hockey_puck Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 It's been 3 months since delivery and to be honest, not much to report. Only one visit to the dealer and that was for a screw in the middle of a tire that I picked up. It wasn't even leaking air. I just happened to see it when washing the Journey. No mechanical issues at all. I did have to do a bit of extra cleaning due to a bit of a sloppy install of the body side molding, but detailing is a hobby of mine anyway, so not a big deal. There are now 3 coats of wax on it, including doing the door jambs once. There isn't a bug made that will stick to my Journey! I did change out the black standard carpet floor mats for Lloyd mats which are much thicker and plush. Went for the beige colour, and are far easier to keep clean as those black ones show every speck of grit. Since I have the chrome clad wheels and a huge snow tire advocate, I purchased a set of 17 inch alloy wheels from a recycler. for just a bit more than a standard set of new steel wheels. A note for others thinking of this, 17inch Caravan wheels are identical to Journey wheels which gives a big increase in choices. After a lot of research I plan to purchase the upcoming Blizzak WS 80 tires for our delightful winters. I was thrilled to see that my 2014 came with ceramic brake pads. Keeping the wheels clean is super easy as ceramic brakes give off very little dust and it is white, which doesn't show. Only thing I find a bit strange is the location inside the centre console for the USB port. I load mp3 favourites on a flash drive and it is a bit of a pain to try to insert into the port. The premium audio system is ok.. I realize some prefer a better subwoofer, but since I don't need to feel my liver vibrate, it is fine for me. Only one highway trip to Grand Forks N.D. and back. Love the V6 and cruises the 75 mph speed limit on I29 with little effort. Gas mileage exactly as expected and better than the old Caravan, even though I seem to have lead weights on the bottom of my feet. 1st 5k oil change in a few weeks. I don't drive too much. Journeyman425 and nash211 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Nice report! Why are you changing the oil so soon? Is the oil change light on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockey_puck Posted July 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Nice report! Why are you changing the oil so soon? Is the oil change light on? No, light not on. I've always have changed oil on my vehicles at 5000 km. I know they say go longer, but i consider it very cheap insurance to do it then. My 12 yr old Caravan with well over 200k on it purred like a kitten, and with well rusted rockers brought in over 1k at an auction since I included the complete service record with it. When into normal driving pattern that will be about twice a year. I drive a lot less since retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trains123 Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 (edited) I change my DJ's oil every 5,000 miles since I live on a gravl road. Edited August 3, 2014 by Trains123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 OK, just making sure. I do the same, regardless of what the indicatot tells me, I go 6000 miles or 6 months. I'm old school, going over 6000 is like nails on a chalk board for me.... rolly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolly Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 It's hard to break old habits. I still do mine every 5,000 kilometers as well, and I keep all my records too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 I do mine when it tells me... It is different every time. Oil is always clean coming out and I have no concerns with going 8,000 miles if it tells me it's okay. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onecrazyfoo4u Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 I change mine every 8k miles just like the computer tells me to do (+/- a few hundred miles). New engines aren't what they were decades ago. People are just throwing out money by changing it twice as often! Lobitz68 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 I change mine every 8k miles just like the computer tells me to do (+/- a few hundred miles). New engines aren't what they were decades ago. People are just throwing out money by changing it twice as often! Agree 1,000%... Use good oil and filters and stick to what the manufacturer requires... onecrazyfoo4u and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 (edited) I agree with you both. I just, I can't, I try, I, I, I JUST CAAAAAANNNNT DO IT!!!!!! I have a 95 Silverado with 200K and a 95 Mustang with 150k, I change the oil on those every 3000 miles and the oil coming out looks like, well, black water, I mean nasty looking stuff...I have the best (worst?) of both worlds. New cars that I waste money on too frequent oil changes, and older cars that apparently I dont do enough.... We bought our DJ in Nov. 2013 with 11,000 miles on it. I changed the oil in May 2014 when we were at 19,200 right after a trip to Chicago (thats 6 months and 8000 miles). The light was not on but I wanted fresh oil in it after that 1400 mile round trip. The oil was pretty black, but I have no idea if it was changed before we bought it. I reset the light per the manual even though it was not on, so I hope it still reset it. I will see how long it takes for the light to come on, but I dont know if I can wait.....in the two months or so since then, we have put about 2500 miles on her (trip to Florida last week). so we are approaching my dreaded 3000/3 month mark....can I do it????? Edited July 25, 2014 by jkeaton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolly Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 I agree with you both. I just, I can't, I try, I, I, I JUST CAAAAAANNNNT DO IT!!!!!! I have a 95 Silverado with 200K and a 95 Mustang with 150k, I change the oil on those every 3000 miles and the oil coming out looks like, well, black water, I mean nasty looking stuff...I have the best (worst?) of both worlds. New cars that I waste money on too frequent oil changes, and older cars that apparently I dont do enough.... We bought our DJ in Nov. 2013 with 11,000 miles on it. I changed the oil in May 2014 when we were at 19,200 right after a trip to Chicago (thats 6 months and 8000 miles). The light was not on but I wanted fresh oil in it after that 1400 mile round trip. The oil was pretty black, but I have no idea if it was changed before we bought it. I reset the light per the manual even though it was not on, so I hope it still reset it. I will see how long it takes for the light to come on, but I dont know if I can wait.....in the two months or so since then, we have put about 2500 miles on her (trip to Florida last week). so we are approaching my dreaded 3000/3 month mark....can I do it????? I know what you mean brother. I can't either! LOL jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted July 26, 2014 Report Share Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) 6000 miles, 6 months...my limit....d@mn the indicator!!! Edited July 26, 2014 by jkeaton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted July 26, 2014 Report Share Posted July 26, 2014 I'm the same way, guys. My 300M is running testament to the benefits of frequent oil changes. Every 3500-4000 miles and it does not smoke at start-up and uses maybe a half quart of oil in between. 292,000 miles and the engine is quiet. The Journey is the first car that I ever used synthetic oil in. Every 5000 miles I change it - way more than needed, I know, but I just can't let it go longer than that - even though I tell my own customers that it's no problem to do so! Interestingly, the oil change reminder came on for the first time at 9500 miles. I now have 22,700 miles and it has yet to come back on again. I haven't found any discussion about how the interval is calculated other than it being a complex algorithm that takes multiple factors into consideration to produce an oil change message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolly Posted July 26, 2014 Report Share Posted July 26, 2014 I have a friend who had a stroke last year and his car sat for eight months without being started. Needless to say the battery was completely drained and we had to boost it to get it started. After we got it running, the oil change indicator came on but he had only 50 miles on the odometer since his last oil change. That tells me that not only is the mileage part of the consideration but also time must be one of those factors as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted July 28, 2014 Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 I have a friend who had a stroke last year and his car sat for eight months without being started. Needless to say the battery was completely drained and we had to boost it to get it started. After we got it running, the oil change indicator came on but he had only 50 miles on the odometer since his last oil change. That tells me that not only is the mileage part of the consideration but also time must be one of those factors as well. Yeah, it should turn on at 6 months, regardless of miles driven... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Official Dodge Support DodgeCACares Posted July 28, 2014 Official Dodge Support Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 I have a friend who had a stroke last year and his car sat for eight months without being started. Needless to say the battery was completely drained and we had to boost it to get it started. After we got it running, the oil change indicator came on but he had only 50 miles on the odometer since his last oil change. That tells me that not only is the mileage part of the consideration but also time must be one of those factors as well. rolly, Sorry to hear about your friend... The oil indicator system will calculate both time and kilometers driven along with many other factors that influence the life of the oil. If a vehicle has to sit, the system will calculate the time and if it hits 6 months, the vehicle will recognize this and the display will prompt an oil change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrmagoo Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I change my oil at 5000 km with synthetic and always manufacters filter. Going as the factory says may be good for no problems at their time and mileage intervals while under warranty but for those who buy used or keep their veicles for a long time you should use shorter intervals. With all the VVT and VCT systems they are using now all it takes is to get some crud into that system and the expensive repairs begin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted August 4, 2014 Report Share Posted August 4, 2014 I change my oil at 5000 km with synthetic and always manufacters filter. Going as the factory says may be good for no problems at their time and mileage intervals while under warranty but for those who buy used or keep their veicles for a long time you should use shorter intervals. With all the VVT and VCT systems they are using now all it takes is to get some crud into that system and the expensive repairs begin. This statement really has no fact, just opinion... Fact is that the manufacturer suggest intervals based on engineering and systems knowledge. I can agree doing it more often doesn't hurt, but to suggest that the manufacturer requirements are not stringent enough is really nothing more than opinion, likely not based on anything other than word of mouth, habit, etc. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrmagoo Posted August 9, 2014 Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 This statement really has no fact, just opinion... Fact is that the manufacturer suggest intervals based on engineering and systems knowledge. I can agree doing it more often doesn't hurt, but to suggest that the manufacturer requirements are not stringent enough is really nothing more than opinion, likely not based on anything other than word of mouth, habit, etc. Yup, just opinion! Built enough engines in my 66 years to have no experience and believe everything the factory tells me. Being from Minnesota you should know all too well about cold starts in the winter. But hey, no harm, no foul. As I stated in another post, everyone has an opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted August 12, 2014 Report Share Posted August 12, 2014 Yup, just opinion! Built enough engines in my 66 years to have no experience and believe everything the factory tells me. Being from Minnesota you should know all too well about cold starts in the winter. But hey, no harm, no foul. As I stated in another post, everyone has an opinion. Damn old-timers! Always pulling the age card! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nash211 Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 It's been 3 months since delivery and to be honest, not much to report. Only one visit to the dealer and that was for a screw in the middle of a tire that I picked up. It wasn't even leaking air. I just happened to see it when washing the Journey. No mechanical issues at all. I did have to do a bit of extra cleaning due to a bit of a sloppy install of the body side molding, but detailing is a hobby of mine anyway, so not a big deal. There are now 3 coats of wax on it, including doing the door jambs once. There isn't a bug made that will stick to my Journey! I did change out the black standard carpet floor mats for Lloyd mats which are much thicker and plush. Went for the beige colour, and are far easier to keep clean as those black ones show every speck of grit. Since I have the chrome clad wheels and a huge snow tire advocate, I purchased a set of 17 inch alloy wheels from a recycler. for just a bit more than a standard set of new steel wheels. A note for others thinking of this, 17inch Caravan wheels are identical to Journey wheels which gives a big increase in choices. After a lot of research I plan to purchase the upcoming Blizzak WS 80 tires for our delightful winters. I was thrilled to see that my 2014 came with ceramic brake pads. Keeping the wheels clean is super easy as ceramic brakes give off very little dust and it is white, which doesn't show. Only thing I find a bit strange is the location inside the centre console for the USB port. I load mp3 favourites on a flash drive and it is a bit of a pain to try to insert into the port. The premium audio system is ok.. I realize some prefer a better subwoofer, but since I don't need to feel my liver vibrate, it is fine for me. Only one highway trip to Grand Forks N.D. and back. Love the V6 and cruises the 75 mph speed limit on I29 with little effort. Gas mileage exactly as expected and better than the old Caravan, even though I seem to have lead weights on the bottom of my feet. 1st 5k oil change in a few weeks. I don't drive too much. Very good report, I have had mine only for two months. Do not drive it much in the summer months, ride a bike, health kick LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 . Do not drive it much in the summer months, ride a bike, health kick LOL Love cycling - given up a few wax jobs on the Journey to be on the bike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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