GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

lazytiger

Sigh... nothing is ever easy. I just spoke with a guy at Aamco and he wants to pull the transmission apart to figure out which bearings need replacing. Are you guys thinking of any particular bearing when you speak of replacing one? He said there's like 16 bearings inside the tranny, and one outside...

lazytiger

No, there was no explanation why. Just being lazy and/or stupidly figuring they'd fixed the problem. You're right, doesn't make much sense not to do it when it's a built-in upsell. They would have to order the parts, but that's easy enough...

lazytiger

They specifically told me they didn't replace the bearings, but that they would do so for only the cost of the bearings (no labor cost) if I continued to hear the noise. So, sounds pretty clear what needs to be done.Thanks guys.

lazytiger

After going on a road trip, I discovered some interesting behaviors of the rubbing/grinding noise that I hope are indicative of the cause. As I've said before, it gets increasingly noticeable as I go from 1st to 5th gear. The interesting thing is that the noise all but disappears after a long time o...

lazytiger

Sigh... well, I got my Vibe back. Brand new clutch and machined flywheel, $1000 poorer... SAME EXACT NOISE. Before I had left and had an opportunity to hear the noise, the guy said that if I continue to hear anything they can replace the bearings for the cost of parts only. Seems pretty obvious that...

lazytiger

I got some more info (or at least understood him better this time), and the thing that was making the noise was the flywheel, just as Petrucci914 thought it might be. It has heat cracks in it so they're having it machined back into shape and replacing the clutch (90,000 miles ain't bad). They're flu...

lazytiger

I went to the dealer over lunch, who of course was too busy to look at it right away. As I was driving, it definitely seemed like the noise was getting worse and the clickity-clack noise had turned into a more definitive grinding noise. So I went to Aamco. I'm sorry to say I don't know much about tr...

lazytiger

I'm not doubting that the transmission fluid of any car should be changed eventually, but the manual doesn't say anything about a regularly-scheduled replacement/check of it at any mileage unless you tow a trailer, which I don't. But when there's a potential problem... obviously the time has come.I ...

lazytiger

Hello all, I've been looking through some threads here about transmission noise but I'm not sure if my issue is quite the same as what I've read.My '03 Vibe has a 5-speed manual transmission. I just hit 90,000 miles recently. Never had any mechanical problems. A few weeks ago I started noticing a ve...

lazytiger

Ha, well I went to the Toyota dealer ready to pay $10-12 for the wiper blade insert (they quoted me a different price through email than over the phone)... it ended up being $2.43 + tax. Excellent. But I don't understand why they would give me bad information in advance that would potentially stop m...

lazytiger

Turns out the $25 quote from the Pontiac dealer was for the whole blade assembly, not just the rubber insert. They want $14 for the insert, and they don't have it in stock because they usually just change the whole blade. Quicker and more expensive; that's a win-win for the dealer.The Toyota dealers...

lazytiger

Quote, originally posted by Whelan Â»But I think the blade is likke $2 at the Toyota dealer vs. $4 at Pontiac, just go and pick one up.I wish! I just called two Toyota dealers and a Pontiac dealer on the north side of Chicago... the first Toyota dealer wanted $12, the second wanted $14, and the Pont...

lazytiger

According to the Wikipedia article, the Vibe isn't getting redesigned until '09 ('08 typo?) and the Matrix is getting axed. Of course, I have no idea where that info came from, so I can hardly say it's reliable.

lazytiger

Oh, well... sorry for getting anyone excited for a moment. I myself was excited. I've now seen another picture of the G8 and it doesn't look as cool from a 3/4 angle as it does cut off straight from the front!

lazytiger

I haven't seen the G8; is it a crossover or a sedan or what? This picture seems to be uncannily similar to the shape of the Vibe.

lazytiger

I don't mean to start any rampant speculation, but I just don't know what to make of this. I received a mailer today from my Pontiac dealer about trading in my Pontiac for a new one with special incentives... blah, blah. Very generic; it didn't have anything to do with the Vibe.BUT, on the front of ...

lazytiger

Thanks, I'll give it another shot. I was hesitant to pull any harder on those clips, but there doesn't seem to be any other way.Jeff

lazytiger

I took off the rear passenger-side plastic panel to get at some minor body damage in the wheel well. It was attached with several plastic clips. How do you get the darn thing back on?! The clips go in opposite directions and seem to all require being reattached simultaneously. I tried to pull the pl...

lazytiger

Quote, originally posted by djnewm »...the guys that I talked to where kinda hard to understand....Ha... well, they're all Mexican, as is pretty common in Chicago. But they're all really nice guys. I haven't been by that place in a long time because I don't take the same route to work anymore. Don't...

lazytiger

I'm actually not terribly unhappy with the RS-As. They've lasted 50,000 and still have some tread on them, but they definitely don't have the best traction on even remotely wet pavement. Maybe that's just because they're getting worn, but they're certainly not bald yet. For the money, it sounds like...

lazytiger

I bought my '03 Vibe (base model) used, and it has Goodyear RS-As on it. I would assume they're the original tires, as I'm now just over 50,000 miles and they're about ready to be replaced. The general consensus here seems to be that Goodyear tires are overpriced/underperforming and no one seems to ...

lazytiger

You should try the Metra 40-GM21 antenna adaptor. Should only cost you about $12-15, and should be available at any car audio install shop.However, I've found that radio reception is largely dependent on the receiver; it might just be that the Aiwa has poor reception. Poor radio reception with after...

lazytiger

Update, if anyone cares... Several weeks ago I did go ahead and take the factory amp out and put in an Alpine MRP-F240 amp under the seat. Made a world of difference with my system. I've stuck with all my Alpine gear (CDA-9827 head unit, MRP-350 sub amp, Type-S components in front, 2-ways in rear, T...

lazytiger

Here's a picture of the Alpine MRP-M350 in the Vibe's spare tire well. It fits perfectly. I don't have it screwed down or anything - it just stays put. All the wires go through the hole in the bottom; I didn't do anything destructive.

Attached files

lazytiger

You should definitely get a separate amp for a sub. Since you already have an Alpine MRP-F240 amp, might I suggest you get an Alpine MRP-M350 for the sub? I have one, and it just happens to fit perfectly into the space inside the spare tire under the floor. Keeping your amp separate from the sub enc...

lazytiger

I think it could best be summed up this way:If all you want to do is replace the head unit, it would be much easier if you don't have the Moon & Tunes. If you want to go all-out with new speakers, new amp, etc, I'd say it's easier with the Moon & Tunes. Of course, you could go all-out even w...

lazytiger

If you're the type of person that might be satisfied with factory audio, simply bring a favorite CD to the dealership and have a listen with and without the Moon & Tunes. If you want to go aftermarket for your stereo, I'd say it's a bit of a toss up. There are fewer complications if you don't ha...

lazytiger

The air intake I'm referring to is the one by the glove compartment, just under the hood by the bottom of the windshield. I saw another thread here about taking it off. It looked perfectly clean. I was thinking, if some dumb kids were going down the street pranking people, where would they most like...

lazytiger

I definitely am not planning on getting any aftermarket engine parts; I definitely am planning on keeping my Vibe for a long time! I'll investigate this K&N possibility. Thanks, guys.

lazytiger

I could tip more, sure, but they would have done this before they knew what their tip would be anyway! I don't get it... this happened in a nice part of town. I can't imagine someone squirting doe urine on people's grills. But then again, stuff can happen anywhere.Sigh... I think it's going away, sl...

lazytiger

When I got my oil changed at 45,000 recently, they pulled out my air filter and wanted to sell me a new one. I said no thanks, I'll take care of it myself. I got the part number (88969107) out of the manual and looked on gmpartsdirect.com. They have it for a mere $9.72, though they charge quite a bi...

lazytiger

...you know, the one where he gets his car back from the valet and it has this horrible smell in it? Last night, I got my Vibe back from the valet and there was this rancid smell in it, which I later determined to be coming from the air vents. I am guessing that the smell is urine; I can only hope t...

lazytiger

OK, I just realized there are spare fuses in the engine fuse box. So I went ahead and replaced the fuse and now everything seems fine. But my question still stands - where to get more fuses?

lazytiger

Yep, it was a blown "tail" fuse. I was going to check all of them to see if any others were blown, but I grew tired of that after about 3 fuses. Forgive my ignorance once again - where would I look for a new fuse? Hardware store? Auto parts store? - gasp - The dealer?Thanks, guys.

lazytiger

Quote, originally posted by joatmon Â»You said everything else seems to be working fine, I assume that includes the radio and the new amp. How about the wipers? Which center console did you remove, the one around the shifter or the one between the seats? Where did you tap in for power for the amp?Th...

lazytiger

Forgive my ignorance, I've never looked at the fuses before, and I noticed that the photos in your previous post about them are broken. It's kinda late to head out to the garage again tonight, but any help you can give about the location of the box, how to identify the particular fuses you mentioned...

lazytiger

I just installed a 4-channel amp in my Vibe. Sounds awesome. One problem - after all was said and done it was nighttime, and I noticed my automatic lights (all the stuff that comes on via the light sensor) don't seem to be working. They don't come on automatically or intentionally (turning the stick...

lazytiger

The speaker housing things are riveted to the door, so it's pretty tough to get them off without drilling out the rivets. I wouldn't worry too much about breaking them, especially if it's from the rear speakers. You have to either remove them altogether or remove the guts of the speaker (the magnet,...

lazytiger

I put one of the Infinity 6002i speakers in my Vibe and A/B'd it with the Alpine Type-S 2-way. The 6002i does sound a little better I think, but I wasn't blown away by the difference. They both sound pretty thick compared to the Type-S components I have in the front. I'm tempted to just get rid of t...

lazytiger

I went to CC on the way home and tried out the Pioneer DEH-P7700MP. It's pretty nice. It still puts a gap between songs, albeit shorter than the gaps from my Alpine. I couldn't tell in the store (too noisy) if the disc was spinning up between songs, but the gap was so short that it probably couldn't...

lazytiger

I'm warming up quickly to the Pioneer DEH-P7700MP. However, I have a question for you. What the heck is the deal with Pioneer and Premier? For the same MSRP of $300, the DEH-P7700MP appears to be exactly the same as the Premier DEH-P770MP, except that the Premier has 4-volt pre-outs, a rotary knob o...

lazytiger

From Pioneer's website (DEH-P7700MP):Quote Â»Our Digital Speedread2 mechanism speeds up track-to-track access, cutting down on the wait time. It can actually access an MP3 file faster than most receivers access a CD-Audio file.Sounds good so far!

lazytiger

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa Â»I have to say, and don't take this wrong, that Alpine as of late is nothing but high-priced garbage.No offense taken. I'm starting to question my allegiance to Alpine. Basically, it comes down to the fact that I like the way their head units look, but not nece...

lazytiger

I've got some questions about car audio, but every forum I find on the 'net seems to be filled with beef-heads just talking about how loud they can make their subwoofers. I have a random assortment of things to discuss, and I figured I'd try them out at the trusty ol' genvibe audio forum. First, I h...

lazytiger

well, the place I got mine from is Elston U.S. Electronics. Their number is (773) 283-8286. You can call them if you want; they probably would get it for you for $35 plus shipping to your door. I can't remember the guy's name that I was talking to, unfortunately. If you're talking to the right guy, ...

lazytiger

Try going to a local audio store - that's where I got mine. It has to be special ordered from Metra, but that shouldn't be a big deal. I don't understand why the big guys you mentioned couldn't help you, but oh well. I guess their customer service is lacking. That's why I suggest going to a local sh...

lazytiger

Yeah, grinding down the grille has certainly crossed my mind, but A) I don't have a Dremmel and I'd rather not spend the money on one right now (even though I know they're super handy) and B) I'd rather not do anything destructive to the door panel. I know it wouldn't even be visible, but I'd just r...

lazytiger

I installed some Alpine Type-S component speakers in my front doors a while back. I gutted the old speakers and used the shells to install the Alpines. I have plenty of room behind the speaker, but I've discovered that the rubber surround is touching the door panel grille. Not good. I don't think an...

lazytiger

It sounds like I have my grounding point in pretty much the same spot you do. It's under the spare pull-out, off to the left. I scraped the paint off with the end of my wrench; it worked pretty well. I've already checked the wiring again and everything looks good. Nothing has changed other than the ...

lazytiger

Ah... this is my first post since they upgraded the forum software... nice.Anyway, I got my amp back from CC. The note from the tech said "One or more parts/wires were soldered audio circuit". Thanks--that clears it right up. I don't think there was anything wrong with it, at least not tha...

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