Hi there I am new here and I just purchased a used 2009 Journey SE, I am just wondering what kind of things I should be aware of, such as common issues and whatnot.

And what are the best ways to keep these things rocking the best they can (other than the normal brakes, oil changes and whatnot)


Thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the purchase. Some things to be aware of. There was a recall on the 09's for the door wiring. Causes all kinds of issues with the power windows, locks, etc. You can call your local dealer with your VIN to find out if yours is impacted and if the recall work has been done. Another thing, the brakes on the 09's are undersized (they fixed this mid 2011 models). The rotors and calipers are undersized. We had to replace rotors twice on our 09 before 20000 miles. The first time, the dealer did it, after they warped again, I replaced the rotors and pads with quality aftermarket parts and never had another brake problem up to 80000 miles when we traded it in on our current 2013. Aside from that, our 09 DJ was a very reliable vehicle. I think the only other things that happened was something with the intake runner butterfly valve (we had the 4 cylinder on the 09) that was repaired under warranty at about 60000 miles (purchased an extended warranty) and the alternator went replaced at @70000 (again under warranty). That was about it in the 4 years, 80000 miles we had it.

I assume yours is the 4 cylinder? How many miles? Did you buy from private seller or dealer? Hopefully it came with an owners manual. That will contain all the recommended maintenance tasks and intervals. Best way to keep her rocking is to perform the recommended maintenance at the recommended intervals. If you don't know the maintenance/service history, I would catch up on al the maintenance. The 4 cylinder has a 30000 miles spark plug change interval.