Journeyman425

It is true that for model year 2014, Sales Code LMK which enables DRL was removed from our database of codes that we can add at the dealer level. No one at Chrysler offered any explanation and it *appeared* that they were making DRL available as a factory only extra-cost option. Then last week, a member asked me if they could be enabled on his 2015 Journey so I tried it. Sure enough, the code was there for me to add. I tried a friend's 2014 VIN and it was there too, where it hadn't been months prior. I tried a couple more VINs, including yours, and they all allowed the code. Chrysler has put it back just as quietly as they removed it. Very strange. I have no explanation. On your repair order, "SLS" is an abbreviation for "Sales" as in "Sales Code". SLS itself is not a code. Your Service Advisor mildly misinterpreted the tech's notes when he/she invoiced your Repair Order, that's all. LMK is the Sales Code which enables DRL. I'm glad they work!

Still waiting...this Tuesday will be five weeks! I'm about to make the second payment on it since the accident and it's still being fixed. In no way am I complaining about the bodyshop - this is a very intricate repair and I'd much rather have it fixed perfectly and wait rather than have a rush job and get it back sooner. I'm just dying to have it back, that's all. Thanks for listening. The NWS is watching a potential blizzard for my area on Tuesday and that will probably be the day I get the call...

Lloyd - the correct sales code is already attached to your options. If your DRL are not working, your dealer should perform a vehicle restoration and then try them. I assume they have been enabled on the radio screen.

It's all good, JK, and thanks for the compliments - I was just busting!

OK, folks - very strange...but it *seems* that Chrysler has quietly re-enabled the dealer's ability to add sales code LMK to the options list so that DRL will work. I just tried it tonight on three different VIN's and it is there once again. Very odd, and totally un-announced...but if you want your DRL to work, you can take it back to your dealer and have them add the code and restore the vehicle configuration to make them work

I received an inquiry from someone who claimed that LMK was ordered at the factory but the lights did not work, so I checked. No LMK code in the factory database, but lo and behold, it's back on the dealer side. I added it to his VIN. Just for giggles I rechecked your VIN and guess what? It's now there for me to add. I did just that. Take your Journey back to the dealer and have them perform a vehicle restoration and the DRL will work.

Yes, we are indeed grateful for the lack of any injury. Thanks for your concern! As for the headlamps... well, the OEM replacements are already there. Not sure if they're on the car yet but honestly, they really match the chrome grille just so.

New 2015 200. Nice looking car, decent handling, even has good power for a 2.4 since it's mated with a nine speed auto. It's just kind of benign, that's all. I'm sure the 200C and S with the 3.2 and extra options is a much more soulful car. I really miss driving the Journey. I just hope it's close to the way it was before it got smashed.

Yes Rolly, thank you. It's going back together at this point. The transmission solenoid pack got nicked and had to be replaced. This involves removal of the valve body to access the solenoid pack. With the radiator support and front fascia completely off, access to it is a breeze. So, I sent my transmission tech to the bodyshop to perform this repair for them on Thursday. We delivered yet more parts to them Friday and my driver reported that the front fenders were painted and on, and the front end was being reassembled. I never call there to pester them or ask how much longer it will take because a) I know they're working on it every day; they will call me when it's done and b.) I hear that from a few of my customers who know that we are working on their cars and that we have already acknowledged their requests for completion by a specific time and still they ask and it irritates me...sorry! Anyway, based on this "spy" info, I'm thinking it may be done by the end of next week. I can't wait to get her back; it's been nearly a month already. I miss driving it. The Chrysler 200 that I'm driving is impressive, but it's no Journey.

Thank you for your kind concern. She is fine, not a scratch. The car is definitely structurally sound. She took a very hard hit and the car absorbed the crash energy to the point of preventing injury to her, plus it was far enough forward so she was still a safe distance from the point of impact.

You won't notice any difference under normal driving except that the amber warning light is illuminated all the time. When there is snow on the ground, try driving in an empty parking lot and toggle between modes. Mash the gas with the TC off and the wheels will spin freely as they lose traction. Turn the TC back on and you'll hear the ABS pump and feel the vibration as the system tries to slow the wheel speed to match the available traction.

"Just goes to show how knowledgable service managers are. Lol " *AHEM*

i knew there was something else - I remembered reading it once before: The all-wheel-drive system requires no driver input or control. Under most driving conditions, it is passive and power is transmitted to the front wheels alone. The system functions to optimize traction and handling under the following conditions: Anticipates slip by responding to pedal position unlike all-wheel drive systems that rely on pumps or viscous fluids to transfer torque, the system requires no front-to-rear slippage for activation. This allows the system to transfer torque in response to accelerator pedal position. If the driver is asking for a lot of power, the system immediately starts clamping the Electronically Controlled Coupling (ECC), transferring a high percentage of power to the rear wheels. This avoids front wheel slippage, as power to propel the car is transmitted through all four tires. This mode of operation is called open-loop operation in that there is no feedback to affect the torque transfer. Modulates torque to optimize traction on slippery surfaces a second, closed loop, operating mode uses feedback from the wheel-speed sensors to determine the appropriate torque transfer. When the front wheels slip, the all-wheel-drive electronic control module tells the ECC to start clamping, sending power to the rear wheels. Attempting the same aggressive launch described above with the front wheels on ice and the rear wheels on dry pavement, the ECC sends even more torque to the rear wheels to minimize slippage and launch the vehicle. Both modes are always active and the maximum of the two is chosen. Power to the rear wheels is modulated during lost of traction while traveling at freeway speeds; for example, hydroplaning on a puddle of water, will send very little power to the rear wheels because the controller knows at those speeds a lot of power is not needed at the rear wheels. Prevents binding during low-speed turns a third condition, which is independent of the others, uses the ESP steering angle sensor to determine when the vehicle is turning in a tight circle. This condition causes the electronic control module to reduce torque to the rear wheels to prevent binding in the driveline. The electronic control module is always checking for this condition as well. Influences handling at moderate speeds. The AWD system is used to influence vehicle dynamics. Other manufacturers limit AWD to aiding traction or providing off-road capability. They concentrate on launching the vehicle or going off road at speeds up to about 25 mph (40 km/hr). Above that speed range, they use it to limit wheel slip for traction. Additional ECM calibration controls torque to the rear wheels for improved handling in the 25-65 mph (40-105 km/hr) range. In this speed range, the system utilizes torque to the rear wheels during cornering with the throttle open to make the car turn more easily – make the handling more neutral. This is more readily accomplished with an electronically controlled system, than with viscous-coupling or gerotor systems that require some degree of front-to-rear slip to transfer torque to the rear wheels. Above 53 mph (113 km/hr), the control strategy provides minimal torque to the rear wheels under normal driving conditions to aid fuel economy. Works with ESP and Traction Control the electronic control module also interfaces with the ESP and traction control systems. The interface allows the ESP system to use the ECC to help gain control of the vehicle. For this purpose, torque transmitted to the rear wheels by the ECC can be reduced. The AWD system is not traction control. It only works on situations where front-torear traction varies, for instance, front wheels on ice, rear wheels on dry pavement or climbing steep grades. AWD does not aid side-to-side traction. ESP does that through brake intervention.

From the shop manual. I'll see if I can get some specifics on the actual transfer unit operation. The older setup in the Pacifica operated just as you described, with a viscous coupler which reacted to temperature and hardened with heat and friction. The setup in the Journey is more sophisticated with greater electronic control. Read on: OPERATION The primary benefits of All Wheel Drive (AWD) with a Rear Drive Unit (RDU) are: Superior straight line acceleration, and cornering on all surfaces. Better traction and handling under adverse conditions, resulting in improved hill climbing ability and safer driving. The AWD system intelligently anticipates/selects front, or AWD in varying torque splits based on conditions, driving style and on a host of "triggers" such as: Input to vehicle switches/interfaces such as gear selection; ESC button actuation; wiper settings; and temperature settings Environmental influences such as surface grade; vehicle speed; launch characteristics; and relating ESC events Dynamic factors including wheel slip; detection of understeer/oversteer; steering angle rate; and acceleration/deceleration rates Based on all these inputs and more, the system is capable of anticipating, and then delivering infinitely variable amounts of torque combinations between the front and rear driven wheels at launch, all in milliseconds and without driver intervention or feedback.

I'm driving a 2015 Chrysler 200 while my Journey is in the body shop, and I noticed that the mirror switch does not light up even though the master switch assembly appears to be the same as the one in the Journey.

Hey, but is it true that a 2013 that's been sitting for over 15 months will have issues with seals drying out? Or anything else drying out for that matter, I noticed that the other 2013 lost it's new car smell. I'm glad I got a 2015, ready to put a bow on it for Christmas, lol Not likely to have any issues with seals drying out anytime soon. Even so, most if not all seals which are fluid-related are covered in the five year/100K powertrain warranty. The new car smell is caused by the outgassing of plastics. Outgassing also causes that fog build up on the inside of the windshield which is similar to someone smoking inside the car. Anyway, once the interior plastics are no longer outgassing, the new car smell diminishes.

The current body style Durango and Grand Cherokee from 2011 to present has the battery under the passenger front seat. The Journey's battery has always been in the driver's front fenderwell.

So, the Mopar parts truck made a delivery to my shop this morning. I got a call from the guys in the back building where the parts deliveries are received..."hey...your car is back here!" All those boxes are various body parts for my Journey which will in turn be delivered by us to the bodyshop..."Some Assembly Required!"

Yes it is - the battery is located just ahead of the driver's side front wheel in the corner of the fender. If you look at the first and third pictures of my car in the bodyshop, you can see the battery is literally torn in half. Follow the red (positive) cable down and you'll see the battery hanging. Reading your story, I really have nothing to complain about. I know it was a few years ago but I'm sorry about your losses. You must have felt so violated. What an awful ordeal that must have been for you.

That's good information; thanks.

That's how I feel. I trust them completely. The hard part now is the wait. It's gonna be a while before I get it back. I told my wife that the day we get it back, I'm gonna be out there for hours detailing it top to bottom!! I am grateful that my wife and the young girl who hit her were not injured. How awful would that have been for both of our families, especially at Christmas. Now that a week and a half have passed and the I've had time to process all of this in between work and the holidays, I've been thinking about a different kind of loss. At the risk of sounding shallow, I'm talking about the loss of that new car feeling. It might sound petty, but it's a big thing for an automotive enthusiast like myself - like most of us here on the board. Even though the car has 31,000 miles, until the eve of 12/23 it still drove exactly as it did on day one - perfectly straight, no vibration in the wheels, tires or brakes. There was one occasional creak from the upper strut bearing on the left front but I chose not to address that because I didn't want anything taken apart. Anyway, I would go out and detail the car top to bottom and go out for a drive, and it would be just like the first day I drove it home each time. I loved that feeling and now it's gone. I know I have everything to be grateful for ( and I am) but it's a shame that that feeling is gone. Maybe I'll be proven wrong when I get the car back, but I just can't see how it'll ever be the same. Oh well, I'm just lamenting to a group who understands where I'm at. Trust me when I say that this is a loss that I will happily accept over what could have been.

Initial estimate is in at about $8500.00. This is good news for me - apparently the damage isn't as bad as I thought. As they get into it, I'm sure that there will be supplements which will push the final number higher. For now, though, it doesn't seem quite so dire.

That's what happened. The front mount broke and caused the linkage to bind up or break. Even with the shift interlock, the lever won't move.

I think you are looking at the hydraulic jack which helps roll the car back and forth - it would not come out of park.

Went to the bodyshop Saturday and got a closer look: It is repairable and we don't believe it to be totaled since none of the airbags went off. Estimates are not in yet but my guess is somewhere around 15K. I'll update you all when I know more. Almost all of the damage is contained to the driver's side front corner. The left front wheel appears straight, I didn't see any damage to the control arm or the steering rack. The doors all line up and even the hood was still latched before I opened it. Check out the battery. It looks like one of those cutaway demonstrations that you see at museums and trade shows.