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Wagons Dodge Caliber Dodge Caliber
1634 messages, Last post on Sep 16, 2009 at 12:39 AM
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Here to report that our 07 R/T seems to be as big as a bucket as our SXT. I love the car but both have stalling issues. The 5 speed would just randomly stall in neutral while idling and the R/T automatic is starting to not start up at all at times. Wait 10 mins and then it starts. Our SXT also has some major electrical glitches which would send the dash lights and such into a tizzy for no apparent reason. Wait a bit and it'd resolve itself. Forget about duplicating it for the dealership. We just got rid of that one, the R/T's fate doesn't seem much better now either.
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Replying to: caliberchic (Nov 28, 2007 6:31 am) cars with problems. Make sure they check the battery and the fuse assy(TIPM) as there have been reports of battery failure causing wierd electrical faults. The no starting thing I did myself,accidently depressed lock/unlock on key while starting and it refused to turn over-had to take the key out of ignition then lock/unlock rplace and it started. It must have something with key chip recognition! Sorry to hear your ongoing struggle.
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Replying to: bigtsr (Dec 01, 2007 9:14 am)
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Replying to: caliberchic (Dec 04, 2007 7:53 am) as it does more than hold fuses and again several have been replaced due to errattic electrical problems. |
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Does anyone know why you can not find the Dodge Caliber SXT without all of the extra stuff? I was told by a dealer that the msrp and invoice price on the sxt is a base price of a car that essentially does not exist. What I was told is that all SXT's come from the factory already packaged with additional items so it is impossible to get a regular standard dodge caliber sxt unless it is ordered from the factory. Does anyone have any information about this? Please help me out 
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Replying to: harmonychic (Feb 07, 2008 8:07 pm) |
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Still have a noisy trim rattle from the right rear passenger compartment. Dealer unable to duplicate noise on test drive (funny how American dealers with limited warranty $$$ to spend can't find this large noise, but Toyota and Honda both quickly identified and fixed trim noises on my Echo and '03 Civic). My door still occasionally fails to latch when I close it (manual locks). It just bounces off the latch. I then have to pull the handle out slightly to shift the internal parts and it latches and locks. This also happened, fortunately, when I was a block from the dealer filling up with gas - so I drove over there holding the door closed with my hand, showed the service rep, and he "ordered" the parts although the computer didn't show any "TSB's" (technical service bulletins) on the issue. One year later and several calls to the dealer, still no parts - stonewalled. The engine, or drive train, or heat shield, or something in the engine compartment still makes an occasional (1 in 20 times) "pocka-pocka-pocka" noise when started up cold (I have the 5 speed manual 1.8). The dealer did flash the ECM (engine control module) with the revised engine control program very early in the car's life, and it ran smoother. Never had any stalling issues. Engine is VERY smooth and has gotten stronger and stronger over time. Design seems to be good. I was running Pennzoil Platinum 5-20 with 5,000 mile oil change intervals (no oil consumption) with dealer oil changes until my last oil change, when I went to 6,000 miles (maximum permitted by owner's manual) and had the service work done at Firestone (they did a nice alignment and wheel balancing for me and didn't try to "upsell" me so I have decided to take the car to them - since the dealers don't do warranty work anyway.  ). I made the following upgrades: 1. Very early, changed to top-rated (by Consumer Reports) Falken Ziex 512's. Stiffer side-walls than the stock tires, which made up for the higher profile on the stock 15" wheels. Supposedly America's Tire Stores did a Hunter GSP 9700 "Road Force" balance but I felt some irregularity in the tires at freeway speeds - in other words the new set up wasn't as smooth as stock. This was corrected by a very ecomical re-balance (with 9700) at Firestone a few weeks ago, the tires are very smooth now. 2. Had to push to get the ECM re-flashed. Worth it, no more tendency to lose rpm at idle and "stumble". Also no more occasional "power outages" where the ECM seemed to "choke" and shut down the motor for a millisecond at slow speeds. 3. Replaced the stock shocks/struts and springs with the R/T shocks/struts and springs. I just copied down an R/T VIN off the internet, found a discount Dodge dealer on the internet, and ordered the parts - actually much cheaper than buying after market performance parts like Eibach or H&R, plus I got a firmer suspension without losing ride height (I LIKE the stock ride height). This is not the first time I have upgraded the suspension in a cheapy base model trim line to the performance trim lines components. It is one of the reasons I still buy American small cars, they usually have a performance version and for less than $600 (parts and labor) you can have essentially the same suspension (except sway bars) as the ritzy version. And still have the smaller, more fuel efficient engine. 4. Replaced plugs at 22,000 miles. Our cars use conventional spark plugs with a 30,000 mile service life (city or highway driving). But when I was a Neon owner, the forums all recommended 15k replacement intervals to maximize performance (or gas mileage, if you drive it easy). The Firestone shop replace the conventional plugs with Bosch Platinum for $63 parts and labor, much cheaper than the conventional plug replacement at the dealer. I really can notice a difference - when cold, the engine now runs like it is warmed up, smooth and strong, and when warm I can "lug" the engine down to very low rpm in each gear, or rev it up high with more perceived smoothness. 5. Switched to premium fuel about 3k miles ago, and noticed a big difference in smoothness, ability to "lug", ease of hitting high rpm. Yes, our engines put out a lot of horsepower for their displacement - they have a lot of technology in them, including a sophisticated variable valve system licensed from their former owner, Mercedes. Yes, apparently our ECM's are "adaptive" with knock sensors and will although different spark advance etc. based on the knock-resistance (octane) of the fuel we use. While I never heard actual "spark knock" on regular, running premium really unleashes the potential of our motors. Considering the money some people drop into cold air intake systems (I haven't) or performance mufflers (I haven't - can't stand the extra noise), using premium gas is cheap. All in all this is a well designed car, of average to below average build quality, with terrible manufacturer and dealer support. The only compelling reason to buy this, is the fact that there isn't any compact/small car that pulls off the "midsize" car imitation so well - it is wide enough for two child seats in the back with a 12 year old back there too, and has plenty of leg room. In fact we even took it up to Tahoe instead of using our minivan, when I couldn't get chains in time for the minivan, and it hauled a family of 5 plus our junk just fine, and got 30 mpg (my usual commute mpg is 31 mpg). The closest competitor is the Toyota Matrix, which costs more, is smaller, and didn't have side curtain air bags before (I think the '09 finally has them). I have a feeling that I am stuck keeping this one for the foreseeable future (the used car auction market is glutted, and this thing has depreciated $2,000 more than my typical econocar). Fortunately while the defects it has are annoying, they aren't reliability threatening, and the parts that count - brakes, engine, suspension - all seem rock solid. If the Japanese made this to their usual standards instead of Chrysler - or if a Toyota dealer even took care of the defects instead of the "stonewall you" Dodge/Chrysler dealers - this car, for its design alone, would be a top pick. And yeah, I'm through buying American cars just to be patriotic. If those jerks can't fix the defects (I'll accept the fact that they can't build defect free) after the fact, on a single visit, life is too short to deal with them any more. |
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Replying to: harmonychic (Feb 07, 2008 8:07 pm) |
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Can anyone give me a comparison of the two vehicles please 1.8L? Manual tranny not interested in the CVT. Thanks
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Replying to: specked (Mar 03, 2008 6:46 am)
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