My Journey With DJ Posted August 30, 2022 Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 2009 Dodge Journey SXT 234,406 miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Journey With DJ Posted August 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 I bought this vehicle in 2011 with 44,628 miles on it. My kids were still little (my youngest is now a senior in high school) and we have had many family trips and adventures with "DJ". Every now and then I think about getting a new vehicle but I really like not having a car payment (plus the insurance is so low due to its age). Truth is, I've driven DJ for so long that I've gained a familiarity with it that I would miss with a new vehicle (e.g., seeing a parallel parking spot and knowing exactly whether I will fit or not, handling expectations based on road type/conditions, hitting buttons without looking, etc.). When I think back over the past eleven years about all the people that have come and gone in my life, major changes that happened in the world, and all the places I have been to, DJ has really been one of the biggest constants in my life so it is hard to imagine my life without DJ. I don't know how long I will be able to keep DJ going, I know that all good things eventually come to an end, but until that day arrives I will keep on enjoying the Journey. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted August 30, 2022 Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 Welcome to the forum! My Journey With DJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted August 31, 2022 Report Share Posted August 31, 2022 Welcome to the forum. You have a first year journey. Curious if it’s the 2.4 or 3.5 and any major repairs that were done. Info that helps the diy people keep their vehicles running. It’s not always the miles that kills off cars, lack of maintenance IMO is the biggest factor. You obvious know how to look after yours. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted August 31, 2022 Report Share Posted August 31, 2022 welcome to the group My Journey With DJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Journey With DJ Posted October 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 On 8/30/2022 at 10:24 AM, jkeaton said: Welcome to the forum! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Journey With DJ Posted October 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) On 8/31/2022 at 10:51 AM, John/Horace said: Welcome to the forum. You have a first year journey. Curious if it’s the 2.4 or 3.5 and any major repairs that were done. Info that helps the diy people keep their vehicles running. It’s not always the miles that kills off cars, lack of maintenance IMO is the biggest factor. You obvious know how to look after yours. Cheers. Thank you, I have the 3.5L. Aside from some body work and routine maintenance (e.g., oil changes, filters, tires, etc.), the only major repairs since October 2018 (which is how far back my Excel spreadsheet I use to track expenditures on repairs/upkeep goes) include radiator, engine mounts, brakes (twice), water pump (to include timing component and serpentine belt), heater core flush, sunroof leak, TIPM, and a tire/wheel issue I don't recall the specifics of (I didn't annotate the details in the spreadsheet so I need to find the paper copy of the receipt). I have all maintenance receipts stored away somewhere from the entire time I've owned the vehicle so I can update this list later after I've had a chance to locate them. Based on the spreadsheet, I averaged ~$187 a month in repairs/upkeep since October 2018. Aside from routine upkeep and periodic suggested preventative maintenance, that includes six instances where I had a repair bill over $500 (mostly the things listed above). Given the number of "larger" repairs during this period, I'm curious to see how different that average will be over the nearly eleven years I've had the vehicle once I get the paper records out of storage and update the spreadsheet. I can (and intend to) cut that figure down dramatically by doing more maintenance and repairs myself, especially with everyone raising their prices these days (e.g., the cost of an oil change by my mechanic in February of this year was 20% higher than what he charged in October 2020). The last time I took the vehicle to a mechanic was April of this year so the average over the past six months is extremely low. I started doing a lot of the work on my own this summer; YouTube videos are very helpful for familiarizing yourself with things you haven't done before. I charged the AC myself for the first time, which might not seem like a big deal to someone with a lot of mechanical experience but spending $5-10 on a can of refrigerant versus who knows how much a mechanic would charge made me happy. But the one that really made me happy was the TIPM. My mechanic said it would cost me $1,200-2,000 to have a new one installed, or maybe only $300-600 to have someone try to repair it. I watched a bunch of online videos on how to replace it, then I found a local junkyard that had my model and I was able to get one for ~$20 that I then installed myself. I also bought one of those diagnostic modules that plugs in under the dash so I can read the error codes and start doing more repairs on my own. I agree with you about the miles and the maintenance. Due to the high amount of miles I drive, I probably go through tires and brakes quicker than the average driver. Also, in the past when I didn't know as much about car maintenance, I typically drove vehicles into the ground. When I bought this one I already had a good mechanic who was as ethical as he was knowledgeable, so it was easy and affordable to maintain it. He retired a couple of years ago and his shop recommended me to my current mechanic. It's a NAPA shop, they do good work and they're good people, but being a corporate shop you are paying corporate prices. Edited October 17, 2022 by My Journey With DJ John/Horace 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Journey With DJ Posted October 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Journey With DJ Posted December 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2022 Add alternator to the list of repairs; mine went out late Thanksgiving night about five hours from home. I was at a highway rest stop when it died so I just slept in the car til morning then called around until I found a mechanic who was open and could fit me in. Not the best thing you want to happen during holiday travel but they had me in and out under two hours and didn't charge an exorbitant price even though they would've had me over a barrel given my situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armando G Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 Man, I love reading your post. There's lots of great memories in my DJ as well and it's treated me really well. She's been paid off for a while now and no major repairs - well, out of pockets repairs... had my transmission replaced under warranty. I really enjoy doing my own repairs as well, but haven't had to do much of that at all - instead I took around on my kids cars. Anyway, welcome to the forum. jkeaton and 2late4u 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.