bfurth

It's not an at-fault incident because I have the police report recording it as a hit-and-run. Damage went on the corner and the back edge of the wheel well.

When gas was $4 a gallon, it would have been close! All joking aside, it's about the cost of a single car payment.

Turns out, the scratches I thought. I saw were just the depth of the paint. I took a damp microfiber towel to the area this morning and most of the apparent damage was just salt. It might just be scratched paint, but I will let the adjuster determine what to do. At least they didn't hit the quarter panel. Bumpers are at least removable.

There are a few deep scratches in the plastic. Can't buff those out.

Police report obtained, insurance claim opened, but they can't do anything until Monday. They have to confirm that the vehicle was sold without damage (it's brand new, so that's a quick phone call and a fax for the bill of sale). Then an appointment and inspection with the adjuster, followed by the waiting game for parts. It wouldn't hurt quite as bad if I had at least put a tank of gas in it myself. It had less than 200 miles on it and still more than half a tank from the dealer fill! I have to pay for body work before I I pay for gas. How messed up is that?

I have had my Journey for 5 days. 5 freaking days! And some dirt bag swiped the driver side of the rear bumper in a parking lot. No note, no phone number, nothing. There are times I I really hate people.

The powertrain warranty is 5 years/100,000 miles (or kms, if you are in Canada). That vehicle should still covered under it by both mileage and years. That they charged anything (unless it was a control module, which is not covered under the powertrain warranty) would have me screaming to customer service over at Dodge/Chrysler (not the dealer). Any new part from a dealer also should carry a 2 year/24,000 mile warranty (or whatever is left on the factory, powertrain, or any service contract you may have). And yes, the powertrain warranty (2010 and later) is transferable. The 2008/2009 lifetime powertrain only applies to the first owner, and only if you bring it in for the mandatory inspection at the specified times.

I bring the IT troubleshooting method to everything - I don't care if something happens once. When it happens again, then I start to believe there is a problem. You fix the cheapest indicated component first, and work your way up. Dealers work the other way around. If it happens in their presence, fix the most expensive assembly first, and then warranty the cheap stuff under "good will." I hope I never need the factory warranty, but that's about the only reason my Journey will see a dealer. I've now encountered enough brake problems in my time to be able to diagnose most of the hydraulic portions of the styem on the Journey - and I'm VERY happy to see that it has the HD brakes from the Grand Caravan/T&C. The salesman at my dealer was shocked that I've never worked in a garage. He told me that I knew more about the Journey than most of the guys selling it (and I only did a day of research!), and clearly had enough knowledge (from his point of view) to be running a shop myself. Half of that is smoke, to be sure. Still, it was a nice little ego stroke. Not that I need such a thing... :blush:

I actually prefer the electronics - as an IT professional, I work with computers all day long. The elctrical components generally don't fail. It's the mechanical stuff that tends to break down. As far as repair goes, diagnosis is easier. Does it work? If not, replace that component. Reboot, runs like new. There's a reason the technicians don't have the diagnosis skills they used to. If only they'd keep a diagnostic part around so they could add "test with known good component" to their troubleshooting list. It would save the consumer an enourmous amount of time and money, and give dealers a better reputation (they've got the resources to keep every component from each vehicle they sell around for a while.) Independent shops can't do that.

I've got a year to figure that out. I'm leaning towards it, maybe. But the hit of buying this and taking out a 6 year loan, while simultaneously paying off the last 3 yerars of my student loans (interest rate on a car loan was lower, and we had the cash on hand to pay the studen loans, but not enough to buy a new vehicle outright) is hurting the bank a little right now. $2,000 might not feel quite so bad in a year.

I just bought a 2015 SE and I'm looking for information on the first oil change. I intend to keep the vehicle until the engine falls out, so I want to baby it as much as possible. The owner's manual doesn't say anything past "change the oil when the oil change message shows up," but with the first change, I want to make sure I'm not keeping suspended metal particles around any longer than is necessary. What seems to be a good range for that first change?

The ease of maintenance is one of the reasons I wanted the 2.4. I've got a 2010 T&C with the old 3.8L, and that thing is going to be a monster to get the back 3 plugs. Copper core plugs are dirt cheap (NGK ZFR5F-11 priced on Amazon are $2 each). At $8 for a complete plug change, versus $26-$28 if you switch to platinum or iridium at 100,000 mile intervals, you're really not gaining anything (other than the half hour it would take to change them out). The first plug change I ever did was on a 2005 Cavalier (GMs 2.2 EcoTec - very solid engine). It took me about 2 hours due to taking my time and the throttle cable runs right over the coil pack, making it difficult to remove. The WGE 2.4 looks brain dead simple to swap out. Simple is good - it doesn't cost me anything!

The GM 3100 engine was a piece of junk. Combine the bad manifold gasket material with Dex-Cool (which eats the gasket material), and you have a recipe for disaster and premature engine death. It was a good vehicle for me to learn some skills on (actually, that started with my T&C when I decided it was no longer worth it to me to pay someone to do basic maintenance, and since then I've replaced a fuel pump and muffler on the Malibu, brake pads and rotors twice and all four calipers on the T&C, power steering pressure hose - which needs replacing again, the OEM part is terrible!). It's easy to learn how to fix cars - just buy one that has a problem every month! My post-purchase research into the 2.4l WGE is making me far more confident in the purchase. There's plenty of space under the hood to do the basics without removing half of the equipment (not to mention I don't have to remove an engine mount to change a serpentine belt - thank you Chevrolet!!!). I was a little concerned about the 30,000 mile spark plug change, but figured OEM was probably copper plugs (and a little digging around here confirmed my suspicions). At $2/plug, I won't complain. It's odd that a manufacturer would use a copper plug now instead of iridium or platinum, but the cost difference between copper at 30k and the others at 90-100k is negligible, and it's a 4 cylinder with coil-on-plug packs. SOOOO much easier to change out than a transverse mounted V6. I also like that there's a transmission dip stick (something sorely lacking with the 62te - and yes, I know there's a workaround) and an EVIC that actually gives me transmission temp. It's about time manufacturers starting treating vehicles like the mobile computers they are! We wanted to get out of the Malibu pretty quickly, and the Journey fit the bill for price and size. We got an SE with the chrome package (19" chrome plated rims, chrome plated roof rack side supports) and UConnect with dimming mirror on the 4.3 radio (beats the alternative of using a cell phone on speaker...) and "locking" lug nut pack (delaer installed option, don't care one way or the other) and walked away with a sticker price of $26,400, agreed selling price of $21k, $500 for trade in. We were pretty happy about it. Turns out, my car was on its dying breath at just the right time (right before President's Day deals ended). Ours didn't come with floor mats, so I've still got the dealer paper mats sitting in the front until my Weathertech liners come in (ordered them yesterday). Oh well, one less thing I have to store somewhere else.

The Malibu had some deep scratches and grooves in he he metal from scraping against my porch support column. I was happy to get $500 out of it. The car will be scrapped for parts - it's had the intake manifold gasket repaired once, and needed a new head gasket. With 115,000+ on the clock! it just wasn't worth it for me to try and fix it.

I already posted something similar in the Owner Impressions forum, so here goes again! My wife and I just bought a 2015 Journey SE (2.4l) yesterday. I had an '03 Malibu that was on its death bed (occassional temperature spike of 30 degrees, white exhaust, coolant in oil, and failed coolant pressure test = get me a new vehicle!), and we wanted something that can handle our growing family (kid #3 due in 3 months ) while not being too much larger of a footprint than my old car (I would like to use my driveway). Given that it's only 16 feet wide, and it houses a 2010 Town and Country (bought used 3 years ago), the Journey is about as big a vehicle as we can fit. Chrysler has also convinced me that they actually honor a warranty - my 3.8l T&C DOESN'T burn oil (anymore - all the valve seals had to be replaced, but it was still under powertrain coverage, so I paid nothing more than the oil change that the dealer required to start the consumption test). We've had a good experience with the T&C, so we're giving Chrysler another shot with the Journey. I've been using the Chrysler minivan fan forum for the last 3 years to get and offer help for everyone else, so I have been looking for a new "home" to go with my new vehicle. I do all of our vehicle maintenance, and I plan on keeping my Journey until the engine falls out - hopefully it's long enough to get my son (turns 5 next week ) old enough to teach him to drive. One thing is definitely going to take some getting used to - no more automatic headlights. I've had a daily driver with them for 6 years. For 3 years, every vehicle I've driven has had them. Now I don't. And the county police reminded me of that within half a mile of leaving the dealer lot last night . I was still throwing distance from the lot. Lucky for me, he was in a generous enough mood - my basic logic of "I'm still learning where the switch is!" was enough. The fact that I have the only salt-free car in the county helps!

If you can't tell, I'm new here. My wife and I just bought a 2015 Journey SE (2.4l) yesterday. Between my '03 Malibu being just about ready to die from what is either a head gasket or intake manifold gasket failure (that I had no desire to keep digging to figure out which) and baby #3 on the way, we needed a second "large" vehicle. We've already got a 2010 Town and Country, and I've been very pleased with it over the 3 years we've had it (undersized brakes aside, and now that it finally doesn't burn oil like the rest of the 3.8l blocks - horay for the Chrysler 100,000 mile powertrain warranty!!!) So, we decided we wanted something with a similar footprint to my old car (I like being able to use my driveway, but it's only 16 feet wide, and it's already got a T&C in it), but had optional seating for 7. The only vehicle that fit the bill (and didn't break the bank) was the Journey. It helps that I've had fairly good experience with the service department of the local dealer for getting warranty work done on the van. I've been using the Chrysler minivan fan forum for the last 3 years to get and offer help for everyone else, so I have been looking for a new "home" to go with my new vehicle. I do all of our vehicle maintenance, and I plan on keeping my Journey until the engine falls out - hopefully it's long enough to get my son (turns 5 next week ) old enough to teach him to drive. So far, I have to say, it's a HUGE step up from my 12 year old vehicle (no kidding). Comfortable, decent enough power, and plenty enough space under the hood to do the basics - makes for one happy new owner!