Front fascia, air dam, splash guard falling apart

[Mike H]

My 2006 300c SRT8 has a really low front end that scrapes at intersections and speed bumps. I cannot pull up completely in parking spaces because the front end will scrape or get stuck on the concrete parking stops. I have been careful not to pull completely into spaces, but I made one mistake and tried to pull in too far because my car was sticking out too far. My front fascia was cracked when I backed out and the air dam and splash guard fell off. Replacement cost is about $1,600.

Is this just a fact of life for the SRT8 or is my car too low? I have not modified it. It is straight from the dealer.

[topfuel67]

Fact of life. I don't care if I stick out. I keep about 2 feet away from the cement stop in parking spots. Either that or back in.

[crhemi]

Try backing in...it works for me.

[ricardo]

Demand from politicians to maintain road properly! It should not scrape bottom on normal roads.

This can happen only when plastic sheet which protects engine starts falling if it was not properly attached after oil change. This thing stuck in some crack has potential of ripping off front fascia.

Parking guards and bumps are a different story. Be careful.

[bruno]

Originally Posted by Mike H

My 2006 300c SRT8 has a really low front end that scrapes at intersections and speed bumps. I cannot pull up completely in parking spaces because the front end will scrape or get stuck on the concrete parking stops. I have been careful not to pull completely into spaces, but I made one mistake and tried to pull in too far because my car was sticking out too far. My front fascia was cracked when I backed out and the air dam and splash guard fell off. Replacement cost is about $1,600.

Is this just a fact of life for the SRT8 or is my car too low? I have not modified it. It is straight from the dealer.

Gosh Mike, haven't seen you around here in a long time. Sorry to hear about your little incident which has happened to more than one member. It appears you have the original 2-part front fascia...separate bumper plus attached lower chin spoiler. If so, that style is no longer available. The replacement unit now comes as one solid unit (both pieces molded into one) which is what you see on all the newer SRT models.

Is the dealer replacement quote only for front fascia? If so, that seems extremely high. You can purchase a new piece for your SRT from a supporting vendor which you would have to have primed and painted. Still, I think it would come out far less than the dealership quote. Their quote might not even include the painting or installation (which you can do yourself).

Contact our supporting vendors and see what they can do for you regarding replacement and any other questions you might have.
Ted @ Mopar Supercenter or Wycoff Chrysler

Good luck!
bruno

[RTP SRT8]

Ouch! Get used to it! I did the same to mine over a year ago. I think that almost every member has had the same problem at some point.
When I first joined the Forum, that was a very popular thread, "I scraped my front on a parking block." Now, some people don't have any sympathy for us who have done the same thing.
I have been backing into spaces to save the front end. At some point I will replace the front facia and the plastic covers underneath. But for now, I will just be careful not to scrape the thing off completely.
I have heard of a few members traveling down the highway and the wind ripped off their damaged front fascia completely. Be careful and good luck. Your car was made that low from the factory.

[Mike H]

You guys make it seem so simple...just back into your parking space. Now you tell me I will be doing that when I get the car back.

Any way, the replacement is the front fascia, the air dam, the lower spoiler, and the under engine guard. It includes painting the front fascia.

The plastic engine guard did almost fall of on the highway. I heard it dragging and pulled over to check. It was still attached by only one screw so I ripped it off and threw it away beside the road. The same thing happened on my other 300C. It seems like a bad design to me.

[ssbmg]

I just did this exact same thing only I damaged different parts. The front fascia piece is fine however the 2 bolts on each side where the fascia connects to the fenders has been bent as the fascia pretty much ripped out of place. the engine cover tore off the fascia and the wheel wells on each side have also ripped.

I can take it all apart and fix it no problem however I have no idea where to start concerning parts. If someone could assist me with part numbers and a cheap place to buy them I would be forever grateful.

Here is what I need:
-Left and right side wheel well covers (not sure what the technical name is here)
-Left and right side brake cooler "tunnels" that channel air from the lower 2 openings of the fascia to cool the brakes (also no idea what these are called but they fell off in the parking lot and are lost forever)

I think everything else I can drill new holes and get connected properly. I just need to know the part numbers for the above pieces and where to get them. It would also be helpful if someone could point me towards a thread with some pics or a schematic showing how in the world to install the brake cooler.

Thanks!

[srt8danno]

This was a fact of life for my 300 SRT8. You just got used to not pulling all the way in to spaces. I was able to take mine to the local body shop and they repaired the clips and got it hooked back up for $50, but it wasn’t cracked. My new Challenger looks to be the same if not even lower. So be careful out there!