[Meerkat85]

A big hello and thank you to everyone for all the prior posts and discussion- this board has been incredibly helpful in our journey to purchase a Pacifica. And we just took delivery of our 2020 Limited Hybrid - happy to be joining the club!

We're coming from junkers (manual crank windows) and have been slow to pull the trigger to go with this van (see previous about junkers...we don't like nice things lol). It just arrived yesterday and we couldn't be more excited.

The ask...what do you wish you had done for your Pacifica from the start? Or what thing have you done that you've been so happy that you've done? Essentially... what advice might you have for some folks upgrading from crank windows to this incredible thing?

Here's what we have done:

• Bought the Zeigler extended warranty (thanks for all the tips on that. We got pushed pretty hard by the finance manager to do some not-as-great add-ons.)
• Bought the sportwing bumper cover

Here's what we plan to do:

• Get the car tinted (we have the pano sunroof, so that too)
• Purchase floor mats (jury is still out on which ones we'll do, leaning towards weathertech)

Here's what we might do:

• Install a level 2 charger
• Apply seat conditioner/protector
• Wax the outside
• Purchase seat protectors for car seats (some reviews indicate that ones from Amazon stains the seats. Anyone done the weathertech ones?)

This is also the first new car we've ever had... so any random tidbits, throw them our way! Must-have products, must-have routines (washing/waxing), must-have maintenance, cool stuff you'd wished you had done from the beginning etc. We'd appreciate any thoughts or advice you have! Also obligatory... first time post, take it easy on me

 

[mark]

That's a beauty!

 

[SciTchr]

A big hello and thank you to everyone for all the prior posts and discussion- this board has been incredibly helpful in our journey to purchase a Pacifica. And we just took delivery of our 2020 Limited Hybrid - happy to be joining the club!

We're coming from junkers (manual crank windows) and have been slow to pull the trigger to go with this van (see previous about junkers...we don't like nice things lol). It just arrived yesterday and we couldn't be more excited.

The ask...what do you wish you had done for your Pacifica from the start? Or what thing have you done that you've been so happy that you've done? Essentially... what advice might you have for some folks upgrading from crank windows to this incredible thing?

Here's what we have done:

• Bought the Zeigler extended warranty (thanks for all the tips on that. We got pushed pretty hard by the finance manager to do some not-as-great add-ons.)
• Bought the sportwing bumper cover

Here's what we plan to do:

• Get the car tinted (we have the pano sunroof, so that too)
• Purchase floor mats (jury is still out on which ones we'll do, leaning towards weathertech)

Here's what we might do:

• Install a level 2 charger
• Apply seat conditioner/protector
• Wax the outside
• Purchase seat protectors for car seats (some reviews indicate that ones from Amazon stains the seats. Anyone done the weathertech ones?)

This is also the first new car we've ever had... so any random tidbits, throw them our way! Must-have products, must-have routines (washing/waxing), must-have maintenance, cool stuff you'd wished you had done from the beginning etc. We'd appreciate any thoughts or advice you have! Also obligatory... first time post, take it easy on me

View attachment 44179 View attachment 44180

Welcome to the forum. Nice van.

You can download more extensive owner's manuals from the Mopar website if desired. (Actually skimming them helps since the index doesn't always help find what you are looking for.)

If you put your van info in the signature line of account settings it will show up at the bottom of your posts and will help us answer your questions easier in the future.

 

[Meerkat85]

That's a beauty!

Thanks Mark! We think so too!!

And thanks @SciTchr - got my signature all updated, was wondering how to update that! And great tip on the owner manuals, will have to check that out.

 

[AndyH]

Welcome. I am a new owner too. I will be installing a level 2 charger. With Covid, its not an immediate need for me, but I would like to have it for later. I ordered from OpenEVSE - Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions There are cheaper options, but I like to tinker with this stuff. Level 1 charges overnight, which is actually just fine given that I only go out once or twice a week. My trips are short. I've only use the engine a coupe times.

I purchased Tux mats for the front and second row. I liked the aesthetics better than the WeatherTech. I'll post pictures when they arrive next week. I did get WeatherTech for cargo area behind the third row. That is nice, but I didn't like the poor coverage of the bumper protector. I posted pictures here: WeatherTech bumper protection not worth it

I will use my van to haul stuff for household projects. I want to protect the area behind the 1st row seats. The thread links to what I got, but I'm still looking for something better.

 

[AndyH]

I forgot to add. I looked into time-of-use metering here in Austin. They offer $30/month flat fee for charging. You can also use chargers around the city for free. It requires having an electrician install a sub-meter. Since I work from home and don't have the regular commute, the free charging stations don't add value. For my driving, the flat fee doesn't make sense. For others it could be a good deal. See what your locality offers.

 

[SciTchr]

Welcome. I am a new owner too. I will be installing a level 2 charger. With Covid, its not an immediate need for me, but I would like to have it for later. I ordered from OpenEVSE - Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions There are cheaper options, but I like to tinker with this stuff. Level 1 charges overnight, which is actually just fine given that I only go out once or twice a week. My trips are short. I've only use the engine a coupe times.

I purchased Tux mats for the front and second row. I liked the aesthetics better than the WeatherTech. I'll post pictures when they arrive next week. I did get WeatherTech for cargo area behind the third row. That is nice, but I didn't like the poor coverage of the bumper protector. I posted pictures here: WeatherTech bumper protection not worth it

I will use my van to haul stuff for household projects. I want to protect the area behind the 1st row seats. The thread links to what I got, but I'm still looking for something better.

Here's an idea.

Hauling junk in the brand new expensive van.

To get going with the spring clean up I purchased a Bagster. Its 8x4 footprint matches the interior dimension of the van with all seats folded. I cut the rear wall for loading and bumper protection and used the hanger hooks to keep the Bagster upright.

www.pacificaforums.com

 

[AndyH]

Here's an idea.

Hauling junk in the brand new expensive van.

To get going with the spring clean up I purchased a Bagster. Its 8x4 footprint matches the interior dimension of the van with all seats folded. I cut the rear wall for loading and bumper protection and used the hanger hooks to keep the Bagster upright.

www.pacificaforums.com

Thanks. That should be plenty tough. Maybe I could get my engine hoist in there to lift the whole thing out! Its cheaper than the one I bought.

 

[Vantastic]

paint your calipers while they are new. I highly recommend the g2 caliper paint. Painted Calipers

 

[altfuelcarguy]

Welcome. I am a new owner too. I will be installing a level 2 charger. With Covid, its not an immediate need for me, but I would like to have it for later. I ordered from OpenEVSE - Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions There are cheaper options, but I like to tinker with this stuff. Level 1 charges overnight, which is actually just fine given that I only go out once or twice a week. My trips are short. I've only use the engine a coupe times.

I purchased Tux mats for the front and second row. I liked the aesthetics better than the WeatherTech. I'll post pictures when they arrive next week. I did get WeatherTech for cargo area behind the third row. That is nice, but I didn't like the poor coverage of the bumper protector. I posted pictures here: WeatherTech bumper protection not worth it

I will use my van to haul stuff for household projects. I want to protect the area behind the 1st row seats. The thread links to what I got, but I'm still looking for something better.

Congratulations! We picked ours up yesterday. Since it will be used for hauling kayaks inside, I bought a big mat to line the floor, and it works great. It's the 4Knines mat and its best feature is that it accommodates split folding seats. The XL size is just right for the Pacifica.

 

[fowardflip]

I wish I would not have purchased one, as my 2018 that's paid in full now sits at the dealer for the last month + because of the second fire hazard recall.

 

[Waldo]

I wish I would not have purchased one, as my 2018 that's paid in full now sits at the dealer for the last month + because of the second fire hazard recall.

Your dealer should now have the parts to fix it. Call them.

 

[Hybrand]

Welcome aboard! I also spent some time on this board and appreciated the info before we leaped.

The most useful piece of advice I got (although I can't find the exact thread right now) was that the normal EVSE that came with the van can support 220 charging with no problems if you adapt the plug with something like these. We had an old 220 outlet in the garage and using one of the $45 adapters along with the Chrysler EVSE works fine and saved me several hundred dollars on a dedicated Level 2 charger. It doesn't charge as fast as a commercial level 2 charger, but a lot faster than the same EVSE did plugged into 110.

Another useful piece of advice was that you can keep the van in pure electric mode longer if you consistently accelerate gently. If you trigger the gas engine once in a drive by accelerating hard (like on a freeway onramp) it will still keep periodically running the gas engine after that, even if you drive gently. Apparently this is to keep the emissions system warmed up.

Finally, I appreciated various peoples' advice on how to use the van as a climate-controlled room at home. My household is very noisy and it was hard to have Zoom meetings during Covid, so I have moved many of them to the van (which has a good wifi signal from my house when parked). Because temperatures outside the van have been in the 90s and I wanted to power the laptop, I needed to keep the climate and accessory power running (ideally while keeping the van plugged in). Accessory mode doesn't work well because the climate and seat ventilation don't work. For short meetings, it's pretty straightforward to turn the van on and keep in park. Unfortunately, the van turns itself off after around an hour in this mode. For really long meetings, I have to unplug it and put it in neutral with the parking brake on. Because the AC is electric, I can make it quite a while without running the engine or running out of battery.

 

[AndyH]

Finally, I appreciated various peoples' advice on how to use the van as a climate-controlled room at home.

I have been doing that a bit lately, sitting in the van, plugged in and running the AC. Its hot here in Texas. Sitting in the car without AC and no wind blowing is not so nice. I'm worried about damage to the system. I have had a couple "Charging Faults". I don't know what is up with those.

If I come down with Covid, I could isolate away from the family. Providing the AC stayed on!

 

[AndyH]

Congratulations! We picked ours up yesterday. Since it will be used for hauling kayaks inside, I bought a big mat to line the floor, and it works great. It's the 4Knines mat and its best feature is that it accommodates split folding seats. The XL size is just right for the Pacifica.

I'd love to see a picture of it in your car. The pictures on most of the sites for mats don't show it in the Pacifica. Going off the measurements from the web site, it didn't see a good fit, but it sounds like I'm wrong.

Thanks

 

[CANADAHYBRIDGUY]

Waited for the 21 Pacifica with all those awesome changes and that pinnacle interior . Led lights , front and back , are def a plus, wireless charging , and that new uconnect updated screen size .

 

[altfuelcarguy]

I'd love to see a picture of it in your car. The pictures on most of the sites for mats don't show it in the Pacifica. Going off the measurements from the web site, it didn't see a good fit, but it sounds like I'm wrong.

Thanks

I can provide a picture of it in our van tomorrow, after the day's kayak hauling is done. The XL covers the floor, goes up the sides a bit, and there is about 15 inches of material to drape over the bumper. We can have the second row seats in any configuration and the mat accommodates it because it's split into three panels held together with zippers. 4Knines markets it for SUVs, but maybe they just don't know that there still are minivans? This link shows it in use.

4KNINES Split Cargo Car Seat Liner, Small - Chewy.com

Buy 4Knines Split Cargo Car Seat Liner, Small at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

 

[ChryslerCares]

I wish I would not have purchased one, as my 2018 that's paid in full now sits at the dealer for the last month + because of the second fire hazard recall.

If you haven't already done so, please contact your dealer to fix the recall. We are able to help if you need it.
Kaitlin
Chrysler Cares

 

[fowardflip]

If you haven't already done so, please contact your dealer to fix the recall. We are able to help if you need it.
Kaitlin
Chrysler Cares

So now I have to call the dealer and tell them a fix is ready? How come Chrysler is not calling them? Chrysler instructed them to keep my car, but can't tell them a fix is available? How is that possible? Another part of this process is very inconvient. Chrysler can help by having the proper procedures in place to communicate with the dealer.

 

[Meerkat85]

I forgot to add. I looked into time-of-use metering here in Austin. They offer $30/month flat fee for charging. You can also use chargers around the city for free. It requires having an electrician install a sub-meter. Since I work from home and don't have the regular commute, the free charging stations don't add value. For my driving, the flat fee doesn't make sense. For others it could be a good deal. See what your locality offers.

@AndyH Congrats on your new van as well! I'm definitely interested in seeing your mat photos! Even though there is a separate thread about mats... I'm still sort of struggling with which ones to go with.

Good tip on the flat fee charging... probably not applicable to us right now (1 work from home even pre-covid and one with a short commute)... but if our circumstances change! We actually just mapped out our electrical situation last night and have settled on just doing level 1 for now and if it still bugs us in a year, upgrade to level 2. With how little driving we are doing, may just wait and see. Will be curious to see how much you like having Level 2!

And congrats to you too @altfuelcarguy! New hybrid owners unit That car liner you have is pretty slick. We're going to be doing some house projects here soon and would love to have something to protect the new toy!

@Hybrand - Thank you so much! Some very useful nuggets in there. Thanks for taking the time to share! Super interesting about the level 2 charger... we've decided to wait for now...but maybe in a year from now...

Thanks everyone for chiming in...we just drove her for the first time in electric mode on Saturday and it was INCREDIBLE. We actually scared someone in a parking lot... ghost van! I'd like to think that they gave us a look of shock not that we scared them, but more with amazement that a van could be this amazing? Amiright? Oh gosh... still in honeymoon phase.