What did you do to your Vibe today?

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 6:17 am

Washed it....

colterk · Post by **colterk** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 7:27 am

rogue leader got a cleaning, waxing and detailing today. beauitful saturday morning in washington.

09vGT · Post by **09vGT** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 7:48 am

Washed it.

MrHatchWagon · Post by **MrHatchWagon** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:04 am

SuperTones! Not Hella brand, but they work just as well and I saved like 30$ Hat tip to Crabbycrab for his write-up on the matter.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:19 am

Nice horns and a nice upgrade.I went the "more American sounding" Highway Blaster route a few years back but mostly because of the cost difference and availablilty (at the local parts store.)What did I do to our Vibe today? Not a dawg-gone thing. I had to work today, and when I came home, failed at napping which I could have really used, but was lazy none-the-less.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:21 am

WOW!! That looks GREAT (I mean that sincerely,) especially compared to your (usual) winter mode.

BillCrittenden · Post by **BillCrittenden** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:43 am

Replaced the passenger side front brake caliper and rotor thanks to information found here on GenVibe. Waiting to do the driver side until the paint dries. Paint? Oh, yeah, I painted the wheel. I've noticed a company called Tjin Edition building imports in plain colors with wild color wheels......and my logo is a green wheel, so I'm in the process of painting the wheels on my silver '03 a medium green color. Yeah, pictures will come later tomorrow. 155,000 hard miles, so it's not going to be show clean, but the paint on the wheels was bubbling bad and since it's a little worn I gave it a rally car look, since rally cars are supposed to get dirty and rough.

ponta2147 · Post by **ponta2147** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:55 am

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver Â»Washed it....WOW, I didn't realize you had a red car, I thought it was mud-brown I ordered the wiring harness for my car to attempt the headunit install again sometime before the WI-GM Tuners meet that we are still going to try to attend. But now that Chris has his GMC Terrain, I am jealous of his touchscreen and want this one instead of the one I am installing: http://www.sonicelectronix.com....html Luckily it's the same brand and compatible with all the stuff I'm installing, so I can swap it out next year if I can afford it

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:33 pm

Seeing everyone saying they washed their Vibes is making me want to wash ours . Unforutnately I have a ton of other stuff to do this weekend and this coming week and don't have the time . I will get mine washed, clay barred and waxed before the 21st though (WI GM-Tuners meet).

tinknocker105 · Post by **tinknocker105** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:02 pm

I took it to Santa Ana so my son could have his thirteen merit badges sewed on his boy scout merit badge sash; he now has forty-five on it. The rest of of day"Chuy" relaxed in the driveway.

BillCrittenden · Post by **BillCrittenden** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:25 pm

The first one is done...and I have my signature line image (until I get more done to the car)

Attached files

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 3:16 pm

New exhaust tip! Had one heck of a time getting it on, and not just because of the sliding. My exhaust tip hit something prior to my ownership, so it was smooshed. We had to make a circle of a smooshed oval. Kinda hard, but definitely not fun.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:38 pm

Personally, I might have used a band clamp but it looks good, Nick!! Did you use one of those old exhaust pipe expander tools that almost never work the way you expect them to? I spent several hours using one of them one time. Heat the pipe. Insert the expander. CRANK down on it as hard as you can. Bang on it with a hammer. Loosen it up. Pull it out. Heat up the pipe again....By the time all was said and done it probably would have been cheaper to repace it with a new pipe... and certainly less frustrating!!

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:49 pm

All they had was a muffler clamp. But hey, it works! No, our process was to cold-shape it. We used the muffler clamp to make it resemble a circle, then used a C-clamp to get it the right diameter. But regardless of the clamp, that tip will be holding just fine.

09vGT · Post by **09vGT** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 6:03 pm

Didn't your mom have her front bumper repainted? How is her paint holding up?Just wonder because there isn't any paint chips that I can see in my newly painted bumper upon inspection front washing it the other day. I've had it on for several months and it looks awesome! The hood not so much.

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:22 pm

Quote, originally posted by ponta2147 Â»WOW, I didn't realize you had a red car, I thought it was mud-brown Well, sometimes it is.... Not going to change my sig yet, though!

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:12 am

Ooooh! Shiny! My exhaust tip is 6+ years old and doesn't look so shiny anymore...

streblo · Post by **streblo** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 3:43 am

Ordered up lowering springs! and continued contemplating getting a custom license plate that says rator

ponta2147 · Post by **ponta2147** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 4:50 am

New wiring harness arrived in the mail! Hopefully I'll actually have time to install it sometime once I emerge from graphic design hell...

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:25 am

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT Â»Didn't your mom have her front bumper repainted? How is her paint holding up?Just wonder because there isn't any paint chips that I can see in my newly painted bumper upon inspection front washing it the other day. I've had it on for several months and it looks awesome! The hood not so much.Yep. Her Vibe got a brand new front bumper cover and paint in March of 2011. It is holding up really well so far. It looks much better then it would if it still had the original bumper cover and paint for sure.Mine isn't too bad. I try to keep up on keeping it waxed which is supposed to help with rock chips and all. I'll put it this way... mine is alot better then I thought I would be after 3 years of driving it year round.I got my new sunroof glass installed today ! I didn't see any dirty hand prints or anything on the headliner, so that's good .

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:38 am

Quote, originally posted by streblo Â»Ordered up lowering springs! and continued contemplating getting a custom license plate that says rator Yes!! Drop that vibe! Replaced the drivers side headlight bulb. Again. 6 months is the most a bulb lasts. Good news, 10 minutes to change out tops. I can prob do it with my eyes closed now:p

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 1:42 am

Sat in the driver's seat, shifted into reverse...backed up about a foot and stopped because I realized I was too sick to drive to class

09vGT · Post by **09vGT** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:16 am

Quote, originally posted by lannvouivre Â»Sat in the driver's seat, shifted into reverse...backed up about a foot and stopped because I realized I was too sick to drive to class I make this decision when my alarm goes off

MrHatchWagon · Post by **MrHatchWagon** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:11 am

This.

BillCrittenden · Post by **BillCrittenden** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 11:31 am

Nice wheels! Especially with the color Vibe you have.

09vGT · Post by **09vGT** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 5:56 pm

I've already posted this on the Facebook page, but I'll post it on here too. Apollo's newest milestone! Hit last night as I pulled into my parking spot!

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 6:27 pm

The other day: Tightened all engine mounts within my reach back to factory specs and started my car. There wasn't any squeaking, so I was THRILLED to have fixed the problem. Got home and it was squeaking again...So now I'll try what I read somewhere and spray water on one pulley at a time until the squeak temporarily shuts up and I know which one it is. (If anyone wanted details about the squeak, it only squeaks while in drive when the engine is hot, and it's most audible from the wheel-wells ). Tightening the engine mounts DID fix something, though: when I push on my car while it's in park, it no longer makes creaking noises.

While I was waiting for my dad to be ready to supervise tightening the mounts, I tried drawing my car:

I haven't tried drawing any cars since I was 3, and it was an interesting challenge. Unfortunately, I forgot what the front bumper looks like without the LeBra on.

I also got a stubby antenna:

I probably should have gotten it in black accenting, but I don't care $10 in return shipping and restocking fees.

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 6:28 pm

Well over the past week without GenVibe:

Changed the transmission fluid, Redline MT-90 GL-4
Washed it again
And paid it off (took 34 months)!!!

ponta2147 · Post by **ponta2147** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:57 pm

Got the interior deep cleaned and shampooed. Still has a little crud on the floor, but the majority of the work is done.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:15 pm

I drove around for about 2 weeks with a 20" TV and a bunch of other non-functioning electronics in the back of my Vibe. I finally got rid of everything yesterday at a recycling center which just happened to be right next to the Fox River and a really cool looking bridge...

These pictures are exactly why I love silver. My Vibe is in desperate need of a wash and you really can't tell at all in these pictures

!

Also, this past week all my stuff from GMPartsCenter.net arrived. Now I just have to find the time to re-paint our wiper blade housings and install our new wiper blades.

This coming week I'm going to order 2 more GM premium all weather cargo mats that will be used to protect the backs of the rear seats when they're folded down. GMPC is currently offering 10% off any order over $100.00 (coupon code: GM10), so I am definitely going to take advantage of that before it ends April 30th. I am also going to be getting our Optima Red Top batteries this coming week as well. Optima is currently offering a $25.00 mail in rebate on all their batteries through May 31st. I am loving all this money I'm saving (and spending

)!

And, last but not least, my mom's Vibe goes in Tuesday to get the sunroof glass replaced under warranty.

09vGT · Post by **09vGT** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:58 pm

Careful with all of those electronics in the back of the Vibe! Someone might not know they are broken and cost you a back glass!

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:50 pm

09vGT wrote:Careful with all of those electronics in the back of the Vibe! Someone might not know they are broken and cost you a back glass!

Well, since the windows are tinted and I have the GM cargo security shade, no one would have any clue the stuff was even back there. Everything's gone now though, so no worries

.

jkm311 · Post by **jkm311** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 4:00 pm

J_TO_ENVY wrote:... which just happened to be right next to the Fox River ...

My family used to boat on the Fox over 10 years ago, way up by Fox Lake/McHenry area. You know, damn near Wisconsin.

lannvouivre wrote:Tightening the engine mounts DID fix something, though: when I push on my car while it's in park, it no longer makes creaking noises.

Is *that* what is making that God-awful creak for 2 or 3 seconds when I simply open my door and get out of the car? I thought I just needed to lose a few pounds!

Seriously, though. Is it just a matter of tightening the hardware on either side of the engine bay? Forgive me, I am not a mechanic-type. I am talking about the area where I put my engine bay sway bar a couple years ago. I wonder if I didn't tighten everything enough (I know I double-checked the tightness when I installed everything). Advice anybody?

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 5:50 pm

jkm311 wrote:My family used to boat on the Fox over 10 years ago, way up by Fox Lake/McHenry area. You know, damn near Wisconsin.

LOL! I'd love to go kayaking on the Fox one of these days!

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 6:29 pm

jkm311 wrote:Is *that* what is making that God-awful creak for 2 or 3 seconds when I simply open my door and get out of the car? I thought I just needed to lose a few pounds! Seriously, though. Is it just a matter of tightening the hardware on either side of the engine bay? Forgive me, I am not a mechanic-type. I am talking about the area where I put my engine bay sway bar a couple years ago. I wonder if I didn't tighten everything enough (I know I double-checked the tightness when I installed everything). Advice anybody?

Well, I had to ask where exactly they were.

Here's the thread I asked about it in: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=38461

I borrowed my boss's torque wrench to tighten them and used Dad's floor jack to raise the engine a little to lessen stress on the bolts while I worked. Someone else had the creaking problem as well and one of their engine mounts was too loose. I couldn't get to all of them, so I just did what was reachable.

Edit: Oh, I washed and waxed my car today, too. The guy who was drying his car off next to me had a Corvette Grand Sport...and he used Armor All on it

jkm311 · Post by **jkm311** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:52 am

lannvouivre, can you identify the reachable mounts in the pdf? I found one on the bottom of page 8, that's it. Can I reach any others?

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:05 am

jkm311 wrote:lannvouivre, can you identify the reachable mounts in the pdf? I found one on the bottom of page 8, that's it. Can I reach any others?

I think so. If I'm wrong, someone might correct me...
http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc4 ... ntspdf.jpg
The PDF
http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc4 ... tspics.jpg
In person (the blue thing is the ram air intake I have)

jkm311 · Post by **jkm311** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:13 am

Sweet! Thank you. I hope that will quiet down the squeaking, and all the bolt heads are the same size. Ha!

NeptuneRetrograde · Post by **NeptuneRetrograde** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:44 am

Got CEL for a P0171 a month ago. Rough idle on cold days. Installed the "red" intake gasket on my 1ZZ-FE Vibe. Took about an hour. It did the trick. Best 5 bucks I've ever spent. First "torque-wrench-requiring" engine repair I've ever done. Also installed a console 12v socket for the cell phone charger. Anyone ever notice the console lid has spaces molded on both sides of latch that allows a wire to come out of the console while latched shut? Very cool. I'm in love with my Vibe again.

Vaggeto · Post by **Vaggeto** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:40 am

Although I've had my vibe for many years now, I haven't done too much to it, so now I'm trying to make up for that!

So here's what I've done in the last month!

Got an oil change.
Replaced windshield.
Got new key made! (lost one of the two last summer)
Replaced headlights (both low beams were out on Sylvania SIlverstar Ultra)
Paint and replace visor screws. Somehow my driver side visor had lost a screw so I took it off. Went many months without a visor and it was a pain. Finally just painted some screws and put it back up!
Replaced fog lightbulbs. One was out.
Completed flushed and replaced coolant!
Did 3 drain and fills of transmission fluid. The last one i drained and replaced filter.
Replaced front and rear shocks!
Cleaned & Oiled K&N air filter.
Used BG44k.
Got new wipers for the fronts.
Drained and filled rear differential.
Replaced ORIGINAL in-Cabin air filter. (Must be lucky here in Colorado, because it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the pictures I've seen)
Tried to fix in-cabin airfilter actuator from clicking... was partially successful.
Cleaned Mass airflow sensor.
Drained and filled transfer case fluid.
New serpentine belt. (from original)
Fixed oil leak on timing belt tensioner.
Changed out 5 lug nuts that were in horrible shape.

Things left to do:
Get recall done for window/door. (Should I at this point if I haven't had any big issues?)
Replace front bumper. (cracked slightly and scraped, looking for a used front bumper in shadow monotone)
Replace windshield washer reservoir. (cracked)
Get car detailed.
Get retainers for under engine covers (lost the middle one already, anyone know this part#?), engine cover, and 3rd brake light cover. Anyone know these retainer sizes?
Rotate tires.
Swap out in-cabin lights for LEDs. (Already ordered from ebay!)
Replace stereo lights (2 of 3 are out in display, already bought lights)
Really fix cabin air clicking. (gonna try a rotate of gear first)
Fix climate control light (still have to tap it all the time)
Put foam on AC line.
Install new brakes.
Change rear differential axle seals.
Get alignment.
Change brake fluid.
Change power steering fluid.
Clean engine bay and oil from timing chain tensioner leak.

Considering: HIDs & a way to replace a few stereo buttons!

Whew!

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 4:45 pm

My mom's sunroof glass was replaced under warranty yesterday! No more rust... for now anyway

.

Today I replaced the 3rd brake light and trim piece that covers the 3rd brake light on my Vibe. They were both worn out from being removed a couple times, so I just ordered brand new pieces from GMPartsCenter.net and replaced them.

MrHatchWagon · Post by **MrHatchWagon** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:55 am

Changed driver's side windshield wiper. Also, while changing my cabin air filter, I was surprised to find there wasn't even one in there before, so there is now!

colterk · Post by **colterk** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 11:28 am

I do have a dedicated thread to my on projects that have taken place over the past few days, so I'll just list what I've done and than anyone interested in the pics, can follow the link. Mind you the pictures are off my iPhone and one pic per mod, for now. Enjoy.

*Calipers painted *dashmat set in *alpine stereo set up (got on amazon new for 50$) *paracord wrapped steering wheel *AVS ventvisors on *debadge/rebadge *rear bumper protector

It's been a busy few days between work, the car and hiking (it's still only 50 degrees here and rainy) lol

link to photos:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=38548

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:22 pm

Got back from a 4000km Road trip on the NorCal/Oregon Coast!

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:39 pm

Mount St. Helens

Driving on the beach!

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:43 pm

Stardeceiver: your clean car sure lasted a while...

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 4:57 pm

It rained most of the way back... rained off and on today... I need to hit the carwash again as I still have sand on the rims

If it wasn't raining, I wouldn't have driven the car on the beach...

acvw74 · Post by **acvw74** » Sat Apr 28, 2012 5:36 pm

Oil change first...Used Valvoline 5w30 NextGen. Then gave it a bath...used about half a bottle of bug and tar remover...got 99%, touched up some of the rock chips and gave it a coat of wax. Then spayed the front with RainX Bug &Tar Protective Shield. I was going to take some picks...but it started to rain really hard so I left it in the stable.

Vaggeto · Post by **Vaggeto** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:49 am

Today (Or yesterday) I changed my rear axle seals! $20 in parts (2 seals) and a bit of gl-5 oil. Quoted at $650 from the dealer!

acvw74 wrote:Oil change first...Used Valvoline 5w30 NextGen. Then gave it a bath...used about half a bottle of bug and tar remover...got 99%, touched up some of the rock chips and gave it a coat of wax. Then spayed the front with RainX Bug &Tar Protective Shield. I was going to take some picks...but it started to rain really hard so I left it in the stable.

What do you mean by touched up some of the rock chips?

acvw74 · Post by **acvw74** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:40 am

Well maybe my terminology is quite right...I was talking about all the little nick in the paint from rocks and debris that we pick up as we drive...I went to Advanced Auto and picked up a small bottle of the color match paint.