I had an 05 Limited Roadster for about a year back when they first came out until some stupid hooligans decided it would be fun to break into the car and basically destroy it. I got rid of it and picked up a boring Honda, but I get sad everytime I see an Xfire on the road and really want to get back into game at some point.

My question is that since I had my Crossfire, I have moved out of DC, and down to southwest Virginia. They are two Chrysler dealers close, but neither of them have any Xfire techs in their shop. Would any of you be hesitant to pick up another Xfire (esp since I will try and get into an SRT-6 if I can afford it) if there were no certified techs in your area? I am afraid that if something goes wrong with the top, or any of the mechanics that I will be dealing with people that might just make the problem worse and not better.

Thanks!

 

I goes back to how bad you want the car. I would only let Crossfire Certified dealers work on my car. It's no different than buying a Porsche, or any other car that you don't have a local dealer in the area.

 

Is there a MB service tech nearby? If so, I would go talk with them before buying and see if they would work on it. Of course, don't buy the extended warrantee.

 

Where in Southwest Virginia are you located, and how far are you willing to traval for excellent service?

 

I picked our up at a dealer auction, and never thought about whether there were any certified techs in the area. Same thing with the Viper. I suppose it's easy for me to say since these cars aren't regularly driven. If something were to break, I wouldn't be in a hurry to fix it. So I suppose it depends on what is important to YOU if you are the one parting with your hard-earned cash.

Mike

 

Sorry for the delay in getting back to y'all. I live near Virginia Tech...the closest large towns would be Roanoke, or a bit of a hike to Charlotte...I guess my biggest issue would be it most likely would be my main car...unless the snow was a factor, so I would have to keep it in good shape and in working order. It's too bad this car wasn't supported better...its such a great car.

Thanks for the responses

 

How do you find out if there is a certified crossfire tech in your area?

 

knowing what i know now about crossfires...and the dealers, i would buy one. i'm up to 55,000 miles and i drive the car in horrible l.a. traffic- this is a VERY reliable car.

 

You need to make sure you have a GOOD Xfire tech.. I have only one certified Xfire tech at the dealership I work at and he is very hard to schedule for serivce due to the fact that he also has to pdi cars, do customer lofs and chrysler warranty work as well.. I take my car 70 miles away to different dealership for service.. It is only 15 miles away from my home, but it is not where I go on a daily basis.. In and out and questions are answered like I am a real customer.. There are alot less headaches this way.

 

Several questions:
You work at a Chrysler dealership that you can't trust to work on your Crossfire?
What is "pdi"?
What is "lofs"?

 

I trust him.. I can never get him to work on my car.. PDI stands for pre delivery inspection, lof stands for lube oil filter ( oil changes )

 

They're paying the xfire tech to do oil changes and inspections? Sounds like a pour business management to me.

 

the thing is that crossfire techs can make it worse not better as well.. I Would not hesitate to pick up a car I want whether there was a certified tech avaliable for that car or not.. afterall it is just a car and they are not all that different..

It is not like, just because there is no crossfire tech.. that if something is to break no one can fix it.. you always have the option of turning to a mercedes mechanic who prolly knows the stuff better than the ones chrysler offers anyways

 

Unless you needed to have warranty work done. All Chrysler techs, sales people, etc. have what is called an SID#. This is our number to identify us with Chrysler. This is what they use to track all of our training, figures... The mechanic has to put his SID# on the claim for Chrysler to pay the dealership for any warranty repairs. The Dealership has to be a "Crossfire Dealer" to be able to be paid on warranty work. So if you wanted to pay for the parts and labor out of pocket, I guess you could just run it down to the nearest Mercedes dealership and pay.

 

Tod, Thanks again for the Great inside info, as always! Bill

 

Based on my experience over 3 years (summers only) and 26k miles, I have had no issues with the car. Sure - there was a radiator recall and I had a door rattle (loose track) that had to be fixed, but nothing serious. I got to the Chrysler dealer where I bought it and never though to check if they had a Xfire certified technician.

Having been to hokie territory, I'd be more concerned with snow and ice if this is your primary driver. It is a powerful RWD car with wide tires - not a good combination for winter conditions. Pick up a beater just for the winter and savior the Crossfire the other 8-9 months of the year.

 

I have no problem with a non certified technician working on my car. That will be me. The only time it would be repaired by dealer is under warranty for a major failure. I bought the car, sealed it throughout with Waxoyl to prevent corrosion. Removed the wheels to provide anti seize to hub and bolts. Sealed paint with "Ice". Added transparent "Bra" to protect paint. Purchased paper shop manuals. Found exhaust system is made from 304 stainless steel...Expect no problems from this car...Mercedes/Karmann build...enough said. Gary