Brand New 2020 Chrysler 300 Apparently Left The Factory With Mismatched Trims And Headlamps.

[jhs914]

Father-in-law bought a new 79 Chevy Silverado. Got a good deal because the entire bed was a lighter shade of grey. It didn't bother him so he never repainted.

I ordered a dark blue 1992 S-10 Tahoe new and when it arrived several body panels were noticeably lighter than the rest of the car. The dealer completely repainted the car. To their credit it looked fine and the paint held up well during the 7 years I owned it.

 

[4WD]

For all of the Chrysler/Dodge and Hemi bashing I read I have to say that my experience with them has been good. I had a 2005 Magnum RT (5.7 Hemi) that I put over 100,000 miles on and the only trouble I had was a faulty lift gate latch and a worn control arm bushing. No problems with the Hemi which had MDS. I traded it on a 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT (non-MDS 392 Hemi, six speed manual) and had zero problems with it. I loved both cars and drove the snot out of both of them.

Relative to this post, I did have mismatched center caps on the wheels of the Magnum. One side had the Dodge emblem and the other side had a Chrysler emblem!

People need to bash … it raises their IQ by 10 points …

 

[tyman]

That a mediocre design to start with but honestly a massive success they sold a platform as long as they did and likely profitable.

Cheap SUVs will always be a "success", unfortunately, that doesn't mean they're good nor the manufacturer is good.

 

[OVERKILL]

Wasn't it a Jeep/Chrysler factory the UAW was drinking away out back with their protected jobs. Can't fire them.

https://www.torquenews.com/106/chry...kers-caught-drinking-smoking-pot-during-lunch

Epic fail from Factory down to dealer delivering car with their checklist. CEO should at least ask what happened and where do we go from here.

I prefer my cars from Mexico or non union US where workers are more appreciative of jobs.

This car was, at least originally, assembled in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. However, @OIL_UDDER commentary as an industry insider seems to point to this happening after it left Brampton.

 

[OVERKILL]

Cheap quips from some dude who had a rental once or folks whose grandfather's best friend's sister's babysitting buddy had a K-car really make these threads. A+ quality material, I'll be sure to consult these individuals before I ever consider buying an FCA product.

 

[dishdude]

This car was, at least originally, assembled in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. However, @OIL_UDDER commentary as an industry insider seems to point to this happening after it left Brampton.

Not to mention the author of this article has no idea what the history of this vehicle is, he wrote this story based on a post he found on Reddit

 

[nthach]

That a mediocre design to start with but honestly a massive success they sold a platform as long as they did and likely profitable.

It does have its roots back to the Sebring/Caliber and Mitsu Eclipse/Galant and jointly a Chrysler/Mitsu effort back in the 1990s. It’s fully amortized and for FCA, it didn’t cost much to maintain the tooling or to build the old Journey.

 

[wemay]

Is there a link to the story? Or is this just going to turn into another brand bashing thread?

Hi @stower17 , yes the original post has a link. I also mentioned that i like the 300 and that this probably happens to all brands - so as to not lead others to think it was a bashing thread. But it happens inevitably on all forums.

 

[Blinker]

I have the OP on ignore so I can’t see the link. However I’m not concerned.

 

[wemay]

I have the OP on ignore so I can’t see the link. However I’m not concerned.

Not a problem, i'll return the favor since i am...the OP.

 

[wemay]

As somebody that was in lots of Chrysler plants this probably didn't happen at the factory. Too many inspections to miss this and heads would roll. My bet is they did a contract "rework" which happens all the time with vendor parts issues. This is actually how people like Roush make money, big money actually. In that red tape mess of late PO's somebody sent them the wrong parts AND somebody else had that "ain't my job" attitude or OK I'll do EXACTLY what you told me to do and followed the instructions haha.

It happens... it shouldnt... but it does....

Thanks @OIL_UDDER for the insight. Good info.

 

[Delta]

Cheap quips from some dude who had a rental once or folks whose grandfather's best friend's sister's babysitting buddy had a K-car really make these threads. A+ quality material, I'll be sure to consult these individuals before I ever consider buying an FCA product.

My unclebrother had a K-car one time, does that qualify me as an expert?

 

[DuckRyder]

While I would expect it to be less common nowadays, based on my past experience I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that happened at the factory.

I've seen GMC s15's roll of the truck with Chevrolet tailgates (and sometimes even a different color) and Pontiac LeMans (of the Daewoo variety) with emblems from all over the world... Opal, Vauxhall (sp?) etc... among other things...

Nobody is going to stop the line, it is flagged to be fixed at the plant if they are lucky... if not ship it and wait for the warranty claim...

 

[Redright9]

I worked at a Nissan store many years ago and an Altima came in off the truck. It was the "hot rod" Spec V version. The wheels had red stickers inside NOT FOR PRODUCTION written on them. They put prototype/test wheels on the car some how! We called up Nissan, and they thought we were lying at first until we sent a picture... New wheels/tire showed up quickly!

 

[Jetronic]

The dealership I work for used to sell Citroens and the service adviser noticed something strange with a showroom model, but couldn't immediately put his finger on it.

Then he saw it. One side was finished as a Pallas (luxury) and the other side not. He called the factory about that and they told them it wasn't a problem as the customer could only see 1 side at a time!

 

[ARCOgraphite]

The dealership I work for used to sell Citroens and the service adviser noticed something strange with a showroom model, but couldn't immediately put his finger on it.

Then he saw it. One side was finished as a Pallas (luxury) and the other side not. He called the factory about that and they told them it wasn't a problem as the customer could only see 1 side at a time!

Ah, I miss seeing DS 21 on the road.

A car design decades ahead of its time.

 

[MCompact]

I seem to remember that in the late ‘80s or early’90s Car and Driver received a long-term test car from Mercury that had mismatched front bucket seats.

 

[OIL_UDDER]

Thanks @OIL_UDDER for the insight. Good info.

You bet! Not saying I am right on this one and crazier things have happened but there are so many sensors, tags, bar codes etc. at the plant its just unlikely in my experience.
What is likely is a email from a vendor saying parts made from date xx/xx to xx/xx MAY have an issue. These can range from porosity in a particular cavity to an aesthetic blemish. Once it is determined to be a concern you can't stop the line (by fixing it there OR starving the plant of parts) so you let the issue make it through and book end the vehicles with it. Sometimes those vehicles have already left the facility where they will be quarantined at a contract firm such as Roush. Once they have correction actions from Chrysler they follow a set of very specific instructions with parts to fix the cars. Then they can go to the dealership. Obviously, they can have one or more issues to correct (grouping them saves cash duh) so they do it as one major correction. If in that chain there is a PN breakdown, missing documentation or just a few people who don't give a hoot things like this make it to the dealer and heads roll at CTC. haha.

Fun fact: Next time you buy a new vehicle look for little paint dots on the engine/frames etc. Those are typically corrective actions or checks done outside the normal assembly process. They can be done at a vendor, in the main assembly area or out at a contract company. I'll go see if I can fine one on my car!

 

[MCompact]

Cheap quips from some dude who had a rental once or folks whose grandfather's best friend's sister's babysitting buddy had a K-car really make these threads. A+ quality material, I'll be sure to consult these individuals before I ever consider buying an FCA product.

Third-hand hearsay from “expert” read testers who have yet to sit in the car they are maligning?
It’s the BITOG standard of evaluation...

 

[CKN]

This is a great thread for BITOG. I can hear it now-"this is why I buy 3000,000 mile beaters and not new cars."