Journeyman425

And yet again... 18 year old girl blew a red light as my wife was leaving work. No one was injured. I think the car is repairable but won't know for a few days. I guess I don't have to worry about the crack in the rear fascia anymore...

No, we don't have a bodyshop at my store. But there is a very reputable shop nearby with whom we do a lot of business with. They repaired my front fascia last year when it was hit the first time and matched it perfectly. I trust them completely to take care of it.

I called the lady who hit us today (they were away for a few days) and explained that I partially repaired the fascia myself and by doing so would lower the cost of the repair. She was very appreciative and nice about it and agreed to pay the estimate that was given to me by my bodyshop. Probably will get it in after Christmas - it's just too busy of a time right now.

Time for some pictures!

Well, it happened again. Nailed in a parking lot - this time the rear bumper fascia. Not as bad as when it got hit in the front. The lady who hit the car found my wife and gave her all the insurance info and a number to call her. I thanked her for her honesty. I was able to push the fascia back in where it popped out on the passenger side rear quarter, and on the corner just below the taillamp. There is a crack in the recess where the reflector resides in the corner of the fascia and a couple of marks on the cover. Not bad. Hoping to have it in the bodyshop before Christmas so I can forget that it ever happened!

I agree there too. If I had to do it again, I would be tempted to go with AWD. We skipped it because we've never had any problems negotiating our flat terrain here with FWD and traction control. But, in hilly terrain or where your own driveway may be steep, I could see the value in it for sure - for the added peace of mind alone. With 30,000 miles on our Journey, I have seen a number of times where on hard acceleration on dry pavement, the front end picks up and there is torque steer and some wheelspin. The AWD system not only responds to wheelspin, but anticipates the potential for it by measuring throttle angle vs. vehicle speed and applying some power to the rear before the front loses traction. Now that is something that I see some real value in and could add to the fun-to-drive factor. My 300M does not exhibit this trait due to its equal length axle shafts, lower torque output and taller first gear ratio. I assumed the Journey would respond in a similar way but I was wrong.

Way to go! As long as you're not being unreasonable in your negotiations (and you are not) a dealer will come back to you on your terms to get another car down the road. Congratulations and post some pictures when you take delivery.

Sweet!

Man, is that ever true! When 4WD/AWD really began to get popular in the early 2000's, there was always that one driver with his invincibility factor flying high as he went screaming past us in a snowstorm. We would then come upon this idiot a couple of miles down the road, in the median, or a ditch, in the guardrail...you get the idea. These people would regard the 4WD switch/lever as an anti-Issac Newton device...only to receive yet another high-school physics lesson courtesy of the above-mentioned guardrail.

Not sure if it is the spring rates or shock rates that differ. I think it is just the shock rates. AWD Journeys are fitted with Performance Suspension, presumably to handle the extra weight of the AWD system. R/T versions offer yet another level of shock damping above the Performance-spec shocks. Honestly, I can't tell the difference between an AWD Crew and my FWD in terms of ride. Our friends have a 2014 AWD R/T and that one does feel a bit stiffer over bumps and has a little less roll in turns.

Nice to hear from you, Terry - long time no see!

A whole bunch of us here, that's who! Glad you're repaired and running right - it's a great feeling to have a problem like that resolved.

My wife often stows her purse in the storage bin under the passenger front seat cushion - with a FOBIK inside her purse. Same thing happens - I'll lock the door with my FOBIK, the car sees her key on the inside and unlocks the doors and chirps the horn 3X. We have to remove the key from her purse and then it allows the car to be locked. Other than that, I am not aware of a defect causing the issue. The car will have stored diagnostic information if there is a malfunction in the system. Once, our driver door lock button became stuck down and kept locking the doors repeatedly. Must've been a grain of sand or something causing the button to stick down. I cleaned the switch and never had another problem with it. But one day I plugged into the car at work and scanned it for codes, and sure enough there was a code stored in it for the stuck switch. Get it checked out when you can - even if there is no problem found, your dealer can cover the scan under the basic warranty.

The vehicle will stay running regardless of the location of the key fob. However, if it leaves the interior it cannot be restarted unless the fob is returned to the interior, with the exception of the remote start (if equipped).

There used to be something called Vehicle Order Tracking System (VOTS) on all the Chrysler-brand websites which allowed you to track your ordered car via the VIN or the VON (Vehicle Order Number). The VOTS does not seem to exist anymore - not sure what happened - but in the meantime, post or PM the last eight digits of your VIN (if you have it) or the VON and I'll check it for you.

Good to hear from you and glad things are going well. Life with a DJ is good!

You know, Ray - I was thinking just today how we haven't heard a peep from you since you took delivery. Thinking that you were just having way too much fun driving your new Crossroad to be posting here on the DJ Forum. Beautiful car! Aren't you just a little bit more proud of your engineering peers at Chrysler after having spent some time behind the wheel of this wonderful car? Dhh3 - the DJ is designated by Chrysler as a Crossover as it is built off of a passenger car platform. You and bigtsr are correct.

Has your Check Engine light illuminated? has this condition happened again since that day? Does the engine buck or hesitate while driving? If the engine stalled for no apparent reason, there should be diagnostic codes stored which would tell a technician why or at least point them in the right direction.

PM the last eight digits of your VIN and approx. mileage and I'll confirm whether or not your DJ was built with Trailer Tow Prep.

PM the last eight digits of your VIN and the mileage to me and I'll see if it came equipped with Trailer Tow Prep. I've seen the engine oil cooler listed in the equipment even on those without the TTP.

There is a vent restriction somewhere between the tank and the filler neck where the gas cap is secured. I've seen numerous instances where spiders nest in these lines and their webs block the evap lines and cause this problem. Take it to your dealer and have then clear the evap lines with compressed air first. If that does not solve the problem, then the rollover valve at the top of the fuel tank has become stuck closed and won't allow the fuel to enter the tank properly. If that is the case then the fuel tank will have to be replaced. It's a warrantable repair either way.

The wiring harness is shipped with the vehicle from the factory. Mine was in a bag along with the floor mats, front license plate bracket and the four center caps for the wheels. Journeys are not available with a hitch receiver installed at the factory - it is added either at the dealership or by the owner after delivery. If the dealership installs the hitch receiver, then the wiring is connected to the existing factory installed wiring harness which terminates near the spare tire, and then is routed behind the rear fascia and finally to the plug bracket on the hitch receiver. If no receiver is installed, the harness is supplied to the customer at delivery.

Even though the car may have come with Trailer Tow Prep from the factory, the power to the wiring is not enabled from the factory. In most cases, customers return to the dealership to have the hitch installed, at which point the wiring is connected and then enabled. Adding the correct sales code and reconfiguring the vehicle to see the new code is included in the labor for the hitch installation. If a customer installs the hitch and wiring themselves, their selling dealer should add the code and reconfigure the vehicle at no charge (the process takes ten minutes to complete). If she were to return to another dealership for the reconfig, only then I would expect a small charge to be levied.

Thank you, Ray. Your words are too kind indeed! I love my DJ and my position at the dealership gives me access to factual information that I feel can be helpful and should be shared. Thank YOU for all of your services at Chrysler Engineering. I bet a lot of us here on the Board have benefitted in some way from your contributions over the years, too. Enjoy tomorrow!

That's great news, Ray - my tracking page still shows delivery to you dealer as tomorrow. Merry Christmas! Post pictures please!