liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Park your vehicle in a thread here - list your vehicle info, pics, etc. all in one place.
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liquidaluminum
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:23 pm

liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by liquidaluminum »

Hello,

I'm new to the site and thought I would take a moment to share my Vibe with you guys. First let me start off by saying that this is the best site I've seen for Vibe information. I didn't even realize this place existed until just a few days ago, but I've already found it to be so useful. That being said, let me tell you a little bit about my Vibe...

Year: 2008
Model: Base
Color: Abyss (Metallic Black)
Modifications: Tinted Windows

The car is totally stock, but I'm hoping to change that very soon. It occurred to me that I'm going to have to keep this car in great shape for quite a while, so I decided to start throwing some thought into what I want to do with it. I've had 2 aftermarket stereos in it, but that's it, with the most recent being a Pioneer Appradio 2 that I just installed last night (10/17/2012). As far as additional modifications, unfortunately, I just don't know enough about cars to do anything performance related on my own, and I also wouldn't know where to begin. There are several little things that I would like to do, but I'll have to read more on the forums here to see what I'm capable of.

Aesthetically, there are several things I plan on doing over time. First and foremost, I want to paint the car, but I'm torn between a gloss black and a dark blue. I have seen both colors on the Vibe and it's hard for me to decide what I like better, however blue is my favorite color, so I guess we'll see. I definitely want to add custom wheels and I would like to centers to match the color of the car. I've noticed that it seems to be much easier to find Black wheels with a silver ring, than dark blue (if I decided to go with blue as the repaint color), so once again, I'm torn. I definitely want to replace the headlights and tail lights with something a little different, but I don't want to go with clear on the back. Whatever I decided to get, the trim will be painted to match the color of the car.

A serious concern I have and I may need to ask in a different thread is regarding the trim work on the Vibe. As you can see the picture, my Vibe has grey trim, however I've seen several people have the same trim work painted to match the color of the car. This concerns me, because the trim is slightly textured, and I've seen no close up pictures of a Vibe where someone has painted it. I'm not sure if I would need the plastic trim sanded down, or if it's painted as is, so if anyone could fill me in on that here, i would greatly appreciate it. I also plan on some interior modifications to make much more to my liking. I'm all about having a mobile media center, and I'm hoping that I can achieve that, with my Vibe.
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Base
Base
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liquidaluminum
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:23 pm

Re: liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by liquidaluminum »

This is a picture I took immediately after installing the Appradio 2. As you can see, I worked on it, well into the night. While the clock isn't right, I was still out there until after 10:00pm with nothing but a head lamp and my interior lights.
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Appradio fully installed.
Appradio fully installed.
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KITT222
Posts: 2257
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Flint, Michigan

Re: liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by KITT222 »

Welcome to Genvibe! That's a nice head unit. This is the right place for all info about Vibes. Rims could always be repainted to make them blue. However, there are no real aftermarket head or tail lamps for the Vibe. The grey cladding can be repainted as-is. If you look at the cladding up close on my Vibe, you can still see the texture, but it's smooth to the touch. I'm sure your local body shop will know how to paint it. My local shop has done plenty of Vibes.
liquidaluminum
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:23 pm

Re: liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by liquidaluminum »

KITT222 wrote:Welcome to Genvibe! That's a nice head unit. This is the right place for all info about Vibes. Rims could always be repainted to make them blue. However, there are no real aftermarket head or tail lamps for the Vibe. The grey cladding can be repainted as-is. If you look at the cladding up close on my Vibe, you can still see the texture, but it's smooth to the touch. I'm sure your local body shop will know how to paint it. My local shop has done plenty of Vibes.
Dude, your Vibe is absolutely beautiful. If you don't mind me asking, Should the wheels be powder coated, or painted? My concern would be every little pebble from the road taking chunks out of the paint.
KITT222
Posts: 2257
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Flint, Michigan

Re: liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by KITT222 »

Thanks! I'd say powder coating. Better color and more durable.
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A Psycho Martyr
Posts: 2598
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2010 6:13 am
Location: Cullman, Alabama

Re: liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by A Psycho Martyr »

Yeah, as KITT222 mentioned, the painted cladding on ours that is painted still has that texture.

I can get ya an up close pic if you need one.

And if you buy a good brand wheel, the finish should hold up to normal wear for quite a while.
I have no chips and mine are 6yrs old and I bought them used.lol.

If you go blue tho, I'd get the wheels powder coated to match w/silver lips :shock: would look incredible
liquidaluminum
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:23 pm

Re: liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by liquidaluminum »

A Psycho Martyr wrote:Yeah, as KITT222 mentioned, the painted cladding on ours that is painted still has that texture.

I can get ya an up close pic if you need one.

And if you buy a good brand wheel, the finish should hold up to normal wear for quite a while.
I have no chips and mine are 6yrs old and I bought them used.lol.

If you go blue tho, I'd get the wheels powder coated to match w/silver lips :shock: would look incredible
I've pretty much decided that whatever color I decide to get for the rims, I definitely want silver lips. I gotta tell you man, you guys amaze me with the things you've done to them. Yours is stunning, bro.

On a side note, after I responded, I started looking at some of your guides, especially on how to remove the seats and carpet. In passing, I told my wife about my wanting to paint my Vibe and she flipped out on me. Looks like I'm going to have to be doing a good deal of this stuff on the sly.
thebarber
Posts: 1162
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 5:01 am
Location: kitchener, ontario

Re: liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by thebarber »

Some models have painted cladding, but I think they're completely different plastic parts, not painted grey cladding.

Just get actual rims and ditch the steelies and caps (or use them for winter tires if you live somewhere that has freezing weather)
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TheGoat31
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun May 10, 2009 10:32 pm

Re: liquidaluminum - 2008 Vibe Base

Post by TheGoat31 »

liquidaluminum wrote:This is a picture I took immediately after installing the Appradio 2. As you can see, I worked on it, well into the night. While the clock isn't right, I was still out there until after 10:00pm with nothing but a head lamp and my interior lights.
I wanted to ask about parts you used to install your AppRadio? I have a 2007 Vibe and was thinking of getting and installing a AppRadio but wanted to first make sure it would fit in the Vibe and if it did fit what wiring harness, double din dash kit, ebrake bypass (if used), antenna adapter, and backup camera (if used) did you buy to get the radio installed.

Any info about your AppRadio install would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
TheGoat
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