New Member 2010 Vibe Base 2.4L

[9dawgs]

Hello from Florida. I recently purchased a 2010 Vibe with the 2.4L VVT-i 16V with 61,000 miles on the clock. I'm impressed with the quickness of this little car. I've had Toyota's in the past and always loved the power and handling. Never bought a Pontiac but knew this was actually a Toyota Matrix so it was kind of a no-brainer for me.

The only major issue I've found so far is a vibration from 65-70mph when accelerating. I had the wheels balanced and rotated as well as an alignment done. Still the vibration. Looking like a drive axle but I haven't investigated that yet. Seems like the steering will track too easily on roads with grooves. I guess that could be a control arm. If anyone has experience on these two issues, I'd like to hear your solutions.

The factory radio/CD player seems to be junk too. The volume and tuning knows are wobbly and hard to use. I'm planning on replacing that soon. Any suggestions that won't break the bank would be appreciated.

I tried looking at some good photos of folks upgrades but at last Photobucket has really done a job on these forums with their new "pay to veiw" upgrade. I quit using them.

[vibrologist]

Welcome to the forum 9dawgs!
Sorry, I can't help you with your questions as I drive an '05. I am sure others will cover the questions.

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVibe Thanks for posting location. Pics to come soon??? Anyways we have two of them and ZERO issues at all so far. Ons is a manual (26k miles on it) and the other an auto (89k miles on it). Also dogs really love these versatile hatchbacks. Easy for them to get in & out of!

[ehoff121]

Welcome to genvibe!

Over the years, I've found that shops vary widely on how well they are able to balance wheels, especially with stick-on weights.

A couple of things to consider:

1. Ask for "Road Force" balancing - this is more than just spinning the wheel, it puts another wheel against it to simulate the tire on the road

2. Make sure they clean/wire brush the hub and the backside of the wheel so it mounts properly

3. Ask them to use a torque wrench to tighten the lugs instead of an impact wrench when re-installing the wheels (76 ft. lbs. is the spec)

4. Check the alignment

5. Check rotors for runout (warping)

6. If the tires have some mileage on them, check them for uneven wear

[9dawgs]

Thanks for the welcome guys. I took it to my mech today and after the test drive he put it up on a lift and inspected the drive axles and found them to be tight, not leaking grease, etc. He said they looked great. He then moved the tires back saying that the alignment shop rotated them wrong. I do know I have an issue with the tires as there's one that has a bit of cupping on it, nothing major but I suspect it could cause a vibration at high speeds. The weird thing is that it's only between 65-70mph and only on acceleration. When you let off the gas it goes away. It would seem to me it would still be noticeable but what do I know.

Anyhow, the next step is to just replace the axles, then get new tires all around. I seriously like this car. I just want this issue to be resolved. I bought it for my daughter who's in college and I don't want to have to worry about her being plagued with issues when I'm overseas for 5 years.

The only photos I have so far are the ones I took when I was at the car lot to show my daughter. It's very clean. Not sure what you'd call the purple/blue metallic paint but it's not bad.

I have some of the interior and back as well but they come out sideways when I upload them. I'll get some more photos when I get it back from the shop today.

[ehoff121]

I'll defer to the mechanics and 2nd gen owners, but I think if it was an issue with an axle, you'd likely hear a grinding noise.

The "cupping" could have been caused by a tire not being properly balanced. If you continue to run that tire, you can expect to feel vibration in the steering wheel.

If the tires are near end of life, may I suggest Firestone Firehawk AS grand touring tires? I just got a set and it has made the ride a bit quieter and more forgiving. There's a $60 rebate ($100 if you use a Firestone credit card) on them through November 12th.

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! FYI, the name of the color is Steel Blue Metallic. My mom's 09 GT is the same color. Feel free to check out our Garages listed below in my signature. I've done quite a bit to both our 09 GTs over the past 8.5 years, so have a look around and let me know if you have any questions !