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

Post by vibrologist »

You have good taste not only in cars but in bikes too!
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jayoldschool
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by jayoldschool »

For front plate, no drill, use all weather heavy duty self adhesive velcro. Not kidding. The front plate on one of my cars has been on for over five years this way. The car has a custom glass bumper.

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

Post by MrManager »

vibrologist wrote:You have good taste not only in cars but in bikes too!
Thanks! I had an old one since I was 12 that I used. But after my accident, it wasn't as forgiving to ride, I also kept getting flats and the brakes went. So I convinced myself that if it's for fitness, it's okay to splurge. I picked this one up and It is absolutely incredible, Front shocks and disc brakes. Such a solid bike.



jayoldschool wrote:For front plate, no drill, use all weather heavy duty self adhesive velcro. Not kidding. The front plate on one of my cars has been on for over five years this way. The car has a custom glass bumper.
Ooh I actually have a roll of that sitting around. Good call!


I also noticed under the hood that there was a powerline that i presume is the amp wire. Theres a cylinder like inline fuse (i believe) and it's all disconnected from the battery. I"ll try it later, maybe the person before blew the amp and this was an easy "fix"?
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vibrologist
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibrologist »

I took the winter wheels off and put the all seasons on. The winter wheels are 15" MSW alloys with General Altimax Arctic tires, the all seasons are 16" stock alloys with Michelin Defender tires. Oh yes, they are quiet. :D
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

MrManager wrote:Popped the hood to look at some stuff and realized that it already has a CAI, a Weapon R one. Could probably use a new filter though.
I also Noticed that it has a steering brace!
Pictures please :D!
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

Got new 235/40/18 Hankook Ventus V12 evo extreme summer performance tires installed on the 18" wheels of both Vibes this morning! Man, the tread on these things looks killer and they are wider which gives the Vibes an awesome stance! Haven't really driven on them yet, but they sure do look bad @ss :cool:! I also had the tire shop remove the TPMS sensors and install regular rubber valve stems which I then added chrome sleeves to :D! Pictures to come within the next day or two...
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

Here's some quick pictures I snapped of the tires yesterday. Both Vibes are dirty, so I will get some better ones when they're clean. Notice how the tire shop used gloss black wheel weights :|. I would have preferred silver ones, but oh well. The wheels will hopefully be getting re-finished next year because they're starting to show some wear up close, so I'll worry more about the color of the weights than.

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Still haven't driven a ton on the new tires, but so far they seem very quiet, the ride and handling are noticeably improved and braking seems to require slightly less pressure on the pedal due to the tires being new and grippy. Both Vibes will be going in within the next week or two for alignments so we can get the longest possible life out of these tires. Very happy with them so far!

More pictures to come...
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vibrologist
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibrologist »

Those tires look sharp!

If the black weights bother you that much get a rattle can of silver, spray the paint into a small container to form a puddle and use an artist's brush to paint the weights. Or maybe you can find some silver nail polish, than you can natch your nails to your Vibe's rims as well. ;) :lol: ;)
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trb
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by trb »

Tires look really nice! Just the right size IMO. It really is quite a difference in the ride when you get new tires for sure. It will be interesting to see how well they wear.
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MrManager
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrManager »

This is the disconnected wire, what is it?

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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Salsa Guy »

Added a DC Sports STB and a Hoctkis RSB to the old 03 GT..
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by lannvouivre »

MrManager wrote:This is the disconnected wire, what is it?[/img]
Probably a power wire to an amplifier.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrManager »

So I've noticed some wires before, and today investigated more. It looks like the was an additional amp in the car, that the Previous owner removed. The red, black, and blue lines go up to where the rear seats fold down.

Luckily I have an amp lying around that i've been wanting to put into a vehicle of mine, and looks like someone has done most of the hard work for me.

While I would love to just hook up the amp and see what happens, i should trace them the whole way and to the head unit, which means taking out the seats and carpet, which means a great opportunity to lay sound deadener. I'm trying to not spend money right now, So I'll try to push this off till may.

I also washed the car, got all the salt off of it and I feel much better.
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ehoff121
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ehoff121 »

Last weekend, I did the front rotors and pads.

Had the Recirc door motor click of death start again earlier in the week- I had already used the 180 degree gear trick, so had to get a new motor. Got it installed through the glove box, though it was difficult to do even with a mini 1/4" ratchet. The metric bolts are 5.5mm, but that's not a socket in any set I have- SAE 7/32 worked just fine.

Even though I could have bought the part $10 cheaper on Amazon, I threw some business at Rock Auto- they are a great source of parts info when I need to compare components.
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KITT222
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by KITT222 »

I also got some new tires installed and on my Vibe over the past weekend. The noisy and heavy winter tires are now off and I am glad to have the quieter ride and no more squishy sidewall that comes 215/70R15 winter tires. My new tires are 215/50R17 Cooper Zeon RS3-As. I was quite pleased with what I saw, and despite shopping around when I found out my Cooper Tires discount was useless to me, I still got the Coopers. I have yet to find their limits, but I look very forward to getting there!

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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

KITT222 wrote:I also got some new tires installed and on my Vibe over the past weekend.
Nice upgrade there Nick. Also it looks like a much cleaner shop there compared to what I Was able to offer :o Enjoy the smoother ride
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

vibrologist wrote:Those tires look sharp!

If the black weights bother you that much get a rattle can of silver, spray the paint into a small container to form a puddle and use an artist's brush to paint the weights. Or maybe you can find some silver nail polish, than you can natch your nails to your Vibe's rims as well. ;) :lol: ;)
Thanks! They look so aggressive :twisted:! I love them :D!

I was already planning on painting the weights silver. Just another one of many little projects I want to do once the weather gets and stays warm :roll:.
trb wrote:Tires look really nice! Just the right size IMO. It really is quite a difference in the ride when you get new tires for sure. It will be interesting to see how well they wear.

Yes, I am very happy with the size! Glad I followed your lead with that. The ride is noticeably improved, not nearly as harsh going over bumps, etc. and they're so freakin' grippy! Braking takes less effort and turning can be done faster now :twisted:!
KITT222 wrote:I also got some new tires installed and on my Vibe over the past weekend. The noisy and heavy winter tires are now off and I am glad to have the quieter ride and no more squishy sidewall that comes 215/70R15 winter tires. My new tires are 215/50R17 Cooper Zeon RS3-As. I was quite pleased with what I saw, and despite shopping around when I found out my Cooper Tires discount was useless to me, I still got the Coopers. I have yet to find their limits, but I look very forward to getting there!

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Nice looking tires Nick! And the Vibe is looking great as usual ;)! Can't wait for Pontiac!

So, we got about 3-4 inches of snow last Monday. I was a little nervous about driving to and from work on the summer tires, but they did fine since the roads were mainly just wet. Man, these things are grippy! Braking takes less effort and turns can be made faster with little to no body roll and definitely no squealing tires. I am loving these tires so far!

*EDIT: While we're on the topic of tires, I just did the math based on the maintenance records for our Vibes and figured out the mileage we got out of the OEM all season tires and the mileage we have gotten out of our "winter" (all season) tires so far...*

My Vibe:
OEM 215/45/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S-C all season tires = 37,935 miles
205/55/16 Kelly Explorer all season tires (winter) = 18,909 miles

My mom's Vibe:
OEM 215/45/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S-C all season tires = 37,501 miles
205/55/16 Kelly Explorer all season tires (winter) = 19,444 miles

I did the Goodyears in red since we are no longer using them. It will definitely be interesting to see how many miles we get out of the Hankooks since they're "ultra high performance summer" tires...
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gtv237
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by gtv237 »

I just finished up with changing the rear struts. I had to change them because they were causing some unusual tire wear. Surprisingly, it rides a lot nicer now. It was pretty bouncy at times.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by KITT222 »

tpollauf wrote:
KITT222 wrote:I also got some new tires installed and on my Vibe over the past weekend.
Nice upgrade there Nick. Also it looks like a much cleaner shop there compared to what I Was able to offer :o Enjoy the smoother ride
Well, it's not exactly that kind of shop. It's at an engineering firm up in Flint that sponsors our friend with the rally Vibe. Super grateful that I could do my tires and such there. But, sort of part of it, we had to vacuum up a whole Chevy Sonic rear window. The Sonic is also a rally car, and the fire extinguisher on the roll cage met glass. Yeah.

vibenvy wrote: Nice looking tires Nick! And the Vibe is looking great as usual ;)! Can't wait for Pontiac!
Thanks! The hood needs some work, and I can't stand half-doing it, so I'm going to need to make a painful decision at some point to paint my hood the right way. Unfortunately, I don't think the bare CF is ever going to see the light of day again.

So, we got about 3-4 inches of snow last Monday. I was a little nervous about driving to and from work on the summer tires, but they did fine since the roads were mainly just wet. Man, these things are grippy! Braking takes less effort and turns can be made faster with little to no body roll and definitely no squealing tires. I am loving these tires so far!
The second day I had these on, it snowed, froze, and I had to drive on it. And on that day I knew why I had winter tires.
*EDIT: While we're on the topic of tires, I just did the math based on the maintenance records for our Vibes and figured out the mileage we got out of the OEM all season tires and the mileage we have gotten out of our "winter" (all season) tires so far...*

My Vibe:
OEM 215/45/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S-C all season tires = 37,935 miles
205/55/16 Kelly Explorer all season tires (winter) = 18,909 miles

My mom's Vibe:
OEM 215/45/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S-C all season tires = 37,501 miles
205/55/16 Kelly Explorer all season tires (winter) = 19,444 miles

I did the Goodyears in red since we are no longer using them. It will definitely be interesting to see how many miles we get out of the Hankooks since they're "ultra high performance summer" tires...
I got the RS3-A variant tires because I wanted *some* winter capability, and they have a 40,000 miles treadwear rating from Cooper, while the RS3-S tires have only a 20,000 mile treadwear. And with how much I'll be moving about the next few years, I could use that extra tread life.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by lannvouivre »

I replaced the radiator hoses. The clip-type hose clamps are definitely proof that there is only Satan and no god. So I replaced all of the remaining ones that had not been mangled beyond functioning with some worm clamps, yay! :)

...Yeah, I'm still kind of irritable after trying to get them off with channel lock pliers. I realize there's a tool specifically for the clip-types, but it's $30 and a pair of worm clamps is $2.50.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

I was thinking of changing the hoses on the Vibe as well, but didnt want to go through the hassel. I did a thorough inspection and decided the the hose are ok. Im due for a coolant flush, its beeen 5 years since the last one. How miles are you at now ?
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by lannvouivre »

cptnsolo77 wrote:I was thinking of changing the hoses on the Vibe as well, but didnt want to go through the hassel. I did a thorough inspection and decided the the hose are ok. Im due for a coolant flush, its beeen 5 years since the last one. How miles are you at now ?
I'm at 110k miles or so. I wasn't sure what was wrong with it, looked fine when I inspected it after removal. I had stopped the leak previously moving the hose clamp, but I went ahead and got the new hoses because I didn't know for sure why moving the clamp stopped the leak.

Make sure you get 4 new worm clamps and prepare to cut off the old ones... :lol:
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by Blanco_Diablo »

New headlights are installed… check the garage for more pics:

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gtv237
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by gtv237 »

Today I took off the throttle body and cleaned it in hopes to squeeze out a bit more MPG. It was actually pretty dirty. There was a thick ring of build up around the butterfly valve.

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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by MrManager »

As I was driving home from work I thought my stereo was bumpin more than usual. Could it be since the back seats were folded down?

Nope, then I heard it, the drivers side door speaker was playing. Every now and then It'll come and go. This made me think that, since there were wires for an additional amp, and the fact this speaker wont play and will play (and when it does, it's very clear) that the previous owner put aftermarket speakers in and it's not a bad speaker, but a bad connection.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by dnoishere »

...changed my tranny filter/fluid...95k miles.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

So, my Vibe was supposed to go in almost two weeks ago for an alignment (because of the new tires), but the shop had to cancel because their garage door was busted and they couldn't get it open to pull vehicles in and out for alignments, so I got the appointment re-scheduled to yesterday. I dropped it off in the morning before work and my mom took me to work. She came and picked me up from work and we headed to the shop to get my Vibe. I walked in to pay the bill and the guy tells me they're not charging me anything because the alignment was fine so they didn't have to adjust anything! I thanked him and set up an appointment to take my mom's Vibe in tomorrow for an alignment. As if them not charging me anything wasn't great enough, I get in the Vibe and in addition to the paper floor mat that they always use, there was a clear plastic cover over the steering wheel :lol:! This shop just gets better and better every time I go there!
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

Took my mom's Vibe in for an alignment the other day. I was expecting it to be out of whack because it's never had an alignment, but it was almost perfect. They only had to make a few minor adjustments, so they only charged me $40.00 instead of the typical $80.00. Her Vibe received a paper floor mat and "steering wheel condom" like mine did :P!

6 years ago today (04.11.09), I brought my Vibe home. These past 6 years have flown by. The Vibe still looks and feels like a brand new vehicle to me though and I still smile every time I look at it <3!

I have a few small projects I'm hoping to get done on both Vibes this weekend. I'll report back later on whether or not I actually get them accomplished...
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KITT222
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by KITT222 »

So I had a fun last weekend....

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RallyVibe guy, Doug, and I cut our teeth on how to install a supercharger. My car is fast. Even if it isn't, the noise is great. The torque and power are just fantastic! I had two small coolant problems, however, resulting in me looping the throttle body coolant lines, bypassing the throttle body. I might fix it. I'm now looking for a stock hood again, the flared skirts, and a better radiator.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by lannvouivre »

Transmission cooler, amp, installation of mystery box.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

Well, I actually got a couple small projects that I've been putting off done today. The first one was removing the rear bumper cover of my Vibe so I could make the rear license plate screw holes larger and than put some little black square thingies in the holes which the license plate screws will screw into. I had been using some black plastic retainers because the screw holes weren't holding the screws very tightly anymore. Well, the look of the retainers bothered me and they didn't seem to be too secure, so I decided I had to figure out a way to be able to use the nice stainless steel screws we had been using before (and that I've used on every car I've ever had). My plan worked perfectly and the stainless steel screws look so much better. A while back I had actually drilled two holes to hold the bottom of the license plate too instead of just the top, so it really looks good with all four stainless steel screws. I'll take pictures tomorrow when I do the same with my mom's so it will all make more sense :P. Oh, and for any 2nd gen owners who are wondering... the rear bumper cover is literally held on by the two "screws" you see near the taillights when you open the hatch and than four retainers underneath the rear end. That's it. I literally had it off in about five minutes and I had never removed it before and had no real idea of where it was held on, etc. The best part is... I didn't screw anything up!

The second little project I started was better hiding the ballasts and igniters for the HIDs in the low beam headlights. I undid a bunch of electrical tape so I could reach the low beam wires a little further to better hide everything. I need to run to Walmart in the morning to get some wire loom (I knew I should have gotten some when I was there today :roll:) to cover up all the wiring. The ballasts and igniters are attached to the inner fenders with 3M double sided tape. I only did the driver's side tonight because I couldn't see that well and I didn't want to do much before I have the wire loom, so I decided to leave the passenger side of mine and both sides of my mom's Vibe for tomorrow. Once that's done, I will be servicing the sunroofs of both Vibes as well.
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vibenvy
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

I went to my local Ace Hardware this morning and got some wire loom so I could finish the HID ballast and igniter hiding project on the driver's side of my Vibe. I also got the passenger side stuff better hidden. I removed the sunroof glass from my Vibe and cleaned and siliconed the tracks and all. I'm going to pick up some white lithium grease next time I'm at Walmart though and use that on the tracks because the silicone didn't seem to do a whole lot. I also need to pick up more 3M double sided tape so I can better hide the HID ballasts and igniters on my mom's Vibe. I'm still contemplating whether I'm going to go out to the garage and take the rear bumper cover off my mom's Vibe and do the "license plate screw fix" that I did on mine last night...

On a bit of a side note, while wandering around Ace this morning, I was looking at their selection of "chrome" bolts, fasteners, etc. and I noticed some that I think may work to hold the Vibe's engine cover on. I'm thinking adding a small touch of chrome would look pretty good against the black of the engine cover, so next time I'm out, I'm gonna stop and pick up a couple of them to try. IIRC, they were $1.49 a piece. I'll definitely post pictures if I end up getting some...
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gtv237
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by gtv237 »

Put on new tires and aligned it :mrgreen:
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by 2010VibeIN »

Got new Goodyear Eagle LS 205/55 16s tires put on and alignment yesterday and Downstream O2 sensor. Rides so much better now.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by 2010VibeIN »

Also changed both air filters. I never owned a car with a cabin filter and I have only had my Vibe since Feb 2015 and it was pitch black. I don't think it has ever been changed.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by ColonelPanic »

Used up some of my extensive oil stash today. We (well, predominately I) have racked up 3600 mi since the last change - which I realized after the fact was just back in February. :shock: This time it was changed earlier than I've been doing here lately but I was bored and it was a beautiful day.
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

As promised here are some pictures of a couple little projects I've done over the last couple weekends...

This picture shows the license plate on my mom's Vibe being held on with black plastic interior panel retainers.
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This picture shows what the rear of the Vibe looks like without the rear bumper cover.
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This picture shows the backside of the license plate holes in the rear bumper cover before I modified them.
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This picture shows the backside of the license plate holes in the rear bumper cover after I modified them.
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This picture shows the front side of the license plate holes in the rear bumper cover after I modified them.
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This picture shows the license plate on my mom's Vibe once again being held on by some nice stainless steel screws!
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Once I removed the rear bumper cover, I used a pair of wire cutters to trim the plastic around the license plate holes to make them bigger. Once the holes were big enough, I snapped a little black plastic square license plate thingy (don't know the technical term for it :P) into each hole and than used clear RTV silicone to reinforce the holes. It ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Now, the other little project that I completed just yesterday was even easier. I got some chrome bolts from my local Ace Hardware to replace the crummy looking black ones that were holding the engine covers on both Vibes. The bolts were $1.59 a piece. I am really happy with the look of the chrome against the black of the engine cover. To ensure a perfect fit, I took one of the original bolts in with me and matched it up to the new ones. They're a perfect fit and definitely add a nice little custom touch to the engine bays.

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This upcoming week and next weekend will be busy for the Vibes and I. It's that time of year where I will be doing the annual spring exterior details consisting of washing, clay barring and 3 step waxing both Vibes. In addition, I am also hoping to get interior details done as well consisting of using my Little Green Machine on the seats and carpet. Hopefully the weather cooperates. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to post of the Vibes all clean and shiny.

Oh, on a bit of a side note, my mom discovered some interesting glasses at our local Target yesterday...
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They're actually plastic and were only $1.99 a piece. Coincidentally, there were only two of them left! We will be bringing them to Pontiac to enjoy some beverages in :D!
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2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
vibee2006
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2015 6:29 am

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibee2006 »

I replaced the front and rear struts with Monroe quick struts and it was a piece of cake. The quick strut has a better spring the rear coil has one more coil And the front has larger dia. coils with a half coil extra.I hilly recommend Monroe Quick struts.
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vibrologist
Posts: 1598
Joined: Sat May 10, 2014 8:24 am
Location: Iowa

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibrologist »

vibee2006:
Thanks for posting this detail. How do these struts affect the ride? Do you feel any difference at various speeds on somewhat rough roads?
Vibrologist
'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=43476
cptnsolo77
Posts: 1645
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 am

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Been busy ! Almost done repainting my cladding with Duplicolor bumper paint. I used dark charcoal. Its pretty darn close to original color. All I have is the rear bumper, but I have to fill some holes, so i tool a lilttle break. Lots of masking and very time consuming, but the results were well worth it. I also sprayed a couple of coats of Krylon Fusion clear to help it last a bit longer. It also gave a nice shine. The bumper paint leaves a matte/satin finish.
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* 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
cptnsolo77
Posts: 1645
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 am

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

More pics.
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* 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
cptnsolo77
Posts: 1645
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 am

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Side by side comparison. As you can see the cladding was completely wheatherbeaten :lol:
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* 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
gtv237
Posts: 387
Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 6:21 pm

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by gtv237 »

cptnsolo77 wrote:Side by side comparison. As you can see the cladding was completely wheatherbeaten :lol:
Oh wow! That looks really good.
gtv237
Posts: 387
Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 6:21 pm

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by gtv237 »

vibenvy wrote:As promised here are some pictures of a couple little projects I've done over the last couple weekends...

This picture shows the license plate on my mom's Vibe being held on with black plastic interior panel retainers.
Image

This picture shows what the rear of the Vibe looks like without the rear bumper cover.

This picture shows the backside of the license plate holes in the rear bumper cover before I modified them.

This picture shows the backside of the license plate holes in the rear bumper cover after I modified them.

This picture shows the front side of the license plate holes in the rear bumper cover after I modified them.

This picture shows the license plate on my mom's Vibe once again being held on by some nice stainless steel screws

Once I removed the rear bumper cover, I used a pair of wire cutters to trim the plastic around the license plate holes to make them bigger. Once the holes were big enough, I snapped a little black plastic square license plate thingy (don't know the technical term for it :P) into each hole and than used clear RTV silicone to reinforce the holes. It ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Now, the other little project that I completed just yesterday was even easier. I got some chrome bolts from my local Ace Hardware to replace the crummy looking black ones that were holding the engine covers on both Vibes. The bolts were $1.59 a piece. I am really happy with the look of the chrome against the black of the engine cover. To ensure a perfect fit, I took one of the original bolts in with me and matched it up to the new ones. They're a perfect fit and definitely add a nice little custom touch to the engine bays.

This upcoming week and next weekend will be busy for the Vibes and I. It's that time of year where I will be doing the annual spring exterior details consisting of washing, clay barring and 3 step waxing both Vibes. In addition, I am also hoping to get interior details done as well consisting of using my Little Green Machine on the seats and carpet. Hopefully the weather cooperates. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to post of the Vibes all clean and shiny.

Oh, on a bit of a side note, my mom discovered some interesting glasses at our local Target yesterday...

They're actually plastic and were only $1.99 a piece. Coincidentally, there were only two of them left! We will be bringing them to Pontiac to enjoy some beverages in :D!
Very cool. I did a similar thing but with rivets.
Image
2010VibeIN
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:23 pm

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by 2010VibeIN »

I changed the spark plugs a few days ago.What a difference in power it made. Also cleaned the MAF sensor.
This is what one of the old plugs looked like.
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gtv237
Posts: 387
Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 6:21 pm

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by gtv237 »

2010VibeIN wrote:I changed the spark plugs a few days ago.What a difference in power it made. Also cleaned the MAF sensor.
That's a sexy lookin vibe!
2010VibeIN
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:23 pm

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by 2010VibeIN »

gtv237 wrote:
2010VibeIN wrote:I changed the spark plugs a few days ago.What a difference in power it made. Also cleaned the MAF sensor.
That's a sexy lookin vibe!
Thanks!
Image
cptnsolo77
Posts: 1645
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 am

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Coolant change at 187K. Used the Prestone that is compatible with all types of antifreeze. This is my 2nd drain & refill with Prestone & no issues. Good for another 5 years 8-) ....i will probably have a Mazda CX5 by then :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
User avatar
vibenvy
Posts: 7121
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:38 am
Location: Sandwich, IL

Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by vibenvy »

A couple weeks ago I had a four day weekend so I did a full exterior detail on my Vibe. It hadn't been clay barred or waxed since May of 2013. I was surprised at how smooth the paint still felt, although it felt even better after doing the clay bar and Mother's 3 Step Wax System. I used Mother's Water Spot Remover on all the windows which also made a huge difference.

That same weekend, I stopped by the WeatherTech factory store in Bolingbrook, Illinois to pick up some goodies. It was a crappy, rainy day, but man was that place packed. I looked around for a few minutes and than grabbed a number. I had to wait about 15 minutes for someone to help me. I ordered one of their TechShade windshield sun shades to help keep my Vibe cool while parked at worked during the summer. While standing there waiting for the employee to put the order through, my mom discovered something interesting on the counter...

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These were so cute, I couldn't resist them. Not to mention they'll go great with our "Good Vibes" glasses :P! I also picked up a twin pack of WeatherTech's TechCare floor liner / floor mat cleaner. This stuff works great to clean any floor liners and / or rubber floor mats. While we were waiting for the TechShade to be delivered from one of their other buildings down the road, my mom and I took advantage of their complimentary cafe. I had an iced latte, my mom had an iced tea and we split a blueberry muffin top. I just can't get over how amazing WeatherTech's factory store is now. When I first went there back in 2012, it was a tiny little space. Now they have all sorts of motorcycles on display, in addition to a huge truck and a Roush Mustang GT Convertible. I highly recommend stopping there if you're ever in the Chicagoland area.

I am very happy with the TechShade. It fits perfectly (they are custom fit to the specific vehicle) and is so much higher quality than the ones you get at Walmart, etc. It's double sided. The shiny silver side is to reflect heat and keep the interior of the vehicle cool in the summer and the black side is to absorb heat and keep ice, snow, etc. from building up on the windshield during the winter. When not in use, it rolls up for easy storage. Well worth the $49.99 in my opinion. I will get some pictures and post them within the next few days...

Last weekend, my mom and I took my Vibe on an overnight road trip to Waukesha, Wisconsin. Between the trip up there and the trip back, we counted 20 different Vibes. Of those 20, only 4 were 2nd gens. 3 out of the 4 2nd gens were 2.4L Bases. The 4th was a white GT. Of the 16 1st gens, 1 was a Fusion monotone and 1 was a Wave two-tone. I had filled my Vibe up before we left and filled it up again when we got back, so I could figure out my mileage which ended up being just under 32 MPG with 30% city and 70% highway. It was more back roads than actual highway, but I kept the cruise set at 55 MPH whenever possible. Not bad mileage at all.

Also, last weekend both our Vibes turned over 58,000 miles!
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2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
tpollauf
Posts: 4025
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
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Re: What did you do to your Vibe today?

Post by tpollauf »

Well what I did to my Vibe last light was not a good thing. Was driving home late and very tired, not fully paying attention and ended up getting to close to a curb at the end of an open lane of highway where a left turn was at. Just as the left turn lane ended it returned back to the normal two lanes (half of the four lane highway) and there was a partial curb tapering up to the complete two lanes. Was going a good 55-60 mph and slightly hit this curb. I heard the "hit" and it didn't sound too bad in the car (radio up pretty good and the TPM sensor light did NOT come on) so I kept driving until I got home. Then I looked at it and shook my head. Today I got outside and really looked at it and almost cried :roll: So I'm in the market for at least one new rim & tire and possibly another one for the rear. I'll likely have the front end looked at also to make sure nothing got damaged underneath. This S U C K S but I had better start paying more attention while driving or simply stay off the road all together!

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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

"everything is modifiable"
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