Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Wagons Dodge Caliber New Caliber Owners - Give Us Your Report!
170 messages, Last post on Sep 07, 2009 at 4:37 AM
You are in the Dodge Caliber Forum. Your Host is kcram
| Congratulations on your new car! Be sure to post your first impressions here. | |
Just got my black Claiber SXT yesterday, like it a lot, upgrade over my stratus at the very least. Has almost every option minus the sunroof. It also looks a lot nicer than the Matrix I parked next to last night. Only thing I don't like about it is the visibility out of the rear window, but I'll get used to it. They could have made the roof in the rear a couple inches higher, although it probably would have made it look like a mini-Durango.
|
|
|
Replying to: philqb2 (Feb 27, 2006 2:03 am)
|
|
|
Replying to: joey0708 (Feb 27, 2006 6:29 am) |
|
| I just bought a caliber 3 days ago, an SXT model. I can't say enough about how well this vehicle performs. Nothing like the Neon (which I have owned several) and that is good. I'm testing my mileage now on my drives to and from work which is about 75 miles a day. The styling and interior grows on you every day and I have people asking me about it more and more. I believe Dodge hit a grand slam with this new car. | |
|
Replying to: lexan1965 (Mar 05, 2006 2:05 am) Happy driving! Owning a new car is great.... |
|
|
Replying to: micweb (Mar 05, 2006 10:44 am) I've got about 550 miles on it now and it looks to be giving right at 30 mpg. Also the new transmissions are great! Not like the "jerky" dodge transmissions of the Neons. I can't even hear the car shift, very nice. The Neons have been very good to me as far as reliability goes so I can't say anything bad about them.  I was told by the dealer to let the engine break in to around 6000 miles before putting synthetic oil in the engine. Anybody think differently on this?
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: lexan1965 (Mar 06, 2006 1:44 am)
|
|
|
Replying to: mazda6iguy (Mar 06, 2006 9:14 am) |
|
|
Replying to: lexan1965 (Mar 06, 2006 1:44 am) As an alternative to carrying around a spare tire, some manufacturers are including those cans of puncture sealant sold at Walmart etc. plus an electric airpump you can run off the "accessory power outlet" (cigarette lighter) in your car. Not recommending that you do this, but I figure the idea is at least getting some legitimacy. As to synthetic oil, on my cars I run the regular oil to 1,500 or so miles, then change to synthetic (Mobil 1) and thereafter do 5,000 mile oil changes (starting at 5,000 miles, so the first two changes are both "short"). I think to preserve the warranty on your new Dodge, you can't go beyond 6,000 miles between oil changes even in "non severe" service (used to be 7,500 miles, but they wised up). I have heard, but not confirmed, that the Caliber includes an extended power train warranty (5/60?) even though Chrysler has discontinued the extended power train warranties on its other cars. So I'd resist the urge to stretch any oil change beyond 6,000 miles for that reason alone. Since you were asking for general "care and feeding" advice, I'll chime in with my unconventional recommendation to avoid lube shops, Walmart, and your own garage for oil changes, and to even stick with just one Dodge dealer for oil changes. Dealer oil changes are lot cheaper than they used to be ($25-$35 with a multipoint inspection) and unless you are suscepible to "Jedi mind tricks" you won't get sold "extra" services you don't need. By going to the same dealer, you not only have the best possible records to support warranty claims, you also have someone to blame if they tell you that you need a new oil pan because the last person to do an oil change stripped the threads when overtightening the drain plug. Records of service at an authorized dealer also enchance trade-in and private party resale value. Finally, the dealer will always run your car through its computer for recalls, and will fix any warranty issues that otherwise you might be postponing. I usually carry-in my own jug of synthetic oil; a lot of people do that these days and you won't be making your dealer mad. As to the "dealer recommended" extra servicing they try to You might want to find out how much an even more extended warranty would cost you (available at a discount from dealers on the internet). I would get one, if less than $1,000, just for the peace of mind on the CVT. Otherwise, given the newness of the CVT's, I'd consider trading it in before the extended power train warranty you got free expires (which is way in the future). Finally, your transmission shifts smoothly because it is actually not shifting at all. There are no actual gears to switch, just a couple of pulleys with a "v" slot that opens and closes to move the belt up or down on each pully; these types of transmission are found in ski-mobiles and motor scooters , albeit on the Caliber it is a second generation Nissan transmission, like used on the Murano, all grown up with a sturdy metal "push" belt, and not a flimsy sythetic cord "pull" belt (those were the transmissions that didn't doo well in cars). The only complaint I have heard about CVT's is that they zoom up to a high rpm, and hold the rpm while your car accelerates, and only drop down to cruising rpm when you hit your cruising speed. This isn't a "defect" in CVT's, they are SUPPOSED to hit the optimal rpm/torque band and work out of it, but it isn't the "vroom-vroom" up and down of rpm most of us drivers are used to hearing. (Since this is America, they have actually reprogrammed CVT's on some cars sold here - like the MINI - to throw "fake" gear shifts which makes the customers happier, at the expense of losing the efficiency benefits of the CVT.) 30 mpg is awesome! |
|
You are here:
Forums
Wagons Dodge Caliber New Caliber Owners - Give Us Your Report!
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2009 Dodge Caliber
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
