What did you do to your Vibe today?

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Sat Jan 16, 2016 7:48 pm

Nice work Barber and some serious dedication on your part. Hey with the Vibe having a few less fasteners in it you should see improved fuel economy

What was the original problem with the heater core? Plugged, leaked, clogged fin areas, etc? Definitely not a task that just anybody can do. Hopefully you don't have any rattles or other noises as a result from tearing it apart this far. Great work though

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 10:05 am

Some updates for my Vibe:
2012-2014 Toyota Yaris HVAC Knobs - 11.08.15

eBay (topupauto) Black Plastic Front And Rear Door Hinge & Striker Covers - 01.06.16

TRD Radiator Cap - 01.06.16

And for my mom's Vibe:
eBay (topupauto) Black Plastic Front And Rear Door Hinge & Striker Covers - 01.06.16

TRD Radiator Cap - 01.06.16

Illinois Route 66 Specialty Vanity Rear License Plate - GDVBS - 01.08.16

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 4:53 pm

Exciting day. Replaced the bulb in the CHMSL today as I noticed it was out last night. Not sure how long I've been down a brake light back there.

This makes bulb #3 in there whereas all others except for the headlights are still the same it left the factory with. Curious.

I will err on the side of caution and throw in a new pair of bulbs in the tail lamps once it warms up. Surely I'm on borrowed time at this point with the originals.

BenWA · Post by **BenWA** » Sun Jan 17, 2016 5:33 pm

I did a pseudo-tire rotation. Some readers may remember, my car came with 215s on the driver's side and 205's on the passenger side. Looking at front driver's side tire when I was changing out the wiper blades (the wheels were turned so I could see the tire tread well) and it was more or less on the wear line. Both front ones were. The back ones had considerably deeper tread. Due to the mismatched sizes on each side and one of each were worn more than it's matching size, I couldn't do a real rotation or put the 215s on the rear and the 205s on the front because I'd still have a worn out tire on the front on one side.

So, I just swapped the front for the rear on each side independently, keeping the 215s on the driver's side and the 205s on the passenger side. This way I have the better tread tires on the front where it matters more for drive train traction & steering. Maybe it will keep my tires from spinning on wet pavement when taking off from a stop, like the worn out ones have been when on the front. I have had to creep off the line due to that unless facing downhill.

Since fronts wear out faster than rears (especially on FWD), maybe I won't need to buy a complete set of tires too soon. The currently better ones will hopefully catch up to the rear ones in terms of wear before the rear ones become bald. When it's time, I'll get a matching set of all 205s.

I doubt I'll buy Coopers unless I can find some USA made ones. The ones it has now are China made. SHAME ON YOU COOPER!!! The last Coopers I had on a 91 Corolla, they were the worst tires I've ever bought. They were worn out after about 15k miles. When purchasing the set, the manager of the official Cooper Tire store in Texarkana, AR was completely rude, unprofessional and downright violent, asking me "Do you want to take this outside?" when I got angry about him coming into the customer lounge and changing the channel to what HE wanted to watch instead of what *I* wanted to watch. I'm the damn customer. The TV was there for MY USE, not HIS. Frankly, I should have demanded a refund and had them remount my old tires and drove to Discount Tire, Sears or anyplace else, but I needed the tires that day as I recall. I did have them remove the road hazard. I didn't want them to get anymore money out of me than necessary for me to get the tires.

It's so bizarre how this "set" is all Cooper and the same tire model, but 2 different sizes on each side. I think somebody bought them that way on purpose and probably had the larger ones mounted on the rear when new. But at some point, it got a "free tire rotation" once early in the tire's lives and it ended up the way it was when I got it. The mismatched fronts were equally worn and the mismatched rears were equally worn, so they have been mounted that way a very long time. It could be they were even mounted wrong when NEW by the tire shop and the buyer never looked/noticed, and never had them rotated because they wanted larger on the rear.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 10:04 am

Finally got Junior's Vibe ready for winter

Put the 16" winter tires/rims on them and stored the original 18" alloys up on the wall. Yeah here it is mid January and winter finally got there just last week! I was shocked to see the condition of all the equipment under the hood. He's at 69000 miles and uses his Vibe like a work truck! Yeah he's a college kid always on the go and recently driving up in Michigan for his job and has NO time for any TLC to the Vibe. Guess it's dads job to keep it clean and maintained

trb · Post by **trb** » Mon Jan 18, 2016 11:55 am

Oh my, Tim! That looks horrible! I'm sure driving it up there in the weather does not help.

I do know what you mean about us taking care of the kid's cars. At least your son is busy, so he kind of has an excuse. Luckily these cars don't need much except a wash and vacuum every so often. My son actually texted me a couple of weeks ago since one of his headlights burned out and he wanted to get it replaced, so he asked could the dealer do it? I was thinking boy, you can do it yourself and probably save $50! So I sent him a you tube video, told him what to get at the parts store and how much it cost, and he changed it himself.

Good luck getting that under hood area clean again!

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:06 am

BenWA wrote:
thebarber wrote:Should've parted it out. Would've been less work
I'd have bypassed it and done without heat, as awful as that can be.

uh, no

too cold

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:09 am

tpollauf wrote:Nice work Barber and some serious dedication on your part. Hey with the Vibe having a few less fasteners in it you should see improved fuel economy What was the original problem with the heater core? Plugged, leaked, clogged fin areas, etc? Definitely not a task that just anybody can do. Hopefully you don't have any rattles or other noises as a result from tearing it apart this far. Great work though

there was about a litre of coolant in the bottom of the fan box

i think having my coolant flushed must have started the chain reaction....ive always done regular drain plug coolant changes

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:10 am

vibrologist · Post by **vibrologist** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 10:58 am

thebarber wrote:
tpollauf wrote:Nice work Barber and some serious dedication on your part. Hey with the Vibe having a few less fasteners in it you should see improved fuel economy What was the original problem with the heater core? Plugged, leaked, clogged fin areas, etc? Definitely not a task that just anybody can do. Hopefully you don't have any rattles or other noises as a result from tearing it apart this far. Great work though
there was about a litre of coolant in the bottom of the fan box

i think having my coolant flushed must have started the chain reaction....ive always done regular drain plug coolant changes

Did you locate the leak on the old core?

trb · Post by **trb** » Tue Jan 19, 2016 2:47 pm

thebarber wrote:
BenWA wrote:
thebarber wrote:Should've parted it out. Would've been less work
I'd have bypassed it and done without heat, as awful as that can be.
uh, no

too cold

I bypassed the heater in my Mustang for one year, and even down here in Houston, I froze with no heat. My hands were the worst if I forgot gloves and the rest of my body was not happy after my 45 min commute in the cold. I replaced the heater core and the entire AC system later that year when it warmed up.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 4:42 pm

Tim, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit after seeing those underhood pictures of your son's Vibe

.

jayoldschool · Post by **jayoldschool** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 6:32 pm

I unpacked my replacement 6 speed that I'm going to install next week!

MrManager · Post by **MrManager** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 6:42 pm

Cleaned the windows today, it's in desperate need of a wash though, but I might wait till after this snowstorm this weekend.

I also need to do an oil change. if it's not too bad I'll do it tomorrow. I need a space heater or something in my garage.

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 11:45 pm

Thermostat housing on the Tercel insists on leaking. I think it's possessed by Satan. I replaced the gasket and drowned it in some new grey RTV. FIGHT ME CAR, FIGHT ME.

Tomorrow I'll refill it and run it some more to see if it BEHAVES OR ELSE.

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sat Jan 23, 2016 7:59 pm

Performed cateract surgery today

I still have to take some time to aim headlights correctly but what a differenece

Sorry bout the bad pics, had a tough time resizing to fit

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sat Jan 23, 2016 8:01 pm

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ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jan 31, 2016 5:21 pm

Let's see... Topped off the coolant, drain & fill on power steering reservoir, replaced both tail light bulbs and the ol' girl got a bit of a spa day with a thorough cleaning inside and out.

I like getting to use this car as a guinea pig for new products before using them on the newer cars.

This time it was Meguiar's Paint Protect, a liquid you can apply easily and wipe off a few minutes later. Very easy to use and the areas of the car where the paint is still in OK shape look good.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Mon Feb 01, 2016 5:50 pm

Yesterday I removed the HIDs from the headlights of both Vibes and replaced them with Vosla HIR2 +30 bulbs in the low beams and Philips HIR1 bulbs in the high beams. I re-installed the OEM bulbs in the fog lights. I also removed the LEDs from the interior lights, reverse lights and license plate light and replaced them with the factory halogens. I had grown tired of the crazy brightness and color of the HIDs and LEDs and decided to go "old school"

. The Voslas in the low beams are incredible. Light spread is pretty equivalent to the HIDs without the obnoxious blinding light. I am going to have the headlights aimed at a local body shop since I had aimed them down when first installing the HIDs.

My Vibe turned over 65,000 miles today!

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Tue Feb 02, 2016 2:17 am

Replaced the amplifier in the Vibe with a more powerful one.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 6:53 pm

Yesterday I did the 65,000 mile oil changes on both Vibes along with airing up the tires, including the spare, cleaning the air and cabin filters and checking / topping off fluids. Everything's looking great, except they both desperately need a bath and a more thorough interior cleaning

.

Oh, and I am absolutely loving having halogen bulbs again! The color of the light is so much "softer" than the 5000k LEDs and HIDs. I'll be setting up an appointment this week to get the headlights aimed, although to me, they're fine where they're at, so I can only imagine after they're properly aimed.

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 3:00 pm

Cleaned throttle body, MAF sensor and PCV valve. Looks like the valve cover gasket is leaking so i snugged down the bolts and see if it helps. Im also 39 miles from hitting 200K

onwards to 299,999

Next week I will have to replace inner/outer tie rods. They are toast

trb · Post by **trb** » Sat Feb 13, 2016 10:09 pm

Installed a new leather GT steering wheel in the 03 GT. So much nicer!

Old wheel:

New wheel:

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:11 am

Looks great !

Didnt know anyone actually used the coin holder though. Anytime I used it the coins fell out

trb · Post by **trb** » Sun Feb 14, 2016 12:54 pm

cptnsolo77 wrote:Looks great ! Didnt know anyone actually used the coin holder though. Anytime I used it the coins fell out

I keep it full with change, so it does not rattle. If I spend most of it, it goes into the ash tray from the smoker's package.

Derf · Post by **Derf** » Sun Feb 14, 2016 2:45 pm

Is that an adapting, adapter, adapter I see in the 110 outlet

trb · Post by **trb** » Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:01 pm

Derf wrote:Is that an adapting, adapter, adapter I see in the 110 outlet

Not really. It is one of those plugs that converts one outlet to three, all two prong. I use it to extend my USB phone power supply out from the flush plug on the dash. The phone plug I have is a bit too wide to fit flush in the dash outlet, so it occasionally pops out. Otherwise I would have to cut away the plug cover from the dash. I like that it is a dual USB charger.

I have one of the 12v dual USB outlets that I plan to install in one of the dash blanks, but of course it is not a proper fit - too small, so I'll have to do something to make it fit when I get a chance.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:44 pm

Well I finally got the isolated Vibe out of the Garage and gave it a well needed road trip. Yep, 18 hours and 1200 miles later and we're both here in
Florida

This small versatile little car is so comfortable on long trips that I almost didn't want to get out of it. It will likely see the most miles ever put on it this year since I bought it. Yep, Florida and the upcoming GenVibe meet in Nashville. I absolutely love road trips in this awesome car

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:01 pm

Just ordered a Magnaflow catback exhaust for my mom's Vibe

!

Both Vibes will FINALLY be getting LONG overdue details this weekend!

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 6:07 am

Took advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday and got the entire fleet washed! I could barely move by the time I was done last night

.

vibrologist · Post by **vibrologist** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 6:20 am

I too washed the fleet of three vehicles. My Vibe is now "Low Sodium Salsa".

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 10:09 am

vibrologist wrote:I too washed the fleet of three vehicles. My Vibe is now "Low Sodium Salsa".

Our fleet too consists of three vehicles; the two Vibes and my dad's Chevy Trax.

@ "low sodium Salsa"!

I just finished doing a hardcore interior detail of my mom's Vibe. I started in the cargo area by wiping everything down with a wet rag. I also removed the cargo floor and spare and vacuummed everything. Next, I did the rear seat area. Used Mother's Protectant on the door panels, Mother's Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner on the cloth of the seat and a couple small areas of the carpet and Mother's VLR (vinyl, leather, rubber) on the "leather" of the seat. I also pulled the bottom of the rear seat up and vacuumed under it. Finally, I did the front seat area, by far the dirtiest area. I cleaned the windshield with Stoner's Invisible Glass, used Protectant on the dash, door panels and center console, used VLR on the "leather" on the door panels and seats and Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner on the cloth of the seats and a few small areas of the carpet. I also removed the gauge cluster and used some Mother's Plastic Polish on the lens. The interior looks amazing, dare I say almost brand new!

I currently have the front GM rubber floor mats soaking in hot water in the bathtub. They, especially the driver's mat, were so nasty. I scrubbed the hell out of them with WeatherTech's Floor Mat & Liner Cleaner and a battery powered Rubbermaid scrub brush with a specially designed brush to get into corners. I am hoping they will turn out nice and clean and new looking...

Now at some point (not today), I just need to repeat this process with my Vibe

...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:53 pm

Saturday's weather was wonderful for getting the fleet shined up.

The Vibe was the easiest, just needed a quick wash. With the paint in as poor of condition as it is, I don't spend much time on it. Luckily it was No Sodium Neptune, the car has a few issues right now so I'm leaving it parked for the most part.

It hasn't been driven in the salt much at all this winter.

The Escape and Sonic on the other hand were covered heavily in salt but look much better now after quite a bit of work.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 6:05 pm

Well I didn't actually do anything to the Vibe .... But it did get some disgusting soliciting mail today

These vulchers out there who want to give me LOW DOLLAR for my Vibe which is worth 4-5k more, make me sick! Anyways I'm sure you all have gotten some of these over the years and just laugh your A S S off! My Vibe is not for sale, never will be, and will take it with me to my Grave

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:09 pm

Ha, I always liked the "handwritten" touch on those letters.

Last time I saw those the Toyota and Kia dealers were desperate seeking my Hyundai Accent.

Haven't seen one for my Sonic yet but I did get a call from my Chevy salesman reminding me that I have equity in the car if I wanted to trade. I know I have equity in it and I plan on building up more, thank you.

RRich89 · Post by **RRich89** » Fri Feb 26, 2016 1:19 pm

I was informed by a local dealer while getting the airbag recall work done that my power steering fluid was durty (that's how it was printed on the work summary). I just did a drain and fill yesterday and I hate to say it but I agree with the dealer it was very durty.

vibrologist · Post by **vibrologist** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 2:35 pm

I put my summer wheels on. Actually, they are three season wheels. The winter wheels did only 1340 miles this season. I saw a piece of metal in one tire and decided to take the wheels off before a puncture develops.

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 2:40 pm

Replaced passenger side inner/outer tie rods. Did driver side last sat. All parts bought at rock auto. Steering felt tighter with just one replaced, cant wait to see how it drives now with both replaced. Next on the hit list are new struts/shocks. When i get new tires just before rainy season my 200K Vibe will ride like new

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:54 pm

New pads and rotors. Oh my god, I've had major issues with my front brakes for years and assumed I was just crazy. Now they're working all smooth and nice.

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:31 pm

and SURPRISE

Browning · Post by **Browning** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:24 am

Nothing yet but debating on going to get plugs and wires for it. Haven't replaced them yet and have had it a couple of years

vibrologist · Post by **vibrologist** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:37 am

Browning wrote:Nothing yet but debating on going to get plugs and wires for it. Haven't replaced them yet and have had it a couple of years

Plugs only. There are coils on plugs, therefore no high tension wires. Loosen the harness that is attached to the valve cover so you can pull the coils without cracking the plastic bodies.

Browning · Post by **Browning** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:50 am

I assumed they still have the rubber boot? I also call those wires out of habit

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 1:16 pm

Replaced stabilizer bar links. No more rattles over bumps. 2 links at rock auto for $30 w/shipping. Next on the list are new struts

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vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 3:42 pm

Had my local exhaust guy install the Magnaflow catback exhaust on my mom's Vibe this past Wednesday. He charged me $60.00, same price he charged me to install mine 2.5 years ago!

dmottv · Post by **dmottv** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:05 pm

I'm easing into the new to me '09 AWD 2.4 Mystic Blue that I brought home this week. I shopped around for tires today for the OEM 17" aluminum rims that were included with the sale but I'd like more ground clearance than the spec'd 215 45 17 tires allow. I think I'm going to stick with the black steel rims that came on it, currently with studded 205 55 16 tires. I'm going to order some 205 60 16 RT43's like I had on my '05 AWD so I picked up some wheel covers from Pep Boys to brighten up the steel rims. I'm also looking at swapping over the uhaul tow hitch that I installed this fall on my '05 AWD, if cost effective, otherwise I'll install a new one. I like the performance of this 2.4 over the 1.8, it's sweet, though I know it won't get the gas mileage.

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 1:25 am

Browning wrote:I assumed they still have the rubber boot? I also call those wires out of habit

1ZZ they aren't replaceable. 2ZZ, the boots can be replaced, but are hard to find.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 1:38 pm

dmottv wrote:I'm easing into the new to me '09 AWD 2.4 Mystic Blue that I brought home this week.

MBM is a beautiful color! Post some pictures when you get a chance

!

dmottv · Post by **dmottv** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 6:12 pm

vibenvy wrote:
dmottv wrote:I'm easing into the new to me '09 AWD 2.4 Mystic Blue that I brought home this week.
MBM is a beautiful color! Post some pictures when you get a chance !

Will do. Today, I ordered the 205 60 16 RT43's, put on the Pep Boys wheel covers, cleaned her up a bit, then got a call from my wife shopping in town that the '05 FWD wouldn't start. I couldn't get it to do anything with the jumpers hooked up so had it towed to my mechanic. The diagnosis, the starter went suddenly.

He inspected the '09 while I was there. The only issue, a weeping awd seal at the rear, same weep as on my '05 AWD. It didn't take much to fill it up so I'll check it from time to time, the '05 didn't lose much over 60k either.

My mechanic: "sure is a different color"!

dmottv · Post by **dmottv** » Sat Mar 12, 2016 5:02 pm

Here is a pic of my new to me 09 AWD Mystic Blue. The RT43 205 60 16's were just mounted and I put on the 12 spoke wheel covers that I found at Pep Boys: