GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

JohnC

Wow I am the "kiss of death" to the manufacturer when it comes to pickin a car. First was my Oldsmobile-2 years later they are out, the 04 Pontiac Vibe that I just sold and purchased a MERCURY Milan.BTW my beloved little Vibe was totaled the very first day the new owner had it. Anyone want...

JohnC

Well just an update. I settled on a price of 5200, going by KBB and what simular Vibes were selling for in the Phoenix area and put in on craigslist. While figuring I would sell it to friends or co-workers that expressed an interest in it for 4200. I ended up selling it to a very nice lady that cuts...

JohnC

Quote, originally posted by Baltovibe Â»What is the dealer offering for a trade-in? Or, are they not interested?I didn't even ask them, I had worked out a cash deal and didn't want to confuse the matter. Dealer sells mostly pickup trucks and probably wouldn't be interested in Vibe.I already have 4 o...

JohnC

Quote, originally posted by vibolista Â» Why are you parting with it? If it's running good, I'd run it 'till she dropped! That was the plan, I just have four more years/100k miles till retirement, but I have been telling the Ford dealer just down the street that if they would make me a smokin good d...

JohnC

I will probably regret selling this car, it has been the best commuting car I have owned (been commuting 29 years/102 miles per day).I am here to ask advice on the sale price, I just want to ask a fair price, not looking to overly profit or to just give it away. It is an 04 Base, two tone. auto, 140...

JohnC

I have fixed many of these headlights, it is very easy. You will need a sheet each of 1500,2000 & 2500 grit sandpaper, some white and red jewelers gouge, and a 6-8" buffing wheel with drill motor atachment.First you wet sand in straight lines back and forth and up and down. Keep it wet and ...

JohnC

We need a "how to" section on this forum. Here is what you need, I hope.http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=24086

JohnC

Can't believe no body has mentioned....Scan Gauge. It is right there in your face showing your current mpg. Lotsa other great uses too. Hey I sound like a SG salesman.

JohnC

Good call by the passerby EMT , these guys are under appreciated and under paid.

JohnC

Place hvac system on outside air (not recirc), turn fan on high, close all windows and doors, take a lit cigar/cigarette or just the flame of a lighter and pass it around all door and moon roof seals. The flame/smoke will move when it passed over the leak, obviously this will work best inside of a g...

JohnC

87Iroc; how about taking a few pictures and keepin track of parts numbers. This would make a nice "How-To".BTW I have always used plumbers putty for leak proofing and re-opening of access panels like these.I have 140K on my 04 and have been wondering how the fuel pump is doing, I too have ...

JohnC

drain it from the block and the radiator, and put new hoses, radiator cap and thermostat on it. most shops perfer to supply the parts (they get them at a discount so they make a little off the parts too). i hated it when someone brought thier own parts in, especially if they were incorrect parts. le...

JohnC

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»Rule of thumb for me, only bring one tool into the bay at a time. Take it out and get the next tool you need. Otherwise leaving them can cause issues.My dad taught me this rule when I was barely old enough to swing a wrench, it has served me well and I have taugh...

JohnC

A big knife for the carjackers.

JohnC

Smooth ride and quiet...Goodyear Assurance. Check out the comments at Tirerack.com. Mine are 30k miles old and still not noisey.

JohnC

Thanks K-Nine for posting this and making people aware of this problem. Living in a border state with Mexico we see this type of thing in every thing that goes on here. The Mexican government has pretty much collapsed/on the take, and the US is getting some of the worst of the worst from that countr...

JohnC

Well the new NAPA waterpump that I used to replace the OEM pump several years ago started weeping... got about the same number of miles out of it.This time I used a Checker remanufactured one ($53) instead of the $123 from Napa.A search under "waterpump" seems to show that design has a ten...

JohnC

Every rental car I rented was abused (by me). When I was in college I serviced Hertz, Avis and National...they all wanted the samething, minimum service with maximum service records. The biggest abbusers to the rental fleet...rent a car employees BY FAR. I have got hundreds of stories that start out...

JohnC

auto salvage yards usually charge 50% of the price of a new part. can you fix it yourself?...maybe some epoxy.

JohnC

This may help...I had the same problem.http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...85769

JohnC

Quote, originally posted by shemp Â»The option I would vote for is not listed:It does serve its purpose for added safety in most cases but the driver should be able to manually override it if they choose to.Ditto.

JohnC

Here is a link to a thread explaining how I found my door seal leaks. getting rid of the leaks helped alot, but the thin window/noise I haven't figured out...well maybe a 09 Malibu I here they are pretty quite.http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=31699

JohnC

If you could figure out how to lessen the noise coming thru the extremely thin windows then the other sound abatement projects would be worth a try. Thin windows = light wieght = noisy interior.

JohnC

Here is some really good stuf, learned about from a marina mechanic. It is called 303 Protectant, I buy it by the gallon.http://www.303products.com/

JohnC

Well over 100k on my 04, brake pads still have 40% left. I do mostly hiway.

JohnC

I would wait till next year before getting this model, you know how GM like to work out the "bugs" on the first year buyers.

JohnC

Herb, sorry about your friend and for his family. It always makes the survivors wonder if there was something they missed or could have done to prevent such a tragic thing.Suicide-a permanant solution to a temporary problem.

JohnC

Quote, originally posted by harryyiii Â»Don't do it. Today's cars don't need rustproofing, thats why you never see it advertised anymore. Rustproofing makes it more likely to rust as it can trap water and clog weep hole. This is with professional installation. Rustproofing yourself will also void th...

JohnC

By far the best...POR 15. Take it from a Jeep owner.http://www.por15.com/

JohnC

I see cars on that show that we use to crush all the time at the wrecking yard I worked at as a kid. No one wanted mustang parts except for the common parts that would fit the falcon. I used three 58 T-birds as circle burning jalopy cars... no one wanted them and they came with a great race engine (...

JohnC

Great info. Thanks!

JohnC

Excellent idea/project, I love low cost improvements like these. My only advice would be to remove it if you ever sold your Vibe, with all the lawsuit happy people you never know what they could sue you for,i.e. ruptured fuel tank in crash, couldn't make a curve...you know the drill.I was sued by a ...

JohnC

i am on windshield number four. each one was $200 installed.

JohnC

Quote, originally posted by jake75 Â»A plea to the people running this site - don't be a John! Hey...I have been a John all my life

JohnC

I Can't Drive 55!

JohnC

I do keep my cars for 10+ years (unless they die before). Of course it would be my 04 Vibe, I am up to 120K miles with very few problems. Looking forward to driving it at least another 10 years. 82 Nissan 280Z--12 years then daughter drove 4 more years before having to sell (went overseas). 300+K MI...

JohnC

I believe a prevention to this is to put the fan on low speed when you swap between max and normal or any othe damper door swaps such as floor to vents etc.This makes it so the doors don't have the added resistance of the high air flow.

JohnC

[QUOTE= turn the air off about 2-3miles from home and leave the fan on HI this will run air over the condensor and dry up the left over water.[/QUOTE]Your service person or mechanic should have told you this. To help get rid of the problem short term you can spray Lysol into the intake vents and/or ...

JohnC

I wouldn't rule out CV joints. I have heard them make all kinds of different sounds.

JohnC

Definatly a strange problem, bummer that you have to take it to a dealer.good luck

JohnC

The automatic transmision will downshift while going down hills, especially if you abruptly let off the accelerator pedal. It alseo "learns" your driving style and adapts accordingly. I do not think this explains all your items, but it may be a start.Rough idle is often attributed to a dir...

JohnC

A really nice 12" easy to read slide rule, we then moved up to a texas instruments 24 (TI24) then the commador 64. We have probably spent over $15K on various PC hardware/software over the years.Slide rule has been by far the most reliable, it still works!PCs have got to be the worst investment...

JohnC

I SECOND the RAT RODS idea!These have always looked like fun to me. I would like to build one that handles like an Indy car and just put a dependable drivetrain in it.http://ratrodstuff.com/

JohnC

I have pulled a 1300# trailer (2 quads+ trailer wieght) about 25 times per year for the last four years. The average trip has been about 30 miles both ways. At first I was checking my transmission pan temperature with a non-contact pyrometer after towing and comparing it to normal non-towing temps, ...

JohnC

Sorry for your Vibe damage, glad you did not get hurt. Even though we on this board love them , Vibes are just a car and not importantant compared to the people inside them.We were also hit from the rear...it sounded really bad and knocked us forward several feet, to my amazement there was no visibl...

JohnC

I agree with the utility bars being best, my 04 crossbars make alot of wind noise unless i move them all the way back.

JohnC

Invest in the Scan Gauge 2, it is well worth it.

JohnC

I have performed many engine/tran swaps, and my best advice to you would be to purchase the whole donor parts car. This way all the parts you need will be in one place and you can compare fitment as you work. When you are done there is always someone else that needs a parts car. The ideal donor woul...

JohnC

Quote, originally posted by Digger Â»Sounds like you are low on freon to me. that would make the compressor cycle like that.I'll second that.

JohnC

Less driving on days off, more motorcycling (58mpg) when the weather isn't too hot and when I do drive it is slower.We need to tap into OUR coal, oil and nuclear, while developing a renewable energy source.

Search found 736 matches