Steven

43,000 miles: Maintenance/Repairs: Front Brakes and Rotors at 20k, Rear Brakes and Rotors at 40k, Tires at 41k (new rims to drop to a 17" more affordable tire), tranny seal went bad, MyGig replaced.

I assume everyone got the 1k rebate, as did i, and then i just pushed them to do better, they eventually said they would give me the preferred pricing, i asked to see the invoice, it had the invoice price, then preferred price, then employee price. If i remember right, the employee price was about another 1k off. steve

I took my Journey over to the dealer to get a leather and fabric protector applied and the service tech said there was a Rapid Response Recall or something like that. He said it was for the Sun Roof, the paper work said they had to check the sun roof to verify the tracks or something like that. The dealer said they check mine out and it was fine, nothing to do. He said if i get a notice in the mail it is already done dont worry about it. So, if you have a sunroof, you might want to get in and get it checked. I assume the Rapidness is due to prospective leaking. Steve

I also have an R/T AWD, the sticker said 15 city and 22 highway. Last weekend I averaged 21. I would think the mileage would go up a little as it wears in. Also, I went up a pretty nice grade last weekend to park city. steve

I am impressed with the level of maintenance required in the Journey. Either the car company figured out it needs to be real world and reasonable maintenance, or they built a better car that requires less maintenance. I personally have never seen a maintenance log that is so relatively simple. 6K oil changes, about 60k is the big service, tranny fluid, axles, and radiator flush. Everything between is oil changes, tires, check brakes, exhaust, etcetera. No high maintenance requirement or severe schedule. Pretty cool. I read through the contract and the lifetime warranty, it says must do maintenance according to manual, which is pretty straight forward. Also, I was very surprised that the lifetime warranty covers the timing belt. And, the first timing belt change was at 102K if i remember correctly. Change it out then and you are good to go for the warranty. That was one of my big worries, if they would cover that. I was also shocked to find that the tranny, which they call something else like drive unit or something, is a sealed unit, ie, no dip stick to check or fill. Still requires fluid changes, but i believe the first one was at 60k. no big deal there. And that is covered under the lifetime as long as you do your 60k service. I am very impressed how simple the maintenance schedule is to keep that lifetime warranty. I am going to bet that chrysler doesnt do the lifetime warranty that long, it has to be expensive in the long run. I suppose they may be betting that most people trade or sell their cars in less than 5 years. Steve

i did discover that the older systems could be bypassed, i suppose everyone ought to try to see if your respective vehicle will work mine would not. here is what works on older models w/mygig: turn on vehicle start dvd movie push watch video while still in park now push audio button shift into drive then select done on audio screen the machines that havent been fixed will start playing the movie apparently the journey has the bug fixed also, try the same procedure w/the menu button steve

I don't know if anyone would be interested in knowing, but I tried my IPOD shuffle last night. I used the USB plug. It will charge the IPOD, but will not recognize the music. I believe the reason for this is due to the design/programming of the shuffle itself. I believe once it is connected to a USB source, it kicks into the charging and ITUNES mode. I am going to try and connect it via the AUX plug. Maybe that would work. It would be nice to use the shuffle though. Then the kids can plug their respective shuffle in to listen to their music instead of carrying CD's or download every kid's cd (not enough room). Hey, it will charge the ipod though. Also, I am trying to discourage the kids from wanting the NANO. Steve

Does it matter how soon we can put in synthetic oil? In a diesel they suggest 10K or so before switching. Any thoughts? Steve

I am wondering if everyone will share what they are getting for their MPG/Fuel Economy. Please state what you have received and how you calculated it. Also, what range are you getting for a tank of gas. Here is mine: I am averaging 18mpg according to the computer. I have about a quarter tank left and I have put on 300 miles so far since last fill up. I have the AWD R/T. steve

I am wondering what information everyone may have about the motor and tranny in the R/T. What can we expect in terms of reliability, maintenance, etcetera. Any inside information? Steve

yes, if someone knows how to override that, it would be great to have, kid in the center and passenger get some entertainment. steve

Does anyone know if an ipod shuffle would work in the radio unit? if i plugged it into the aux input? steve

I have the towing package, but no hitch. also, there is a wiring harness in the truck for the towing package, but is not installed? what the heck is that about? steve

What does everyone think about synthetic?

Anyone know if there is a way to download a DVD to the harddrive? Easier than carrying discs. Steve