What Issues are There with the 2003's??

[std63]

What Issues are There with the 2003\'s??

I am trying to decide between a 2003 and 2004 Viper. I see a post on a cam bolt issue. I don't know what cars this affects. Can you tell me what the differences are between the 2003's and 2004's and what problems the 03's have versus the 04's.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[SylvanSRT]

Re: What Issues are There with the 2003\'s??

no difference between years except the brake caliper color, '03's had silver/grey calipers(only year for this so far). '04's have red calipers. other than that no difference. from what i have heard there are still some new '03 cars out there at a big discount.

 

[Vipera Russelli]

Re: What Issues are There with the 2003\'s??

As for the differences between the '03 and the '04, the best comparison is Chris' (Y2K3SRT's) post here:

http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB21&Number=324775&page=10&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

(Great post, as always, Chris )

Additionally, I would add the following:

1. Some of the early '03s had valve problems, resulting in less-than-advertised power and necessitating a recall and subsequent valve jobs.

2. Some of the '03s had what was euphuistically called "flickering headlights," which resulted in some sporty blind driving at night and recall number two.

3. If you purchase an '03 and you want trunk carpet, which comes standard on the '04s, you'll have to buy it.

4. If you purchase an '03 and you want a convertible top boot cover, which come standard with the '04s (but which is delivered a LOOOONG time after you take delivery), you'll have to buy one from JonB (great value), or purchase a more expensive one from Mopar.

5. Some of the '04 have bolt tightening issues, the most common on which is the cam sprocket bolts (recall number 3 for the SRTs), but many other bolts have been discovered to be loose on the '04s.

Hope this helps.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Re: What Issues are There with the 2003\'s??

Vipera has summarized the various issues pretty well but I would tend to de-emphasize the valve issue (really impacted the middle months and not the beginning) as any car so affected should have been corrected and I have not heard of any long term effects. The flickering headlight issue was corrected by a software change to the body control module - again not a serious issue from a solution standpoint. The cam screw issue for 04's is close to on par with the valve issue for how much tearup to the car for the repair. He missed the cooling fan recall (can't remember how long a period was affected).

Another possibly significant difference is the crankshaft damper. It has not been verified but the '04 may be more difficult to supercharge due to the V8 style damper attachment versus the '03 which has a Gen II style.

 

[TurboSnake]

Re: What Issues are There with the 2003\'s??

Hot *** door sills.