bramfrank

That is where the factory trailer harness connects. It has to be activated by the dealer.

For the record, DJ doesn't use the C3/C4 - we still get the RE2/RB5 - so there's no 'activating the Nav' without replacing the TGM (radio).

It is located at the rear of the vehicle above the headliner . . . . . . It is known as the RFHUB

There's a recall on the radio (R65) that SHOULD apply to the repair, even if it has been applied before, since obviously it would not have been successful, since the problem has recurred. And, if you have an extended warranty that applies to the whole vehicle (rather than just the power train) you'd be covered under that as a backstop. But it SHOULD be a no cost swap for you either way, as far as I'm concerned.

Never had my navigator go bad. This does NOT affect every, or even a major percentage of the units. However, because they swap out a bad unit for one that was sent in to be reloaded, what they are replacing yours with is one that has issues that were reset and is thus prone to failing again, since they weren't repaired.

Whatever they find, you want an extended guarantee . . . . . .

My ride had the front end clunk - both sides - and it got bad enough that it would wander all over the road on scarified surfaces. They took three shots, but the last was the one that fixed it. The solution was apparently to tighten p links on both sides - not sure what the heck a 'link' is that is adjustable - I sprung for a wheel alignment after the fact. If your dealer wants to know WHAT they did I can PM you the dealer info and the work order under which it was repaired - your dealer can call mine and perhaps you can retire that item from your list of complaints.

Since the only thing that doesn't work are the steering wheel controls then by inference it is only logical that is has something to do with an element unique to the steering wheel controls, which you suggest they do not agree with since, as far as I know there is the clockspring, the cable TO the clockspring, the controls themselves in that segment of the vehicle. Why they would unhood the instrument panel is beyond me. If it is working, then unless they pass the buss THROUGH the cluster to get to the clockspring it is not implicated in the circuit. I suppose it is possible that something else in the vehicle is messed up and that it has assumed the address of the steering wheel controls. Have you sniffed the buss to see if messages are being set from the controls? Has this shop? Do they even know what they're doing?

This one is a loser. Since they've had issues from day 1 and have had the vehicle for half the time you've owned it you should have no problem getting them to take it backl. Don't they have a satisfaction guarantee?

I'm not aware of a factory underhood light kit, but if there's a pin switch then it likely doesn't need a sales code . . . . the power from the battery goes to the bulb and the other wire from the bulb goes to negative (the vehicle frame) through the pin switch. I'm reasonably certain you could find a universal kit of some sort from Autozone (or better yet, perhaps ebay). Why not just buy a flashlight? They sell some that have magnets, though the hood is aluminum.

Bear in mind that if it is a demo 2017 model it is not only used, but it is a full model year old. Look up the black book value to get an idea what the resale value is. Don't believe the 'dealer invoice'. The invoice does not reflect the 'holdback'. And beyond the quarterly rebates (which don't show up on the 'invoice') they also get a significant rebate (on the order of $4000-$5000 on Journeys) for their demos and loaner vehicles. If you are buying the vehicle with a view to keeping it, note that the 7 year/115k Km zero deductible warranty costs the dealer less than $1700 - take part of your discount and apply it to that at their cost. It gets expensive to troubleshoot and repair computer issues that surface as the vehicle ages. To help mitigate electrical issues, which are usually due to corrosion, I strongly recommend you consider having te vehicle properly rustproofed - the treatments, when properly done will protect exposed electrical connections in addition to body panels.

Oh. I just noticed that your DJ is a 2011. Did you know that unless the brakes have been upgraded you can also fit 16" rims on your ride? In fact the base version was shipped with 16" steel wgeels with hub caps in that year.

A Journey is not a RAM truck. When this happened to you did you file a report with the NHTSA at www.safercar.gov? It is never too late.

Well, they do sell versions of the DJ with 17" wheels

You had 19" wheels on your Caravan?

A clunk indicates that there is something moving around and banging against something else - grease doesn't fix an adjustment or loose component. Get the dealer to fix it properly. The recliner lever doesn't return? Sounds like a spring. Squealing brakes when cold? That's one you might have to live with. It is often due to the thin rust layer that develops as brakes cool from use in fairly humid clients where temperatures drop at night and especially where the vehicle is parked outdoors - once it is cleared away the brakes tend to quiet down. Your dealer has to actually DO something for a problem to be resolved - putting grease on a loose component is like putting lipstick on a pig.

There's a recall (R65) for just this thing. Has it been applied to your vehicle? It is not uncommon, by the way, though it can be dealt with, without replacing the radio. FCA however doesn't like to do this. Search the forum for 'can't unlock maps' to read up on the issue.

No. It doesn't

It is actually described in the manual . . . . . but there are three volume settings; one for the radio, one for the Bluetooth and a third for announcements. You adjust each while the respective feature is active. The announcement setting lowers the radio volume and you can adjust it so that the radio doesn't actually change volume during announcements if you set it right. Volume settings are persistent. They remain where set through power cycles.

If it was a coolant leak you'd smell it, so that likely isn't it. But have them check the drain under the air conditioning and heater cores to see if it isn't clogged.

If you are in North America the non-nav radio is the RE2 and the Nav radio is the RB5. If you don't have a 'Nav' soft key next to the phone icon on the lower edge of the display you have an RE2. I installed the OEM backup camera - I bought the 2011 kit which came with the wiring harness; good thing, since try as I might I was never able to find the back end of the video cable that I am certain was installed at the factory. I had the dealer make the connection to the rear of the radio when I took the vehicle to them to have the sales code for the camera applied. It was essentially free, since they were going to carge me for an hour of service to flash the code an they claimed it was a 20 minute job to insert the pins in the connector. I was there for 2 hours because the tech/mechanic had to work harder than he expected doing the pins, but the dealer still only charged the one hour.

The RB5 is as good as it gets for the Journey. While I've not looked at any of the 2018s, but the 2017s I've driven have the usual RE2 or B5 (without nav or with respectively). And given the short remaining lifespan for the model, FCA isn't likely to have engineered anything new into the platform. There's nothing on the 2017 or 2018 build sheets I've looked at to suggest the 8.4A is in the Journey and I saw no reference to 'nav activation available'. If you message me with your VIN I'll see what FCA has to say.

He has 43K on the odometer, so his bumper-to-bumper coverage is over unless he buys an extended warranty, which is apparently an option for you Americans.

In the US you can buy extensions as long as your vehicle has less than 48K miles on it according to the reseller site I visited . . . . . I have had extended coverage for every vehicle I've owned for the past 30 years and with only one or two exceptions they've been moneymakers; they make the vehicle easier to sell and increase the resale value, too.

I thought the bumper-to-bumper coverage in the US was 36K miles?