What did you do to your Vibe today?

Discuss any maintenance you've done to your Vibe & Matrix and ask how to perform maintenance on your vehicle
MrHatchWagon
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrHatchWagon »

Zimm wrote: didn't someone else chime in recently about having used a magic eraser and ending up with noticeable dull spots in their paint?

Oh, it's possible I suppose. I used one on mine to get rid of a few pits in the paint that became rusty over the winter. They were very noticeable because the rust kind of leaked around them, but the eraser took care of it all. I washed the area afterwards and applied wax to be sure my paint would be kept in good shape, and it looks okay. Maybe it's because I just used it on a very small area, though..
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Doug14
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Doug14 »

Had to get an emissions test done today, and passed. looked for a pair of used tires for the front to last me until I can afford brand new ones, but local used tire shop had no 205/55R16 used.
thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

so i dropped by a local chevy dealer last week and gave them my vin to see if the recall affects my car. guy said no. guess what i just got in the mail?
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MrHatchWagon
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrHatchWagon »

thebarber wrote:so i dropped by a local chevy dealer last week and gave them my vin to see if the recall affects my car. guy said no. guess what i just got in the mail?
Let me guess, a recall notice?

Pardon my asking, but is there some new recall for our years that I should be made aware of?
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thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

MrHatchWagon wrote:
thebarber wrote:so i dropped by a local chevy dealer last week and gave them my vin to see if the recall affects my car. guy said no. guess what i just got in the mail?
Let me guess, a recall notice?

Pardon my asking, but is there some new recall for our years that I should be made aware of?
Just the airbag thing
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MrHatchWagon
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrHatchWagon »

Ah I see, shortly after I posted I found out I got a letter in the mail for it too. Guess I'll be swinging by the dealership.
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

MrHatchWagon wrote:
Zimm wrote: didn't someone else chime in recently about having used a magic eraser and ending up with noticeable dull spots in their paint?

Oh, it's possible I suppose. I used one on mine to get rid of a few pits in the paint that became rusty over the winter. They were very noticeable because the rust kind of leaked around them, but the eraser took care of it all. I washed the area afterwards and applied wax to be sure my paint would be kept in good shape, and it looks okay. Maybe it's because I just used it on a very small area, though..
I believe this is the thread Zimm was referring to.

I personally wouldn't use anything that is not specifically made for cleaning vehicles.
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MrHatchWagon
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrHatchWagon »

Good info, I retract my previous statement then. I guess the next option is to befriend someone with a buffer and some rubbing compound :P

Also, Barber: I saw your post over on MO about the hail. I hope your Vibe is unharmed after that storm, those pellets looked huge!
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thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

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09vGT
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by 09vGT »

Took it to the dealer yesterday to get the window switch recall tended to.
jadoiron
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by jadoiron »

Made an appointment for my annual inspection tomorrow morning. Will be travelling from eastern Canada to Boston in July and want to make sure the ol girl will make it there and back okay so I asked if the mechanic would check it extra thoroughly and let me know if there is anything he sees that MAY need to be looked at (note: mechanic is an honest relative who's owned his business for 20+ years).

Any tips to get ready for such a long trip? It will be the furthest I've taken her.
KITT222
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by KITT222 »

Summer tires!!

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Also fiddled with the rear bumper a bit to make it fit a little better.
MrHatchWagon
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrHatchWagon »

First detail of the summer, and a little photoshoot:

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Showing off the Supertones:
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I need to invest in a CPL filter for my camera.. They clip on and they're polarized, so they're supposed to greatly reduce reflections when taking shots of cars.
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jadoiron
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by jadoiron »

MrHatchWagon wrote:First detail of the summer, and a little photoshoot:

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Showing off the Supertones:
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I need to invest in a CPL filter for my camera.. They clip on and they're polarized, so they're supposed to greatly reduce reflections when taking shots of cars.
NB plates eh? Well done. I'm in PEI.
MrHatchWagon
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrHatchWagon »

Nice, I'm in Bathurst currently but I'll be moving to Moncton soon for work. Good to see another maritimer on the site!
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thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

Delivered a 1zz and 2zz to monkeywrench racing in Michigan this past weekend

Helped a friend with HID's on his V70

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Doug14
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Doug14 »

Well i ATTEMPTED to change my rims today and was planning to repaint my drums and calipers but i could not get any of the wheels off lol. They're all on there real good, I tried lowering the car back down with the lug nuts on but backed off 1/4 inch, then driving forward and backward while turning the wheel with no success. back ones are on stuck on there too. Any suggestions?
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Rayven01
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Rayven01 »

I usually lie on my back and kick the hell out of them with the lugs loose like you had them and the car up in the air a few inches. Takes awhile sometimes but they eventually come loose.
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Doug14
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Doug14 »

Rayven01 wrote:I usually lie on my back and kick the (removed) out of them with the lugs loose like you had them and the car up in the air a few inches. Takes awhile sometimes but they eventually come loose.
I didnt try lying down and kicking it lol I'll give it a shot, thanks!
thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

Assuming they're steelies, spray some penetrating lube on the hubs with the hubcaps removed...
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Caretaker

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Caretaker »

got:
two new outer CV boots
grease sprayed onto my power window control board
a new lug nut due to stripping in the center of the nut
a new Denso starter, ending a year of screeching when I start the car

all for the amazing price of $0.00
lannvouivre
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by lannvouivre »

thebarber wrote:Delivered a 1zz and 2zz to monkeywrench racing
ARGH YOU ARE TOO LUCKY, I AM SO JEALOUS! ARGH!

The spots I thought were etched into the paint (which had still been visible after I'd finished waxing last time) were gone as of today when I did a quick detail job. Oh, and I pulled out the fuel pump only to discover that the filter is a PAAAIN to get to. I will not be doing that unless I can have 4 hours of free time at the AUMT building. We forgot to crank the engine and had some gasoline geyser out when we pulled a line off. The good news is that there were no used condoms hiding under the back seat from Epona's rental days, which was a relief.
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thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

lannvouivre wrote:
thebarber wrote:Delivered a 1zz and 2zz to monkeywrench racing
ARGH YOU ARE TOO LUCKY, I AM SO JEALOUS! ARGH!
.
It was more hole-in-the-wall than I thought it'd be
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cptnsolo77
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Lets see....car wash + megs detailer + megs headlight resto kit & refinish restorer = Fresh again at 150K 8-)
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lannvouivre
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by lannvouivre »

Looks great!
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Rayven01
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Rayven01 »

Ordered my redline accessories armrest cover today. Black nappa leather with charcoal stitching, 3/4" padding and a Pontiac emblem embroidered on top.
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thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

Flat-blacked the exhaust today

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And for comedy sake:

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KITT222
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by KITT222 »

That last one is perfect. I can see myself having to do that one day, after getting scolded for modifying our new car...


Today is the unofficially official 10th birthday for my Vibe! Same day that we hit our 30,000th miles together. 108,2XX, and no real problems. But a bath is needed, and a retrofit planned...
cq358
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cq358 »

26k miles, back pads still have 90% left and front pads have 85% left. Just glaze off some surface rust from winter.
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

Yesterday I washed both Vibes even though it was rather chilly for May. I actually got hit with small ice pellets for a few minutes at one point :roll:. I also picked up 2 25% bonus cans of satin black Krylon Fusion at Walmart for $4.34 each because I have some painting I have been wanting to do on the Vibes (freshening up some black exterior parts). This morning I ordered a TRD front strut brace for my Vibe. I have always disliked the goofy look of the OEM strut brace and the red of the TRD one will add a little more color to the mostly black engine bay. Plus, I'm hoping since the TRD one is all one piece that it will perhaps add a little more rigidity than the OEM one currently does.
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

I ordered some more small goodies for the Vibes this afternoon! I ordered 2 metallic silver "Poyota" decals from Grafx Werks. I am thinking these (1 per Vibe) will more than likely go on the lower left corner of the windshields. Thanks to MaSlade, I am also considering ordering 2 of these and putting them in a certain spot under the hood of each Vibe :twisted:.

I finally got around to spray painting the inserts for our TRD forged aluminum oil filler caps today and installing them. The inserts originally had a black background with red TRD logo, but I wasn't fond of the look of them, so I decided to use the GM color matched spray paint I had leftover from spray painting the license plate plugs in my front bumper cover. The Liquid Platinum Metallic almost perfectly matches the color of the aluminum cap so I am very happy with the results.

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And here are a few more shots I took of my mom's Vibe since it was all nice and clean :cool:.

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lannvouivre
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by lannvouivre »

Today:
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Vinyl stripes thanks to CustomCreations, a local business.

The other day:
Cleaned engine bay as well the other day, luckily I got a shot in before the wind could throw more grass on it
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Powered by 1ZZ-FE oil cap (from a few months ago):
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

I installed the TRD front strut brace on my Vibe today! I am very pleased with it! The installation was much easier than I thought it would be (it's tedious because there are alot of parts that have to be removed, but it's definitely not hard). I would say it took me about an hour start to finish, including some vaccuming up of bugs and such that were under all the cowl pieces and wiping down all the metal underneath the cowl pieces before re-installing everything. I also removed the TRD badge from the strut brace before installing it (I'm just not a fan of logos, badges, etc.).

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The TRD front strut brace not only looks much better than the goofy looking OEM one, but it weighs about half as much and since it's one piece instead of three like the OEM one, it should provide significantly more ridgidity which will provide better handling. It's a win-win-win all around :cool:!

On a bit of a side note, if anyone's interested in the OEM strut brace, let me know.
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Rayven01
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Rayven01 »

I did a drain and fill of the coolant (Toyota Pink). Got exactly 1 gallon out of the 1.5 total according to the manual. The old coolant looked good, just faded a bit in color but no contaminants at all. Should be good for another 60k. I drained out both the radiator and the block drain cocks but the next time I do it I'm not going to bother with the block drain. Once the radiator was finished draining very little came out of the block drain (maybe 1/2 cup).
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

My Vibe turned over 40,000 miles today!

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Also, I drove the Vibe for the first time since installing the TRD strut brace yesterday and I can honestly say I could definitely notice an improvement in the handling, especially when turning or going through a curve. The Vibe feels much more "solid" now.
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

My mom's Vibe turned over 40,000 miles today!

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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

removed
Last edited by vibenvy on Mon May 27, 2013 2:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

TEQ sticker

TEQ sticker

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thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

TRD front strut brace received and installed on my mom's Vibe today!

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Rayven01
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Rayven01 »

Received my Redline armrest cover today!
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The emblem sits a bit more toward the rear than I asked for but it turns out to be a good thing because that way my elbow doesn't sit on it, which could get irritating. The padding is super comfortable!
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

Forgot to mention in my previous post that today is the 4 year anniversary of when my mom got her Vibe :D!
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

Yesterday and today I did a full exterior detail on my Vibe. I washed it, used Mother's Clay Bar System, washed it again, used Mother's Water Spot Remover for Glass on all exterior windows (including the sunroof) and finally, finished up with Mother's 3 Step Ultimate Wax System. It was a long tedious process, but the end result is well worth it :cool:! Below are a couple quick driveway pictures I took...

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I also removed the rear wiper and re-painted it using satin black Krylon Fusion. It looks better than new! I can't wait to paint some more stuff i.e. the grilles, etc.
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thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

Soooooo, I get the impression that most vibe guys don't like to lower their cars?
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KITT222
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by KITT222 »

thebarber wrote:Soooooo, I get the impression that most vibe guys don't like to lower their cars?
We aren't as focused on getting the lowest of the low, but I think stock is too high. I have Canuck springs on my Vibe, and I love them. If anything, the rear wheels could be brought out a little more, but it wouldn't look good with the Vibe's styling, and curved-in sides.
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

thebarber wrote:Soooooo, I get the impression that most vibe guys don't like to lower their cars?
Been there, done that on my previous two vehicles (2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT Coupe & 2002 Pontiac Sunfire SE Sedan). They looked and handled great, but the bottoming out on minor bumps, etc. got to be really annoying after a while so did hitting road kill with the catalytic converter :|. The bottoming out, etc. was worse if anyone was in the back seat. I like that I can have 3 adults in the Vibe with me and not have to worry about trying to dodge every little crack in the road. The Vibe rides and handles from the factory like I always wanted my lowered Sunfires to, so I am more than happy with the suspension on the Vibe just the way it is. Would it look better lowered... absolutely! Would the ride be sacrificed... absolutely! Will my Vibe ever be lowered... absolutely... NOT :P!
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cptnsolo77
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Cleaned up my reverse lights with leftovers from the Sylvania headight resto kit, now they look white again yay !! :D
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

Had a great little road trip to check out Pontiac, Illinois yesterday. As if I weren't excited enough about the meet in a few weeks :D!
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ParknVibe
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ParknVibe »

I walked up to my Vibe and looked at the dirt on it.
thebarber
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by thebarber »

at my parents this week with the kids

got my recall done and the car detailed. it was sooooo filthy inside...2 kids who eat in the car. do the math
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