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Dodge Caravan/Chrysler Voyager

2390 messages,  Last post on Jan 10, 2013 at 6:55 PM

You are in the Chrysler/Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chrysler Voyager, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Grand Voyager, Van

Messages Page 183 of 239

#1821 of 2390 road trip by uga91

Apr 14, 2003 (8:01 am)

Just got back from a week in Florida in my new 2003 Voyager LX. It did wonderfully. I took out half of the split rear bench and had tons of space. The captain's chairs meant no fighting between my 2 and 4 year old boys at all! Chrysler must have changed the suspension or something between 2001 and 2003 because my new van seemed much more stable on the road. At highway speeds a passing semi in the other direction had no affect on my van. It rained almost the whole way down and the van seemed to hold the road real well. I had one pretty hard braking incident on the way down in the rain and I could feel slight pulses in the brake pedal from the ABS doing its job. Overall, I'm very pleased!

#1822 of 2390 Timing Belt Recommendations on Voyager by tollelege

Apr 18, 2003 (6:46 am)

I have a 97 Voyager with 3.0 liter V6 nearing 100K miles. I can't find any recommendations on changing the timing belt vis-a-vis mileage. I have the official Chrysler shop manual and the procedure looks pretty ugly. I would assume that since it is a chain, it is a little more robust than a belt. What's the concensus on if and when it should be changed. Thanks.

#1823 of 2390 tollelege by uga91

Apr 18, 2003 (6:54 am)

"I would assume that since it is a chain..." You answered your own question. You don't have a timing belt--you have a timing chain. Generally speaking, you don't change timing chains. They pretty much run forever. There may be a chain pretensioner or something may need replacing periodically, but timing chains do not. Have you called your local Chrysler dealer to see what they say on the subject?

#1824 of 2390 2002 Caravn Steering problem? by candlemaker2

May 04, 2003 (12:59 pm)

We just bought a 2002 Caravan SE with just over 35,000 km. We had tested it out in the city but live 110 km outside of the city. On the way home on the highway, we noticed that it pulled left too much. We took it back to the dealership and they aligned the front end. It was out 3 degree.
This did not fix the problem, we have had it in 3 times and they have rotated the tires, re-adjusted the alignment etc but it still wants to wander. Strange thing is, it does not only wander to the left but also to the right. You have to constantly correct the steering yet the head mechanic says it is the way the Caravan handles. The dealership allowed us to try another Caravan, same model. year and mileage and it was much better.
Anyone had this problem and know what it might be? The dealership has promised to fix it but we need to figure it what to fix !
You can email us at candlemakertelus.net if you have any info. Thanks for the help.

#1826 of 2390 Time for a new Caravan... by shipo

May 05, 2003 (7:01 am)

Well, after almost 5 years and 75,000 miles, my wife has decided to trade in our 1998 GC Sport with the 3.8 liter mill for a 2003 GC ES. We are placing the order this afternoon, and the dealership tells us that it should be in by mid June. Interestingly enough, our GC Sport cost us something like $27,000 five years ago, and with the $3,500 rebate our new ES (with Supplemental side air bags, Security alarm, Adjustable pedals, Rear seat DVD video system, Leather seats, Heated front seats, Wireless headphones, Rear cargo organizer and Tire pressure monitoring system) is going to cost just a hair over $30,000 (the dealer is selling it to us at invoice).
 
If all of that isn't good enough, Dodge is now offering a free portable DVD player with the purchase of any new 2003 Caravan. All you need to do is perform a "Build your own Caravan" on the Dodge web site, and you will be presented with the option of filling out a form for an eCertificate for the free player.
 
I was trying to talk my wife into either the BMW 525iT 5-Speed wagon or a new Chrysler Pacifica, but she wanted the space and utility of the Caravan, so that's what we are doing. :-/
 
Regarding our experience with our current van, it has 75,000 miles on it, and is as fast, rattle free and tight as the day we bought it. That and the fact that it has only seen the inside of a dealership twice since it was purchased (30K and 60K service) has proven to us that this is a great vehicle. Other than those two scheduled services, the only things that the van has needed has been normal oil changes (I use Mobil 1 and change every 7,500 miles), wiper blades (annually), front brake pads and rotors at 30K miles and again at 65K miles (I do them myself, and I do use a torque wrench, which seems to eliminate any problem of warping the rotors), and tires at 48K miles.
 
I'll keep y'all posted on the new van.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#1827 of 2390 Thank you for the update Shipo. by vcheng

May 05, 2003 (7:05 am)

Mine is at almost 50k, and I agree with your overall assessment that this is a great vehicle for the price. We plan to running it for another couple of years before looking at alternatives.
 
Did you look at the new Sienna at all? I would love to hear your thoughts on that if you did.

#1828 of 2390 VCheng by shipo

May 05, 2003 (7:21 am)

Interestingly enough, our dealership is a Dodge/Nissan/Toyota dealership, however, they did not have any Siennas at all to look at (the only had a couple of low-end Caravans in stock as well). Looking at the brochure seemed to be enough for Mrs. Shipo, being an extremely visual person (former clothing designer, current development and production manager for a division of Liz Claiborne), she did not like the look of the front end of the Sienna at all. I of course looked at the "Specs" and it seems that these two vans are remarkably similar in size, utility and performance, with a slight overall edge to the Toyota. Assuming, that is, that you like the look.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#1829 of 2390 Well... by vcheng

May 05, 2003 (8:17 am)

...just like in my household, what the lady wants the lady gets.
 
Thanks for the reply though.

#1830 of 2390 A question... by shipo

May 09, 2003 (7:54 am)

What is the difference between the "Climate Group III" of the GC eX and the "Climate Group IV" of the GC ES?
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

Messages Page 183 of 239

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