driving across country and dealer vs oil can henry's

[mayflyaway]

Hi there!

I am moving across the country from Portland, OR to Athens, GA at the end of the month. I will have a bag on the roof rack and stuff in the car, my cat, and my travel pal. I'm wondering if there is anything I need to be aware of/have done before I leave. My '06 FWD manual trans vibe has 142k miles on it and according to the mechanic is in great shape. I had a full tune up last summer with new spark plugs, etc. and new tires were put on at that time.

I am due for a radiator flush. Oil Can Henry's costs about $80 and the dealership costs about $150. Is there any reason to go with the dealership over Oil Can Henry's?

Sometimes when it is really hot out my clutch slips. This has been happening since I bought the car 6 years ago, and it only happens but once or twice a year during the summer. Do I need to worry about my clutch or should I leave it be until it is slipping more often? I had a mechanic look at it 4 years ago and they recommended that I replace it to the tune of $1500. I opted not to and it has been great other than the aforementioned occasional slips. How long does a Vibe clutch usually last?

Thanks for the answers! LOVE MY CAR!

[treesleavedents]

My family owned and ran a Pennzoil Oil change shop for 11 years. There is zero difference in the service being done to the car except price and maybe the brand of coolant. However, please make sure you know whether or not the Oil Can Henry's does decent work or not. Look up online reviews, talk to the manager before bringing the car in. SOME oil change shops are shifty AF... The price difference is because supposedly you're paying a premium to KNOW that things were done right. Then again I've seen some dealers really screw up cars... Stripped drain plugs, wrong fluid in the wrong hole (hehe), or overfilling things waaaaay too much.

As for the clutch. If it works and you're not worried then keep on trucking. It will slowly get worse and worse until eventually the car won't move. When to replace it is up to you and how safe you feel driving a car that might not accelerate when you want it to.

[Chiadog]

I would not do a radiator flush before leaving UNLESS I had a trusted mechanic in Oregon, or the car was having cooling system issues.
The slipping clutch is a big issue. It could be one shift away from destroying itself. This would not be an issue for me always within 30 miles of home and on FLAT TERRAIN! Crossing mountains or even hilly terrain is a deal breaker. Rent a truck and tow the Vibe. Good luck.

[Caretaker]

My advice would differ slightly from chiadog's. Having just driven 3 cars all the way from coast to coast, I would recommend taking the Vibe to a trusted mechanic for a coolant flush, or at a minimum, for $100 or so, have them do a once over safety check. Getting your coolant flushed if it is due, at a minimum, will put a mechanic's eyes and hands on your hoses and ensure you don't have a pending busted hose along your journey. Of course when they do the flush, you may need to top off (in the radiator) the coolant as the system burps itself over time, so do this at least 3 days before you leave. Make sure they use Xerex Asian or similar NON silicate and NON borate formula equivalent the Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. If your hoses have never been changed and your car is getting up in age, if you don't want to inspect the hoses and have the flush done, you may want to take a full roll of duct tape along for the long ride; you'll need it. Off topic: brake fluid flushes are only $35 at Sears auto center. They will do this at this price whether they are doing a brake job or not. I'm glad I had my cars looked over before leaving the Delta Quadrant. Driving at 2 in the morning across the nothingness of Texas is pretty frightening. My cars made it through like a trooper.

[mayflyaway]

My family owned and ran a Pennzoil Oil change shop for 11 years. There is zero difference in the service being done to the car except price and maybe the brand of coolant. However, please make sure you know whether or not the Oil Can Henry's does decent work or not. Look up online reviews, talk to the manager before bringing the car in. SOME oil change shops are shifty AF... The price difference is because supposedly you're paying a premium to KNOW that things were done right. Then again I've seen some dealers really screw up cars... Stripped drain plugs, wrong fluid in the wrong hole (hehe), or overfilling things waaaaay too much.

As for the clutch. If it works and you're not worried then keep on trucking. It will slowly get worse and worse until eventually the car won't move. When to replace it is up to you and how safe you feel driving a car that might not accelerate when you want it to.

Thanks for this. I checked out their yelp reviews and decided to go with a mechanic who has better reviews, who has worked on my vehicles 15 years in the past, and charges nominally more for the same job. I'm glad yelp reminded me of them! They will also give my car a thorough check up to make sure it's good to go all the way.

I guess I'm not too worried about the clutch. I mean, the mechanic recommended replacement 4 years ago when I told him it was slipping occasionally) and it's still going strong other than a once or twice a year slip (and I haven't been back to that mechanic, lol). I had one go out on me when I was a teenager and for days leading up to it was like "what's that smell? and how come i'm not accelerating?" So I think if it's gonna go it will get worse before hand. My brake mechanic looked at it today and said he thought the clutch felt fine when he drove it and agreed it would get worse before actually going so I would know a bit beforehand.

[mayflyaway]

My advice would differ slightly from chiadog's. Having just driven 3 cars all the way from coast to coast, I would recommend taking the Vibe to a trusted mechanic for a coolant flush, or at a minimum, for $100 or so, have them do a once over safety check. Getting your coolant flushed if it is due, at a minimum, will put a mechanic's eyes and hands on your hoses and ensure you don't have a pending busted hose along your journey. Of course when they do the flush, you may need to top off (in the radiator) the coolant as the system burps itself over time, so do this at least 3 days before you leave. Make sure they use Xerex Asian or similar NON silicate and NON borate formula equivalent the Toyota Super Long Life Coolant. If your hoses have never been changed and your car is getting up in age, if you don't want to inspect the hoses and have the flush done, you may want to take a full roll of duct tape along for the long ride; you'll need it. Off topic: brake fluid flushes are only $35 at Sears auto center. They will do this at this price whether they are doing a brake job or not. I'm glad I had my cars looked over before leaving the Delta Quadrant. Driving at 2 in the morning across the nothingness of Texas is pretty frightening. My cars made it through like a trooper.

Cool, that's what I was thinking - it's due for a radiator flush so might as well do it before I go. I scheduled an appointment for next week on their recommendation so there is some time to let things settle/burp and top off.

[SeattleJeremy]

These cars are really simple to work on. If you can find a local shop (not a chain) and ask them to look at it.

When doing the radiator flush be careful to ask for the same radiator fluid that is in it. It came from the NUMMI factory with Toyota Pink. Another thing to look at is the power-steering fluid, if that's not been done, it's over due as well.

I babied my clutch for about 40k miles (160 to 200k). Purchasing a clutch, flywheel, and flywheel bolts cost about $300 (shipped). This is were a local shop come in handy, they installed it for $800 (with tax). Not cheap, but better than dealership prices.

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! We love pictures around here, so post some of your Vibe when you get a chance ! Safe travels on your trip!

[tpollauf]

Sounds like a nice road trip you got ahead for you! Couple thoughts. First, if you've been in The Oregon area a long time, then you should know some good reputable shops to patronize. This is good historically. The drawback is if something isn't done properly and your now 2000 miles away then any warranty issue is worthless. Waiting till you settle in Georgia may be the better option. As others mentioned, ride it out as your Vibe is already in very good health. Someone tampering with it is OK but there is the possibility that they forget to tighten something, forget to adjust something, etc. and then you're prone to a potential breakdown. Check back in with us after you reach your new home with an update