bramfrank

It isn't excessive per-se because there is the service advisor's time, the accounting group's time and the overhead of physically operating the dealership, so they have a minimum bill of a hour, presumably. As long as they can do what they promised and don't charge fully again for the second sales code, it isn't unfair IMO.

Yes, calipers changed about 2/3 of the way through the 2012 model year - the calipers and discs were made larger because of complaints about premature wear and warping on the earlier Journeys. The new calipers precluded the use of 16" wheels, which had previously been supplied on the base model vehicles. As to the Crossroad having it's own unique caliper? I don't know and can't comment, though it could be as simple as them being painted a different color.

It takes all of 15 minutes max, assuming that their Internet connection is up and running.

Assuming your dealer can actually add the DRL code they SHOULDN'T charge extra for activating the tow package code, since it is one operation for them and they supposedly are a 'time and materials' organisation. On the other hand, since I suspect that they WON'T be able to add the sales code will they reimburse YOU for YOUR time and costs involved in travelling to their facility because they had no clue and gave you bad information?

There's a piece of rubber weatherstripping that is press-fit into the curved potion of the door.

Even if it had been detected from inside your home, you'd get an alert when you eventually did drive out of range. If you'd had an aftermarket car starter they usually put in a dummy transponder to allow the car to be started and if the starter had malfunctioned it might have put the starter's transponder on line . . . . the car would start with the pushbutton in that case and you'd never get the 'missing key' alert. I suppose that there's been a glitch - if it still starts without the transponder you might consider trying to reset the vehicle by disconnecting the battery for 15 or so minutes.

Two questions: 1. Could the second fob be somewhere in the vehicle? 2. Do you have an aftermarket car starter installed?

Why wait for the dealer? Jack up the front and swap one wheel for the new one to see if there's any interference. That way you won't have to drive to the dealer and spend money with him if it doesn't.

Since the calipers on the pre-mid-2012 models were smaller, allowing the use of 16 inch rims, I suspect that if any combination would suffer interference, it would be if you tried to use the 2012 rims on a 2015 vehicle. But even so, 2late4u's advice is correct. To be 'more certain' (because the parts guy will not know for sure - all he can tell you is that the part numbers are different) you'll need to find the wheel specifications for both vehicles and compare them. Or mount up a set of wheels from the same model/year you plan on using and see what happens.

No. It was never recalled for the FOBs. As to tire wear, the Kuhmo tires that come on the vehicle from the factory are relatively soft and your local roads and driving style can also impact on their longevity. in any case you should still be covered by the 3 year warranty? If yes, you might want to consider buying an extended warranty from FCA - do not buy an aftermarket plan. Some will say that they aren't worth the cost, but with today's increasingly complex vehicles, even a simple repair can cost more than a grand.

It's a '13 . . . . . the only recalls are the beauty cover (if it's a 2.4) the power steering hoses and the one to seal up the ABS/TC module cable entry point. They don't even include the '13 in the NAV recall, even though it is equipped with the affected model of the radio.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but based on your expectations you will be trading your vehicle. Before you do, however, try out the one in your vehicle of choice.

You don't need a lawyer at all. You can't use a lawyer in small claims (at least up where I am) and besides, these courts root for the underdog. But you need to be well prepared and go to court well dressed. Like I previously wrote small claims court is the answer. But to claim from that court you need to suffer an actual loss. Start by sending FCA's warranty group a registered letter that briefly describes the problem and your dealer's attempts to remedy the situation. Do not bother with the details of the finger pointing. Point out that the work was not satisfactory and that the dealer believes that there is an underlying defect in the tailgate and that they recommend it be replaced, but that for some inexplicable reason FCA seems to be resisting this REMEDY. (Don't forget to have the 'registered mail' and 'without prejuduce' terms clearly indicated at the head of the letter. Ask them what THEIR remedy for this DEFECT might be, since the vehicle is within the basic bumper-to-bumper factory warranty and has been well treated and in fact PAMPERED. Give them 14 days to respond with their solution and say that at that point given how much time has elapsed since the DEFECT was reported to them you will have alternative but to proceed with a (Trade or Repair, whichever you decide you what to do) and to claim the amounts (trade-in loss because of the defect, or amount paid to replace and paint the tailgate) back through the courts and that given FCA's reluctance to honor their warranty and the report you have in hand from the selling dealer you are CONFIDENT that you will prevail. (Note the words in CAPITALS) These are key words for your offense. And keep copies of everything including the receipt from your registered letter (get a signature confirmation, too) Get your selling dealer to document the fact that in their opinion there is a DEFECT in the hatch that affects the paint's ability to adhere and seal the surface. Get them to provide a quotation to replace the hatch and paint it properly. You then have three options: 1. You trade in the vehicle and take the loss because of the paint, AND GET DOCUMENTATION OF THE AMOUNT DEDUCTED BECAUSE OF THE PAINT ISSUE FROM THE NEW DEALER. You then sue FCA (and possibly the dealer that did their best to paint it properly . . . . you do that for the sake of being complete. Chrysler will end up with the bill) for a total that is what you lost because of the DEFECT - don't forget to calculate taxes, and the interest you will pay on the difference if you've financed the trade. 2. You take the vehicle to a dealer (even the selling dealer) and let them fix it properly for however much it costs to repair, noting that THEY will now be responsible for that paint moving forward. You sue FCA (and the dealer) for the cost of the repair. Again, FCA will be forced to pay. 3. You do whatever, but you DON'T sue, in which case you deserve what you end up with. NOTE: In making your claim always include the term "Plus Costs" to the amount you are claiming - why should you pay the filing fees to the courts from your pocket? Let FCA add that amount to their payment. Good luck.

They're all CANBUS. Why does it matter?

Virtually every operation involving the electrical aspects of the vehicle starts off with 'disconnect the battery'. Do that and you'll be safe.

I'm going to break out a clay bar and give this a try . . . . .

A buck, delivered. Pick your favorite color: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Double-USB-Ports-Car-Power-Charger-Adapter-Auto-Charging-for-iPhone-4-5-5S-6-/321809460112?var=&hash=item4aed56ab90:m:mTgzdM3N5W23ipYHws0CmrA

I paid $800 and, while I see a couple claiming to have nav offered at $550, those are from 2013 and older units which don't support traffic. And you will quickly discover that parts places aren't really up to speed on what they have, so you may get a nav unit; you may not. One even claims to have an RB6 (nav, but no XM, which isn't sold in North America) for $650, but shows a photo of the dash, which is a 4.3, so clearly not. The one I have was tested and working. In checking Journey parts there is ONE on that site from a vehicle which SHOULD be the later model offered at $750. It can continue to sit on my shelf as a 'cold spare', as we call them in my industry.

If it survived as a rental he has nothing to worry about on that score.

bump again.

Interesting news, especially since your vehicle is 2 years old and there have been several updates issues in the intervening 2+ years since it was manufactured. Dealers tend to try and install updates from CDs (for the 4.3) or DVDs. The radio is very picky about this and USB updates tend to work MUCH better - if he was using optical media for the update your dealer might want to try copying the CD/DVD to a FAT formatted USB key and trying that way. Do you have the version numbers for the original software and the current one in your radio? If not, then you can read out the current version at least from the dealer menu (You do this by pressing the left side temperature 'up' and 'down' buttons simultaneously, along with the rear defrost button and hold them all for about 10 seconds). I realise that they may be different for Australia than for us in North America, but it would be interesting to see what versions are at play here. Of course the new radio they get may, or may not have the right firmware.

Your battery or charging system may be weird, which might explain the cold start GPS, video and radio issues. The vent? Have them replace it. That's why we have warranties. Brakes that only shake when warm? Can you tell which corner is causing the problem? Maybe a defective rotor? Not sure why it would warp out only when hot, but if it was a caliper issue it probably wouldn't let the disc(s) cool down. I've noticed that updates via the DVD player are pretty hit-or-miss and dealers do tend to do updates from DVDs, Get a good USB key and update it yourself from the uConnect web site. Has the power steering recall been done?

Were there more? This thread only involves two vehicles, one an '09 and the other an '11.

You should take your vehicle to where Vertex took his - they did all 4 of his for $1,000 . . . . so your dealer wants exactly double what he paid. Sounds to me like you should be shopping around for a better price.

It was documented as a feature in the 2011 owner's manual (called remote open window), but has since disappeared. That, of course doesn't mean anything in and of itself because they stopped documenting the seat belt minder disable procedure too and they include also descriptions of all sorts of neat things we don't get like; - power folding mirrors, - headlight washers, - rain sense wipers, - blind spot alert, - auto-dim high beams, - steering directed lights, - seat position memory. - front collision warning The remote open window feature was, I believe a function of the remote starter package, which is included in your R/T's equipment, so if it still existed, your vehicle would probably have had it. Here are the instructions, as they appeared in the 2011 owner's manual: Remote Open Window Feature This feature allows you to remotely lower both front door windows at the same time. To use this feature, press and release the UNLOCK button on the RKE transmitter and then immediately press and hold the UNLOCK button until the windows lower to the level desired or until they lower completely.