High Mileage and road trips

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cptnsolo77
Posts: 1645
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 am

High Mileage and road trips

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Hey Guys I was just wondering....for those with a high mileage vibe ( say 250,000 or more ) do you feel comfortable taking road trips with it ? Im at 270,000 and debating a 6 hour road trip ( round trip ) at around 470 miles total. Car doesnt have any issues but with the high mileage I kinda wonder sometimes Thoughts ?
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
Caretaker

Re: High Mileage and road trips

Post by Caretaker »

There really is only one item to worry about when discussing travel.........in a word: TIRES. As long as my car did not suffer from starting or stalling issues which are mainly a thing of the past now that carburetors are no more, the main think to look at are the tires. Not only do I always look at my tires whenever I am walking to my car to see if there are any foreign objects embedded, but I do a thorough hand and eye inspection of each tire before any long trip. I also bring along my 2 ton hydraulic jack and ensure my phone charger and a big blanket are on board.
Jbenrod
Posts: 98
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:58 am

Re: High Mileage and road trips

Post by Jbenrod »

My Vibe starts out on a 1200 mile road trip in the next week.

In addition to the important tires that Caretaker mentioned, if one is doing the normal fluid changes and checks I say hit the road.

Who knows what part may eventually show up as a problem. We cannot anticipate everything. Also most members of Genvibe probably are doing a much better job with their maintenance than the majority of people.

Nevertheless I do plan on proactively replacing the 5.5 year old battery, and maybe removing and opening up the starter to check the brushes. I just purchased a new brush holder assembly and plan to install that when I pull the starter out. I'll let everyone know what I find out in a few weeks.
Last edited by Jbenrod on Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
2005 Base - 220k
andrewclaus
Posts: 482
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:38 pm
Location: Golden, CO

Re: High Mileage and road trips

Post by andrewclaus »

I've seldom driven a car with less than 150k miles on it, but I'll admit I start thinking about long trips when they get over 200k. At that point, I wonder about the cost effectiveness of buying good tires, keeping the front end aligned and tight, and other safety and handling issues. I start thinking, "This is the last ___ I'll ever do on this car."

A major factor is who's in the car with me. When I'm traveling solo, or with certain friends who can take care of themselves pretty well, I don't care much about reliability. I've had car maintenance issues on the road turn into pretty good stories and new friends, even getting a new headlight in the Vibe in a small town in Illinois last winter. But if it's someone depending on me to get them somewhere, or if there's a medical issue, say aging parents or dependent children or someone like that, it's a different story.
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joatmon
Posts: 10018
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:19 am
Location: SMC MD

Re: High Mileage and road trips

Post by joatmon »

Where I live it's at least 90 minutes to the closest road with a speed limit over 55, so I'm marvelling at 470 miles in 6 hours.

I agree with tires and fluids. As the weather gets colder, got to check tire pressure. I also think its good to make sure you've got good wipers and wiper fluid

The only time my Vibe left me stranded was when the starter failed. Not really something to predict or pre-emptively replace though.

In this nightmare pandemic year of 2020, be safe when you travel and get to where you're going
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cptnsolo77
Posts: 1645
Joined: Sun Jul 29, 2007 4:05 am

Re: High Mileage and road trips

Post by cptnsolo77 »

Thanks for the great replies. Well the Vibe is in great shape mechanically and tires are about a year old. Last year I replaced the water pump, t stat upper lower radiator hoses, coil packs and did the rear brakes. All the maintenance is up to date, including fluids. I do have a bit of vibration that most likely from a engine mount, but its not terrible. It is time to replace the CV joints....the driver side boot threw up its grease and im getting a whine from that side LOL. That would be replaced before any long trips. I honestly cant think of anything that would need replacing that would leave me stranded. Even the Fuel pump was replaced with OEM unit 4 years ago...its just knowing im driving a car with 270K miles raises a little doubt LOL.
* 2003 Vibe Auto Satellite Silver w / Moons & Tunes
* Kenwood Excelon KDC-X597
* Polk DB651-Speakers
* Soundproofcow Roadblock R sound deadening in all doors
* Drop In K & N Filter
* NGK Iridium IX Plugs
* 27 MPG City/Highway with AC on
zbyers
Posts: 1767
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:12 pm
Location: Sheffield, Pennsylvania

Re: High Mileage and road trips

Post by zbyers »

Earlier in the year as the world was shutting down, my expecting wife and I had already planned a trip to Alabama to visit some family. I wasn't sure if I wanted to take the 04 GT w/100k miles, or the 07 Base with 205k miles. I ended up taking the 07 since it's automatic. I am thoroughly impressed on how reliable these cars are. I keep up on all general maintenance, and everyone here speaks the same language, so breakdowns aren't as much of an ordeal, but still gotta think about it in the back of your head.
'74 Thing, '79 El Camino, '83 VW DoKa '91 Vanagon, '03 Base, 04 GT
'06 CRV, '06 AWD, '07 Base, '12 Highlander Limited, '17 Frontier CCLB

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