crusty

Charging currents fighting each other? I've run multiple charging sources on a single battery for over a decade. If anything it has helped battery life. Amperage won't go backwards and fight another charge source. Battery charge will taper off as the voltage reaches the target. You are not going to increase voltage by adding more amperage potential. Without a voltage differential (low battery, high charge source) there will be no amperage flow.

I'll click the downshift until it beeps and won't let me downshift anymore. The engines are computer controlled, they have all the safetys built into them. No issue running down a grade at 4-5000 RPM. They are just air pumps at that point. Computer has the fuel turned off.

Actually the opposite, not that many complaints. If you go looking, yes you will find them. But far from what I would call common. Not just 17 year olds with no experience. I've watched all kinds of people, including those that should know better, ride brakes. Tour bus drivers, commercial truck drivers. Trained professional drivers are just as capable of unknowingly destroying brake parts as someone who only knows that one pedal makes you go faster, the other slower. I also have know enough of these vans with well over 100k on the original brakes that don't have issues. I'm going to go out and say that most of it is driver induced. Not much about the loose nut behind the wheel to be fixed. IF you think you have a set of perfect brakes that don't have any issues, give me 20 minutes and I can toast them for you.

Quit riding the brakes down the hill. Start downshifting the transmission. Let the motor zing a bit. Computer controlled transmission won't let you over rev the engine.

Nothing different except spring rates and shocks.

Most any tire shop these days will tell you what is going on. Sensors have about 10 years of life, you are at the time that they die. Or they can be missing. Or they could be from a different vehicle (swapped tires and wheels from a different vehicle) and they just need programming. My guess is they have either aged out, or just flat out missing.

Which engine? The starters are very different between the two. The clunk sound is pretty indicative of a starter going out. The solenoid pulls in making the clunk but the electrical connection doesn't happen. The electrical connection is the second step of the solenoid action. Step one, move the starter gear into the ring gear. Step two, make the high amperage connection to the electric motor. Clunk is step one without step two occurring. It works after a try or two as the contacts and other parts get a little shaking from the clunking. Aftermarket starters are well known for there poor quality. Even with a lifetime warranty, it just means you get good at changing them for another that will need replacing in a year or so. The V6 engine has the starter down low near the exhaust. A little easier to get to but more exposed to the elements and road splash. The V8 is in the valley. Little more difficult to access as you have to lift the intake to reach it. But it is generally better protected from road splash and exhaust heat. For those that cry that is a stupid place to place a starter, having to remove the intake to access it, remember that the V6 you have to remove the upper intake to change the spark plugs.

You know the seats can be installed in regular or limo mode.

A teaser for you.

Early V8 were 2 Late have 4

Check for worn bearings (fan, idler, tensioner, alternator, etc.) When an engine shuts down, sometimes the engine spins back a little bit. A cylinder coming up on compression but doesn't get past top dead center. The compressed air spins the engine backwards a little bit. maybe a quarter of a turn? If a bearing is off and when moving backwards it may cock sideways enough to toss a belt.

Backup camera doesn't beep, that is the rear sonar. Press and hold the sonar button (really long time, 5, 10 seconds, something like that) and it will turn off. Then you are free to back into stuff without it beeping at you. The camera is just a camera, it isn't smart enough to see stuff and beep at you. Keep your tires filled, Don't see any problems here.

What alarms? I can think of maybe two. Key in reminder and seat belt reminder. Is there another one that is a problem?

What are you using to isolate the 2nd battery from the starting battery? If you have a 2nd battery, and just wired it in addition to the first, you really only have one battery. It may be in 2 places, but the effective result is if you only have one. Get everything you added off the original electrical system and onto its own battery. Use a clean way to charge that second battery (DC-DC charger is pretty common). That leaves you the aftermarket high output alternator. I am not a big fan, too many times I have found the aftermarket stuff a bit sloppy on tolerances, like voltage regulator settings.