Oh NO!! Not Another "New Member," First Post!!

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 9:00 pm

Hi All, We just recently purchased an 06 Vibe 5-speed base for my wife. To me its the best of both worlds. I like that Pontiac made the Vibe more edgy than the Matrix in both appearance and handling, while retaining the Toyota quality and reliability. Y'see, whatever she breaks (or breaks on its own through wear and tear,) I have to fix. I'm sure many of you know that story?They managed to take a good, solid design w/a multitude of good amenities and make it their own... put the Pontiac stamp on it, if you will.About me: I am the Asst Admin and a Super Moderator of Mazdaforum.com. I also moderate the Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 sections of Mazdas247.com, so all this forum stuff is not new to me.I own and drive a 2004 Mazda3 hatchback/5-door that I have done a few appearance and performance mods to... mostly bolt-on stuff.That's about it for now. I hope to enjoy this forum as much as I do all the others I visit regularly. Thanks for having me here.

djkeev · Post by **djkeev** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:01 pm

Welcome, it's never OH NO not another Vibe!!THe question begs to be asked though, why not a Mazda?? You seem to lean to the fact that your wife breaks cars, so you need a solid car that either won't break or is easy to fix and that all mean's a Vibe/Toyota!?!?I'd be real careful to not let you Mazda buddies know you chose a Vibe over a Mazda for these reasons!!Maybe your resume will soon read EX Mazda moderator! Dave

lovemyraffe · Post by **lovemyraffe** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:05 pm

Welcome!I'm confused too. Why not a Mazda?

djkeev · Post by **djkeev** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:10 pm

Honestly I looked at a 3 when I bought my 07 new. Didn't look close though because the local dealer (Dover NJ) was so incredibly rude, actually came out and yelled at us for looking at a car in the lot (it was apparently sold, we were told to get out of it) we thus shook the mazda dust off of our shoes and went to Pontiac where we were all but hugged when we walked in!Dave

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:12 pm

Hi Guys, and thanks for the welcome!!As a Super Mod myself, I know it gets kind of old to have to reply to new members all the time when they may, or may not stick around for very long. That was my attempt at a tongue-in-cheek title.The facts are that: 1) My wife doesn't particularly like my Mazda.2) Mazdas are nice, and I do like mine but they are just cars. Life is too short to drive the same car over and over again, especially w/so many choices out there. As they saying goes, so many car to drive, so little time. :D3) This is a fun, cute little (removed) that, since we own property but not a truck, we can fit more lumber, gardening supplies, etc into.

djkeev · Post by **djkeev** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:17 pm

Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe Â»Hi Guys, and thanks for the welcome!!As a Super Mod myself, I know it gets kind of old to have to reply to new members all the time when they may, or may not stick around for very long. That was my attempt at a tongue-in-cheek title.The facts are that: 1) My wife doesn't particularly like my Mazda.2) Mazdas are nice, and I do like mine but they are just cars. Life is too short to drive the same car over and over again, especially w/so many choices out there. As they saying goes, so many car to drive, so little time. :D3) This is a fun, cute little (removed) that, since we own property but not a truck, we can fit more lumber, gardening supplies, etc into.Soooooooo you ARE saying that the Vibe / Matrix is BETTER than any mazda on the road???

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:22 pm

No, not at all, just different. Apples and oranges, my friend. They are both great in their own way. The Vibe has its own level of fun, different from the Mazdas. It would have been nice for it to have independent rear suspension though. And, as ordered new, be able to combine the best factors of all the trim levels together. just from the recent research I have done I have read that for example, you can't get an AWD w/the manual trans.

djkeev · Post by **djkeev** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:31 pm

Good answer, very tactful, I got it, Mazda is the "pretty boy" Vibe is the worker ant!DaveHonestly, I'm very familiar with your sites, I've had a 90 Miata for years, recently gone, I've currently an 02 Millenia in my garage (forcing my Vibe into the snow) waiting for new rod bearings, a buddies car. Put a new timing belt and tensioner on it as well (who designed that entire system should be shot or forced to fix one!!!)My daughter drives a Tribute which I fix.I've had Mazda Pickups (ranger with a different label)I even worked for Mazda back in the late 70's early 80's, back in the days when the RX7 was king, the Crappy GLC came out and the rotary engine still roamed the highways.Dave

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 10:40 pm

Welcome to GenVibe!Enjoy your stay.

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 11:08 pm

welcome.... if your not new to the forums, you should know photos are a huge plus! Hope your wife enjoys the car as much as most of the owners here do.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:06 am

Just a few, but try these:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=39776

808 Vibes · Post by **808 Vibes** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 2:13 am

Welcome and congrats

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 3:28 am

Welcome!!!Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe Â» Life is too short to drive the same car over and over again, especially w/so many choices out there. As they saying goes, so many car to drive, so little time.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 4:33 am

Welcome I just bought a 2008 mazda 3 hb after I totaled my vibe a few months ago.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:04 am

Well, welcome to my world!! How do you like it, and how long have you had it for? Is it stick or auto? 'Got pics? Are you on any Mazda forums?I suggest that if it still has the BadYear RS-A's on it, that you dump them ASAP. Also in '08 Mazda had a bad fuel cap supplier and they had a tendency to get stuck. The only way most are successful at removing them is to break it and replace it w/a new one. Mazda dealers were giving them away because of the extent of the problem. They seem to have taken care of that problem now though, so yours may have been replaced already.

808 Vibes · Post by **808 Vibes** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:14 am

Nice 2-tone Frosty by the way

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:33 am

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover Â»Nice 2-tone Frosty by the way Thanks!! Its lucky that we found the car for her in that color. Its what she's wanted for a while. (A white car, and in Texas its a good idea in the summer months too.) Her first choice was a "new" beetle, but after reading all about them, I said that would be like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.After talking to a few people she knew, she begrudgingly agreed w/me. I felt and feel bad 'cause that's really what she wants, but what can I do?

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:37 am

Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe Â»Thanks!! Its lucky that we found the car for her in that color. Its what she's wanted for a while. (A white car, and in Texas its a good idea in the summer months too.) Her first choice was a "new" beetle, but after reading all about them, I said that would be like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.After talking to a few people she knew, she begrudgingly agreed w/me. I felt and feel bad 'cause that's really what she wants, but what can I do? she will love it the first time she needs to put something larger than a stupid VW could hold... which is pritty much anything LOL

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:41 am

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe Â»she will love it the first time she needs to put something larger than a stupid VW could hold... which is pretty much anything LOL Oh, I don't know. I mean I hope so, but she is not a car chick (a.k.a. Betty.)For the most part, a car is just a car to her. I'm the one with the car ju-ju 'round here.

djkeev · Post by **djkeev** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 6:28 am

If you had chosen the Diesel Beetle you would love it. Great fuel mileage.The new Beetles are a love it or hate it affair. No better or worse than any other VW on the road today.I've noticed car reviewer's generally dislike little cars with what they would term as an unpowered nature. They've just driven too many luxury and muscle cars for too long and can't appreciate efficient engineering even when they are sitting in it!My wife wanted something else, that big toyota 4x4 landcruiser thing. I nixed it based on MPG's alone and she "settled" for the Vibe. She now loves her Vibe. Dave

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:22 am

Quote, originally posted by djkeev Â»If you had chosen the Diesel Beetle you would love it. Great fuel mileage.The new Beetles are a love it or hate it affair. No better or worse than any other VW on the road today. DaveThanks for the reply, Dave, but that's what scares me. VW's rep, until very recently, was in the toilet as far as reliability is concerned. Plus I knew and met several people that HAD owned them and all but one got rid of theirs because of the cost and frequency of repairs. One even said that she took hers to a qualified VW specialist and had to take the car back over and over again for the same things.As far as a diesel is concerned, I would consider that option, but my wife certainly would not. Its gasoline or batteries for her.

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:47 am

Hey Welcome!!!What part of Austin you in???I'm by Mo-Pac & 290!

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 8:23 am

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 Â»Hey Welcome!!!What part of Austin you in???I'm by Mo-Pac & 290!Hi, and thanks for the welcome. We actually live about 7 miles outside of Manor... in the sticks as it were. We wanted land and some distance (but not too much) from our neighbor's.I work at Mopac and Parmer though.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:20 am

yeah it an auto, got rid of the rsa tires and replaced with cheap sumitomo tires, it's also got a simota intake 6000k hids part plaza eylids and I will be lowering it soon. I'm part of mazda3forums under the name burgmo3.

ramenboy... · Post by **ramenboy...** » Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:29 am

oh YEAH!welcome to the family! you're right, about the vibe and 3. apples and oranges.

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 4:58 am

Nice Vibe (most are!) and nice color combination, too. 37K is not even broken in on this car. Hope it was well maintained. They are a durable and super efficient little cars. Good to hear you ditched the Goodyear RS-A tires, they are scary on wet surfaces.A lot of our genvibe folks are a little taken with the noise factor in their Vibes. I hope you notice otherwise. I have a 99 SW2 that I bought a couple of years old in early 01, to sacrifice to the salt gods here in Maine, and that is a noisy car. How does you wife (and you) see the comparison between the Vibe and her old Saturn? Did you have the small Saturn or one of the big ones?Welcome to the forum... even if you drive one of them fancy dancy Mazdas.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:07 am

Quote, originally posted by dinkers123 Â»yeah it an auto, got rid of the rsa tires and replaced with cheap sumitomo tires, it's also got a simota intake 6000k hids part plaza eylids and I will be lowering it soon. I'm part of mazda3forums under the name burgmo3.Even Sumitomo's have to be better than the BadYears.Purrrrfect color, Dude!! I went a slightly different way with the eyebrows though....They are really white (slightly blue,) but the camera REALLY accentuates the blue in them.I also chose a different trannie too...And intake....And I too installed 6000k's in the lows (55w) and 5000k's in the fogs (35w.)I am bbrich57 over there and on 247 too, but I'm not on M3F much anymore since our local thing kinda' fell apart (and my life got busier too.) virgin1 on Mazdaforum.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:49 am

"Fancy, Dancy Mazdas." OoooKay? I have to say that I like your sense of humor, and that in only two days on this forum, I feel VERY welcomed here. Thank you all. You have a good and friendly crew here. That's nice.I know all about RS-A's and BadYear in general. I had a very trying experience with them after calling their CS department to complain. How those things EVER got an All-Season rating is beyond me... and we get very little snow here in the Austin area.The Saturn was a good car for us for a long time. My biggest complaints about that car are that is has always been a bit of a rattle trap and that to get the engine or trannie out of the car, for a clutch replacement let's say, the entire front sub-frame (engine, trans, front suspension, etc.) has to be taken out as an assembly unit first. That's a LOT of f*ucking work for a clutch.The final straw was that the starter was acting up. When I took out the old one, I discovered that the entire nose/bushing assembly of it had broken off and was in the bellhousing with no way to get it out. I tried mechanics fingers. I tried a magnet with duct tape on the end of it. Nothing I tried would reach down in there to get that piece out, and no other access panel either.I was also pissed when replacing the lower shifter bushing (a 0.50 plastic piece,) I found out that you had to replace the entire shifter assem as a unit, complete with cables!! $400.00 later I had the 0.50 bushing that I actually needed. I wrote them (Saturn) about that and got the stock corporate answer, "Oh, we're sorry about that but there's nothing we can do. That's just the way the car was designed."

vibolista · Post by **vibolista** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:13 am

So the Vibe is a little quieter than her ex Saturn? I just get the feeling that many Vibers here on this forum must have been driving Lexus, Mercedes, Lincoln, Bentley, or even Rolls products right before they decided to for some reason buy Vibes. I find my Vibe fairly quiet... especially compared to the Saturn. Much of the quiet on the Vibe comes via a well designed tire. I too, dumped the RS-A tires as soon as I could.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:31 am

Your 3 looks good I'm actually going to be putting my hids back in tomorrow after I had to take them out for warranty work. I'm also planning on tinting the tail lights tomorrow.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 7:01 am

1) Thanks.2) You should not have to take out your HID conversion kit for warranty... unless it involves the electrical system as related to the hl's.3) Please, PLEASE don't tint your tails. Its a bad thing to do to make a modern driver (who's often texting or talking on a cell while driving) to actually have to LOOK for your car before they tail-end you.e.g. Several years ago, a local Mazda3 club member (our leader actually) had tinted his tails. I wasn't crazy 'bout the idea but didn't say anything to him either. Two weeks later (or approximately,) he was rear-ended by an F150 that CLAIMED they couldn't/didn't see his tails.On that note, I employ you, please, PLEASE, DO NOT TINT ANY OF YOUR LIGHTS. They are there for a reason and the reason actually makes sense in a world that makes little sense these days.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 9:22 am

Quote, originally posted by vibolista Â»So the Vibe is a little quieter than her ex Saturn? I just get the feeling that many Vibers here on this forum must have been driving Lexus, Mercedes, Lincoln, Bentley, or even Rolls products right before they decided to for some reason buy Vibes. I find my Vibe fairly quiet... especially compared to the Saturn. Much of the quiet on the Vibe comes via a well designed tire. I too, dumped the RS-A tires as soon as I could. To state it simply, yes. And I agree that tires can make a big difference, if that matters to the owner. RS-A's are known to be noisy, especially after a few thousand miles. I'm not sure my wife would know the difference anyway, but I'm happy to report that after only one day of driving the car to work (and having her coworkers fawn over it,) that she IS actually warming up to the idea of driving the Vibe!!

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:48 pm

thanks for your concern, I tried to put the tint on and it is not worth the hassle. Rvinyl in nowhere near the quality of lamin-x so scratch my suggestion of it in the last post.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:36 pm

Whew! Thank god for that. Tint may and does look cool, but is simply not a good idea. Is your a GT (LED tails?) Instead of tinting, you could go with some AM, or even OE tails. They look cool and offer good light too.There is also an LED high mounted third brake light replacement available. It was around $40 w/ship when I bought mine. IIRC, it has 42 LEDs and can been seen very well.Those are (AM) LED tails too.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:32 am

I've thought about aftermarket tails, but I don't know a good brand. All of the ones I see are on ebay and seem to good to be true, and the oem ones prices are crazy high.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:31 am

Mine are AM tails from eBay, though I decided to keep the factory reverse lights, as I thought I would from the beginning. I would love to utilize the OE LED tails but as you said, they are pricey and the turns are just regular tungsten bulbs. A lot of $$$ just for LED running and brake lights, so I "settled" for the AMs.I was patient and shopped and found them for $129(?) + shipping. I like them allot, all but the chrome inside the lens, but that actually refracts the light better and helps the car to be seen.I also run clear LED side reflectors which help and look cool too. I don't think I have a picture of them, but they cost around $50, were SUPER EASY to install and make the car more visible when it has to be.So I guess by your reply that yours is not a GT?

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:57 am

yeah just a s model. Do you know if the 04-06 year tails will fit an 08 because those are the only years listed I see.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 6:07 am

Quote, originally posted by dinkers123 Â»yeah just a s model. Do you know if the 04-06 year tails will fit an 08 because those are the only years listed I see.Yes, they will. Only the sedans are truly different, though the angle of the bulb in the Speeds makes it harder to install reg HB tails.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 6:59 am

How hard was the install, did you have to splice the wires or did it come with connectors. Seems like your welcome thread has become our mazda 3 discussion thread.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 7:07 am

Quote, originally posted by dinkers123 Â»How hard was the install, did you have to splice the wires or did it come with connectors. Seems like your welcome thread has become our mazda 3 discussion thread.Hahaha!! Yes, I had noticed that too. I don't mind if no one else does. The install was pretty easy once you figure out where and how to access the 8mm nuts for the tails. They come with connectors installed, so its plug and play all the way. (See what I did there?) I had a little trouble with one of mine making a good connection but since I also had trouble w/the LED bulb on that side that was in there before,I suspect it is the factory plug that leaves something to be desired.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 7:27 am

Do you need to take off the plastic cove on the hatch, and the black pieces on the side.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 8:21 am

No, but be prepared for some tight spaces and scraped up hands.And whatever you do, make sure you don't drop the nuts down in there or you will be taking the interior apart. I've done it, and you don't want to have to do it unless you have to. It's layer upon layer of plastic and those tie down clips (bolts) that all have to be removed.Get the nuts loose and twist them off the rest of the way w/your fingers, slowly and carefully, and you'll be OK.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 8:27 am

I know what you mean, I scraped my hands to hell trying to put my hids in the first time without removing the bumper. I'm going to do it the right way tomorrow and remove the bumper and headlights. It also sounds like it's a lot harder to get that rear piece of the 3 than it is the vibe.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:11 am

One of the things I really hate about the Mazda is that it reminds me of a '70's or '80's Ford. The car is designed so that everything fits or is connected to everything else, therefore in order to remove part "A" you may have to remove sub assembly "B", which itself may be part of, or connected to sub-assem "C", and so forth.It can be frustrating to work on.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Tue Dec 22, 2009 11:32 pm

I hate that you have to remove the bumper and headlights to change a light bulb.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 12:12 am

I completely agree. That's the bigger picture w/the Mazda. Its a time-consuming PITA. The only good thing is that HID bulbs last much longer than halogens... at least in theory, so you should only have to do it once, or twice in the cars lifetime.

dinkers123 · Post by **dinkers123** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 1:22 am

Me and another forum member will be attempting to do the install in about an hour. I really hope I don't do something stupid like break a clip on the bumper or not be able to get it aligned.

LavaIlliniVibe · Post by **LavaIlliniVibe** » Mon Jan 04, 2010 1:59 pm

My "significant other" owns a 2005 Mazda 3. He loves his 3, he loves my Vibe, I love his 3, I love my Vibe! It's just all good. Nice to hear there is another "family" like ours out there! Welcome to a new Vibe in the world!

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:07 am

Sorry for the late reply but I wish I could say my wife loves my 3, but the fact is is that she doesn't really. She tolerates it when she has to. Y'see, I did the "Mod" thing on it (too some extent, not too crazy) so according to her, its loud and stiff, has "blue" head & fog lights (HIDs,) and has too many buttons (power windows/locks and cruise control) all there just to confuse her.... she's convinced that Mazda designed the car specifically to annoy her. When I came back from the test drive after installing the exhaust, I asked her how does it sound? Her comment, "It's loud!! Is it supposed to sound like that?"Its the Vibrant exhaust and not all that loud compared to many I've heard. Just "sportier."