bramfrank

The only item that goes out of warranty when you swap the radio is the radio itself - and, of course you always have the original, if necessary that you can revert to. If your dealer is friendly he might even warranty the Nav radio, given appropriate incentives. The backup camera would carry a one year warranty if you have the dealer wire it in. Just so you know.

Since the Journey is a Dodge line product, that reference to the rear drive most likely is wrong and the Fiat/Dodge FWD platform announcement matches what we'd heard already

To answer the question you actually asked, the answer is no. I personally would not use a cell phone as a navigator - the display is non-optimal and the apps not as good as a dedicated Garmin would be (TomTom is better for nav in Europe, by the way). But I decided to swap out my RE2 (non nav 8.2" display radio) for the RB5 - it was worth it for me and I'm not overly concerned with reports that some people have had reliability issues with that radio model. I haven't and presumably 99% of the other DJ, 300 and Dodge Charger owners who have this model haven't either.

As you know if you've been through the entire thread, you need a sun sensor and you need the automatic headlight switch. Reports imply that the connector for the sun sensor is hidden somewhere under the dash, above the steering column (behind the instruments?) and that it is hard to get to. You'll need to knock out the filler panel, plug in and mount the sun sensor and the switch and get the dealer to flash the code for the automatic headlights and it should just work . . . . I just decided to get a new DJ - and the dealer made it easy for me.

I went through this when I got my '11. Your dealer has nothing from the manufacturer. The OEM BT add-on does not work for the new generation DJs - you are stuck with buying an aftermarket, external BT device - my vehicle didn't have NAV, so for me it was a no-brainer. I got a Garmin unit with a built-in speakerphone. There are lots of stand-alone BT adapters on the market.

As one of those people who added both the backup camera and upgraded my 8.2 to Navigation, I will say that there are benefits to both. Yes, some people have been reporting issues with their Nav-equipped radios, but considering how many units they have out there, if 30 or so people have come here for information and to report their problems, consider that there are at least 25,000 or more people with nav-equipped Journeys (not to mention that they use the same radio in the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Challenger) who have NOT had problems. In my case I used to have a Garmin Bluetooth equipped navigator in my 2011 unit . . . I had it mounted above the rear-view mirror and it worked out well for me. But the current vehicle has an overhead console which prevents me from mounting the unit 'on high' and I REALLY did not like the unit sitting on the dash and I tried using my phone, but it meant killing the battery because it always needed to be plugged in so I could actually use the phone for a whole day when out of the vehicle - so I shopped and purchased the RE5 and popped it into the dash myself. It works just fine and, in the event that it does die, I suppose I can always pop the original non-nav unit in and look for another if I'm so inclined and/or can't get my dealer to help me out by making a claim in my behalf, and assuming I can't get it repaired at a reasonable cost as a last resort (there is a place in Florida that does repairs on these). The backup cam is extremely useful, though you need to remember to look around, and not only at the screen - you also need to wipe off the lens periodically, because road grime gets sprayed onto the back of the vehicle when driving in the wet. It would have been best if FCA had decided to leave the camera live after switching out of reverse and until the vehicle was put into drive or Park, but I guess you can't have everything. I bought the OEM kit from a Dodge dealer on eBay and did the installation myself - it took less than 4 hours. You will need to get the feature enabled by your dealer who may charge as much as an hour for the privilege - so I let them make the final connections to the back of the radio and to the vehicle's power as part of that one hour charge (if you decide to install it yourself I suggest you not bother extending the power connection to the front of the vehicle, but rather pull the 2 power conductors out of the wiring harness and make the connection at the rear power outlet). The dealer included making the connections in the one hour price for the programming and by making the connection they wind up being responsible in case they mess up the connection AND it seems that OEM accessories carry a one year warranty in they are installed by the dealer - and my work order does say 'to connect and activate', so should it come to pass that there is a problem before the year is up I can probably make a claim. Whatever your decision, enjoy your DJ.

I assume that the dealer gave you a warranty . . . otherwise I'd suggest trying another dealer. Why not ask your dealer to call FCA support?

On the one hand I am not sorry to see Dee go - she's been a drama queen since day one - some people just do it to themselves. Then again, I recall that she had issues with simple things, like reading the manual. Now, assuming that her profile is right and she really has an SE, then she has the small engine. The 6 is not available in the SE. And as to why she wouldn't let her brother drive the vehicle? It got good marks on crash tests, but even if it hadn't, the idea is not to hit someone in an offset crash on a 2 lane highway. But that inconsistency on the model/engine combination tends to cast a shadow over her complaints Let me see, I get about 20 MPG in mixed driving with my V6, but dhh3, mine doesn't easily 'break' free, even when I drive in what my Kawasaki manual used to call a 'spirited manner' unless I'm on a gravel covered road. As to her issue with roadside assistance? NO ONE would dispatch a service vehicle just to tighten the tire winch without a charge - not Dodge, not whatever roadside plan she has. Hopefully, since she got stranded lying on the ground a passing motorist helped her up and then did the winch up for her. I am in Canada and our vehicles tend to come with more basic equipment for any given model than the US variant. I went from a 2011 SE Plus that I paid C$19,200 for to a 2014 Crossroad that cost me on the order of $24K after discounts (MSRP was $32K) and I got $9K in trade (all numbers are Canadian dollars) - in the price the dealer also included a full set of winter wheels/snow tires and the overpriced-in-Canada 7 year/115,000 Km extended bumper to bumper, zero deductible extended warranty. Equipment-wise, my Crossroad came with the 6 cylinder, is front wheel drive and has heated leather seats, the 8" display (I swapped the radio for one with navigation and I added the backup camera), power seat on the driver's side, auto air, auto headlights, the AC power socket, auto up/down windows on both sides plus whatever else it comes with up here (if you really want to know what the differences are you need to go to the Dodge US and Canadian sites and compare the vehicles). As to problems? I had a leak from the valve cover on the '11 and nothing at all on the current vehicle beyond a flat tire due to a nail.

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.

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.

The camera is fairly low resolution, it is a straight composite NTSC video feed. It might be able to display sharper video, but the camera itself is one of those $5 Chinese things that FCA had fitted into the plate that holds the hatch handle, unlock button and license plate lights - it is adequate, but if you plan on using it to look to see if you dropped a pin, you are going to have get out and check for yourself. If you want to see a great backup camera check out the Tesla - it has a full HD camera. Also, my brother just got an all dressed Lincoln MKC with every conceivable feature (for what he paid I could pretty much have bought 3 Crossroads, but it is his money to spend) and the infotainment system is extremely high res, as is the backup cam - they even project the Lincoln logo on the ground when you open the door!!! Very plush.

Correct. Without Auto Headlights you don't get headlights with wipers . . . . But you have a Crossroad . . . in Canada there's a long list of standard features above the SXT, but I know that, for example the Canadian SE has more stuff in it than the US version - and I also know that you can buy a Crossroad with a 4 cylinder engine in the US, but not in Canada. So, beyond the platinum accents and 19" blacked out rims, what DO you get for your money in the US on a Crossroad?

So . . . . not any Journeys.

Horse manure - if the positive cable isn't connected to the battery and touches the chassis it is no different than if the negative cable is disconnected and touches the battery positive terminal. In the olden days that wanted you to connect the positive lead of a booster cable to the battery positive and the negative to the chassis ground point as the second point of contact so that any battery fumes floating around the battery wouldn't be ignited by a spark. But the electrons really don't care whether the positive or the negative is disconnected - you end up with the same inrush current when you reconnect things.

Don't buy an aftermarket warranty - they are a rip-off, full of exclusions and loopholes. If you could buy an OEM one (in all likelihood you can't buy the new vehicle ones, but they offer some for used vehicles) . . . here is a link to the brochure: http://www.chryslercanada.ca/owners/en/pdf/CPOVEnglish.pdf

It shouldn't make a difference which battery terminal you disconnect, so long as the vehicle isn't running when you disconnect it.

Mave - that sounds like a clockspring issue . . . .

Or, the volume on the music source is set lower now than it was on the old radio . . . . . .

The first and most important thing is to figure out WHY it overheated in the first place, because it shouldn't have. And then you need to verify the radiator and heater cores aren't blocked and to get the cooling system properly pressure tested.

dhh3 knows whereof he speaks. I saw the title and was going to comment that uConnect no longer means Bluetooth and that ALL Journeys have uConnect . . . . . . but before the 2011 came out it meant something different.

Generally no. But if you don't have automatic air conditioning you will need to replace the temperature sensor module and what is called the lower stack (the controls for the air conditioning - you need the one with the 'auto' button. If you don't have a SiriusXM radio and want that or Navigation you will need to install the antenna assembly. If you don't have Bluetooth you still won't have it.

Please enlighten me. What section is likely to have people with broken radios that are under warranty looking for help?

The old one went off every 6 months or about 6,000 km. When I hit 7K on the new one and nothing happened I went in I gave in and had the oil changed - in my opinion especially important that the first change be done to flush out any filings that may be clogging the filter or just floating around.

I'm still looking for someone in the Montreal area with this problem that I can meet with to try something . . .

I suggest you get a second opinion, then look for scrap yards or vehicle breakers if you really need a new engine. From what I'm seeing on eBay, you can replace the entire vehicle for less than what the dealer wants for a new motor.