GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

bonzo4ever

When I've used it, I relied on the Mother's to be just a polish. It really helps get rid of some of the fade and grime. Once you clean that off though you'd want to follow with whatever your favorite protectant happens to be.

bonzo4ever

They even sprang for the Alloys. Well played, good sir. Enjoy!

bonzo4ever

Yes, the Liquid Ice went on and came off with no problems, and most importantly no white residue. I applied it with the included applicator and removed it with my 10" orbital buffer and a microfiber bonnet. Made short work of removing it (once it dried) and made sure I was thorough without blow...

bonzo4ever

I have an '03 GT, and I'm pretty sure ceramics were the OEM. I bought a set of Bendix CQ pads online at auto parts warehouse, had them within a couple of days. Good price too.

bonzo4ever

Speaking of coolant system, I'm probably due for a flush soon, and wanted to get everyone's opinion on coolant additives (Water Wetter, etc.). Do you think we need the additional help with cooling? I have a Vibe GT, and haven't had any temp problems to date, but thought I'd ask the group before jump...

bonzo4ever

Thank you guys again for the tips. With a good deal of help from a friend, we managed to get the fronts and rears done yesterday, plus replace a worn exhaust donut gasket in the back. I will say this though - Sublimewind's front brake tutorial is great, but where I really needed help was the back. A...

bonzo4ever

There are a lot of kids and grandkids near my apartment, and with the weather turning nice out, I always take it extra careful in town. Mostly because I can put myself in the position of the nervous/angry parent or grandparent, and I know I'd be pretty pissed too.

bonzo4ever

Speaking of rural roads, I managed to see 130 in my Vibe GT a couple of weeks ago...in 5th. But don't hate me - deserted country road, late evening, no traffic, no farm equipment. I'm dumb, but not stupid.

bonzo4ever

You're just a shiny, easy target for their pent-up anger now.

bonzo4ever

Well, after a good bit of shopping around online for some decent prices, I went with Premium rotors from Napa, and Bendix CQ pads from and rear, ordered from auto parts warehouse (online). It really did take quite a bit of shopping around though to get the prices. One place would have the rotors at ...

bonzo4ever

Anyone have any thoughts on the loss of the 1.8L and the 6-speed option in the GTs? I wandered through the dealership yesterday and checked out some of the new GTs, but I don't know how I feel about them. I suppose the switch to the 2.4L is because most drivers never tapped into the upper rev range ...

bonzo4ever

I had better enjoy the country roads and driving like a jerk while I can then.

bonzo4ever

I'm hoping to keep mine for a long time. Maybe get something new as a daily driver and then be able to turn my Vibe GT into my project car. Could have a lot of fun that way, and a lot of miles.

bonzo4ever

You may want to check the Wal-Mart near you - The one here in Savoy, IL has 2- and 3-ton GM Performance Jack Stands on Clearance. A pair of the 2-ton stands is only $15, 3-ton are $21. Like I said, don't know about availability where you live, but I picked up a pair. Look great, and are more than en...

bonzo4ever

@HighMile Vibe - Wow, 123k and counting! That makes me feel even better about my GT. When I bought it I did so fully intending to keep it for a long time. Thank you also for the tips. It seems like the D/S rotors on eBay are meant to draw in poor folks like me who want to look like they have a perfo...

bonzo4ever

Thanks for the heads up. I know the drilled and slotted rotors look pretty through the rims, but for the sake of safety I need as much stopping power as possible. Are the cryo rotors available online or on eBay anywhere in particular?

bonzo4ever

Well, as if losing my job 3 months ago wasn't enough fun, I found out today that I need to do the brakes on my 2003 Vibe GT. Which I was planning for eventually, yet hoping I could wait on for a little while longer. Anyway, I've been told by a friend that he had good luck with the drilled and slotte...

bonzo4ever

Awesome. Thanks for the tip. Those sound like a winning combo, so long as the price isn't out of this world.

bonzo4ever

Even with my Short Ram CAI and the cruise set at just shy of 80, I'm still averaging 30-32 hwy. Around town varies between 25-30, depending on how bad a week I've had.

bonzo4ever

I'm just over 61K on my 2003 GT and wondering when the clutch is going to start wearing out on me. It's feeling a little bit like I've either got a worn motor mount or the early stages of clutch wear, since it feels like it hiccups/slips a little between 3500-5000 rpm. My only other guess is that it...

bonzo4ever

The power potential in the VVTL-i is definitely there. Retune the engine for racing, tack on a turbo setup...and life get's good. It would be a lot of fun, that's for sure.

bonzo4ever

I went with the NGK Iridium IX also, and noticed an immediate improvement in throttle response and idle - everything seemed quite a bit smoother. Most of that improvement probably comes from the old plugs being reddish in tint and tarnished when I pulled them (previous owner probably ran regular ins...

bonzo4ever

Ever since I started looking for a Vibe or Matrix over 2 years ago, and particularly since I finally purchased one last year, I've had one major itch for a project - And All Wheel Drive Vibe GT rally car. To me, the new body style, the existence of all wheel drive in the lineup, and the horsepower p...

bonzo4ever

I've seen several options for new, lower springs for the Vibe/Matrix, but does anyone know if you can get performance springs and struts/shocks in the stock height? I'd consider lowering the car a little, but because of the flooded road I drove down the other day (successfully), I'm kind of liking a...

bonzo4ever

Thanks Dave! I may scoot over to the Matrix/Corolla forums also to see if anyone has the same experience with the dark exhaust pipe, and if anyone has access to engine tuning (ideally at a fraction of the cost). I replaced the spark plugs last year, and I did get quite an improvement in general runn...

bonzo4ever

If I had the scratch for a project car right now, I'd make an offer. I love my '03 GT, and I certainly wouldn't mind having/working on another one, but being out of work isn't gonna leave me much money for parts.

bonzo4ever

I got laid off in January, so I've got the time...This offer is tempting to me, since I have a friend who lives down there to put me up for free...

bonzo4ever

True on that. I make sure to buff as much of it off as I can with the orbital and a microfiber bonnet before hitting it with protectant or wax.

bonzo4ever

Fellow Viberz, a couple questions as the summer weather approaches and I actually get to be outside working on my car ( ) :1) I'm in central Illinois, and wondering if anyone around has a tuner or computer that we could use on my car. I'd like to see if there are any improvements/adjustments that co...

bonzo4ever

Finally got the chance to do a full detail on the Vibe GT a couple of weeks ago, and thought I'd share what worked for me. 1) Wash with Meguiar's Deep Crystal soap and a microfiber sponge2) Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Clay Bar (not bad for little effort)3) Mother's Back-to-Black trim polish on the plastic...

bonzo4ever

Hard for me to say. They stock goodyears were shot when I bought the car, though I managed to get a very dry summer's worth of driving out of them before scrapping them in the fall. I'm not a fan of goodyears myself (all of the ones I've driven before have worn very quickly), though I can say I didn...

bonzo4ever

I picked up a set of General Altimax HP for my Vibe GT last year, and they've been outstanding. Cut right through the slush and snow over the winter, handle rain like dry pavement, and so far some pretty even and light treadwear. They're rated for 55000 miles, so they should last a while, and I orde...

bonzo4ever

The Lucas stuff is what has been recommended to me by a lot of people. I know Techron is GM's brand o' choice, but the Lucas stuff really seems to work well without any negative impact.

bonzo4ever

I've been rocking with Mobil 1 Extended Performance synthetic. Says it's good for up to 15,000 miles, but I usually change it after 5k. Also been using Mobil 1 filter. Good results all around, and the oil really stays clean much longer. I did the second oil change much sooner (2k) just to clean out ...

bonzo4ever

Late Guy to the Party!I cannot say enough about how awesome you guys have been for my Vibe. All the reviews and step-by-step stuff (BC Rules!) have probably saved me a bunch of money I might have wasted on crappy upgrades. I did have a couple of questions though on the poor man's guide...1) is it po...

bonzo4ever

Highly recommended. I got mine for about 23 bucks with shipping. Felt like a whole new shifter when I got done, without spending the $300+ on a short shifter (although that would be nice).

bonzo4ever

The only thing I have to say about swapping the plugs - GAPPING THESE STUPID IRIDIUM TIPS IS A B%^&*!I made two return trips to the auto parts store to exchange a plug, but finally got them all gapped and in perfect working order.

bonzo4ever

I went with the next level up from stock (from what i was told), the NGK Iridiuim IX plugs. Got a set of four for about $30 (helps to have friends with employee discounts, but only saved a couple of bucks). I really did feel a noticeable difference in low-end pull, and I think part of that can be at...

bonzo4ever

Just put a new set of spark plugs in the 2003 Vibe GT, and she's runnin' like a raped ape (in a good way, of course). But I couldn't help but wonder...does anyone make a killer set of high-voltage, upgraded coil pack units for the VIBE GT? I would love to price them out. Hope someone can offer some ...

bonzo4ever

In my infinite wisdom (insert sarcasm detector here), I had used Black Magic titanium tire gel on the cladding. Which was great, the way it shined, except that it's been picking up everything from towel lint to dead bugs and all points in between. Not to mention it's approximately impossible to wash...

bonzo4ever

Strangely enough - so did I. My stepdad's factory was producing it at the time, so I got a bunch of it for free.

bonzo4ever

Yep, I'm having one of those "not-so-smart" days. I meant the intake.

bonzo4ever

Under the hood again - What is the best (or at least preferred) product to use on the hoses? Right now I have some leftover Turtle Wax ClearGuard protectant (that they don't make anymore, unfortunately) that I keep around specifically for under the hood. It is pretty thick stuff, and shines like hel...

bonzo4ever

Got a good question for everyone here - Is there any way/any product that will let me shine up/polish the exhaust manifold on my Vibe GT? It's in decent shape, but I was wondering if, when I'm under the hood cleaning everything else up, there was a product or method that might throw some shine back ...

bonzo4ever

I have to give a thumbs up for some of the Ice products, specifically the liquid clay bar and the Synthetic Paste Wax. The best part of the paste wax is that is it safe to use on my roof rack and rear view mirrors (2003 Silver two-tone Vibe GT), and it brought them both back to looking like new. The...

bonzo4ever

Ugh...A Ford Junkstang (with apologies to ford guys... )

bonzo4ever

Scratch that, I guess...I totally missed it by that much...

bonzo4ever

Sorry, Newb question - I'd love a hoodie with one of the designs from the front page. Is there a link where I can check them out and make sure I have the name right?I know, I'm an amateur...

bonzo4ever

Not yet. As soon as I got it I used the Turtle Wax Ice liquid clay bar, then hit it with polishing compound and an orbital buffer, then 2 coats of Turtle Wax Ice synthetic wax - Which I totally recommend. It even made the mirrors and the roof rack look like new, and it stands up to rain. If you reco...

bonzo4ever

A few more photos. Gotta wait for a nice day to get some real quality shots.

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