jkeaton

It's your car. Do with it what you will. You don't need anyone's permission.

Actually, my Journey (brand new) didn't come with the owners manual but it did come with a quick reference guide and CD but not as detailed as the owners manual. That's why i provide the link for others so they know they are not SOL. People in their spare time should try to thumb through the pages as they would be amazed how much they will discover about the vehicle.

For any other questions about your vehicle you can also refer to your owners manual that I am posting in this link. http://www.autodealertools.com/quickQuote/manuals/2011/Journey.pdf

You're a poet and you didn't even know it.

If it were that easy, every manufacturer would include a CAI as stock; they are always looking for ways to boost HP without it costing them anything and a CAI is much cheaper to manufacture than the stock airbox, plumbing and resonators. Your 6-25 HP increases are statistically insignificant (numerically to a statistician) as "background noise" and well within the standard deviation of error based on friction at the wheels, humidity and temperature along with mechanical losses and gains of the dyno itself. Like I said, I used to build cars that developed far more HP and were much more sensitive to input changes. We went so far as to make sure each piston, wrist pin and crank weighed the same (balancing) and coated the piston walls with architectural dye (blue printing) to determine ring scrub...
If it were so simple (the CAI), Ford certainly wouldn't have invested the millions necessary to develop the Ecoboost turbo system. I'll quit; the CAI myth has been debunked by many ASE groups along with the above Myth Busters episode. It produces growl and that's about it. Most of the CAI units actually duct more engine compartment heat into the system (they are open and drafty as all get out on top) than the stock sealed unit that snorkles cold air from ahead of the radiator into the system that is predominately thin plastic (less of a heat transfer medium) than the heavy pipe (absorbs and holds engine bay heat) and thin stamped metal (a radiator of engine heat) that the box is made of in CAI systems. Do you honestly think that BMW, Mazda, Mercedes, etc. would pass up a means of adding 25 or more HP by leaving more expensive equipment off and substituting less expensive components?
End of my involvement...it's your money to spend any way you deem appropriate.

Yep, they are lying. But for $300 +, they sure do souond cool.

Hawaii,
The cold is the #1 killer of fuel mileage. That cold air your engine breathes in is much colder than the summer of course, which means the intake and combustion is different down to a molecular level. It's pretty interesting and enlightening if you ever felt like doing some research into it.
I like your handle, folks in Hawaii certainly don't have this problem lol. :shades:

I don't think it is the windshield being "loose"...if the seal was broken in an area, it would leak, but, wouldn't rattle. That laminated plate glass is very rigid and very heavy. Most likely you have a loose wiring harness or bracket under the headliner that, in very cold temperatures, shrinks a bit and allows a rattle. There are a lot of wires that travel all over the car under that headliner and can rattle in the right conditions. A good dealership can probably track it down, but, my WAG is something under the headliner and not the windshield, especially if it isn't leaking...
Keep us posted on what you find...

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It could simply be an equalization of pressure in the AC system. If you are concerned take it to the dealer. If it's only 4 months old it's still under warranty.

Agree with you. Wish that we had the small diesel here.

Not here in the US. They don't offer the diesel here.

^^^ Wish they did....I'd be all over it!

ismir2k,
The extreme cold temperature in Quebec seem to be the cause here. Most cold weather noises are related to the thick oil in the cylinders which contributes to less effective lubrication until the engine warms and the oil thins out. I would suggest plugging your vehicle in so the block heater can be keep things warmer over night, even throughout the day if possible.
If this noise was present in all temperatures, I would suggest having your dealer look at it.

radame,
If a defect has been identified, the basic warranty (3/60 in Canada - 3/36 in USA) will certainly be applied to either the repair or replacement of these components.
You mentioned KMS so I'd assume you're in Canada, which means your coverage is up to 60,000 kms not 40,000kms. I would bring this to the attention of management at the dealer before you pay.
Keep us posted if any additional assistance is required.

I should also point out that there will probably be a certain degree of corrosion on the brackets that hold the pads due to the winter salt used in our colder climates. You should remove the stainless steel shims, clean the brackets with a file, then apply some antiseize to the area before reinstalling the shims. Also, lube the shims so the pads can slide easily. Proper lubrication of the moving parts will help to prevent the pads from sticking, causing premature break wear and reduced fuel economy.

Just remember, with any vehicle if it's idling fuel mileage = 0 mpg. Ain't no way of getting around it. And as with anything there are trade offs - if you let your vehicle idle a lot, don't expect good fuel mileage or anything approaching its fuel mileage rating.
I know you all in the Great White North have much colder temps than most of us in the US, but, in general, an engine will warm up faster if it's driven than if it's left idling. The engine creates warms up faster doing work than just idling doing little or no "work".
On a typical subfreezing morning, I have heat in my vehicles (Ram and Journey) by the time I've gone 2-3 miles. In subzero temps it takes a little longer, but not much.
Typically our Journey (3.5L V6) gets 19-20 mpg in local driving and 25-26 mpg on the highway.

What is an "AGR" valve?

^^ Yep, front pistons just push in, unlike the backs which need to be turned and pushed at the same time. Unbolt the calipers, remove the rotor, compress the piston, (remove the brake reservoir cap and check the level while compressing the piston as it could overflow), re-install. Dont forget to lube the caliper slides.

I had always meant to get this looked at and finally put an order (back order part of course) back in September/October when I had the brakes done. Due to some miscommunication, where they thought I was going to call back to schedule an appointment rather than them let me know when the part is in, we brought it up again last week when we lost two tires to potholes (we've been pretty damn unlucky with accidents with this car...4 accidents in less than two years and multiple tire hazards *sigh*) and had to get them replaced. Part came in end of the week and was installed today (dealership was extremely happy we didn't fill the tank up just before bringing it in..we were close to fumes). Anyway, went and filled up tonight; regular fill, stopped it when it clicked, and lo and behold, it shows a full tank for the first time . Part number is 5145614AB - Module-Fuel Pump Level Unit.
Cheers!
Steph S.

^^ Yep, front pistons just push in, unlike the backs which need to be turned and pushed at the same time. Unbolt the calipers, remove the rotor, compress the piston, (remove the brake reservoir cap and check the level while compressing the piston as it could overflow), re-install. Dont forget to lube the caliper slides.

It should be able to handle moderate mud and ruts with the right tires and driver technique, just know it's not a Ram and it's not a 4wd vehicle that is designed to go "off roading". Realize the vehicles capabilities before you get into a situation you or the vehicle is not prepared for.

Outstanding post

Exactly. A lot of us "old timers" built cars (yes, I built race cars in the late '60s and early '70s) and there were many things that "became legend" during those times. More air was one, but, even in those days, more air didn't do you any good until you re-jetted the carburetors or added additional carburetors to add the additional fuel to take advantage of it. To really take advantage of it, you needed to also alter the cam's duration for intake and exhaust, add a bigger exhaust system (headers, straight through pipes, low-flow mufflers, etc) to get rid of the exhaust so that you could get more air and fuel in quicker, etc.
Enter the modern day computer controlled systems. You can put more air in the system, but, it won't use it due to the variable venturi effect of the throttle body. The MAP will only allow the amount air to be used such that the "perfect" air/fuel mixture is maintained. Put more fuel in the mix, the computer will retard the engine and lean the injectors until it evens out. A new cam won't even buy you anything because the computer will again control spark (firing) and fuel (injectors) to maintain its "ideal".
CAI? Sure, it will make your car sound "meaner", but, no real gains in hp or mpg. CAT back exhaust? Again, more noise, the "meaner" sound, but, put it on a dyno and you've got nothing but sound effects. Anything a "shade tree" mechanic can do will do mostly zip for actual "performance"; the best improvements would be gained by turbo charging or putting a blower on it, but, that involves re-engineering the heads and block and re-programming of the computer to take advantage of the added compression ratios. I had a Jeep Commander with the Hemi and went that route just playing around. Had it dyno tested before and after. Zero change in hp at the wheels and zero change in long range fuel economy; in fact short range fuel economy suffered for awhile because "putting my foot in it" made it sound so much better...didn't go faster, it just sounded like it was. I actually, after about a year, put the stock air box and snorkel back on and re-installed the stock exhaust so that I had back the "peace and quiet" of the original Commander; without any performance enhancement the noise was irksome. I had forgotten all that I had learned building cars in the good old days.
Lesson learned? Yes you can tear the stock air cleaner off and install a CAI that will sound meaner, but, require more maintenance than the stock unit for no gains except noise. You can install a CAI for the added noise and possibly incur a short lifespan on the exhaust parts, but, again, no real gains. Until and unless you do something with the computer, it will regulate the "simple changes" so that there are no changes. Start messing with the computer and you can actually destroy the engine - check some of the diesel folks and their "extreme" tuners and the FEDS have stepped in so that those tuners are now regulated or banned for emission reasons. There are some things you can do for "improvement"; those of you without the larger brakes could upgrade the rotors and calipers. Those of you that don't like the ride can experiment with various spring packages and shocks, but, over-all "performance" is governed by the computer and the computer is quite capable of changing enough parameters that anything else you do will be either no gain, or engine damaging. The engineer's of today's vehicles do everything they can to "balance" hp, comfort and efficiency (mpg) and there really are no "miracle" cures that you can add off the shelf as a "bolt on" addition.

Why dont you go ahead and remove it,. drive through a tankful of gas and see if it improves your mileage? I think it has been stated before, if the engineers who designed the car thought it would provide any benefit by not having it there, it would not be there. More air to the engine wont do anything for you without more fuel. The stoichiometric mixture for a gasoline engine is the ideal ratio (15:1) of air to fuel to allow all fuel to be burned with no excess air. The computer maintains the 15:1 ratio all the time regardless of how much or little air enters the intake manifold. That little felt piece does nothing to alter this.

Why dont you go ahead and remove it,. drive through a tankful of gas and see if it improves your mileage? I think it has been stated before, if the engineers who designed the car thought it would provide any benefit by not having it there, it would not be there. More air to the engine wont do anything for you without more fuel. The stoichiometric mixture for a gasoline engine is the ideal ratio (15:1) of air to fuel to allow all fuel to be burned with no excess air. The computer maintains the 15:1 ratio all the time regardless of how much or little air enters the intake manifold. That little felt piece does nothing to alter this.