coolram62

You are most welcome and i hope it helps. I did a good deal of research before deciding on the setup I bought. I thought of going to 20" setup but price of the wheel/tire packages were a little out of the park (although you might as well go this size instead of a 19" setup). If you do with 20" wheels you'll have to go with either a 50 or even a 45 series tire which will ride a bit rougher with the shorter sidewall. The 18" package looks and works great. The Nitto 850CUV+ is a very nice tire with very good wet weather handling. The bolt pattern as mentioned is 5x127 (5x5) with a 40mm offset for the factory 17" wheels. The offset is the position of the backside of the wheel hub flange in relation to wheel center line. Positive offset means the wheel center is moved to the outside of the wheel and negative inside. This explains it better http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=101 And this is the explanation on centerbore http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=91 You want to stay within .50" in overall diameter to avoid issues with speedometer and transmission operation (28.5" is roughly the diamter for the Journey wheels whether it be 16,17 or 19 inch).

I couldn't believe the intake tract's length either the first time I had the engine cover off. The only 3.6 application that's not really long is in the Challenger (this and a slightly different manifold is supposed to be the HP difference). To me it would have made more sense to bring the tract from the passenger side but my guess is they utilized the basic configuration from the 3.5 to save on design/manufacture cost. Mopar is supposed to have a CAI in the near future for the 3.6 Avenger. From what I've read it's manufactured by AEM. I'm a bit impatient so I adapted a K&N CAI for the 2010 Avenger 3.5 to my 3.6 Journey. It took a bit of massaging but it works.

I understand the Express is not a CVP or AVP but it was the base US Journey for 2011 (there was no AVP in 2011). The 2011 US lineup is Express, Mainstreet, Crew, RT and Lux. AWD was not standard on any but offered as an option on all but the Express. It does make sense about the use of stock as one reason the base models don't have the LED tailight assembly. According to Dodge's US website the 2012 models are AVP, SE, SXT and Crew. The RT and Lux are not listed for 2012 for the US. I believe there is still a shortage on the 8.4" screens so those in stock are most likely reserved for the 300, Charger and warranty replacement. It's interesting the discount ranges from $305 to $1000 for the 4.3" screen being substituted for the 8.4". And one dealer in Charleston has 18 2012 Journeys but they are all SE or SXT trim levels.

The dealer I bought my 2011 from had a base model Express and she definitly did not have LED taillights. I agree it is interesting they would do this looking at cost per unit but turn that around to cost per unit to have the LED assembly in all models. And the US model lineup has completly changed from 2011. They pared it down to four models with the Crew topping out the line and no RT. The absence of the RT is odd since they made such a big deal of the 2011 models. When I bought my Mainstreet there wasn't a RT in dealer inventory for 200 miles and only a couple Crews. It must have been a sales decision because there's not really any difference between the Crew and RT save for the exterior chrome trim and wheel color (and of course the RT's red interior trim). I've only seen one '11 and a few '09-'10 RTs (judging by wheels once I see the badge). The one '11 Lux I've seen had everything including rear DVD and AWD. Another sidenote for '12 is the pearl coats aren't shown as extra cost on the website (sadly blackberry pearl is not listed).

Mrlux yours should be covered under the US 2 year courtesy plan depending on when it started. That is unless the LUX has more offered.

ITtech the AR wheels I have are 18x8. Keep in mind to ask what size the center bore of the wheels you get are. The centers of these wheels require the use of center bore rings for the wheels to be hub centric. Otherwise you have to rely on the lugs to center the wheels which works but isn't the best way to go.

B1pig that is the K&N 69 series for the 3.5 in the Avenger. It takes a bit of work to the K&N airbox for it to fit and for the snorkel to fit it. Also I had to use the back half of the factory air tube as the 3.6's TB is located much further back than the 3.5. I also plan on extending the sides of the airbox up to move the seal closer to the hood. For someone with a 3.5 Journey I believe it would be almost a direct fit

That is a very good point about the parts shortage and the price sounds about right. You might check salvage yards for either a '11-'12 Journey,Charger,or 300 for the complete system. It's not as much of a long shot as you might think. Go to http://www.car-parts.com to start your search. But I would check with your dealer ,actually more than one, to make sure they can integrate the system with STARSCAN before you do the swap. Some aren't willing to do this and there are some that may not know how. You will also have to order the HVAC panel with the SD slot (unless the donor car is a Journey with the same color panel as yours). And as mentioned contact Sirius to check how they will handle the ESN change if you have the 1 year free subscription.

You also have to take into account the radio mounts behind ,and to the lower section, the panel with the HVAC/Radio/Misc controls there would have to be complete package to do an aftermarket swap. And you have to wonder how the BCM will react to the factory radio removal. This is a much more involved swap than the '88-94 Chevy C/K platform was and that in itself took the aftermaret a bit to get a handle on it. I've thought about upgrading my '11's radio to an 8.4 but there are factors even with this. Will a dealership be willing to run STARTECH to register the new package to the car's VIN and how will Siruis handle the new ESN.

Thank you DC as that makes much more sense than the guessing.

That may be the only thing carried over to the 4.3/8.4 head units from the Mygig ones. Apparently all but the base 4.3 system has Sirius standard. I will most likely have to pull the radio to see. Then if I did install the other head unit I would have to deal with the ESN change if Siruis would transfer the service to a different radio.

DC thank you and I sent a PM with the info and any help/knowledge is greatly appreciated. And thank you also Omar. EDIT: One thing I just thought of is the Siruis receiver a separate unit or is it built into the head unit

I checked under the front seat and there is indeed some type of electrical component under the edge of the passenger seat. It's under the hump just under the front edge of the seat with two separate harness going in it's direction. The carpet is split behind it but it would really have to be taken up to see what it is. The interior redo is a leap but why the change to a sound system that's only used in 3 vehicles currently (hopefully there are plans to expand). The aftermarket will be slow to respond with only the popularity of the Charger/300 making a difference. I'd hate to get this radio then find it won't work. I already know I would have to change the HVAC pod due to the SD slot.

Omar thank you for the suggestion as that makes sense to contact Dodge. My Journey has the U4.3S with Sirius but no sub in the rear (and no logos). She just has the 6 speaker system but I was curious if they used amplified head units for all but the premium sound/visual options or used external amps on everything. It's not so simple anymore to know as it was with Bose/non-Bose GM products or Infinity/non-Infinity Chrysler products of the past.

As the title states do the standard non-premium system radios have an internal or external amp? I know there are several different models used in both the 4.3 and 8.4 systems. Also I'm assuming the radios with the SD card reader will work with either the 4.3" or 8.4" display (since the shortage of 8.4" displays forced use of the 4.3" display). The reason I ask is I found just the radio section ,with SD card slot, at a salvage yard. I have to ask them if the Charger it came out of had the premium sound system or not. To install this would most likely require a trip to the dealer to have it scanned into the BCM - opinions please.

This must be inherent/common with the Pentastar/6 speed as my '11 does exactly the same as yours. I have just over 1K miles on her so I may give her a few more miles before going to the dealer with it. I wonder if it's limited to just the Pentastar equipped Journeys. The RWD applications use a different transmission so it would be an apples to oranges comparison.

It is somewhat stupid to install a USB port for access to the entertainment system and then have that kind of limitation on read/storage. It must be less expensive per unit to make all the consoles the same. I haven't looked but would imagine the horn relay is either in the in car fuse panel (it's located next to the BCM) or may be in the underhood distribution center. It seems that for every two steps forward in design/engineering these days there's a step back. Take the location of the battery in the Journey for instance. As for the attitude of some dealer service departments these days I'm completly at a loss. One would think they would do what it takes to take care of a customer (within reason taking into account abuse or neglect). This should be a special point if the vehicle was purchased from them. Some dealers don't even trouble themselves with the proper procedure when they sell a vehicle (new or used).

I apologise for being a bit off topic. Drb227 ,and Bramfrank, on the horn signal it goes through the BCM. I haven't noticed any unusual lag between pushing the horn pad and the horn sounding. The old style contact/relay systems aren't instant. It's interesting if the dash/interior lights have powered down with the door open and you bump the horn they come back on. My guess is a change in ,or additional load detected, causes this.

That is an interesting idea but it depends on what type and voltage is used ( http://www.ledlight.com/ ). I've thought of adding them to the rear door pockets feeding off the power window switch but when the master switch lock is used it cuts power all together to the rear switches. I changed the front side marker to 168ST (Silverstars) and was going to do the same to the rear markers. Removed the outer tailight housing and found the side markers are LED. I'm surprised the turn signal bulb was still incandescent but that saves on a per unit cost (for the short term).. Cost is the fate of footwell lamps. The '06 Commander I owned had them but you won't hardly find them in any GM product built after '03. 2late4u I had a '10 Traverse for a rental while the transmission in my Avalanche was being rebuilt and it had a LED setup similar to your Dodge van. It actually was more effective than the Journey setup.

It's a single blue LED for both the driver and passenger front doors. Drb227 is right they have a low level light output that really only shows if you have a bottle in the door (especially one with a light colored label). And they didn't bother to put them in the back doors. The back doors didn't rate the under door courtesy lights either. Another interesting thing is when you use the driver's door window control lockout it cuts power to the rear window switches completly (the indicator lights on them don't illuminate). I was scanning through the 2011 brochure and front footwell lights are mentioned several times for every trim level except Express (I guess SE in Canada) but mine doesn't have them. Was this a prior year item that was deleted and the brochure not changed or do some of you have these?

The AVS smoked deflector I installed on my 2011 was actually under the part number for the 2010. They didn't have the 2011 listed yet but the hood contours are the same. It's not a non-drill deflector as it's fastened by double sided tape and two screws. I think it's just the front facia is all that's changed (well along with the rear) and not the hood.

I have the same option U4.3S as you and have been looking at CoastalTech's Lockpicks. I emailed them with the information on my Journey except for the three digit radio code. Alan from CoastalTech responded that they needed the three digit code in order to provide the correct Lockpick (MYGIG V.4 or CHR550). From the information on their website the C8/C8R looks to be just for the U8.4 radios. And looking at the parts breakdown for the Journey there are at least three different radios that would be used with the 4.3" screen. I need to pull the headunit to get the code off but that's not saying your 4.3S will have the same headunit. You may have to do the same to make certain you get the correct Lockpick. EDIT: The code will either be on the back or side panel of the radio itself.

I looked through Ebay but ended buying mine off Amazon for $67(US) shipped.

Looks like you're well on your modification trail like me. I installed an aftermarket wireless distance sensor kit by Wagan Tech (P/N 2455). I installed the monitor in the top inside section of the hatch which puts it in view of the rear view mirror. The system works well and the interior panels come out fairly easily for installation. You're right in the door sill covers make a world of difference in appearance. And one would think these would come on at least the R/T and LUX trim levels. A lot of dealer service departments are hesitant to modify a vehicle's program from stock. And there are many that don't understand the procedure even though the Star Scan will walk them through most of it. You already found some don't think of good customer service and future business like the one dealer you mentioned. On the wheels I don't have to deal with harsh winters so the same wheel/tire setup can be run year round. I replaced the 17" wheels with 18" American Racing AR95T with 235/60R-18 107V Nitto NT850+ CUV. I went with 18" wheels due to tire cost if I went with 19" (you might as well go 20" ). If you go with aftermarket wheels make sure you ask if they require hub centric rings or not (the AR95T does). It makes a world of difference for wheel location keeping them hub centric instead of just lug centric.

Thank you Germax for the compliment. It took a bit of trimming and grinding on the K&N airbox for it to fit properly. I plan on extending the airbox height to bring it closer to the hood and possibly making a lid for it to keep more underhood heat out. I reused the stock snorkel by trimming the air muffler off the side next to the washer bottle then sealing the hole. You most probably noticed the rear half of the tubing is factory. It's actually a bit larger than the K&N tubing. And the 3.5 tubing is obviously to short to reach the TB. I can see why the RWD Pentastar equipped vehicles are rated slightly higher HP wise as their air inlet is much less restrictive and shorter from the factory.