upcomming mods, help needed

[Zer0Vibe2003]

Okay, so I've pretty much decided to keep my Vibe going on for another 3 or 4 years because of the way life is turning, my money will be needed elsewhere (apartment, marriage, rings, house savings, etc.). She only has 116k on it and a lot of life left.

Things I've done very recently: new brakes on all four corners (even new drums), new tires (assurance triple treads, second set, I like them), new serpentine belt, new plugs, new battery, etc.

Now, I want to make the car more exciting to drive (not that it isn't, but I need to keep it for a while longer). I'm also seeing on avg 28-30mpg of mixed driving. So I want to do upkeep to make sure I keep seeing that mileage.

The ideas:

1) I have to fix the window alignment on the drivers door.. it's folded up the weather stripping and it doesn't seat properly (water leaks in a little in car washes). Where do I find weather stripping for this? And is it just the regular fix that's in the sticky in the DIY section about pulling the door apart?

2) I want to install a CAI. I know it won't do anything for the mpgs, but I want it to have a little grunt to it.

3) I installed a new idler belt pulley, but I still have that "rattling" noise. I didn't do the full assembly and that's probably where I made a mistake, so I'm going to re-do it with the entire assembly and hope the god awful noise goes away.

4) I want to install a new PCV valve. I ordered one off of Amazon, and a different one from Vatozone and I have YET to get one that fits my vehicle. Both of them either have the wrong thread or the wrong depth or something. Idk. But I don't want to force the PCV valve in, and I can tell the thing is sticking even after all of the PCV valve cleaner soaking I can give it.

5) I hate the headlights. They suck, quite frankly. I want to go the HID route, but don't want to deal with disabling the DRL. I want to put HID fogs in instead, and I was wondering if anyone has any good recommendations for them?

6) New exhaust tip because the stock one is just.. well.. bland.

7) I want to paint the cladding black. I will use some sort of exterior paint and make sure it comes out nicely. My dad paints a lot of parts for cars and will help out. I will also pull the silly aluminum trim out of the car and paint it black and then put a nice clear over it so that it looks nice. I would body match, but my car is Lava and I don't want red pieces in the interior. Not my dig.

8) This will be my favorite piece of change. I want to make a custom "shield" for the front of the car so that the "nostrils" of the car are blocked off. I hope to shape it properly out of something like sheet metal to reduce drag from the air going into the bay. It's going to take some work, but I hope it looks good. Obviously I'd post pictures of this along with measurements for those interested. I wish I had my CAD program still so I can design it using that, but I'll draw up something. It will be flat black and hopefully glorious.

Now, I was wondering if there's anything else minor I can do to improve gas mileage or make sure I keep this thing running for a lot longer. I know, it's a Toyota motor so fantastic? Any tips are always appreciated. Sorry for the obnoxiously long post.

[vibenvy]

2) I want to install a CAI. I know it won't do anything for the mpgs, but I want it to have a little grunt to it.

4) I want to install a new PCV valve. I ordered one off of Amazon, and a different one from Vatozone and I have YET to get one that fits my vehicle. Both of them either have the wrong thread or the wrong depth or something. Idk. But I don't want to force the PCV valve in, and I can tell the thing is sticking even after all of the PCV valve cleaner soaking I can give it.

5) I hate the headlights. They suck, quite frankly. I want to go the HID route, but don't want to deal with disabling the DRL. I want to put HID fogs in instead, and I was wondering if anyone has any good recommendations for them?

6) New exhaust tip because the stock one is just.. well.. bland.

7) I want to paint the cladding black. I will use some sort of exterior paint and make sure it comes out nicely. My dad paints a lot of parts for cars and will help out.

2) Installing a CAI can actually increase your gas mileage if you drive conervatively. Most people see a drop in mileage because they are stepping on the gas to hear the "new" sound of the engine. If you drive normally i.e. keeping RPMs under 3000 when accelerating, you will see an increase in mileage. I have seen a steady 1-2 mpg increase on my 2009 Vibe GT since installing a K&N CAI almost three years ago.

4) Here's a thread that should help you out.

5) I don't recommend using HIDs in halogen housings. The glare will be terrible and you will be blinding oncoming traffic. I would recommend trying some different halogen bulbs first. Many owners here really like Philips Xtreme Power bulbs. I myself prefer Sylvania SilverStar bulbs.

6) I would check eBay and/or Amazon for exhaust tips. There are tons out there.

7) Check out CAMOGIRL's Vibe. She painted her cladding with PlastiDip.

[MrHatchWagon]

I've got cheap Eurolite Xenon Fusion white bulbs (They have a blue tint on them, but the light looks white) and are pretty good to look at while driving. Might be something to look into if you want them to look better, without going HID. A set ran me about 30$ from my local autozone-style store.