YellowDuck

Our loaded R/T is coming up in one year, and has 33,000 km on it. Only issue we have had is that the disk player stopped working (disk is stuck and won't eject). I will have the dealer fix that under warranty when it is time for the next oil change, but the oil change intervals seem to be really long (I go by the sensor) so who knows when that will be.
It got a lot of kms this first year because my wife used it for her long commute, but now she has a company car so I don't expect we will put so many miles on the DJ from now on. Her company car is an AWD Infiniti Q50. Very nice and accelerates like a scalded cat but honestly, I kind of don't get the point of a sports sedan. The DJ has space for all our stuff, luxury features like leather, heated sets, NAV, keyless entry etc., and the UConnect 8.4 is awesome for someone like myself that doesn't want to take a 12-h course to learn how to operate the car. She's happy with her zippy little fancy car, and now I am happy to get to drive the DJ. The Wrangler Unlimited is going up for sale after Xmas. Nice truck but pretty brutish compared to the Journey! I am not ashamed to admit that I am getting a bit soft...

Nope, not me. We are in Guelph.
It's not like they are exactly a rare sight around here. Sometimes on the short commute to work I feel like every 5th vehicle I see is a Journey!

A few weeks ago I finally got to give this car my "ultimate test", which was to see how it handled the rough, wash-boardy and pot-holey road into our cottage. Our 2008 Wrangler Unlimited gets pretty flustered over that road at anything above a walking pace - those two live axles really get bouncing!
The DJ was another world. A pass with flying colours. Really, it would be hard not to be better than the Jeep, but we were still very pleased. Also generally a much more comfortable place to be for the almost 3-h highway trip up there to the lake.

Just hit the 25,000 km mark, with not a single problem to report. I am doing the service according to the "change oil" message, which is a bit freaky when it goes 16k without wanting oil.
Still love the car. Have learned a few cool new things about it. Like, I just discovered the "triple blink" turn signal lane change feature when you move the stalk but not all the way to the detent.
Cooler than that....going down steep hills with cruise control on, if the speed drifts up too high, the transmission will automagically downshift one or several gears to provide engine braking. When did cars start doing that? I was impressed.
This car was *so* the correct choice for my family. Perfect comfortable place for the 3-h trip to the cottage. Also, plenty of power, yet returning consumption better (lower) than 9.5 L / 100 km combined.

Well I am sad to report that our Journey's flawless reliability record came to a screeching halt at 33,000 km.
The disk player has been broken for quite a while (disk won't eject) but that wasn't an important enough issue for me to take it to the dealer until regular service was due.
Then, on Jan 5 we returned from vacation and picked the car up from the valet park and fly lot at the airport. The Nav wasn't working - said that there were no maps loaded on the unit. So, I took it to the dealer the next day. They examined it, decided both problems were internal to the radio and ordered a new radio. They told me to come get the car in the meantime since it would take a while for the radio to arrive.
The next day, various warning lights started coming on intermittently (ABS, traction control, and a "service AWD" message on the EVIC). Turning the car off and then on again would cancel them, but they eventually would come on again. I was able to ascertain that when the lights were off, ABS and traction control (and presumably AWD) were working normally, but when the lights came on all that stuff really was inoperative - easy to test that on snowy roads.
Eventually, all of those warning lights were on full time and could not be reset. It was like driving a FWD car from 1985 with no electronic aids at all - doable, but not fun on the 401 in the snow.
Took it back to the dealer Friday morning saying I didn't want it back until it was fixed. They called me at the end of the day to tell me they hadn't been able to track down the source of the problem yet.
I'm disappointed. Love the car but I feel like it let me down. Only a year in on a $40-k car and major systems failure. Hopefully they can figure it out and effect a 100% fix.

Okay, so half an hour after that last post, the dealership called me. They say it is all fixed. Problem was with the driver's side rear hub, which was also affecting the sensors located there. Radio is changed out as well. Pretty good service, seeing as it is only 10:00 Monday morning.
Will report back if there are any further problems, but at this point it is looking like a quick resolution!

Thanks. The actual mechanics report says that there was a corroded sensor connector, and they couldn't separate the two sensor halves, which necessitated changing the entire hub and bearing (?). Anyway it all worked properly on the drive home.

Yes, thanks. I am back to loving everything about this car. Over a year old now and I still feel like it is brand new. I think when you are the kind of person who only buys a new car every ten years or so, it takes a long time for the novelty to wear off!

Thanks Rolly.
......
Geez, remote start....how cool is that? Understand, I have not bought a truly "new" car since 2001, so this stuff kind of impresses me.

Took delivery of our 2014 RT today. Pretty much loaded - third row seating, sound and nav package, DVD, sunroof, tow kit, all that stuff. Drives very nice and I am surprised at how quickly I am catching on to the dozens of functions on the touch screen. I even got the voice control stuff down right away. At first it is a bit overwhelming but it all works logically and you learn fast. My wife had her phone paired via Bluetooth within seconds of entering the car. Nice. I'll bet we get addicted to the satellite radio and end up subscribing after the free first year expires. Heated steering wheel - the best feature I never knew I wanted.
I took it for a bit of a drive (or course) and even spent some time on snow and gravel. Worked very nicely - no idea if the AWD ever kicked in or not.
Power adjustable seats are sweet. I love how they designed the power lumbar support mechanism.
My only (sort of) disappointment is with the paint. It looks to be good quality, but I noticed that the plastic bumper covers are not a perfect match to the rest of the body - they are half a shade darker. It wasn't noticeable on the lot when the car was still filthy from being transported, but of course they cleaned it up perfectly for delivery and now the difference is pretty apparent. This is the fancy $300 optional "pearl white" colour. It's pretty but if this colour matching is typical I wouldn't recommend it to others.
I'll report back now and again as we get some miles on the thing. The real test for me will be this spring when we hit the always wash-board-y road into the cottage. Our Jeep Wrangler didn't deal so well with that - with the solid axles at both ends it would get dancing around pretty good. I expect the Journey to be better with its more car-like suspension.
Cheers!
YD

We love ours. It has not been trouble free - I too had the corrupted navigation map / radio replacement deal, along with a broken DVD player in the mix. We also had a wheel speed sensor fail, which disabled the AWD and traction control. Both issues were dealt with by the dealer very effectively.
Interestingly, both issues we had were related to the whiz-bang optional electronic gizmos that are so available these days. I used to specifically buy cars that were as basic as possible in their specification, to avoid these types of problems. But honestly, I have grown to love the heated seats, keyless entry, satellite radio, ABS, auto climate control, etc. etc. etc. so much that to me it is worth it to have a few more dealer visits over the life of the car if that is the price of getting to enjoy these conveniences the rest of the time.
I really never thought I would think that way. I used to resent anything electronic that made a car less owner-serviceable. I guess I finally gave in, in this day and age where basically adjusting tire pressures, changing oil and filters, and maybe a lightbulb now and again is about all we can reasonably expect to do to our cars. On some cars nowadays even an oil change is such a pain in the backside that one might reasonably choose not to bother.
We currently own three cars and were going to sell the 08 Wrangler Unlimited. However my mother-in-law is visiting from Italy for 6 weeks so of course she gets to drive the Journey while I am back in the Jeep in the interim. No heated steering wheel, not even Bluetooth. How uncivilized! How did we ever live like this?

We love ours. It has not been trouble free - I too had the corrupted navigation map / radio replacement deal, along with a broken DVD player in the mix. We also had a wheel speed sensor fail, which disabled the AWD and traction control. Both issues were dealt with by the dealer very effectively.
Interestingly, both issues we had were related to the whiz-bang optional electronic gizmos that are so available these days. I used to specifically buy cars that were as basic as possible in their specification, to avoid these types of problems. But honestly, I have grown to love the heated seats, keyless entry, satellite radio, ABS, auto climate control, etc. etc. etc. so much that to me it is worth it to have a few more dealer visits over the life of the car if that is the price of getting to enjoy these conveniences the rest of the time.
I really never thought I would think that way. I used to resent anything electronic that made a car less owner-serviceable. I guess I finally gave in, in this day and age where basically adjusting tire pressures, changing oil and filters, and maybe a lightbulb now and again is about all we can reasonably expect to do to our cars. On some cars nowadays even an oil change is such a pain in the backside that one might reasonably choose not to bother.
We currently own three cars and were going to sell the 08 Wrangler Unlimited. However my mother-in-law is visiting from Italy for 6 weeks so of course she gets to drive the Journey while I am back in the Jeep in the interim. No heated steering wheel, not even Bluetooth. How uncivilized! How did we ever live like this?

Yes, thanks. I am back to loving everything about this car. Over a year old now and I still feel like it is brand new. I think when you are the kind of person who only buys a new car every ten years or so, it takes a long time for the novelty to wear off!

Okay, so half an hour after that last post, the dealership called me. They say it is all fixed. Problem was with the driver's side rear hub, which was also affecting the sensors located there. Radio is changed out as well. Pretty good service, seeing as it is only 10:00 Monday morning.
Will report back if there are any further problems, but at this point it is looking like a quick resolution!

Our loaded R/T is coming up in one year, and has 33,000 km on it. Only issue we have had is that the disk player stopped working (disk is stuck and won't eject). I will have the dealer fix that under warranty when it is time for the next oil change, but the oil change intervals seem to be really long (I go by the sensor) so who knows when that will be.
It got a lot of kms this first year because my wife used it for her long commute, but now she has a company car so I don't expect we will put so many miles on the DJ from now on. Her company car is an AWD Infiniti Q50. Very nice and accelerates like a scalded cat but honestly, I kind of don't get the point of a sports sedan. The DJ has space for all our stuff, luxury features like leather, heated sets, NAV, keyless entry etc., and the UConnect 8.4 is awesome for someone like myself that doesn't want to take a 12-h course to learn how to operate the car. She's happy with her zippy little fancy car, and now I am happy to get to drive the DJ. The Wrangler Unlimited is going up for sale after Xmas. Nice truck but pretty brutish compared to the Journey! I am not ashamed to admit that I am getting a bit soft...

In Indiana you should definitely be putting on winter tires. AWD / FWD makes no difference to braking, so either way you want tires with good cold weather performance. FWD with proper winter tires is a good setup for all but the worst winter road conditions. You will be fine.

In Indiana you should definitely be putting on winter tires. AWD / FWD makes no difference to braking, so either way you want tires with good cold weather performance. FWD with proper winter tires is a good setup for all but the worst winter road conditions. You will be fine.

Just hit the 25,000 km mark, with not a single problem to report. I am doing the service according to the "change oil" message, which is a bit freaky when it goes 16k without wanting oil.
Still love the car. Have learned a few cool new things about it. Like, I just discovered the "triple blink" turn signal lane change feature when you move the stalk but not all the way to the detent.
Cooler than that....going down steep hills with cruise control on, if the speed drifts up too high, the transmission will automagically downshift one or several gears to provide engine braking. When did cars start doing that? I was impressed.
This car was *so* the correct choice for my family. Perfect comfortable place for the 3-h trip to the cottage. Also, plenty of power, yet returning consumption better (lower) than 9.5 L / 100 km combined.

In Indiana you should definitely be putting on winter tires. AWD / FWD makes no difference to braking, so either way you want tires with good cold weather performance. FWD with proper winter tires is a good setup for all but the worst winter road conditions. You will be fine.

On the Wrangler it does indeed seem to be the gas cap that caused the code in our case.

On another thread we were talking about OBD code readers to check codes and cancel engine lights. I bought this one from ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Memoscan-U480-OBDII-Engine-Light-Trouble-Code-Car-Reader-Scanner-/190931723301?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item2c746ae425&vxp=mtr
Finally had a chance to use it yesterday. On both our Wrangler and DJ it worked just perfectly. Plugged it into the outlet under the dash and followed the instructions. Looked up the codes in the manual that came with the reader. I was also able to cancel an engine light on the Wrangler (code was for an evap emissions malfunction).
Seems like a pretty good deal - this way I can check the codes myself and decide whether or not a trip to the dealer is warranted.

Update at 2.5 months and 6000 km. Car is still perfect - not a single problem and I still love driving it (on the odd day when my wife lets me). Satellite radio rocks. Heated seats and wheel are awesome as it is still -15 C here some mornings (?!?!?). Efficiency is getting a bit better - we are seeing 12.7 L / 100 km over a tankful when there are significant highway miles in the mix, but I am hoping that that will improve further as the weather warms up. Did a bit of light towing with it and that was fine, but thank heavens for the backup camera because I couldn't see the trailer at all out the rear window. But with the camera I could back the trailer into the driveway very nicely thank you very much.
The 3.6 is such a nice motor, and I am now used to the slightly busy shifting behavior of the 6-speed. Keyless entry / start has made getting into our other cars seem like an inconvenience. How quickly we get spoiled! We did learn however that the locks don't work if the transponder is in the same pocket with a cell phone.
Anyway, just posting to say how pleased we still are with our new car. Will update every 6 months or so, or if any problems arise. Still keen to see how it handles the rough road into the cottage this spring.
Cheers!

Update at 2.5 months and 6000 km. Car is still perfect - not a single problem and I still love driving it (on the odd day when my wife lets me). Satellite radio rocks. Heated seats and wheel are awesome as it is still -15 C here some mornings (?!?!?). Efficiency is getting a bit better - we are seeing 12.7 L / 100 km over a tankful when there are significant highway miles in the mix, but I am hoping that that will improve further as the weather warms up. Did a bit of light towing with it and that was fine, but thank heavens for the backup camera because I couldn't see the trailer at all out the rear window. But with the camera I could back the trailer into the driveway very nicely thank you very much.
The 3.6 is such a nice motor, and I am now used to the slightly busy shifting behavior of the 6-speed. Keyless entry / start has made getting into our other cars seem like an inconvenience. How quickly we get spoiled! We did learn however that the locks don't work if the transponder is in the same pocket with a cell phone.
Anyway, just posting to say how pleased we still are with our new car. Will update every 6 months or so, or if any problems arise. Still keen to see how it handles the rough road into the cottage this spring.
Cheers!

Update at 2.5 months and 6000 km. Car is still perfect - not a single problem and I still love driving it (on the odd day when my wife lets me). Satellite radio rocks. Heated seats and wheel are awesome as it is still -15 C here some mornings (?!?!?). Efficiency is getting a bit better - we are seeing 12.7 L / 100 km over a tankful when there are significant highway miles in the mix, but I am hoping that that will improve further as the weather warms up. Did a bit of light towing with it and that was fine, but thank heavens for the backup camera because I couldn't see the trailer at all out the rear window. But with the camera I could back the trailer into the driveway very nicely thank you very much.
The 3.6 is such a nice motor, and I am now used to the slightly busy shifting behavior of the 6-speed. Keyless entry / start has made getting into our other cars seem like an inconvenience. How quickly we get spoiled! We did learn however that the locks don't work if the transponder is in the same pocket with a cell phone.
Anyway, just posting to say how pleased we still are with our new car. Will update every 6 months or so, or if any problems arise. Still keen to see how it handles the rough road into the cottage this spring.
Cheers!

Update at 2.5 months and 6000 km. Car is still perfect - not a single problem and I still love driving it (on the odd day when my wife lets me). Satellite radio rocks. Heated seats and wheel are awesome as it is still -15 C here some mornings (?!?!?). Efficiency is getting a bit better - we are seeing 12.7 L / 100 km over a tankful when there are significant highway miles in the mix, but I am hoping that that will improve further as the weather warms up. Did a bit of light towing with it and that was fine, but thank heavens for the backup camera because I couldn't see the trailer at all out the rear window. But with the camera I could back the trailer into the driveway very nicely thank you very much.
The 3.6 is such a nice motor, and I am now used to the slightly busy shifting behavior of the 6-speed. Keyless entry / start has made getting into our other cars seem like an inconvenience. How quickly we get spoiled! We did learn however that the locks don't work if the transponder is in the same pocket with a cell phone.
Anyway, just posting to say how pleased we still are with our new car. Will update every 6 months or so, or if any problems arise. Still keen to see how it handles the rough road into the cottage this spring.
Cheers!