At just under 61,000 miles, my car FINALLY...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 5:17 pm

threw a check engine light.And it picked the WORST possible time! I was on my way home at 330 this morning from work and of course THEN it lights up. YES, I checked the gas cap, it's fine. So I don't know what the problem is...I haven't touched anything electrical or engine related in several weeks, so I highly doubt it's anything I did. Unfortunately, tomorrow is sunday, no one is open to run a code check (no autozone's around here either), so I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. I can steal the GP for tomorrow, but I'm supposed to drive 2 hours to north jersey monday morning for a meeting...this should be interesting...Gonna have to see if I can bail from it somehow to get to the dealer...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 5:49 pm

Dude, that blows! A wise (man or (removed), your choice,) Colonel Panic, once said, "f' it, that piece of crap'll be someone else's problem here shortly." So don't get yourself too worked up over it.If it ain't flashin', it can wait. Your next off day will be sufficient, I'd say. If it were flashing, then even I would show concern (yes, even if it were on my car!) Just as long as it's off by the time you get ready to trade, you're golden. Hell, that may just take a disconnect of ye olde battery cable, who knows...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:16 pm

Yeah, my next day off isn't for 10 days. I'm not putting it off that long.Pulled ye olde battery cable tonight. Will reconnect it in the morning and see if it does anything...

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 1:00 am

keep us updated!

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 3:23 am

Well, reconnected the battery this morning, did a quick test drive around the block (CEL came on last night within a mile or so of my origin). Nothing yet. Will take the plunge and drive it to work. See wht happens.Damn. I REALLY wanted out of that meeting too!

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 3:26 am

Bah, you know its just a stupid senor for that environment stuff 02 sensor or something, i would bring it to checker and have them run a free scan for the error code then look that up.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 5:45 am

That's good news that it hasn't come back on... It is bad news that you lost the code in the process, but what the hell, it doesn't matter. Like I said, someone else's problem soon. heheheKeep your fingers crossed that you don't have any more issues with the thing.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:51 pm

Just think, if it were the gas cap that caused the issue in the first place, once you get a GM car here in a little bit, it looks like you're in good shape. They're smart enough to let you know that the gas cap is loose. That may prove useful for you since you can't pump your own gas.. hah! This is from a Cobalt, but I do recall seeing this message in the G6 owner's manual too. My guess is the Solstice would have the same deal.The driver info center on the new GM cars is pretty schweet.

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Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 9:17 pm

Those GM info centers are nice. My father's new Sierra has it and I have to say a digital text display is pretty neat. Neato cheeto! Gah! Get out of my head! Co-workers...saying neato all the time...must...resist.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:06 am

The code could have been for anything, a leak does not always mean from the fuel cap. There are vent valves, one of them might be sticking open intermit... or it could be a sensor, or something else. Of course pulling the battery clears the code which... now gone, does you no good at letting you know what did happen. Anyway... if it comes back on, scan it and post it up.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 11:46 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Just think, if it were the gas cap that caused the issue in the first place, once you get a GM car here in a little bit, it looks like you're in good shape. They're smart enough to let you know that the gas cap is loose. That may prove useful for you since you can't pump your own gas.. hah! This is from a Cobalt, but I do recall seeing this message in the G6 owner's manual too. My guess is the Solstice would have the same deal.The driver info center on the new GM cars is pretty schweet. G6 is the same.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:49 am

Well, last night, it was back again. So not sure what the deal is.Have an appt with the dealer next thurs for other stuff anyway, so hopefully the thing won't crap out on me between now and then.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:50 am

unless your engine seems to be running differently, it will make it..

the_sarge · Post by **the_sarge** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 2:57 am

I don't have much experience working on Vibes--mine only has 5000 miles but I have loads of experience on BMWs. They are notorious for leaking gas caps. Seems if you lean even a little bit on the gas pump you can deform the weak-azz filler neck. Possibly the same here?

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:07 am

Quote, originally posted by the_sarge Â»I don't have much experience working on Vibes--mine only has 5000 miles but I have loads of experience on BMWs. They are notorious for leaking gas caps. Seems if you lean even a little bit on the gas pump you can deform the weak-azz filler neck. Possibly the same here? Keep in mind in jersey we don't (rather, CAN'T) pump our own gas by law. So most of the time, the attendant puts the nozzle in, sets it to go, and walks off until it's done. Not likely anyone was leaning on it.But an interesting thought. It's been at least a week now with the light on again, no noticeable changes in performance or fuel economy...I suspect it's a minor think like a bad EVAP canister or something. Not likely to be an O2 sensor likely since those tend to affect acceleration...from my experiences with bad O2's anyway...Oh, and I stopped by Pep Boys to see what they would charge JUST to read me the codes. $20. Thieves. Depending on the cost of repair, though, I may opt NOT to fix it and just expedite the new-car-buying process......we'll find out Thursday though!

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 4:07 am

hey... people gotta make money. Can I come in for e free meal Mike? Sweet thanks!$20 is cheaper then going to a dealership...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 6:09 am

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»$20 is cheaper then going to a dealership...I have other stuff that needs to get done, I just decided to do it thursday instead of putting it off another week.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:20 am

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish Â»Depending on the cost of repair, though, I may opt NOT to fix it and just expedite the new-car-buying process......we'll find out Thursday though!Oh yeah. That's always a good excuse to help you along. If you have a check engine light when you go to trade, just pull the battery cable and you'll be fine.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 2:18 pm

No car till Saturday for me.The dealer called today and left a vague message to call to discuss the repairs, but by the time I got it and called them, service had closed. Since I'm going in anyway on Saturday to drool over a Solstice, I figured no sense going to pick up the car tomorrow.No idea what the problem was because I obviously didn't talk to them.Ironically though, here is our loaner:

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ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:20 pm

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish Â»No idea what the problem was because I obviously didn't talk to them.So, what was the problem? j/k. Hope they get ya fixed up. You're still under warranty too, right? No big deal...Quote Â»Ironically though, here is our loaner:Wow, they sure are scraping the bottom of th' barrel! You'd think they could give you something nicer. lol

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:42 pm

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.Got in touch with the dealer. The car threw codeP 1234567 - Owner is a douchebag who should stay out from under the hoodYeah, turns out that, 3 weeks ago, when I took out the airbox to remove the block heater, I disconnected the VSV. Somehow, when I put it back in, I reversed some hoses. So that was the reason.Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»You're still under warranty too, right?I think there's a "no idiocy" clause in the extended coverage...doubt it's covered. It's truly a damn shame though...since I'm out a car another day, I'm FORCED to take the G6 for another day. SHUCKS!

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:52 pm

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish Â»It's truly a damn shame though...since I'm out a car another day, I'm FORCED to take the G6 for another day. SHUCKS! I know you're just terribly disappointed...LOL

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:26 am

wow... life just... really sucks for you... your brave man, your brave.

BOZACK · Post by **BOZACK** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 4:02 am

Look on the brightside. It could be worse. You might have been stuck driving a Corvette or something like that. How horrible would that be?

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 5:22 am

And the bill just grew...**grrrrrrr**I had to suck it up and pay $400 for new tires because the dealer pointed out to me when I dropped it off that two of them were showing signs of being worn down to the belts! I couldn't believe it because they still handled like they had months of life left. Anyway, whatever, I said cheapest tire you can get me for this car, which happens to be the Kumho Ecsta Supra I had. Whatever. They called me about 2 hours ago. Apparantly one of my wheels is damaged or defective, but somehow, it's horribly out of balance. They weren't able to balance the tire/wheel combo, and realized the wheel itself was F'ed up. Since they know I'm buying a new car, they put the tire on it anyway, but said if it will be more then a month before I get a car, I need to buck up and buy a wheel. ARGH!I better hate that solstice tomorrow...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 12:07 am

No folks, not done yet.*GGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*I was supposed to get my car back today as part of my venture to look at the solstice. Dealer just called, as they were pulling it into the garage last night, there was a horrendous rattle in the engine that, as they put, "shouldn't be there." They thought it was a belt, and changed it, but that wasn't it. Since they are on reduced staff today, they can't fix it today, which means 2 more days of driving not-my-car. And no G6 today either. Banished to the GP. blllllech!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 6:07 pm

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish Â»as they were pulling it into the garage last night, there was a horrendous rattle in the engine that, as they put, "shouldn't be there." They thought it was a belt, and changed it, but that wasn't it. Ok, so they actually brought up a problem that you did not bring the car in for and are actively pursuing a resolution for said problem? Hey, tell them to send me a survey to send back to Pontaic marked "completly satisfied." Those things just should not happen! At least not in my world, I've had problems getting those rascals to try to fix a stupid noise when I bring the car in FOR that stupid noise... They'd never say "oh, by the way, we found..." Did you ever hear the rattle they were referring to? When I started mine up tonight, I thought about the above mentioned rattle and I'm curious if I've got the same thing. Ever since that last A/C compressor install, a new noise has been emanating from under Sir Knocksalot's hood. I'm thinking something which maybe not the belt itself, but possibly in that area, maybe we have the same thing broken. lol!I dunno, good luck... That GP can't bel all bad, can it? You're still in a Pontiac, which I can't see you wanting to be elsewhere.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:34 am

The bad news continues.Ragingfish needs a new exhaust manifold. The noise they heard was traced to some sort of baffle inside the exhaust manifold. CP: Yeah, I asked them to look into that noise. It would occur any time I hit the gas from a stop, mainly right after cold starts. I figured a broken motor mount, or maybe a loose shield around something...but nope, exhaust manifold.So yeah, they had to order one, no car till Friday at the earliest.But my dad was compassionate and said I can have the G6 for the rest of the week. Oh, and yeah, it's covered under GMPP, so no charge for this particular repair. *phew*Who said extended warranties are wasted money. Even with this perceived "Toyota quality."BAH!

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:13 pm

Got the car back. Was in the shop a week to the day. Was driving the G6 most of that time, so I didn't really miss the Vibe. Except at the pump. Now, I wish I had told the dealer to keep the damn thing. Total cost of repairs: $861.04I almost **** myself when I saw the bill when I came home. $467.40 for tires (had no choice about replacing them, 2 were showing faint signs of being worn to the belts)An oil change (which interestingly enough, I did NOT request, my dad must have told them to do it when he dropped it off - $29.95Replacing a bolt from the rear bench that had a stripped hole - $106.82Repairs of rattle noise from engine - $182.29Repair CEL - $115.20God help me get out of this car, the next repair visit, whenever it comes, will only be worse.I wish I had called for an estimate, I would've just said keep the damn thing and forced myself to settle on a car...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:37 pm

Ouch! What's up with charging you for the intake repair? What did they have to do that wasn't covered under the GMPP? What was up with that stripped bolt too? Kinda pricey for that.It's frustrating, believe me, I know. I've been there! It would have been much worse without the GMPP though, no doubt about that. Although for the life of me, I don't know why anyone would need the GMPP on such a finely crafted piece of Toyota workmanship! Sounds like you're in the "what's going to break next" mode, *sigh* - been there, hell I AM there still. It's painful. Every day it gets worse... Each day you'll get behind the wheel and be overwhelmed with it all. This is making noise, that is making noise, this doesn't work right, that doesn't look right, now this thing is broken, you'll eventually drive yourself crazy. And probably drive everyone here on gvc crazy, at least in my case, I believe I have. Sorry guys, I didn't mean it! All I've ever wanted is a fricken' reliable car like most of you have! But maybe if you play your cards right, you can dump the Vibe, telling the dealer "you guys can keep that piece of junk" and drive off in your new car. I've done that, good times, highly recommended to anyone. Of course that kinda kills your trade-in value if they know you're giving them a complete pile of feces, but you only live once, have fun while you're at it!

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:39 pm

They didn't charge me for the manifold...just for the dozen or so things they tried replacing before they narrowed it down to the manifold (i.e. serpentine belt, etc.)

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 5:40 pm

Gotcha. I figured it was something along those lines.... Hang in there man.

At just under 61,000 miles, my car FINALLY...

At just under 61,000 miles, my car FINALLY...

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