13DODGE Posted June 1, 2015 Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 (edited) Hi All, I have been absent for quite a while from this forum - for good reason! All had been well and still is for the most part (we still love our Journey!). I would like to get to the meat of this topic. Long story short, one of our front wheel bearings just went at 74,xxx KM's. One would first think, "holy moly, my bearing just went on a 2 year old car!". And so a visit to the dealer was made on Thursday inquiring about Powertrain Warranty. The dealership was quite busy on the Thursday, I was only able to speak to the Service Manager briefly asking generally whether a bearing for the Dodge Journey would be covered under Powertrain Warranty. His exact response was as stated: "Pretty sure it should be, I do not see any reason why it would not be covered. I have not seen any that have not been covered". An appointment was then scheduled for Monday at 8am (today). I could not personally be there for the appointment and so when it was checked (Indeed it was the dreaded bearing!) they stated that front wheel bearings are NOT included in the Powertrain warranty and that this is a Chrysler Canada issue. The work was done since the vehicle was urgently needed, we paid $450 to get the bearing replaced. Now for the million dollar question: What exactly is covered under Powertrain Warranty? Furthermore, why are the front wheel bearings not covered for the Dodge Journey specifically (the manager stated that they are typically covered on other Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep models). Is there anything we should/could do to rectify this? We have been very happy with our purchase, nothing has been done other than regular wear and tear (Oil changes, tires, wheel alignment at 60,xxx KM's). Two things I could point out that are probably common among other owners are, blower motor whining noise which appeared at 55,xxx KM's and the dealer refused to rectify and the front passenger seat side cover which keeps slipping off. We still love it and are proud of the colour, WinterChill Pearl! If anyone has any comments, recommendations or suggestions they are greatly appreciated! Here's a shot of the Journey, still looking brand new Edited June 1, 2015 by 13DODGE dhh3 and daddyRT 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silenze Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 It should list whats covered in the warranty book you got with your manual. A wheel bearing is not a power train component. It covers mostly the engine and transmission. dhh3, jkeaton and rolly 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 They usually would be covered only in the initial warranty of 36k kms. As stated not considered part of power train and consumable as are brakes. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Agreed. Wheel bearings are not part of the powertrain. Double check the warranty book. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolly Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 No wonder there's so much confusion about warranties when there are Service Managers who don't know what's covered. There are many consumers now who mistrust the dealers and unfortunately, this type of misinformation reinforces that belief. That dealership needs to provide better training for their staff. jkeaton and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Consumables are components intended to wear out with use. Brake pads and tires are consumables, oil and other fluids and wipers are consumables. Wheel bearings are NOT consumables, sorry. Nor are they part of the power train - those are the engine, transmission and drive components that transfer power from the engine to the wheels. But they ARE only warranted under the basic 3 year/60K warranty. You had more mileage than that when they went (and I'm certain that the engineering people at FCA are very pleased with themselves for having designed a product that was JUST well enough designed to survive to the end of the coverage term. One more reason for buying an extended bumper-to-bumper warranty from the manufacturer. jkeaton and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 The Powertrain Warranty covers everything from the back side of the throttle body (but not the throttle body itself) to the outboard CV joints on each axle shaft and everything in between (except hoses and the PCV valve, and probably spark plugs, but I don't remember off hand if they are covered items or not). All internal seals, mechanical components, etc. are covered for the length of the Powertrain Warranty. Wheel bearings are NOT part of the powertrain (even though it is the last component between the axle and the wheel). If it moves, it's "consumable," it's just a question of how long it takes for it to break down. The headliner is not a "consumable" part, nor is your carpet. Wheel bearings can last quite a long time (my mother had an '07 Saturn Vue that still had the original wheel bearings on it when the rest of the suspension went up at 180,000 miles). They can fail at 100,000 miles (see my sister's (my old) '05 Cavalier). You might never have to replace them. It's a grease-lubricated ball bearing moving wheels with a rotational speed at the outer edge of 70+ mph for tens or hundreds of thousands of miles. Eventually it will wear out. The good news is modern wheel bearings are a fairly easy DIY job (if you have the right tools). Most of the time, there is a single nut that holds the axle to the wheel bearing (and you need a BIG breaker bar to get it off if you don't have air tools). Once it's broken loose, the hub is probably only held in by 4 bolts (and there's a wheel speed sensor that needs to be disconnected as well). The worst part is taking the brakes apart to get to it - but since they're disc brakes, it's a relatively easy job. I changed out the driver side wheel bearing on that Cavalier in about 2 hours - having never done the job before in my life. The construction of my '10 Town and Country is similar (just differs in bolt pattern and torque specs, but that's what an extra 1,500 pounds of steel gets you), and the T&C/GC shares a LOT of components with the Journey. If you are mechanically inclined, find a service manual (try Mitchell's or any of the other online options), get the appropriate tools (most auto parts stores loan them out for a refundable deposit), and get to it! If you can change brakes, you can change a wheel bearing. As for what the dealer charged you for the bearing replacement, that sounds about right (1.5 hours in labor at $100-$120/hour, plus another $220 for the part, plus shop fees and taxes). rolly and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 FYI - this is what the part actually looks like: http://www.1aauto.com/2009-13-dodge-journey-wheel-bearing-and-hub-assembly-front-driver-or-passenger-side-timken-ha590344/i/tkshf00234?f=561171&y=2011 If you were to do this job yourself, there will be four bolts that hold the wheel hub/bearing assembly to the steering knuckle and the axle will slide into the center of the hub. For the 2011 (shares brake components with the T&C from '09 through '12) including the wheels, there would be a total of 14 bolts/nuts to remove per wheel hub replacement (5 lug nuts, 2 caliper slide pin bolts, 2 caliper adapter bolts, 1 axle shaft nut, and 4 wheel bearing bolts). This is just an assumption, since I've not done this exact job before, but knowing how it's all put together, this is what should line up. The worst part is getting the brake rotor off. That's why I anti-siezed the backs of my rotors on my van the last time I changed the brakes. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 It is semantics, to be certain, but again, a wheel bearing is not a consumable, it is an item that can fail, but it has no set life span nor is it actually expected to wear out before the end of the service life of the vehicle.A consumable is defined as something that is intended to be used up or spent and then replaced - wheel bearing are not 'intended' to be used up, per se. - Washer fluid, brake pads and such are wear items/consumables. The wheel bearing is not. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Fair enough. Though, anyone living in an area which gets salted roads should just expect their cars to have more problems over their expected life. Salt is a horrible thing. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 on my daughters 2007 caravan had to replace a broken axle shaft.you also have to loosen the the strut from the van and also separate the tie rod end to get get enough room to remove the axle shaft from the wheel bearing so i would suspect you have to do the same at least for our journeys.. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 on my daughters 2007 caravan had to replace a broken axle shaft.you also have to loosen the the strut from the van and also separate the tie rod end to get get enough room to remove the axle shaft from the wheel bearing so i would suspect you have to do the same at least for our journeys.. You shouldn't need to - the axle goes through the back of the wheel bearing. The bolts are on the back side with what should be plenty of clearance, the axle nut is on the outside. The most you'd have to do is put the spare tire on to give yourself leverage (the weight of the vehicle) to break the axle nut loose. The axle doesn't need to move to remove the wheel bearing. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Official Dodge Support DodgeCACares Posted June 3, 2015 Official Dodge Support Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Hi All, I have been absent for quite a while from this forum - for good reason! All had been well and still is for the most part (we still love our Journey!). I would like to get to the meat of this topic. Long story short, one of our front wheel bearings just went at 74,xxx KM's. One would first think, "holy moly, my bearing just went on a 2 year old car!". And so a visit to the dealer was made on Thursday inquiring about Powertrain Warranty. The dealership was quite busy on the Thursday, I was only able to speak to the Service Manager briefly asking generally whether a bearing for the Dodge Journey would be covered under Powertrain Warranty. His exact response was as stated: "Pretty sure it should be, I do not see any reason why it would not be covered. I have not seen any that have not been covered". An appointment was then scheduled for Monday at 8am (today). I could not personally be there for the appointment and so when it was checked (Indeed it was the dreaded bearing!) they stated that front wheel bearings are NOT included in the Powertrain warranty and that this is a Chrysler Canada issue. The work was done since the vehicle was urgently needed, we paid $450 to get the bearing replaced. Now for the million dollar question: What exactly is covered under Powertrain Warranty? Furthermore, why are the front wheel bearings not covered for the Dodge Journey specifically (the manager stated that they are typically covered on other Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep models). Is there anything we should/could do to rectify this? We have been very happy with our purchase, nothing has been done other than regular wear and tear (Oil changes, tires, wheel alignment at 60,xxx KM's). Two things I could point out that are probably common among other owners are, blower motor whining noise which appeared at 55,xxx KM's and the dealer refused to rectify and the front passenger seat side cover which keeps slipping off. We still love it and are proud of the colour, WinterChill Pearl! If anyone has any comments, recommendations or suggestions they are greatly appreciated! Here's a shot of the Journey, still looking brand new 13DODGE, I've responded to your PM, please review and let me know when you have a chance. To clarify though, the wheel bearings in this case are not part of the 5 year/100,000 KM Powertrain warranty. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13DODGE Posted September 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) Hi All, After months of battling with Chrysler Canada - I am (semi)-pleased to announce that the case manager has agreed to refund the cost of the bearing ($350 of the $500 repair). The check came in this week. First phone call to Chrysler Canada was rough, the representative would not escalate the issue. It was only when escalating through twitter that I was able to reach a case manager, and even then there was much back and forth through voicemail, twitter again, an investigation with the dealership's Service Manager, until finally an agreement was reached to refund the cost of the part even though the repair was NOT under Powertrain Warranty. Thanks to Chrysler Canada for making this work. I later reached out to Pickering Chrysler in Pickering Ontario where we initially made the purchase of the 2013 Dodge Journey on December 6th 2012 and had serviced there until this most recent bearing repair. I spoke with both the dealership manager, service manager and they offered (discounted future maintenance?) but they absolutely refused to refund the labour cost of the repair ($150) even though Chrysler Canada good-willed the part. Very disappointing. I would also like to point out that this dealership sold me the incorrect 3.6L Pentastar engine oil filter on September 1st 2015 (there was a change mid-way through 2013 on all pentastar engines), which resulted in an oil filter housing repair ($500). This is additional proof that this dealership's service/parts department is incompetent and unknowledgeable about their product. Just to summarize, Chrysler Canada and dealerships CAN good-will repairs past specified warranties. It is really about who you know, and/or social media which in this case was twitter. Also be persistent! Edited September 21, 2015 by 13DODGE dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted September 21, 2015 Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 It seems to me if they installed the wrong filter they should be responsible for any damage. rolly and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted September 21, 2015 Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) The OP will no doubt clarify the statement, but my take is that they sold the filter, but perhaps did not install it.I agree, however that unless the buyer specified the wrong VIN (which the parts department should have asked for, considering that the buyer would have no way of knowing that there was a mid-year change) then I'd have taken them to small claims court for my loss if it had happened to me. Edited September 22, 2015 by bramfrank jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13DODGE Posted September 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 Correct. Pickering Chrysler only sold the incorrect filter, they did not install it. The housing replacement was covered at another dealership, however would have cost ($500) in parts and labour had it not been. Also a quick correction: they sold the filter on August 29th 2015 and it was returned back to them on September 1st 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Petersen Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 My front wheel bearing went bad at only 38k miles. The dealer said if it happened at 36k miles they would have covered it. Is it just bad luck or a defective part from China that I'm paying for? Guess we'll never know because Chrysler won't stand behind the product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 This is why I have an extended warranty. 2late4u and rolly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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