Vibe doesn't do so well at -20F

[Vibe2009]

I live in Canada and the town I live in is currently -20F... Is really cold...My 09 vibe is showing a few problems...1. The door will not close~ I had to slam the door hard a few times before it will hold it shut...2. Very bumpy ride... I have the 1SC package with 17in wheels... Not sure if is the shocks or low profile tires, but is very very bumpy in cold weather...Other than that, is good....Anyone experience similar issues?

[BlueCrush]

Quote, originally posted by Vibe2009 »I live in Canada and the town I live in is currently -20F... Is really cold...My 09 vibe is showing a few problems...1. The door will not close~ I had to slam the door hard a few times before it will hold it shut...2. Very bumpy ride... I have the 1SC package with 17in wheels... Not sure if is the shocks or low profile tires, but is very very bumpy in cold weather...Other than that, is good....Anyone experience similar issues?Yeah, the cold will make the Vibe do all kinds a wierd things. Lots of noises and creaks that are not normally there. The suspension gets super hard and the ride is very bumpy. The doors can also be hard to shut as well. Hopefully you have a block heater. I'll be using mine in the morning.

[DarkSpork]

Mine makes a horrible sound when it first starts, I can't seem to find a way to make it not do that (it starts every time though, which is more than some of my friends with V8 trucks can say). Also the clutch seems somewhat "frozen" (initially sticks to the floor for a few seconds until pumped vigorously several times) and shifter is very stiff. As for bumpy it doesn't seem any different to me but I have 16 inch rims.

[Raven]

The hand brake makes horrible sounds when it's really cold too. It sounds like it's going to shatter. My doors don't shut either.

[Herb]

Quote, originally posted by DarkSpork »Mine makes a horrible sound when it first starts, I can't seem to find a way to make it not do that (it starts every time though, which is more than some of my friends with V8 trucks can say). Also the clutch seems somewhat "frozen" (initially sticks to the floor for a few seconds until pumped vigorously several times) and shifter is very stiff. As for bumpy it doesn't seem any different to me but I have 16 inch rims.My 03 GT starts fine, but now I have a garage to park in. However I did take it out and park it outside for an hour or so in -28C weather and found the clutch pedal to be a bit stiff. Starting is still fine but I am using synthetic oil so I think that helps. My shifter feels fine, but then again I've upgraded to the bronze bushings and the TWM short shifter.

[kowell]

It was -27.4F (-33c) last monday and there was a lot of plastic cracking sound but other than that I didn't noticed anything worse than any other car I drove at that temperature. The car even started on the first try even though I had not plugged the block heather for the night. The doors were OK and the ride was as usual. The joys of winter....

[bull77]

the rougher ride is probably due to your lower profile 17's which I'm assuming are still the rsa's. my vibe rides rough in the cold and I started noticing the rear hatch doesn't fully open.

[kowell]

Quote, originally posted by bull77 »I started noticing the rear hatch doesn't fully open. There is a good chance this is due to snow/ice build-up near the hatch's top, where it meets with the car's roof. I noticed that when I open my hatch after a good snow storm I can hear some ice cracking. Once removed with my hand, the hatch opens fully. I happened on all hatchbacks I drove in winter.

[bull77]

Quote, originally posted by kowell »There is a good chance this is due to snow/ice build-up near the hatch's top, where it meets with the car's roof. I noticed that when I open my hatch after a good snow storm I can hear some ice cracking. Once removed with my hand, the hatch opens fully. I happened on all hatchbacks I drove in winter.still happens on sunny winter days with no snow/ice on the car --- i tried spraying some wd40 but the arms still don't fully extend. its about 80% extended but low enough that you'll clip your head on the hatch

[ou.grizzly]

The OEM lift gate shocks are worthless, especially in cold weather. Best investment is to get some aftermarket ones with a higher rated compression.

[Tubaryan12]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »The OEM lift gate shocks are worthless, especially in cold weather. Best investment is to get some aftermarket ones with a higher rated compression. Who has these? I tried to find some and couldn't, so I purchased one OEM shock. I guessed incorrectly, ordered the left and then found out it was the right that was bad. I then installed the old left on the right side and it works fine now.

[oriden]

i dono about you guys but my fricking power windows dont go down after -10 c

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by DarkSpork »Mine makes a horrible sound when it first starts, I can't seem to find a way to make it not do that (it starts every time though, which is more than some of my friends with V8 trucks can say). Have you tried going to a 0W-20 Full-Synthetic oil from the 5W-20? That should have a lower pour point.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by oriden »i dono about you guys but my fricking power windows dont go down after -10 cThat's probably a good thing. Power windows often break in extremely cold weather. In fact, non-power window retractors can also break if you force them in cold weather. Maybe it's best to leave them up unless the interior car has been fully heated up long enough to warm the doors.

[kowell]

Quote, originally posted by oriden »i dono about you guys but my fricking power windows dont go down after -10 cI have the same problem. Under -10c, if I press the power window button I hear a loud noise like a big chunck of ice just broke in the door and then the window comes down... This is ridiculous. I never had a power window so easily blocked by cold weather. There is definitly an isolation problem in the door for ice to form inside so easily.

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by oriden »i dono about you guys but my fricking power windows dont go down after -10 cWindows are prob froze shut.... Moisture in the track and seal freezes to the window and that is the origin of the loud crack.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by kowell »... This is ridiculous. I never had a power window so easily blocked by cold weather. There is definitly an isolation problem in the door for ice to form inside so easily.That's partly because in the "old days" windows never sealed as tightly to the weather seal as they do nowadays. There was more wiggle room. So, you probably vibrated the windows enough by opening and closing yoru door and driving a few blocks to knock them loose. Anyone remember when car doors had bare windows and no frame?

[Jyik40]

Quote, originally posted by ned23 »Anyone remember when car doors had bare windows and no frame? Subaru still has frameless windows on their cars. When I had an Impreza, the doors would make a horrible noise if you shut the doors with the windows in the down position.To help prevent the windows from freezing to your weather-seal in the cold, spray some high-quality silicone on to the rubber seals. This will prevent sticking and will help prolong the life of the rubber.

[vintagegz]

the door not closing issue can be easily fixed, you must put a light film of di-electric grease ( available in a tube from the GM dealer) on the latch on the door, where the striker goes in. No grease there means the catch/latch freezes and will not close till your car warms up and melts the ice. Putting some lube there with your finger will keep water out and you will have no more problems.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by vintagegz »the door not closing issue can be easily fixed, you must put a light film of di-electric grease ( available in a tube from the GM dealer) on the latch on the door, where the striker goes in. No grease there means the catch/latch freezes and will not close till your car warms up and melts the ice. Putting some lube there with your finger will keep water out and you will have no more problems.AMSoil made a spray grease that came in a WD-40 type of can that worked well for this in the winter. Aha! they still do:http://www.amsoil.com/StoreFront/glcspray.aspxIt's actually a thick lithium grease that can be delivered in via aerosol. It's not quite as long lasting as the white lithium grease in a tube, but if you keep up with it, it works really well and you can get it into things with the spray tip. It flows well in cold weather.Speaking of which, if you take your car to an oil-change center, make sure they do not spray your doors with a thin solvent-based lubricant like WD-40. That can thin the grease on your door parts and actually rinse it off and make things worse! I had to ask them to stop doing it because I had to keep re-greasing the doors.

[bodhi_tree777]

Quote, originally posted by DarkSpork »Mine makes a horrible sound when it first starts, I can't seem to find a way to make it not do that (it starts every time though, which is more than some of my friends with V8 trucks can say). Also the clutch seems somewhat "frozen" (initially sticks to the floor for a few seconds until pumped vigorously several times) and shifter is very stiff. As for bumpy it doesn't seem any different to me but I have 16 inch rims.03 Vibe GT as well, and on frozen mornings in the teens around here I get an ugly noise at start up also. Hard to describe it, and it starts just fine, but makes sort of a cringe-inducing noise when the engine first turns over.Last oil change I put in full synth 0w20, and have had no starting issues. The occasional slow crank on a very very cold morning, maybe.

[DarkSpork]

Quote, originally posted by oriden »i dono about you guys but my fricking power windows dont go down after -10 cDon't even try to roll your windows down at these temperatures. I had to replace the regulator arm for my driver's side window because it was severely warped. I asked the guy at the body shop the cause: "The regulator arm freezes but the power window motor is quite strong and will continue to try to roll the window down even if the regulator arm is frozen". The regulator arm is $150 and it was 1.3 hours of labor. Not something I want to spend money on again on a car with 37,000 miles.

[DarkSpork]

Quote, originally posted by bodhi_tree777 »03 Vibe GT as well, and on frozen mornings in the teens around here I get an ugly noise at start up also. Hard to describe it, and it starts just fine, but makes sort of a cringe-inducing noise when the engine first turns over.Last oil change I put in full synth 0w20, and have had no starting issues. The occasional slow crank on a very very cold morning, maybe.I'm running 5w30 Mobil 1, going to change it next month (only 2,200 miles on this oil change so far), does your sound sound like; slow crank then once started groaning sound? According to the owners manual if you drive your car in sub zero temperatures the recommended oil weights are:0w30 (non synthetic)5w30 (synthetic)

[Herb]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »The OEM lift gate shocks are worthless, especially in cold weather. Best investment is to get some aftermarket ones with a higher rated compression. It's even worse with spoilers on the gate. After I had my spoilers installed I noticed that the shocks had trouble lifting the gate. Now that it's freezing out there they're entirely useless.

[zionzr2]

I dont work so good in negative temperatures either.

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by Herb »It's even worse with spoilers on the gate. After I had my spoilers installed I noticed that the shocks had trouble lifting the gate. Now that it's freezing out there they're entirely useless.You should try this with 10lbs of sound deadner on the hatch HAHAHAI end up guiding the hatch open or simply use the window instead.

[IMakeVibes]

People actually go out when its -20??? It got way down to +30 last night in NorCal and thats cold enough. 20 below sounds like its a good temperature to stay home curled up next to the fire with a stack of blankets for a month. BTW, just curiously since I've never seen temperatures that cold (and don't plan to), these things happening in cold weather with the Vibes, do they happen with other vehicles as well or just our Vibes?

[bodhi_tree777]

Quote, originally posted by DarkSpork »I'm running 5w30 Mobil 1, going to change it next month (only 2,200 miles on this oil change so far), does your sound sound like; slow crank then once started groaning sound? According to the owners manual if you drive your car in sub zero temperatures the recommended oil weights are:0w30 (non synthetic)5w30 (synthetic)not exactly, it's more of a whooshing sound right when the engine turns over. then, its fine. Only happens on very cold mornings, although we haven't hit sub zero here so maybe that's why you get the groan and i get the whoosh I put in the 0w20 as a mpg experiment, although any gains are probably negated b/c of the cold weather. I haven't noticed any difference, but no problems starting either. I'm going back to 0w30 on the next change. I might try the lighter weight oil again in the summer.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by bodhi_tree777 »I put in the 0w20 as a mpg experiment, although any gains are probably negated b/c of the cold weather. I haven't noticed any difference, but no problems starting either. I'm going back to 0w30 on the next change. I might try the lighter weight oil again in the summer.I'll tell you something about oil. My employer has a motor pool and all they put in the cars is straight 20W oil, all year round. They buy it in 40 gal drums for less than $1 per quart. They change it every 6000 miles. The cars usually last about 140,000 miles but probably 80% of the mileage is on the highway. They buy Ford Tauruses and whatever the mid-size chevy is these days that takes E-85. Personally, I use full synthetic but it's not because I think it's so great for the engine. I use it so I only have to change the oil every 6000-7500 miles, which is about once every 8 months.

[nygiantzz1]

Quote, originally posted by IMakeVibes »BTW, just curiously since I've never seen temperatures that cold (and don't plan to), these things happening in cold weather with the Vibes, do they happen with other vehicles as well or just our Vibes?Yes, it happens with all cars when it gets that cold. Thing creak, windows freeze shut, the ride is harder until things get warmed up. You have to be careful removing snow and ice, plastic trim gets brittle and can crack or snap off. It's lots of fun, you should try it sometime.