DJAlan

Hmmm... Here I thought this site was for JOURNEY owners... Yes, I agree that if you have a different vehicle and it does NOT have any convex mirrors that you need some... But the Journey has one! (it's the one on the right side) So, if you set it up to BARELY see the rear view, it will still allow you to see that cop trying to pull you over for speeding - even if your DVD player screen is blocking things (I don't own one and I think kids watch too much TV as it is!)...

I want/NEED a rubber/hard plastic bumper guard for the back end as well!! Otherwise I will be scratching it up pretty quickly I am sure (I do alot of load ins/outs - I am a mobile DJ)... If anyone knows of a solution soon, please let me know and/or post here!

MKARESH is right! You should adjust your mirrors so that: 1) The rearview (center) mirror shows what is directly behind you 2) The side mirrors show what is on the SIDE of you (not behind you) I set mine by looking in the rearview mirror as a car starts to pass - when it's just about out of the view of the rearview/center mirror, I SHOULD be seeing the vehicle show up in my SIDE mirrors... Also, it should STAY visable in your side mirror until you can see it in your peripheral vision... (if you have normal PV that is) If you need to 'adjust' them for backing up into tight spaces, do it right before you back up! Then change them again when you don't need to back up anymore... Yes, it's different than driving a big rig - why? Because there's no REARVIEW MIRROR on a big truck - but that's also why they put those mirrors farther out than cars AND why most have blind spot mirrors as well... But set those mirrors as above and get used to it... You will be happier and not scare as many folks when you change lanes without looking over your shoulder first (like you're supposed to do but most don't)... Besides, this way you can see that cute chick's/guy's face better as they start to pass you...

Well, I just realized that the rear bumper has no real protection for loading/unloading items... Most other vehicles I have owned (like my Durango) have a black plastic 'plate' that is attached to the (painted) part of the bumper to protect the paint from getting scratched/ruined... The Journey doesn't appear to have ANY protection for it though... Just the paint... Would be really great if there was an option for some kind of protector... I use my Journey for work (I am a mobile DJ - you know, playing at weddings and such) and I will be loading things in and out all the time... I would hate to have to replace the ENTIRE BUMPER because I scratched up the back end... It would certainly lower the resale value... Nobody cares if those black plastic protectors is all screwed up, but they care about PAINT! Dodge has options for the DOOR plates, but not for the REAR BUMPER... Sure hope someone comes out with one soon!!

On my Journey (R/T with 6cyl & everything except DVD players & only 2 rows of seats) I have been getting the following: Averaging 21.3 MPG over the first 1000 miles (based on computer)... But calculations from gas purchased shows me getting 21.7 (slightly higher than computer). This is based on driving mostly highway (76 mile round trip commutes 3 days a week with the rest being 'city' driving)... I found that my 'best' mileage was/is at highway speed of 60mph with it it 6th gear - 25mpg - with same speed in 5th gear it drops to 21mpg for me - quite a difference... I 'trained' my transmission to shift at lower points (you do so by drinving non-aggressively AND backing off on the accelorator when the RPM's hit about 2500 - so that it shifts then --- keep it up for about 50-100 miles and your transmission will 'learn' to shift at lower RPMs for you - but remember, if you switch driving techniques again, it will change to accomodate) - shifting at lower points helps get better mileage in most cases... I also found that when it tells me I am 'low' on fuel, and I go to fill up, it usually only takes 17 gallons... Has anyone tried running it to empty yet to see if it in fact goes through 20 gallons? I will try to do so in the future, to find out, but not if someone else already has...