bfurth

I get the hatred towards minivans - they're not "cool." Now that I'm a father of three, I've wised up. You know what's "cool?" Pure functional practicality.
And Vipers. And Challenger Hellcats. But I can't afford either of those.

Nothing earth shattering, but noticed this today and was stopped so took a pic.

You'd be surprised at how much damage can be done by a "minor" hit to the front corner. Last year, I got hit while stopped at a light in the front left corner, and the final repair list included:
front bumper cover
driver side fender
driver side headlight
radiator core support
mis-aligned hood
paint for all affected parts
time spent on a frame rack to re-align lower frame rail
4 wheel alignment
All told, it was about $4,000 worth of damage (I insisted on OEM parts and refused to allow the shop to use anything else - someone else was paying for it, and my car was 27 days off the dealer lot).
Does Georgia have (and do you carry) uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance coverage? If so, did you get a police report/witness accounts of the collision?

Not the least of which is that the manufacturer is listed as Ford... (I kid, of course.)
As for 5 versus 7 - it depends on installed options. Some are 5, some are 7.
As for a vehicle with a larger 3rd row in the price range as the Journey, look no further than it's brother, the Grand Caravan. A new Grand Caravan SE (AVP doesn't have stow-n-go seating, so no one should ever buy it) can be had for about $20k, give or take a thousand or two. A Journey SE is around the same price point, but you get more out of a Journey SE than you do out of a Grand Caravan SE (aside from sheer cavernous interior volume).
Oh, you wanted a CUV/SUV with a larger 3rd row than the Journey for the same price? Such a beast does not exist. Sorry, be ready to shell out an additional $10k to get another brand of vehicle with similar trim level and larger interior dimensions.

Not the least of which is that the manufacturer is listed as Ford... (I kid, of course.)
As for 5 versus 7 - it depends on installed options. Some are 5, some are 7.
As for a vehicle with a larger 3rd row in the price range as the Journey, look no further than it's brother, the Grand Caravan. A new Grand Caravan SE (AVP doesn't have stow-n-go seating, so no one should ever buy it) can be had for about $20k, give or take a thousand or two. A Journey SE is around the same price point, but you get more out of a Journey SE than you do out of a Grand Caravan SE (aside from sheer cavernous interior volume).
Oh, you wanted a CUV/SUV with a larger 3rd row than the Journey for the same price? Such a beast does not exist. Sorry, be ready to shell out an additional $10k to get another brand of vehicle with similar trim level and larger interior dimensions.

Guess what potentially low-budget vehicle FCA already has that can carry 7 passengers...
And yeah, the Volvo looks vaguely reminiscent of every other mid-size SUV/CUV on the market, just as the Journey does. They all have their own face though - I prefer that of the Journey. And the price tag.

Guess what potentially low-budget vehicle FCA already has that can carry 7 passengers...
And yeah, the Volvo looks vaguely reminiscent of every other mid-size SUV/CUV on the market, just as the Journey does. They all have their own face though - I prefer that of the Journey. And the price tag.

Not any more than all the other mid-size CUV's out there.

Lemon Laws for US Pacific Coast (obtained through links from www.lemonlawusa.com):
California - 18 months/18,000 miles
Oregon - 1 year/12,000 miles, specifically applies to leased vehicles
Washington - 24 months/24,000 miles (of which at least one repair and/or 15 of the 30 days out of service must be within the first 12 months/12,000 miles), specifically applies to leased vehicles
Lemon Laws are very specific and are not a catch-all when your mechanic of choice can't figure out your issue. The most recent vehicle in question is a 2011. There is no lemon law in the USA that will cover that vehicle. Even if it sat on a California dealership lot for 3 years before first sale, it's still beyond 18 months. Your options are to continue hunting down the cause of the issue (utilizing dealerships or independent mechanics), report the issue to NHTSA and hope they open an investigation (which may still result in you paying for the repair due to it not being an inherent safety defect, pending the outcome of their investigation), or sell it/trade it in - you will get current market value for that vehicle and no more.

Lemon Laws for US Pacific Coast (obtained through links from www.lemonlawusa.com):
California - 18 months/18,000 miles
Oregon - 1 year/12,000 miles, specifically applies to leased vehicles
Washington - 24 months/24,000 miles (of which at least one repair and/or 15 of the 30 days out of service must be within the first 12 months/12,000 miles), specifically applies to leased vehicles
Lemon Laws are very specific and are not a catch-all when your mechanic of choice can't figure out your issue. The most recent vehicle in question is a 2011. There is no lemon law in the USA that will cover that vehicle. Even if it sat on a California dealership lot for 3 years before first sale, it's still beyond 18 months. Your options are to continue hunting down the cause of the issue (utilizing dealerships or independent mechanics), report the issue to NHTSA and hope they open an investigation (which may still result in you paying for the repair due to it not being an inherent safety defect, pending the outcome of their investigation), or sell it/trade it in - you will get current market value for that vehicle and no more.

The 2009/2010 Journey (and a few other Chrysler vehicles) had an NHTSA mandated recall regarding the FOBIK keys and WIN (wireless ignition) module. The physical mechanism that holds those FOBIKs in the WIN socket were not physically strong enough to keep the key from turning from RUN to ACC under certain circumstances.
Starting in 2011, all Dodge Journey vehicles were sold standard with Keyless Enter-N-Go. Any ignition issues once the vehicle is in operation is something completely separate from that recall.

Lemon Laws for US Pacific Coast (obtained through links from www.lemonlawusa.com):
California - 18 months/18,000 miles
Oregon - 1 year/12,000 miles, specifically applies to leased vehicles
Washington - 24 months/24,000 miles (of which at least one repair and/or 15 of the 30 days out of service must be within the first 12 months/12,000 miles), specifically applies to leased vehicles
Lemon Laws are very specific and are not a catch-all when your mechanic of choice can't figure out your issue. The most recent vehicle in question is a 2011. There is no lemon law in the USA that will cover that vehicle. Even if it sat on a California dealership lot for 3 years before first sale, it's still beyond 18 months. Your options are to continue hunting down the cause of the issue (utilizing dealerships or independent mechanics), report the issue to NHTSA and hope they open an investigation (which may still result in you paying for the repair due to it not being an inherent safety defect, pending the outcome of their investigation), or sell it/trade it in - you will get current market value for that vehicle and no more.

My pocket. With the bluetooth connectivity I don't really have a need to have my phone out...

This x999,999,999!!!
I just ordered a new can of wax, so once the weather clears up enough on a weekend, it's getting clean to my standard of shiny.

Ok Mother Nature. Enough. I want, no, I need spring! I want to wash the car and have it stay clean for more than 100 yards. I want to wax it too. So hurry up! Get here. I await standing in the driveway and hearing the first flock of Canada Geese overhead. That is such a sweet sound as they announce it's spring.
H.P.

You can get replacement emergency keys on Amazon for $6. Take it to your big-box hardware retailer of choice (blue or orange, doesn't really matter) and they'll cut the key for you, probably for free. For some reason, I can't paste links through the computer I'm on to this forum, but do a search for "Chrysler fobik emergency key" and you'll find it.
Dealers won't give you a new replacement emergency key because A) there is no practical reason to do so (the key cylinder isn't being changed) and B) copied keys are NEVER as good as the original (sure they work, but don't copy copies, they tend not to).

You can get replacement emergency keys on Amazon for $6. Take it to your big-box hardware retailer of choice (blue or orange, doesn't really matter) and they'll cut the key for you, probably for free. For some reason, I can't paste links through the computer I'm on to this forum, but do a search for "Chrysler fobik emergency key" and you'll find it.
Dealers won't give you a new replacement emergency key because A) there is no practical reason to do so (the key cylinder isn't being changed) and B) copied keys are NEVER as good as the original (sure they work, but don't copy copies, they tend not to).

The 2015 4 speed definitely automatically downshifts IF you get slow enough. If you come to a complete stop in "manual," it should downshift to 1 automatically. Mine won't downshift until I get below 20, and won't downshift from 3 to 2 until it's under 10-15, but it will happen automatically.
*From the 2015 owner's manual:
The transmission will automatically upshift when necessary to prevent engine over-speed.
The transmission will automatically downshift as the vehicle slows (to prevent lugging) and will display the current gear.
The transmission will automatically downshift to first gear when coming to a stop. After a stop, the driver should manually upshift (+) the transmission as the vehicle is accelerated.

My point regarding micro-usb is that some of the newer flagship phones from Samsung and LG (and others) are starting to switch over to USB 3.1 Micro-B connectors (about twice as wide as a Micro-USB 2.0 connector). Yes, your argument holds true for the Apple Lightning cable, but can you guarantee that for your entire ownership of the vehicle, you will only ever have a single brand of phone?
And if you drill a hole in the plastic, you still have a cable flopping around when it's not in use. But now you also have a hole in the console plastic (which will reduce resale value).

If you drill a hole in the plastic, you'll need to make sure it's big enough for a USB type A plug (the full size wide flat one). It would need to be that big because that is the only side of USB cables that would be useful inside the console that isn't going to change dimensions any time soon (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/usb for examples). Newer phones from some manufacturers use the USB 3.1 Micro-B connector, you never know if you'll be required to use an iPhone, etc. The one constant is going to be USB type A.
A hole that big is going to be UGLY. And you're still going to have a cable wire flopping around somewhere.
Alternatively, take the coin tray from the top of the console and slide it all the way to the back of the console (the notches inside the mounting track for the tray I was talking about are present on both ends for this purpose). The armrest can open in two ways - either opening on the hinge to lift up if you wanted access to everything inside the console, or slide it back about 3 inches (lift the release lever, but push the armrest back instead of lifting it). You can pull the cable up through there, then slide it back forward again. There is more than enough room for this to work, and you can hide the cable when it is not in use without needing to open the armrest completely.
It sounds like what you really want is a dock for your phone - get in, plug the phone in somewhere, no messing with cables. That is a different question entirely, and I would suggest using the console for that. The 12v port in the console runs directly from the battery, so a 12v adapter (usually has some power indicator LED) runs the risk of draining the battery. The USB port inside the console doesn't provide enough power to charge a phone (even a cheap bargain bin smartphone like mine, much less an iPhone or a Samsung/LG/etc. flagship model phone). If you want something that won't run the risk of depleting your battery, you would need to use the 12v port underneath the radio (this one runs only when the ignition is in accessory or run - that's what that key symbol means).

You know there are notches for the tray to sit at the back of the console, right?

My dealership will match the total price, if it can be confirmed to be a genuine OEM part. If they list the part at $200, but I find the exact same part through a site reputable enough (either listed as another dealership through Amazon, or something similar) for a combined part + shipping price that is ANYTHING less than what they sell (realistically, a price 15-20% lower is what I tend to find for OEM parts), they'll give me the same net price I would have paid. I call that fair - either way, I get a lower price than they originally quoted me, while still getting OEM parts.

You know there are notches for the tray to sit at the back of the console, right?

Jkeaton is right - there is enough of a gap in the console lid/armrest to route your cable.

Jkeaton is right - there is enough of a gap in the console lid/armrest to route your cable.