dhh3

We bought our Journey in Florida, so it just had original type street tires on it. Last winter we put snow tires on the front, and left the rears. It was fine, and we never had any of the problems people here are talking about. But of course we drive sanely, anyway. (I lived in Minnesota for 4 winters, and drove a RWD car with just normal street itres, and a bit on the bald side. Poor man College days. There were some times when I couldn't get up the hill on the drive way, but I got along fine, by driving carefully.) Last Spring we put on 4 new tires, so we'll need to put the snows back on in a month or so. I was hoping to find some good used steel wheels for sale, so I could keep the snow tires mounted, and just swap them out myself, but haven't found any closeby. What other vehicles share the same wheels, anyway?

I've seen some research that says if you do go with only 2 snow tires that it is actually better to put them on the rear... Keeps the rear end from swinging up on you in corners, during hard stops, etc. I would still recommend doing all 4 though.

DON'T DO IT! If money is the issue, then shop around and buy the 4 cheapest you can find or even used. Let me make a strong point. If you buy winter tires to propel yourself through deep snow, then you should really consider AWD. What winter tires do best is help you keep control in corners and stopping power. More so, if you have antilock brakes and traction control. If the snow is so deep, and you hear it rubbing the bottom of the car, nothing will help, if you get hung up. I cannot count the number of times over the years I've stopped quickly on a slippery surface and watched my rear view mirror because someone behind is having a huge problem stopping because of 3 (not 4) season tires. Or last winter when we had a lot of icy ruts, the large number of cars spun out into the ditch and as I drove by I can see by just the tread pattern they do not have winter tires. If you live in a snowbelt, and must travel, then I'd highly recommend them, if not. consider local conditions and avoid driving on those crappy days.
Here is a great article from driving.ca
When it comes time for the winter tire install, some folks are still hesitant about the cost. That’s fair, but don’t try to save by installing just two winter tires. Most shops will refuse anyway since liability, should you be in a collision, can come back and bite them in the behind.
Four winter tires are needed according to Transport Canada and all the major tire companies. It is not about increasing tire sales, it is about the safety of the driver and passengers. By using just two winter tires, the car has different grip capabilities at different ends of the car. It is like trying to play hockey on one hockey skate and one broomball shoe. There would be a whole lot of slipping and sliding going on.
The same is true for your car. Imaging going into a slippery corner with the winter tires only on the front. The front tires will have more grip and track into the corner, but the rears won’t have enough grabbing power to make the corner. In this instance, the car will have a rear skid and spin. This is an oversteer skid. If we enter the same corner with the winter tires on the back, the rear of the car is now in control. Turning the steering wheel asks the front tires to turn the car, but the back tires want to keep going straight. This condition is understeer, and the car will just plow ahead straight until it runs out of road.
Even driving a car with the latest, greatest stability management system does not help. All these electronic systems can do is maximize the traction you have, they cannot create traction. They can move the power or braking force to the tire with the most traction, but if only two tires have good traction the system is severely limited in what it can do to save the skid situation.
If cost is that big of an issue, consider looking for less costly winter tires or have a look at Kijiji or Craigslist for some good used rubber.

All four should be replaced regardless of the drive system. Mismatched tread patterns will create more handling problems than they solve.

If your front tires grip better than the rear and you brake
let say on a down slope your rear end may end up doing
complete 360.
Different tire features such as traction capabilities on a
like surfaces can play havoc on AWD vehicles systems.

No problems last year with stock Kumho's and FWD. Our terrain is flat. Not enough snow here to warrant the purchase of winter tires, but it is sound advice for those who live where the snow is frequent. You'll spend a lot less money on winter tires than on the trade-in difference between your current Crossroad and one with AWD. Keep your car.

Your FWD handles all that New Mexico snow pretty well, eh?
The reason people get the light is because they are driving like dim wits... If you nail the skinny pedal and the wheels start spinning at a different rate due to slippage, then the light will come on. If you drive normally and NOT like an idiot, then the AWD works flawlessly... We had quite a bit of snow last year after I bought my DJ and it absolutely handles better than a FWD. Can a FWD get you through the winter? Absolutely, lots of people do it every year....but the AWD does make a noticeable difference if you use it for what it is.

Right. I have FWD and it is fine. I have seen planty on this forum complain that the service AWD light is ever present in snow.
Peace.

This is my first AWD vehicle. Previously I've owned four FWD sedans (two Intrepids, Grand Prix, 300M Special that I store now) and one higher performance RWD Charger R/T. Never had issues in my front drivers. Helps that the engine weighs down the front end a bit. My Charger had bald tires last year so I turned off the traction control every time it snowed and used power-slide techniques to get around until I could put on new tires. New Toyo Proxes 4 solved all of my traction problems.
It'll be interesting to see if the AWD in my Journey makes a notable difference, but I'm not expecting it to.

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.

We went through 4 winters and a bit of snow here and there with our FWD 09. It was a trooper in the snow, even with the factory Kumho's. As stated, if you are that concerned, get some snow tires and understand it is NOT a 4wd vehicle and most likely wont get you through 3' snows. If you drive it like you know what your doing and understand the capabilities, you will be fine.

Right. From what I have read here, AWD is FWD when the Service AWD light comes on. Seems to happen every time AWD is needed most. Glad I got FWD.
Peace.

I bought the 2wd Limited exactly because I wasn't interested in AWD and it's extra cost, weight and just another thing to service. Instead I spent that money on an extra set of alloy wheels and winter tires. I'm more concerned about turning and stopping rather than going. I look at it this way. If the snow is that deep, I'll just stay home. Been using winter tires for years and you'll never pry them from my cold frozen hands........

If you have a brain between your ears and understand the road conditions drive accordingly and you'll be fine. I've never had a problem in snow with FWD, if you're concerned invest in some snow tires and you're all set!

I have a FWD 09 my first non 4 wheel drive in years. My last was also a Durango. The stock Kumo tires are, in my opinion, absolute garbage. I put a different set of tires on and got through Chicagos last winter ok. Didn't go out in the middle of a storm, but when I did have to go through slush/snow it was ok. Not even close to 4wheel and I did start in 2nd after almost every stop. Now they plow pretty good around here so that helped a lot . Not sure what else to say. If you travel in storms a lot go for the AWD, if it's mainly after, try your luck.

3.5L? Not sure if it will help but I have attached a pdf file for P0340 diagnostics.
Also found this:
All model vehicles built 1/17/2008 thru 5/16/2008 equipped with a 3.5L or 4.0L engine which are setting a P0344/P0340 DTC above 3000 RPM may have a camshaft drive gear tone ring separation issue occurring. The tone ring may be completely separated from the sprocket or still attached, but not parallel to the sprocket causing runout. Inspect the camshaft drive gear tone ring for proper alignment. If the drive gear tone ring exhibits one of the two defects, then replace the component.
p0340_2010_Journey.pdf

Dealers will use every excuse in the book not to honor your warranty if aftermarket items are installed. Easy to play the blame game. If your dealer does the installation, then you will be covered.

Thanks again guys; While I need to see my rear panels with parking - my main complaint is while driving with the monitor down, so I would want to see directly behind me. I'm not the fastest on the road, but find that when I do pass a lot of drivers - they "wake up", get mad and then fly up behind me - only to pass me (and a lot of times, slow back down in front of me).
So I've grown accustom to very frequent checks of my rear (well more than what is concerned "normal")...
-Did pickup the Liberty; there were "spotz" on it already, in the upper-outer corners... Driving it, I realize that is not where I would want them, so at least this is partially answered for me...

There is a lip around the headlight housing. If you remove the headlight you should be able to mount a strip behind the lip. Also, since the lens is not clear on the lip it should diffuse the light and make it look like a continuous light rather than a bunch of single LEDs...

Is this something you are working on, or doing? It sounds like a good idea.

The vehicle will stay running regardless of the location of the key fob. However, if it leaves the interior it cannot be restarted unless the fob is returned to the interior, with the exception of the remote start (if equipped).

Thanks for the replies guys.
Indeed it was the AC drain hose that was clogged. I took the car to an AC especialized mechanic and he did the job in a few hours. Charged me about $40 to do the job.
Thanks!

I'm slacking! There is really nothing to show, other than a tiny, 3-position round toggle switch located in front of the seat controls. Push the switch in at the top for High, push in the bottom for Low, or in the middle is off. There is no timer, so the heater stays on until I turn it off.
When the switch is in the High position, two tiny orange bars are lit; when in the Low position, one tiny orange bar is lit.
The grid wires are located within a nice felt pad, with double stick tape on the bottom. The tech pulls off the backing paper and sticks the grids to the foam on the seat bottom and seat back. The grids were made specifically for the DJ seats, so there was no cutting.
High gets really hot. Low is just right, once it is too hot to handle!
If I leave the switch in either the High or Low position, the heater will come on as soon as I start the car. The felt was thick enough that I had to slightly readjust the position of my seat. This is great on my broken back!

I can't (and didn't) argue with that point... However, writing off an entire brand because of seemingly trivial issues is ridiculous... I could understand if your transmission needed to be replaced several times or something like that, but even then it is extreme to write off the entire brand.
Makes no difference to me if you choose to leave the brand and bad mouth them to everyone you know. My point (though riddled with sarcasm to emulate the ridiculous reaction you had) is that all brands have issues, especially small ones like you describe in your post, and IF you find a car that is trouble free, you simply got lucky. Mechanical things break, that is the long and short of it. It sucks you had issues and it sounds like your dealer isn't doing a good job either helping you or explaining what they did to verify your vehicle was functioning as expected. But, that doesn't make your statement any less ridiculous.

Doesn't look like she has been back since her initial post... Probably got better help on a Caravan forum anyways.