A 2008 has its fourth owner

[thatmemphisvibe]

I purchased my 2008 Vibe a week ago. It's my first used-car purchase (my financial guy says I'm done buying new cars), so I made sure I got one that has had plenty of use -- 183,000 miles. I'm putting a lot of faith in Consumer Reports. My mechanic said it looked clean -- brakes 10K miles down the road, but they are making some noise, so I'm going to get them done soon -- and I'm happy a week and 100 miles in.
I've already been nosing around here -- good advice on a steering wheel cover -- but have more questions. I really miss not having an owner's manual. Online isn't nearly as convenient.
I've been reading about license tag bolts, which I need. Since I can't go to a Pontiac dealer, can I go to a Toyota dealer and get bolts for a 2008 Matrix? If not, what size do I need to look for at a hardware/auto supply store?
My high-mount brake light is missing the red plastic piece. Any suggestions here? I'm willing to make something to improvise. I spotted a 2003-04 Vibe at my dealer when I went back to pick up my title. I was hoping the guy might let me scavenge some stuff from it, but he didn't. The car looked rough -- flat tires, interior trashed, but spiffy looking alloy wheels.
My car has a JVC radio/cd player in it, which I don't like. I'm still trying to find some info on it. Not real user-friendly. I like lots of buttons with labels. Any problems going back to an original stereo? I've looked at units on ebay advertised as being for 2008 Vibes; some are "locked," others "unlocked," which I interpret to mean it can go right in.
I'm just getting started. Any advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
TMV

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVIbe TMV You probably got one of the most dependable years ever built .... the 2008. That year saw a short production run as the redesigned 2009-10's were already in dealerships as early as April 2008. With eight model years of production runs on the same platform they pretty much had all the bugs worked out. post pictures when you get a chance

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! As tpollauf said, definitely post some pictures of your "new" Vibe when you get a chance !

[ColonelPanic]

Welcome!

For the owner's manual, it looks like http://www.helminc.com/ still has them in stock if you wish to purchase one.

The factory radio should be able to be reinstalled plug-and-play provided the prior owner(s) didn't cheap out and cut the plugs off the car's harness to wire the aftermarket radio in instead of spending a couple dollars on the proper wiring harness adapter. I hope that isn't the case!

For the locked/unlocked issue on the radio: Pontiac had a number of radios that looked similar to the Vibe's but you will only want one that came from a 2003-2008 Vibe (or 2003-2004 Toyota Matrix.) The radios for the Vibe do not have any security features that lock the radio as there was no bus to tie into like on the real Pontiacs. The radios from the other models would need to verify they are connected into the GM car they were programmed for, otherwise they were locked.

Looking at the parts catalog, you'll need to replace the whole center high mounted stop lamp assembly to get the red lens. Here's a link for reference.

Good luck and enjoy the Vibe!

[thatmemphisvibe]

Thanks to everyone for the info. An owner's manual is on the way, and I took care of the license plate bolt problem for now by going in through the back of the door, a suggestion I read here. Looks like it should do OK. I bought some 6M bolts from the big hardware store, and also got a couple from a local Toyota dealer, but none of them would go in.
Driving is really enjoyable again. I like this car a lot. My wife is envious. Here it is (I hope; if not, I'll try again. I read the tutorial on the site, but I'm still not sure. It doesn't seem as straightforward as what I'm used to seeing.):



One new question/problem since my first post: I noticed the fog lights weren't working, and when I looked at them I saw that the lenses were gone in both of them. replaced by pieces of glass and liberal amounts of sealant. (Another picture, I hope)



I got under the car and got the bulb out of the driver's side fixture. It looked OK, but I replaced it anyway to be sure. Nothing.
So I'm wondering where the problem might be. Until my owner's manual arrives, where is the fuse box (or boxes) on this car?
Thanks.

[Derf]

There are two fuse boxes on the Vibe, one on the driver side just up from the battery. The other is inside above brake pedal, its way up there under the dash. Both fuse panels have some basic labels, the owners manual has more detail. For the fog lights, they only work with the low beams when the fog light switch is on. Some owners had reported the switch can stick preventing the lights to come on. The fog light wire harness moves along the inner fender well for a bit before going into the engine bay. If the fog light lenses were popped out a small animal or road debris strike may have knocked connections loose.

[BenWA]

Manual in PDF format for free...
http://www.vadengmpp.com/owners-manual/ ... c-Vibe.pdf

[thatmemphisvibe]

Of course, a switch. I didn't bomb out of engineering school for nothing.
The lights work just fine, now that their owner is up to speed.
I found a couple of manuals online, but my computer is pretty slow for that kind of stuff.
Thanks, again, for all the info.

[thatmemphisvibe]

Another shot at pictures





The preview looks OK. The trim isn't as dark as in the pics, though I wish it was. When I got tired of looking at CRVs and Rav4s and moved on to the Vibe, I only found two of the first and second generation (much more handsome to my eye than the 2009-10s, and any Matrix) Vibes for sale in town -- this one and a 2006 with about 160K on it, plus a 2005 with 170K in Arkansas, about an hour and a half away. The 2006 wasn't on the dealer's lot even though he had been listing it for a couple of weeks -- hadn't been serviced or cleaned up. So I immediately went and looked at this one, and pretty much knew it was the one after a brief drive.
Now I spot them everywhere -- all generations, even Matrixes. A new state of awareness.

[tzuleger]

Looks awesome man! I just bought a 2007 a few weeks back and I've been enjoying mine just as much as you have.

[thatmemphisvibe]

Thanks! Got my manual yesterday, so I'm set. On to tags and a high mount brake light.
Have you posted any pics of your 07?

[wmdiess]

I just bought a 2006 with 181K. Makes some noises, but I'll get them in order soon enough.

Do you have any salvage yards in your area? I'm sure you could everything you need including that owners manual.

Bill

[vibenvy]

Nice looking two-tone Frosty! Thanks for posting pictures !

[thatmemphisvibe]

Thanks. A 'Frosty'? Makes me want to stop by Wendy's on my way to work. If the first Vibe i went to look for, an 06, had been on the lot, I might have fallen into an Abyss. (Finally saw pics of it; like mine better).
Solved the high-mount backup light issue over the weekend, after having spent way too much time trying to figure out how to make a red lens for it. At one salvage yard, I would have had to buy the entire rear door. A you-pull-it place listed 3 Vibes in its yard, an 04, 05, and 06. The door was gone from the 06, but the 04 and 05 were intact, so I wound up with two of them in about 10 minutes, for $5 each. On to the fog lamps.

[wmdiess]

I wound up with two of them in about 10 minutes, for $5 each. On to the fog lamps.

Good work! I spent the better part of Friday at a "pick and pull" yard. I had four Vibes to choose from and I got a lot of stuff for $35. I was even able to replace the hinge in the center consul.

Bill

[FeelTheVibe2004]

Looks super clean...congrats on the find, thatmemphisvibe.
I've always been fond of the gray cladding. My vibe's black with the gray moldings. Really like the two tone look.
If you find the cladding light you can try using a heat gun, works miracles on getting the dark look back on faded moldings and it's more
permanent than using tire shine type sprays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQDBTeIObak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQs2ik1dzzE
Enjoy your new ride, you're wife's right to be envious.

[thatmemphisvibe]

Thanks. That heat gun fix is interesting.
Well, since I had good luck at the salvage yard on my first try, I went back a week later. I thought to check the yard for Matrixes, and they had two that had been acquired within a couple of weeks. Didn't have anything in mind except maybe hoping to luck out on some fog lamps. The first Matrix was a mess. The interior was gone, and the inside was filled with the engine. The second was better, and I snagged some toyota cargo nets that were in really good shape, plus a cargo hold cover. I also picked up another high mount brake light. All I had to do was pop it off.
So I wandered back over to the three Vibes I had already looked at, and on the fender of one of them was a set of floor mats. I had seen a rusty corner of one of them peeking out under a pile of metal parts on my earlier visit. So I took the front seat mats, figuring they were worth a shot. The guy at the cash register charged me just for the brake light, $5, and gave me all the other stuff.
Here are the mats, as found:



They perked up a lot after a couple of passes with some OxyClean and a push broom, but the rusty areas were largely unfazed. Some Turtle Wax oxy carpet cleaner did a pretty good job on the rust. I think I can live with them.

[wmdiess]

They perked up a lot after a couple of passes with some OxyClean and a push broom

I'd say, looks like a very good endorsement of OxyClean!

[thatmemphisvibe]

Turned over my first 1,000 miles. This is a great car.
Yes, OxyClean appears to live up to the TV hype.

[thatmemphisvibe]

Learned a bit more about the car yesterday. The air conditioning has always been weak, and since the temps have hit the mid-90s and more here, it has been pretty much non-existent. Took it to the garage, thinking it might just need a shot of refrigerant. Had plenty, so they looked at the cooling fan and found it was blowing the wrong direction -- wired incorrectly. When they got the wiring right, it still wouldn't work right, so a new cooling fan went in. Apparently, in addition to being installed incorrectly, the old fan wasn't the right one for the car. The new one looks to be about twice as big.
Upshot, air is working pretty good now, though i'm still thinking the recirculation door isn't working. I don't hear any of the noises that have been described in previous discussions of the open/close problem, but it doesn't seem to matter whether the button is on or off. Right now, though, I'm not interested in digging into the dashboard.
With the fan fix, still under $5000. I like this car.

[BustedVibe]

If you're wondering whether the door is opening or closing, you don't need to dig into the dash. Just pull out the glove box and you will be able to see it move when you hit the button

[Caretaker]

MemphisVibe: actually, the absolute best cleaning supply I have ever stumbled on to for a car is Pine Sol. I scrub my mats with Pine Sol and water and let the mats dry. I also wash the outside of all my cars with it. It quickly removes stuck on junk from birds and grease and tar. I also wash my seats with it at least once a year. Leaves the car smelling great and the pine seems to linger on the paint, making rewashing a breeze. It does not harm paint and it destroys dirt. It also does not seem to destroy my wax jobs.