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bfurth

Journey Member
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Everything posted by bfurth

  1. Wheel speed sensor possibly? Tow it to a dealer and let them figure it out. If you can, provide the codes they pull with the resolution.
  2. Check the rotors to see if you can feel any obvious grooves being cut into them (shouldn't exist with that kind of mileage). Honestly, at 150 miles, you're still probably bedding in the pads. Get out onto a highway (with few cars around) and do a few speed drops from 50 to 20 (not panic stops) with at least 30 seconds between to let the rotors cool down. Or take it to a dealer. With 150 miles on it, there should be absolutely nothing wrong with that vehicle in any stretch of the imagination (unless you punctured some tires, but those were never covered anyway).
  3. I used what was left in the bottle (the clay kit I had was what was left over from removing polyurethane from the windshield of my T&C) to clean up some water spots after the windshield was clean. And then used it to clean the door jambs, and what looks like adhesive residue on the chrome lettering on the back from whatever had been taped on to protect it from the first paint work that had to be done. Early next month (once the front body work paint is cured), the whole thing is getting clayed and waxed (got Maguiar's sitting at home waiting to get opened for those jobs). In the mean time, weekly washing. I love how polished it looks right now. I washed/waxed the T&C yesterday, and looking at either of them, you can see the reflection of itself in the reflection of the other vehicle on the body of the first one (T&C in reflection of Journey on T&C or Journey in reflection of T&C on Journey). It's a pretty cool effect.
  4. Fortunately, no chemicals were needed. A quick swipe with a clay bar and the windshield is back to being silent when the wiper blades run over it (dry - and only done once to test for how clean I had gotten the windshield). This is now two issues I've fixed (only the first for my Journey) with nothing more than wax and "detailing spray." Seriously - how did I not know of the usefulness of this stuff until last year?
  5. I'm going to do my best to never let my Journey go to Virginia. Every time I've driven a vehicle there for the last 5 years, I've gotten a crack in the windshield. That state hates my cars.
  6. If that is a function you really want, get a Jeep.
  7. It looks like a radiator hose. It's kind of hard to tell from this pic alone. Are you visibly losing fluid in any reservoir (power steering or coolant)? What year/engine/transmission? It's really only going to be one of 3 things - oil, ATF+4, or coolant. Probably coolant. If you can safely get it to a dealer, the parts guy should be able to tell you what hose that is specifically, and then order it from them.
  8. Any special precautions for that, or just apply to rag, tape off the panels around the windshield, and wipe gently?
  9. I was planning on doing the body panels early next month. At least clearcoat is not the polyurethane I got all over my T&C
  10. So I just got my DJ back from the body shop after a 2 week mess from getting hit in a three car collision. I noticed last night that there was paint overspray on the driver window. Took it back to the body shop this morning and they came out with steel wool to clean it off - it was the lower front corner, and it would never have affected visibility, so I'm not overly concerned with steel wool having been used there. The problem is the clear coat overspray on the windshield. I'm not willing to let them put anything abrasive near it. So, I need a good clay bar option for removing it. The clear coat was baked on at 180 (according to the shop owner) for a few hours, but it's still not fully cured (needs 30 days). It's a very fine mist all across the entire windshield (and inevitably the rest of the car I'm sure). Any specific recommendations, or will any old clay bar do?
  11. bfurth

    Accident magnet

    I got my wheels back! Now to finish the rest of t he claim against the responsible party, but T least I'm mobile again (with something other than a POS Ford rental.)
  12. I know this is somewhat old, but wanted to add some info for changing out wheel hub/bearing parts. They generally now come as a single assembly (and with ABS equipped vehicles, have a wheel speed sensor built in as well). It also means you don't pack grease into a wheel bearing ever again. It's a single component that, for the front axle, allows the drive shaft to rest in the middle to drive the actual flange with mounting points for your rotor and wheel. The GC/T&C wheel hub has a total of 5 pieces of mounting hardware (4 bolts to hold the body of the wheel hub and bearing assembly to the steering knuckle, and 1 VERY large nut - I think it's a 30mm or 32mm - to hold the axle half shaft end in the hub assembly. I changed out the wheel hub/bearing on my sister's (my old) '05 Cavalier - it took about 2 hours, and was a job I had never done before. They aren't hard to work on (if you have the right tools). Also, the wheel bearing/hub assembly is the first component in the drive line that is NOT covered by the powertrain warranty. It is covered under bumper-to-bumper warranty, and may be covered by a Chrysler service contract depending on which one you bought, but the 60 month/100,000 mile (or km if you live north of the border) powertrain warranty does not cover them (as far as I remember from the warranty booklet).
  13. All passenger vehicles sold in the USA are required to have some form of TPMS (how it is implemented is up to the manufacturer.) Starting in May 2016 (and phased in to 100% by May 2018), all new vehicles sold in the USA will be required to have backup cameras as well. Thank you, NHTSA, for increasing the cost of my vehicles while doing very little to address the most troubling cause (and easiest to fix) of vehicular injuries and death (drunk driving). Put a breathalyzer in every new car (and find a way to hide it so it doesn't look terrible) and drunk driving is gone forever (once the older vehicles phase out). And it's perfectly legal - I know Maryland puts a condition in the driver's license that by driving with a state license, you have already consented to sobriety checks.
  14. Come on man, put a NSFW label on that! Would the rear wheel bearings need to be changed as well? Most FWD vehicles I've owned did not have a means of attaching a drive axle into the hub for the rear wheels.
  15. bfurth

    Accident magnet

    Well, it's not going to be ready today. Got a call from the body shop that they were doing the wheel alignment now. It was delayed because of two things - one other vehicle they had issues with, and they had to take off all the body panels after it was painted because the bumper wasn't lining up right. It wasn't lining up right because the front frame member was out of alignment (ie, frame damage) that they hadn't discovered until that point. The bumper cover was 3mm off due to the damage. The damage adjuster from my insurance company (because the likely at fault party's insurance company is STILL dragging their feet) authorized the repair WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE! How crazy am I for going back to that damage adjuster and A ripping him a new one for not informing me of this, and B start talking about them replacing it?
  16. bfurth

    Accident magnet

    9 days and counting. It took 3 days to figure out how I wanted to proceed with the repair, and then was quoted 5 days for the repair work to be completed. 3 stage paint is a pain.
  17. bfurth

    Accident magnet

    Body shop has got it in paint now - they started painting on Friday. Three stage paint = 3 days to paint the vehicle. Fun stuff. So, one more day of paint (tomorrow), then alignment in the morning on Wednesday, and I should get it back Wednesday afternoon. Then it's off to the dealer to get an appraisal done so I'm loaded for my diminished value claim. Yay - more paperwork!!!
  18. 300k is seriously impressive. The body work on that looks flawless. My 2010 T&C just passed 90k. It's getting new plugs and a serpentine belt later this year. It's already got new calipers (but they at least carry a lifetime warranty now). I'd be happy if I coul dkeep it half as long as your 300M!
  19. bfurth

    Accident magnet

    So, finally some news! NO frame damage. That was my stopping point. Everything else can be repaired properly with OEM parts, but the frame is what it is. Anything that was damaged is a bolt-on component, so as long as they're replacing with OEM (which I have assurances from the body shop that they are), I'm ok with it. The full damage list is: Front Bumper: front bumper cover (replace) lower air deflector (replace) reinforcement (replace) Front Lamps: driver side headlight (replace) Hood: hood (re-allign, re-paint) Fender: driver side fender (replace) passenger fender (re-paint) Radiator Support: radiator support (replace) evacuate/recharge refrigerant It needs an alignment, and may have some damaged suspension components (which they won't know until everything else is done), but the big news is that it is fairly light (considering what it could have been). The worst theing they can tell me from this point on is that the transmission was affected (so fine, replace it with factory new if that's the case) or that the steering components need to be replaced (again, use OEM, and I'll be satisfied). The body shop has agreed to provide me with copies of the invoices for every part they install on the vehicle (it's a good shop, but I still want documented proof of all parts being OEM).
  20. bfurth

    Accident magnet

    Most companies I've seen around here (Maryland) do accident forgiveness for the first incident of an at-fault collision. After 3 years, they legally cannot hold a claim against you for determining your rate. 1 accident every 10 years? If insurance companies could guarantee that rate of incident for all drivers, everyone's rates would be dirt cheap.
  21. bfurth

    Accident magnet

    "No fault" means everyone's rates go up as a result of a collision. How wonderful that the lawyers decided to do that for you. Shop around when it's time for your policy renewal. It won't hurt. If you find a lower quote, go back to your "guy" and see if they can price match. Competition is always a good thing. Got a quote from my insurance (they will subrogate after fault is determined, but everyone else is moving too slow for my liking) - $2,000 in damage (so far). No evidence that they've seen of frame damage, but they won't know for sure until it's been disassembled. All things considered, it's not as bad as I thought.
  22. Grand Caravan ,Town and Country, what's the difference? As long as FCA sells a stripped down version under the Chrysler badge, it will still be the best selling minivan platform in North America.
  23. bfurth

    Cargo space

    That was exactly the info my parents needed. They took delivery of a 2015 AVP earlier tonight.
  24. Some dealers may list VIN numbers for new vehicles on their websites. Check the vehicle descriptions and use that.
  25. bfurth

    Accident magnet

    The insurance company for the driver who did the t-boning (Liberty Mutual) has at least gotten statements from all three drivers now. They're waiting to hear back from the county police (trying to get to the officer). They told me that right now, they're currently getting 4-6 WEEKS to obtain copies of police reports (which according to the county can only be delivered by mail, and are $15/copy - hello?!?!?!? It's the 21st century!!! Automate this stuff!!!), so they need to speak to the officer directly to speed things up. Ultimately, they all need to talk to the witness (guy who was following the Acura that got hit first) who was ALSO making a left turn. His statement is all that is needed to assign fault, and then the rest of this gets bundled up nicely. In the mean time, I'm out $500 because I don't want to wait a month to get an answer as to when I'll get my car back. Lobitz - I understand your point about dealing with a particular person. However, I've been with GEICO for about 6 years now. Before them, I was with USAA. GEICO's service for me has been every bit as good as USAA had been in the past (and anyone who's ever dealt with USAA knows what high praise that is). The reason I switched was GEICO had a rate that was significantly lower at the time due to a university alumni association credit. As it stands now, no one can get within $200/year of what I pay through GEICO (for two vehicles). Good customer service (as good as one can expect from an insurance company), and the absolute rock bottom price available? Yeah, I'll stick with them (until someone matches one and beats the other - it matters little to me which is which).
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