GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I'm a new owner to a 2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD with Monsoon sond system. I purchased this vehicle on eBAy from Speedy Auto Sales, Erie PA https://youtu.be/T0b98y755hk. There were no photos of the undercarriage and I wasn't able to determine if there was rust under the vehicle. I drive the vehicle back to Richmond, VA after a long and arduous journey to get it. I expected to spend some money because of what I paid for it. I had it safety inspected and was told that there was a transfer case leak and a pinion leak. I took it to AAMCO for repairs and the tell me that there is too much rust and they're afraid that if the try repairing it the crossmember might break. I have 2 choices, I can either drive it until the wheels fall off or attempt to replace or treat the rusted out parts. I would appreciate ANY advice given. A few repairs and upgrades that I will do anyway are:

Install centre console 12V outlet.
http://stores.revolutionparts.com/oempartworld.com/
Cover Power Outlet 85535-02031 $5.56
Wire Console Box 82166-01010 $11.99
Power Outlet 85530-06010 $16.80

Headunit Alpine CDE-HD148BT
Front Speakers JBL GTO608C
Rear Speakers JBL GTO638
Subwoofer Kicker CompRT 6-3/4" 2 Ohm (43CWRT672)
Amplifier NVX JAD900.5

From Ebay(Canadian guy says he has an improved version)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111920318471?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT
Door Stay Check Strap Stopper Jam RH LH Toyota Matrix Pontiac Vibe Left

Heater Actuator GM 88970277

Posting pictures soon

I know it's too late but if I were you, I would skip the car because first the car stayed in NY for ten years, second the picture of the engine bay already shows some rust.

Where did you get that image from? Are you suggesting that I trash the car now and part it out?

That's the image that was posted on eBay. You're right, it did spend a lot of t8kime in Rochester, NY. The rust on the undercarriage is extensive as well. This should be a warning to eBay purchasers. Good detective work in tracking down the original image from eBay.

You said ebay so I searched. I mean for that amount of money you could get something better. Do you have picture of the undercarriage?

I didn't think that I could better with an AWD. I may have some remedy sine I paid for it with PayPal. I do have a lot of pictures of the undercarriage but I have 2 that I would like to post but, they won't load for some reason. I've reduced them down to 20% but they still won't load. Any suggestions?

See if you have recourse to the seller. Maybe PayPal can help.
My next idea would be to get a used assembly from a Southern junk yard.http://www.car-part.com/

Thanks Vibrolgist! I'm not sure what to look for in that link. On http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/auto-parts ... nsion-scat ,it looks like parts 88973231 Suspension Cross-member 88971294 Lower Control Arm, RIGHT and 88971295 Lower Control Arm. I actually took it into AAMCO to repair the transfercase leak and the pinion leak as indicated by the safety inspection.
They wouldn't touch it because they felt that if they unscrewed any of the bolts that the whole thing would break apart. So they just topped up the leaks for me and promised to top up the fluid every month. I may have another issue with moisture under the carpet both in the front and rear of the driver's side. I hate sunroofs for that reason, drain channel blockage may be the culprit. The vehicle drives well for the most part but doesn't idle as smoothly as I would like and choke is crazy at first start after hours of sitting.

Thats just enough rust in the wrong places. Removing the bolts would be hard enough, but having to knock the members loose could cause other damage.
Moisture under the carpet could be from a few other sources, blocked AC drain on passenger side, spilled beverages (the paddingacts like a sponge that almost never dries. Water that came in from the subframe, there is an open channel under the Vibe, water can get into the carpet even if it is not high enough to come over the door sill. Some have also reported that dealerships failed to install OEM plugs in the transport tie downs, this can also let water into the bottom of the vehicle.

Yikes Derf! Are you a descendant of Hieronymus Bosch? You're painting a very discouraging nightmare! What would YOU do for a makeover? Think outside the box, what would you do to mitigate the structural integrity on a budget? Rebuild this vehicle the way it should have been in the first place. Heck, tell me what you would do to make it mil-spec. Think stainless steel or composite floorpan, how to treatr the bolts, etc It isn't enough to identify the problems, you must solve the problems so that they never come back or at least minimize them. I went ahead an installed the Alpine CDE-HD148BT head unit primarily because I wanted blue-tooth. The Scosche SLC4 made the install easy and the improvement is dramatic. It went from ugh to tolerable. I trimmed the A side to 75% and the B side to 50% as a guesstimate and it worked out well. The Monsoon Subwoofer is still boomy but I will try to tune with head unit's eq.

Here is what my search came up with:
http://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi

2005
Complete Rear Independent Suspension Assembly
Pontiac Vibe 1.8,A B 16E4262 $185 Gray & White Auto Parts-Carrollton USA-GA(Carrollton) Request_Quote 678-267-3020 Request_Insurance_Quote

But before you order something I suggest you find a body shop to have a look if the rust on the body itself needs repairs. I also suggest that the order is done through the body shop and that they specify "rust free" and good quality pictures of the assembly all before purchase. You have learned that you need to verify BEFORE a purchase.

And here is a link to Derf's epic war on rust: viewtopic.php?f=30&t=40549#p496739

Thanks Vibrologist! That's what I'm talking about. I will explore any and all options.

pakong wrote:Yikes Derf! Are you a descendant of Hieronymus Bosch? You're painting a very discouraging nightmare! What would YOU do for a makeover? Think outside the box

Rebadge the Vibe as a Delorean....

I just hate to see an otherwise well maintained vehicle taken out by rust. In your case the repair is going to be more expensive due to replacing rusted parts.
Under the car, to slow down the rust you could use the following http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=fluid+film two spray cans is usually enough to treat most of the underside and lines/mounts in the engine bay. You have to apply every year, usually in the fall. Over time the product will soak in, making it easier to remove rusted hardware. The only downside is needing to wear gloves to work on coated parts.

Derf, That's what I'm talking about. I wonder if people would notice if I put a Matrix badge and replace the front. LOL! DeLorean huh? If this vehicle makes a comeback and is almost totally restored in a year I will been grateful to all those that contributed in even the tiniest way.

BTW, I am not sure that it was well maintained. I lived in Toronto for 11 years and I've never seen rust like that. I feel like that's beyond neglect, almost abuse. LOL!. All you have to do is run the vehicle through the car wash and rust treatment once you own a vehicle.

Have the body shop look at the bottom of the radiator support. If this piece is rusted out and needs replacing you are looking into a $3000 bill. If this piece is rusting but still in decent shape structurally I suggest you use the liquid film that Derf is talking about on that piece. Find or make an access hole so you can treat the inside of it.

vibrologist wrote: I suggest you use the liquid film that Derf is talking about

2x !!! Although a bit messy, the Krown .. or ... Rust Ckeck treatments can't be beat. My newer Silverado has it and it will not ever see rust for 20+ years

tpollauf, thanks for your suggestion. My initial plan was to use Rust Check Rust Converter http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/rust- ... p.html#srp to arrest the progress of the rust. My next plan was to treat the rusted areas and then have Line X http://www.linex.com/ applied to the undercarriage and the floorpan.. Hopefully, that is a good idea. Derf, suggested a liquid to treat the rusted areas that I like even though I had originally considered Corroseal https://www.amazon.com/Corroseal-82331- ... +converter but I'm not comfortable doing the application myself but that may change. Both Krown https://www.krown.com/process/ and Rust Check http://www.rustcheck.com/what-is-coat-protect/ are headquartered in Ontario, Canada. I'm not against driving the vehicle to Rust Check in Mississauga if I have to, but Schomberg is a little too far even though Krown has a place Pennsylvania. All suggestions AND critiques are welcome.

Make sure you read all the details of these products.

Rust converters generally are acids. They do convert the rust at first, then they promote rust. I did not read all the details of the rust check rust converter. It's up to you to find out how it works chemically.

Liquid Film is available at some auto parts stores etc. That's a big plus in my books. So far I am aware of only 2 downsides: the need to wear gloves when working on parts that have been treated and the fact that they can weaken rubber that is not oil resistant. That means you have to be careful where you spray it. I suppose the rubber boots on ball joints are oil resistant because they contain the grease inside.

Does anyone have a link or know what the exact length of the charging and ground cables are for the 2005 Pontiac Vibe? I'm looking to upgrade. I did some work on the weekend by replacing the door check and the cabin filter. Seeing the cabin filter that I replaced has traumatised me! I think I need therapy now! LOL! I guess not everyone knows that there is a cabin filter that needs replacing. The new door check doesn't look exactly like the old one but it works pretty good and is supposedly an improvement, only time will tell.

Does anybody have any thoughts on this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/262755548910

pakong wrote:Does anybody have any thoughts on this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/262755548910

It looks good and 160k miles isnt bad at all when these cars routinely get to 300k but that price tells me something is wrong that they aren't disclosing

Owim,
I think that you may be right about something being wrong that isn't being revealed. At that price, it still may be something to look at.