jaymista

The main thing is that she lets you drive it. Get that settled before marriage.

I have had the same experience. The Journey owners I have talked too all have been generally positive about the vehicle.

There is a new service being introduced to the automotive world by Chrysler. Check out this video. It is not available for the Journey as yet but when it is, it should be an additional source of information for owners.

I came across this review of the 2010 Dodge Journey. It pretty well applies to the '09 too. I find a lot of writers who review the Journey tend to be negative but not this guy. If you own a Journey, it is like getting a pep talk from a coach on why you made a good decision to buy it. Check out http://www.thecarmagazine.com/en/details.asp?sno=2210

Just an update on my snow tire experience this past winter. I have never had snow tires on any vehicle before but I can say they do have better traction than all seasons. I feel a little safer with them but if a guy drives on all seasons with care, he should be ok. Although in deep snow, it is great to have the snow tires. Most of the time I would be driving on bare pavement so I did wonder about wearing the tires out. They say you should travel a bit slower on the snow tires or else they might wear out too fast. I have the Kuhmos on now for the 3rd summer and they will have to be replaced for sure at the end of this summer.

You got some good points there and Chrysler should take a listen. I always thought there was too much brake dust on my Journey compared to other vehicles I had.

You got some good points there and Chrysler should take a listen. I always thought there was too much brake dust on my Journey compared to other vehicles I had.

I don't notice much difference on my dark gray Journey. My brother has a gray Nissan Altima and he got his plastic bumper dented fairly bad. He took it to a paint shop, not his dealer, and they got the dents out but they had a hell of a time painting it. His car was in the shop four days just getting the paint job done. They said they had problems getting the paint to stick to the plastic for some reason. I hope this is not typical of those plastic bumpers.

I have had mine done twice now and I keep wondering if I should switch to ceramic pads? I know some guys on here have gone to ceramic but does it help on the journey?

I haven't seen that done before. I have seen windows tinted but not taillights. What do those lights look like at night? Can you send us a pic?

Thanks for this info. I had been wondering when a person should get it done. For some reason I was thinking the fall but I never figured in the humidity angle.

I have a couple of friends who both raved highly about the "Rust Check" procedure as being the way to go re protecting the car from rusting. I have never used this service as for all I know, my Dodge dealer's service must be just as good. Does anyone know if Rust Check is superior to other methods of car protection and what does Rust Check do that my Dodge dealer wouldn't do. I have no idea of the difference in costs of each.

i had to change mine at around 24,000 kms or 14000 miles.

I have had my Journey serviced at two different dealers in new brunswick, Canada. I have no real complaints with either of them. It may be that some mechanics are still new to this vehicle and simply are not up to snuff in giving service. They should be getting training on the job somehow. I have 54,000 kms after 2 years of driving. Still no major problems but the engine is getting a bit nosier due to wear and tear. Got a few scratches on the back bumper now because I haul a trailer with hard wood loads and things happen. I am only 5'4' and I have a bad knee and sometimes I have a hard time getting out of the van but that is just me. I have put a small cylindrical pillows attached to the head rests of the the front seats and both the wife and I like those on our neck. I still feel I am getting my money's worth for what I paid.

What a beautiful journey. Great looking and I find it very impressive. I read reviews where some guys say the Journey has no style but they must be blind.

I haven't had any transmission problems yet but I used to get a clunky sound when changing gears every once in a while when I switched from reverse into a forward gear. I found pressing on the brake hard when switching controlled that pretty good. Technically you are suppose to let your auto come to a dead stop before you change gears from reverse to first they say. I am not sure how you burnt out your transmission. We don't change the transmission oil as it is all sealed in, supposedly. I assume the transmission is under warranty and has been replaced by now. Good luck with your new tranny.

Looks like a great site ... I like the color scheme and the pages seem to work faster in my opinion. Nice job ...

I got the 5 seater... mainly I didn't want to pay the cost for the 3rd seat. Also we have no kids now and no real use for the 3rd seat. The van definitely takes longer to heat up. Never noticed it until we got into the colder weather. Now I am wondering if there is a way to add a rear heater of some sort. Anyone know?

I agree with you. I went to Michelin snow tires and I ended up having to buy them from my Dodge dealer. I have 17" tires and they were very difficult to find. Even Wal-mart couldn't supply them in the proper size for a Journey.

Good advice. I did notice the headlights on the Journey were much better than what I had on my former vehicle, a 2000 Dodge Caravan. But I would like to get the HID lights too. Good luck with your Journey and I hope your better half lets you drive it now and then!

I have a hitch installed and I am interested in getting one of those hitch covers that lights up when you put your brakes on. The one I am looking at has the Dodge Ram symbol and lights up red. It works through your trailer hitch electrical receptacle. What I am worried about is that it looks like it could be easily stolen off the van if someone wants it. Has anyone tried these out ... do they get stolen?

How is an ordinary layman supposed to know stuff like this? It happened to me last month and I took it to the dealer and they fixed it but I didn't see how he did it. These vehicles of today are getting so you really have to know what you are doing to work on your vehicle. You even have to know how to run a computer on your car. And the hourly fees keep going up!

Check out this web site ... www.auterraweb.com/

Sorry to hear about all the problems you have been having with your Journey. I haven't had any complaints with mine that compare to yours. I got 44,000 kms and even with some interior design flaws, it has been the best vehicle I have ever driven. I had to get some new brake pads a couple of months ago and I had a problem with my air bag warning light which got replaced under warranty. I must admit I don't drive in the traffic you have had to deal with, thank God. I get my oil changes at every 5000 kms. and I did switch to synthetic oil at my second oil change. I have read about some of the problems people have voiced on this newsgroup and there have been some major problems in some of the vehicles. It almost seems to me that there needs to be better quality control at the manufacturing level. I think Chrysler plans major updates on several vehicles over the next 3-5 years and I wouldn't be surprised if the Journey is included, at least I hope so because right now I think I would buy another one. That is, unless I run into some of the problems you talked about. I bought an extended warranty just in case but it will run out before I can buy another vehicle. I could be spending the bucks you are for repairs in a couple more years. Meanwhile I'll just nurse my Journey along and hope for the best.

Welcome to the world of the Journey. I think you'll be pleased with the performance ... and I can swear it works pretty good in snow too ... I live in Canada where the winters get pretty bad sometime ... good luck with the new vehicle!