Snow-Bird

Glad I could help!! This should take you to it... Babies R Us - LionHeart Snow-bird

LOL - unfortunately, jaymista, my husband IS a mechanic! LOL I do believe anyone should be able to do this on their own - but it does require drilling and the removal of some of the original grille, so I would allow several hours to complete. I think it took him an hour or so... Rest assured that this grille is NOT cheap little chrome adhesive strips from Pep Boys.... *wink* :D

Hi LVJourney- Just to add my 2 cents....I would suggest putting an infant carrier in the middle, as was suggested previously. It really is the safest place for such a small munchkin (got 2 of my own - 2 year old & 1 year old). The only thing, is, those carriers get HEAVY and may become cumbersome to lift and place in the middle...in one of my older cars (2001 BMW X5 SUV), we ended up putting him in the passenger side because it was just too much for me to lift him up and in every time. Especially with a purse, diaper bag, and any other purchases on my arm. It also came in handy when I had to feed him on the fly from the passenger side. I just had to turn my arm around. With regards to the armrest in the middle - I wouldn't think that it would be a concern as the way your base should be installed would prevent it from folding down, wouldn't it? As for the LATCH system, I believe, but don't quote me, that all cars after a certain date (2000?) are required to have the LATCH system for carseats. This system includes the black metal "U" hooks beneath the seat back/between the seat bottom, as well as a tether anchor hook in the back of the seat (this is for the bigger seats later on). They are a PAIN to use - but really do limit the amount the seat will move (the seat base should be able to move no more than 1" from side to side). A helpful hint - try laying your seat backwards when installing the LATCH hooks in the base of the seat (and for the anchor tether later on). This REALLY makes is easy to install the seat tightly. I also "kneed" in my carrier/carseat as I was tightening the LATCH belt on the carrier. Be sure to check your carrier's instruction manual - some actually advise AGAINST using the LATCH system (my daughter's car seat now is this case). And, if all else fails, go to a local state trooper headquarters and they will show you, for free, how your seat should be installed by actually doing it for you and explaining step-by-step. Just another tid bit - at Babies 'R Us, there is a nice seat protector by LionHeart. It has a plastic base and a velcro-attached back portion to help protect the Journey's seats. I've tried all of the other ones out there (I have leather) and none of them come close to protecting the seats as well as these do. They are around $25/ea and can be interior color matched. Hope this helps - and CONGRATS!! It is one of the most enjoyable things in life...but they really do grow up SO fast. My guys are going to be 3 & 2 in March 2009 (him on the 12th, her on the 30th)...seems like I just had them! If you have any other questions - please feel free to drop me an email and I'll do my best to help! Snow-Bird

Hi dmarzano- I wanted to scream when I saw you post this and the run around your dealer is giving you. First off, please know that I am in no way an expert - but, I have one in my house! LOL My hubby is an ASE Master Tech that owns his own Auto Electrical business. I get this info from him...and from personal experience with my Journey. What your Journey is doing is EXACTLY what mine did the day after I brought it home. Turns out, I had a bad vehicle input speed sensor. I read the posts to him and he is curious as to what is a "tip module"? He has never heard of such a thing and he has over 25 years experience working on the electrical parts on autos. Please have your dealer check for this - they replaced mine and I've not had it happen since. What your wife experienced, as well as in my case, was the car going in to "limp mode" to protect the engine - as mikem stated earlier. I personally wouldn't drive it, either! Also, in speaking with my Hubby...he really is something...if the vehicle is throwing a "low voltage code", multiple codes should be flashing as well, and it would affect the entire computer, not just a relay. He says that the vehicle will drive as though it is about to stall - not run at high RPMs. He also says that this would also trigger the alternator light as well as other lights on your dash. He also recommends that if it is truly a low voltage code, have the dealer check all chassis and body ground wires for the problem as these problems are usually related to the ground side; not the voltage side. I sincerely hope this helps! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me! In case you don't check the forum as frequently as you would like, as I am guilty of, I will attempt to email this to you as well. Thanks, Sharon (Snow-Bird)

UPDATE: took car to appt - found that, as with the new Caravans - my right front caliper was sticking and causing the brake pads to overheat and smoke. They replaced the caliper - had it in within 3 days - and I've not had any problems since. This is also the dealer that corrected my left turn noise (power steering fluid) that the other dealer "could not duplicate". Also - within 2 days of their repairs, we went on vacation to the Smoky Mtns and never once had any problems with smoking or squealing from the car. I love this thing!!

UPDATE: took car to appt - found that, as with the new Caravans - my right front caliper was sticking and causing the brake pads to overheat and smoke. They replaced the caliper - had it in within 3 days - and I've not had any problems since. This is also the dealer that corrected my left turn noise (power steering fluid) that the other dealer "could not duplicate". Also - within 2 days of their repairs, we went on vacation to the Smoky Mtns and never once had any problems with smoking or squealing from the car. I love this thing!!

Hi LBD-CT - Thanks for the heads up!! I did not get the Mopar ones - I got some from http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/ that were already painted white for my car. As my hubby hasn't installed them yet I'm not sure how well they will do, but I'll be sure to post something on here to let all know. Thanks again! Snowbird

Hi Journeyinblack- Sorry I've taken so long in getting back to you. Life is interesting... I ended up scrapping the Bosch kit when the right side quit working after coming in to contact with water. I found a kit online - http://www.shopxenon.com/ or http://www.xenonpros.com/ - for around $120. I wouldn't go with anything above 6000K, though. After that, it really starts to look blue. I've had them in for quite a while now, and while I do get people flashing their highbeams at me sometimes, I still wouldn't trade them for anything! Hope that helps! Snowbird

MI MINE IS FIXED!! Thank you, mjm! Notified a different dealer (Vasko) near me and they had no problems repairing. Of note: they also had to repair/replace a sticking brake caliper that was causing the right front wheel to smoke when sitting at a light for a while. I'll be watching to see if this pops up anywhere else.

Hi Steve - Don't know if this is related or not, but I've had that problem (& continue to) and the [JOKE] of a dealer that I had look at it before said it was the rotor/brake pad combination on the vehicle. They've since replaced the rotors, but I'm still having the acrid smoke coming from the car. I've noticed mine is more when I've been sitting at a light for more than a few minutes - is this the same as your experience? We have an appt next week with a different dealer for them to take a look - and the tech mentioned that they had a similar problem with the new Caravans and he was curious if it had carried over to the Journey. Don't know if this was any help or not. Thanks- Sharon

mjm48- I'm not sure what your relationship is with Dodge- but I am so excited to try this, and, if it works, I will buy you a six pack! I'm going to call a different dealer in my area (Burgunder Dodge in Bridgeville, PA is a JOKE) and mention all of this thread. Thank you SO much! I'll keep you posted! Sharon

Hi kwirges- Just an FYI from my experience...the day after I bought my R/T, I was on the local Parkway cruising around 70 mph when that exact thing happened to me - my tranny wouldn't shift and the MIL light flashed on. I made it to work doing about 25 in a 55, and had it flatbedded out. Turns out, it was the input speed sensor. I don't know if they were able to fix yours yet, but if not - mention this. It certainly fixed mine! Good luck- Sharon

Hi everyone- Got some interesting news from my last trip to Burgunder Dodge in Bridgeville, PA: 1 - I do NOT recommend them for service - my husband, who is a tech, had to show them how to fix some items. The "shop foreman" was the one working on my car. I can't figure that one out. 2 - they "could not duplicate" the noise on the car. I am disgusted with this. The car makes the rubbing noise EVERY time you turn left, and they claim to not have been able to make it do it, so I'm stuck with it, I guess. We mentioned seeing all of the potential corrections on this site, but they were not interested and were not willing to try anything to correct the issue. 3 - they were able to correct my heat shield rattle AFTER my hubby crawled under the car WITH the foreman & showed him what to do 4 - my rotors are already warped in the front. Less than 3K miles. They are replacing under warranty, but I have yet to hear anything from them and they had the car in mid/end July! 5 - my windshield wiper cowl is cracked and missing a piece that causes the buzzing noise I was getting around 72 mph. Again, this will be corrected via warranty - but I've not heard anything yet. Overall, I now have close to 3600 miles on the odo and while I love the car, I am so disappointed in the service that I am receiving in repairing my issues. If anyone has any tips that could help - I am more than willing to listen! Happy crusing! Thanks, all, Sharon

Hi formervan - I have an R/T and am experiencing the EXACT same noise as what you mention. I've seen that mentioned several times on this forum and, unfortunately, it does not appear as though anyone has got any solution! Of note - mine does seem to be getting worse, so I suspect a 2nd trip back to the dealer will be coming soon! I'll post if I get any interesting news! Good luck- Sharon