bramfrank

They limit access to the DRL sales code too, for some reason.

It's a LOT more trouble than its worth - you'd need to replace the clockspring and steering wheel, add the Handsfree module, replace the rearview mirror, run a bunch of wires and probably add a sales code. What I did with my last Journey was to buy a Garmin 3790 navigator which has Bluetooth support and voice recognition that uses a trigger phrase, rather than having to press buttons. I mounted it above the mirror (the SE+ doesn't have an overhead console) and ran the power cord down the right side pillar, connecting to power at the fuse box behind the glove box. I only needed to reduce the stereo volume and speak the trigger phrase, then give the unit the number I wanted to dial. At the end of the call I simply turned up the music again. And it gave me navigation, too.

It is an update for the navigator firmware, it is not new maps. And I suspect that your dealer wants to sell you a map update. Did uConnect tell you to update the firmware? Not all radios in the later RB5 series were flagged. And did you update the underlying radio firmware to 16.21.D7 first? It doesn't bring anything significant to the table, by the way. Don't bother spending money to fix something that isn't broken.

It turns out that it isn't simple for me. I checked with my dealer, who was confused, and then with the one closest to my home who was helpful. It turns out that because I'm in Canada the RSM code is presently unavailable for assignment, so not yet. I have started a dialog with FCA who were unaware that Travel Link is available up here, but now I only want it as a goal, rather than actually want it as a service because the suite offered for Travel Link users in Canada does not include fuel prices and movie listings, making it a lot less attractive than in the US . . . . besides, of course all that information and a whole lot more is on my phone, so if they won't enable the code it's no big deal (for me, but I still enjoy the challenge), though I still wonder why they designed it the way they did. There's no good reason to need a code for this in the first place. But they told me that US dealers CAN add the code locally, or if you are so inclined and perhaps know someone you can have the code added to your vehicle profile by them (or FCA can add it too) and then simply visit your dealer and have your vehicle profile 'refreshed' (which should save you some money) - I do believe that we have a member here that can add that code if asked nicely, by the way. And now we know even more than we did. . . . OTHER INTERESTING INFORMATION I DISCOVERED: In my conversations I did find out why traffic services appear on some vehicles every so often, even when they don't have a subscription. I was told that: 4 times per year SiriusXM has a preview weekend where they open up their network to all radios, subscribed or not. So during those periods you'd have access to all of the channels (which you'd likely never notice if you don't already have a subscription because you wouldn't be likely to be listening to the sat radio, and even then, it would be tuned to the preview channel because that's where it would default to if you have no subscription), and you'd get traffic, which you might notice (or not, unless you actually notice the green circle or are actively navigating through congestion . . . on a weekend) and you'd have access to Travel Link if you are in the US and again, you'd need to be looking at it (of course vehicles with transplanted radios and no RSM sales code (which includes all Canadian Journey owners) would never see the Travel Link feature the way things are). IMO preview weekends would probably be a lot more effective if they promoted them, rather than simply hoping we'd stumble across one or their web page. Apparently there's a radio preview event on until tomorrow (Feb 10) by the way: . http://www.siriusxm.com/servlet/Satellite?c=SXM_PageDetail_C&childpagename=SXM/SXM_PageDetail_C/OpenContent&cid=1293938572233&pagename=SXM/Wrapper .

Note that with 80K+ miles, unless it has an extended warranty it only has power train coverage. The power steering is not part of that.

That 'certain VINs' argument is predicated on the fact that there was no reason to recall vehicles located where it doesn't get cold enough tp cause the power steering fluid to get thick enough to allow pressure to build to the burst point - that's THEIR problem, and THEIR decision to cheap out, not yours. What if you decided to drive up to Montana from Florida during the winter and their design defect caused the hose to burst . . . they would charge YOU, but not someone who lives there? That's called prejudice. As you've proved by doing it, people DO move around and they take their vehicles with them when they do. You have every right as a consumer to expect your vehicle to be reliable no matter where in the US (or Canada) you live. There is no prohibition or warning in the owners manuals against moving and it isn't as if you shipped the vehicle to Antarctica - Alaska is part of the US and the factory coverage does not exclude that state, so as such their corporate obligations extend to your vehicle. Then, of course there's the fact that this has failed a number of times for you . . . . . Call them back and explain to the call center dweeb WHY they limited the recall to 'certain VINs' and PLEASANTLY INSIST that they repair the vehicle, that they educate the local dealer on what the warranty terms are and that the refund you every penny paid to date for any service that SHOULD have been covered by the factory but wasn't, including those burst power steering hoses. Get a supervisor on the phone, because the first level is limited to reading from the script and you can be certain that there's nothing in the book that includes the phrase 'we f*cked up, sorry'. I'd explain that if they don't you will be starting the process with the courts and that not only will they lose, but that it will cost them more in cash than what you are out of pocket (that story about your GF losing her job may get you some extra $$$ too). And if they continue to refuse . . . . follow though and DO IT. These corporations base their decisions on the fact that fewer than 1% of the people will actually take the issue to the conclusion - insurance companies are the worst, but car manufacturers aren't far behind. Persistence will get you the compensation you deserve. In the end one unsatisfied client undoes the goodwill of a hundred satisfied ones (likely a lot more in this era of social media). I've sent a PM to dodgecares, who is a corporate representative that sticks his/her head in here from time to time. Maybe they can kick some sense into the idiots at headquarters.

In my opinion, as a lay person, I see this as a human factors issue, not a vehicle one. There's a fix for vehicles in cold weather environments that being supplied at no cost to owners and it is being denied to you. I'd like to address the issues you reported: 1. I hope you pointed out the inconsistency of the dealer's response. I also hope that you asked the company to reimburse you for your costs to date and for the cost to put the proper hose on once and for all. 2. I hope you asked to speak to a supervisor. If not, it is high time you did. 3. If you still hit the brick wall it will be time to send a registered letter to both the local dealer and to the customer service group putting them on notice that if they don't step up, that your next step will be to have the vehicle repaired to their standards and to use their own recall documentation as the basis for a claim in local small claims court - AND FOLLOW UP - use the 2009 thing as an indication of bad faith, by the way. I can't believe that you won't find a judge in Alaskan small claims court not sympathetic to your situation, which essentially is that you bought a domestic vehicle improperly designed for environmental conditions experienced within the US, recognised by the manufacturer through it's recall and that remedy denied. Claim every penny you laid out - you can also ask for damages (keep it reasonable), but small claims courts aren't likely to award any.

Great news. Thank you so very much for following up. Makes you wonder why they need this at all, since it is a VERY simple matter to enable the feature based on the subscription status. Note that the dealer can add the code on the spot. You don't need to involve Customer Care for this OR the camera sales code. In any case I know what my first stop will be in the morning.

You have no choice but to let the dealer put the OEM one in since it involves replacing a module that must be flashed before the vehicle can be driven. But even so if I was going to install a starter I'd buy the OEM one. No finger pointing in the event of problems.

Why not call FCA customer support directly? After all the vehicle was never sold with the proviso that it never leave the original sales territory and this is a design defect that was subject to a recall. I believe that you can also claim back the money back that you've paid to fix this issue . . . . Their number: 800-423-6343

I don't have the 'more' icon either and back then I simply assumed it was because it was not offered up here and was part of the radio configuration. They originally told me I couldn't get TravelLink because I'm in Canada - but according to their web site it is now available up here (traffic too) in Canada, and they offer services where I live. So THAT isn't it. Clearly, since we all use the same firmware no matter where we are in the world it isn't that. So it MUST be a configuration issue. The obvious question would be to ask how to enable it. And neither of the two RB5 radios I own displays the '+' sign when installed in my Crossroad. The obvious place to ask would be support at the uConnect web site, however they will not support a transplanted radio . . . . . so perhaps the next step is to contact them and use the VIN of the vehicle your radio came from as the reference. If you do, PLEASE come back here and let us all know what they had to say. Good luck.

If the vehicle is a 2nd generation Journey and doesn't have factory Bluetooth it won't have the buttons for it and while one MIGHT be able to add them and the Bluetooth module, I've never heard of anyone doing it successfully. The F&I guy was probably offering something different than the factory system. What I did for my 2011 was to get a Garmin 3790 navigator which has voice recognition. I mounted it above the rear view mirror and ran the power cord down the right side roof pillar and wired it to the fuse block. Because that model uses a spoken phrase to activate the voice command, the only thing I usually needed to do was to reduce the volume on the radio.

Press and hold both of the driver side temperature up and down buttons and the front defrost button together for about 10 seconds, then follow the menus.

Have you checked the radio to see if it reflects your subscription expectations by checking the dealer menu?

Perhaps the '+' sign requires both a US country code AND a TraveLink subscription? I know that my radio was subscribed to TL, but never displayed the option and I just assumed it was the country code. As to the traffic circle, assuming that have a active traffic subscription, do you have traffic enabled in the relevant menu in the navigator? If the feature is enabled then you likely do not have the subscription (or you don't have a 3rd generation radio, which is not the case if your navigator runs version CTP15).

What firmware version is the navigator running? You can see it while the navigator is starting up - it begins with CTP . . . . . . Is yours a Canadian vehicle? I ask because if the vehicle's BCM country code is Canada you will get a 'settings' icon rather than 'more' and no access to TraveLink. Though again, this is version dependent.

You won't see traffic unless you have an active subscription for it - it appears on the upper left corner of the map as a colored circle. TraveLink is accessed through the '+' (more) icon on the lower right side of the screen. This is detailed in the documentation. To check your Sirius subscriptions access the dealer menu (You do this by pressing the driver side temperature 'up' and 'down' buttons simultaneously, along with the front defrost button and hold them all for about 10 seconds). Note that the 'Traffic' entry in that list is NOT for the Garmin traffic service, but for a useless set of Sirius channels where you can select from a list of major cities and an announcer continuously reads out the traffic. The only indicator that Garmin traffic is active is that colored circle.

It is indeed possible, but you should search the forum for details because there are some issues to consider.

There's a stud extending from the bezel into the hatch. You need to remove the interior trim from the hatch and use a nut driver to release the stud.

To be offered relevant firmware updates you need to use the donor VIN. For map updates you need the VIN from your vehicle.

For what it's worth I think you made the right decision in skipping the salvage vehicle. But adding OEM Bluetooth is . . . . . difficult. What I did with my last DJ was to buy a Garmin unit that had Bluetooth and I installed it with the power cable routed through the headliner, down the right side roof pillar to the fuse box behind the glove box. That have me navigation with traffic and Bluetooth - and because the unit I had (a 3790) had voice recognition, there was no real need to ever touch the unit - I spoke the activation phrase and went from there. The only drawback was that I had to manually mute the radio to make a phone call.

The fix is simple enough; wire 5 watt 8 ohm resistors across the speaker lines (which is a common value though I believe the factory speakers may be even lower impedance) and the radio will think it has speakers connected.

Yes, assuming that they both have the same size screens attached.

I'm not sure you'd want to, but the answer is 'no' in any case. You *might* be able to upgrade to the REN, which was the Nav radio for the earlier models, but I've no experience with the 1st gen Journeys so I don't know whether you can or not.

It isn't even auto-connect, they are infrared. Are there batteries in the headsets? Make the dealer demonstrate them working.