shadino

I'm getting really frustrated now! The PTU seals are leaking again and there is a leak in the rear! I am afraid to take it to the dealer and not have it for weeks again, but I'm also afraid to not take it in and have it break down again. I have already decided to take it to a different dealer than previous because of all the hassles and issues I had. A couple days ago I had the roof drain freeze, so I received a bunch on water in my lap. It leaks in from the ceiling console and literally came through the overhead lights! Not impressed. Took to the dealer and their solution was to pour more hot water in till the drain thawed...which meant the inside of my car got soaked and now there are water stains on the ceiling and pillars.

This might be a little late since we've already had bad weather, but...I live in Eastern WA and have the AWD with 19" wheels. I ended up going down to a 17" wheel with an all terrain tire when I needed to replace the original 19s. You could size down to a 17" wheel and use a studded tire or chains more easily. This was the best solution I could come up with because 19" snow tires are horribly expensive. Also 17" replacement tires are much cheaper than 19s.

Update to my last post. The dealership had the car a week before I finally found out something and only then when I stopped in and was fairly irritated. They ended up replacing the entire PTO unit and had the car about a week and a half. I got it back and it had a bad vibration in drive, still clunked and lurched when shifting, and had a very hard start. It felt like there was a bad motor mount and the engine was moving. Took the car back in. Turns out the exhaust didn't get replaced into the right position or attached correctly and ultimately it was resting against the main cross beam. This cause the engine to move and the car to sound really loud since the vibration was being amplified. Took it for a test drive with the service manager today and could tell right away it is finally fixed...until the next time!

A few months ago I had a PTO leak. They replaced the seals, finally. Last week the car started whining. They couldn't hear it. I made an appt anyway, but didn't make it. I was approx 60 miles from home when it clunked hard, started grinding, whining, and lurching. Luckily I was able to pull into a parking lot. It was towed to the dealer on Friday and today is Tues. They haven't looked at it yet. I am assuming that it was the PTO again and now they will have to replace the whole unit. Hearing it is on back order is not going to make me happy. This is my work car and I need it! I have the lifetime warranty, but how much does that help when its going in for the same thing all the time. I'm getting frustrated. Will update with what they come up with if they ever get to look at it!

I'm just over 23000 miles since Sept 09. My job requires lots of driving. I just had to have the power take off unit seal (transfer case seal) replaced yesterday. It started leaking last Nov, but dealership couldn't find anything. Finally my husband took the car in - and then they found the leak. Apparently they lifted the car up on the rack and the seal fell out. Probably why there is oil all over the back, the wheels are always covered in grime, and the car constantly smells like its burning! Apparently none of this is evidence of a leak. On up side...My car will never rust!

I live in a small town in a rural area and there are Journeys everywhere! The closest dealer is 30 min away and there are other dealers closer, yet there are 2 red, 1 green, 2 black, 2 white, 1 blue, and my 1 grey. I pass them all the time.

My reasons for the AWD: #1 While the MPG of the FWD is nice...I live right near a mountain pass. We cross this pass at least twice a month. In the winter it isn't uncommon for the pass to be Chains Required Unless AWD or 4x4. And its common to see State Patrol out checking. I purchased the AWD so I don't have to mess with chains. I'm a girl and I don't like being wet and cold in the dark on the side of the freeway putting chains on. I have previously had FWD cars and never had a problem with snow or other inclement weather. But if the pass was restricted, I would have to wait to leave and hope it got cleared enough that the restriction is cancelled. And hope I made it in time to wherever I was going. With the AWD I just keep driving. And the Journey gets WAY better gas mileage than my truck. #2 The AWD also has better ground clearance. My primary use of this vehicle is for work. I am a real estate appraiser in a rural area where "unimproved roads" are common. I have literally pulled off the car bumper of a FWD car trying to reach a property that I had to drive through a dry creek bed (would've been nice of someone to mention that before I went there). So far I have not even scraped the undercarriage of my Journey and that is saying a lot!

I got the 7 seater, like others here, because of the rear heat & AC. Actually it was one of the main reasons I bought this car. The Journey vents are in the ceiling whereas most vehicles have rear vents that get blocked when you fold the seats down. I carry my dogs with me and live in an area with cold winters and hot summers. I wanted them to still have the heat and a/c when my seats were folded down. The only other small SUV/CUV available with this configuration at the time I bought the Journey was the Highlander. I liked the looks, price, & options of the Journey WAY better.

My SXT does the cruise control thing. Drives me insane! I have the hard tranny shift that hopefully will get corrected this week My stereo randomly loses sound. My husband thought it was me till it did it to him. It doesn't throw a code and the service guys couldn't replicate it. They tried resetting it, but it did it again. I drove it straight to the dealership and had them look at it. They said "that's weird. We've never heard of that" They are going to swap out the head unit this week and hopefully that is it. Basically if I turn off the car for a short period of time like running errands and then restart it, the sound doesn't come back. The screen shows its own and you can turn it off/on, change stations, or from radio to Satellite, to CD and the sound won't come back. So far if I shut the car off and let sit for awhile the sound will come back the next time I start it. Incidentally they said it used to happen in the Dakotas if you hit a large pothole, but that isn't my problem.

Current Rides: 09 Journey SXT AWD!!!! 05 Magnum AWD 94 Ford C350 Centurian Conversion (F350 4dr with Bronco back end and removable top) 74 VW Thing 84 VW Scirocco 79 GMC Jimmy Past Rides: 07 Mitsubishi Outlander 05 Mazda 3 98 VW Golf 96 VW Jetta 95 Chevy S10 90 Chevy Blazer 89 Toyota 4Runner 86 VW GTI (one week & someone totaled it for us) 85 Jetta GLI 68 VW Bug

Moses Lake, Washington State

I bought an SXT AWD Journey on 08/09/2009, I have almost 4000 miles on it and no problems! Just had the first oil change too. I was at the dealership helping my dad pick out a new car for my mom...instead I bought a new car! This is a "work" car for me and I tend to put a lot of miles on so I wanted something reliable. I'm afraid it was the warranty that got me. Plus, my husband has an AWD Magnum that handles our winters really well. I've been spending the last couple weeks breaking it in and I'm happy with it so far. I even took it to a Dodge Magnum "meet" with my husband.