta think about that for a bit but a 'bad pump' would be a new one. The ONLY thing that comes to mind is a water leak that is getting the pump wet - which is a bad thing, as the pump is $250 used and I do'nt even KNOW how much new. (All pumps appear to be the same, SRT/Limited/Coupe/Roadster as far as I know - just that one or two outputs are not used in coupes.)
But that is mostly on the SRTs as their wing mount seals are suspect. The Limiteds do not, to the best of my knowledge, do that. You might lift up the mat in the trunk area and see if any of the pockets under there have water in them.
I suspect the valve gaskets were not needed at all, mine was leaking and I am in the process of fixing it - just gotta put the covers back on but it's too cold here to go out to the storage unit and work on the car (it's below 40F here in North Georgia). What leaks is the seal between the breather covers and the valve covers. (Maybe that's what they meant, now that I think about it.) I am going to change the gaskets on "general principles" but the RTV between the valve covers and breathers is what leaks most of the time.
The lock thing is kinda odd. One thing to look at: Battery. Is the battery old? If it is a white VARTA battery, it is original - change it TODAY. Look at the battery terminals and the ground cable lug where it attached to the chassis - it tends to corrode and since it is out of sight, many never notice it till the car won't run. CLEAN power provided by good battery connections, a good battery and good alternator is VERY VERY important. If you go get the battery "tested" you are wasting your time - go by the age of the battery and the symptoms.
Welcome to the group and let us know what you find under the mat or in the wheel well. I can not tell you how to access the pump, I have owned three Roadsters but not a coupe, I don't know how to get in there.
Consider coming to one of our regional or local meets - best, fastest way to learn about the car AND to meet some great people.
I offer some links to get you there:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-4-2016-a.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ave-dates.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...14-2016-a.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...17-2016-a.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-michigan.html (Where is the thread for THIS year's meet? GARY? )
Then there is Woodward, but I can't find that one, either....
But if you come here, we can usually help you.
The lock thing is odd. Yes, the locks are pneumatic. The pump is in the passenger side rear wheel well. I'm finding it odd that both the fob and button did not work. Gotta think about that for a bit but a 'bad pump' would be a new one. The ONLY thing that comes to mind is a water leak that is getting the pump wet - which is a bad thing, as the pump is $250 used and I do'nt even KNOW how much new. (All pumps appear to be the same, SRT/Limited/Coupe/Roadster as far as I know - just that one or two outputs are not used in coupes.)
But that is mostly on the SRTs as their wing mount seals are suspect. The Limiteds do not, to the best of my knowledge, do that. You might lift up the mat in the trunk area and see if any of the pockets under there have water in them.
I suspect the valve gaskets were not needed at all, mine was leaking and I am in the process of fixing it - just gotta put the covers back on but it's too cold here to go out to the storage unit and work on the car (it's below 40F here in North Georgia). What leaks is the seal between the breather covers and the valve covers. (Maybe that's what they meant, now that I think about it.) I am going to change the gaskets on "general principles" but the RTV between the valve covers and breathers is what leaks most of the time.
The lock thing is kinda odd. One thing to look at: Battery. Is the battery old? If it is a white VARTA battery, it is original - change it TODAY. Look at the battery terminals and the ground cable lug where it attached to the chassis - it tends to corrode and since it is out of sight, many never notice it till the car won't run. CLEAN power provided by good battery connections, a good battery and good alternator is VERY VERY important. If you go get the battery "tested" you are wasting your time - go by the age of the battery and the symptoms.
Welcome to the group and let us know what you find under the mat or in the wheel well. I can not tell you how to access the pump, I have owned three Roadsters but not a coupe, I don't know how to get in there.
Consider coming to one of our regional or local meets - best, fastest way to learn about the car AND to meet some great people.
I offer some links to get you there:
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-4-2016-a.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ave-dates.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...14-2016-a.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...17-2016-a.html
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-michigan.html (Where is the thread for THIS year's meet? GARY? )
Then there is Woodward, but I can't find that one, either....
Last edited by pizzaguy; 02-14-2016 at 08:18 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,224
Likes: 627
From: St Louis MO
Re: New Crossfire owner Talk Me Down
Hello All,
So I am a new Crossfire owner of a couple of weeks now. They are beautiful cars, as you can all atest to. Mine is a 2004 coupe with only 44k miles. The dealer I purchased it from is reputable and certifies used cars with Motor Trend prior to selling. They put new Summer tires on it, new brakes, and new valve cover gaskets. Ive read this is not uncommon (valve cover gaskets). I have a moderate skill level in mechanical reapairs of vehicles and have even rebuilt a couple of dinosaur engines (pre elctronic era). I am beginning to think, however, that I should have done more research on this brand before I signed up. (tell me I'm wrong, please) The first night I came home I was introduced to the washer fluid resevoir. Ha! Ha! Good Joke! I hope to meet the engineer some day. The following Sunday I ran into a friend, who is an insurance adjuster for Allstate. He told me to be sure never to wreck it because parts are scarce. He shared a story with me of a client who needed a new bumber cover and the part shop couldn't locate one so they were trying to piece the client's back together from four pieces. AAAAAK! The other night my daughter drove it to a basketball game and the locks froze. No problem I live 5 minutes away and was there with lock deicer and got in. The only problem was that the key fob would not lock or unlock the doors after that and neither would the lock button on the dash. I have read threads here that seem to explain that the locks work off of a pneumatic system?!? Say it aint so! Who does that?!? The next morning the key fob and the button on the dash operated the locks fine. So my question is: Was it the frozen locks or the beginning of a bad pump that caused the issue with locking and unlocking? Help? Tell me I bought a fun car that isnt going to cause me more gray hair. LOL
So I am a new Crossfire owner of a couple of weeks now. They are beautiful cars, as you can all atest to. Mine is a 2004 coupe with only 44k miles. The dealer I purchased it from is reputable and certifies used cars with Motor Trend prior to selling. They put new Summer tires on it, new brakes, and new valve cover gaskets. Ive read this is not uncommon (valve cover gaskets). I have a moderate skill level in mechanical reapairs of vehicles and have even rebuilt a couple of dinosaur engines (pre elctronic era). I am beginning to think, however, that I should have done more research on this brand before I signed up. (tell me I'm wrong, please) The first night I came home I was introduced to the washer fluid resevoir. Ha! Ha! Good Joke! I hope to meet the engineer some day. The following Sunday I ran into a friend, who is an insurance adjuster for Allstate. He told me to be sure never to wreck it because parts are scarce. He shared a story with me of a client who needed a new bumber cover and the part shop couldn't locate one so they were trying to piece the client's back together from four pieces. AAAAAK! The other night my daughter drove it to a basketball game and the locks froze. No problem I live 5 minutes away and was there with lock deicer and got in. The only problem was that the key fob would not lock or unlock the doors after that and neither would the lock button on the dash. I have read threads here that seem to explain that the locks work off of a pneumatic system?!? Say it aint so! Who does that?!? The next morning the key fob and the button on the dash operated the locks fine. So my question is: Was it the frozen locks or the beginning of a bad pump that caused the issue with locking and unlocking? Help? Tell me I bought a fun car that isnt going to cause me more gray hair. LOL
You did not by a Chrysler anything. Nothing in the car is Chrysler.
Allstate is a great insurer but they don't seem to favor these cars. I am about to send my agent of 45 years packing. They will charge you a lot because the car is "expensive to fix" however, they will total it for just about any damage over $5K.
Sorry but that is the bad news.
The good news is you found this Forum. It should become your support group. You are gonna need one after you drive this puppy for a while. They are addictive. The guys and gals here will get you through the birthing process. Save you dough and keep you rolling. I don't care how reputable your dealer might be, they are usually not in business to save you money. These folks here are.
Pizza guy is a good source, So are many others like Chuk, onehundred eighty, Rudy, Rob at Needswings, and many more.
Welcome to our little ship of happy fools.
BTW, The Security Pump is on E-Bay used for $199 to $350 most anytime. It is the same as the Benz 350SL and easy to find. New they are about $500. Pump is most likely fine it's probably the control board. Not sold separately. However, unless your interior, or parking lights are malfunctioning, I doubt the Security Pump Module is the issue. You might look for a broken vacuum line under the rear floor deck. However, if you find the sponge material around the pump to be soggy, THAT's the issue.
Technically not a tough job. Just getting to the pump can be a hassle. There are Threads on it here. use the Search feature.
Here is my recent adventure (with lots of pictures) into the trunk area to replace the SCM pump unit.
https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ol-module.html
Last edited by Franc Rauscher; 02-16-2016 at 02:30 PM.
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,244
Likes: 645
From: Upstate SC
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 723
Likes: 1
From: Cincinnati, Ohio
Re: New Crossfire owner Talk Me Down
Is your car going to be a weekend toy or a daily driver? The best thing you can do is find a good independent garage in the Columbus area that works on Mercedes and other German brands. The good news is that these cars are pretty solid with many here well over 100,000 miles of pretty much regular maintenance being the only service required. Lets be honest all cars are expensive to repair in 2016 and there is a premium involved with the German brands. If you run into a problem come here first, you will be glad you did. Take a deep breath and enjoy the ride, if a problem pops up take care of it and keep on driven. With just 44,000 miles you could just as easily go 50 or 60 thousand trouble free miles.
I'm with James in hoping that you can join us this summer when we get together.
I'm with James in hoping that you can join us this summer when we get together.
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 49
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From: Batesville, AR