Cruiser Reliability Report

I love my 01 Cruiser Limited with 62,000 miles; yes I do. But I just got it
back from the dealer after a recall repair.

The dealer reported that I need a new radiator and water pump; $550.00 or
so.

I need new front suspension links and sway bar links; $600.00.

I need a new transmission sending unit: $450.00.

In the past I have changed out 3 wheel bearings and rear sway bar links.

The guys in Mexico did a superb job on assembly; perhaps Chrysler needs to
give them better parts.

Richard.

 

Maybe you need to get a second opinion from another dealer or mechanic and
not tell him what this one said.

===================

 

You need a second opinion from a non-dealer.

 

Well, I reviewed the paperwork and saw the actual dealer prices. I went out
and found a new lifetime warranty radiator for $99.99 instead of $327.00 and
a shop that will put it in for $180.00 plus the cost of coolant instead of
$255.00.

I picked up an OEM thermostat for $16.00 including a new vinyl gasket.

So that's about $300.00 instead of $580.00!

The Solenoid for the transmission is working to perfection with a small
fluid leak. The dealer wants $235 for the part and $125 to screw it in. I'll
pass on this for now. The leak is very small and fluid is cheap.

The dealer wants $110 for the front end links and bushings and $220 to put
them in. I'll either do this myself once the 0 degree F weather passes or
find an independent shop.

Richard.

 

050201 1023 - Richard posted:

Sounds like a plan...

 

Front and rear suspension bushings are a common problem with early PTs,
according to PTCruiser.com
http://www.ptcruizer.com/repairs-pt-cruiser.html
They are starting to go on my 2001 (build in late-May 2000), which just
rolled over 40,000. Haven't talked to the dealer yet about what Chrysler
will do about it.


x-- 100 Proof News - http://www.100ProofNews.com
x-- 3,500+ Binary NewsGroups, and over 90,000 other groups
x-- Access to over 1 Terabyte per Day - $8.95/Month
x-- UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD

 

My 2002 Limited Edition PT has about 54k miles on it, last week, the
solenoid pack was also leaking a little, AND the power steering gear was
also leaking a little. I had them done, at the dealer, but only because I
still have the extended warranty. It was about $775 and the "Advisor"
reminded me these prices is what the dealer was allowed to bill to Chrysler,
deeply discounted. If I would have been paying the whole bill, it would
have been much more. I ended up paying only the $100 deductable .

Yeah, owners should get opinions from other dealers and private shops, but
the original poster's thought seemed to be that even though the build
quality was good, the wear-out quality sucks. I'm beginning to agree, and
both my wife and I own PT's and love them.....

SRG

 

As noted, the dealer wanted $330.00 for the front links and bushings. A
local spring/suspension shop agreed to do the whole package for $135.00,
using name brand, non-dealer sourced parts, where available.

Richard.