2009 Vibe Newbie

[SammyNitro]

I recently purchased a 2009 Vibe to replace my 2005 which had a misfortunate accident. I didn't really know what to expect so I have several questions..I have the base model Is XM satellite not an option? I had read online that it was standard on all 2009's...I had test driven 2 and bought the one with less kms but it does not have it. That being said, it doe have a CAT button the radio which when I push it, it says XM function only, and there is an XM book in the glovebox.....is there just something I need to add to get it ??? The power mirror control does not light up at night..is this suposed to be this way ? I notice all of the other controls do light up I also have a few comments...I was disappointed to see that the front passenger seat does not fold flat ...only in GT models..this was standard in my old Vibe. The cup holder is really cheesy and there seems to be a lot less storage space than in the 2005!! Also does anyone know why they opted to not have a hatch release ? My old vibe had a button inside and on the control..I could open the hatch /window together or independently and now I can either unlock with the remote or use my key..and the window does not work on it's own...this was quite disappointing as well , since this was a handy feature on the 2005

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe Sammy! It sounds like since you bought your Vibe used, you will have to renew the XM to have it. When I bought my '09 GT new, I had a free 3 month subscription to XM, but after the 3 months were up, I didn't have it again until I renewed it. I would just give them a call. It shouldn't be a problem to get it going for you.The power mirror control does not light up .You could always check junkyards near you for the front seats from a GT if you really wanted the fold flat passenger seat. I personally have only used mine once. I personally think there is plenty of room in my '09 GT and I don't have a problem with the cupholders in the center console, but that's just my $.02 .I couldn't tell you why there is no hatch release in the car. I personally don't really see a need for it, but again, that's just my $.02. I can tell you though, I do wish the '09s-'10s had the hatch glass that opened seperately. That would be much more convenient at the Drive In than having to have the entire hatch open.

[SammyNitro]

I was fully ready to pay the subcription fee..actually that was the exciting part of a very stressful month but then the dealer told me it did not have it. I called XM radio and they told me that if I hit band and it didn't come upas XM that would mean that I don't have it Not sure if that is true ? I've read all kinds of stuff to find out and can't find anything..even the local dealer didn't know I guess girls need more storage room in their cars LOL

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by SammyNitro »I was fully ready to pay the subcription fee..actually that was the exciting part of a very stressful month but then the dealer told me it did not have it. I called XM radio and they told me that if I hit band and it didn't come upas XM that would mean that I don't have it Not sure if that is true ? I've read all kinds of stuff to find out and can't find anything..even the local dealer didn't know I guess girls need more storage room in their cars LOLWell, I certainly wouldn't take the dealer's word for it, esecially if it was a non-GM dealer. Have you tried hitting the 'BAND' button? It should come up if you have it. Try it and see what happens.I'm a girl too, but than again, I have nothing in my Vibe so I don't have anything that I need room for .

[VforVIBE]

Quote, originally posted by SammyNitro »I guess girls need more storage room in their cars LOL J_TO_ENVY is a girl too , there aren't many of us on here though. Welcome to the club, the person you talked to with XM is correct, hit the band button, if XM PREVIEW doesn't pop up, you don't have it, another way to tell is more then on antenna on the car. (don't mine the small one on the left it's aftermarket)

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by VforVIBE »J_TO_ENVY is a girl too , there aren't many of us on here though. Welcome to the club, the person you talked to with XM is correct, hit the band button, if XM PREVIEW doesn't pop up, you don't have it, another way to tell is more then on antenna on the car. (don't mine the small one on the left it's aftermarket)Yep, sure am. There are definitely more girls here than on the J-Body Organization Forums . It's nice that pretty much everyone here knows I'm a girl, whereas over there everyone assumes I'm a guy.Doh ... I totally forgot about looking for the extra antenna as another way of telling whether you have XM or not . Good looking out VforVIBE !

[AKLGT]

welcome! and yes, there seems to be more active female members on this board than any other I belong.

[ponta2147]

Just wanted to say that it is not only the GTs that had the fold flat front passenger seat, I think it was all of the 2.4L models (I know mine DOES have it and it is NOT a GT)And hooray, females represent! We seem to be skewed towards the '09s Definitely check for that little black "shark fin" antenna, that's the XM one as far as I know. Although who knows, maybe you have a wiring harness defect- I haven't heard of it happening to Vibes, but my husband's G6 had to have the wiring harness fixed in order to get his XM to work.

[DressedInBlack]

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »welcome! and yes, there seems to be more active female members on this board than any other I belong.why do you think i joined....? welcome to the community Sammy!

[SammyNitro]

Girls rule !! Well I have two antennas.the one in the middle and the short stubby one just beside itPressing the BAND button does not get me XM..only AM and FM. Is there a chance the dealer could've taken the XM module out ?? I am hoping there is a way to get XM other than putting an aftermarket unit in the car.

[AKLGT]

Yes, the Vibe community is a bit more... adult than most others. Mainly because I believe it hits a more mature audience who is looking at practical things (not always of course) vs ricing out their Honda or econobox. We still get our fair share of idiots, but it's dialed down due to the pure size of the site. Now, matrixowners... that is the complete opposite. LOL I used to postwhore a lot over there, but haven't in many many many years. Most of my car forum time is spent in the Subie forums. Any female who posts will endure: A. post pics of urself requests, B. Are you single??, C. any other form of leg humpingthen the boys wonder why more girls don't post. LOL

[09vGT]

I believe I have read on here before that XM was an option in Canada on the '09-'10's. Though in the US it was standard.. There's quite a few Canadian members so they would be able to tell you.. You could probably add an XM tuner and put it in the factory spot and still use your factory radio and not have to change. And.. I wish the mirror buttons lit up.. but they don't.. I also with the lock button on the driver and passenger door lit up, along with the rest of the window switches on all doors.. I guess they thought most people had night vision !

[lovemyraffe]

Congrats on the upgrade and welcome to GenVibe!

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by VforVIBE » OK!!! As you can see from my car convieniently hotlinked by Kelly (covered in ashes from a nearby forest fire), the small one on the left is for my Sirius sat radio, middle is the am/fm ant, and the one on the right doubles as the onstar and xm antenna. I don't have XM radio, it was optional - I declined that package... come to think of it, I declined all the option packages (even A/C...)The Sportster 5 has a nice home by the Ecometer!Welcome to GenVibe BTW!!!

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[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by SammyNitro »I was disappointed to see that the front passenger seat does not fold flat I hear ya there... but last time I checked (december last year I think) the Toyota dealer wanted around $2000 for a new passenger foldflat seat so I'm in no hurry to replace it...

[808 Vibes]

Welcome and congrats! Quote, originally posted by SammyNitro »Girls rule !! Yep!! Though I never really needed storage space (until now) before I was just hauling a dog crate. And I only open that hatch window to clean it (maybe once a...year?) Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »Any female who posts will endure: A. post pics of urself requests, B. Are you single??, C. any other form of leg humpingI never endured any of that. I think I scared them all away a long time ago bwahahaa

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »I never endured any of that. I think I scared them all away a long time ago bwahahaaI was referring to other forums.

[Notchy]

This thread is worthless without pics of said women!Someone had to do it.

[Houston]

Quote, originally posted by Notchy »This thread is worthless with pics of said women!

[SammyNitro]

wow when did we stop talking about cars ??Back to the TOPIC....does anyone else hate the cup holders on the 2009 ? I guess they are supposed to be adjustable...but you can't put 2 coffees in there...you can adjust the one divider to hold one fairly tightly but then the 2nd holder is way too big and the coffee bounces around Being a Timmies addict..I find this to be quite inconvenient .The fixed cup holders on the 2005 were a lot better design . Also was disappointed that there are no fog lights on the 2009 base model. Cheesie little gril things wehre the fog lights should be '

[vibenvy]

They're just joking around . You won't have to worry about any "leg humping" here. This is by far the best car forum I have ever been on. Everyone gets along great and is very friendly and helpful. There's no bs on here like there is on other sites.Again, I don't mind the cup holders. Although all I usually have in them is a bottle of water. I don't really like drinking anything else in the Vibe because I'm afraid I'll spill it and it will make the carpet, seats, etc. all gross. At least if I spill water it won't make the carpet sticky and gross or anythng .It's actually very easy to add factory fog lights to your Base. The wiring is already there, you just need the fog light housings, along with a few other things. Many '09-'10 Base owners have done it and love it. I would definitely do it if I had a Base. The best part is it will all look and be factory as if your Base came with them. Ponta2147 had her local dealer install them so in case there were any problems the dealer would be at fault and because the dealer installed them, everything's covered under warranty. You could do it yourself, but if something goes wrong it won't be covered under your warranty. Just something to think about, but I would highly recommend adding the fog lights . Not only will it look better cosmetically, but you will also be able to see better at night and you should be able to do the independent fog light mod which will allow the fog lights to stay on with the high beams which will allow for even better vision at night.

[SammyNitro]

I don't drink in the Vibe..I carry the coffees home ...or to work

[ramenboy...]

Quote, originally posted by SammyNitro »I don't drink in the Vibe..I carry the coffees home ...or to work good for you. you should never drink and drive welcome to the family

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by SammyNitro »I don't drink in the Vibe..I carry the coffees home ...or to work :-)Got cha ! I'd still worry about the coffee spilling though .

[SammyNitro]

Well I do in the 09 because they are not secure but I didn't worry in the 05

[1SC]

I have an 09 Vibe 2,4L and don't have the XM radio. It was an option here in Canada as some other member already said. I have the longer antenna in the center for am/fm radio and the smaller one for OnStar.I too have the flat folding passenger seat.In Canada, I was able to order my Vibe "a la carte". I got the sunroof, but not the upgraded sound system, no radio controls on the steering wheel neither. I have the 1SC package which included the 2,4L, power group, fogs, 17'' alloys and maybe a few other goodies that I don't remember right now.

[tpollauf]

Quote, originally posted by SammyNitro »does anyone else hate the cup holders on the 2009 ? Also was disappointed that there are no fog lights on the 2009 base model. Yes. the cupholders throughout the 09/10 Vibes are a joke (Console & door pockets). I'm planing on totally redesigning my center console clear up to the manual tranny shifter and adding some REAL cup holders I'll also add SEVERAL power points (cig lighter) that are HOT all the time. Oh and several LED's hidden throughout I really get carried away with mods and plan to hibernate in my basement over the winter implementing all the mods I have on the back burner I'd definitely add the fog lights first as it will be an easy upgrade and give the Vibe a "new" and safety look

[SammyNitro]

Cool - post pics when you are done with the cup holder upgrad I would love to see them I forgot about the cig lighter..it's another thing I don't like about it..I had an actual charger on the 05 ;-(

[Vibe2.0]

I went from an 04 to an 09. My passenger seat does fold flat and mine is not a "GT" however it is a 2.4L.I too miss the hatch glass popping open. This was a feature I used all the time on the 04. My dog could stick his head out it, I could reach in without "popping the trunk" particularly useful when you have a bike rack on a hitch! I loved that feature and the fact it was on the remote. When I bought my 09 i saw that it wasn't there and was really not surprised. It seemed to me to be a relatively odd feature, but a great one in my opinion.

[ponta2147]

Quote, originally posted by Vibe2.0 »I too miss the hatch glass popping open. This was a feature I used all the time on the 04. My dog could stick his head out it, I could reach in without "popping the trunk" particularly useful when you have a bike rack on a hitch! I loved that feature and the fact it was on the remote. When I bought my 09 i saw that it wasn't there and was really not surprised. It seemed to me to be a relatively odd feature, but a great one in my opinion.Not that odd of a feature... it's a very "Station Wagon" type feature, all of my dad's station wagons have had that ability. I guess they were trying to move away from "wagon" on the 2nd gens?

[ramenboy...]

i love my rear window hatch. great feature and use it pretty frequently (i've got a pantload of stuff in the trunk... don't want to risk it all falling out every time i open it up)when the 2nd gens came out i was surprised they didn't include the window hatch.