The soccerdad wagon

[soccerdad]

And here it is:



It's got 75k miles and is a base model with the auto tranny. I picked this thing up about a week ago and have had sometime behind the wheel to figure out what it needs. First off is the pulsating brakes and shimmy in steering at ~70mph. Going to get all the tires balanced and replace the brakes up front with all new parts.

Brake Parts(Rockauto):

CENTRIC 12044114CRY (120.44114CRY) Rotor $ 42.79 2 $ 85.58
RAYBESTOS EHT923H Brake Pad $ 33.79 1 $ 33.79
Discount $ -5.97
Shipping Ground $ 12.98
Order Total $ 126.38

Not bad for cryo treated rotors and heavy duty pads. The pads are a newer offering that are supposed to be a hybrid between semi-metallic and ceramic, or maybe I just fell for the good marketing, who knows. Hopefully the pulsating and shimmying will be gone after the brakes and balancing.

**UPDATE- These pads and rotors are great. I've put them through the paces and have had zero issues with them. The rotors still look like new after 6 months and 5000 miles. Pads feel great and have a ton of bite. Highly recommend this combo.

Next issue is a small exhaust leak at the manifold. It passed smog, so it's likely not a huge issue, but I am most likely going to replace the manifold with a cast unit (dorman) sometime in may. It also has the recirc door problem, but that can wait. Hopefully I can get some mods done (paint mainly) during the summer break. Let me know what you guys think(and advice you may have) so far!

[petervivian]

Looks clean and nice.
I don't remember what brands of rotors and pads are on my 05 vibe. But after many years and miles they still work perfectly. I think they were replaced at the dealship last time.

[soccerdad]

Looks clean and nice.
I don't remember what brands of rotors and pads are on my 05 vibe. But after many years and miles they still work perfectly. I think they were replaced at the dealship last time.

Thanks. I did some research on this car before purchasing and it seems like the warped rotor problem is quite common. Then finding the car does have warped rotors, at 75k even, kind of sealed the deal for me. I wouldn't say I'm an aggressive driver, but spirited for sure, and I love me a long canyon drive.

[petervivian]

I am going to replace the rotors and pads by myself this time.
I am looking at ACDelco 18A1104 Professional Front Disc Brake Rotor
and ACDelco 17D923CH Professional Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
Any comments? Thank you.

[soccerdad]

I am going to replace the rotors and pads by myself this time.
I am looking at ACDelco 18A1104 Professional Front Disc Brake Rotor
and ACDelco 17D923CH Professional Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
Any comments? Thank you.

Caution, rant below.

ACDelco is the OEM GM brake parts brand and should be very decent quality. However, due to seeing this happen with ford(motorcraft) products, I believe that the quality of the rotor may not be the same as when they were first manufactured and install on the car from the factory. As with my 2007 model car, those original brake parts were manufactured at least 10 years ago. It is my opinion that in 10 years time, and the loss of the brand/car model, it would cross the oem brake manufacturers mind to find a cheaper way to make, or have made, these brake parts since the initial reputation of the vehicle is no longer an important issue. These oem parts suppliers know they have a guaranteed customer base of people sticking with oem parts, so they are able to get away with changing to a lower quality part which in turn brings them more business as the parts don't last as long. For example, my bosses 2006 f350's original motorcraft front brakes rotors lasted until 2014. Since then he's gone through 2 sets of the "same" oem motorcraft rotors. The last set only lasted 10,000 miles so I turned him onto EBC and the truck is now sporting a very nice set of brakes that costs less than having a dealership put "oem" parts on it. I have seen this happen with many different vehicle and brands. I always do my research now when it comes to replacing parts and I always recommend others to as well.

Moral of the story, always assume that if it makes financial sense for a business to cut corners, they will. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in.

That said, without looking up reviews on those parts I couldn't tell you how I think they will hold up. Most likely they'll be fine if you aren't 16 years old and drive the hell out of the car. I have a tendency to over analyse(and I'm a broke (removed) college student), so that's why I put so much research into my purchases.

[vibenvy]

Very sharp looking 1st gen !

[collins92]

That definitely looks very neat first gen. Nice

[Guy in PHX]

That definitely looks very neat first gen. Nice

2nd Gen . . . yes?

[soccerdad]

Thanks guys, I got lucky with this being the only vibe for sale locally.

And I think this is the second version of the first generation.. And the second generation came out in 09. Does that sound right?

[tpollauf]

Thanks guys, I got lucky with this being the only vibe for sale locally.

Where is "locally" ??? Update your profile for us

And I think this is the second version of the first generation.. And the second generation came out in 09. Does that sound right?

You're sort of right. 03,04 had recessed grille, 05,06,07,08 had flush grille, 09,10 totally redesigned car. So basically 03-08 are all first gen's with minor changes over those years. 09-10's are second gen's

[soccerdad]

I'm on the central coast of California. I bounce around San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay and Los Osos. Originally from the Bay Area though.

[soccerdad]

Well, it's a good time for an update since I've doing a bunch of work to the car. The Vibe had a rear alignment issue which killed a rear tire while I was up in Tahoe. Ended up spending way too much on a set of tires for the thing, but I did make the switch to 15's for the smoother ride. When these tires wear out(195/65r15), I plan on putting as big of a tire on it that I can, which I believe is a 205/70r15. Exhaust leak hasn't been remedied. The dorman exhaust manifold has proven to be a big pain in the (removed). I plan on putting the original manifold back on with a new gasket and hopefully not have any more leaks. The dorman manifold does not line up well with the cat, and it seems that the springs included in the kit are much too weak, if they even have a chance at pulling the cat up to the correct position. I have had to bandaid the issue with non permanent fixes and it doesn't leak as bad as it did, but it's still definitely noticeable. The steering wobble ended up being tires, like always. Had to find a shop with a road force balancer that had been calibrated within the last 6 months. Only took 3 tries to get them balanced correctly. I installed a .75 degree shim to fix a toe problem on a rear tire. Going in for the follow up alignment soon. Also put in new iridium plugs and did a tranny fluid drain/refill with the toyota IV fluid(3.2 quarts). The car has been more work than I wanted, but I did get it for a good price, so I guess it all evens out. It's proven to be very utilitarian and economic, which is exactly what I needed. My 100k "tune-up" will probably be late next year and I plan on making this thing bulletproof.

Oh and BTW. My 17" gt wheels are for sale with 3 great yokohama avid ascends with near 80% tread left (great tires). One tire has excessive wear on the inside. If you have a corner with 0 or positive camber, that wear wouldn't be an issue. Pm me if interested.

Here it is on the 195/65r15s.