Beltalert

[bramfrank]

I had some surgery that prevented me from doing up my lap belts for a week, so Idecided to disable the Beltalert system. Beltalert is supposed to chime as a warrning and put a message on the EVIC when the vehicle is in motion with unbuckled seat belts - it is supposed to go quiet after a while, which it does when enabled.

However when disabled, the chime stops, but the warning message seems to persist - we already have the red light opn the speedo dial and if the chinme is enabled both the chime and message eventually time out. So why even have the message appear on the EVIC when the featureb is disabled, let alone why does it seem to persist?

The way it works, it is simpler to cancel the message and let the chimes time-out.

Yet another example of bass aackward programming from the geniuses at Chrysler/Dodge.

It'd be nice if they would fix the MP3 player, too and perhaps make their manuals and advertising match the vehicles they are producing . . . at least try guys - the manual they sent me for my vehicle last week clearly has Bluetooth as an included feature in the basic package. The official information line also told me to exp[ect BT in my Journey SE Plus with the 4.3 (non sat) uconnect. The manual also says the EVIC doesn't display tire pressure unless you get premium instumentation, which the SE ought not have. Yet my EVIC does display tire pressures, albeit in 6 or 7 kpa increments.

Then, there's the fact that they have produced all sorts of FrankenJourneys, with mixed up options, like RT's with 4.3 inch displays and cloth interiors. Then there are the huge load of software bugs, coupled with disasterous diagnostics, discharging batteries, heating systems gone wild, blasting stereos, german displays and such. How about paint that peels from the mirrors on the superior models? If it peels off it is because the surfaces haven''t been properly prepared . . . and the people who reported it have said that the manufacturer has declined warranty claims!! A window lock switch that doesn;t lockk ALL the windows? Is the Journey the only vehicle out there that works this way? I certainly have never had a car or truck from the dozens I've owned and hundreds I've rented (some from Chrysler) that did this.

Do the Chargers, 300s, Jeeps, Avengers and other cars that share the electronic platform also behave this badly?

I really need to get my extended warranty purchased. Come on guys, join the buyer's group.

[generaltso]

I really need to get my extended warranty purchased. Come on guys, join the buyer's group.

What kind of pricing have you been seeing for the extended warranties in Canada? I ended up buying the Chrysler Maximum Care warranty package with coverag to 5 years/60k miles for $500. I don't usually buy extended warranty plans, but that seemed like a good deal to me.

[bramfrank]

Canadians tend to get hosed on this type of deal - I haven't gotten into the pricing of the entire portfolio, but for your $500 you have purchased 2 years of coverage for your power windows and locks, your air conditioning and radio, since you have a full power train warranty for the 5 years/60K miles already and nothing considered as wear items (brakes, shocks and so on) is covered.

For my money I want to get at least a 7 year 100K miles warranty which extends the power train for 2 years and the bumper-to-bumper for 4 and it will cost on the order of $3000 . . . for about $2200 I can get 7 years/80K miles before my hardcore negotiations - since they don't publish retail pricing, I can't yet tell whether those numbers are discounted or not.

When our little group has ten committed members I will solicit competitive bidding from a number of dealers and proceed from there.

[generaltso]

Canadians tend to get hosed on this type of deal - I haven't gotten into the pricing of the entire portfolio, but for your $500 you have purchased 2 years of coverage for your power windows and locks, your air conditioning and radio, since you have a full power train warranty for the 5 years/60K miles already and nothing considered as wear items (brakes, shocks and so on) is covered.

Yeah, all of the gadgetry is what I was most interested in having covered for an extra couple of years. I would imagine replacing anything to do with the 8.4 inch screen wouldn't be cheap. What really sold me on it was 5 years of loaner cars during any maintenance. I hate taking shuttles.

[generaltso]

It looks like Max Care actually does cover shocks and brakes (except pads and rotors).

http://www.dodge.com/en/service_contracts/maximum_care/new_vehicles/index.html

There's an option on that page to buy warranties online, which shows the retail price of all the availalble options. It looks like retail price for the plan i bought is $890, so i guess $500 isn't too bad. Is there a similar Canadian site that you can use to get the retail prices?

[bramfrank]

Unfortunately, not that I've been able to find..

[generaltso]

Unfortunately, not that I've been able to find..

That's too bad. I guess the US version doesn't do you much good if the pricing is completely different in Canada.