Alright, i got a 2001 Black RT 3.0L. I love this car, great performance, excellant speed and power and it looks good too. But my paint has been fading like crazy. First it was the roof, i got that re-done, now its the rear side underneath the back/side window. The trunk is fading just a little as well....Another thing i notice is a weird grumbling noise when i put into gear in the morning. Especially reverse. The transmission also pulls a lot when im idle in the morning...I was reading some posts before and i have the same problem with the O2 sensor, i had a buddy hook up a computer reader to the car and it said the sensor had no activity or not responding..Could this also cause the car to have a miss? Cause i believe it is slightly. Ive got 60K on it so i know the timing belt is gonna need to be replaced soon enough..Anyone have problems with motor mounts with this vehicle as well. I think that could be some of the noise i hear from the engine...Alright any tips or ideas would be really appreciated cause i wanna get this fixed before i deploy to Iraq again here real soon..Thanks.

 

Well, I'm only here to do research about buying a used R/T Coupe, but I have seen at least one person talk about motor mount issues.

 

umm..ok.

first off, if you have a 3.2L, im not sure we have the same car because dodge doesnt make one. im gonna guess thats a typo and go on.

the paint fading is something that ive not heard of with these cars. do you keep it nicely waxed? does it get alot of odd things on it such as bird crap or tree sap?

everyone who has had an RT coupe has the phantom gurgling noise. i believe it has something to do with the evaporative emissions system. mine has done it since day one off and on.

bad motor mounts? almost certainly. in almost every case it is the front anti-roll mount. if you open the hood standing in the middle of the car and look straight down in front of your left knee, there it is. mine is noisy, and i am replacing it with a solid mount for performance. some of the noise that you may be hearing could be coming from the front suspension as well, as dodge got greedy and didnt leave enough coil to coil clearance, and evidently they get creaky from time to time.

on the O2, im afraid that i dont know what to tell you, as i have had no problems with mine, *knock on wood* do you have a check engine light on? this could cause the car to miss a bit, yes.

i think i got everything....just ask more if not.

 

bad strat, are you going with the solid motor mount from ripp? If not, will that solve the problem or is there another mount? Seeing as I have the exact same problem.

 

ripp and deyeme racing both offer one, but i have heard that making one is fairly simple provided the right tools and materials.

 

Hey badstrat, yea i had a brain fart i guess, its a 2001 3.0L. I appreciate your comments, just another quick question. If i replace the motor mounts, and the O2 sensor and its seems to be my answer, how much $$ im i lookin at paying? Is it easy mechanical work for a shop to do as far as hours/charges? Thanks again man.

 

the mounts (if you bought a perfiormance mount kit) will cost you just under 300 for parts. mi just doing the front mount only for now, and im gonna do it myself. i have NO idea on the O2 sensor....im guessing somewhere around 80 bucks cost on the parts...no idea on labor again...

 

I'm having the same paint problem with my black 02 R/T. I get the feeling the black is more prone to fading. It's the roof mostly with me right now, hopefully it won't spread. Do you have any idea if this issue is covered under warranty by Dodge? It's not a rust through problem, but it seems this type of sun damage should be preventable. Doesn't help that I live in San Diego (yeah, big problem to have ~300 days of sun a year I guess [8D]). I bought the car new in the Spring of 03, so it had only been on the road for 2 years or less when the problem popped up.

 

Post some pics of the fading and I'll see if there is a solution to or at least some help for the problem other than painting.

 

IT could be simply a matter of where you live as well......some of the westcoast cities are more prone to acid rain then the rest of the country....and being that its black.....black tends to show every single problem.......also too.....did you have a clear coat? it could be that the clear coat is messed up....which can cause it to look faded.....as for the paint chipping off.....could be a bad paint job....or simply a victim of bad weather...