bought a used 05 grand caravan

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I took it to a shop.the seller freakin replaced the instrument cluster!it said it had 114k but the computer says it has 212k.im so mad at myself cause the title is not box a.I messed up big time. Any ways it runs decent enough has some ticking noise and I also noticed the harmonic balancer (crank pulley) has slight wobble. So I dont know what kind of oil is in it and what I should do now I have to take a loss and make the best out of it.its leaking from pan too. Any suggestions on oil, should I do oil analysis and I would drop pan and put new gasket but there is a metal bar or bracket thing covering a few of the bolts.any body can offer help.I need it bad.
 
Why can't you sue the seller for misrepresentation? Pretty sure this is illegal everywhere.
 
Welcome to the site.

First, contact your local police, DMV, and state's Attorney General's office for recommendations. Your title should likely have been marked true mileage unknown, or something like that. Report back here with their instructions and we'll go from there. Get a police report on file first thing.

If you decide to keep it for whatever reason: Maxlife 5w-30 and a Wix filter. Go 5,000 miles between changes. You can get an oil analysis if you want after the next change.
 
Well the title says not actual mileage I think its box c. I dont think I could I mean it was just cash for it and drive away.it was stupid on my part. I could resell but theres a problem with that too. So im stuck with it and want to know how to get 300k out of it.im thinking about rebuilding when needed becuase the van looks to be garage kept pristine no rust.im afraid of even changing the oil becuase of how they hid the mileage.im thinkin it could have a coulpe of Lucas bottles in it or something.can u tell in a analyis if its syn or not. Any suggestions needed
 
Oh posted that in between posts.ok so the title they gave me should have the actual mileage it said 114k but I dont know which box it was.the title they gave me at dmv when I registered says box c so if the first one they gave to me when I bought did have box a then they would be at fault? Maybe thats why I didn't think anything of it.ill go check with dmv and see if they have the old title in their records
 
I have 183k on mine, but I purchased it new. I know people who have gotten 300k. If you have the 3.8 engine, they are known to use a quart of oil every 1000 miles. I used Pennzoil Platinum and Pennzoil Ultra in mine and they helped to reduce consumption. Good luck!
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Why can't you sue the seller for misrepresentation? Pretty sure this is illegal everywhere.


Exactly.
 
If the title says "not actual mileage", then the seller is off the hook. There is no recourse for the buyer. Just live with it if it's a nice van.... 300k, 400k is no big deal on any modern engine. Those mini vans go 700k plus as taxis in a lot of places.
 
Can you do your own work? I'm guessing that most anything on this vehicle will be cheap to do, as long as you don't have to pay labor. Sucks to have gotten "bitten" but it happens.

I'm not sure that these engines are that hard on oil? I'd be tempted to let it go some miles before changing. Maybe not 5k but unless if the oil looks nasty I'd be more concerned with changing transmission oil.
 
My caravan had a small oil leak. I put synthetic oil in it and the leak is now 15 times as bad. It sits in my driveway with a pan under it. The bent/wobbly balancer can cause a noise. I wouldn't describe it as a tick, more of a heavier thud.
 
In my 07 T&C the mileage is stored in the body computer and not the instrument cluster. I had to swap out the part because my backup lights failed. I now have backup lights but my power hatch no longer functions. Chrysler did a bad thing putting everything into the body computer.
 
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Can you say F R A U D ???

You should give the seller an option(s) before you sue so that you can show, later if need be, that you TRIED to be reasonable. That effort(s) on your behalf will make it much easier for a judge (or arbitrator) to rule on your behalf.

Ed
 
Originally Posted By: markalby
... want to know how to get 300k out of it.


Willingness to repair. If you fix it, it will run.

Originally Posted By: markalby
[im thinking about rebuilding when needed becuase the van looks to be garage kept pristine no rust.


Good no rust. That really kills vehicles more than anything.

Originally Posted By: markalby
im afraid of even changing the oil becuase of how they hid the mileage.im thinkin it could have a coulpe of Lucas bottles in it or something.can u tell in a analyis if its syn or not. Any suggestions needed


Well, you got to change the oil sometime, might as well make it now. Just choose a good high-mileage oil and a decent filter. Might as well go ahead and change the other fluids. Brake, PS, Tranny (I recommend Valvoline Maxlife Tranny Fluid), Diff... and basically anything else.

I have seven (7) 2005-2007 Chrysler minivans in my fleet. If you ask me, the difference between 70/90K and 200K is basically nothing. Everything seems to break on these vehicles after 90K so after that the only way these things make it to higher miles is the willingness of the owner to repair it over and over. My two chevy minivans are similar but I can normally get a few extra miles before they break as well... and it tends to be mechanical/sensor and not electronic.
 
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Wow thanks guys for responding and making me feel a little better about my purchase.this is a great forum. I guess this thing is worth putting money into then cause most of the problems already happened and were replaced.im going to buy a harmonic balancer and install.the ticking or tapping is from the top of engine so would that be lifters or valves?can upper cylinder lubricant help or is that stuff any good?ill definately keep checking up on this forum. Ya about the bcm they can replace the instrument cluster and not program it to say what is in the bcm. Im sure they didnt put a different computer in it they just went and picked a cluster and threw it in to make a little extra cash.it would have been worth what I paid if it was actual.thanks again
 
A quality high-mileage oil can help the ticking lifter if that is an issue. Actually, I think there is at least one person who found rocks in there after removing their valve cover from where neighborhood kids added them in... and the engine ran without breaking.

It would not be a bad idea to follow up with the proper folks about the false mileage. BBB or the local law folks might have a few cases against them and you never know.
 
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Originally Posted By: FutureDoc

Everything seems to break on these vehicles after 90K so after that the only way these things make it to higher miles is the willingness of the owner to repair it over and over.


Lol. I own a 2006 Grand Caravan 3.8 which has around 98,000 miles. At around 60,000 miles the rack and pinion started leaking PS fluid. I'm on my second bottle of Lucas Power Steering Stop leak and it has slowed down but still slightly leaks.

At just over 90,000 miles, the oil started leaking (and this engine already consumes oil, though more like a quart every 4,000 miles with Mobil synthetic).

I just found out this past weekend that the radiator is now leaking. I will have that fixed this week. I'm going to switch to high mileage synthetic oil to see if it slows down the oil leak or possibly stops it.
 
Don't worry about upper cylinder lubricants or other additives. Start with Maxlife 5w-30 and a decent filter (I like Wix) for 5,000 miles.

Coolant, transmission, and brake fluid should be dealt with at some point.
 
Originally Posted By: Capa
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc

Everything seems to break on these vehicles after 90K so after that the only way these things make it to higher miles is the willingness of the owner to repair it over and over.


Lol. I own a 2006 Grand Caravan 3.8 which has around 98,000 miles. At around 60,000 miles the rack and pinion started leaking PS fluid. I'm on my second bottle of Lucas Power Steering Stop leak and it has slowed down but still slightly leaks.

At just over 90,000 miles, the oil started leaking (and this engine already consumes oil, though more like a quart every 4,000 miles with Mobil synthetic).

I just found out this past weekend that the radiator is now leaking. I will have that fixed this week. I'm going to switch to high mileage synthetic oil to see if it slows down the oil leak or possibly stops it.


My apologies. You might just need to rebuild the pump. I rebuilt mine on the 205K+ '99 Subaru and it was only $5 worth of rubber o-rings (but I bought a kit and replaced them all) and 3 hours to fix. The fix was cheaper than Lucas. The leak was more where the reservoir met the pump. I have not rebuilt any Chrysler PS pumps so I can't give you any special insight there. Actually, that is one of the few things I don't think I have had to replace...ye... but my predecessor might have but I have no idea since he kept horrible records. I do think one "might" have a leak but we could not confirm it.

A quart every 4000K is not bad, especially with M1. The HM oil will likely help.
 
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