My midlife crisis Vibe: 2009 GT. A few questions...

[JPark]

After totaling my 2006 Platinum Vibe (base), I treated myself to a 2009 Vibe GT with 85k miles on it. So far I'm enjoying it. I do have a few quibbles/questions though:

• * The TPMS is acting up. I saw all the posts about deactivating it, but my wife will be much happier if I leave it functioning. I tried the rest to no avail. Do I need to take it to a dealer or can a place like Discount Tire handle it? If a dealer, GM or Toyota?
  * It's missing the cargo cover. Was that supposed to come with it?
  * It's missing the jack handle. It seems like that ought to be pretty easy to replace. Where do I look?
  * I want to tint the windows. I live in AZ and I swore I'd tint the next car I got. There seems to be a lot of variation in price. I assume that means a variation in quality as well? Can I just have the guys in the shack down the street from where I work do it or do I need to be more selective about it? I've never done tinting before. How badly is it going to affect my visibility out the back at night?
  * I loved my old Vibe but didn't take the best care of it. It deserved better. By the end of its life, the paint was fading and the hood was chipped all to heck. I'm determined to do right by this Vibe. How often should I be washing/waxing this thing (keeping in mind the AZ sun is fierce and it's never parked in a garage)? Any favorite products?
  * It has a lot of chips on the hood. None seem to be rusting yet. My first car ('97 Subaru Impreza) I got some touch up paint and did all the chips myself, but it looked pretty crummy/gloopy. Is there a trick to doing it well?
  * Has anybody installed a CarPlay compatible head unit in a 2nd Gen Vibe?
  * Is there a way to tap into the OnStar mics or the rest of the OnStar system? I have no desire to activate it, but it seems like a lot of tech to just let go to waste.
  * I'm planning on getting a Curt hitch (12221). It looks like it oughta work. Any problem with that plan? Any better options?

[MacGyver]

Onstar: the mic is on the bottom of the mirror and is exceptionally well designed, but the impedance is too low for it to be used for aftermarket head units. Costar makes a module to replace the Onstar module under the driver's seat and turn it into a full bluetooth system, but the cost is high, especially if you are going to install an aftermarket head unit with Bluetooth anyway.

Some of the TPMS sensors probably have a bad battery.

[tpollauf]

* I'm planning on getting a Curt hitch (12221). It looks like it oughta work. Any problem with that plan? Any better options?
[/list]

Go for it. That is the exact one that we got for our 2009. I put one on my son's Vibe GT for him to tow his jet-ski around and it works great. Very easy install ... after you re-tap the FINE metric threads into the frame Here on the Ohio/Michigan border the corrosion and salt/brine are brutal on cars. Where are you located and where is your Vibe from? Update profile for us! You'll likely need a tap and clean out the holes in the frame. Good luck!

[JPark]

Go for it. That is the exact one that we got for our 2009. I put one on my son's Vibe GT for him to tow his jet-ski around and it works great. Very easy install ... after you re-tap the FINE metric threads into the frame Here on the Ohio/Michigan border the corrosion and salt/brine are brutal on cars. Where are you located and where is your Vibe from? Update profile for us! You'll likely need a tap and clean out the holes in the frame. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply. I'm in Phoenix, but the Vibe spent its early life in Wisconsin, so some re-tapping may be necessary. I'll have a look.

[vibenvy]

* It's missing the jack handle. It seems like that ought to be pretty easy to replace. Where do I look?
* I want to tint the windows. I live in AZ and I swore I'd tint the next car I got. There seems to be a lot of variation in price. I assume that means a variation in quality as well? Can I just have the guys in the shack down the street from where I work do it or do I need to be more selective about it? I've never done tinting before. How badly is it going to affect my visibility out the back at night?
* I loved my old Vibe but didn't take the best care of it. It deserved better. By the end of its life, the paint was fading and the hood was chipped all to heck. I'm determined to do right by this Vibe. How often should I be washing/waxing this thing (keeping in mind the AZ sun is fierce and it's never parked in a garage)? Any favorite products?
[/list]

Check car-part.com. You should be able to find a jack handle in a junkyard near you for cheap.

Both our 09 GTs are tinted 35% all around. IMO, it's the perfect percentage; dark enough to serve its purpose and look good, but not so dark that we have trouble seeing while backing up at night. Tinting windows is not easy, so I would definitely leave it to the professionals. I would recommend going to a few different places and getting quotes and information on brand of tint used, warranty, etc. and go from there.

I use Mother's products on our Vibes. Being that your Vibe is in the AZ heat all the time, I would definitely try to wax it once a month to keep a good layer of protection on the paint. I would recommend using the Clay Bar System, followed by the 3-Step Ultimate Wax System to get a good base. Than use Caranuba Wash & Wax to wash and Pure Brazilian Caranuba Wax once a month to maintain the protection. Be sure to use the clay bar on all the exterior windows, fog lights, headlights and taillights. Also, wax the fog lights, headlights and taillights to keep them from becoming hazy and dull looking. For more great detailing info, check out Mother's Wax Forum.

Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions !

[chappy]

This should help bring life back to the dull paint:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXfSBR5Q9w

I'd say it can take 3-4hrs in one go if it's first time.

Also, if you do plan to clay bar the car, I'd suggest checking the clay bar occasionally when using it. I apparently had a piece of dirt on the clay bar and now have a couple of noticeable swirls on my paint.

[10vibe]

JPARK,
You probably already know this being a previous Vibe owner, but just in case ya forgot, there is a slot for the jack handle and lug wrench on the right side of the tire under a cardboard piece covered with felt. I think there is a little finger hole to remove it.
This thread has a picture of the area.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=34976&p=509442&hil ... le#p509442

[JPark]

JPARK,
You probably already know this being a previous Vibe owner, but just in case ya forgot, there is a slot for the jack handle and lug wrench on the right side of the tire under a cardboard piece covered with felt. I think there is a little finger hole to remove it.
This thread has a picture of the area.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=34976&p=509442&hil ... le#p509442

Yep, the jack is there but no handle or tire iron. The tire iron I can do without cause I got a cross kind to use, but I do need that handle. I'll check a salvage yard.

[enfield577]

I agree with Carrie - 35% on the window tinting, and find a good place to do it. I had to remove the tinting on my front windows when I had the car in Germany, so I wanted to replace it when I got home. I didn't want to have one of the local "Billy Bob" places do it, so I looked at Angie's List and finally chose a recommended place (from among others I looked at) in the local city. Well, they did a super job, but although they said they did the best match they could, the new tinting is noticeably darker than the original. It's hard to see the rearview mirrors in the dark (which it wasn't before). Maybe I will get used to this, but it's really bothering me now.

[Tmontague]

I agree with the 35% tint as well. I have 20% all around on my Vios and It's perfect for me but it is fairly dark in a unlit parking lot at night, I rarely ever have to til my rear view mirror down. That said, it is a bit dark for a family vehicle. I'll be putting 35% on my wife's Vibe, it blocks almost as much UV rays but lets 15% more light through.

I've had luck with using a hard shell paste wax 2x/year and every month I use a synthetic liquid wax. The paste stays on thicker and the synthetic protects that coat and repels grime from the road. I recently bought a quick spray wax for quick washes in between the monthly and it's done well. After daily driving through the crappy weather we get yearly the paint still looks great and the clear coat is in great shape.

I always touch up my chips, they do look obviously not as good as a brand new paint job but it's much better than the alternative of rust. You'll never avoid paint chips on the hood if you daily drive your car on busy highways.

[JPark]

* I'm planning on getting a Curt hitch (12221). It looks like it oughta work. Any problem with that plan? Any better options?
[/list]

Go for it. That is the exact one that we got for our 2009. I put one on my son's Vibe GT for him to tow his jet-ski around and it works great. Very easy install ... after you re-tap the FINE metric threads into the frame Here on the Ohio/Michigan border the corrosion and salt/brine are brutal on cars. Where are you located and where is your Vibe from? Update profile for us! You'll likely need a tap and clean out the holes in the frame. Good luck!

I just got my hitch et. all. I went with the non-Euro mount--no offense, but it's too easy to make fun of the Euro mount.

I have a friend with a lift and lots of tools who will help with the install. The hitch looks pretty straight-forward, but the wiring harness seems complicated. There are lots of tutorial videos so we should be able to figure it out.

Could you send me a link to the tap I'll need? My friend has a tap set, but your comment that it's non-standard has me concerned.

[JerBear]

Curt (brand) has a video tutorial for the 09 Vibe on UTube, I believe what he meant by (Non-Standard) was Metric it is a standard (I Think) 12 mm. It has been a while since I installed mine but the wiring required running a wire for power to the battery up through the undercarriage to get it to work. The video explains it fairly well. The total price with shipping for everything was about 250 dollars at the hitchingstore.
http://www.thehitchstore.com
or
http://www.thehitchstore.com/class-ii-e ... -1949.html

It includes the wiring harness, hitch and ball, the whole shebang.
https://youtu.be/9q4QvsH-5wg

[korax234]

Looks like a lot of work. I'm happy my hitch was already installed and wired when I bought the car.
Good luck with the install.

[tpollauf]

Could you send me a link to the tap I'll need? My friend has a tap set, but your comment that it's non-standard has me concerned.

This is the tap you'll need. A lot of tap/die sets do NOT include this very fine thread so I had to buy it separately. Good luck

[BenWA]

Be very careful trying to install a hitch yourself. On my 03 without a lot of rust, I was able to tap out 3 of the holes, but the one under the end of the tail pipe got cross threaded or something. If you didn't angle the tap just right, it would screw up. I ended up paying a lot of money to a shop to get it to tap right.

It was hard to even locate a shop who would do it. Explaining it over the phone, no one wanted to do it. I randomly stopped in at a tire and muffler shop I was passing by when leaving a body shop, and they did it. The shop actually has horrible reviews, including many people saying they quote you one price but charging you a lot more when they are done (which they did to me too..) but eh, they did what no other shop wanted to. I needed that 4th bolt put in, so it was worth it I guess.

As a last resort, I was just going to have it welded on but they got the thread tapped right and got the bolt installed.

Oh, and I bought this one: https://jet.com/product/Hidden-Hitch-60 ... 709449f9c7

If you use the code TRIPLE15 you get 15% your entire order for the first THREE orders you make.

[JPark]

This is the tap you'll need. A lot of tap/die sets do NOT include this very fine thread so I had to buy it separately. Good luck

Well, I got it installed without a hitch. Er...the installation went smoothly. I did have to tap the holes but had no trouble doing it.The wiring to the battery took awhile, but I'm happy with the result.

Now I'm finally ready to start my own landscaping company!

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