NiceTrip

So the other night, around midnight, just getting ready to turn in, and the wife asks if I locked the car. Just to make sure, I grabbed the key/fob and pressed the "lock" button, at which point the alarm began going off. Couldn't figure out how I could have possibly set the alarm off with the remote, unless the car somehow got a "panic" instead of "lock" - I figure I was close to the max range for the remote, given the distance and number of obstacles between me and the car. So I moved closer to the car, and attempted to cancel the panic by pressing and holding the panic button. All this succeeded in doing was to make the beeps faster (or slower - it's hard to remember for sure). No matter what I did, I was not able to silence this alarm. Pressing panic on the remote would speed up/slow down the beeps each time, but nothing else had any effect - Pressing lock or unlock on the remote; locking then unlocking the door with the passkey; starting the car with the key/fob - nothing. Finally, after several minutes, the original alarm must ahve timed out, and pressing panic once more actually stopped the alarm. Of course by now, several of my neighbors were standing in their driveways glaring at me :blush: Anybody else have the alarm go off and not able to silence it? Ever set the alarm off with the "lock" button? How *do* you stop the alarm once it starts?

Thanks for the info, and the link! To answer your question, I was basically looking for a cross reference, and figured if I have a FRAM number, I can cross reference to any other brand. That said, up til now, I've never really seen any objective comparison data on oil filters, and sort of figured that any filter that makes it to market in the US was going to be at least adequate for the job. Having nothing else to go on, I've typically bought whatever well known brand was on sale or otherwise cheapest that day. FRAM being a national brand, with a well-packaged product and pleny of advertising would have definitely been on my acceptable list. WIX on the other hand, with their plain white box and filter case, has always sort of screamed "generic" to me, and thus I've usually avoided them. Now that I have some real data on which to make a more informed decision, my buying patterns will be different. I believe that, within limits, you get what you pay for, but sometimes what you're really paying for is a brand name. Given sufficent information I'll always choose a quality product with an unknown name, rather than the other way around.

I'll try to remember to look at mine when I get home this evening, but in the mean time, can you post pics, especially of the ends where you say it does not appear to fit correctly. I'll compare that to mine as well.

I'm not saying you should change the oil every 3000 miles for the life of the car. I've *always* believed that the 3000 mile oil change recommendation is little more than a scam advocated by JiffyLube and the like to increase their revenue. If you want to pay for that "insurance", fine, but I firmly beleive that you will not have any oil-related problems if you follow the manufacturer's recommendations. That said, I'm absoulutely willing to buy the "insurance" for the very first oil change in a new car, and change the oil at half the recommended change interval, especially in light of the number of participants in this forum who have said the Change Oil message popped up after ~2400 miles; even though I can't find anywhere in the manual that says you should change the "break-in" oil any sooner than any other oil change. In any case, my car did request an oil change at ~2500 miles, and I will be doing it this weekend. I have the Mopar filter (anybody know the correct FRAM or other after-market filter cross-reference) and full synthetic oil at the recommended viscosity rating (10w30).

At 5300 miles, I would absolutely change the oil, warning or no. I just got the warning at 2500 miles. It pops up in the odometer area just after starting along with a single chime sound, but after a few seconds it goes away, and is replaced by the odometer display.

The recall has to do with the wire chafing against some of the suspension components and eventually short circuiting, possibly causing a fire, as this harness carries at least one high-current wire. I seriously doubt if that is the same issue that's causing a noise that's audible in the cabin. I've heard at least two members of this forum say that a similar noise was fixed by the dealer replacing the entire exhaust system, and one said that a similar noise was fixed by simply tightening a heat sheild in the exhaust system.

Haven't seen a factory option or accessory, but am considering this: http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm...240&c=10110 not for a dog, but just to keep cargo in the back when the second row center armrest is down. If anyone tries it out, let us know how it fits on the Journey.

Here is the response I received from http://www.invisiblemask.com : I have the front bumper now. It is $140. As for the rear, it may never become available. The designers pick & choose which cars they should do rear bumper designs and its only a handful.

Submitted the following question at http://www.grizzlygrip.com/ Can your product be used on the top of a plastic bumper cover? And this is their response: It can be applied on a bumper. Just make sure to scuff it up with a green scotch pad and wipe down with acetone. Then just apply th grizzly grip right over it. If you have any questions please let us know. If anyone tries this out, be sure and post your experience/results here.

We ordered ours specifically without the 19 inch wheels. Didn't want them. My feeling is the 17 inch wheels give you a slightly more comfortable ride, while the 19 inch wheels may give you a bit better handling in high-speed maneuvers - and I'm buying a family car, not a sports car. Another factor to consider is the replacement cost. Right now there are only one or two manufacturers for the 19 inch size tires required by the Journey, and the cost is about twice than for the 17's. The 19 inch tires may get a bit cheaper over time, but if you had to repace them right now, you'd pay about $175 each vs. $95 for the 17 inch. Also, most shops are going to charge a premium for mounting the 19 inch. As for looks, the 17 inch aluminum wheel certainly looks nice - it's not like a cheap steel wheel with a hub cap. From looks perspective, it's primarily a matter of preference, and I personally prefer a nice aluminum wheel with a more or less standard looking tire more than the ultra-low-profile look.

First, the key date for all rebates and incentives is the date you take delivery. Don't know of any way around that. Don't know what will replace the $2.99 card, but right now you can choose the card or $1000 cash rebate. So the rebate might continue after the gas card ends. Also, keep checking the website http://www.letsrefuelamerica.com . The gas card was initially due to expire May 30, but at the last minute, they extended it to July 7. No guarantees, but there's always the chance they might extend it again. We have not received our card yet, but I have a feeling it's going to be worth approximately $3000 over the life of the card.

That's a different article, but same issue as http://www.dodgejourneyforum.com/index.php?showtopic=292

Our salesman took us on probably about a 30 minute tour of the vehicle features from back to front. 90% of which I already knew from studying and participating in this forum. Then I showed him 3-4 features that he missed. Looked it over pretty good for cosmetic flaws i.e. dings or scratches from shipping. Worst thing I saw was whoever the monkey was that filled it with gas ran it over so there was a residue running down from the fuel area. Wiped that right off. Didn't really worry too much about mechanical stuff - that's what the warranty is for. So far no issues.

I just submitted a reqest at http://www.invisiblemask.com/contact.html for a Dodge Jouney kit. The more requests they get the quicker they will probably produce one. As an alternative, I was thinking, what if you took it to one of these places the do spray-in bedliners for pickup trucks, and had them mask around the ridged area, and spray on some of that bedliner material? I don't know for sure how flexible that stuff is, whether it would tend to crack or flake off the bumper because it's more flexible than the coating, but it might be worth asking...

Got our Journey today, and I'm happy to report that the SXT with Premium Convenience Group and Flexible Seating Group does in fact have three zone Automatic Temperature Controls. Can't speak for the ones with Premium Conveniece Group without Flex Seating, but I'm sure it would have Dual Zone ATC. Mine looks like the top picture above, but I have the MyGig radio, and of course the SXT's silver surround trim instead of the R/T trim.

Finally got my Journey, and I can confirm that mine works exactly as you've described. Really makes no sense. From looking at it you might think there is a blockout, but as you've said, it is angled so it goes into reverse or park with practically no resistance. I wonder if there will eventually be a recall for a design change. Definitely something to be careful with.

WooooHooooo - there's an Inferno Red Dodge Journey SXT in my driveway tonight!!!! 44 miles on her already! Wife loves it, kids love it! Rides like a dream!

Picking up at 4PM EDT today!!!! :D :D

Thanks Rob, I agree, in the scheme of things, it's been a relatively short wait. But now that it's coming down to the end, every day seems longer than the day before, especially when you're told one day, and then it gets delayed another day or two. I'm rooting for you too. I hope you get yours soon, and I know it's gonna be worth the wait for all of us!

I'm with you DJAlan and mkaresh. What's the point of seeing the side of your own vehicle when you look in the mirror? You *know* that's there without looking . When your three mirrors are adjusted properly, there's almost *no* blind spot. The compromise is when your rear-view mirror is blocked by cargo/trailer/rear-seat video screen. Then you have to adjust your mirrors in slightly to make up for the blocked rear-view. I would challenge anyone to force themselves to adjust the mirrors as "recommended" for a month. I'd be willing to wager you'll never go back.

See this thread http://www.dodgejourneyforum.com/index.php...pic=281&hl=

Ok, Apparently my dealer was given wrong info. We will not be picking up the car today. However he did confirm that it is at the railhead in Winston Salem, about 150 miles away, unloaded, and ready to be loaded onto a truck. Hopefully the dealership will get the car tomorrow morning so we can take delivery tomorrow afternoon, but realistically, It's looking like it'll be Wednesday. Two more days... :mellow:

I ordered a pair of the high-power 4210-CWHP3 bulbs today. They have a 120 degree distribution pattern vs. 30 degrees for the regular ones. As soon as they (and our Journey) come in, I'll let you know how they work. Thanks for the tip Radon! BTW, I could not find any warm white LEDs until you go all the way up to HP6 (6 High-Power LEDs).

June 20 - On the truck between railhead and dealer! Expect to take delivery June 21 or June 23. WOOT!

You don't say whether you're in the US or Canada. If you're in the US, I'd watch and see if any problems develop, but wouldn't worry too much about it. You're covered by the lifetime powertrain warranty, so even if a problem develops 5 years from now, you'll be OK. If you're in Canada, it's a bit different, because Crysler doesn't offer the lifetime powertrain warranty - at least not without a price. In that case I would demand a new transmission - in writing. If they refuse, at least you have a paper trail if it eventually does have a problem. At a minimum, I'd be very attentative to ANY signs of a problem for about the next 6 months. Beyond that, you'll probably be OK.