Journeyman425

Was the root cause of this issue ever determined? If this should ever happen to you (or anyone) again, follow this procedure first as suggested earlier before having the car towed: Keyless Ignition Node (KIN) This feature allows the driver to operate the ignition with the push of a button as long as the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is in the passenger compartment. The Keyless Ignition Node (KIN System) has four operating positions, three of which are labeled and will illuminate when in position. The three positions are: OFF, ACC, and ON/RUN. The fourth position is START. During start, ON/RUN will illuminate. NOTE:In case the ignition does not change with the push of a button, the RKE transmitter (Key Fob) may have a low or dead battery. In this situation, a back up method can be used to operate the ignition switch. Put the nose side (side opposite of the emergency key) of the Key Fob against the Engine START/STOP button and push to operate the ignition.

1) Five lbs. in one week! There are several hundred miles of road cycling in my near future if the roads ever return to a non-tundra state... 2) I only had five or six requests come in while I was gone. I did a bunch before I left but I expected the number to be closer to your estimate! 3) I rarely read all the threads, sorry to say. I respond to those that I've participated in and by the time I'm done with those responses, it's usually bedtime! My neighbors think I'm crazy if I'm not outside washing and detailing my cars!

Had a great time on the cruise with my family in the western Caribbean. Saw four Journeys on one block in Costa Maya! I shut my phone off for a week and disconnected from the world. Highly recommended! Many of us become one with our devices and forget what it is like to exist without them. After a day without it, it becomes quite easy. At the end of the week I didn't want to turn it back on! I washed the Journey today during lunch even though the temperature was below freezing because I just couldn't stand the sight of it any longer, all covered in salt. It hasn't been detailed since I got it back from the bodyshop. They did a beautiful job cleaning it for me, and within a mile of driving it was covered in salt and slush. The roads are relatively dry but covered in salt. Even driving home four miles from work, the car has salt on it already even though the roads are not wet. I cannot wait for this winter to die!

It really is a shame that you had to be treated this way. Cars and technology are evolving at breakneck speed these days and to keep up with it all is a dizzying spectre. This, coupled with the wealth of information available to us all on the Internet sometimes makes the customer more savvy than the repair facility in certain respects. Service personnel need to be open minded about these facts and listen to their customers rather than take the position that they know everything and the customer knows nothing. It is a learning experience for both parties. We as dealers have access to some proprietary information regarding the products that is not readily available to the general public. That information should be utilized to verify customer's concerns rather than to refute them, and if necessary, to dispel myths that often crop up in many of these forums so that problems can be readily resolved. There's no room for egos in this business. Hopefully you will find someone at your dealership who will empathize rather than chastise.

Hey all - I'm on vacation until Saturday the 21st - so if you need any DRL codes, don't think I'm ignoring you! See you all later!

I have dealt with many aftermarket service contract companies over the years, Some are golden and some are absolutely horrible. In my earlier days in the business, the dealership I worked for had to appear in court several times because the service contract company bailed on its comittment to the customer, finding absurd loopholes and exploiting them in an efffort to deny a claim. Others have simply asked a few pertinent questions, and issued authorization numbers for repairs with little fanfare. The trouble is, how does the average consumer know what they are buying? It can really be a game of roulette and no one really wants that. The Chrysler Service Contract is a no-fuss affair that is fully backed by the company that builds the car. Repeat business is the key to success in this industry, and satisfying the customer and standing behind the product is the easiest and most cost-effective way to earn that repeat business. If your repair is listed as covered by the contract, it gets covered with no questions asked and all you pay is the deductible. If a customer has a positive experience with a service contract (and the dealer administering the claim and the repair), chances are that they will buy another one on their next purchase - and another Chrysler product. Aftermarket warranty companies have far less incentive to satisfy their customers. Their objective is to keep as much of your investment as possible. Even though I work for a dealer, I still have to pay for repairs. I bought a Lifetime Maximum Care Service Contract for my Journey because I've seen how expensive certain repairs can be. Plus, should anything ever happen to me, my wife has peace of mind knowing that no repair bill on the car will ever cost her more than $100.00.

I added the sales code for you.

I'm starting to feel the same way. Mine's been hit three times now in a year and a half. My 14.5 year old, 298,000 mile 300M - never. But it's back to it's like-new self again, thank God. Some more driving today in calmer, more moderate weather confirmed that it was the wind causing my drift to the right and not the car. I balanced all the tire pressures too, and that helped I'm sure. There is a four-lane road near my home that's been snow-covered for a week but today it was clear, and with light traffic I shot it up to a quick 80 MPH and it felt good with no wind leaks. There are traffic lights on this road too, and I was the first one at the red light so I could nail the gas when it turned green. No strange noises, vibration or pulling other than the normal torque steer. So far, I'm very happy. If only I could clean it!!

...and what I mean by that is that they'll be a few less DRL's turned on that week! I'm not trying to flatter myself...

Well, the car is up and running. Got to put about 70 miles on it today. It seems to behave normally. No warning lights on, everything works as it should, no strange noises, no wind leaks, no vibration and the wheel is straight. I'm not sure but there may be a mild drift to the right. I noticed it more on the way home but there is a very stiff North wind today and that may be affecting it. The drift was not apparent on the way to our destination and it would have pushed the car left traveling in that direction. Tire pressures are even at all four corners. Overall, I'm very happy to have it back. I'm not sure if it's me being hyper-tuned into the car and knowing what kind of hit it took, but there *seems* to be a slight hint of difference in the way it behaves on the road. It's totally intangible; I cannot put my finger on it, and again it may very well be all in my head. I haven't driven the car in six weeks and have gotten used to the 2015 Chrysler 200 so that may be all that it is. I also really want to get the car out on the highway and run it at high speed for an extended period of time, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I'm over 20 miles from the closest major highway and don't have any road trips planned for a while. I think what bothers me the most is how dirty it is! I just want to clean and polish it until it sparkles, and I just cannot do it because it's seventeen friggin' degrees and there's more salt on the roads than on all the world's Big Macs combined! There is only one repair left. We repaired eight broken wires in the main harness, but the connector to the Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) is damaged. We repaired it temporarily but we ordered a new connector which has to be spliced in. Once that is in then I will rest knowing that the car is finally fixed. I can't say enough about the quality and professionalism of the bodyshop who repaired my DJ. Those guys are the best in the business and it was well worth the wait. The final tally was close to $11000.00. Thanks to all of you for listening to my rants for the last five and a half weeks!!

Hey Rolly - last week when I discovered that I could once again add sales code LMK, as I had my finger poised on the mouse ready to click "Post" annoucing to all that I could, I briefly considered that I would become flooded with requests to do so. There was a moments' hesitation, then "click"! It's all good; thanks for your concern. I'm on vacation in two weeks and the DJ world will be a little darker for that time!

I added the sales code for you.

What I meant was that it matches just like the original.

I added the code for you. Return your Journey to your dealer for a vehicle reconfiguration and the DRL will work.

Looky what showed up at my shop today! The bodyshop brought her to me today, Not the most flattering photo, but it's all perfectly straight and the color matches just so. It has an ABS light on and the transmission needed to be properly filled and quick-learned. A couple of weeks ago I sent a tech to their shop to replace the solenoid pack while the car was still apart. Some loss of fluid occurs with that repair and the only way to properly check and fill it is with a dealer scan tool. The ABS light is a wiring issue that we are currently repairing. Remember where the car was hit - part of the main wiring harness runs in that area. We found eight broken wires under the conduit which shows absolutely no damage on the outside. As we ohm-tested each of the wires in the harness, we pulled gently on them with the ohm-meter connected and they simply came right out from under the conduit. You would never know the harness was damaged by looking at it. Most of them have been repaired. He has about an hour or two left tomorrow and then I *should* be driving it. Keep your fingers crossed... One of the bodyshop owners drove it back to my shop. He reported that it tracks straight and the wheel is centered. When they re-assembled it, the car needed very little adjustment. It was almost in spec without any alignment but the wheel was off a touch. This tells me that structurally, the car is intact and I shouldn't have to worry about premature tire wear. I can't wait to drive it again - it's been five and a half weeks! Another bennie: About a year ago, my wife nicked a curb and put a small gouge in the left front wheel. I rotated it to the rear shortly afterward, and recently rotated it back. Well, the insurance adjuster saw that damage and assumed it was collision related, and so I also got a brand new wheel. That was the only imperfection on the car before the rear got hit... ...which, by the way, has also been repaired. The driver who hit the car two weeks before the front got smashed got her insurance involved and they repaired the rear fascia while it was there. So...cosmetically, it is back to new again. All that remains is that small paint imperfection from the factory in the lower left corner of the tailgate. At the rate I'm going, that will take care of itself the next time the car gets smashed... I'll report back after I drive it...hopefully tomorrow! No new pictures for a while because the roads are horrible and there's more snow for Monday. Yay!!

It's the damnedest thing - One day the code is gone with no explanation; a few months it's back - also with no explanation. Regina at DodgeCares here on the Forum researched my inquiry a few months back and indicated to me that Dodge had made LMK a factory-enabled code only. There must have been some backlash over its removal at other levels because it was put back as quietly as it disappeared. I happened upon it quite accidentally - a member overseas asked if I could add it for his 2015. I was skeptical but tried it anyway. Lo and behold - there it was. Curiosity got me and I started playing with 2014 VINs that I had tried just a few months back. I was able to add LMK to all of them ( and I did!)

I added the sales code for you. Call your dealer and tell them that you would like to have a vehicle restoration (also known as a reconfiguration) which will then allow the DRL to be enabled and disabled by you in the Settings menu. Let them know that the sales code LMK for DRL was added to your Options list and all they have to do is reconfigure it and they will work. The service manager or a knowledgeable service advisor should know exactly what I am talking about. Thank you for the kind words! I don't know about answering prayers, but as a dealer employee, I have access to information that many folks do not. Happy to share when I can.

It is true that for model year 2014, Sales Code LMK which enables DRL was removed from our database of codes that we can add at the dealer level. No one at Chrysler offered any explanation and it *appeared* that they were making DRL available as a factory only extra-cost option. Then last week, a member asked me if they could be enabled on his 2015 Journey so I tried it. Sure enough, the code was there for me to add. I tried a friend's 2014 VIN and it was there too, where it hadn't been months prior. I tried a couple more VINs, including yours, and they all allowed the code. Chrysler has put it back just as quietly as they removed it. Very strange. I have no explanation. On your repair order, "SLS" is an abbreviation for "Sales" as in "Sales Code". SLS itself is not a code. Your Service Advisor mildly misinterpreted the tech's notes when he/she invoiced your Repair Order, that's all. LMK is the Sales Code which enables DRL. I'm glad they work!

Still waiting...this Tuesday will be five weeks! I'm about to make the second payment on it since the accident and it's still being fixed. In no way am I complaining about the bodyshop - this is a very intricate repair and I'd much rather have it fixed perfectly and wait rather than have a rush job and get it back sooner. I'm just dying to have it back, that's all. Thanks for listening. The NWS is watching a potential blizzard for my area on Tuesday and that will probably be the day I get the call...

Lloyd - the correct sales code is already attached to your options. If your DRL are not working, your dealer should perform a vehicle restoration and then try them. I assume they have been enabled on the radio screen.

It's all good, JK, and thanks for the compliments - I was just busting!

OK, folks - very strange...but it *seems* that Chrysler has quietly re-enabled the dealer's ability to add sales code LMK to the options list so that DRL will work. I just tried it tonight on three different VIN's and it is there once again. Very odd, and totally un-announced...but if you want your DRL to work, you can take it back to your dealer and have them add the code and restore the vehicle configuration to make them work

I received an inquiry from someone who claimed that LMK was ordered at the factory but the lights did not work, so I checked. No LMK code in the factory database, but lo and behold, it's back on the dealer side. I added it to his VIN. Just for giggles I rechecked your VIN and guess what? It's now there for me to add. I did just that. Take your Journey back to the dealer and have them perform a vehicle restoration and the DRL will work.

Yes, we are indeed grateful for the lack of any injury. Thanks for your concern! As for the headlamps... well, the OEM replacements are already there. Not sure if they're on the car yet but honestly, they really match the chrome grille just so.

New 2015 200. Nice looking car, decent handling, even has good power for a 2.4 since it's mated with a nine speed auto. It's just kind of benign, that's all. I'm sure the 200C and S with the 3.2 and extra options is a much more soulful car. I really miss driving the Journey. I just hope it's close to the way it was before it got smashed.