is your Vibe ageing gracefully?

[bodhi_tree777]

So my brother in law was in town from DC last night. He owns an 04 neptune blue AWD with 90k miles (I believe), I have an 03 GT with 70k. We were chatting (griping might be a better word for it) and the various signs of age and wear that our cars are developing. Points that came up:- the paint. not good, but we all know this.- the rattles. we both have several interior plastic rattles at various speeds.- the glass. he feels that, once slightly dinged, the windshield is prone to rapid cracking. he's had to replace two so far (maybe just bad luck)- the exterior cladding. we both have pieces that are loose. my drivers side door, at the bottom corner, sticks out noticeably. the rivet there has given up the ghost.- the calipers. we've both had front calipers seize up on us (is this normal for young-ish cars like this?)- the rear "arrowhead". both of ours are an ugly coral/fleshtone/pink color at this point. decided I'm going to get him an overlay for christmas, and one for myself as well - the door handles. the plastic over both of our locks is loose.- the wheels. i have stock, and i have little bubbled-up spots all over them.that's about it, but I was just curious if anyone else's Vibe was showing other signs of it's mid-life age at this point? Those who still have stock suspension, how's everything holding up? any other groans and moans?I ask because I plan on keeping this car for the long haul, and also because I'm very very bored at work

[djkeev]

Good Morning,Go back and read your list. There is NOTHING major there at all. Red is highly susceptible to sun fade, get a new emblem. A little plastic fatigue, rocks thrown up by trucks is simple wrong place at the wrong time (all car glass gets chipped and then cracks after an assault by stone), and rust on the wheels. We all know the paint is iffy and still was on my 07, I purchased mine fully aware of that issue. Fix those pieces of plastic, investing a few dollars and you are off. All cars need something after the passage of time, our Vibes are not exempt. Honestly the high "quality" Volvo was one of the worst cars I've ever had for plastic item degradation. After about 3 years, if it was plastic it started to break!

[Caretaker]

my wife's '03 looks like crap, but she doesn't take care of it so she gets what she deserves. My biggest gripe is that the car is burning through oil like crazy. The car passed emissions and is not loosing oil into the antifreeze nor on the ground. I'll just keep pouring oil in as long as the piece of junk keeps running (130,000 miles) and the state keeps certifying its emissions test.

[bodhi_tree777]

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »Good Morning,Go back and read your list. There is NOTHING major there at all. very true, and for that I am grateful (although the caliper issue is kind of a drag, no pun intended. Kind of spendy). The only real issue I've had is my broken belt tensioner, but that's 1/2 toyota's lousy design and 1/2 my own stupid fault for not having the proper tools handy . Oh, and chronic alignment issues, which I've read are sort of common in these cars. I cannot be happier that we haven't had any major mechanical problems. The plastic fatigue stuff bothers me because the plastic on these cars is pricey. Look up prices for replacement cladding, or replacement one of these:ahh. the memories. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=36418but yeah, mostly, I'm just griping and bored at work

[808 Vibes]

James, my rear arrowhead is a pale pink! I know if I get a new one, it will just happen again. I might just get the overlays. But what color? hmmmm...

[ou.grizzly]

Reflective White is always a good colour.

[bull77]

the things you've describe most vibe owners have gone through...i'll take the rattles and crappy paint over replacing engine parts

[wyatt89]

Sounds about right, my bumpers no longer match the rest of my car. My hood paint is chipping left and right along with my front bumper. I've got a very faded clearcoat on top (yes I wax) and on the bumper under the headlights and the back bumper. I've got a few dents but they were all there when I got the car. The inside squeaks like mad but my interior still looks good. My drivers side window/lock switches hang to the side because one of the retaining clips broke...and now it rattles when there is music Not majestic at all.My suspension is still doing alright, I noticed the strut boots were cracked and hanging off so I don't expect them to last a whole lot longer.

[ychartra]

My rear arrowhead is also pink. Otherise the car is fine. I've go a ding (1/2" long) on the driver door some stone chips on the hood. Wipers need replacing a second time. lights bulbs are weak should be replaced, and some of the LED behind the radio display are burned out. Otherwised all is fine. Car looks good. It sleeps underground a lot. 2004 Vive, 58,000KMS. (36,000 miles)

[cptnsolo77]

Bought used at 38K, now at 78K Only problems have been:-Broken pass side door hanldle (need to fix)-blown blower resistor (need to fix)-loose cladding (fixed with misc bolts in toolbox)-baterry terminal broke off due to corrosion (bought new batt)-have to tap on dash to make HVAC lights go on (sometimes)-front speakers going bad, but i knew that when i bought it (buying polks)-small tear on drivers seat (not my fault, not fixed)Overall NOTHING major. It starts up in the morning & the AC works, and that all thats most important to me. Actually the car looks better than when I bought it, I always keep it clean & vac the interior. The car is very comfortable & reliable. Great for grocery trips to Walmart. My only gripes are the interior noise (LOUD!), engine vibration @ idle & gas mileage. I expected it to be better than it is, but I got great mileage driving to Tennessee this past christmas will a FULL load and 4 passengers. All highway and no AC helps

[NibCrom]

About 60k miles:Paint is garbage. Peeling away on several spots.Replaced intake manifold gasket.Stock tires are garbage.Car has rattles, most of any modern car I've sat in.So basically nothing major. I hate how much the wind affects the driving of the car, but it has been reliable so far and that makes me happy.

[ajflan]

Well, I have 110,000 on mine now. To be honest, My paint is in really good shape, minus a couple of rock chips here and there. I don't really have any rattles or anything interior wise. Basically the car looks and drives like new, so no complaints here.

[Cougar Vibe]

I've got an '05 AWD w/36K on it.Basically, nothing is wrong with the car...the paint is about perfect, still on the original brakes & Goodyear tires, and it still smells new inside.The only gripe I have is so ultra-minor that it's silly to bring it up: The "No. 1" button on the factory stereo has a failed paint applique. Yes, it's driving me to drink and wakes me up in the middle of the night. But other than that, my Vibe has been the perfect car for my needs.That said, with Pontiac D.O.A. now, I'm happy that the GM product I bought can be serviced and supported by Toyota (and the reason why I originally bought it).

[Cougar Vibe]

Oh, and one more thing: I have a G6 and it's a certifiable P.O.S. List of problems:1) Paints sucks.2) Brakes suck.3) Front end just started making a bad clunking noise when accelerating from a stop.4) The interior is the worst I've ever seen in a car...no soft-touch plastics, everything scratches easily.5) Factory wheels are a P.I.T.A. to clean, especially considering the insane amount of brake dust they see from very minor use.I should have gotten another Vibe.

[joatmon]

My vibe is aging ok. The interior would give Whelan a stroke though. Just can't seem to get stuff out of the carpet, and the seats seem designed to highlight any liquid spills. After over six years, my rear arrowhead is still as vibrant red as the day I bought it. (because it's been sitting in a drawer in the house ) With Pontiac going away, I may put it back on

[bodhi_tree777]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »My vibe is aging ok. The interior would give Whelan a stroke though. Just can't seem to get stuff out of the carpet, and the seats seem designed to highlight any liquid spills. After over six years, my rear arrowhead is still as vibrant red as the day I bought it. (because it's been sitting in a drawer in the house ) With Pontiac going away, I may put it back onAs a tribute? I thought about getting a black overlay for mine

[lmhansen]

Mine is showing some wear and tear, but after 7 years, I guess that's to be expected. The thing that ****es me off the most is all the dings in that trim-piece on the door from stupid neighbors opening their doors and banging it into mine!I also got:* Rust in the engine compartment.* Someones license plate screws imprinted in the plastic on the rear.* paint chips on the hood.* various rattles at various speeds.* Poor AC performance. A simple recharge may not be enough.* Headlights looks like crap.

[BadBrew]

'05 with 117k running real fine! Using it for work sometimes.Todo this year:- Some paint chips on the hood and side mirrors- Washer fluid tank is cracked somewhere on the neck so I can't fully fill it...- Full compound- Center console lock pin is broken, don't know if it's replaceable yet didn't check. - No rust at all- Changed brakes at 85k- Front bumper repainted in '07 due to an accident... headlights polished at the same time.- Rear bumber repainted in '08 due to an accident... - Got new 16" gunmetal mags at last! to replace my stock black wheels!!- New Toyo tires to go along the new mags - Just painted my callipers/drums today!- Entire cargo area covered with "permanent" custom carpet, stuff now stops sliding around and looks way better now- I've been using synthetic oil since the beginning, oil changes at 8-10k approx.- Using engine treatments every oil change. Usually STP brand.- Sometimes adding 3-4 oz of acetone in the fuel tank, (was for the gas mileage myth at first but i found that the engine was running real smoothly when using it)- Rust treatments since beginning- Got my engine washed 1 month ago they even added armor all on the plastic covers, the engine looked better then when it was new!- Interior shampoo every year, doing it myself by renting a carpet cleaner at my local supermarket.That's pretty much it! Still a great car

[tots]

I have about 78K miles on my '04. Runs great, and I've had no problems. The interior is in very good condition - I use this car for my daily commute, usually just me in it. The exterior is also good, but i noticed paint coming off under door area.

[jsc1]

'03 Vibe with manual trans at 63k miles that was just diagnosed as needing replacement. Not sure what I'm going to do with that.An $1,800 oil leak that I didn't know about, ie, no drips, but seems to be real because I'm losing oil. Dealer said it was fairly common, and if left for long, timing chain lube might be impacted.Catalytic converter replaced under warranty at 58k miles. Hope that doesn't happen again.Strut boots gone. Not sure how long before struts go.I painted the steel wheels once, but lasted only one winter. May try again.Front brakes latest 54k miles - no complaint there. Can't get rear drums off, so hope they are okay. Better be, 'cause I could't find anyone with shoes in stock last summer.Has not been one of my better, trouble free cars. Will probably not go with Toyota again. Never had these major problems with anything else that I have owned, which has been mainly Ford/GM over 30 years.

[MrsGart]

My 05 looks good as new. I'm loving the satellite color that really hides dirt & dust till I'm ready to wash it. Its got 68K on it. Does anyone know when I should change the spark plugs? 100K? I put 200+K on my cars, so I'm looking for the long term return.I'm a fan of GM in general and Pontiac specifically. That means I'm bummed as my next car will likely be a Chevy

[Whelan]

2005 Matrix XR AWD102,000 miles as of yesterday-NO major issues-Brakes done accordingly, rears checked recently no work needed.-Tranny flush at about 60-70k-All oil changes done on time 3-5k intervals (regular 5W-30)-two alignments-rotations every 6k approx.-filters changed regularly-spark plugs changed at 101,000 (first time)-tires changed normallyPaint is still great, no rattles, shakes, shimmies, clunks, etc. The exhaust system was replaced at about 80k cause of a rear-end. Whole cat-back was done and muffler with a new heat shield. So that is good for awhile longer.Lovin' the cheap ownership!

[blue_can]

2007 Vibe with 27K miles (just over 2 years since I bought it).Took it into the dealer about a month ago to investigate and fix a couple of issues. I told them I was expecting it to be fixed under warranty else I was going to do it myself, before they started In any case they fixed them under warranty.1. Rattling noise from somewhere underneath the car. Turned out to be in the exhaust system - after fixing they said that 3 bolts were missing. I wonder how that happened. When I questioned them about that they really could not explain.2. Occasional rattling, chirping sound from the vent blower at low speeds. It became annlying after a while. I pulled the filter out and checked the blower area before taking to the dealer and found nothing. I suspected a faulty bearing in the blower which in fact what it was. They replaced the blower and it is now fine.Also spotted some tiny paint chips on the hood which I touched up with some touchup paint.I plan to throughly examine the car just before warranty expriration to have any thing necessary fixed before it expires.

[burrpenick]

My 03 base model is doing OK at 113K. I have kept the maintenance up (myself). Only problem has been the starter, actually it was the engagement thingee and then a bad contact a few days later. l am a little put off by some oil consumption- its not terrible, maybe a half quart over 1200 miles? but I didnt expect it to be an issue until around 175k miles. Am I being unfair? What is the story on most of these 1.8 motors? The trans is doing fine, I've changed the filter and fluid once and plan to again soon- I've been towing a trailer that totals about 1200 lbs and it still delivered 26MPG (AT trans).George in Tallahassee

[SuperSpeedWagon]

wow mine was doing awesome until my little brother crashed it but i get what your saying my paint wasnt bad but the plastic was nasty the rubber was messed up and all other things were going wrong but i had 149,950 miles on my car and its an 03 base vibe

[rob454]

I don't think the 1.8l is known to consume oil at all?? Even at higher miles. I am going on 2900 miles on my oil change and its still at the top hash of the dipstick. Is your drain plug gasket causing your oil to leak?

[Whelan]

I go between 3-5k for oil changes and no issues at 102,000 + miles.

[ToolGuy]

Quote, originally posted by bodhi_tree777 »- the paint. not good, but we all know this.- the rattles. we both have several interior plastic rattles at various speeds.- the glass. he feels that, once slightly dinged, the windshield is prone to rapid cracking. he's had to replace two so far (maybe just bad luck)- the exterior cladding. we both have pieces that are loose. my drivers side door, at the bottom corner, sticks out noticeably. the rivet there has given up the ghost.- the calipers. we've both had front calipers seize up on us (is this normal for young-ish cars like this?)- the rear "arrowhead". both of ours are an ugly coral/fleshtone/pink color at this point. decided I'm going to get him an overlay for christmas, and one for myself as well - the door handles. the plastic over both of our locks is loose.- the wheels. i have stock, and i have little bubbled-up spots all over them.For me, my paint still looks new. Every chip is touched up, it is always hand washed and waxed 1-2 times a year. So paint is excellent for my 2003!Glass is glass, I have had one replaced due to a rock. I asked a glass place after gettting threee chips, all filled after, and then finally a rock took it out, if as glass ages, will it break easier. His answer was no. No cladding is loose or has fallen off on my car.Never replaced a caliper, 80,000 miles now and still the same rotors, second set of pads. Door handles are solid and nothing loose.Red arrow head is faded, all do this, even a friends Aztec.The only thing I am not happy with is the excess pitting on my rims. Seems all car companies do not make or have their rims made like years ago. I picked up a 99 Grand Prix recently with polished rims and they are in no where near the condition of the Vibe! Looks great in fact for 130,000 miles. I take care of my cars, not saying you do not but if my car needs something, it gets it. I do not want to drive a junker and rely on them for work, so it makes sense to fix things as they age or happen. Just my theory...

[Persephone]

Man, Gambit is at 135k and he is doing better than your guys. I had a ding in my windshield when I got him and I took it to a glass guy and my insurance paid to fix it. Guess they didn't want to deal with replacing the windshield later on. lolYou can pretty easily fix the cladding. Just buy some of that 3M double sided trim tape and such. And so are the rims. Not that I'd know anything about that or anything. . . *coughs* >.> I guess my problems are paint, cladding (fixed), emblems, and wheels.Also my strut boots are shredded to bits.

[burrpenick]

Good to hear others remarks, so lets clarify some stuff here. I am a 57 yr old back yard mechanic, and have taken care of this 03 Vibe w/151K miles. It still delivers about 35 MPG on the road and I still have the original read shoes on the brake hubs. Still not happy with the oil consumption, but I have upped the amount to 4.5 qts and ran some seafoam thru both the old oil and added some to the fuel. Not sure just yet if that is going to help, but I am watching the stock dip stick that I REMARKED with the additional oil.Paint and wheels look decent, but the inner fenders like to work themselves loose and the fasteners are junk. I like SCREWS and BOLTS much better. Seats have held up fine, but the biggest complaint inside is ROAD NOISE. I just sprayed sound deadener inside all 5 doors and have added a little insulation to the floors, but evidently the TIRE ROAR is the culpret and its still bad.

[cptnsolo77]

Well im at 130K now so I will add:- replaced starter ( fixed )- both pass & driver side power locks are shot ( need to fix )- blew another blower resistor ( replaced )- recirc actuator clicks ( need to fix )- broke 2 more door handles ( fixed )So in total since I have owned the car:- 1 starter- 3 exterior door handles- 2 blower motor resistors- 2 power lock actuators- 1 recirc door actuatorLooking back I have had quite a few minor repairs with the Vibe. Compared to what others have posted it seems like others have been pretty trouble free. My biggest annoyance has been the power door locks. Since I had the car I have had intermittent problems with all of them. I will NEVER buy another car with any sort of cladding. Too much work to maintain. I bought refinish restorer & the cladding looks great, but I would rather have painted cladding any day. Overall the Vibe is a pretty easy car to work on. I have made all the repairs myself with help from this site.Aside from that I have no oil consumption & getting about 28-29 MPG city. My MPG has gotten better with the NGKs, K&N filter & tire pressure @ 37 PSI. It has been VERY reliable & my paint is in great shape. I also replaced all speakers to Polks & it sounds great with the M&T amp ( no sub ). I will finally pay it off by Feb 2013 & enjoy many years of no car payments darnit !!!......

[burrpenick]

Yes, I noticed the front speakers rattling and viewed the damage when undercoated inside the doors in an attempt to quieten the car. NO, I cant tell any difference, but my FUTURA tires from PEP BOYS are WAY LOUDER than what was on it before.No lock trouble and yes, I also did the starter but now that I have researched it decided that it probably only needed CONTACTS which I did replace at 60k miles several yrs back.

[lannvouivre]

My issues so far have been:- Paint: I have some slightly bubbled spots, not to mention tons of chips (front bumper cover looks like it's got 5-o'-clock shadow going on)- The interior rattles: So far I've found the definite cause for one (the chrome trim around the instrument panel gets loose), the possible cause for another (loose trim on passenger door), and have a third really loud and high-pitched one coming from somewhere around the driver's door frame.- Getting grass or sand out of the carpeting seems nigh-impossibleIn conclusion, my Vibe is aging far more gracefully than my mom's Oldsmobile Silhouette did. That car started falling apart after two years, and attempted to take off half the fingers on my left hand when I was in third grade. To this day, I cannot look upon one of those vans without immediately flying into uncontrollable shivers of fear.

[BurnOnyx08]

The whole time reading this thread I was assembling a list, '08 with 118000 Km1-Paint, front to back, left to right, top to bottom, 0-60, no matter where, everywhere worst paint I've ever seen.2-Rear emblem3-Road noiseAll common, but it wasn't until lannvouivre mentioned it that I knew mine wasn't the only one,4-The extremely high pitched ghost rattle from the area of my left ear/that spot behind my eyes that aches when I have to listen to someone drone on about something I don't care about.I cannot for the life of me find the source

[star_deceiver]

121000kms. Fixed so far: The plastic shielding under the rad and engine. The heat shield above the cat, several times. Front end paint is thrashed from rocks. Soon to be on the 3rd windshield.

[burrpenick]

whats happened to the heat shield....I have not looked closely in that area????? Maybe its the snow???? How did you fix it?

[gralm]

2003 Vibe with about 110 000 miles. Paint is good;arrowhead faded a bit, but nowhere close to pink;some plastic rattle inside and outside plastic on the passenger's door is a bit loose - parked too close to a high curb. The only major jobs on the car were air-conditioner, replaced several major parts and front disks last year.Recently developed a strange problem: rear parking lights and shifter illumination does not turn on automatically - I have to manually turn headlights on.And yes, a couple digits on clocks are not visible at daylight.

[KITT222]

04 Vibe with 93K on her, and a single wreck under her belt, and the paint looks terrible up close. And the pedal wire is loose, giving the pedal some slack before it engages the throttle. We tried adjusting it once, but it slipped back to where it is now. Oh well, if she wants to be stubborn and have it there I have no issues with it. It's actually kinda nice.

[Unagi]

RE:gralm clock lights-Is it like this? http://i.imgur.com/PaCSh.jpg if so, try just tapping or hitting the radio/dash area around it... Mine did this and just poking the radio screen brought them back on. 2003 AWD Vibe. I got her used in late 2008 at 87,000 - now she's pushing 170,000. Had a few issues here and there but nothing killer or obnoxious like some of you have had like multiple windshields and such. Ouch!My baby has been doing a lot of weird things lately, everything kind of sprouted up the second I hit 165,000 and I can't find any real cause behind any of it yet. Just lots of weird noises and vibrations. Whole car shakes violently at 30-35 mph regardless of gear or engine load. Clicking sounds from engine above 45 mph, sound increases when it's windy (very weird)... Etc. The only real gripe I have with an aging Vibe is the cabin noise. It's definitely gotten worse over the years. A few mechanics have recommended that I get new engine mounts, that perhaps over the years mine have lost their elasticity and gotten cracked, but the shop I go to says that my mounts are just fine. I opted for quiet-tread tires a few years back. Couldn't imagine how loud she'd be without those!Other aging stuff:- Paint seems to be fading, small bits of rust/discoloration under rear door handles- Discoloration on the hub caps- Dash lights on the air control knobs are finicky, but hitting the dash fixes this - Very loud on the road, lots of rattles from dash and such (is there any way to fix this?)Repairs/work done:- Replaced headlight sockets after the bulbs continuously would go out every 3-4 weeks, and one of the flood light sockets completely burnt out.- Had to replace 2 ignition coils and cylinders after 2 spark plugs blew out half the engine (doh!)- Crappy heat plates rusted where they attached and would hang/drag. Ended up removing them completely.I drive a lot ~20,000 miles per year) and I'm just really hoping to get her to 200,000. Thats all I ask, and I know she can do it.

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by burrpenick »whats happened to the heat shield....I have not looked closely in that area????? Maybe its the snow???? How did you fix it?The heat shield above the cat is about 4ft long and held on by 3 bolts that run lengthwise. The middle and rear 2 had busted through the aluminum. I simply drove up onto a sidewalk with the right wheels so i could crawl all the way under and added a large washer to the bolts where it had busted out. The cause of its failure was large puddles and a big splash..... Winter driving and many rocks have been the windshields downfall.

[Russh]

This has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned! I bought it new, a 2007 2wd manual transmission. I just traded it with 242 000 km on it. Of course it had the paint chip issue on the hood which I annually touched up and a couple of nicks on the roof. The alternator died 2000 km out of warranty but GM covered the part and I paid the $80 labour. Changed the front brakes and rotors at 210 000 km and the back brakes are still orginial with 50% remaining on the lining. Last year I had the engine completely checked out, this would have been at 200 000 km, changed the spark plugs but the mechanic said they really didn't need changed, the only problem was a crack in the fuel filler neck which was a $250 fix. I followed the maintence book to the letter, used Mobil 1 5w30 oil changed at 8000 km intervals, wheel alignments twice a year at seasonal tire changes, and annual Krown undercoating. I'm taking a gamble with the new car and trying a Hyundai Veloster this time. So far so good.

[tpollauf]

and annual Krown undercoating.

Somebody is going to get a STEAL when they re-purchase your old Vibe! Sounds very well maintained. Also I wish they offered Krown undercoating here in the states. I want to preserve the undercarriage of my Vibe as long as possible. Good luck with your "new ride"

[Kincaid]

Only three years and less than 36k on mine. If not for three dings on the passenger side, a few paint chips from door hits on the driver side, two nicks around the rear license plate surround and a tiny curbage on one wheel, it might be mistaken for brand new.

The paint is holding up great - but I did spend $550 for a clear bra - which I will do on the next vehicle too!

Not one mechanical or electrical failure.

I have the rattly steering wheel column, which I probably should turn in for warranty repair, I may have the rusty sunroof frame so I have to check that tonight, and I broke my cabin filter door clips.

Oh, I do have one scratch in the upper dash above the glove box that I don't think can be fixed. One of my kids put their feet up there and probably a shoe buckle scratched it.

[Kincaid]

Happily my sun roof checked out great - no rust at all!