GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Cougar Vibe

It is still the law that one can not pump one's own gas in the state of Oregon. We fly down to Portland a few times a year for shopping and other stuff and I never fail to pull up w/the rental car, jump out and try to pump my own. One time I did inquire about why that law exists and was told (paraph...

Cougar Vibe

...so what's the deal w/this? BTW: We're up to 27" of snow since last Wednesday; 5-9" more tonight/tomorrow. I'm going to have to do an oil change on my snow blower...

Cougar Vibe

Geeze...I can't freaking win. Now it's 12" more snow for the weekend. http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3591/losere.jpg Guess I'd better go get some more libations; I've got a couple of cases of cheapo "Henry Weinhard Hefeweizen" in the garage, but it might be frozen. [And yes Grizzl...

Cougar Vibe

It's too early for this garbage. I'm supposed to put the X-mas lights up this weekend, yet it's supposed to snow another 5-7" by Saturday night. Mark my words: I'm going to roll off the roof and I'm going to break something. I can only imagine the joyous, seasonally-appropriate language that wi...

Cougar Vibe

Alright, it's 10am and it's 5F; when I went to the gym at 6, it was -4F (according to the Vibe). What's your deal, B.C. & Alberta? First you gave us 9" of snow (which is about three weeks early) and I had to bust out the snowblower. But now it's friggin' freezing; it wouldn't surprise me to...

Cougar Vibe

I'm glad that worked out for you. I had a similar problem w/a '97 Grand Caravan: Kept getting an intermittent "Service Engine Soon" light, went to AutoZone & was told it was an upstream O2 sensor. And even though the Bosch O2 sensors for Dodge vans are cheap ($35/Amazon), I'm even chea...

Cougar Vibe

I'm going to take a different perspective on this because we own a veterinary practice and have to put down perfectly fine animals from time-to-time.Problem #1:"The dog did not have a microchip or tag."We charge about $20 to microchip a dog or cat; we offer that service every time we see a...

Cougar Vibe

After looking at the reliability ratings, I'm sort of wondering what that '06/07 "fuel system" issue is. Anybody know?

Cougar Vibe

And here is more supporting info from TrueDelta: Owner-reported Vibe Reliability Comparisons.

Cougar Vibe

Here is some additional reliability info from Consumer Reports that might help you out:

Cougar Vibe

Link to Wikipedia Matrix Article

Cougar Vibe

First off, welcome to GenVibe.Second off, here is the language (verbatim) from "Wikipedia" (a trustworthy source, no?):"Toyota soon plan to recall the transmission due to bearing wear too fast, almost no tranmission from 2003 to 2007 will work more than 100k miles."Three problems...

Cougar Vibe

Well, I don't know about your Vibes, but in my case 108hp + AWD = No Speeding. But I'm not complaining; besides being one the least ticketed vehicles, it's consistently one of the least stolen too. That makes for good insurance rates.

Cougar Vibe

Though I'm no fan of ethanol, I'd be more worried about the mystery engine flush. If you really have reservations about 10% ethanol, run a bottle of Techron w/a full tank of gas whenever you do an oil change...it's definitely cheaper than $60.

Cougar Vibe

Ah...ten is great, but next year will be even "more" perfect: 11/11/11.When you need that extra push...11!

Cougar Vibe

Had to replace a $.50 15 amp fuse ("CIG") today; blew it out when I hooked up a 12V compressor to the lighter terminal. First thing that I've had to fix that I don't consider "normal" maintenance or "wear & tear."Crazy reliable, my Vibe. Wish all cars were this well...

Cougar Vibe

This sort of topic has "BITOG Fist Fight!" written all over it.Anyway, I've used dino, I've used synthetics (both the "real" ones and the "fake" ones...see BITOG for that doozy) and I've mixed dino & synthetic. In the end, my engines have never been the problem: It'...

Cougar Vibe

Oy, you have to wade through the smut to get to the cool stuff.

Cougar Vibe

Basement BarThe reason I suspect it's one of us is in the second picture down.

Cougar Vibe

I'm sort of the opposite of this: At 51K, I did my first drain & fill and the fluid still had a lot of "pink" color to it...plus, it smelled like the fresh stuff. As for this transmission being harder on ATF than others, I don't think so. I think the problem is that manufacturers have ...

Cougar Vibe

I don't know how they installed those things at NUMMI, but when I did my first oil change on my new '05, I ended up distorting the can (and that was using a filter cup on a socket). After that, it was never a problem...though I never use a wrench or cup to install a filter; only hand tight and that'...

Cougar Vibe

Quote, originally posted by jasonvibe Â»There is a thin crush washer. Either you did not notice it because it may have stuck to the plug , or fell in your drain bucket. If yours is missing, it will likely have a sloooow leak. First use a STRONG flashlight to look, maybe with a mirror to allow you to...

Cougar Vibe

...and my wife gouged a tire yesterday (meaning a new set). I'm not really complaining, as these are the OEM Eagle RSA's and were due for replacement next spring; however, I would have preferred to wait until next year. Oh well, so goes life.BTW: Based upon recommendations here & from TireRack, ...

Cougar Vibe

For you guys looking to replace the OnStar mirrors w/a regular one, does the Corolla rear view mirror fit the Matrix/Vibe? Because if it does, you can get them on Ebay for $30-40.For instance: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...5e117

Cougar Vibe

Mine is an '05 AWD, like yours.I found a .pdf of the Matrix OEM shop manual and it confirms what you said all along (4WD "oil pan drain plug" torque spec of 36 ft/lbs), so thanks! I guess I'll have to get under the Vibe again and tighten things up.BTW: There isn't a crush washer for the pl...

Cougar Vibe

Quote, originally posted by jasonvibe Â»The spec. on the AT drain plug is 36 ft/lbs. Are you sure that's not the torque spec for the rear diff plugs? I mean, I get the logic about 13lbs for the A/T plug vs. 27lbs for the oil plug...doesn't seem right. However, I've been searching both here & var...

Cougar Vibe

Quote, originally posted by lovemyraffe Â»I don't think a 3/8" will fit. It will probably be too small. If you do the work on your Vibe, you should know better than to try to do it with only SAE tools. Au contraire: The 3/8" hex socket worked! 3.25qts later, the world is now super-duper. T...

Cougar Vibe

Never mind...I found it in this thread:http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...9438713 ft lbs. Now lets hope a 3/8" hex socket works in place of a 10mm. Otherwise, there will be cursing...much cursing.Cougar Vibe

Cougar Vibe

I'm doing a drain & fill on my Vibe and I'd like to torque that hex-head drain plug down correctly. Unfortunately, my Haynes (or is Chilton?) guide doesn't have the torque number.Any help is greatly appreciated!Cougar Vibe

Cougar Vibe

Quote, originally posted by Notchy Â»geez. I have 51000 on my 09I have 51,000 on my '05...and 4K of that was a cross-country move. I'm thinking the Vibe needs more driving.

Cougar Vibe

The Toyota 1ZZFE is not a known "sludger" engine. The engines in question, which resulted in the threat of a class action suit, were the 2.2l (Camary/Solara/Celica) and the 3.0l (Camry/Highlander/Sienna/Avalon/Lexus ES/Lexus RX) manufactured between '97 & '02.That said, can you tell us...

Cougar Vibe

I had this same problem (low-speed grinding) w/my '05 at about 42K miles. Pulled the wheels and pads on both sides and found nothing; the pads still had a lot of meat on them, so I reinstalled w/some additional "Brake Quiet." Unfortunately, the grinding noise came back almost immediately a...

Cougar Vibe

Now the recall total has been corrected...to 1.8 million.Alas...163 / 1,800,000 = .0000905555556or...~.00906%.Must be a slow news day. Good thing I've got bigger worries (meteorites, lightning strikes, piranha attack, etc.).

Cougar Vibe

163 / 1,200,000 = 0.000135833333.Huge problem, no? And that percentage (~.0136%) doesn't include Vibes (as mentioned by Jake)...BTW: I've yet to hear about the stalling issue on Vibes (or Corollas), but there were people here w/the failure to start issue. If I recall correctly, it occurred after a r...

Cougar Vibe

Unless things have changed (I haven't played FF in a few years), participants can pre-rank players and still participate in a live draft. Unfortunately, you tend to get a pretty craptacular team that way...but I'd give it a try. I've actually had pretty good results by just picking up injury replace...

Cougar Vibe

Keith is absolutely giving the right info about how to do a drain & fill. Being as the Vibe has an A/T drain plug (thank you Japan), there is really no reason not to do periodic drain & fills; if you can change your own oil, you can change your A/T fluid.As for residual fluid in the system a...

Cougar Vibe

I'd be in, but only if it's not a live draft (I can't swing that much time).Also, I'm okay w/any of the fantasy sites (FOX has a new one, NFL.com is good too), but I'm no fan of ESPN...

Cougar Vibe

I've never gotten a red light ticket, but I've received multiple radar camera tickets (Germany) over the years...nothing like seeing the camera flash as you trip it. Of course, getting a speeding ticket in Germany is much better than America, as it's not reported to your insurance company. That said...

Cougar Vibe

It looks like GM is going to be working the leasing side of things inre the Volt: ~$350/month, 36 months, $2500 down.TTAC Volt ArticleAlso, the little 80hp engine will require premium fuel...crazy.

Cougar Vibe

It's funny you mentioned wanting to go w/OEM due to noise, as I replaced our OEM's at 40K because of it (swapped them out for $40 Autozone ceramics). Mind you, the OEM's are very good quality...mine still had a lot of pad left and were nowhere near the indicator; but the grinding/screeching was driv...

Cougar Vibe

I've been using this Thule (Amazon: Thule 846 Quest) canvas bag for three years now and it's been an excellent low-cost alternative to hard-body cases. It's expandable (13 cubic feet), waterproof and easy to store, plus it can be had for around ~$75 (I got mine at Target).That said, if you want your...

Cougar Vibe

I used to service claims for Safeco/Liberty Mutual and every once in awhile I'd have to work on a comprehensive claim for rodent damage. It's pretty insane what they'll do to an engine compartment...especially on cars that sit throughout the winter (I seem to recall that Corvettes disproportionately...

Cougar Vibe

I've got two little kids and my Vibe is fine for around town and short distance trips. However, any time we go further than 200 miles (or 3.5-4 hours), the lack of space starts to wear on everyone. Mind you, this is with a rack-mounted luggage carrier too (which, w/AC on, really kills the MPG w/my A...

Cougar Vibe

I agree w/the skepticism about the "uniqueness" of our Vibes based upon that website. I've got an '05 AWD Moonstone w/Moons & Tunes...and I've seen more than a few of these while living in MD, PA & WA. Yet, after running my VIN, I'm told there are only 4 exact matches. I mean reall...

Cougar Vibe

Was it 3qts on the nose or a little bit more? I'm coming up on 50K miles and I'm going to do an ATF drain/fill...don't want to buy more Toyo ATF than I need ($$$).

Cougar Vibe

1963 Chevy II1978 Mustang II1966 Mustang1980 Toyota Corolla1981 BMW 3161989 Mitsubishi Mirage1989 Nissan Sentra1998 Dodge Stratus1998 Ford Ranger2000 Ford Explorer2005 Pontiac Vibe2006 Pontiac G61997 Dodge Grand CaravanIck. Even though I feel like I'm doing alright in life, looking at that list make...

Cougar Vibe

Toyota buys stake in Tesla, Tesla to buy NUMMI.As cool as it must have been to build Vibes, it would be wayyyyy cooler to build Teslas (even if they are the $30K family haulers and not the sports cars).

Cougar Vibe

When I bought my '05, I used one on it for the first ~8K miles...wanted to see if there would be any metal particles or paste/sludge during break-in. Anyway, I never really noticed much of anything after the second oil change (~3800 miles, I think), but the first oil change at 800 miles had some pas...

Cougar Vibe

No, I probably will not have a UOA done w/M1EP unless I decide to push it over 10K miles. I've run Pennzoil Platinum up to 8,500K miles in a '06 Corolla and had Blackstone test it; still had a TBN of 2.4 and very good wear numbers. As M1EP is considered an "extended drain" oil (at least th...

Cougar Vibe

"Seems kind of goofy to make a $5,000 loan to Uncle Sam for a year at ZERO interest."Ah...it's a little more complicated than that.I have an S-Corp and a large part of my refund are business deductions and equipment write-offs/depreciation that can't necessarily be planned for in advance (...

Search found 411 matches

Re: (ned23)

It's hard enough to cross the street in this weather...

Re: (ou.grizzly)

Damn it Canucks: Keep your friggin' cold weather up there!

Re: (noisyvibe)

Re: (Cougar Vibe)

Re: (noisyvibe)

Re: (Cougar Vibe)

After 5 years of ownership, this thing is becoming a maintenance nightmare.

Okay, who here is responsible for this?

Re: (jasonvibe)

Murphy's Law: My '05 will be paid off on Thursday...

Re: (jasonvibe)

Re: (lovemyraffe)

A/T drain bolt torque number?

Re: (Notchy)

Re: Best Way to Clean Sludge from engine ?????? (star_deceiver)

Re: Buying new pads, have a few questions (CaliManDan)

Re: Roof cargo for the Vibe (chefdrew)

Re: Auto tranny- is it really that bad? (djkeev)

Hey "IMakeVibes": Any chance of you working for Tesla now?

Re: Magnetic oil drain plug (cptnsolo77)

Re: (beemerphile1)