NavalLacrosse

Owner Impression Update, Winter Edition TLDR; I talk about my car, and other random thoughts. you've been warned. I've owned the car for 6 months, and put 12K miles on it. My biggest fear was that I would regret buying this thing... I can proudly say I'm happy. Both me and my wife still enjoy the car. Now, season's changed and it's winter - and very cold (8 F, -11 C) - and i'm on the dealership's defualt tires- Kumho Solus with the 19" rims. Big take aways with winter driving my DJ in the snow: - The wheels get imbalanced from ice collection. - The Tires / FWD / traction control leave much to be desired. I knew what I was getting into when i bought it. -Stability control works well... and ruins the fun of doing e-brake slides- Even when the traction is off. - With proper defensive driving, and speed management, the stock kumho tires are plenty sufficient for snow... under 6" depth - The heat works, just don't have the HVAC fan blowing full when the car is cold. Big engine takes a while to heat up. USE the remote start. people complain here that the heat isn't strong enough. I'll tell you, let it warm up more, run the blower at a lower fan setting. Regular Driving notes: -MPG avg 18. mixed in the snow. 25 at 85mph long haul (dry pavement). -The fuel gauge is off by two gallons. when the light comes one I've got 80 miles range (estimated). don't base your range on this number- my level sensor must be incorrect because it never goes over 85% full when topped off. -The DJ car drives smooth. The steering in not too sensitive. By comparison, I drove my dad's '13 Highlander and I felt at high speed it was too touchy on the steering. Side note: Those stock tires are awfully expensive. I had a nail, and Tuffy quoted 250 to replace.... Discount Tire then just quickly repaired it for free. The 'MSRP' on this unit was was $30K in 2011, and I picked mine up for $13,5k in '17. I'm happy with this car, and hope to drive it for a few years.

It's really tempting to respond with jokes, but It's honestly i'm sure most suggestions will sounds that way. My recommendation: get ready for the over use / miss use of the word 'cubby' First and foremost, it's probably between the seat and console, or some god awful derivative of that: like inside the shroud of the seat hinge, or in the gap between the upper and lower. Its a right fit, and I've dropped my Samsung NOTE (big phone) down there and had a hard time locating it. -Note: The passenger seat has an amplifier (or whatever else that box is) under it. This provides an ideal hiding spot for keys. The cubby in the overhead (the one with the dome mirror) The really deep door pockets, front and back, The in-floor cubbys in the mid-row The passenger's seat cubby. (Rear included.) That pesky net on the base of the console, below the shiftly-stick don't forget the back cubby in the trunk, or the third row (If you suspect it to be there) Just shooting high-pressure air around the seats can often dislodge items you've long since forgotten. (with the added benefit of cleaning the car) If you're not feeling up to it, take it to a Detailer, and tell them the predicament. You'll not only get your key back, with a clean car, but you'll also be supporting a true-to-goodness local business. I hope this thread gets featured on the front page! hahaha

I'm not a speed demon, but I had mine over 90 while passing... once... Let's just call it. 93 mph. After passing an letting off the gas for a moment, I looked and saw it descending 90-89.... so i'm guessing I peaked at 93. Felt rock solid, so I suspect It would go 100+ no problemo I Should note, Car and Driver states the max speed of 118 mph. Sounds realistic.

Super Cool! Welcome aboard the forums, (Even though you've had yours longer than I've owned mine!) #Oldthread!

Recall? Looks like I'll be doing an investigation om the fourm now! Thanks for the insight.

This will be the dumbest troubleshooting post ever, just forewarning. I like to through the term 'Love Tap' around... It's really a fix-all for all accessories affiliated with Dodge, at least for my Journey and my previous 04 Caravan. Ever since having to do this three times during august, I've not had to do it since. For what it;s worth, i'll write a post about it! : So I've had my 2011 Crew for a few months, and I notice that every so often the cruise control button wont turn on the cruise control. It's only occasionally doing it. I suspect it is loose wire, vibration, and temperature related (I like the AC vents to blow on my hands during the summer). Regardless of the cause of the problem, I was able to temporally 'fix it with a band-aid'... For people having similar issues, try the following advanced troubleshooting procedure: ---------------------------- 1) Try a swift-yet-solid right handed palm 'slap' at the 3 o'clock, from the outside of the rim towards the center while holding wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock. (Not too much force, but just enough to make the wheel go 'ka-jug'.) 2) Normally push the cruise control on-off button. If cruise does not return to full functionality, repeat the troubleshooting procedures while applying slightly more force during step 1. 3) Explain to your passenger, that you're not attempting to crash the car, and are merely preforming the FCA standard operating procedure for initializing the cruise controls. --------------------------- If it doesn't work, obviously there's something else wrong... good luck

Read through this thread " Installing 8.4 uConnect (actually doing it) ". I breezed through it, and sadly this isn't a yes/no solution. there's many factors at play. GOOD LUCK!!!

@Ariel I can't find what I was reading the other day, but it was a post featuring some videos of an install in spanish. ignoring that the video was spanish, the gist was: There are two parts, the upper and lower face plate. The upper is what you upgrade from the 4.3 to the 8" Screen/supporting hardware, and the lower is the 8 buttons/thermostat controls/and CD drive. From what I got out the the article was the someone solved this issue. It was that they needed to upgrade their lower panel to have the 'Auto' temperature option on the center button. apparently some versions of the car only have the 'off' button. Mine has the Off/Auto. This 'Auto' option apparently has the right connectors to send data back to the 8.4" screen to display the temp. ... I'll look a little more for the Thread. If I find it I'll post here. Sorry I can't be of more help.

I'm comparatively younger than most of you, But Ill list off what I'd consider to have been my 'Fleet', not necessary owned by me, but maintained exclusively by me. I'll include a TLDR with each. 1) 1996 Honda Accord --- 5-Speed. My first Car, Dad bought it in 2011 for $1300 at 199,998 miles. Drove it 7 years till selling it for $700 at 262,000 miles. Blew smoke like a whaling ship. 2) 1998 Chevy Malibu -- former GF's Car, Through a series of the original owner desperately needing to pay gambling debts, the owner sold it for $900, with 190,000 miles on it. She daily'd it for 5 years. GM3200 engine. Intake manifold TOTAL FAILURE. Long story short, there was coolant bubbling out the dip-stick tube... scraped for $250. 3) 2003 Kia Optima -- Desperate for a car, former GF got this ( Actually pretty nice ) Kia. $900 dollars (140k miles), and a $75 dollar fuel line fix later, she drove it for 3 months... then rear ended by a city bus... desperate times call for desperate measures. She daily'd it on the freeway from January to March (Blizzards, ect), with the rear window tarped over, and the bumper sitting somewhere in the trunk. Sold to the next guy for $250. 4) 2000 Mercury Sable Bought off my sister, (Dr. Sister leased a new Camry to hold her over till her future Audi), Former GF drove it for 6 months, and we broke up. Rust. Rust, Rush. Rust. Rust. She traded it in for a focus+Car payments. Wishing her the best! 5) 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan Bought from Dad in 2018 for $1,500 to replace the honda. he bought it brand new, and kept amazing care of it.... and apparently i must have gotten a different one from the one he owned (lol) drove it for a month, and: Fuel leaks, Oil Leaks, Coolant Leaks, HVAC fan motor shot. Power Steering all start acting up. Drove it from Kalamazoo to NYC and back, then retired it to the next guy. $350 for a fuel pump repair. $1,400 sold. 6) 2005 Ford Escape (Fwd) New girlfriend, (now Fiance) sweet talked a car flipper into selling it to her for $2,300 instead of $3,200. Fun little car, but financially unadvisable to keep it insured while just collecting dust in the parking lot. Consolidated back to just my minivan, and just carpooled to work... Sold it for $2,700 7) Time to Upgrade! 2011 Dodge Journey Job's doing well, saved up a lot. bought a replacement for the caravan. hoping to keep it around for at least 4 years.

Getting married soon. Its crazy, but sometimes I just smile when I see her. Hoping the feeling never changes! haha. Also, crossing paths with friends from the past and just kicking off like no time has passed.

TLDR; Poorly designed traffic circles, and their downfall when human drivers, 40-50 ft semi-trailers, and rush hour traffic mix: Poorly designed/poorly implemented Round-a-bouts really grind my gears. (Traffic Circles) SPECIFICALLY ones in high-traffic industrial zones, w/ Semi Traffic, when interchanging to a major free-way on and off ramps. (THAT's RIGHT, Sprinkle Rd, and I-94: I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU!) Hahaha Not that they are inherently bad; I've read the presentations about why communities replace aging 4-ways signals with them, (Being: reduced maintenance costs, reducing fatality of crashes, and an overall community fuel savings during low-volume traffic...) Roundabouts are amazing when everyone knows how to use them, and follows the rules, and if they are designed to handle the capacities at rush-hour.... But I just wish my local traffic/MDOT engineers would take into account the "Human Factor" Aka: People, as a species, will always suck at driving; no amount of 'simulated traffic optimization' seems to account for it.... It's always just when that traffic volume spikes... really sharply... during suburban rush hours, these things bog traffic down so much. I just hate knowing my 60mph highway commute will always end in this ridiculous hustle to merge into the right lane 1 mile before the exit, Hammer the brakes, try/hope to not cause an accident, ... just because the roundabout is seemingly 10 or 20 times over it's throughput capacity.

Thanks, Larryl and 2Late4U, for the advice. I think future-me will gladly take on the responsibility and cost to have it programmed, or rig up an aftermarket unit. For now, It's not a problem.

Thanks for the compliment, Armando. I did not get the harness- and thanks for the re-torque reminder. I don't plan on towing with it, at least for a while. I'm using it for bike racks, and as a back-up curb proximity sensor. As far as the harness, there is a wiring harness coming from somewhere in the car, and it just ends/is plugged right next the trailer hitch. If i just buy the adapter, car I just plug it in that plug, and start haulin'? Do you know if there is any computer re-programming nonsense that needs to take place? I've got the LED taillights; is over amping the fuses a possibility with a mid size box trailer?. Are these questions I could easily answer up with a quick search?(yes). haha

Just installed the trailer hitch (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QMF1HCW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) on my new-to-me dodge journey. Install took me, and my Dad, and about 2 hours of actual hands-on work. It would have taken less if there wasn't a mountain of sand in hollow frame that I needed to clear away. All in all, I'm impressed. It was inexpensive, and fairly east to install, even with just a floor jack, and basic tools. Appearance-wise, It doesn't stick out farther than the rear bumper, and is above the mufflers, meaning it's discrete, but also not totally hidden. I'd recommend this to anyone.

I don't think I'll black them out, but if I don't wash it every weekend the brake dust pretty much makes the wheels black. Haha. I'm thinking that I should paint the calipers though. Either black or red.

Here is my new-to-me, 2011 Dodge Journey CREW. 33,340 miles, looking forward to posting more about my ownership adventures.

Hi all! Tim here, (NavalLacrosse) , Kalamazoo, MI. Joining the ranks of this forum. Hoping to share lots of stories, problems, successes over said problems, and all other manner of mischief at the expense/benefit of FCA and my wallet. I'll be mainly dropping in from time to time to see what others are up to, and to try and research problems i'll encounter as my miles start to climb. I've done my fair share of reading about other people's stories, and I'd be nice to contribute for the others that come later. I've got myself a nice 2011 Gold 'DJ' Crew with the beige cloth interior (I preferred this over the leather), remote start, the smaller touchscreen, auto headlights(w/ fog lights), voice commands, and 19" Wheels. 30K miles... I'm leaving my 2004 Grand Caravan, Though I'm holding it for the next few months as a second car, just in case I need to haul some lumber or other dirty items and spare the newer car's interior. Should be fun. I'm looking forward to hearing all about the immediate maintence i should take. Disclaimer, I've got a pretty detailed CarFax on the machine, so i know pretty much what has and hasn't been changed... let just say, it got new pads and rotors and tires right before i bought it. oil changes every 5K miles. I'll make a post in the apropriate topic about my car at a later date. Trust me- It's an interesting story, at least as far as pre-owed car buying goes. Talk to ya all soon!