bramfrank

All Journeys starting with the 2011 model have the keyless entry and start system. It is not for the dealer to explain the entire vehicle, including troubleshooting techniques to the buyer but rather just to show them the highlights. The buyer is directed to read the manual in order to get acquainted with the fine details of how things are operated, what maintenance to perform, what the various values are for such things like tire pressure and what to do when something out of the ordinary happens . . . . you'd think that this would be obvious, especially considering that a vehicle is the most, or second most expensive acquisition of their lives for the vast majority of owners, When I ran the tech support group for a high tech manufacturer the most-often-reported problem was realated to RTFM - Read The F*cking Manual - calls from people too lazy to read their manuals. I could have reduced my call centre staffing by 60 or so people based on that alone - the load dropped significantly when we started taking credit card authorisations at the start of a call and explained that the call would be free of charge if the issue wasn't covered in the manual, but that it would be billable based on time expended if it was. Cisco does that too these days.

No warranty, I presume? That is a bummer, and a great reason to buy an extended warranty while you can. You may only need to have the car's profile restored - the sales code for the Bluetooth may have somehow become inactive.

So how did you get home? You should have started by reading the manual. In it you'll read that if the fob doesn't work, there is a passive component inside that is detected when you use the plastic end of the fob to push the starter pushbutton . . . . if that doesn't work, then you are calling for roadside assistance. From the manual:

It also depends on how the local roads are constructed. Some, like 'chip and seal' are murder on tires.

My 2014 also sometimes thinks the FOB is in the vehicle even after I've walked away - at least it lets me know with those annoying horn blasts and I can press the lock button. I'd like to get that fixed because it never happened with my 2011 and it is extremely annoying. However for the topic at hand, the OP's dealer needs a lesson on common sense, since logically both FOBS can't go bad at the same. It can only be something common to the two remotes - and that would be the vehicle's FOB receiver, which is located above the headliner in the left rear corner of the vehicle, or it's associated wiring. And, since a receiver replacement necessitates replacing the FOBs as well (you can't reprogram the FOBs once they are mated to a receiver), if you don't already have it, and considering that it is a function of the receiver that they are about to change in any case you just might want to ask how much extra they might charge to put in the remote start version of the receiver (the function is implemented in that module) and enable it with the appropriate sales code. After all it is very cold this year up here in Canada and having remote start might be a good thing to have. Lastly, if you plan to hang on to the vehicle you might also want to consider buying an extended warranty from Chrysler (DO NOT BUY AFTERMARKET), since, as you have been experiencing, troubleshooting these electronic problems can be hit or miss, with the dealers having a less than stellar record of hits and they expect YOU to pay for the misses.

Well, that car is destined for the scrap heap, so why shouldn't he strip some value from it?

I have yet to lose money on an extended warranty. I have either recouped the cost when selling the vehicle with an unexpired warranty or, if I've held on to the vehicle long enough, always needed something expensive (usually a new transmission - in one case a new engine block) and that more than offset the cost of the repair.

Glad to hear you are OK. Did you have an RB5 nav radio in it? Want to sell it? PM me.

Well, the saga continues and I have a new question; Is there a difference between the various RB5 radios? Can I drop one from a Charger or a 300, Dart or whatever into the Journey without compromise?

E85 isn't a panacea anyway . . . sure, it costs less, but you also get to go a lot fewer miles per tank. Mixing ethanol and gasoline has always been about pumping up the demand for corn.

I'm not about to get out the manual, but from what you've quoted it seems clear enough to me; At 64K you check the fluid for level and color. At 120K you drain, flush, replace filters and refill. Same story for coolant; check at 80K, flush and fill at 5 years or 104K miles. Of course nothing prevents you from doing these maintenance procedures more often - a clean engine is a happy engine.

Proximity fob was introduced with the 2011 model year.

That's probably why they took it out - if they can save a couple of bucks per vehicle in exchange for a relatively low cost modification it translates into pretty big numbers over a hundred thousand or more units.

I had a triple bypass (my brother had a quad when he was a year younger than I was when I had mine as did my father, who lived independently until the age of 93 - and drove, much to the chagrin of the residents near his apartment, until a few months before he passed away) - I was on BP meds since the operation, but came off them in May of last year and they have been well within 'normal' ever since. 'Normal' is not an absolute and 'high' does not mean that you will get diabetes or stroke out or have a massive heart attack. I'm no lightweight, and I don't exactly follow a vegan diet (I eat lots of protein, limited carbs and consume too much salt) yet my BP is perfectly normal and with the exception of cholesterol (for which I take a minimum dose of statins) all of my blood chemistry is spot on. As mentioned previously, it is more about genetics and stress than anything else, which is why top athletes sometimes drop dead in the middle of their peak years. Oh - and like tire pressure readings, the proper way to test BP is be fully cooled down. You are supposed to sit upright with your feet flat on the floor, fully resting - your pressure cuff should be on your bare upper arm (not through a shirt) and your forearm should likewise be flat on a table surface - you should sit that way for at least 10 minutes and then take multiple measurements over a period of time (the machine at my cardiologist's office takes 6 readings over a 15 minute period) and use the lowest. And Rolly - let your cardiologist handle the heart medication . . . He is a specialist and GPs tend to be somewhat clueless and are often out of date. Make certain that your pharmacist knows about any and all drugs that you have been prescribed - only the pharmacist has the computer that will identify potential conflicts between your meds. You will likely be put on a daily 81 mg aspirin and some BP regulator. Often HBP is accompanied by high cholesterol and may also indicate a pre-diabetic condition, so make sure you have the proper blood workups and glucose stress testing done.

There is no separate dimmer for the pocket lights as of 2012 . . . .

NAV-TV makes an adapter to let you connect a backup camera to the 4.3 inch display - but it is very pricey. Do not go with an aftermarket radio unless you don't mind losing a lot of the control over your air conditioning.

They say it's OEM Chrysler - the site has been there for years. I suggest it is probably legit. Maybe you should phone them. Watch the mileage on your unit - I seem to recall that there are surcharges to buy these plans if you have more than some number of miles or the vehicle is older than some number of months.

Have you taken it to the dealer yet?

Katzskins were offered as accessory leather seat covers for people who bought vehicles that came with cloth interiors. I have no clue who makes the OEM seat covers, but it doesn't much matter. The manual SHOULD tell you how to care for them (don't know because my manual never arrived and I haven't bothered to download the online version.

As your brother said, next time it happens turn off the traction control again - AWD and traction control are different systems . . . the TC will reduce power to the drive train when you have a wheel free-spinning. The problem is that if you are pushing the gas hard enough to spin the wheels, AWD won't really help because the power will because it will be bled to the slipping one. Key to using AWD and TC systems is to be gentle and take advantage of whatever traction you may have. And if you don't have snow tires yet, buy a set - - - -

jkeaton; I disagree with that last statement . . . when the supposedly reputable company from whom I bought my extended warranty (recommended by the CAA - Canadian equivalent of the AAA) tried to screw me on a major engine repair, they wiggled every way but the proper one, blaming everything from idling too long, to abusing the engine to using 'stop leak' and so on . . . when challenged to prove any of their variety of claims they declined, so I hired a lab and a professional to write reports and filed in court . . . . . I took them to small claims court for the $5,000 it cost me to fix the engine in my vehicle at the time plus the more that $1500 I paid for expertise and the judge, in his ruling told the representative of the company that they were 'slime' right to his face in the court room . . . strangely he took the decision into reserve and spent a month writing a long decision - but they were paying me 5% interest (the court awarded rate), so it wasn't a problem. I will never entertain a aftermarket vehicle warranty again.

af3ll - if you take anything from this thread it should be to ONLY buy a Chrysler OEM warranty and not a aftermarket. And why do I think that the plan you mentioned is aftermarket?

Too bad you can't add the code for the backup camera to my Canadian unit . . . . .

That isn't an easy retrofit - the headliner is different between the base models and the ones with the overhead console . . . it is a different design that accommodates the deeper recess above the large console, with it's mirror and storage compartment.

If you are concerned, then get an extended factory warranty that will cover you for however long you plan to own your vehicle. I wish we had OEM lifetime PT warranties available in Canada.