MrHatchWagon - 2004 Vibe base, 5MT

[MrHatchWagon]

It's been a while since I've updated.



Wrapped some of my interior trim with CF vinyl. Getting more and more comfortable at working with the stuff, and the results are pretty good.

[(Double D)]

Loving the CF wrap... Looks great. Thats on my short list.

[DVibe]

Looks good! Thats stuff is fun huh?

[NoRemorse249]

i cant wait to start playin with it but gotta get ahold of a sample for a lil practice first.

[MrHatchWagon]

Haha the CF vinyl is a lot of fun for sure. I'd love to have my roof wrapped like yours, Dvibe.

Double D & NoRemorse, the best place to start is the chrome trim around the climate control. It pulls right out with little effort so you can take it inside and have your fun cutting and folding the vinyl. Remember that a hair dryer or heat gun (On Low, don't want to melt the plastic!) can do wonders for getting it to the shape you want, and making it stay that way. An x-acto style knife is also a must.

[NoRemorse249]

ya ive been watchin tons of installations videos to kinda study up on it a bit. thats exactly what i was gonna start with then move on to all the plastic grey panels inside. then maybe the hood if all that goes well.

[MrHatchWagon]

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so here goes:

Dual Tail Light Mod, KITT222 style.




Credit: KITT222, link: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=38148" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KITT222]

Looks good!

[cmpltvertigo]

Good looking Vibe, digging the modifications. BTW I recently picked up an 03 Base Vibe same color as yours. I have yet to post pics, but they are coming.

[MrHatchWagon]

Thanks, I'm glad you like what I've done with it. Is yours a two-tone as well? I love the gray with gray, it blends really nicely and it's pretty scratch-and-chip resistant. Manual? Look forward to seeing pics, you need to start up a Garage thread!

[cmpltvertigo]

Thanks, I'm glad you like what I've done with it. Is yours a two-tone as well? I love the gray with gray, it blends really nicely and it's pretty scratch-and-chip resistant. Manual? Look forward to seeing pics, you need to start up a Garage thread!

Yes, two-tone gray as well. Mine is the base auto model, completely stock. Its in excellent shape picked it up for $4,050 with 110K miles. I will definitely be posting a new Garage thread once the weather is better, been very cloudy recently.

I hope you dont mind but I may have several quesitons, for example I am looking into a CAI - currently looking into a COSMO CAI, but I want to ensure I will not get a CEL with its use.

[MrHatchWagon]

Wow, that's a great price for a good, reliable car! With the 03-04 model year, the automatics have a better track record than the manuals, too, so it's a great find.

he only thing to look into if you want a CAI is replacing the Intake Manifold gasket too, because they're prone to leaks when you put in a CAI in those years. The other thing would just be to make sure you get the right model of CAI, there are slight differences between years, such as the 03-04 models having something or other built into the throttle body, whereas the 05-08's dont, so the CAI looks a bit different. I think a CAI from those years will still fit our Vibes, but we have to either plug the extra hole in the CAI or put a breather filter on it.

Furthermore, the CAI sits pretty low in the fender and so it's more prone to getting dirty, as well as being harder to reach the filter for cleaning and changing purposes. For this reason, I'd consider a Short Ram Intake, because it sits where the stock airbox would, you still get a great sound from it, and it's loads easier to change, while getting less dirty.

[MrHatchWagon]

Waiting for a day off to Plasti-Dip my roof rack and rear valance. In the meantime... Updated pics:

[KITT222]

Looking good!

[cmpltvertigo]

Looking good. Your cladding looks darker than mine, what product did you use to recondition them?

[MrHatchWagon]

Thanks. I used some Meguiars Ultimate Protectant Trim restorer. It gives it a good shine for a few weeks before you have to reapply, but I think they've since released a longer-lasting version of it. You should be able to pick some up anywhere that sells car washing and detailing stuff. I've heard of some people using a product called Refinish Restorer, but I wasn't able to get my hands on any around here, so I went with Meguiars.

[cmpltvertigo]

Thanks, also did you remove and paint your grill? Looks good btw.

[MrHatchWagon]

Thanks, also did you remove and paint your grill? Looks good btw.

I've thought about doing it, the lighting here makes it look a little darker than it is, but it still looks pretty good for something that's never been repainted. I know someone on here took Krylon Fusion to redo their grill and it looked amazing, I've thought of doing the same but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Also, I finally got around to plasti dipping my Vibe badges and rear valance. Pics will follow when I get some sunlight to take them.

[MrHatchWagon]

Got my serpentine belt changed with a Goodyear Gatorback, and checked my coolant. It's still good up to -35, so I'll just drain some out and put in some fresh stuff before winter. Other projected winter maintenance items include new battery, undercoating, rust proofing / paint touch ups, and maybe some mud flaps / splash guards.

LED Reverse Lights:


Plasti-Dipped Vibe badges:


Plasti-Dipped Rear Valance:

[cmpltvertigo]

Looks good, nice modest touch. I added some new overlays for the badges and liftgate myself.

[mjowen]

How did the horns install/sound? I've been looking into a similar setup.

[MrHatchWagon]

They sounded very loud, and looked good behind the grill. I don't have them anymore, because I had bought cheap ones and they corroded, not to mention I was still new at playing with wiring and I didn't rust-proof my system well enough. Some people have complained that the Sickspeed horns (Both of the horns are high tone) sounded too high-pitched. I didn't mind it as the sheer loudness was a huge improvement over stock. The Hella horns come with one high tone and one low tone, so they supposedly sound even louder.

The install was fairly easy, the hardest part being actually running wires and figuring out the whole relay configuration. Very simple once you get the hang of how electrical systems work though. The only real thing is deciding where to pass your wires.

If you are planning on getting some, I can recommend a few things:

1- First, you'll want to get real Hella horns. I get the feeling they'll fare much better against the elements, especially since I assume you'll be doing your fair share of winter driving. They put salt on the roads in NB and that's what killed my wiring after a year. The screws on my horns rusted out as well, as did the connectors in the back. I had cheap Sickspeed horns, mind you, not the real Hellas.

2- Second, you'll want to make sure you use dielectric tune up grease or similar, along with heat shrink and protect all your connections and wiring. I didn't put any grease on my horn connectors (Though I did put some on the relay, because that had messed up the system once before. Second relay I put in was still good after a year.) After one winter of salt constantly spraying off the road onto my horns and wires, the connectors supplying power to the horns became quite rusty and didn't conduct very well anymore. For this reason, I had to put my stock horn back on.

All in all, I would do it over. The only things I'd do differently are as stated above; get better quality horns, and wire them up with more waterproof, rust-proof wiring. That should give you optimal bang for your buck. If you've got any questions about wiring, I can help you out, but I have to go to work so I'll only be able to check my messages tomorrow.

[mjowen]

Thanks for the reply, the ones I was looking at were Hellas so in that department I'd be fine, good to know about the rust proofing. Most roads here are salted too, our Atlantic winters aren't easy on cars. If I need help with anything it wouldn't be until I get them, I'm not too familiar with wiring but my dads done quite a bit so I'll see if he's able to help show me through the relay set-up.

[thebarber]

A shocker sticker? Seriously?

[MrHatchWagon]

A shocker sticker? Seriously?

I know, I know. I put it on in a fit of irony, but it was only $1.50 so I don't have to feel bad about removing it

[thebarber]

A shocker sticker? Seriously?

I know, I know. I put it on in a fit of irony, but it was only $1.50 so I don't have to feel bad about removing it

i'd rather have a coffee...

[MrHatchWagon]

It's been a while, you'll be happy to hear the Vibe is still running strong, my dad's driving it again. One of my main motivators for buying my Impreza, was that I'd be able to give it back to my dad in good running order. It only seemed fair, since he'd given it to me in the first place in 2009/2010. He's happy with it, because it saves him from having to fill up the Sierra 3500 every week.

Here are a few updates with the Impreza. I got the windows tinted today, came out looking great, but I don't have any pictures yet unfortunately. I'll have to give her a good bath beforehand.

Wheels and Outback fogs are installed:

Enkei M52, 16" Hyper Black with the original all-seasons. Wheels were a bit wider, so the tires are slightly stretched. I'll go with 215's next time.








Little bit of glare in this one..



The fog lights I installed come from the 2010-2012 Outback. They're a glass and metal housing, VS the Impreza's plastic housing. They also take a 55W bulb, up from the stock 24 watter. After having put these in, though, I found some 18W, 6-LED fog lights on ijdmtoy, and promptly ordered them. I should be installing those, plus my Rally Armor mud flaps, later this weekend.

Preview of the new fogs:
http://youtu.be/ejVGmpq7MhI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;