What did you do to your Vibe today?

ehoff121 · Post by **ehoff121** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 2:42 pm

Changed the transfer case oil (the fill plug was nearly impossible to remove, but a channel lock and a skinned knuckle got it out

), the differential oil, and the PCV valve. Used Lucas 75W-90 GL-5 gear oil in both cases.

Also, Simple Green'd the engine compartment.

Next: transmission fluid/filter replacement.

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 3:56 pm

Just got done repainting the last hubcap. Going to let it dry overnight & put it back on tomorrow morning. No more faded hubcaps. It does remind me that the stock caps are pretty darn good looking than caps I have seen on other cars. This will hold me off until i FINALLY get some alloy wheels. Me tired of HUBCAPS !....LOL

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 5:12 pm

Regular semi annual air filter replacement and MAF sensor cleaning.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 5:06 pm

My Vibe turned over 33,000 miles today! I'll be surprised if it turns over 35,000 before the end of the year. Haven't been doing much driving this year at all.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 5:59 am

J_TO_ENVY wrote:My Vibe turned over 33,000 miles today! I'll be surprised if it turns over 35,000 before the end of the year. Haven't been doing much driving this year at all.

Have your camera ready so when you hit 33333 you can take a snapshot of it

A few months ago I missed my opportunity to capture my first sequential odometer reading of 12345 due to my camera being in my work Van

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:22 pm

tpollauf wrote:Have your camera ready so when you hit 33333 you can take a snapshot of it A few months ago I missed my opportunity to capture my first sequential odometer reading of 12345 due to my camera being in my work Van

Eh... I really only take pictures at every 10,000 mile interval. I forget to take pictures of anything else

.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:58 am

I spent about 5 hours detailing my Vibe yesterday, then spent the evening hanging out with some other Chicagoland GenVibers at the Morris, Illinois Cruise Night.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 5:34 am

Yesterday, we removed the...

Supercharger
Camcon
Head unit (replaced with stock)

and got them all ready for shipping out today!

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:49 pm

Bought new winter tires.

Old Firestone Winterforce - New Nexen 231

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Thu Sep 13, 2012 5:20 pm

My mom's Vibe turned over 33,000 miles last Sunday (September 9th).

Tonight I cleaned the interior of my mom's Vibe. I was wanting to wash it tomorrow but my dad's taking it to work

.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 11:43 am

Washed the car last night. Finally had a chance to clean up some rusty areas and do some minor work with some touchup paint. Really liking the GM touchup paint with the roller ball, just stick it in a chip and let a little paint flow out. I suck at using the brush!

Followed it up with a Back To Black treatment on the cladding. This was the first time using that product -- it was a lot of work to get it non-streaky.

Hoping that it still looks OK after a rain.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 6:39 pm

This evening I went to remove the spare tire from my mom's Vibe to check the pressure of it. The spare tire retainer would not come out. The plastic was just spinning around the bolt instead of moving along with it. The bolt wasn't budging which meant the spare tire wasn't coming out. Obviously this isn't good if my mom ever got a flat tire, so I ended up spending about an hour with multiple different tools and even a lighter to get the d@mn thing out. Needless to say, I completely destroyed it, but finally got the plastic part off so I could remove the bolt. For the time being, I put the spare tire retainer from my Vibe in my mom's. I looked up the part number online and found it easily so I will be going to the dealer tomorrow after work to order a new one. The dealer price is $13.09 (not too bad surprisingly).

In case anyone ever needs it, the part number for the 2009-2010 (may be the same for older years as well) spare tire retainer is: #19204720.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 5:20 pm

Last Wednesday (September 19th), I ordered a few LEDs from v-LEDs. My order was shipped USPS First Class from Washington state last Thursday (September 20th) and arrived yesterday (September 22nd). I am very impressed with their super fast shipping and with the bright, crisp white light (no hint of blue whatsoever) of their LEDs. I ordered 1 pair of their 5000k LED #194 bulbs to try in our interior map lights and license plate lights and 1 of their 5000k LED #DE3175 bulbs to try in our interior center and rear overhead lights. I ordered these to start in case I wasn't happy with them, but I ended up ordering the rest of them for both our Vibes last night because I was so happy with them. They give that nice bright white light I've been looking for for our interior and license plate lights and best of all, they were on clearance! I will post pictures once the rest of the bulbs arrive (which should be by Wednesday hopefully).

This evening I rotated the tires on my Vibe. Everything went well. All the tires look great. They're wearing evenly, don't have any flaws of any sort in/on them, etc. The only thing that kind of bummed me out was that the washer on one of the Toyota wheel locks was all jacked up and had kind of jacked up the wheel lock itself a little bit too

. I put the regular lug nut in it's place for now until I can stop at the hardware store and hopefully get a new washer for it. It's always something

...

09vGT · Post by **09vGT** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 9:57 pm

Changed a flat and headed to Sears. Tire is no good so I have to drive around on the spare until Wednesday when they get another tire in. This is the second set of tires, minus the factories. Now one will be on a 3rd tire. I've only had the car 3 years! No luck for me on tires. Oh, as a plus, its not costing anything!

vibedrivermatt · Post by **vibedrivermatt** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:52 am

Well, I did this yesterday actually. I just finished replacing every single one of my lug nut studs. It got to the point that I was breaking them every time I went to remove a lug nut. I put on DORMAN brand ones from car quest. They have the nice 'made is USA' label so I'm hoping they will hold up to rust a little better than the original studs. I don't know what kind of steel the originals were made from or where they were manufactured but I don't think they were very good.

Also eariler in the week I did a front brake job. The pads were toast and so were the rotors. The rotors were all burnt up and rusty with deep groves on the inner face of the rotor, so they were replaced. I found out the rear pads and rotors were bad as well so I'll have to get to that later.

Dang my car only has about 31,000 miles on it.

I guess im really hard on my brakes. I probably also let the brake pads go for too long. After seeing my brakes I dont even want to know what my clutch looks like. I'll try to be nicer to my brakes with the new parts installed.

Bastranz · Post by **Bastranz** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:33 pm

I came home from work today and was happy to see that I received the LED tail lights RED PLATINUM 7 WATT HIGH POWER 20 LED BRAKE LIGHT BULBS 7440 7443 and dome lights DE3175 LED Bulb - 4 SMD LED Festoon I ordered online. Since I had a little bit of daylight left, I quickly installed them and they work quite well! The dome lights fit, although they settled in at an angle. I hope they will be okay in the long run, but they are working for now!

I also got my Genvibe T-shirt and am trying it on right now.

Finding these presents in my mailbox today certainly brightened my day (no pun intended)!

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:31 pm

Bastranz wrote:I came home from work today and was happy to see that I received the LED tail lights RED PLATINUM 7 WATT HIGH POWER 20 LED BRAKE LIGHT BULBS 7440 7443 and dome lights DE3175 LED Bulb - 4 SMD LED Festoon I ordered online. Since I had a little bit of daylight left, I quickly installed them and they work quite well! The dome lights fit, although they settled in at an angle. I hope they will be okay in the long run, but they are working for now!

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the rest of our LEDs from v-LEDs. Great place to deal with! The one DE3175 bulb I have from v-LEDs as of right now, went in at a slight angle too. I think it will be alright though since LED bulbs don't get hot. The angle it's at isn't bad enough to affect the light output or anything either, so I'm not too worried about it. It's not like anyone will ever see that it's at a slight angle

.

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:31 pm

New wiper blades (Trico Neoform, love 'em so much I got another pair), and a new flip key! The first key blade wasn't cut right. So I had to improvise. I had a new key cut, then cut off the head, and shaped it with the bench grinder to fit. My dad is extremely impressed, and so am I!

Before the snow flies I'll be painting my drums and calipers. Black drums, probably red calipers. I'm also considering a backup camera since I can't parallel park worth a darn anymore.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:30 pm

Nice work improvising there Nick

Any chance you took pics of the keyed assembly apart? Just curious of the stress the key could see in the event you need to use it to lock/unlock the Vibe manually? It looks pretty delicate there. I've experienced busted keys in my past & it was no fun getting them out. Great job anyways. Glad your pop appreciates the ingenuity you posses while performing these mods. It is a gift that we're born with and not easily taught.

vibedrivermatt · Post by **vibedrivermatt** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 2:01 pm

neat job with the key. I assume that the dealer is able to porgram the new fob so that buttons work?

i've noticed the keys that came with my sisters VW jetta are like that. I think land rover keys are like that also. neat feature.

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 2:29 pm

It's pretty solid. Surprisingly high quality. But I am careful with it. I'm still carrying my regular keys as of now. But I managed to somehow program the remote myself! That was an achievement in itself. But all I had to do was gut a stock fob, trim the new case a little (it was made for the Toyota Prado), and it fit perfectly!

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:00 pm

I washed.... The car!!!

...... aaaaaannnd, now it's raining....

dgekiere · Post by **dgekiere** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:29 pm

I finally got around to putting the genvibe decals on both my cars

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:23 pm

The rest of our LEDs from v-LEDs arrived this past Wednesday. Man, do they light up the interiors of our Vibes at night! I can even see in the cargo area under the cargo shade now! I attempted to take some pictures, but they all turned out blurry and crappy

.

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 9:13 pm

Well... quite a story. Not my Vibe, but remember Applejuice?

Construction in a local primary route has been, I'm not kidding, hell. Absolutely terrible. Reduced to one-lane, mile-long bottlenecks, and very dangerous conditions. Speed limit is 55mph, not reduced at all for construction, two points of exit past the Point of No Return, and sudden stops. This time the odds collapsed.

Applejuice was going home with his brother, and had to stop suddenly in the middle of an intersection to avoid hitting the guy in front of him. Unfortunately, the girl behind him didn't react quick enough, and BOOM! Rear-end collision. He parked by the median, expecting the worse. Her car, a Ford Taurus of the '06 vintage (dime-a-dozen high schoolers car) was done. Totalled. Coolant was everywhere, and the airbags had gone off. By pure coincidence, I drove upon this at the opportune time. His Vibe slowly revealed itself, and all I did was say "not again..." I was in the left-turn lane, and the accident happened in the left lane. He walked over as I stopped for the yellow light. So I parked, and walked across the road to help out. The girl who hit him was very shaken up. All at the scene tried to help her out. All got sorted, and her car got towed away.

As for the Vibe... there's nothing. No, really, zero identifiable structural damage. The rear bumper cover is thrashed (Taurus bumper bolts are embedded in the plastic) and he needs a new revers lamp for the lens cover, but there is no real damage to his car. I checked under the bumper, behind it, and the sides. I can't say there is anything wrong. Just a scuffed hatch and ruined cover. To be honest, I'm amazed. Nobody hurt, no damage to the Vibe, and the girl is doing a-okay last I saw her.

I trust my Vibe. I trust her a lot.

Oh, and, uh, I tried cleaning my Dryflow air filter before work, but it wasn't dry enough thirty minutes before I left, so I quickly re-installed my airbox (sans snorkel). It sounds deeper now. Slightly better MPGs, but that may just be the route I took to work. I'm eager to test this out, because chances are I'll have the airbox in for the winter. Maybe I should just leave it in until spring.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:32 pm

KITT222 wrote:Well... quite a story. Not my Vibe, but remember Applejuice?

Construction in a local primary route has been, I'm not kidding, (removed). Absolutely terrible. Reduced to one-lane, mile-long bottlenecks, and very dangerous conditions. Speed limit is 55mph, not reduced at all for construction, two points of exit past the Point of No Return, and sudden stops. This time the odds collapsed.

Applejuice was going home with his brother, and had to stop suddenly in the middle of an intersection to avoid hitting the guy in front of him. Unfortunately, the girl behind him didn't react quick enough, and BOOM! Rear-end collision. He parked by the median, expecting the worse. Her car, a Ford Taurus of the '06 vintage (dime-a-dozen high schoolers car) was done. Totalled. Coolant was everywhere, and the airbags had gone off. By pure coincidence, I drove upon this at the opportune time. His Vibe slowly revealed itself, and all I did was say "not again..." I was in the left-turn lane, and the accident happened in the left lane. He walked over as I stopped for the yellow light. So I parked, and walked across the road to help out. The girl who hit him was very shaken up. All at the scene tried to help her out. All got sorted, and her car got towed away.

As for the Vibe... there's nothing. No, really, zero identifiable structural damage. The rear bumper cover is thrashed (Taurus bumper bolts are embedded in the plastic) and he needs a new revers lamp for the lens cover, but there is no real damage to his car. I checked under the bumper, behind it, and the sides. I can't say there is anything wrong. Just a scuffed hatch and ruined cover. To be honest, I'm amazed. Nobody hurt, no damage to the Vibe, and the girl is doing a-okay last I saw her.

I trust my Vibe. I trust her a lot.

Oh, and, uh, I tried cleaning my Dryflow air filter before work, but it wasn't dry enough thirty minutes before I left, so I quickly re-installed my airbox (sans snorkel). It sounds deeper now. Slightly better MPGs, but that may just be the route I took to work. I'm eager to test this out, because chances are I'll have the airbox in for the winter. Maybe I should just leave it in until spring.

Wow! Glad to hear everyone was okay. That is absolutely amazing that the Vibe only received cosmetic damage and yet the Taurus was totaled

. Have your Vibe goodies arrived yet?

I discovered the other day that the one in-channel section of my front driver's side WeatherTech window deflector was broken and consequently, the window glass was getting hung up on it when I would close the window. This past Wednesday, I emailed the lady (Lisa Lucier) I had placed my order with in person at the WT store and told her the issue. I asked if it was covered under their warranty. She replied back the next day (Thursday) and said she was sorry to hear about the issue and that it was indeed covered under the warranty. She asked if I wanted to come into the store and pick up a new one or if I wanted her to ship it to me. I told her I wouldn't be in the area anytime soon, so shipping it would be the best option. She also offered to install it for me if I went to the store which I thought was pretty neat. Yesterday (Friday) I received an email from FedEx with a tracking number for the new deflector. It was set to arrive today (Saturday). At most I was expecting a front pair of deflectors, but no... they sent me an entire set, front and rear. All I needed was the front driver's side. So, since I have these "extras" now, the rear ones will be going on my mom's Vibe and I will be ordering a front set for her Vibe as well. This is awesome as it will save me about $50.00 over buying the full set. I couldn't be happier with WeatherTech's customer service. I highly recommend them! This evening I popped the broken one out and installed the new one. No more hung up glass! I'm a happy camper

!

Oh, and while my mom, grandma and I were out and about today in my Vibe in the Plainfield/Joliet, IL area, we saw 4 or 5 Vibes and with the exception of one 1st gen two-tone Frosty, they were all Neptune

! One was a 2nd gen Base Model and the rest were all 1st gens. Because my mom and I are always pointing out Vibes when my grandma's in the car, she is now pointing them out too! She's pretty darn good at correctly identifying them too

!

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 8:44 pm

I need more people around me who love Vibes... I feel too remote. My friend said I should open up a garage that specializes in Vibes. I don't necessarily disagree!

And yes, I got my goodies today. Thank you very much, Carrie! You're great. I love going through the dealer brochure, checking everything out and seeing what they were comparing Vibe to.

I also received another Vibe poster. I now have one of the 09 GT, and one of a two-tone '03 abyss GT.

Oh, by the way, I've had a pretty good day. I may have satiated my light-nerd cravings.

Sealed-beam flood lamps. Just because. I need to wire them, but I'm proud of my mounting system. 16" long aluminum bar mounted to my license plate bolts. For wiring I'm going to look to Jeep and Subaru forums for help, but I've already got a schematic for the wiring. I need to find a relay, though. Hopefully Advanced Auto has them.

ponta2147 · Post by **ponta2147** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 8:45 pm

dgekiere wrote:I finally got around to putting the genvibe decals on both my cars

Whoa hey- my lack of showing up on this forum very often means I very definitely missed when these classy new decals were made available!!

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 2:12 am

KITT222 wrote:I need more people around me who love Vibes... I feel too remote. My friend said I should open up a garage that specializes in Vibes. I don't necessarily disagree!

And yes, I got my goodies today. Thank you very much, Carrie! You're great. I love going through the dealer brochure, checking everything out and seeing what they were comparing Vibe to.

I also received another Vibe poster. I now have one of the 09 GT, and one of a two-tone '03 abyss GT.

Oh, by the way, I've had a pretty good day. I may have satiated my light-nerd cravings.

Sealed-beam flood lamps. Just because. I need to wire them, but I'm proud of my mounting system. 16" long aluminum bar mounted to my license plate bolts. For wiring I'm going to look to Jeep and Subaru forums for help, but I've already got a schematic for the wiring. I need to find a relay, though. Hopefully Advanced Auto has them.

Glad to hear you got your Vibe goodies

! I looked through the dealer brochure quite a few times before sending it off. Very neat for sure!

Those lights look good. Can't wait to see what you come up with for wiring them up

.

ponta2147 wrote:Whoa hey- my lack of showing up on this forum very often means I very definitely missed when these classy new decals were made available!!

Smeadows7 was offering them along with the GenVibe t-shirts (like the one I was wearing in Morris). I know he quit doing the t-shirts at the end of August, but I'm not sure whether he's still doing the decals or not. PM him and ask

.

trb · Post by **trb** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:56 am

Got my sticker from Steve last week, so I finally joined the Genvibe sticker club! Did I stick it on correctly?

I actually got the one with the arrowhead and the Vibe letters above it, but I knew my wife would not like all the letters on the sticker, so I settled on just the Genvibe part.

And THANKS Carrie for the info on the replacement wiper blade refills. I got some from my Toyota dealer and they all fit fine, but the Matrix rear wiper was 1" too long. Nothing a pair of scissors could not fix though. For sure cheaper than the generic refills and I could keep the original wiper frames.

I also changed the oil on my 10 GT for the first time myself. I had a couple of $9.99 oil change coupons from the dealer that I used on the past changes. My first time to use Mobil 1 oil and filter also. I usually just get basic dino or synthetic blend oil, but Advance Auto had the complete synthetic oil change for $29.99 so I figured why not.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:00 pm

trb wrote:Got my sticker from Steve last week, so I finally joined the Genvibe sticker club! Did I stick it on correctly?

I actually got the one with the arrowhead and the Vibe letters above it, but I knew my wife would not like all the letters on the sticker, so I settled on just the Genvibe part.

And THANKS Carrie for the info on the replacement wiper blade refills. I got some from my Toyota dealer and they all fit fine, but the Matrix rear wiper was 1" too long. Nothing a pair of scissors could not fix though. For sure cheaper than the generic refills and I could keep the original wiper frames.

I approve of the GV decal and location

! Nice to see yet another member representing

!

Glad to hear you got the wiper blade refills. I love the sleek look of the factory wiper blade housings, so getting refills was the cheapest and easiest way to keep those housings. All of our housings looked like cr@p when I replaced all of our blades earlier this year, so I threw a couple coats of DupliColor adhesion promoter (since the housings are plastic) followed by a couple coats of DupliColor low gloss black engine enamel on them and now they look brand new. Speaking of cr@ppy looking wiper blade housings, I am eventually going to throw a couple coats of the same adhesion promoter and paint on the rear wiper blade housings of our Vibes too as they are now starting to look kind of cr@ppy too and little things like that really bug me

.

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:49 pm

bought a hitch basket from princess auto

going to be swapping out the htechs currently in the rear for trd's

SmAshley · Post by **SmAshley** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:16 pm

Drove her to work and home... nothing super exciting but I have been having rattling from under my hood... so I investigated to find a loose bolt on the battery hold down.. so Kelly being the loving BF he is cranked it down for me with a nice SNAP ! So we replaced the bolt with a new one lol Some times he doesn't know his own strength!

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 12:18 pm

Genvibe.com sticker

Swapped out rear springs from h-tech's to TRD

Vs a stock vibe

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 9:11 am

Just replaced the front brake pads after 138K miles. Old pads were factory. Im really shocked as to how many miles the original pads can go before being replaced !

trb · Post by **trb** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 9:54 am

Got the 10 GT inspected, and the place I went to offered a free car wash. So it is actually clean for like the fourth time since I bought it!

I'm so bad about cleaning it. I used to wash my Mustang once a week in the early days. But that was like 25+years ago. Now I'm lucky if I wash the cars once every 3-4 months

silverbullet · Post by **silverbullet** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 2:46 pm

Getting ready for that supercharger. Hooked up emanage with my new boomslang, (pricey but worth it)and set that up on the laptop. Set up my AEM wideband to report to the emanage. Ran wiring for greddy boost sensor as well.

Non vibe related I replaced two outer tie rods on an aztec today. Just helping out the family.

LarryKingsShoes · Post by **LarryKingsShoes** » Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:57 pm

I changed the oil yesterday and finally got a new wiper blade for the rear window. I was long overdue for some fresh oil (Mobile 1 5W30 full synthetic) and the wiper blade was just annoying.

I didn't want to drive an hour just to get the regular replacement so I grabbed an Anco 300mm rear blade ($8) and it fits like a charm. It looks to be just a little bit bigger, too. I've never had so much fun clearing dust away from the hatch glass.

Next on the agenda is a good scrubbing of the rims and some PlastiDip. I've got extra and figured it would be fun to try black rims for a while.

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Wed Oct 10, 2012 9:32 am

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:45 pm

Changed the oil today. Thought it had been only 10000kms since the last one.... whoops, misread my logbook... 13200kms since the last oil change...

Oh well. it's done now.

And it seems that my right side CV boot is starting to tear, or at least has a pinsized hole in it. Just enough black grease on the boot itself, it's not flung all around the shock and control arm though so it can last a little longer until it tears completely or the joint stars to knock.

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Wed Oct 10, 2012 6:52 pm

Ok! Got to inspect my car's suspension components yesterday, as well as the rest of the underside of the car (mostly the exhaust's rubber vibration mounts). Goodness, my car's undercarriage is pristine. No massive grease spots, rust spots, or nests of black widows at all. Makes all the cars we've worked on so far look...awful. However, I need new sway bar links.

: 1009121807-01.jpg (219.74 KiB) Viewed 13081 times

Both have tears in their boots/bushings at the bottom.
Also...

: IMAG01142.jpg (165.95 KiB) Viewed 13081 times

My Tokico struts are here! WOO!

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Wed Oct 10, 2012 7:11 pm

Cleaned MAF sensor, improved performance. I really need to do that more often...

Also, my right side LED DRL stopped working, and my wiring looks likes a bad word. Time for full-on wiring replacement! Get it looking good and neat, and not like an embarrassing mess... Seriously, I don't want people looking at my wiring. All that crap can be replaced simply and easily.

Yesterday I hauled 200lbs of water softener salt, and the rear rode almost an inch lower. I like my ride height. It allows for some cargo (that slides about when you're turning, making the car's balance an interesting thing) and doesn't rub. Too bad I didn't take a pic.

LarryKingsShoes · Post by **LarryKingsShoes** » Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:37 pm

Other than driving, I didn't do anything to the Vibe today. I did, however, get a package in the mail that has me anxious for the weekend. The kind UPS woman dropped off my MWR (MonkeyWrench Racing) short shifter so I had to open it up and take a look. The instruction sheets make it seem like a pretty painless install. I'm going to try to put it in on either Friday afternoon or on Saturday after the Iowa @ Michigan State game.

I also picked up some supplies for a couple of other weekend projects. I'm going to treat my cladding with some Back to Black and I'd like to try see how Plasti-Dip looks on my rims. I was going to just use my leftovers but I didn't want to run out without proper coverage. I'll be up at my parents' house for the weekend and there aren't any shops, as far as I know, that carry Plasti-Dip.

I can't resist posting a picture of this thing; it's a beauty! I can't wait to do the install so I never have to look at it again, though.

After this, I'm faced with the choice between lowering springs or the Magnaflow catback exhaust. I'm leaning toward the exhaust because it seems like an easier install. On the other hand, the lowering springs add so much style that I really want to do that. If I knew I could do the install on my own, I'd do both. Unfortunately, I don't trust myself to work on the suspension. It just seems like it's beyond my skill set. I should get quotes from shops in the area but I'm not expecting anything less than $300.

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:46 am

springs first.

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:01 pm

Springs are easy so long as you have someone to help you. Basically, three bolts in the engine bay per strut, two on the knuckle, one sway bar link (THAT is a PITA), then in the rear it's simply four bolts each. You don't even need to remove the wheel in the rear. Then a screw per strut to get the spring off AFTER you compress the springs. You could go solo, it'd just be harder and slower. With the new short-throw shifter you'll feel sportier, and the lower springs can help with that. Or, an alternate POV, the exhaust could be easier to install with a taller car. Then springs.

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Thu Oct 11, 2012 5:35 pm

Front Tokico struts are on! Rears go on Monday.

LarryKingsShoes · Post by **LarryKingsShoes** » Thu Oct 11, 2012 10:44 pm

Can anyone comment on how the car handles crosswinds after being dropped? I'm leaning toward the lowering springs right now because I have been been getting thrown around on the highway a lot lately. If they will help, it seems like a much more useful upgrade (in addition to the boost in style). I'll need some winter tires but that was already on my mind. I don't mean to go too far off topic; it just seems like a simple question that might not warrant an entirely new thread.

To get back on topic, today I picked up a wheel brush and some wheel cleaner. They're dirty beasts.

I appreciate the input on springs vs catback, by the way. It's good to get encouragement; the anxiety of doing the install was about the only thing keeping me from going forward with it.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 11:01 am

This past Thursday I installed WeatherTech dark tinted front and rear window deflectors on my mom's Vibe.

The install went very well. I got the front ones in and then re-taped the rear ones with 3M Super Strong Molding Tape before installing them (a lesson I learned after installing mine back in August). It rained today and man was it nice being able to have the windows open a bit while driving.

My Vibe turned over 34,000 miles today!

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 8:56 pm

Ordered the new LED DRL off ebay from a seller in California. You think it'd be easier to find those things, but no.

I also tried wiring up my new lights on the front of my Vibe. Every wire run, everything connected, nothing hooked up incorrectly and... nothing. I am a bit peeved. I'll borrow a multimeter from a friend (my dad's is shot) and source the issue. If my engine ground is an issue, I guess I'll ground directly at the battery since every other ground in the car works. I did it all properly, soldered here and there, ran it neatly, yet I had to undo my work to get the relay accessible. Yay more work! :awkward smile:

Now I'm off to Oznium or Fleebay for another switch that will fit my dash panel. It's taken me nearly two years, but now all three slots will be filled with a light switch. I'm not sure if that's an accomplishment or not.

09vGT · Post by **09vGT** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:19 pm

My HVAC fan has stopped working. It stopped the other day, then started, then smelt like something was on fire. Today, it stopped again. So... I called it a few choice words and then kicked it.