BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

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bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

Post by bigdoug »

Okay, finally, a garage thread. Been meaning to do this for a while and just been too lazy.

Car specs:
2004 Base
Satellite silver non-two-tone (trim is same color as rest of car)
Automatic transmission
Sunroof
Factory tweeters and amp, might have been Moons and Tunes but no sub in the trunk.
Originally a loner car for a Pontiac dealership, then privately owned for several years.
Little rust on the body, mostly surface rust
Had a mild front end collision, no frame damage. Hood's slightly crooked.
ABS standard
Had factory pouches on the back of the rear seats.
114k miles when bought in early July 2016
120k miles as of Oct 2016
195k miles as of Oct 2018

Some repairs:
  • Replaced front driver & passenger window seal strips. I pulled them used off a 04 corolla, and they fit perfectly. I used 3M black trim tape, which is what they originally come with, but I placed the trim tape on both corners.
  • Two lower grills from a junkyard, they were missing when I got the car.
  • Antenna from a junk yard
  • Generic fabric floor mats.
  • Exhaust pipe flange fix.
  • Fixed center console hinges.
  • A rubber all-season floor mat for the driver's side.
  • Door stop for the driver's side door. The old one didn't slow the door and it would fly open with the slightest touch.
  • Put some older speakers in the front to replace the non-functioning ones.
  • The bar in front of the radiator and below the hood latch.
  • Radiator and upper hose.
  • Moog sway bars, control arms, monroe struts for front.
  • Did my own wheel bearings for the front
  • New radio head unit, found in a junkyard
  • Power steering flush done by myself
  • Replaced both front fender liners with junkyard ones (that don't have the holes in them).
Current Mods:
  • Aftermarket Kenwood stereo found in a junkyard
  • 12V center console constant on, with a switch in the glove compartment to switch it on and off
  • Changed gauge cluster white labels to blue using blue masking tape.
  • Painted engine cover and some interior panels with blue metallic paint (almost done)
  • LED third high brake light
  • LEDs in dash controls
  • A dual nozzle sprayer for the rear window. I like it better than the single nozzle sprayer. To replace without scratching the paint, use a pair of old credit or gift cards on either side of the sprayer.
Future aftermarket mods
- Fog lights
- Halos/HIDs for headlights
- spoiler
- Window tinting?
- Lower struts or bigger tires/wheels
- Taillight mods


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Last edited by bigdoug on Sat Oct 20, 2018 1:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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vibenvy
Posts: 7121
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:38 am
Location: Sandwich, IL

Re: BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

Post by vibenvy »

Welcome to GenVibe! I notice your Vibe is the best color :cool:!
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2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

Re: BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

Post by bigdoug »

I haven't updated this in a while, so I'll list what I've done with it since then, maybe add some photos.

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The Toyota Corolla window run seals, with new 3M tape.

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Old pass side mirror, new driver's side mirror

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Being in the snow belt, roads get slippery. I slid back into a mailbox, which was sadly a metal/wood one and not plastic. I think I can beat this out.
Update! I was able to push it out during the summer.

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Snow means potholes, and my state is filled with them. A deep one did this. I was planning on new tires but this quickened the search and didn't give me much time to shop around. Hopefully the walmart tires will last a while.

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A bumper sticker I taped in the window during the end of the election season. Pretty much how I feel about the us-vs-them attitudes of politics nowadays.
Last edited by bigdoug on Sat Oct 20, 2018 1:21 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Jbenrod
Posts: 98
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:58 am

Re: BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

Post by Jbenrod »

Enjoying reading the progress you are making on this Vibe. It's turning out to be a very nice example, and hopefully you can avoid some of those extreme potholes (craters) this coming winter.
2005 Base - 220k
bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

Re: BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

Post by bigdoug »

Jbenrod wrote:Enjoying reading the progress you are making on this Vibe. It's turning out to be a very nice example, and hopefully you can avoid some of those extreme potholes (craters) this coming winter.
I actually plan to redo this thread and have it be a listing of all the mods I've done to the car and how to do them. I don't think I need to post every time I do an oil change.

(And yea, the tires were fixed, the dent was pushed back out [it's not perfectly smooth but barely noticeable]
bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

Re: BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

Post by bigdoug »

fog light_zps747eeqio.jpg
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Fog lights won't stay in properly so I took a washer and a screw, and drilled a small hole into the black caps and then put the screw in. I only needed them for the inside of the fog lights. I made sure to drill in the very center of the black cap, because there's a small cavity in the fog light metal under the center of the cap.
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I replaced the licence plate bulbs with LEDs: https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... t-car/199/
Then I covered the lights with aluminum foil and duct tape, so that way the light wouldn't shine upward through the crack in the trim piece that sits on top of the lights.

I also cleaned out the hatch lock as it was frozen solid. Lots of penetrant and prying with a screwdriver inside and the inner cylinder finally came out. Ended up sanding the inside of the cylinder and the inner cylinder shaft, wire brushing it and polishing it. Had some of the lock sliders pop out of their grooves. Thankfully was able to get them in the right positions again. Polished the front of the lock, lubed everything up with a lock lube, and put it back together.
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I had broke part of the tab that holds the c-clip on the back, so I drilled a small hole, used a screw and washers and blue threadlock, and put it back together. Works great now.
bigdoug
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 5:36 pm
Location: Detroit Area, Michigan

Re: BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

Post by bigdoug »

So my exhaust broke... at the rear flange. What do?
tail pipe_zpsrq4ff5hh.jpg
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First off, I was able to get the old flange bolts out using penetrant, a torch, and a breaker bar, which was amazing. Getting the old flange gasket out, however, required more penetrant, heat, and chiseling it out with chisel and hammer. Took forever.

To fix the broken flange I used Walker 41727. I had to cut the flange adapter in half because it was too long and due to a bend in the tailpipe just after the flange. I also had to cut notches lengthwise in the flange adapter due to it being slightly bigger than the tailpipe. This would allow the adapter to clamp properly on the pipe.
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I also cut off the old broken flange and about 2 inches or so of tailpipe past it to give room for the adapter. I cut about an inch of the tailpipe section I had removed, and hammered it into the flange end of the adapter. This gave a spot for the new gasket to sit on the flange properly.
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To finish it off, I used an exhaust clamp, and new bolts, nuts, and washers for the flange itself (I used the old springs because I couldn't find the right ones new, and they were fine). And it's worked fine ever since.
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tpollauf
Posts: 4025
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:37 am
Location: Toledo/Oregon, Port Clinton Ohio
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Re: BigDoug's 2004 Satellite silver base

Post by tpollauf »

Nice work Doug ;) Doesn't look too corroded under there for a 14 year car being driven on Michigan roads year round! What mileage are you at? Any signs of corrosion elsewhere? Keep up the good work! :D
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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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