2003 Vibe Two-Tone Cladding Issue - Revised TSB Released!

Post by **NSimkins** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 4:40 am

(I figured this deserved it's own *new and improved* thread) As of July 31st, 2003, the revised TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) addressing the worn cladding on 2003 Vibes with two-tone cladding has been released. This TSB will inspect and replace the appropriate areas of the cladding affected with the new 2004-style cladding (including the newly designed rocker panel).The TSB is # 02-08-111-005A - parts are available for ordering from your dealer as long as they confirm the warranty repair.I've already heard of a few members that have had their new cladding ordered and on its way.

MrRich · Post by **MrRich** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 7:27 am

Thanks Nick!I'll call my dealer rightaway!

pmh013 · Post by **pmh013** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 7:42 am

Is it possible to post a copy of the TSB? I would like to read it, just for kicks.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 10:09 am

THANK YOU! Patience is a virtue, fellow Vibers. Calling my dealership tomorrow. VERY helpful info!

msmyer · Post by **msmyer** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 11:18 am

quote:Is it possible to post a copy of the TSB? I would like to read it, just for kicks.Yeah...and maybe show my dealership! They are dumb, they would probably ask me, what TSB stands for!

Post by **NSimkins** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 11:22 am

It's the same TSB as the previous one which replaced the cladding with like-2003 parts instead of the new 2004 parts.This is the revised TSB:quote:2003 Pontiac Vibe - FWD/AWD --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wheel House Opening Molding Discolored (Replace Molding) #02-08-111-005A - (07/31/2003)2003 Pontiac VibeThis bulletin is being revised for additional Correction, Parts and Warranty information. Please discard Corporate Bulletin # 02-08-111-005 (Section 08-Body & Accessories)ConditionSome customers may comment that the rear wheel house opening molding or the rear door lower molding is discolored.CauseRoad debris contacting the molding may discolor the molding.CorrectionReplace the moldings and clips.Parts Information88973242 Molding Rear Wheel Opening-Right 88973243 Molding Rear Wheel Opening-Left 88963246 Molding Rear Side Door Lower-Right 88973247 Molding Rear Side Door Lower-Left 88973089 Rocker Molding-Right 88973090 Rocker Molding-Left 94848834 RetainerParts are currently available from GMSPO.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 11:33 am

Cool, gonna make sure they ordered the correct parts tomorrow.

Toasted7 · Post by **Toasted7** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 11:52 am

You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this! My once horrible day... just got a whole lot better. Gonna call my dealer first thing tomorrow and let 'em know. I can't wait to get this problem resolved and I hope to get it all taken care of before the snow starts to fall.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:24 pm

keep us updated on the fitment of the mudflaps...when they get that figured out i will have mine done...not before then!

iburgess · Post by **iburgess** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:44 am

Hello everyone!I have what appears to be wearing on my cladding. It's rough, and it looks old and worn, even though it is not. Is this was this service bulletin is addressing?Please let me know - thanks!

red · Post by **red** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 5:45 am

as they would say on "american choppers"..YEAH BABY !!!!

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:40 am

I noticed that quite a while ago and didnt think they would ever want to replace that since its outisde and in the wind and things. Good thing I checked here woo hoo !!!Too bad its not the front cladding too

red · Post by **red** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 8:46 am

just got done talking to the service mgnr today, on thursday my vib goes in to officially start the process of ordering replacement trim....THANK YOU JEFF STRAUSSER

shibaman · Post by **shibaman** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 7:27 pm

I went to the dealer to talk to the service manager about the way the service order was written up( squeek in dash caused by intake mod and rubbing of cladding ? caused by lowering car?). He was so sweet to me and ordered the cladding for me. He had read the TSB that morning. He was not happy about the way his service advisor had treated me.

Geo · Post by **Geo** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:54 pm

Any word on replacements for the mud guards for the '04 rocker panels?Looks like I'll be needing to make an appointment soon with my dealer

Kangaroooski · Post by **Kangaroooski** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:59 pm

Thanks for the note about the cladding, talked to my dealership today and they ordered the new plastic. So hopefully next week it will be installed. Yahooooo! Thanks everyone!

Post by **NSimkins** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:59 pm

quote:Any word on replacements for the mud guards for the '04 rocker panels?No - I forgot to ask, but I was told a month ago that a new front flap was being designed and should be ready soon. Details to follow.

msmyer · Post by **msmyer** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:07 am

How bad does it have to be, before they will agree to replace it? Does this have to be done at dealership that I bought it from?

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:52 am

Well my frist visit to an olds place right next to work refused to replace it and said it looks normal and will only happen again. So I am off to a pontiac dealership now to see what they say. On the phone the rep said she had not heard of the tsb but will have somebody look at it. I shoulda figured as much hassle. Oh well I will keep trying, ill point out how much of a difference there is between the cladding in question and the front cladding that look nothing alike.I never got my vibe in ottawa by the way, cause at the time nobody would help me fin done. Whats wrong with these guys. Let ya know what happens.

red · Post by **red** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 3:30 am

when you make your appointment, say that you are experiencing severe discolorment due to road debris...just as it says on the tsb...once you have filed a "formal" claim (eg take it in for this reason) then you have a better chance of getting it processed...this was relayed to me by my servc manager...PS why are all of the canadian dealerships being such a**holes about everything on this car!! first it was phm013 with her "cat converter", now on this...i thought US dealers were bad, jeez!!!

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Sat Aug 30, 2003 12:31 am

Ya i know, I dont get it. I also dont understand how its so normal, cause if you look at the front which takes the brunt of everything it has nowhere near the wear, its even hard to notice unless you really feel it with your hand. So I dont know, but I wont stop until its done. Just dont feel like going back to TO for the work.

Bdaz1 · Post by **Bdaz1** » Sat Aug 30, 2003 9:01 pm

Good News! I've been waiting for this one. As of last Friday (8/29), when I talked to the Service Manager at my Dealer, they don't know it's out yet. It's great to have this Gen Vibe resource, so I can give the Dealer the TSB number! Time to make my appointment.One down, one to go.Now, if they will just put out a TSB on the Daytime Running Lights Sensor sensitivity..............Thanks Nick.

pmh013 · Post by **pmh013** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 1:05 pm

Sheesh, red, don't get so riled up! It's not the Canadian way, ya know, eh? LOL!I've printed off the TSB, just waiting for a day that I can go back into Regina to go to a *real* dealership (not the hicksville one I bought the car from). Unfortunatly, I might have to do it on a weekday ... their Saturday staff is only one notch above trained monkeys (oil changes only, please!).

red · Post by **red** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 3:58 am

its the canadian way!!! lol.. at least their service monkeys are trained!!!

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:22 pm

OK guys, got the dealership to order the parts. But the date on the tsb is the old one. So whatever, now i called gm to maybe get the actual tsb number so i could mention it to service in case there was a typo in the number above and this person gave me a schpeil about trusting the dealership, and that i didnt work at a dealershpi and all that kinda thing. So, just want to ask is the number given in the tsb above correct .

Post by **NSimkins** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 10:25 pm

quote:So, just want to ask is the number given in the tsb above correct .Yes, make sure you note the letter "A" at the end of the number to indicate the revised TSB. I have seen the TSB # listed above and it is dated July 31, 2003.Let us know if you still continue to have issues.

Toasted7 · Post by **Toasted7** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 3:31 am

Called my dealer (and a few more) and none of them had ever heard of such a thing. I gave them all the TSB# and they said they will be getting back with me. I have an oppointment for the 12th to get it looked at. Then and only then are they going to order the parts to get it all fixed. So we will have to wait and see how it all goes. Do dealers even know the Vibe exists?

Toasted7 · Post by **Toasted7** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 3:58 am

quote:We need to educate people.. That would be great... genvibe memebers show up at a dealer and give them a Pontiac Vibe class. I'm sure we know a LOT more than they do, but they have to know about other cars as well, so I can understand to a certain extent. It just seems they know NOTHING at all. "Is it better to know a little about a lot or a lot about a little?"

red · Post by **red** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 6:46 am

my new replacements have been ordered (so i've been told) now lets see if we can get this thin paint addressed!

Pump233ca · Post by **Pump233ca** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 10:23 am

Went to my dealer, they were aware of the problem the body shop actually had two other work orders ahead of mine...what surprised me was the fact that a "DSM" would most likely have to look at it to decide whether or not it was damaged enough to warrant replacement.. I told the body shop guy..its my car!!! I`ll decide if it looks bad enough..he went outside looked at it and said ouch thats the worse one we have seen yet....and bought the car with mudflaps didn`t you? They ordered up the parts and will notify when they`re in, on my way out of the parking lot stop two other Vibe owners and showed and told them of the problem, one guy never even noticed and the other didn`t know there was a TSB..they both said they were headed back to the body shop area..

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 10:38 am

ok, i even had the tsb faxed to me from a friend in niagara to ottawa. Has the july 7th date, has everything and I thought I was set. Took it to the dealer, now keep in mind he has the older tsb and parts on order but hey, I want the 04 rocker panel cause it looks nicer. So I showed the service guy my sheet, he fiddle farted around with it. Comes back and says nothing comes up on any of the numbers on the sheet, and asked if i had gotten that from the US. I said no, and said if i get more information ill call him. I just cant believe he has found nothing, doesnt make sense to me.So Im not sure what to do now, any advice, and ottawa people around who have had it replaced with 04 molding ???

iburgess · Post by **iburgess** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 9:19 pm

I'm in Canada too and I took my car with the TSB # to my dealership yesterday. They looked and looked, but found nothing about this issue. They said that they'd still consider replacing it after a "rep" looked at it to determine if it was bad, but there was no TSB that they were arare of.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 9:34 pm

Hey Salsa!half the times the dealers try to ignore the TSB's from my experience!!!Thank God my brother works for GM but that is not the case for everyone GM needs to step up to the plate, and the Canadian dealers need a friggin course on customer service, after sales service and knowing what the hell they sell!!!

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 9:40 pm

Besides waiting for ever to get our cars shipped to us, having no parts available and don't get me started on after market stuff its all good Well, at least we can always get stuff from the US!!!

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 9:45 pm

I am waiting for you to join us in Quebec for one of our meets!!!TRUST me you will get an order sheet and a half from me LOL

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:07 am

Thats exactly what I had, was an official printout straight from a niagara dealership. I think thats why he looked so surprised when I showed it to him, cause not any joe schmoe can get a hold of those. This is rediculous, if i still lived in the falls I could get it done by my friend but that is not an option.

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:27 am

ya, wowHe has seen the 2002 document, but doesnt seem to see the july 7, 2003 version. I just dont get it, why does it come up down south and not up here. Im not gonna phone gm again cause I will get trouble from the representative about trusting the dealer and all that jaz. Besides they cant look that stuff up.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:27 am

A print out would be sweet, can you make this happen please?

MrMke · Post by **MrMke** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 6:44 am

quote:A print out would be sweet, can you make this happen please?Yes, I agree!! We wouldn't have to do all this messing around if we just had a hard copy of the revised TSB!Someone please make this happen!!

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 8:50 am

I can possibly fax my copy to someone, who can possibly scan and post it or something.I have verified in belleville (ontario guys know what i am talking about) that the revised tsb is available in canada. Why the *&%**# dealer up here cant pull it up is beyond me. I even asked if he did something special to view it and he said NO, just put in the number.Gonna try a different dealer around here and let all you ottawa and canadian gusy know what happens.

Post by **NSimkins** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 8:53 am

quote:We wouldn't have to do all this messing around if we just had a hard copy of the revised TSB!This is what I have found - as close to a hard copy that can be gathered right now.See attachment. This is obviously the same for AWD models as well.Note this in particular:quote:This bulletin is being revised for additional Correction, Parts and Warranty information. Please discard Corporate Bulletin # 02-08-111-005 (Section 08-Body & Accessories)This is the OLD/OUTDATED bulletin it replaces here (Sept. 2002). from NHTSA - a copy of official previous TSB.New TSB attached below.

Attached files doc1.htm (5.6 KB)

MrMke · Post by **MrMke** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 9:14 am

quote:New TSB attached below.Thanks Nick This will sure help!

shibaman · Post by **shibaman** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:00 pm

The dealer called me today to let me know that my "bumpers" cladding came in. So now I have to make an apointment.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 12:35 pm

Thank you Nick!!!

Toasted7 · Post by **Toasted7** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 2:34 pm

I finally got my dealer to order my parts... now I'm just waiting on the phone call when the parts arrive. The dealer tried to talk me into waiting to get the cladding replaced because they said they can only do this ONCE under the warr. I told him to go ahead and order the parts and get them on my car, the new rocker panels should keep it from happening again at all (at least I hope so). More updates to follow when the parts finally come in.

shibaman · Post by **shibaman** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:28 pm

I have an appontment on Mon. to have my cladding put on. I have to leave the car for 2 days. I hope that this dealer will treat me better since I had a nice talk with the service manager.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:41 pm

my cladding came in this week. I'm gonna take it in monday.

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Sat Sep 13, 2003 1:11 am

My cloesest pontiac dealer still refuses to recognize this tsb, and is going by the older one. Im gonna try the next closest dealer and see what they say. Better not give me "its a us tsb" bit again. Ill let ya all know.

microELVIS · Post by **microELVIS** » Sat Sep 13, 2003 11:27 am

ok all done, parts are ordered. Even made sure it was an 04 rocker panel. They were great and all, had to look at the car and use their own tsb but thats fine. He explained how some dealers may get weary over you showing them a piece of paper. There is a warranty police, so to speak for gm, and they have to be carefull themselves, and cant necassarily fix everyones problems that comes and waves a piece of paper around. Thats why there is a little disclaimer at the bottom of the tsb that you can see.But they were cool, but id say keep the tsb in your back pocket. Genuinely go to the dealer and say you have a problem. Sort of mention you heard about the 04 molding solving this problem. They may not get so ansi like the ones I had. Just my 2 cents.

Kangaroooski · Post by **Kangaroooski** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 1:57 am

I just got my car back this morning from having the cladding replaced, it looks great!! I think I like the '04 cladding better than the '03, I think it makes the car look a little wider. Thanks Pontiac!