bfurth

I highly recommend getting some touch up paint and going over all of the fender mounting bolts. They would have been painted at the factory and any gaps in that paint invite corrosion. The paint doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be coated.

You should be in the clear as far as the rental goes (make sure you talk to corporate customer service as well as the dealership). You had a scheduled time to do the job. They gave you a reasonable estimate for getting the paint done. I'm not sure how they would do it in 2 days for a full panel repaint, considering the body shop I used said that because it was a three stage paint (the pearl flakes throughout, plus clear coat, they had quoted 3 days for paint), but either way, you're on day 4. If the shop screwed up, the they should be paying part of the rental bill. You've called the paint shop. Call the service advisor. If you are still getting unsatisfactory answers, go back to Chrysler.

The windshield cowl doesn't do a great job diverting all of the water away when I rinse (sheeting with the hose fully opened and I know that spigot gets at least a few gallons a minute). I usually have to dry off the back right depression on the engine cover. Also, you'll note I did not say "ignition cables," but rather "coil wires." the DOHC configuration combined with water not always flowing just right would lead to water pooling around the bottom of the coil packs. There is an increased chance of exposing the electrical wiring to water as well.

If they're all on the same wiring harness, then the 4.3 to 4.3S swap should be pretty simple. You might want to check with your closest dealership to see if any other codes need to be added.

Is the satellite antenna built in to all models? I didn't think it was (only on models spec'd from the factory with satellite radio and/or navigation.

The motor only drains battery charge when the vehicle is moving (hence the advantage of an all-electric drive train). The only power draw would be air conditioning, radio, and taxi specific equipment (not sure what they need for that). AC can be handled by opening the windows or getting out. Radio would draw very little power. Fare calculation equipment only needs to be on when the vehicle is carrying a passenger (and most likely moving), so that's not really an issue. It's an expensive taxi, for sure. But you can charge a higher fare for it (hey, you're riding in a Tesla!), and the operating costs of the vehicle are negligible (and if you're charging off of a solar panel that happens to be powering other items you have access to, it's free!)

As long as the oil used is Chrysler MS-6395, you're good to go as long as 10,000 milles/12 months/within 500 miles of the reminder going off, whatever comes first. Use a quality filter (at least as good as OEM), and get MS-6395 compliant 5w-20 oil (it's a 2015 - both engines call for 5w-20 preferred); use synthetic or conventional, it's your call (the change interval is the same either way, as long as you want to not have to fight Chrysler with warranty claims for the engine).

If I wanted (and could afford) a car with a battery, I'd buy a Tesla S. That method of vehicle propulsion (fully electrical) will eventually take over - the cost to operate is lower, by a significant margin. There are some drawbacks which still need to be addressed, but if they can get their $35k car to market, it might be the car that changes consumer behavior. The annual maintenance on a Tesla is a tire rotation and a service center check of the coolant level for the battery. That's it. There is nothing else to do. Lower operating cost per mile than any car on the market today, combined with zero real maintenance work, and a 200+ mile range (and free charging at any Tesla super charging station, which are popping up all over the country)? The internal combustion engine will die some day, it's just a matter of time.

Most of the time, it's just me (this is my daily driver). When we bought it, it became the de facto family car for the weekends (I wanted to drive it, we had the third child due in May, and there was no way I'd be using it full time on weekends after that - there just isn't enough space for three child seats, stroller, diaper bags, and the Costco runs). When we know we're not hauling stuff and just need something to get the family around for a day on the weekend, we'll use it. My oldest (5) rides in his booster seat in the 3rd row, the girls are in car seats in the middle. The easy-entry for the third row doesn't work when you have car seats strapped in, so my son goes in through the rear hatch. Which means climbing over stuff. If it weren't for the necessity of all the car seats, it would be fantastic. Then again, this is why we have the Town and Country. It works great for family duty, hauling anything that needs hauling, whatever you can throw at it as your generic home owner/parent. The Journey is a compromise vehicle - it does a lot of things well enough for me, but would never replace a larger vehicle. It's a glorified station wagon - and that's ok.

There is quite a bit of water that builds up on my engine cover when I wash the DJ. If you're going to.drive with it off, at least put the cover on when you wash it. The ignition coil wires could be exposed to water.

My guess? Someone who is supposed to know what they're doing didn't put the cover back on correctly after removing it. Even though it's just a tension fit on a few pegs, it's a solid fit. There is a LOT of room behind it for it to move if it did come off.

The Dodge Avenger has the same engine bay layout as the Journey. These videos should be what you're looking for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqO8wuz5XUc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEcnXoL_p5o Don't be like this guy though - you don't need impact tools to remove spark plugs. That seems like a good way to break the ceramic on the plug and add a hefty chunk of change to what could be as little as a $20 maintenance item. You can do the entire job with a $30 socket set from your big box home improvement center of choice.

I was going to say - how would an intake problem cause a transmission problem? Did you pay the dealership a diagnostic fee (regardless of whether or not you agreed to have the work done by them)? If so, demand that they provide the diagnostic information. You paid for the diagnosis, you should be able to work with the same information they have. My '10 Town and Country is able to display fault codes by manipulating the ignition switch (on/off/on/off/on - alternatively on/acc/on/acc/on - WITHOUT starting the engine). Try that on your DJ and see if it displays fault codes (it will show up in the odometer if it works).

I assume you meant OEM alloy rims from another Journey. They MUST be 17" rims or they won't clear the brakes. Assuming they are, I can't see why they wouldn't fit. If the wheel covers are bolt on covers, the the lugs migh look a little odd (alloy rims use lugs that have a finished appearance, bolt on covers do not necessarily do the same).

If they were priced fairly (ie, took the exact vehicle condition and used a formula combined with blue book.to create a sliding scale of relative value - which a savvy buyer will do with a dealer anyway), then I would recommend using them. As with any other large purchase retailer - if you don't have room for negotiation (Toyota, youre eguilty too), then I see no reason to give them money. Some people like they they do business. Good for them! Do what works for you. Personally, I don't, and I do what works for me.

Says the guy who drives 118 mph. How many decades did we hear 3 months/3,000 miles? Hell, we STILL here that from many a dishonest dealership/shop/quick lube den of thieves. It's an easy way to part the uninformed (or those who refuse to change their ways) from their money.

Good luck!

For the record, it does fit. Barely, but it does fit. Front seats have to be moved up from where I keep them and you have to close the tailgate with more than the usual force.

Looks like there was a 2013 TSB about a similar issue (MIL set due to engine oil pressure sensor circuit). 2013 Dodge Journey (pws) Service Bulletin 377070. Glad to hear it was just a bad sensor.

Since this incident will show up on any vehicle history report, make sure you get copies of the invoices for each part used in the repair. The shop should be able to get those for you. When they measure the frame, and if they have to bend it back, make sure they record the measurements and give you a copy of the notes. That will help you for resale (assuming you don't keep it until it rusts out).

Probably not. Something caused them to fail - extreme temperature (in and of itself, not necessarily a bad thing) could do it, but so could poor construction. When you make a few hundred thousand of something, a few of them are bound to be junk. A 2013, depending on build date and mileage, should still be under its 36,000 mile warranty. Those struts might be covered by that, assuming that warranty is still in effect. I know you're still talking about that used car you were looking at. For your sake, don't buy it. You've got some issues you've noticed with it that would be deal breakers for a lot of people. Take your time and find a good, well taken care of, vehicle. That one wasn't well taken care of.

You mean the liftgate supports? The metal arm that slides in and out of the piston is showing signs of rust and you see oil on the exterior? Yeah, the seals on those supports can fail. They would look similar to a failed strut, mainly because the internal components are pretty much the same thing. The hinge (there are 2) is part 05074292AB - they are bolted onto the top of the body and the tailgate. They should be painted the same color as the vehicle, and the paint should have no gaps, and you should NEVER see rust on them. If you do, something likely very bad has happened to your vehicle. The lift supports is part 68101213AA - they are the black/silver supports on either side of the liftgate and allow the average human to open and close the door without breaking a sweat, not to mention hold the door open instead of closing on your head. They can fail due to age or poor assembly - it's a moving part, so it will probably wear out eventually. The OEM part is $40/support. They just bolt into place on the edges of door jamb and the outside edge of the liftgate.

My pedal ('15 SE, same brakes as any other '15) is smooth from air to floor. The only quirk I've seen is that on occassion the brake pedal is firmer than I would expect after sitting overnight or over the weekend - almost as if the pedal had been pressed in once the engine was shut off. As soon as the engine is started and there is enough vacuum created (about .5 seconds) to "reset" the master cylinder, all is normal again and the pedal regains its normal feel. I'm not even entirely certain it isn't me holding the brake pedal as I shut off the engine. You can take your Journey to any Dodge/Chrysler/Fiat/Jeep dealership. You are not required to take it back to the shop that sold it to you.

Rotors are (in their most basic form) a 20-ish pound piece of cast iron. They rust pretty quickly. If you've got a vehicle with alloy rims, look at the rotors the night after a good rain - you will see evidence or rust from just one night on the surface of the rotors. It's fine - the brake pads will polish that away after a stop or two. The hinges on any vehicle should be painted. Any metal-on-metal contact point is going to wear the paint away. If the part doesn't move and has no paint on it, then that is a sign of an incomplete repair and it will rust.. The only reason to have the hinges on the lift gate re-installed is damage to the tail end of the vehicle. That (likely) means frame damage. If not frame, then a replaced rear hatch (which is plastic, so it's not like it can bend back into shape).

I measured the distance from the back of the front passenger seat to the edge of the scissor jack compartment and got 75". Considering that a standard twin is 74", and I've got some room to move the seats forward if I really need to, I'll assume that it ought to fit at this point. This is of course assuming my grandmother didn't buy a Twin XL mattress (80") just to mess with me. This is the only problem of having the largest vehicles in the entire local extended family... At least the T&C has a load line imprinted on the door sill on the rear hatch. Anything loaded to that point and at least 26" up from the bottom will clear the door and glass.