I just got a 2008 Vibe with 101k miles. It was from a dealer, so I know absolutely nothing about the original owner (I'm supposedly the second owner). Found out the battery in it was 6 1/2 years old and barely capable of turning the engine over. But don't know if that indicates a total lack of maintenance, or if someone just stuck a junk battery in a car they were selling?
I want to take it to the local Toyota dealer and have it checked over for belts, hoses, brake pads, etc. My question is what else should I have checked out?
The engine oil looks clean, but I'm thinking I should have it changed. I'd like to put in a good synthetic oil (I plan on keeping the Vibe for a long time). Any recommendations? (I'd rather have something easy to find in the future). Plan on having a sample of the old oil sent to a lab for analysis.
It has a 5 speed transmission. I've heard that it's important to use the correct oil in those. Is there a synthetic oil for that, or just replace it with factory oil? Send a sample of that old oil for analysis?
I want the dealer to check the whole car nose to tail. Put it up on a lift, check for any leaks underneath (I didn't see any obvious leaks), check the boots on the drive shafts, etc. What else should i have checked out? Anything specific to Vibes? The A/C is cold, but I know that's a GM rather than a Toyota system.
Coolant flush and fill? Check the alternator? What else?
Overall, the car seems exceptionally clean and drives fine. I'm not really expecting any problems. But I'd rather find any problems early and set up a proper maintenance schedule. I already had to put a new battery in it when it wouldn't start. Would rather catch the next problem early.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.