What did you do to your Vibe today?

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:53 am

trb wrote:They do have adapters / reducers and I know they have ones that go from 2" to 2-1/2" or 2-1/2" to 3" or so. Some exhaust places can even make their own adapters. Hopefully your exhaust shop can figure something out. My son is returning from school probably Monday, so I'll take a look at his 06 and compare it to my 10 GT. Maybe even try his tip on my car if I can just unbolt it.

I would really appreciate some comparison info! I was surprised that my exhaust guy just immediately said it wouldn't work. I figured he'd say it wouldn't be a problem, etc. I am really hoping the alignment/exhaust shop will be willing to give it a go, otherwise I will just be getting the OEM tips cut off and trying to make something work on my own I guess

. I hate when things don't go as easily as they should

!

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 11:12 am

vibenvy wrote: I was surprised that my exhaust guy just immediately said it wouldn't work.

You must have caught him on a bad day Carrie. There is no such thing as "it won't work" or "it won't fit". Especially in exhaust work where you're dealing with "malleable metals". That is the key word here "malleable" which merely means it can be stretched, shrunk, twisted, bent, enlarged, or reduced. If these tips are not your exact OD or ID, then it would a bit more MINOR work to get them to fit, but no big deal. Exhaust shops do this all the time where one pipe doesn't fit into/over another. So basically they blew you off. Don't take it personal and hopefully you'll find somebody else out there to install these tips for you. They'll look REAL SHARP once installed

trb · Post by **trb** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:58 pm

Well, my son does not have a fancy chrome tip, his is only the basic welded on polished aluminum I think.

But I measured it anyway. The tip has an OD of about 3-1/4" and the OD of the tailpipe before the tip is 2-1/8". So it makes sense that a larger than 3" opening in the chrome tip would just slip onto the stock tailpipe and once you tighten it down, it would look just fine.

Doug14 · Post by **Doug14** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 5:07 am

Finally changed cabin air filter, FILTHY!

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 9:13 pm

OK seeing how us here in the Toledo still haven't started winter

I finally swapped out my tires and put the winter ones on the Vibe. As you can see the summers are safely stored away up on the wall

Now I'm officially ready for some snow, uh ... whatever that is

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:36 am

trb wrote:Well, my son does not have a fancy chrome tip, his is only the basic welded on polished aluminum I think.

But I measured it anyway. The tip has an OD of about 3-1/4" and the OD of the tailpipe before the tip is 2-1/8". So it makes sense that a larger than 3" opening in the chrome tip would just slip onto the stock tailpipe and once you tighten it down, it would look just fine.

Thanks for the info and picture

! So, the difference is that the 1st gens already have a tip on them and this fancy GM one slides over the existing tip. I am going to run out to the alignment/exhaust shop in a little bit and see what they have to say about installing the tips for us. I really hope they are willing to give it a go then I can have them do it on Monday when they do my alignment and check my brakes (they're squeaking all of a sudden

). I'll keep you updated...

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:24 pm

It's -21C and has been snowing.... lots... and apparently Calgary city trucks have forgotten that salt is useless below -18...

Oh well... More fun for me!!!

09vGT · Post by **09vGT** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:34 pm

I re-aimed the fogs. I put them down as low as they would go; hopefully this will fix the problem with blinding people.

Speaking of snow, Ryan, we are expecting 3-7 inches Christmas night. Great.

trb · Post by **trb** » Tue Dec 25, 2012 3:37 pm

Spent the last few hours helping install a new radio in my son's Vibe. A JVC kw adv64bt that i got at a great price. Fits great and was relatively easy to install.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:48 pm

Had to replace the battery in Junior's Vibe today. We did this as a precautionary measure seeing how we're finally into winter here in NW Ohio. Yeah there is actually a few inches of that white stuff on the ground outside

When we got his new tires last week, one of the TPM sensors was literally "shattered" and in pieces inside the tire (the mechanic showed it to us!). So my son found one on E-bay and ordered it and had it put in the tire today. They did a load test on the battery and it was SHOT

It's been cranking slower & slower the past couple of months so it was due. My Vibe also is cranking a bit slower BUT mainly because it only gets driven once/twice a month if that

Seeing that we now have snow outside, the G8 GT is garaged and my Vibe will finally get some use .... by the WIFE, not me

Oh well, it's a family car

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:14 pm

The original starter on my '03 base (built May 2012) gave up the ghost on Christmas Day at 10 years and 107,000 miles.
I consulted GenVibe forums of course, and quickly and correctly diagnosed the problem, and even considered replacing it myself, but I didn't have the correct length deep sockets nor extensions, and lacked the patience to do it in an unheated garage in 30-degree weather. So I paid my friendly nearby GM dealer a nice after-Christmas bonus to do the work. And I'm secure in the knowledge that
1) I'm keeping the local economy booming,
2) I didn't bust any knuckles
3) or break something expensive by trying to do it myself with inadequate tools.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:34 pm

vibenvy wrote:
trb wrote:Well, my son does not have a fancy chrome tip, his is only the basic welded on polished aluminum I think.

But I measured it anyway. The tip has an OD of about 3-1/4" and the OD of the tailpipe before the tip is 2-1/8". So it makes sense that a larger than 3" opening in the chrome tip would just slip onto the stock tailpipe and once you tighten it down, it would look just fine.
Thanks for the info and picture ! So, the difference is that the 1st gens already have a tip on them and this fancy GM one slides over the existing tip. I am going to run out to the alignment/exhaust shop in a little bit and see what they have to say about installing the tips for us. I really hope they are willing to give it a go then I can have them do it on Monday when they do my alignment and check my brakes (they're squeaking all of a sudden ). I'll keep you updated...

So, I contacted GMPartsCenter.net the other day to see about getting the muffler tip that came on the 2003-2008 Vibes so I could have it welded on and then simply slide the GM Accessories tip over it just like on the 1st gen Vibes. As I feared, the tip is not sold seperately and can only be had with the entire muffler for $286.xx. I then proceeded to check out Jegs for reducers and different muffler tips. I found a reducer or two that seemed like they might work. Today I ran out to the alignment shop (they also do exhaust work) and asked them about it. Turns out they only do factory exhaust stuff and the guy said if I could find a reducer that would work, he would put it on, but he didn't have anything in stock that would work. He suggested I go to the custom exhaust shop in town (i.e. the guy I already talked to a couple weeks back). I decided I would stop there again and talk to him about reducers, etc. I explained to him about researching reducers, looking at other muffler tips, etc. and he finally said he should be able to make something work with some exhaust piping, so I am dropping my Vibe off with him next Saturday morning. I am thinking he must have been having a bad day when I stopped the first time or something and that's why he said it wouldn't work and pretty much brushed me off. So, I now have renewed faith that he will get the GM Accessories tip to fit and look great on our 2nd gen Vibes! Hopefully it won't cost too much, but then again, considering I got both tips brand new for $34.00 and most aftermarket tips are $30.00+ a piece, I can spare a little extra money to get them modified to fit. I will obviously post pictures and info and all once the installation is complete

!

Also, I got an alignment on my Vibe this past week and now it doesn't pull to the right anymore. According to the printout they gave me, only one of the measurements was out of whack before the alignment and it was at the front right corner which would explain the pulling. It's nice to not have to have a death grip on the steering wheel to keep it going straight down the road

.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 11:48 am

Although I've had the sticker for three weeks, I waited until today to apply the sixth 2-year sticker to my Vibe's license plate, because it was exactly ten years ago today, 12/30/2002, that I bought my Vibe

: 6stickers.jpg (10.47 KiB) Viewed 19317 times

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 12:00 pm

Repainted the grille with Krylon Fusion Satin Black. Its amazing how much black plastic fades over the years, then again my car is 10 yrs old !

Caretaker · Post by **Caretaker** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 3:59 pm

I let my Vibe relax for three days before taking it in to the dealer for a root canal (camshaft timing gear, timing chain, and perhaps a new water pump).

trb · Post by **trb** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 4:24 pm

joatmon wrote:Although I've had the sticker for three weeks, I waited until today to apply the sixth 2-year sticker to my Vibe's license plate, because it was exactly ten years ago today, 12/30/2002, that I bought my Vibe

6stickers.jpg

They don't steal them in your area I guess? Back when Texas had the plate stickers, there were so many thefts when people placed multiples on their plates, they told everyone to scrape all the old ones off first, and then score the new sticker with a razor blade into tiny pieces. They next went to windshield stickers with the plate number printed on them to stop the theft.

I did work on the 10 GT this past week. I finally installed the K&N Typhoon intake I got from Geoff (DressedinBlack) on Thursday. Pretty easy install, but I'll have to see if my wife lets me keep it. It makes a bit more noise than I expected, so I'll have to keep out of the throttle when she is in the car!

I also installed a hitch and trailer wiring this week. I'm moving a relative next weekend so I had to prep the car for towing a U-Haul trailer. They won't rent to me with the Exploder, due to lawsuits and losses related to the Firestone tire problems from 12 years ago. Idiots. So I get to use the Vibe instead. Yay!

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 5:28 pm

trb wrote:I did work on the 10 GT this past week. I finally installed the K&N Typhoon intake I got from Geoff (DressedinBlack) on Thursday. Pretty easy install, but I'll have to see if my wife lets me keep it. It makes a bit more noise than I expected, so I'll have to keep out of the throttle when she is in the car!

Thomas, you must post pictures of the K&N! You know how we feel about pictures around here

! My mom didn't care for the louder engine sound the K&N CAI provides at first either. Eventually she came around and now she loves the sound even more than I do

! Hopefully your wife will let you keep it

.

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 6:03 pm

Snowy in Michigan ....visiting friends for new years

trb · Post by **trb** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:24 pm

vibenvy wrote: Thomas, you must post pictures of the K&N! You know how we feel about pictures around here ! My mom didn't care for the louder engine sound the K&N CAI provides at first either. Eventually she came around and now she loves the sound even more than I do ! Hopefully your wife will let you keep it .

OK boss!

I went out in the dark and cold, with bare feet, and snapped a couple pics!

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 3:58 pm

trb wrote:OK boss! I went out in the dark and cold, with bare feet, and snapped a couple pics!

Cold!?! You're in Houston... how cold can it be

!?!

Looks great

!

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:20 pm

installed my new obd2 bluetooth reader....cool to see car info on the fly

SRI intake air temps are about 5*C warmer than the ambient this time of year when moving

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Wed Jan 02, 2013 1:41 pm

Well, I had replaced the outer tie rod ends last weekend...and screwed up the alignment (toe) BIGTIME. D'oh! Had to borrow my mom's 2008 Mercury Mariner and hated every second of it. Am never, ever buying a Ford product now, it's two years younger than my car and rattles everywhere, felt cheap, the list goes on and on.

Anyway, I inflated my car's front tires, wriggled under, and adjusted my tie rods until the toe was pretty much centered. I take it in for a professional job tomorrow. The steering wheel is crooked now, so I might crawl under my car again and straighten it out.

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:17 pm

Got Epona back from her alignment, and she's back to handling awesomely. Feels so much more responsive now, especially compared to Mom's Mariner...may need to crawl under her car and inspect everything.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 9:02 am

Just got home from the exhaust shop (please excuse the dirty Vibe

)...

So, the exhaust shop owner (Tom) was originally going to make a whole new tailpipe section out of a larger diamter pipe, but then he discovered there is a hanger attached to the tailpipe right by the muffler, so instead he ended up making a sleeve, welding the sleeve to the tailpipe, sliding the tip over the sleeve and then using the clamp that came with the tip to hold the tip tight to the sleeve and tailpipe. I am very happy with how it looks. It sticks out just far enough and it fills the opening in the lower fascia perfectly. I will be taking my mom's Vibe to him within the next couple weeks so he can put the same tip on hers. It took him an hour or less to get everything mocked up, then he called me to come look at it before he welded anything. It was $53.00 for labor and parts. This isn't bad considering I got the tip for $17.00 on eBay. The tip sells for $6x.xx through GMPartsCenter.net and most aftermarket tips start around $50.00, so, for a total of $70.00 I got the exact muffler tip I wanted and have achieved the exact look I wanted as well. I also think it's neat to have a 1st gen Vibe part on my 2nd gen Vibe

!

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:32 am

Cleaned the throttle body & replaced the VVT oil filter. The filter was very clean & I could have gotten away without cleaning it. Im definitely NOT doing that job again. No clearance to work at at all. Thankfully I have small hands, So i was able to get away without having to move anything out the way. Very tedious ! I wasnt very comfortable doing this job cause I was afraid of dropping the bolt ( or the filter ) & it getting lost somewhere on top of the engine. Car runs a bit smoother, im sure it was since I removed some carbon out of the throttle body. Another job well done & thanks for all you well informed members !

ehoff121 · Post by **ehoff121** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:04 pm

Just drained the transmission fluid, dropped the pan, and replaced the filter (2005 AWD). Just shy of 75,000 miles on the odo.

Pan had a little sludge in it, but no shiny bits. Cleaned it and the magnets, replaced the gasket, and put it back on.

Put it 3 1/2 quarts of Toyota T-IV fluid.

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 1:45 pm

3rd brake light was out, so I replaced it with an LED wedge bulb I had kicking around.

Recent photo

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 4:05 pm

Doug14 · Post by **Doug14** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:10 pm

thebarber wrote:

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:14 pm

Got 1 reverse HID in...

omega2551 · Post by **omega2551** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 3:37 pm

I replaced the front brake rotors and pads. I also replaced the cabin air filter, greased the door hinges and applied silicon grease to the weather stripping.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 1:28 pm

OK ... Seeing how today is my Vibe's FOURTH birthday

I just had to go shopping and get something for it.

Visited my friends at TRD Sparks Toyota and ordered a pair of engine air filters & a pair of cabin air filters. My Vibe won't really need either of these for quite some time BUT Junior's Vibe, which has 3 times the mileage, will benefit from this birthday purchase first. Should see them hit my door by Wednesday at the latest

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 2:51 pm

thebarber wrote:Got 1 reverse HID in...

I like. How is the light output?

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 3:10 pm

tpollauf wrote:OK ... Seeing how today is my Vibe's FOURTH birthday I just had to go shopping and get something for it.

Visited my friends at TRD Sparks Toyota and ordered a pair of engine air filters & a pair of cabin air filters. My Vibe won't really need either of these for quite some time BUT Junior's Vibe, which has 3 times the mileage, will benefit from this birthday purchase first. Should see them hit my door by Wednesday at the latest

Happy Birthday to your Vibe Tim

! I love TRD Sparks!

MrHatchWagon · Post by **MrHatchWagon** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:27 pm

The chrome trim pieces around the AC knobs were all scratched, and quite frankly I was tired of the chrome, so I grabbed the piece of sample CF vinyl I had lying around and did this:

The pieces are removable, you just pull them right out, and it was easy to wrap the vinyl around and cut it to fit, folding the excess in the back. It was good practice, and I'm very happy with the results. I have a few pieces of vinyl ordered, so I'll wrap some more stuff once I get it. I'm thinking the piece of plastic around the shifter, which I'll do once I take it off to get my new shift boot sewn on. Maybe the panels with the cigarette lighter and power inverter, too, and maybe the panel with the mirror controls to the left of the steering wheel. Any suggestions?

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:10 pm

I rotated my mom's winter tires tonight. Everything went smoothly. I didn't even have to use the rubber mallet

. The tires all look great. No uneven wear or anything. All 4 tires were at 31.5 PSI, so I put them all up to 32, topped off the windshield washer fluid and called it a night. Took me less than an hour.

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:42 am

KITT222 wrote:
thebarber wrote:Got 1 reverse HID in...

I like. How is the light output?

Its awesome...like I don't have tinted windows...

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 6:00 pm

Got the air filters I ordered the other day. The folks @ TRD Sparks Toyota are quick

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:08 am

Why not buy 1 k&n panel filter?

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:56 pm

tpollauf wrote:Got the air filters I ordered the other day. The folks @ TRD Sparks Toyota are quick

thebarber wrote:Why not buy 1 k&n panel filter?

Better yet Tim... put K&N CAIs on both your Vibes and you won't have to worry about buying air filters for quite some time *hint hint*

!

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 6:48 pm

vibenvy wrote: Better yet Tim... put K&N CAIs on both your Vibes and you won't have to worry about buying air filters for quite some time *hint hint* !

Hmmmmmm ..... someday BUT not just yet. Don't drive it much at all and I'm focusing on other mods as you're sort of aware. Just need to find more time

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 8:30 pm

Cleaned and oiled the K&N filter. It's now waiting to get shoved back into the car in the morning.

thebarber · Post by **thebarber** » Fri Jan 18, 2013 8:17 am

went for a drive in the snow today

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 1:49 pm

tpollauf wrote:Hmmmmmm ..... someday BUT not just yet. Don't drive it much at all and I'm focusing on other mods as you're sort of aware. Just need to find more time

How are those other mods coming along Tim?

I detailed the interior of my mom's Vibe this morning. Unfortunately the weather is not currently conducive to washing it, but I will be taking both Vibes to the carwash tonight to at least spray them off

.

Doug14 · Post by **Doug14** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:24 am

A few weeks ago i replaced the dome light with LED panels like a few other members have done. Then I did the map lights, license plate lights, reverse lights and fog lights with LED replacements as well, I also have installed red footwell lighting.

vibenvy · Post by **vibenvy** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 5:22 pm

Tomorrow morning I am finally getting my squeaky brakes checked out. Some time this weekend I also need to rotate my winter tires.

tpollauf · Post by **tpollauf** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 7:59 pm

vibenvy wrote: How are those other mods coming along Tim?

Until I get my shop moved over AND the honey-do list narrowed, they're sort of on hold

But today I did fill up my Vibe today.... after 75 days on the last tank

I will definitely be giving it it's second
oil change in the next couple of weeks before I head for Florida. Looking back on my records the last oil change
was back in the summer of 2010 right after the GenVibe Indy meet.

I may start a separate thread on my journey down there seeing that I'm driving it on a nice long road trip. I'll be asking
other GenVibers to invite me for a visit if I happen to be passing through their town

Cullman Alabama will be a nice
detour to avoid Atlanta (hint .. hint ... Brandon

)

cptnsolo77 · Post by **cptnsolo77** » Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:29 am

Cleaned out the PCV valve. Didnt look too bad, still rattled. Brake clean & a an old toothbrush to clean out the little bits of crud on the bottom. 7/8 " deep socket & some anti-seize. All done....!!!

Rayven01 · Post by **Rayven01** » Sat Jan 26, 2013 1:16 pm

Took a look at the wipers and found the fronts had been replaced with cheapie ANCOs. No wonder they suck! The rear was original with what looks like the original insert, permanently bent most of the way over. Ordered OEM blades and an insert for the rear. For now I wiped them all down with alcohol. Talk about filthy...

lannvouivre · Post by **lannvouivre** » Sat Jan 26, 2013 6:57 pm

cptnsolo77 wrote:Cleaned out the PCV valve. Didnt look too bad, still rattled. Brake clean & a an old toothbrush to clean out the little bits of crud on the bottom. 7/8 " deep socket & some anti-seize. All done....!!!

Mine didn't quite rattle anymore when I replaced it...lol

Today I cleaned the TB (both sides, WOO!), changed my oil and filter with Pennzoil platinum synthetic 5W-30 and K&N HP-1003 filter, and replaced the hideous train wreck of the cosmoracing breather tube shoved into the stock one with just a single heater hose. I will be putting insulation around the hose ASAP. I also cleaned my battery terminals off with a toothbrush (no baking soda to be found, though) and fount out I need to replace the clamps.

I also ripped the threads securing the ignition coil's bolt out of my aluminum valve cover...****! Temporarily fixed with a 30 MM bolt and two washers because it turns out the stock bolt is 4 threads shorter than the actual hole. I'll be fixing that Monday if I can get my engine repair class professor to help me. Man, I had no idea that I was so strong that I could strip those threads with a tiny little ratchet and my puny little nerd arms.