Very nice!!!Have you ahd hard time removing roof rack cross bars. I tried to do it myself and I stop before braking something. The plastic cap is very hard to remove.
Haha - yeah, I ripped myself up pretty good getting them off, but didn't break anything. Easiest way (and it aint easy) is to open the hatch, and using only your hands grab the cap as best you can and pull straight up. You'll swear the cap is going to break, and then all the sudden it'll pop off and you'll probably smash your hand in the hinge of the hatch like I did... hehe. But if you can get 'em off without requiring any major first aid and without breaking any parts of the car, you'll be pleased with the results... Pete
'02 Jetta 1.8T Silver Arrow/Black Leathuh - Neuspeed turbo inlet pipe, 17" VW Exor wheels, euro Bora tails, Neuspeed Sofsport Springs, Bilstein HD's, Da'lan hitch'03 20thAE GTI #3494 Imola Yellow/Black Recaros - Omori/AWE boost gauge, HPA Motorsports Short shifter, Neuspeed 28mm rear sway, REVO programming, Neuspeed turbo inlet pipe, FK Badgeless grille, Kamei eyelids and one big fat grin
Nice Frosty! Of course I will admit to a bias. How many inches did you drop your car?I nearly had heart failure when I popped my rack cover off as well! Will use leather gloves next time to keep from pinching skin.
Frosty 5 speed Vibe Power & Safety Packages. Naturally Aspirated my gallery
quote:How many inches did you drop your car?I measured all four wheelwell dimensions before and after - It turns out the Sportline's dropped the car an even 2" all the way around. Now it sits the way a proper "sportwagon" should! Pete
'02 Jetta 1.8T Silver Arrow/Black Leathuh - Neuspeed turbo inlet pipe, 17" VW Exor wheels, euro Bora tails, Neuspeed Sofsport Springs, Bilstein HD's, Da'lan hitch'03 20thAE GTI #3494 Imola Yellow/Black Recaros - Omori/AWE boost gauge, HPA Motorsports Short shifter, Neuspeed 28mm rear sway, REVO programming, Neuspeed turbo inlet pipe, FK Badgeless grille, Kamei eyelids and one big fat grin
quote:Haha - yeah, I ripped myself up pretty good getting them off, but didn't break anything. Easiest way (and it aint easy) is to open the hatch, and using only your hands grab the cap as best you can and pull straight up. You'll swear the cap is going to break, and then all the sudden it'll pop off and you'll probably smash your hand in the hinge of the hatch like I did... hehe. But if you can get 'em off without requiring any major first aid and without breaking any parts of the car, you'll be pleased with the results... PeteThanks for the tips.I'll wait warmer temp to do it. It is easier to brake plastic part when is is cold outside.
Nice pics. Thanks for posting them.But for my taste, I think the all-black rim and wheels dimishes the effect. The whole wheel/tire blends with the shadow/wheelwell. Of course I'm sure the detail of the wheels is more obvious up close and in person. But they would be more obvious if polished or chromed or even the Frosty color of your vibe.Now that's just my taste. If you like them, that's all that counts. Enjoy.KSNeptune.
quote:But for my taste, I think the all-black rim and wheels dimishes the effect. The whole wheel/tire blends with the shadow/wheelwell. Of course I'm sure the detail of the wheels is more obvious up close and in person. But they would be more obvious if polished or chromed or even the Frosty color of your vibe.Now that's just my taste. If you like them, that's all that counts. Enjoy.I have the exact same thoughts on this as well. My preferrence would be with a silver or chrome. But you do what you like. It is your Vibe and it does look nice.
***SOLD***2003 Vibe GT Monotone Neptune - Inaugural October 2004 Vibe of the Month***SOLD***
Now the proud owner of Titanium Silver 2012 Kia Optima SX
nice wheels - would probably look real nice with my shadow but too much money for me
Shadow Vibe - two tone (almost no need for the monotone in this color IMHO) - slate interior - power package - moon and tunes - abs - 16" aluminum wheels - and the GD on the radio! http://www.cardomain.com/id/db_vibe
quote:I have the exact same thoughts on this as well. My preferrence would be with a silver or chrome. But you do what you like. It is your Vibe and it does look nice. I've had white wheels before and liked them, but they were a pain in the a$$ to keep clean (especially brake dust)... no such problem with these "gunmetal" rims! The look of the car will really "come together" a bit better when I get the windows tinted as well...Pete
'02 Jetta 1.8T Silver Arrow/Black Leathuh - Neuspeed turbo inlet pipe, 17" VW Exor wheels, euro Bora tails, Neuspeed Sofsport Springs, Bilstein HD's, Da'lan hitch'03 20thAE GTI #3494 Imola Yellow/Black Recaros - Omori/AWE boost gauge, HPA Motorsports Short shifter, Neuspeed 28mm rear sway, REVO programming, Neuspeed turbo inlet pipe, FK Badgeless grille, Kamei eyelids and one big fat grin
quote:Thanks for the tips.I'll wait warmer temp to do it. It is easier to brake plastic part when is is cold outside.A good idea, Sub, this is very true. I also removed my lateral bars on the roof rack (on a warmer day, of course). Not much trouble after I got the first plastic cap off. You will want to unscrew the antenna from the base first (just grip it real good just above the base and twist it to unscrew it). Then pop off the caps at the ends of the aluminum roof bars at the rear end of the car. Just get a real good grip with both hands, squeeze a bit and pull up and toward the rear of the car all at the same time. You will struggle a bit, and then "pop", they will come off. You need a phillips head screwdriver to remove the two chrome-looking screws on the inside of the tracks near the rear, one inside each aluminum bar. They stop the lateral bars from sliding any further, so you have to take them out. Then just loosen the knobs on the lateral bars and slide them right out. They will push down on the base of the antenna as they pass over top of it and cave in the roof a little as this happens. Don't worry, it will pop right back up once the bar is slid off. Then when the bars are removed, just pop the endcaps back on and screw those screws back in the holes. Screw the antenna back on and you're done!
Former owner of a 2003 Vibe GT---Great car that gave me 8 years and 83,000 miles of trouble-free service.Current owner of a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD.
Pete, I like the height of the car. That's about what I want to do with mine. Still enough height so your car doesn't suck up roadkill, but low enough to improve handling and the looks. Great job! I want to put chrome wheels on mine with the suspension drop. I think the darker colored cars (like my Neptune) look better with silver or chrome wheels. But, like the others said, this is a matter of personal preference. Enjoy that nice ride!
Former owner of a 2003 Vibe GT---Great car that gave me 8 years and 83,000 miles of trouble-free service.Current owner of a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD.
That drop looks perfect......add another thing to the list of mods to buy...The rims aren't my first choice either, but better than all white ones though...and once ya get some tint on that puppy it's look sweet. Great job!
CathyWhen this baby hits 6.000rpm's, you're gonna see some serious sh*t-Got Lift?'03 Neptune Vibe GT: SLP Hood, AEM CAI, Thermal R&D exhaust, Unorthodox underdrive pullies, K&N filter, G-Racing 17' Mito's, TEIN Springs, yellow calipers, GrafxWerks, Silverstar's, XM, Infinity basslink-more mods to come!http://www.mitro.net/vibe
quote:Pete, I like the height of the car. That's about what I want to do with mine. Still enough height so your car doesn't suck up roadkill, but low enough to improve handling and the looks. Great job! Yep. Exactly what I was looking for. In fact, yesterday there was a flatbed parked across the road leading to my house (they were loading a bulldozer onto it), completely blocking the road... I was still able to drive my car OVER a small curb, up onto somebody's lawn, over the sidewalk and back down to the street with no scraping - that's PLENTY of ground clearance for me! And a perfect example of the only "OFF ROADING" our Vibes are capable of in the first place! Pete
'02 Jetta 1.8T Silver Arrow/Black Leathuh - Neuspeed turbo inlet pipe, 17" VW Exor wheels, euro Bora tails, Neuspeed Sofsport Springs, Bilstein HD's, Da'lan hitch'03 20thAE GTI #3494 Imola Yellow/Black Recaros - Omori/AWE boost gauge, HPA Motorsports Short shifter, Neuspeed 28mm rear sway, REVO programming, Neuspeed turbo inlet pipe, FK Badgeless grille, Kamei eyelids and one big fat grin
Looks great NY Pete! I have been thinking of doing something similar to mine, but don't have the money. SC has to come first on my Vibe. I like the gunmetal rims. It makes a statement that most people won't attempt. It makes yours unique and that's the reason I like it. However, Those rims would look even better on my shadow monotone Vibe He He. Great JobShadow Realm
Abyss Monotone GT, 6 speed, Moon & Tunes, Power Group,and 16" Alloys. Soon you can see my Vibe GT at Shadowrealm's car pics but for now it is under construction!