lmoore1436

I don't think the wiring is there. You'd have to replace the headlight switch also in order to use them unless you use aftermarket fog lights (they would have their own switch). If you want the OEM ones I'd recommend checking that the housing is the same size for the base model since they have different lower front bumpers.

Has anybody found a place to get body side moldings anywhere beside the dealer? I was almost always able to find aftermarket companies that made them for MUCH cheaper than the $800.00 quoted by the dealer. I found some but they were chrome or black which isn't really what I was looking for.

Honestly I wouldn't put too much into it. I don't know how long you plan on keeping it but you're going to end up spending way more than you'll get back for any upgrades. a 2012 base model is valued at around 8-10k, the stereo upgrade itself is about 1500 for the 8.4, another 1k for rims and so on. These upgrades definitely add up, so you just need to consider that you're paying for the car, and then thousands more for the upgrades (which won't add much when you trade in or sell). If you do plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off I'd go for the 8.4, crossroad or sit wheels, black trim headlights from higher trims (crossroad and GT) as well as the blacked out grill, backup camera, fog lamps and tail lamps. Try to find as much as possible from after-market manufacturers too instead of mopar, it'll be much cheaper that way. I definitely wouldn't consider the third row... you'd spend almost the value of the vehicle retro-fitting that, and you won't have the third row overhead vents.

Maybe a silver pinstripe to match the gunmetal finish on the wheels? If you're looking for something to add a bit more "character" to the sides have you looked at body side moldings? They add some more visual interest AND protect your doors from dents

I don't really think pinstriping looks horrible... for something like the DJ though I don't think flames would look very good. Maybe just straight lines down the side? In the end it's your car, so whatever makes you happy with it, but the flames might be a bit out of character for the DJ.

Sorry to hear you are having some issues... Unfortunately electronics complicate things drastically when diagnosing and trying to fix electrical issues. All of the systems have to interact together so when one thing goes wrong it causes a chain reaction. It sounds to me like there may be a short somewhere, and it probably has something to do with the wiring in your dash (based on the flickering blue lights) and it could also be connected to the wiring for the push button start, but I am no expert. The first thing I would do is check the wiring harnesses for anything that looks odd, loose or burnt. This may be a silly question too, but have you checked the battery in your key fob? To see if it is the battery in your key fob is pretty simple, just push the end of your fob onto the push to start button and if it starts then that is the culprit. It might be a good idea to test this seeing as the car isn't doing anything when you get in. I know in my last car when the fob battery was dying it would work intermittently and drove me crazy. Hopefully this helps to eliminate a few of the simpler issues to diagnose.

Sorry, I realize now that you said you know how AWD works, but it is important to know how different brands design their AWD systems to work. Subaru is popular for their rally vehicles and have developed a pretty "hardcore" AWD system, but the Journey (which is mostly used to shuttle families around) AWD is made for much more docile conditions. Hope this helps explain!

The difference between the Journeys system and the Subaru is pretty substantial. The Subaru is lighter, and uses what they call "symmetrical AWD", this is where about 20% of the power is sent to the rear wheels at all time. The Journey however is MUCH heavier, and relies solely on the front wheels until it detects slippage via the same sensors that let the speedometer know how fast you are going. From my experience (which is usually limited to up to 5 inches of snow), the DJ works great, but is definitely not meant to be a true snow mobile. If I'm not mistaken the DJ can only send up to 40% of it's power to the rear wheels, but through the use of sensors it detects which wheels should get the power and have traction. All of this may sound silly and slow, but in reality it works in about 1/40th of a second. So to answer your question, if the speedometer is working, and there are no lights on the dash then the AWD system is in fact working. It is a very domestic vehicle, not made for heavy snow or off road use, so keep that in mind when using it in bad conditions. You should also consider snow/winter tires... If you are still using stock tires, keep in mind they are garbage in winter driving.

Welcome! Good thinking getting a 17 early on in the year... I'm sure you got a good price, they have crazy incentives on 2017 models. Which trim/options did you get?

Sorry to hear about this... Have you tried jump starting it? The clicking is usually associated with a bad/dead battery. Also, I'm not sure how long you left the battery unplugged, but resetting the computer usually takes about 30 minutes before the system resets itself. Hopefully it is one of these issues, since they are the easiest to fix, if not it might be the starter or a different mechanical or electrical problem.

As everyone mentioned that is how the AWD system works... Unfortunately they also don't have a dash light or notification that the AWD is active so that probably is why you think it only works sometimes, but it is working. They do have a light that comes on when the AWD system isn't functioning so you are good to go as long as that light isn't on. As for the rear heat, that only comes as a package with the third row configuration. Something I always like to do when I'm car shopping is go to the manufacturers website and see which packages have certain features that I want/need. Since it was a leftover though you may not have been able to find one with a third row for that good of a price. You definitely got a good deal though, I'd personally stick it out as long as you can. It should last a while and you definitely have the preferable features (V6, 6 speed, AWD).

Sorry to hear about your issues! I had the front end clunk too, and it seems to vary from person to person what item fixed the noise. For me it was the lower control arms, had that done a few months ago and the noise didn't come back. All the dealers can be pretty lazy/reluctant to listen so don't let them just lube everything up and send you on your way.

Very nice! I love the Durangos too, I don't have any kids though and I just bought the DJ a year ago but every time I see one I think to myself, "man thats a bad a** lookin SUV"! Once the DJ is paid off maybe I'll make the switch, all the safety aids are pretty appealing too (ACC, blind spot, emergency braking, etc). Hope you love it, and don't forget about us!

Congrats! I really like the design of the new terrain, honestly I like most of GMs redesigns over the past year or two. Traverse, Enclave, Acadia... I think they have done a really good job with those models. Good thinking to keep your DJ too, my wife leases a VW so my DJ is the one we put most of the miles on.

I may be mistaken but electronically controlled transmissions won't actually engage reverse when driving over a certain speed to protect itself. What you may have heard was the sensor, if it did go into reverse I think you would have definitely noticed at the speed you were going. Also, why would you try that again? I'd be upset if I had transmission issues because I accidentally hit the shifter, but I'd be even more upset if I did it on purpose.

If it is the water pump you want to get it fixed as soon as possible. Overheating is dangerous because it could cause a crack in the engine, at that point you'll be shelling out thousands. Either way make sure you get a proper diagnosis, there's only so much that we can troubleshoot on the forums.

It may be a leak in a pressurized line... Since you say it was empty when driving, but didn't leak once you weren't. Could also be your thermometer, radiator, etc. How did you know it was overheating? Was it smoking, or did you just look at the temperature gauge?

Welcome! Congrats on your new DJ... I bought a crossroad a year ago today and I'm still in love with it 25k miles later. What made you decide on the Journey? Strange enough when the new Chevy Traverse came out I couldn't help but thinking how great it looks, especially compared to the last model design.

Sorry to hear about what happened to your journey, but this is a completely unrelated problem. No automaker is going to take the hit for a something that occurs only once, especially something where they aren't able to confirm what happened. Every automaker comes across issues like these. 2005 Ford Explorers caught on fire when cruise control was turned on, 2014 GM cars would switch off on the highway while driving, Toyotas and Lexus cars accelerated on their own in 2009 are just a few instances. did you take it to the dealership to get it looked at and see if they could find a defect? Below is what the recall for RAM trucks is about. "Fiat Chrysler said the issue applies to shifters mounted to steering columns, not rotary-dial shifters or floor-mounted shifters. The issue arises when the brake pedal is pressed for a long stretch while the driver is idling in park mode, disabling the brake-transmission shift interlock and then allowing the shifter to move out of park mode."

Agree, no difference at all in regular driving. However, on FWD models they do still have the traction and anti-skid defenses. In the scenario you mentioned the car would apply the brakes to try and regain traction on any wheel that is sliding or skidding, so regardless of how you are holding the wheel the braking system will more than likely end up slowing you down or could even lock the wheels while trying to pass. In AWD models it will do the same thing, but it is able to regulate power to the rear wheels and detect if there is slippage on either of the rear wheels and determine how much power to send to each wheel. Not to say FWD isn't good in snow, but an AWD system won't make you lose control because the front wheels are slipping. In FWD if you were to pass a car on the highway with slush your only wheels with power are where all the weight is as well as steering so if there is a loss in traction for both front wheels hopefully you hit a dry patch of road really quick. The rear tires on FWD could also slide out on even though they don't have power, but without the AWD system they have to rely on hitting that dry patch of pavement.

I think the Tahoe may also be overkill, the gas mileage along with the higher price tag would probably be a bigger financial blow than all of the other vehicles. The pilot is nice, and a great size but if you're used to the Journey and enjoy how it drives then you may not like the pilot. I had 2 Hondas before the Journey and they drive very VERY differently, there's nothing bad about how they drive at all it's just an overall different driving experience. The explorers are nice, they can also get kind of pricey but for one that doesn't have all the bells and whistles you'll be able to find one in your price range (just make sure it wasn't a rental). The Durangos are actually a pretty great size, I drove one just for kicks and they don't feel very large when you're driving and compared to the DJ they have a lot more space. Dealers are also offering quite a few incentives on them. The DJ of course is the most narrow of the options which is probably why you are having a space issue in the first place so I'd probably scratch that off the list. It is the cheapest option, but the kids are only going to get bigger, which means the DJ will only get smaller!

I've tested the AWD out, and I is pretty grippy but you never really notice much happening when it kicks in. There's no light letting you know it's come on, no loud clunk or mechanical noises. It just feels like a normal drive to me.

Good write-up, I especially agree with the steering comment. I drove quite a few vehicles and this one feels the best in terms of sensitivity, I guess it has a lot to do with being hydraulic power steering. It definitely gives more feedback than most other suvs that use all electric.

Depending on what trim level you have, if it has automatic climate control it should be regulating the moisture by itself. If not, make sure the A/C is always on when the heat is running. When it is cold outside relying strictly on the heat itself causes the air to get dry and the moisture from breathing to fog up the windows.

I completely missed that as well! 43k in one year is quite a bit of use though, I think it's kind of important to keep in mind that the suspension has been put to use quite a bit over a short period of time. Taking it to the dealer would still probably be the wisest choice. Also, it sucks that you guys don't have the extended warranty option.