New to Vibes, Picking up 04 GT

[KJones]

Hello all, have been trolling some good info outa GenVibe while searching for a Vibe for my lady to "bop around town in" as she put it. She is in California but will have a nice surprise wating for her here in Michigan when she gets back next week!

Signed the deal today, so decided to get official & join up here. It's a clean Blue/Black with 114K on it for a bit over $6K. Pending my final inspection, the deal is done. She ran great, lift kicked in nice around 6K even on the regular I'm sure the dealer has filled it with. Will be interesting to see if I will be able to feel any performance improvement when I put premium in it. Frankly the poor thing will probably hardly ever see 6K & above anyway.

The only mech prob I have found so far is a bit of pull to the right, and that goes away when I move over to the left lane. Noticed this in a 2003 standard I drove a week ago, so I wonder if it really needs an alignment or the steering on these Vibes is just so dang tight that you feel the road crown making it want to drift? Oh, did notice that the brake/clutch reservoir was almost empty, but perhaps that was due to the new clutch the dealer just put in. He also just put in a new (well, reconditioned) a/c compressor.

Cosmetics are great. Tires look new. Yeah, it does have a ding in the driver's side rear wheel housing. And the headlight covers need polishing, And there is a fair amount of watermarks and bug splotches on the front bumper - any ideas other than standard cleaning for this? Alloy wheels look brand new too.

Gonna do a detailed check through Monday, cause I only managed the test drive today. Deal is contingent on my "mechanics satisfactory inspection". Got a long list, but if ya got any ideas on any oddball Vibeish things I might not think up (and I am using PopularMechanic's checklist as a base) please let me know!

It's sure fun to drive, though!

Thanks in advance,
KJ

'04 Vibe GT in waiting, Blue/black with charcoal interior
Sunroof, power locks/windows
CompuStar remote, dunno if it's remote start, alarm, or ?? but printed a manual and will find out soon!
114K miles

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! The Vibe GT you're getting sounds like it's in pretty good shape. Be sure and post pictures once you get it.

[thebarber]

You likely should have picked up a base engined vibe for your wife...the 03 GT we bought was driven by a woman in the city who put regular in it and likely never saw more than 4000rpm....what a waste.

If I were you I'd run off the regular gas gently then make sure it has the correct spark plugs, reset the ecu and fill it with 93 octane. Maybe run some seafoam thru it too (these are all things I did to ours). Hoon on it to blow out any carbon in the system.

I'm assuming the vibes you drove had the 205-55-16 setup? I found they have more of a tendency to wander with the road more than the 17" wheel setup does...

An easy mod for lower lift is to nab an ecu from an 03 GT or matrix XRS...well worth the ~$100

[KJones]

Yes, much of the GT's capabilities wont be tapped very often. I drove a really nice standard with 144K miles on it but only 4.5K price, but it got away from me - I think the crossshaft bearing was sounding off, so that would've added about 1K for a local shop to fix here (shouldn't be a prob in the GT 6 speed). It had the 17" wheels and rode a bit rough too, I think the others I've driven had the 16". It's not wandering at all, just needs a tough of pressure to keep it from drifting right.

Will note to check the plugs that are in the GT, prolly the originals. Assume that the factory specs for replacement plugs are fine, right? edit-Will get a set of Denso IK20s to put in next week! Any thoughts on Haynes vs Chilton for a service manual?

I'm a bit leery of resetting the ECU. Changed the fuel pump in a 2002 Chevy van I have with 250K on it and the ECU reset as the battery was out for a couple days. Still doesn't idle right, stalling a lot and occasionaly losing a hunk of power while simply cruising steadily. Gotta try the Seafoam trick with that van, although have heard that carbon isn't as big a deal these days with the 10% alcohol gas. Say, how long does it take for the Vibe's ECU to realize it's got premium in it and doesn't have to detune the engine? I had thought the ECU "rode the edge" of detonation and would adjust pretty much immediately. If ya can't tell, I don't speak ECU very well. Didn't no the 03 lift point differed from the 04 - cause of the air pump maybe? - but specifically what is that difference?

And the little lady wanted something with a little oomph. I'll tell her not to be shy about revving it up. My son is a bad influence though, driving a Saturn and squeezing 40+mpg out of it, shutting it down at stop lights, never revving it much past 3K. And this from a boy who once had a Mitsi 3000GT VR4!! Where did I go wrong?

KJ

[zyzyix]

Hi and Welcome

[lannvouivre]

I don't think resetting the ECU via disconnecting the battery for a while will hurt anything. I've done it loads of times on my '06 base (I know, different engine) while playing with the engine and it only takes 15-30 minutes of driving to return to normal.

[thebarber]

i noticed a significant change just disconnecting the negative terminal for a half hour and going for a rip....i have the battery disconnected all the time, lol

[KJones]

Hi Zyz, and thanks you others for the ECU info. I think I will drive it around for a few days before I try that, just so I know what is "normal" before I change anything.

Here's an odd thing I had noticed - the battery seemed too short!. The top bar that has the two flanges that should go on either side of the bettery was screwed down, but the not-screwed-down side's flange was higher than the battery so the battery can slide around. I figger a 1x6 under the battery should do the trick until I need a new one. I am used to the GM truck standard where you screw it down at the bottom of the battery, nothing across the top.

[tpollauf]

Welcome another Michigander (Well I'm right on the border, even though I'm an Ohioan ) Sounds like a nice Vibe the lady will be getting. In my family, the LADY owns & drives the G8GT pictured Where did I go wrong Anyways post pics when you get a chance, visit often and enjoy the ride

[Mariachi]

hola! welcome!

[Wingnut]

Welcome to Genvibe!

[KJones]

Here is a pic, looks real nice here - pic doesn't pick up the dings or show the bug/watermark smudges all over the front bumper that I can't get off.



Old plugs were NGK Iridiums, so the originals WERE replaced at least once so far. They looked ok to me, IK20's are in now:



Compression ranged from 197 to 210, increasing as I went from left to right (facing the car). Within range by a few PSI from what I have seen posted.

KJ

[vibenvy]

pic doesn't pick up the dings or show the bug/watermark smudges all over the front bumper that I can't get off.

Have you tried using a clay bar system?

[KJones]

No, just some foamy spray from the local auto supermarket. Have to look into clay bar, haven't heard of it.

[vibenvy]

No, just some foamy spray from the local auto supermarket. Have to look into clay bar, haven't heard of it.

I personally use the Mother's California Gold Clay Bar System. It removes all the junk out of the paint; oxidation, bird poo, bugs, paint overspray, etc. It may just be what you need to get rid of all the junk on your new Vibe's paint. Be sure to follow the clay barring with a good waxing to protect your newly smooth paint.