Recently Acquired 05 Vibe... Some Questions w/ Pictures

[povgride742]

Hello everyone,

Long story short, just purchased my mom's 05 Vibe with 160k from her estate. I took care of it for the most part while she was alive if she had any issues, so it's pretty mechanically sound.

Since buying it I've:
Restored-ish the headlights and replaced all the bulbs up front
Cleaned the throttle body
Replaced the engine and cabin air filters, spark plugs, wipers all around, serpentine belt, negative battery cable, and battery

I'm trying to fix everything and have some questions I'm hoping you can help me with:

1. She had the airbag recall performed (all stages) but the passenger cover keeps popping up (as seen in the picture below). I can push it down and it kinda clicks but it pops back up shortly after. Can this part be removed with removing the airbag or do I have to remove the assembly to fix?


2. There's only one air deflector underneath (passenger's side, as pictured below). I see holes on the driver's side. I'm assuming there's supposed to be one on both sides? The part number (88972194) is discontinued, although it appears the part would be the same for both sides.


3. I could've sworn the Interstate battery I pulled out fit in the hold-down brackets like a glove, but this replacement 35 series battery has play between the brackets (see picture below). Is this normal (OEM negative battery cable is discounting so had to buy an aftermarket replacement if you're wondering why the negative terminal is coming in at a different angle)?


4. There was a broken clip/bracket that I believe held the washer line under the hood (see circled area in picture below), but I can't find it in any online diagrams. I don't expect anyone to know the part number, but can anyone take a picture of that area of their hood so I know what it's supposed to look like?


5. When I remounted the bumper after restoring the headlights, I noticed these gaps under the headlights (see picture below), but I screwed the headlights back in exactly where they were based on the fastener impressions on the brackets. I'm assuming this is normal for air flow to the radiator maybe, but can someone please confirm?


6. Having seen other Vibes on the road, this appears to be a common problem, but what has anyone done to halt the rusting on the roof?


Thank you so much in advance!
- Brett

[tpollauf]

Hi there Brett and thanks for joining up with us here at GenVibe. Kudos on your first post for posting pics right off the bat It definitely helps us in assisting you for answers. Can't comment on too much of what you ask BUT I would like to know what nuclear discharge waste site (or any type of industrial chemical site) has this Vibe been parked next to all of it's life? That roof & all top surfaces look terrible and I've never seen one that bad in such a short time.

As far as the airbag cover .... young unexperienced workers at dealerships are to blame for that. You likely have broken clips or tabs that can NOT be repaired. If you knew where it was done and if it were fairly recently, you may be able to take it back BUT I highly doubt it.

[joatmon]

Brett, Welcome to genvibe!

Sorry to hear about your mon, I know how hard that is to deal with.

Not sure about the airbag cover. There's an airbag assembly on ebay at https://www.ebay.com/itm/183777403248 (don't buy it) that has some pictures that might help see what its like underneath. I don't know if that cover was ever available separately. If you do mess with it, be careful not to set the mortar off in your face.

I don't know if there is a deflector on the driver's side, but I'll see an 05 Vibe over Christmas and can look.

Looks like the toyota part number for the washer hose clip is 85387-02110, but the one online toyota parts website I looked at said it was about $14, so I'd be inclined to either do without or use a plastic trim pin and a zip tie

If the battery is snugged down and doesn't slide around, I wouldn't worry about the gaps. Don't know why its smaller, I thought 05's came with #35 batteries.

That roof is pretty wild. If you are just looking to stop further damage, then I'd probably convert the rust with naval jelly, then at least paint it with primer. I'm not capable of the skill required to make it look new, I'd have to pay someone for that.

[andrewclaus]

Same thing happened to my air bag trim at the dealer. I got underneath it, probably through the glove box, not sure, and saw one of the plastic tabs was bent back past its elasticity point. I was able to rig a spring clamp to get it to hold again without interfering with the airbag.

[Mark]

I've replaced the fender liners several times (my daughter was hard on them somehow) and usually moved the deflector. It's a 2-piece part, a threaded plate on top of the liner, and the deflector itself. Two 6mm bolts through the deflector and into the plate hold it in place. On this page click on the third from left image in the lower "view fewer images" panel. I think you need 53879A and 53852B I think are what you're looking for. Plus the bolts, but those you can get at a hardware store.

https://parts.toyota.com/a/Toyota__Matr ... tml#53876A

Screenshot 2022-12-20 at 19-50-46 HOOD & FRONT FENDER. Toyota Matrix Toyota Parts Center Online.png (43.91 KiB) Viewed 1492 times

[povgride742]

Hi there Brett and thanks for joining up with us here at GenVibe. Kudos on your first post for posting pics right off the bat It definitely helps us in assisting you for answers. Can't comment on too much of what you ask BUT I would like to know what nuclear discharge waste site (or any type of industrial chemical site) has this Vibe been parked next to all of it's life? That roof & all top surfaces look terrible and I've never seen one that bad in such a short time.

As far as the airbag cover .... young unexperienced workers at dealerships are to blame for that. You likely have broken clips or tabs that can NOT be repaired. If you knew where it was done and if it were fairly recently, you may be able to take it back BUT I highly doubt it.

Haha, yes... it's seen better days!

Thank you. I took the blower motor fan assembly out to vacuum it out (for nothing... was clean, lol) and looking up I could see the one clip wasn't pushed out far enough to hold it. I might need to pull the whole assembly and really force it out. I can't push it out enough with the assembly in.

Brett, Welcome to genvibe!

Sorry to hear about your mon, I know how hard that is to deal with.

Not sure about the airbag cover. There's an airbag assembly on ebay at https://www.ebay.com/itm/183777403248 (don't buy it) that has some pictures that might help see what its like underneath. I don't know if that cover was ever available separately. If you do mess with it, be careful not to set the mortar off in your face.

I don't know if there is a deflector on the driver's side, but I'll see an 05 Vibe over Christmas and can look.

Looks like the toyota part number for the washer hose clip is 85387-02110, but the one online toyota parts website I looked at said it was about $14, so I'd be inclined to either do without or use a plastic trim pin and a zip tie

If the battery is snugged down and doesn't slide around, I wouldn't worry about the gaps. Don't know why its smaller, I thought 05's came with #35 batteries.

That roof is pretty wild. If you are just looking to stop further damage, then I'd probably convert the rust with naval jelly, then at least paint it with primer. I'm not capable of the skill required to make it look new, I'd have to pay someone for that.

Thank you, sincerely.

Thank you. I took the blower motor fan assembly out to vacuum it out (for nothing... was clean, lol) and looking up I could see the one clip wasn't pushed out far enough to hold it. I might need to pull the whole assembly and really force it out. I can't push it out enough with the assembly in.

Thank you for that part number! I'll look into it!

It's snug, but I can move it slightly with my hands. It can't bounce, but I'd rather not be able to move it around myself. Everything I've seen calls for a 35 series battery, and the battery I removed was a 35 series.

I don't need it to look perfect... just want to halt the process. Thank you!

Same thing happened to my air bag trim at the dealer. I got underneath it, probably through the glove box, not sure, and saw one of the plastic tabs was bent back past its elasticity point. I was able to rig a spring clamp to get it to hold again without interfering with the airbag.

Thank you. I took the blower motor fan assembly out to vacuum it out (for nothing... was clean, lol) and looking up I could see the one clip wasn't pushed out far enough to hold it. I might need to pull the whole assembly and really force it out. I can't push it out enough with the assembly in.

I've replaced the fender liners several times (my daughter was hard on them somehow) and usually moved the deflector. It's a 2-piece part, a threaded plate on top of the liner, and the deflector itself. Two 6mm bolts through the deflector and into the plate hold it in place. On this page click on the third from left image in the lower "view fewer images" panel. I think you need 53879A and 53852B I think are what you're looking for. Plus the bolts, but those you can get at a hardware store.

https://parts.toyota.com/a/Toyota__Matr ... tml#53876A


Screenshot 2022-12-20 at 19-50-46 HOOD & FRONT FENDER. Toyota Matrix Toyota Parts Center Online.png

Thank you for these! I was replacing some clips underneath and found the two bolts to be sheared off, probably from bottoming out and tearing the deflector off. I'm gonna pull the bracket to see if I can't get the bolts out, but night have to order both the deflector and bracket.