webslave

AFAIK, the Journey's optional rear heat and cooling is just like the units used in the Caravans and Town and Country units. Consisting of its own heater and air conditional cores and evaporators, fans and housings. These units also are fairly small as they have to fit in the side space between the inner panel and the oustide bodywork without intrusion into the enterior space. Also unfortunately, the heater core (and A/C coolant) are, indeed, piped from the engine compartment and use the engine's heat to warm the water in pipes. This leads to two issues, really, the one is that the heat is diverted to the front seats first (it does no good to heat the rear while the front (read driver) is below freezing and the second being the long run that the warm water must make to get to the rear of the car. Lots of temperature loss to the warming the lines, bleed to the air around them, etc. before it ever gets to the rear of the car. From what I understand and what I've found with my unit; the colder it is, the longer it takes to get warm, let alone "hot" water to that rear core takes ~15 minutes, particularly when it is really cold outside. That is going to be true for any design that relies on hot water from the engine; the only way to get around the delay would be to use electric heat for the rear, but, that brings on its own issues (larger alternator, heavier battery, electric wiring capable of higher amperage and possible shorts and the resultant fire...). In order to use hot water as the supply medium for the rear heater, it has to come from the engine (where else are you going to economically get it?) and it takes time to get that additional volume warm and then get it piped to the back while losing heat to the pipes and surrounding air.

When I checked mine, merely pressing on it or pulling on it didn't show any movement. The bumpers hold it reasonably firmly and the only way I found out it was the hatch was that I noticed that after she had driven it and used the rear cargo area, the hatch was maybe 1/32" higher than flush with the tail lights. With the hatch firmly closed, the hatch is actually maybe 1/32" lower than the tail lights. Just pressing on it or pulling on it never revealed the "problem"; in fact it was a couple of weeks before I finally figured it out, by accident actually. I was washing the car (and it had "dinged" a couple of days before) and noticed the hatch was a bit higher than the tail lights while wiping it down. When I opened the hatch to clean the inside areas and closed the hatch, I did it from the side and noticed that "firmly" closed, the hatch was that same "tad" lower. No dings for a week or two until she had gone shopping again and used the back end. Dinged a couple of times on our way to town and I pulled over in a driveway and got out, the hatch was a bit higher than the tail lights, so, I opened the hatch and closed it firmly. No more dings. Have you opened and closed the hatch since the last time it "dinged"? If you did, you may have closed it more firmly when you closed the hatch. If it happens again, and you've got the time, pull over and open then close the hatch again...it may be the same as mine.

Mine used to give the odd "ding" with no message, also while I was driving down the road. Tracked it down to the rear hatch. I had lectured my wife years ago about slamming doors and hatches, etc. and what I discovered was that she wasn't closing the rear hatch firmly enough. It was still "latched" to the point that you couldn't lift it open and it was closed enough that the "ajar" sensor didn't think it was open, but, it wasn't closed firmly enough so that when I hit a bump it lifted momentarily, caused the ding and before the "ajar" light was able to illuminate, the bump was over and the hatch was on the button again. Told her to firmly close the hatch and now I've got no more errant "dings" with no notices...

I have, over the years, had them all...single rear drive, dual rear drive (positraction), fwd, fwd with stability (front axle locking), AWD, 4WD and full-time 4WD (Jeep QuadraTrac I and II). 4WD is fine, but, you have to shift to get into it, and not all 4WD units are on-the-fly shift enabled. By the time you know you need it, in some instances, it is too late, other times you have to either slow or stop to enable it and then continue on and then slow or stop to disable it when the roads firm up (most 4WD units lead very short lives if run on dry pavement). When the roads are variable, dry patches with slick intermixed, 4WD is less suitable for those changing conditions. The best in my book was the QuadraTrac system. Full time 4WD...all the time. My Jeeps have been like tanks; they just go, no pausing, no slipping, just traction if traction was available. For most of us, though, the modern AWD system is quite sufficient. Lighter weight when compared to 4WD systems and no thought involved. You get into a slippery condition where traction for each wheel is variable and constantly changing and the AWD is there to get you through the problem by putting the majority of the torque on the wheel that has traction enough to use it and being able to change the driving wheel almost instantaneously and seamlessly. You don't have to think about it, you don't have to plan around it, it is just there when you need it automatically, most of the time, you don't even realize it is happening. If you don't need it, the JD's AWD defaults to a standard FWD system for fuel mileage. Is it off-road suitable? No, 4WD is much better at rock climbing, mud, etc., but, most of us don't off-road (I have a 4WD truck for that) and most of us stay off roads that 4WD would prove more suitable than AWD. Having had both, I've not found a road condition that my AWD hasn't handled as well as my 4WD Commander did. Have there been roads that were better left to 4WD? Yep, but, when the roads are that bad, I stay off of them until they are plowed or the depth is 6 inches or less and my AWD is quite suitable at that point. I got rid of my Commander (full time 4WD) because of my confidence in the MOPAR AWD system and its ability to go when I need to go, tempered by my own sense of when to be on a road and when I should be parked at home. Shouldn't cause any driver confusion; the driver doesn't have to do anything (unlike 4WD) or plan ahead; they just have to drive with a modicum of common sense and the car's system will handle the "go" part. I know I don't even think about it; it is there when the road condition warrants it and I don't have to do anything to make it happen.

I haven't found a plain rubber one, however, there are two carpeted versions, both on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dodge-Journey-Carpeted-Floor-Cargo/dp/B003KYJJVY and http://www.amazon.com/Dodge-Journey-Berber-Floor-Cargo/dp/B004MWSP68 The first one is a flat carpet type and the second one is a Berber (bigger loop pile type). I haven't ordered one yet as I very infrequently use the 3rd row seat and when I do, I don't need to protect the remaining cargo area... Those are the only type of "pre made" that I've found and the other option as noted by jkeaton, would be to pick up a generic type (no tub type edge) and then cut it off to fit. Maybe there will be others in the future now that the Journey looks like it will be around for awhile, if only as a Freemont should Chrysler drop the platform from their lineup.

Journeyman425 is spot on. The vehicle uses a complex algorithm to compute when an oil change is due. Duty cycle (how long or short the drive is), loading (full passenger complement most of the time or not), towing, etc. to come up with the change interval and no two intervals will likely be the same. My '08 Commander was the first vehicle I'd owned that did that sort of thing and it took me a number of years to come to the point where I trusted it to tell me accurately when to change it. Now, several MOPAR vehicles later, I trust the system. My '13 told me to change the oil at 9,756 miles. We live out in the country, so, any of our trips are long (17 miles to the first store) and virtually zero stop and go. Lightly loaded (just the two of us) and no towing. The manual for the '13 calls for a maximum of 10,000 miles (~16,000 km) or 1 year on the oil and 5W-20 is the recommended viscosity range. I use synthetic (Mobil 1) since the change interval is rather long and the synthetics hold up better to both time and heat. If you are one of the "old school" types and cling religiously to changing the oil every 3,000 miles or so, or if you have a lot of stop and go and the EVIC tells you, usually to change at less than 5,000 miles, I wouldn't waste synthetic on that type of interval as the dino based oils, nowadays, are perfectly capable of maintaining integrity for that type of time span (the new dino formulations are leagues ahead of the oils of 8-10 years ago).

Tend to agree with jkeaton... The "menu" you refer is part of the software package in the UConnect system software. If the radio (contains the software) was replaced by a Pioneer or Alpine unit that doesn't contain that software, you are probably out of luck. I'm not sure a dealership with their StarSCAN tool would be able to help either...the software is either there or it isn't. It is possible that the controller still exists and you don't have the interface (not real sure where the UConnect's actual interface sw lies; seperate controller or part of the radio's head package) in which case the dealer may still be able to access the controller with their scan tool (you won't be able to with an OBD tool as the sw isn't OBDII), but, they will charge you for the effort.

Mine does the same ('13 R/T AWD). My dealership explained that it was the AWD releasing the transfer box and going to FWD mode. Does it just as I cross the 40 mph threshold, both accelerating through it and when I slow down (though not as noticeable on deceleration, it is there, on mine anyway). Since it has been going on since day 1 and hasn't changed one iota (not longer, not shorter, nor at any other different speeds or conditions) I'm inclined to buy their explanation for the time being. Doesn't affect the car any, but, it is like running on a rumble strip for a second - that's about all the time it takes. Has to do with higher fuel efficiency since AWD is rarely needed at speeds above 40 mph the transfer case disonnects the rear differential going to FWD mode (the car will return to AWD though if it senses wheel spin at higher speeds) and the FWD is supposed to be easier on the gas than if it stayed in AWD at all speeds. That is the way it was explained to me and I've got no problems with their explanation to date and I've got almost 14,000 miles on the car now. I even vaguely remember reading somewhere that the AWD is actually FWD at highway speeds when the car doesn't need the AWD for stability or acceleration. When I was shopping for the DJ is when I first noticed it. Maybe one of the Dodge Cares group can shed some "technical" light on it. Here's an excerpt from a review on the BorgWarner system: "The ITM 3e system exercises sophisticated controls and algorithms to sense slip, converting the front-wheel-drive-based platform to all-wheel drive within milliseconds. By optimally using grip at both front and rear wheels, the system also augments vehicle handling and traction. At highway speeds, it automatically reduces power transfer to the rear wheels, which improves fuel economy versus other all-wheel drive systems. In addition, the ITM 3e system is designed to work in cooperation with other vehicle systems like anti-lock brakes and electronic stability programs to further enhance traction and stability." Edited to add exerpt from review of the BorgWarner ITM 3e AWD system.

The gauge is electronic...subject to being calibrated to the voltage put out by the tank sensor. Different calibration voltages yield different needle positions. Yours is just calibrated better than hers. If yours reads "full" and not more than full, then, when your needle says you have half a tank you are much more likely to have 10 gallons than she is, all things being equal. When hers reads a half a tank, she'll have less than 10 gallons. Her true half tank point would be the same distance above the half tank mark as her full tank indicator is above the full indicator line. A full tank should read a "full tank". Nothing more or nothing less; full is 20 gallons (the size of the tank) and isn't changed by the needle's position on the gauge - that's calibration.

You probably won't find any "real world numbers" unless you disassemble the units and take your own measurements. MOPAR won't give you any measurements as they expect you to purchase the same stock units that would naturally fit. Any other "stereo" company will also take liberties with the actual measurements to make sure that whatever they sell you to fit in that space will actually fit to save having to handle returns and exchanges which bite into profit margins big time and would leave them with a lot of "used" equipment to try and unload (who wants to buy a speaker that has been unboxed and test fitted to a too small space?). If you need "real world numbers", time to break out the tools and tape measure...you could be the first as I suspect most folks will buy upgrades from a fitment chart and be done with it or make their own enclosures to suit what they want.

Ditto... I'm not sure how Crutchfield obtains their fitment numbers, but, in all the years I've been dealing with them and all the cars I've ordered "upgrade" speakers for, I've never had their speakers (if chosen by "this fits these models") to not fit in the space provided in the car. Same with their wiring harnesses; back in the days when I didn't order my cars, I'd get a "bare bones" model and add the options of my choosing and I never had a high end radio and wiring harness for the car it was ordered for to not fit. If they don't have the speakers you are looking for, you could probably ascertain the dimensions that would work from their "these fit this model" listing and then see what those speaker's dimensions are. OTH, I've always been pleased with their prices, service and speed of delivery and you may just find what you are looking for directly from them.

I've had a number of vehicles with the EVIC oil change notice... I've learned to trust the algorithms used by the system to compute the oil's life. It uses driving cycles, length of time running, throttle position, load sensing, temperature, etc. ( a whole host of factors from the various system sensors) to determine when it is time to change the oil. If you do a lot of shorter, in town driving cycles, you'll most likely get a quicker (lower mileage/km traveled) notification. If like me, you are retired (don't drive that often) and out in the country where our trips will be longer (better for the engine) and the speeds more sedate (45-55 mph and easy on the throttle, 23.4 mpg average since purchase), then the cycle will be longer (in my case 9,475 miles to first notification). It is all about duty cycle and engine environment. I learned, with my Commander, to trust the EVIC and I base my oil changes on the notification or the 10,000 mile/once per year maximum. I do run Mobil 1 in the vehicles (all except my RAM Cummins) with the thought that, with the longer intervals, it can only help, but, I do trust, now, the longer intervals. I come from that era where 3,000 miles was the max and engines were lucky to last 50,000 miles before needing major work (there was a reason a lot of folks bought new cars every three years), but, with the better engines, tighter tolerances and better oils, I've gotten accustomed to the longer intervals now and am quite comfortable in relying on the computer to figure out when the oil needs to be changed. My truck, for instance, is used mostly for towing a 5th wheel RV...the engine knows when I'm towing and the oil change light will come on much quicker than when I'm not (<4,000 miles vs. >7600 miles).

I know a lot of people that do that, the buy used to avoid the depreciation, thing. I prefer new; new car smell, no body else's dirt or covered up damage and the depreciation doesn't usually cost me too dearly because I keep my cars 15-20 years and spread over that kind of time frame the depreciation is so small vs. the advantages (to me) of being "new" that I gladly eat the depreciation. In fact two of my cars, a 1976 Eldorado convertable, and my 1989 Lebaron Custom are well past the 20 year mark

I think the last car that I "bought of the lot" was a 1974 Toyota Corolla SR-5... For what cars cost nowadays, I want them configured the way I like and in the color I like. Most "off the lot" cars, while still nice, have an item or two that I don't want in lieu of items that I do want, or are missing items that I really want or a color that it is ok, but, again, not the color that I really want. For instance, the last three vehicles that I've ordered have been "loaded to the hilt" except for the back seat DVD. We don't have small children and don't see any need for it, but, most "loaded to the hilt" vehicles will have it and we've gotten the colors that we like. We ordered our Journey in late October of '12 (actually 10/29) and a November build and a December delivery (all of '12). Nearly 12,000 miles on it now and other than the DRL tribulation and the lack of the compass (see threads on this forum) in the EVIC, haven't had any issues. Fuel mileage kept getting better until after around 5K miles and has stabilized to ~23.2 mpg in our country driving and the newer, larger brakes are still going strong with no issues. Some nit-picky design issues, but, over all a great vehicle.

You might take them a printout of the pertinent portions of this thread (adding the code LMK to the VIN) and the flashing of the BCM with the new VIN information...(once they've done those two steps, the UConnect soft switch should work without any other steps). That may be all the help they need or you could have them contact their regional service support office (for my area, it is located in Pittsburgh). By now, the regional office should have encountered this "problem" and would know the proper "tech speak" to convey to the dealership what needs to be done in language they understand. It really isn't rocket science, but, it is "outside the box" for their most common service tasks.

Not normal, at least mine doesn't make any noise. I'd have the dealer take a look at it. There are 4 little rubber feet to cushion the seat in the closed position on each side on the bottom of the seat portion (at least on '13 model), maybe one is missing allowing for plastic on plastic movement giving you the squeak. Mine snaps firmly shut and whether someone is sitting on it or not, there is no movement in the seat to cause any noises with the little rubber feet firmly holding the seat in place when latched...

That should do it. AFAIK, auto lights is not required to have the DRL function on your Journey. The DRL light, no matter what trim level, is required by our friends north of the border, so any Journey, any trim level has to have them. The hardware and software is in all the Journeys, for North America at any rate, so, all you need to do is to have the code LMK added to your build and flashed to the computer system. Once your Journey has the code in its memory, it will enable the soft switch in your UConnect to turn them on or off. Simple enough really, but, a lot of the dealerships aren't, evidently, trained with the finer art of VIN manipulation, and, really, why would they? Usually your car comes with all the features on it enabled from the factory...still not sure why MOPAR doesn't just enable all of the vehicles with inherent DRL ability and let the owners decide, but, they don't.

I had it happen a couple of times...finally tracked it down. My wife wasn't closing the rear lift gate with enough "umph". Evidentally it was enough to keep the "Open lift gate" light off, but, not enough to keep it from "chiming" on a bump. By the time I would look for what "chimed", the bump was over and the lift gate was back on the switch with enough weight to turn it off before I could catch (if it ever did illuminate) the "Lift gate open" light. It is very touchy...slam the lift gate and it latches firmly enough, just close the lift gate and it isn't latched all the way and a bump or sudden attitude change (like hitting the brakes) and it had enough give to sound off one chime... Taught her to give it a good slam (not overly hard, but, firmly) and look to make sure the tail light on the lift gate is a little lower than the tail light on the body, and haven't had it happen again.

Sounds awfully excessive to me. Just checked my manual... Spark plugs aren't due until 160,000 km Have no idea what their "induction service" includes, but, I suspect it is injector cleaning. If so, and car is running evenly, pass on that. Those injectors are tough and normally will last the length of ownership. If not, then deal with one or more of them if, and when, they fail. I had a friend that had his injectors "cleaned". Car never ran right afterwards. Not, that is, until he replaced all the injectors with new units to get it to run right again. Are your struts bad? If not, why replace them? Are you having alignment issues? Handling issues? Again, pass, until such time as something fails. Fluids: Coolant at 160,000 km, Transmission at 192,000 km unless used for taxi, fleet or severe towing service., AWD components: 96,000 km. So, unless you are having "issues" with the suspension components and they need to be repaired (there isn't a "service" interval - they run till they break), all you might need is oil, even your air filter is not due until 96,000 km. Maybe the dealer has a mortgage payment he needs to meet and cash flow is low... To do a lot of that just because it has 80,000 km on it is nonsense. You could spend thousands to make the car "like new" and never get it to "like new". I've got a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado that I still drive; 98% all original parts, even the suspension (did replace the rear shocks when the auto-level pump failed and I couldn't find a replacement). I've got a 1989 Chrysler LeBaron with the original transmission, rear end, and brake fluid still in it. All original; put new disc pads front and rear on it once, routine oil and filters and two sets of tires. Still have the original spark plugs in it. I'd definitely have another shop take a look at it. Failed parts need to be replaced, worn (wearing is part of "failing") is not a reason to replace them, neither is age. Back in the '50's and '60's, cars were considered "good" if they lasted 36,000 miles before needing major work...now, 200,000 miles is "normal" and my son was driving my '96 Grand Caravan until last year; 300,000 miles before a part failed and that part cost more than the poor minivan was worth...

Good stuff... I keep some in the shop, the medicine cabinet and our 5th wheel RV. Dry skin, flaking, peeling, cracked skin, chapped...it works wonders. Funny to see it mentioned in a car forum, but, after working on the car and then degreasing my hands, I use a bit of it rubbed in to prevent the drying normally associated with a good scrubbing. Also great for after working outside in the winter to soothe the dry skin caused by exposure. Doesn't take much and one of those little cans (about the size of a snuff can) lasts a fairly long time.

Sharp looking changes. The engine bay on the DJ is pretty nice looking (compared to some others) stock, but, your dress up parts definitely add some "bling" to the overall look. Good show!

2013 3.6 VVT engine. We live in the boonies and the foothills of the Laurel Highlands here in South Central PA. Lots of hills/small mountains and mostly twisting, curving roads (we have one area that is so unique for us that it is called "Mile Level"; stretch of road arrow straight and level, a rarity here). Average speeds for our forays is in the 40-45 mph range, max is 55 by limit, but, due to the roads, very few spurts to 55 mph. Bought last year (12/2012) and my EVIC matches our hand calculations pretty well. EVIC to-date average is 23.8 mpg and hand calculations is 23.65 mpg. Compared to what I was getting on the 2008 Jeep Commander Hemi that I traded in on the DJ, this is heaven...I had to live with the Hemi's mileage as I used the Jeep to tow our RV. When we bought our 5th wheel RV and the truck (diesel) to tow it with, the Jeep was just a gas hog and had to go. Old Neon to my son, Jeep to the dealer on the JD and life is good. Edit for L/100km conversion: 9.88L/100km for my northern cousins...

I go the recommended change interval or when the EVIC tells me to change it. I bought a '13 RT AWD and at 9765 miles, the EVIC still hadn't told me to change the oil. I got a "deal" (coupon) in the mail from my Dealer and I decided to let them change the oil even though the EVIC hadn't informed me to nor had I hit the 10,000 mile mark. I've always (well for the last 15 years or so) used Mobil 1 Synthetic in my engines (all of them, from lawn mowers to ATVs to antique cars) and I asked that they use synthetic in the oil change and what brand would they be using... Mobil 1 was what they put in the car. Now for the reasoning that I prefer synthetics. With the extended change intervals on todays vehicles, I prefer to use the best oils available. While many will say "I use Dino, but, change every xxxx miles (usually far less than the recommended interval)" citing the lower cost of Dino and if changed more frequently is just as good. If you use that logic, changing lower cost Dino works out about the same as using synthetic and changing less frequently. I drive about 10,000 miles per year which means that with the new interval I can change oil yearly. The engine is designed to use Dino and still go 10,000 miles, but, the "old" mechanic in me (I come from the 3,000 mile change era) still cringes at 10,000 miles on Dino, so, I went to synthetics years ago. I've found that synthetics stay cleaner longer, have better lubricity, cling tenaciously (less drain back leaving cold start bare metal to metal) and handle high heat (such as found in generators, lawn mowers, log splitters, etc.) much better. My vote and usage is synthetic. As an aside, my DJ has been averaging 23.5 mpg since it broke in at ~5,000 miles. After this oil change, to synthetic, my average has gone to 23.8 mpg. Due to the oil? Who knows, it could be attributable to other factors, but, we're retired and our driving pattern doesn't change much week to week, the only difference is the change to synthetic. I'll have to see if the mileage stays up or whether it is just a fluke. The engine is also quieter on a cold start. My guess is that the synthetic is not draining out of the top end as much and there is more cushioning and less contact.

Years ago I used K&N filters to save money since I could get a lot longer service life out of them than the stock paper models. However, in today's newer systems I've found that not to always be true. With the 13's replacement schedule of 30,000 miles I can live with the cost of buying one and chucking it every three years. I don't have to worry any more about periodically removing the K&N and cleaning it and re-oiling it. With the new computer systems in the intake system, K&N doesn't really gain you anything as the computer will automatically make the adjustments to the fuel injectors based on air supply, getting an "easier breathing engine" with today's systems doesn't apply any longer. You get a different sound and that leads to many thinking of "great gobs of power" and "gee, it's got to get better mileage", but, the reality is far less impressive. In fact, over-oiling your filter will cut your air intake. You would need to re-program your computer to take advantage of any flow improvement and that really is a warranty killer. Back in the carburetor days, easy breathing, better exhaust scavenging coupled with appropriate changes to carburetor needles could yield improvements in everything from horsepower to mileage, but, in today's computer controlled fuel and ignition systems, the computer already wrings just about everything that can be gotten out of new engines. The new systems are geared for the paper filters, a 30,000 mile replacement is pretty cheap, the warranty is based on the paper usage, there's no cleaning and re-oiling with the paper (even when I was a K&N fan, the extra work always annoyed me). What's not to like. Don't get me wrong, I used to be a K&N fan, and for some applications, I still am, but, with today's computer derived fuel management and longer service life of the stock elements, I don't see any advantage to using them with most modern vehicles. With warranty issues being what they are, why should I give the dealer any ammunition at all if there isn't a large and overwhelming reason to...and I don't see the "large and overwhelming" reasons to use the K&N filter at all, either while the warranty is in effect or after it has expired. If you want K&N, by all means go that route, but, with today's new systems, longer service intervals and the intended use of my DJ (face it, a Challenger it isn't), I, for one will stick with the paper filters.

Unfortunately, as I understand the newer system, it doesn't hold your contacts in the UConnect. Everytime you start the car it "re-reads" your contact list from your paired phone. If you have a contact on the phone it gets read into the list. As Rubberdude88 said, your best bet is thin out the unused contacts from your phone so that it only contains the contacts that you actually use. Not a ding at your contact list, but, why carry around 970 useless contacts? Just curious... Of course, it could be worse... My system says it is loading the contact list and beeps and chimes like it is, but, the contact list in the UConnect remains empty. Fortunately, I don't use our cellphone except in emergencies and it isn't a big deal to grab the phone (I either pull of the road or have the wife do it; never while I'm driving) and make the call from the phone. The UConnect answers incoming calls fine and even when we dial from our phone, once the call is initiated the UConnect handles the voice communication just fine.