redtomatoman

My understanding is that other than a few changes to the uconnect software, the vehicles are essentially the same. Better front grille logo on the 2012, if that's important to you. Love my 2011, I'm sure you'd love either. Listen to your gut feeling and go with that. Have fun. Enjoy. Peace.

I'd pay the service manager a visit. If that doesn't solve the issue I'd schedule an appointment with the owner of the dealership. I believe that most folks want to treat customers right. You're right. This problem is not your fault, its Chrysler's. When my cam phasers were detective my local dealer gave me a loaner for 6 days. I wasn't happy about the phaser defect, but the loaner made me much happier. The solution may be as simple as you reminding them of this fact. Peace.

I had my suspension checked and it was fine. Turns out the noise was from my bicycle mounts on the roof rack. The wheel skewers would slide side to side and make noise. Thought it was suspension. Felt a little dumb when I took a test drive with the tech. Fixed the problem by putting some bushings I got at home depot into the skewers. Haven't heard the noise since. I really should have checked those bike mounts, but hindsight is always 20/20. Peace.

Hey Rolly, nice to hear you say the entrance to NM from AZ was stunning. That's my back yard. I live in Gallup. Lots of Native American culture and lots of those red rocks. Beautiful!!! The wind in spring is a bear, though. Great mileage, btw. Glad you had a good trip. Peace.

Below is a link to an article about the future direction of Dodge. It's a Mopar geek's opinion article. Not sayin' he's wrong, just sayin' that it reads very much like an opinion piece. Also not sure why some Mopar folks are so down on the DJ. Here's a particularly blatant foul, IMO. "I’d seriously think about moving Journey over to Chrysler, perhaps keeping the same name; it’s not really a Dodge, and in the US it doesn’t sell all that well as a Dodge." Not sure what constitutes a Dodge, really. . . How about the Caravan, is that a Dodge? Well, a Ram is no longer a Dodge. SRT is not officially a Dodge. Challengers, Chargers, Durangos, Journeys, Avengers, and Caravans are all we have left. Wait a minute, I think the Avenger is going away soon, so the jury is still out on that one. Here's another gem: "Dodge’s biggest barriers to a real performance focus, other than discipline, are Journey, Durango, and Caravan." This guy thinks Dodge is going to be the next Porsche or something. Even Porsche makes a crossover-like thing. If Mopar Joe has his way we're down to Challengers and Chargers. Good thinkin'. Variety is the spice of everything except Dodge, evidently. Whatever, I really like my DODGE Journey. I think its great, and cool, and full of utility at the same time. Even if Mopar Joe doesn't agree. . . http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2013/06/dodge-death-or-new-strategy Peace.

Does anyone still use an iPod classic? I get short 1/2 second dropouts in my music about every half hour or so with mine. My understanding is that it is the iPod classic software. Not sure if that is correct or not. I have gotten used to the dropouts, but for some reason I was irritated by them on my last trip. Just wondering if a new iPod would solve this problem or if uconnect is the problem. Thanks. Peace.

Just turned 26,000 miles on this trip. When my DJ was newer noticed a big increase in mpg at about 8000 miles. Maybe I'm noticing a small bump in mileage at 25000 or so? Not sure. I do watch my EVIC economy meter very closely when the cruise is not on. That thing really teaches you how to drive efficiently. Pretty happy with the mileage and the power for passing when needed. Had a mountain bike on the roof during this trip too. Peace.

Well when I got home today from my trip to Durango, the fuel economy meter in the EVIC read 28.4. When I gassed up to get the real scoop, my actual mileage was 27.2 mpg. Still I'm pretty darn impressed. Trip was overall elevation neutral, but lots of hills and mountains in between. It was hot so I ran the AC all the way and set the cruise control at 65 on the way home. Peace.

With the car not in motion. What a load of Shit. What if phone comparability was only when not in motion? That's shit. Not only is texting not supported on most phones, it is only supported when I'm parked at wal mart and have complete access to my phone without any need for uconnect? Really? Sergio probably drives a Ford. Ford supports texting on the iPhone. That's shit. Ford's system sucks. But its better than uconnect I guess. Get with the times Sergio. Pay attention pal.

Just set a new record for my 2011. 30.9 mpg on a trip from Gallup to Durango. Cruise set at 70mph with AC on. Pretty darn good. Peace.

Its not possible with any phone that I have ever connected. No one one this forum has ever posted that they were able to read or send text messages. I believe that text in uconnect is not possible. Someone please speak up if I am not correct! Peace.

Isn't there also some computer modifications that would need to be done to increase the HP? Otherwise, simply putting a CAI on would give similar results. Throttle body of the Challenger is probably larger as well. MPGs would go down substantially. Noise may increase alot too. Peace.

Don't know if you have a trailer hitch. If you do, the hitch mounts are better in every way. I run a roof rack because I also need to carry my longboard. If it wasn't for that I'd have gotten the hitch and hitch bike mounts for sure. Hitch mounts are more expensive, but they are more secure and theft-proof. Anyway, careful with your pads rubbing the paint. Secure it well. Peace.

This little bit was part of a larger article. Looks the next gen DJ will possibly get the 3.2L V6 standard. There are some tough decisions in this strategy. Making Dodge muscle only — rear drive Avenger, Challenger, Charger, and maybe the 2.4 Dart, with the other variants going over to Chrysler — leaves the question of the high-selling Journey and Caravan. Perhaps take Journey and jazz it up with a standard 3.2 V6 and nine-speed automatic, — a larger, less off-road-capable version of Cherokee — oh, right, that’s the plan anyway. Then take Caravan and make it more rough-and-tough, somehow, while keeping a Chrysler minivan for traditional buyers. Caravan hasn’t been doing all that well in the US retail market anyway. Peace.

I played hardball with the dealer. Out the door was about $27,400 if I recall correctly. I found some dealers with internet prices as low as $24,800 with trade-in in Las Vegas and LA. I told them I wanted to buy local but if they didn't come down I'd walk. Amazingly, it worked. I didn't get anywhere near the trade-in price, but I got them to come down a lot. Could have had something to do with timing. Mine is a 2011. Maybe Chrysler was more desperate to sell vehicles then. Dunno. During the process I also had a friend that acted kind of like my representative. He thinks its fun to try to get cars as low as possible. He wouldn't let me call, but he called the sales manager relentlessly asking questions about options and financing. Honestly, I'm not sure what he told them, but the dealer even threw in the chrome gas door and mopar t-shifter for cost and installed them prior to pickup. The whole process took about 3 weeks. The whole time I was afraid they would sell my R/T out from under me!! Glad that didn't happen. Prices for the 2012 and 2013 models came down in subsequent years, I think the pricing for 2011 was kinda bloated. I think the sticker was $33,800 or something. Also, I bought the lifetime warranty from that same dealer, so they made their money off me. I've only had one problem so far, which would've been covered by the regular warranty anyway. Peace.

I'm with you, need the space for MTB and surf gear for trips. Never did test drive a Charger although I really like them. For the same amenities, does the Charger cost more? I feel like I got a lot for my $$ with the Journey. Only paid $26,800 for my 2011 R/T with no trade. I have been happy with the 6 speed tranny. Seems to shift fine for me. Wish I could change the computer to react to throttle input more quickly, but it is a CUV with family hauling, cargo space, and gas mileage in mind. Once I get the Journey in its power band above 3500, it has lots of power. Peace.

Downshifting is fine, IMHO. Brakes are cheaper than transmissions though. Downshifting does tax the transmission. I tend to coast to stops when possible. Saves gas, brakes, and allows the tranny to downshift at normal shift points. Peace.

I'd take it to the dealer. I have the 8.4 Alpine system and I can go all the way to 35 without distortion. Different system I know, but you should be able to approach 35 on the 4.3 without distortion. Some say the Alpine is not loud enough, but its fine for me. Good Luck. Maybe stay with an mp3 player. Peace.

There may be a way. I don't know how. The easiest way is probably to just set up a new account keeping everything the same except your username. Peace.

Not sure. Have you tried an iPod or other mp3 player? I would. Also try another USB memory unit. Maybe it is something with its software. How do CDs sound? Or the radio? If they "distort" then I would blame the system in some capacity. I think you ultimately have to do some testing and come up with a theory about the problem. If you are not satisfied, take it back to your service folks. Good luck. Report back. There are helpful folks here. Peace.

Its a seat. Why should you have to worry about where your legs rub? Its a seat. Dodge and any reputable service center should have no problems recognizing that the leather is simply wearing prematurely. Especially if you paid extra for some factory protectant! I have a hard time believing that Dodge will not warranty this after 3 weeks. After 3 years, I can see some discussion, but 3 weeks? C'mon. Take it in and state your case. Maybe skip the protectant this time. I have a gut feeling that's the problem. Good Luck. Peace.

I didn't even know leather could "chip". Weird. Dodge should definitely warranty that. I'd go completely nuts if they tried to weasle out of it! 3 weeks?!? Peace.

I agree. While the forester is a good vehicle overall. It came in second in my contest for which vehicle I bought in 2011 beating nissan, chevy, ford, toyota, mazda, and kia. For more money you got a really good AWD system and an almost guaranteed head gasket failure by 125K miles. Overall, I like the forester (I only considered the turbo) but the interior, fit and finish, and boxy styling were not as appealing as the DJ. I almost bought a forester, but in the end I saved money on the DJ and gained in so many areas. Maybe when I get my FWD DJ stuck in the snow, I'll wish I went with the forester B) Luckily, my 4x4 dakota is my daily driver, esp. in winter. Peace.

I suspect it is the transmission becoming momentarily confused about where to shift. The ECM knows you have input on the accelerator but the vehicle is still slowing down. My Dakota does this quite often. I have not noticed this with my DJ, but it is mostly a travel vehicle that sees only about 20% town driving. I know there is transmission RRT. Enquire at your next service or maintenance visit. If you don't hear loud noises, experience crappy shifting, or it is not getting worse, I suspect it is a software issue. Only a service tech can tell you for sure though. Good luck. Peace.

While your problem certainly sounds like a combo of software and hardware issues, have you checked the compass setting to make sure that is not adding to your problem? I know that my DJ compass setting had been reset to factory settings after a software update and my directions were all wrong. While I think your problem is more involved, I would check the compass setting if you have not already done so. Also, not sure what a TGM module is, but I would also have them check the GPS antenna or whatever controls the communication of your position to the unconnect NAV computer if that has not already been done. I'm really not sure how these systems actually work, but that's why there are dodge service folks. Keep taking it back for service until it works to your satisfaction. I think many dealers rely on the fact that some customers just give up on problems and then just live with them. Good Luck. Peace.