1998 Dodge Intrepid review from North America

Oil pressure light flickering at idle: oil pressure sending unit bad, replaced (per TSB) with redesigned unit, no problems since.

A/C and fan motor sporadically inoperable: diagnosed as faulty ignition switch, replaced, no problems since.

Drivers door (power) window sporadically inoperable (all other windows operational) : diagnosed as faulty control switch unit.

The plastic air dam under the front of the car was damaged/detached, was removed. (It's not worth it to me to replace the thing, because it's not clear how much the performance of the vehicle will suffer (increased aerodynamic drag, decreased cooling efficiency of the radiator or transmission cooler?)

Otherwise, it's just been routine maintenance items PCV valve, brake pads, EGR manifold gasket, brake fluid replacement, power steering fluid replacement, transmission fluid replacement, and so on.

Very comfortable, relatively quiet, nice ride.

Seats up to six passengers, the automatic shift lever is on the steering column. NOTE: there is no shoulder belt (lap belt only) for center seated passengers, both front and rear)

The trunk can best be described as cavernous. The downside to such a large trunk is that items can (and do) slide forward in trunk, and they cannot be easily reached.

Plenty of power, smooth shifts, easy and responsive steering, plenty of braking.

Driving this large sedan is non-exciting. And for me, that's a good thing. If I wanted a muscle car or a rally racing car, that's what I gotten.

Regular maintenance per "severe service" schedule. Oil changes every four months, no more than 4,000 miles between oil changes (Valvoline 5W30 conventional or high mileage synthetic blend). Transmission fluid replaced (OEM), coolant replaced (ONLY with OEM approved Zerex G05 and OEM approved procedure opening bleeder valve to eliminate air from cooling system)

There's no sign of coolant in the oil, or oil in the coolant. That's a good thing.

I'm so sorry to hear so MANY horror stories with the 2.7L Mitsubishi engine. I think Chrysler may have done the consumer a real disservice by reducing the amount of oil in the sump (total capacity of only 4.5 quarts), which makes the oil work that much harder. Especially under severe service (idling, frequent short trips, stop and go driving)

And if the cooling system (including the water pump and seals) isn't adequately protected (by OEM approved coolant), engine failure is inevitable. In the 2.7L engine, the water pump is driven by the timing chain.

This engine requires "special" G05 coolant. (In Chrysler's defense, there is a notation on the coolant recovery tank about "special" coolant only. Any contamination of this coolant with "old-school" or "universal" coolant, or non- demineralized water or even air in the system, that's going to compromise the corrosion protection. (The ethylene glycol antifreeze doesn't "wear out", it's the corrosion inhibitor compounds that get used up...)

(The guys at Valvoline instant oil change insist on "checking" the coolant by testing the specific gravity (counting the number of floating balls in the clear tube to determine the concentration of ethylene glycol... AS IF that's going to tell me ANYTHING USEFUL about whether or not the coolant is PROTECTING the cooling system. Don't get me started... they "check" the air filter by visually determining that the filter media has indeed trapped some contaminants... that's what it's SUPPOSED to do. And NO, I'm NOT paying $30 for an $8 filter I changed myself three months ago.