tstone Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Hello, bought a 2011 Journey Express last week with the 3rd row and the upgraded front seats. Traded in a '03 Intrepid with 231,000 miles, all-original drivetrain. I never had to send it to the shop after the warranty expired; I was able to do all the work on it myself. Kinda sad to see it go but a bunch of small problems were compounding and the driver seat had the Detroit lean to the left side, which got painful. However the drivetrain still ran smooth and strong and with some TLC + Mobil 1 oil, I'm sure it could make it to 300,000. Anyway I'm hoping this new Dodge lasts as long, or at least 9 or 10 years if it doesn't go the distance. The 2.4L + 4 speed seems like it should be a rock-solid combination and it might squeeze out 1-2 extra mpg. The power seems completely adequate for running around town or cruising on the highway at 75 mph. The '11 Journey is such a dramatic improvement from the '10. It reminds me of the Intrepid in that it feels like it should've cost more than what I bought it for. I'm hoping this is a good sign again. Anyway this site looks like it has some potential. Hopefully when these cars get older people will publicize where the problem areas are so we know what to maintain or look out for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhilts Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hello, bought a 2011 Journey Express last week with the 3rd row and the upgraded front seats. Traded in a '03 Intrepid with 231,000 miles, all-original drivetrain. I never had to send it to the shop after the warranty expired; I was able to do all the work on it myself. Kinda sad to see it go but a bunch of small problems were compounding and the driver seat had the Detroit lean to the left side, which got painful. However the drivetrain still ran smooth and strong and with some TLC + Mobil 1 oil, I'm sure it could make it to 300,000. Anyway I'm hoping this new Dodge lasts as long, or at least 9 or 10 years if it doesn't go the distance. The 2.4L + 4 speed seems like it should be a rock-solid combination and it might squeeze out 1-2 extra mpg. The power seems completely adequate for running around town or cruising on the highway at 75 mph. The '11 Journey is such a dramatic improvement from the '10. It reminds me of the Intrepid in that it feels like it should've cost more than what I bought it for. I'm hoping this is a good sign again. Anyway this site looks like it has some potential. Hopefully when these cars get older people will publicize where the problem areas are so we know what to maintain or look out for. Funny, just went to a 2011 Journey LUX from a '00 Intrepid myself. Only had about 150k KM on the Intrepid though (about 90k miles). Never had a problem with it. I had a 3.2l though, I heard the 2.7l engines were terrible. Which engine did you have in yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tstone Posted August 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Actually I had the 2.7L V6. I think the sludge problems were solved for the 2003+ years. I still believe synthetic oil from day 1 was the key, and should've been a requirement. I put in Mobil 1 and changed it every 6k with a filter+top-off halfway through during the warranty period (70k). Then once it expired I switched back & forth with Wal-Mart Supertech synthetic on 9-10k intervals with a filter/top-off also halfway through. I also used the Supertech Wal-Mart filters the whole time. I also used Mopar brand orange coolant for top offs and once when the bleeder valve assembly blew off one day driving home (around 80k). I understand there were some water pump problems with this engine and I had a feeling using any other coolant may have contributed to them. But aside from that one blow-out, the 2.7L ran flawlessly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 Hello to all on the forum. Just traded in my '07 Caliber SXT on a 2011 Journey SXT Pentastar which I pick up tomorrow am. Name here is Wes in lakeside Burlington ON. Hope to gain insight and help if needed on my new DJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drb227 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Welcome! It would have been better if you had started your own thread. I too traded an 07 Caliber SXT for my 11 Crew. Love it! You will find much useful information and friendly people here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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