Hello Fellow Vibe Drivers

[Lavalash]

Hi everyone! I am a long time lurker and long time Vibe owner. I have had my Vibe for almost 5 years. Longest I have ever hung on to a car! Anyway, now that the car is paid for and running pretty well (except for the belt tensioner... grrrr), I think its time to start modding a little bit. Right now I going over the car and fixing/replacing some little things that have been annoying me forever, then its time to start getting some parts! Woot! I will try and take pics and keep you guys updated (assuming anyone cares ). To start with, I think I will take some pictures of Ye Olde Vibe tomorrow if its nice out and throw them up here. Later!Lavalash

[star_deceiver]

Welcome (officially) to GenVibe!!!..........yes, pictures.... we seem to like them here! (but, of course, you already knew that!)

[boudini]

welcome

[tpollauf]

Another Ohioan .... Welcome! Congrats on paying off the Vibe... now KEEP it for a long time! Some Vibes on this forum are pushing 400,000 miles and still going strong!

[houseofbugs]

I plan on keeping min till it dies. I bet once the engine goes it will still look new on the outside

[jkm311]

Quote, originally posted by Lavalash »Anyway, now that the car is paid for and running pretty well (except for the belt tensioner... grrrr), I think its time to start modding a little bit.The only thing to be going on mine, too. Fist shake! Quote, originally posted by Lavalash »I will try and take pics and keep you guys updated (assuming anyone cares ).You really haven't been on here much, have you? PICS! PICS! PICS! BEFORE AND AFTER! PICS! PICS! PICS! Everybody sing along!

[Lavalash]

Ok, I have some pics I just took with my phone. Not the best, but they should give you guys an idea of what I am working with. I should be home in an hour or so, and then I can post them up doing this post from my phone Can vibes go 400k? Sounds like a challenge to me! I would love to hit that kind of mileage! Hell, I could go crazy with mods and still save a ton of money over a new car! Just a thought Stay tuned for pics!

[Lavalash]

Alright, well I shot 51 photos, but I can only seem to upload one per post? I took them with my cell phone, so the quality is kinda low, but this should give you an idea. My car is super super dirty! If this weekend is nice, I plan on giving her a bath. Does anyone know how to upload more than one photo at a time? I also have a them all in a Picasa web album. Here is the link:http://picasaweb.google.com/11...tlink

[houseofbugs]

It's a bit dirty but that's life What headunit is that? I REALLY like how it looks and I am a fan of JVC.Also where did you get the rear mat in the cargo area from?

[Lavalash]

Thanks! The headunit is a JVC KW-XG700. I got it off Amazon about two years ago for like $190, although it looks like the price has gone up a little. I wanted something that filled the double din area, but it also needed to have red lighting (all about the color matched lighting!). Link for the headunit: http://www.amazon.com/JVC-KW-X...r=8-1 The trunkmat and the floormats are from WeatherTech. The Vibe didnt have floor mats at all when I bought it. And the plastic in the back let EVERYTHING slid around sooo bad. So I figured I would get them both from the same place. I wanted all-weather mats because they would be easier to clean and I figured they would wear a little longer than carpet. Link for the trunkmat: http://www.weathertech.com/sto...=2003 Again, thanks for the compliments Next on the mod list is actually just fully detailing the car and swapping that tensioner. After that, I am thinking rims and tires, and maybe some new shocks and springs. Probably looking at mid-June for the tires/rims, August for the shocks/springs. It might not be easy to see in the photos (or maybe it is ) but the paint is pretty rough. I wash and wax the car regularly, but I have never been able to fix the neglect from the previous owner. When I bought the car, it actually looked waaaaaayyyy worse than the photos I put up. I mean... I thought it was matte red! In any case, I think I am going to take a stab at restoring the paint. I got a few books and some websites that I am trying to learn from. I am also making a list of supplies and tools to help me on my little quest. The most important tool I have found so far is this: http://www.amazon.com/Porter-O...r=8-2 Apparently, its a great orbital buffer for DIYers and the price isnt too bad so long as i can bring my paint up. Its also supposed to be very easy to use. I am probably going to snag one on Friday. Still haven't worked out what to get for polish, pre-wax, glaze, and regular wax. Usually, I use Magiuers products for everything, but I figured if I am getting a pricey (for me) buffer, I may as well put some additional thought into the products I am going to use with it. Wow, I can be long winded. Sorry for the wall of text. Off to work I go!

[houseofbugs]

Dude it's totally cool!I really like that headunit. I may have to copy you once mine finally dies. I have the JVC KD-S100 and its a trooper. Survived getting shorted out multiple times due to a bad wire. Ill have to hold off on those mats as awesome as they are.

[vibolista]

Even after the first owners neglect, your car looks great and at almost 134,000 miles, just shows the durability of the Vibe. You should be able to bring the paint back. Clay bar highly recommended. The orbital and some good wax will do most of the rest. I'm with houseofbugs on your double din JVC head unit. Looks like it was made for the Vibe dash with the circle theme on its face. Really stands out, while looking like it belongs there. How do you like this particular JVC unit. I've held off buying a new head unit because I wanted something that wouldn't look foreign inside the Vibe.Welcome to the Vibe site.. but why did you wait 5 years???? That's a whole lot of lurking, you know!

[Lavalash]

Haha! Yeah I should have jumped on here a long time ago, but I wasn't quite as enthusiastic about my car up until recently. Mainly because its mine, and she has been a trooper. and now that I have a bit more free cash than I used to, I would like to start upgrading a few things. Best thing to do when your thinking about modding is to talk with other enthusiasts (imho). So, that's why it took so long :DAs far as the headunit, its fantastic! Good sound, lots of flexability/upgradability, usb port, aux port, basic controls are intuitive (although a lot of the deeper stuff is annoying) and I think it even came with a remote, although I don't use them, so I probably chucked it. For the price, I think it was a good buy, and I haven't any problems with it at all. Does anyone know how to make the brake feel any better? That has to be my biggest complaint. I have SS lines, HPS pads, and ATE fluid, and I have bleed the system numerous times. Brakes still don't feel great. Actually stopping is fine, its just the feel. I would like the pedal to be stiffer. I have a friend with WRX who swapped his master cylinder to a larger one, and swapped his brake booster from a dual stage to a single. He said the feel is fantastic now. Any options like that for us?Thanks for the compliments and encouragement everyone!

[ajb812]

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