Journeyman425

Back orders are pretty routine, but six months seems excessive to me. If you have a part number I can try to follow up on it for you. We have a used 2008 Acadia on our lot and I think the Journey is a nicer car overall for the same reasons you give. At least the Acadia also has a 3.6 liter.

Love the running boards with the Dodge logo, and the painted calipers! Nice, nice car.

I'm enjoying the little time that I do have this summer. We put a 22' X 25' basketball court in for my two boys last month, and they have been hanging out with their friends playing hoop while I clean the car and watch at the same time. In less than a month they'll be back to school and the car will be all over creation with games, practices, rehearsals and various other activities and that will be the end of the always-clean Journey. I'll still keep it nice but won't have the time to do it nearly as often. Sometimes a little multitasking is in order. My wife works nights (nurse) so she takes the 300M when she goes to the hospital and leaves me the Journey, Get home from work. Dinner is made but has to be heated 15 minutes. Put it in the oven and quick wash the car. Leave it wet, eat with the kids, clean up, towel off the car and drive one of them to a friends house. Get home and now the car is dry. Kid #2 is playing outside, 30 minutes is all it takes to throw on a quick coat of Miami Shine and some tire dressing and clean the water spots off the glass. Voila! Clean car and some quality time with family. Life is good!

I'm only up to 4500 miles, but so far these tires are every bit as good as the Michelins on my 300M's. Pilot HX MXM4 on the current car and Primacy MXV4 on the semi-retired M. Smooth, very quiet, excellent dry traction and no hydroplaning issues in wet. All that's left is to see how they perform in snow with FWD and how many miles they last. Rotation is very important. . At this point, if I had to replace the tires, I'd get the same ones again, no question. We'll see in the long run but rightr now I'm very satisfied.

...and then proceeded to rain all over them early this morning and then later on in the morning - with none of that precipitation in the forecast at all on Saturday...

Did the 300M today - finally have two clean cars at the same time!

.

I did a search on DealerConnect and the only thing I came up with was this: STAR Case Contact the STAR Center for assistance if no solution is found Chrysler Group LLC Version 3 Case Number: S1308000026 Release Date: 01/24/2013 Symptom/Vehicle Issue: REU Radio, Software Enhancement Updates, Blue Tooth Pairing Diagnosis: REU radios may have concerns related to Bluetooth phone pairing that can be improved with an update disc that is currently available. The disc available is labeled for an REX radio, (68171168AAversion 8.315), but can be used in a REU update. Repair Procedure: Verify that the radio software version is at 8.315 or greater. a. Press the hard "Set up” button on the face of the radio. b. Select “System information”. c. The software level is the number reported below the word “Application”. d. This disc (labeled REX update) will update a REU radio below software version 8.315. e. Update the radio as needed to complete. Verification: Verify the software level was installed to complete. It appears to me that a trip to the dealer will be the only other way to do this unless you are able to find a browser which supports the MyGig link. Did you purchase your Journey through a dealer? If so, they should update the unit for you as per the purchase. If not, pay a visit to a local dealer and intruduce yourself to the service manager. Explain that you have made all attempts to update yourself but no browser supports the link, and would they be willing to lend you the disc for a few minutes while you pop it in out in the lot and update the files? More than likely they will tell you that they have to create a repair order and charge you for the update, but you have nothing to lose by asking.

Congrats on the new purchase! Everyone else beat me to the correct responses! Enjoy.

I did it again today!

I use microfiber towels with both the Miami Shine liquid wax and the Hydrogloss spray detailer. When I wash use a very soft brush - like horsehair, very soft - which makes it very easy to get the roof and makes the wash process a lot faster, yet leaves no etching lines in the clearcoat. I have a microfiber wash mitt too, which I use on the wheels since the brush does not get in between the spokes very well, especially on the wheels on my 300M.

I think the tow rating belies the car's actual capability. Of course, as a dealer service manager I cannot publicly condone towing over the posted limits, but my experience was just like yours. The car showed absolutely no sign of struggle and handled the load with ease. Just like yourself, I monitored all the temperature values in the EVIC and yes, even the fuel economy did not suffer drastically. Now, my camper weighs less than yours and our trip was on level terrain but it was done in 90 degree weather with the A/C on. The nice thing about all this is that now I know that if we want to go a significant distance with the camper, there's peace of mind knowing the car is well within its design parameters rather than straining at its limit.

Did you have the brake pads replaced? if not, please inquire if the wear is even on both sides. If one side is down to 3mm but the other has greater thickness, then that indicates a binding brake caliper which would explain the squeak while driving.

Glad I am not alone! Sure enough, just as I was ready to go to work, the sky opened up and it rained - for about 10 minutes. Just enough to get the road completely wet, then it stopped. Drove to work in the road spray. Rained again on and off during the day while the car sat, then again tonight after we went out for dinner. Same thing, stopped raining and drove home in the road spray. I rinsed the car off when we got home to get the spray off. Tomorrow I'll hit it again with the Hydrogloss and all will be well! You're right about the brake dust, Rolly - my wheels get dirtier from driving on wet roads than from the brakes. When I wipe them down in between washes, there is very little dust.

I went back to your thread with the pictures of your Journey after you had it Opti-Coated. If it looked that good in a garage, I can't imagine how gorgeous it must have been out in the sunlight. Do you have any outside pictures of it after the Opti-Coat treatment?

Ok guys, I have a serious disease. I can't stop cleaning our new Journey! My wife usually drives the car. Last night she came home with the kids after a baseball game. The parking lot was obviously dusty. Then we had a light rain shower this morning so the car was all spotted. Tonight she went to work and took the 300M since the parking spaces at the hospital that she works at are narrow and does not want the new car getting dinged. I love her... Now, there is rain in the forecast. 20 percent tonight, 70 percent tomorrow, 60 percent tomorrow night. Pretty good shot that it's gonna rain. So, what did I do? With an hour and a half of daylight left, I got out the Ardex spray detailer and proceeded to do the whole car, top to bottom, then shine the tires, wipe down the brake dust and clean the glass. Now it's dark and I can't see it. Tomorrow it's probably gonna rain and mess it all up anyway. What the hell is wrong with me? Only you guys will understand this. I didn't post any new pictures because it's too damn dark!

The wheels are indeed aluminum alloy. The cladding is a plastic based cover which has a chrome finish applied to it and then permanently bonded to the alloy wheel itself. The finish is durable if cared for properly. Simple car wash soap and clear water removes the brake dust. I use Ardex Miami Shine on both the car and the wheels and it makes the wheels beautiful and very easy to care for. My 300M has a true chromed aluminum alloy wheel and I agree that it has a higher quality feel than the plastic cladding. I am told that the chroming process is highly toxic from an environmental standpoint and the switch to cladding was done to combat that issue. Not sure how much of that is rooted in fact - I suspect there is a cost-saving measure involved as well - but it sounded reasonable when explained to me.

Depends on the amount of miles and type of driving done in those three days. I had a 1982 Volvo 240 that would coat the front wheels with a light film of brake dust with less than 20 miles driven. I used to have a 15.5 mile commute to work with this car and could wipe the dust off them after each trip. This is with OEM pads and rotors. My 300M hardly dusts the wheels at all. And our 2013 Journey does not produce excessive brake dust, either. The wheels were still very shiny after a road trip to Hershey, PA - nearly 300 miles from our house. Just a quick wipe was all that was needed to make them perfect again.