bfurth

The front seat head rests are designed to tilt from the bottom (hinged at the top) for driver and passenger comfort. In the event of a sufficient collision, they will deploy (also pushes out from the top) to reduce neck injuries.

The 3-button FOBIK that was standard on the 2009 Journey (and was also the same FOBIK used for the Grand Caravan/Town and Country, and a few other vehicles) absolutely has a battery in it. If your key looks like the one here (http://www.amazon.com/KeylessOption-Replacement-Ignition-Keyless-Transmitter/dp/B00KTHZZ3Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448060300&sr=8-2&keywords=2009+dodge+journey+key), it has a battery and your source of information is lying to you.

Not just test drive, but check operation of all doors and hood. Anywhere two panels move around each other, inspect for gaps and chipped paint. Good luck!

Did the tank split open on a seam? Does it look like stressed plastic? If no, then it's road side damage and definitely not covered. If yes, call Dodge Cares. It's still not a guarantee.

This the claim that won't end. Last week, the results of the inter-agency arbitration hearing came back. I am clearly not at fault in any way (hooray for common sense!) The other two drivers are 50% liable for all damages. Shocking - he said/she said with no reliable witness to refute either claim, but a 3rd party victim results in 50% damages issued to each of the can't-be-not-at-fault drivers. Almost 8 months to get to this point. I sent paperwork over for my diminished value claim - one insurance company got back to me within 48 hours with a promise of a check (pending completion of release of future liability) for 50% of the claimed loss (100% of what I was hoping to recover from them) with no fight what so ever. The other company is Liberty Mutual (the same insurance company that invented the formula that I'm sure they're going to try and use.) KBB didn't even have numbers back in April when I got my DJ back, but the numbers the dealership gave me for trade in then are within 5% of what KBB says now, so the numbers play out accurately. I just have to sit back and wait. The good news is that the claim is enough to pay off the gutters I just had installed, buy a lifetime/unlimited mileage Added Care Plus for the DJ, and throw a bunch into savings (which will be used to pay off a portion of the roof I had to put on my house this summer). Can I go back to having no financial responsibilities?

If the damage was done by impact, there is no chance FCA is going to warranty the repair. It's physical road-side damage, and not something the warranty would cover. Insurance (comprehensive, as it was not the result of a collision with another vehicle) will cover it, if you report it. The only way FCA would ever cover this is under repeated incidents of the same issue, an NHTSA investigation, and proof that the fuel tanks are built of insufficient strength, or a specific production run of the tanks were built at less than specified strength. You do have on other option, should you be brave enough - DIY. Fuel tanks, especially with a de-pressurized system such as the one you already have, are not difficult to remove (typically only have some straps holding them to the undercarriage. If the Journey is anything like the Grand Caravan, the fuel filter is probably integrated into the pump. That means the only lines you have to worry about are the purge canister and the two fuel lines (supply and return) and the filler tube. Drop the tank, remove the fuel pump and the wiring harness, re-install, and you're done. Without having access to a service manual, I would assume you need to cycle the ignition to "run" 3 times before actually starting the engine (press the ignition button twice to go from off to Acc, then Run, wait a few seconds, then press again to reset to Off, and repeat 3 times) to pressurize the fuel system. Also, I am not a mechanic. This is basic information from when I replaced the fuel pump on my old Malibu. Your mileage may (and probably will) vary. Also, you'd be stuck with the cost of towing the vehicle from the dealership back to your driveway, plus the cost of obtaining a new tank, and the concern of working with (what little is left) gasoline.

I wouldn't push anything to 100 mph on those PA roads. Have you guys heard of this thing called "re-paving?" Welcome to the board!

Either that, or get a new DJ. We just have a button!

Given that you're complaining about a recall with a 2010, I assume your issue is the wireless ignition node and FOBIK replacement. You don't have to go to a Dodge dealership - ANYTHING operating under a FCA brand will do the recall (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, whatever). You can go to any FCA-brand vehicle dealership anywhere in the country and get the service performed. If you haven't done it already, take everything else off of the FOBIK - don't let keys hang off of it, that was what caused the recall in the first place.

Attach clamps on the sides in such a way as to preserve the original clean look of the "beauty cover"?

You've got a 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. So long as the issue is not outside of the transmission housing, it should be covered (and that should also include diagnostic work once identifying that there is something malfunctioning). The only way you should agree to pay a diagnostic charge (and $200 is WAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY too high) is if they plug in their computer, find no fault codes, and a full inspection that actually utilizes a technician's time reveals no faults either. Even if they have to tear out the entire transmission, you should be covered under the terms of the powertrain warranty (if it's still in effect for your vehicle).

If you don't mind, post a photo of your engine cover post-recall repair. The recall claims installation of "an improved mounting system for the engine cover," which a threaded bolt is an improvement, functionally speaking. It says nothing about adding insulation to the engine cover. If this isn't what they were supposed to do, then I'm going to vocally express my opinion to the proper channels. I've made customer service people take personal days just because they knew I was coming back (to be fair, they had it coming).

It's simple to tell the difference. If there is a spring retained arm on the back of the caliper, you will need to turn it and compress it simultaneously to seat the piston for new pad installation. If there is no arm, there is no parking brake mechanism inside the caliper, and the piston can be compressed with nothing more than a c-clamp (or other appropriate brake tool if you prefer).

The 4th generation Chrysler vans had it the same way (separate parking brake in rear wheels, floating caliper for hydraulic brake, no spinning required to compress the piston).

That's not entirely accurate. My grandmother's 2005 Infiniti Q45 has a rear caliper that does not have an integrated parking brake (the rotor is also a drum for the mechanical parking brake which sits inside the rotor). No special tool required to compress that caliper. I will say that the Lisle 2-piston caliper tool (the one that you just squeeze a trigger to compress both pistons simultaneously) is the single best brake tool I've ever come across. It is worth the $35 for the tool and then some. For the Journey, yes, you need the special tool. You can get the set on Amazon for under $30. Some sets include both left and right hand threaded tools, depending on how each caliper is set up. Some vehicles use both, some use one, some use the other. I assume the Journey uses the right-hand threaded tool, but I've never done the job nor even looked it up, so I can't say for sure.

The early 5th generation Chrysler minivans (2008-2013) share the same brake components with the early Dodge Journey (2009 through at least 2013). The rear calipers might be a little different in 2013. I think it was 2013, the vans starting getting newer brakes. 2014, the new heavy duty brakes (dual piston front caliper, bigger rear caliper, bigger rotors and pads all around) were made standard on the Journey (and I think the full van platform as well). The early vans had options for 17" rims, which will work with the big brake upgrade. The bigger brakes make a HUGE difference in the minivan platform (I have a 2010, but my wife got rear-ended a few months ago and had a 2014 T&C for a few days - WOW what a difference the Pentastar and HD brakes make!) The Journey is only off by 200-300 pounds from the vans - those brakes do matter. The old brakes are enough to stop the vehicle - that's not the issue. They generate too much heat and the pads wear out relatively quickly. The rotors tend to wear out too quickly as well - I end up replacing pads with rotors every time as the front rotors develop a pulsation about 40k miles in. The pads only last about 45k-50k.

I'd love to know how DTE is calculated. I get about 21-22 mpg (depends on the tank - but I do mostly short trips, with a few 25+ minute drives every week, so a single tank usually lasts me 3 weeks). If my first drive after filling the tank is highway, the first 30-50 (and I've even seen it go the first 100) miles on a new tank, the DTE doesn't change, or increases. I reset the fuel economy readout every time I fill the tank.

The 2009 brakes were undersized for the weight of the vehicle (same goes for Grand Caravan/Town & Country of the same vintage). If you have 17" rims, you can upgrade to the heavy duty brakes, it just takes a lot of new hardware. If you have 16" rims, you're stuck with the old style brakes (so long as you don't want to shell out the money for new rims and tires). 2009 was the first year ever for the Journey - as a first production year vehicle, it's going to have more problems than the same vehicle 3, 2, or even 1 year further down the line. You're 6 years out from manufacture with 120k miles on it, so you've probably got some work to do on it. I'd imagine suspension is in need of work. If you have the 3.5L engine, it's time to replace the timing belt and water pump (timing belt has to be removed to change the pump, so you might as well do both at the same time). If it's been well maintained up to this point, it's still got another 100,000 miles to go, at least (any car will last, so long as you take care of it). It's going to get more expensive to keep it as time goes on, but that's true for any vehicle. The trade off in a new car versus keeping an old one is how much time and money you're willing to put into the old one. When the cost of keeping an old one exceeds the cost of getting a new one, THEN it's time to replace it (unless you have more money than you know what to do with, in which case by all means, go buy whatever you want whenever you want).

So, the "repair" that they do for this recall is to drive a bolt through the top of the engine cover on the passenger front corner. They could have at least used a black gasket instead of the orange piece they used.

R32 parts are available at dealerships. Mine is scheduled for the repair on Saturday.

Because you don't build two different unibody frames. That's cost prohibitive. If you wanted something with a big (enough) third row, you had two other Mopar options - a Durango or a Grand Caravan/Town and Country (at least on our side of the Atlantic).

I can change playlists while the car is not in park... Well, at least I assume I can. I can switch from Artist to Album to Genre or select an individual song while the vehicle is not in park. I can't imagine that part is unlocked but playlist selection is locked out on the same radio.

You can get overhead console as an option for lower trim models. The console includes LED map/convenience lights, sunglass storage, and observation mirror. This is part of the Popular Equipment Group for SE models (at least it was for 2015). I don't have it on my Journey, but my '10 T&C has the equivalent.

It's the reading lamp in the overhead console (not equipped in all models). If it's flickering, it's most likely due to a loose wire. There has got to be something closer than a 1,000 mile round trip for a dealership. Call Dodge Cares (1-800-423-6343) and get them to work something out. There is no reason you should have to travel 1,000 miles round trip (taking all that mileage off of your warranty as well) to get a light repaired.

Greetings from Baltimore!