GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

The few things I would want changed:1. The auto-on lights... I cannot stand the 15- 30 second delay at night. 2. light up the window control/ door locks 3. in my old S-10 the radio would stay on until one of the doors opened, I would like that again, as well as the lights coming on when you remove the key. 4. A hard plastic, removable cargo cover. thats about it. I love everything else about the car.

Does anyone on GenVibe have a contact at either GM or Pontiac who we could pass this list onto where it would get serious review and/or consideration?If so, I'd be willing to undertake the task of compiling a list of all driver concerns/suggestions mentioned here to be sent on to the aforementioned individual...

Here's another one that I ran into yesterday. Got in, started driving. A couple of miles later the door ajar light started flickering. Reached around and checked and all the doors were closed properly. When I finally stopped, I found out that the hatch was only half latched. Wasn't going to fly open, but wasn't secure either. Should have showed me the door ajar all the time, not just when I hit a bump.

quote:The clutch to start switch is not adjustable. (I had to put a spacer on the back of the clutch pedal arm)when I Installed some new pedals, the screws were so long that I wasn't able to start my car but if you get up under there with a pair of pliers, you can bend out the arm that hits the switch, to make it easier to start, I also ended up cutting the screws down, so now it is even easier than ever to start the car

quest pedals, blue anodized, got them on special for 10 bucks at autozone, cause there was no instructions in the package

quote:Here's another one that I ran into yesterday. Got in, started driving. A couple of miles later the door ajar light started flickering. Reached around and checked and all the doors were closed properly. When I finally stopped, I found out that the hatch was only half latched. Wasn't going to fly open, but wasn't secure either. Should have showed me the door ajar all the time, not just when I hit a bump. It doe that because the door bounces back and forth on the sensor...sometimes, it thinks it's closed, but then hits a bump whcih knocks the door off teh sensor...not necessarily a design defect, rather, just adhering to the law of physics...

thanks, I like them, plus they gave me at least an extra 10hp

yeah they are aluminum, I agree, they should come with sporty pedals

quote:It doe that because the door bounces back and forth on the sensor...sometimes, it thinks it's closed, but then hits a bump whcih knocks the door off teh sensor...not necessarily a design defect, rather, just adhering to the law of physics...I knew why the light was intermittent. My gripe is that the sensor should detect when the hatch is not closed properly. Had other vehicles with a hatch, little cars, minivans, canyoneros. Vibe was the first one that had a latch/sensor setup where the sensor didn't come on all the time if the hatch wasn't fully latched. It's not a big deal, just an annoyance. I'd rather know as soon as I start the car, and not have to stop once I'm on the highway. The easy fix would be for me to just close the hatch properly

quote:The easy fix would be for me to just close the hatch properly You and me both, lol.Basically, what you're saying, is use a different kind of sensor...

quote:Basically, what you're saying, is use a different kind of sensor...I just checked out that sensor, no way to rig it yeah they should use a different sensor, one that you could rig btw, I'm the king of rigging

I thnk some cars had a spring so that the hatch was pushed away from the sensor if it wasn't shut all the way. Sort of like the hood setup, but with a weaker spring. Another had enough weather stripping/door seal that was compressed when the hatch was closed right, and pushed it away just enough if it wasn't. Could just be a close tolerance, and on my car it's right on the borderline. It's happened to me all of one time in the five months I've had the car, so it's no big deal. I guess I don't really think they ought to mess with it too much, I really like how the doors fit and close easily. I'd hate to have to slam the hatch to get it to stay closed.

I have the same problem sometimes...they should reduce the force of the hydraulics a bit in my opinion, cause that's what seems to make it more difficult to close...

redesign the front door interior so there is a place to rest one's arm.

My list woudl include:I was not happy to not be able to On-Star with my Vibe.I would have sprung for the nav system if it would have worked as a DVD head unit to drive a monitor for the kids in the back seat, (Like a back-of-headrest LCD Display) or displayed DVD's on the actual nav screen.And what about this "AUX" button on my 6-disc changer? If there is an aux input (like for a MP3 player, etc...) where the heck is it?Is there anyway for GM to put Onstar on a non-Onstar vehicle? I would assume that it is a matter of putting on an antenna, getting power to the unit, and providing sensors for the Airbag deployment and GPS...... How tough should that be???????The power inverter that is included on the vehicle is nice.... but like with all things, I wish there was MORE POWER..... hmmmmmm probably gonna havta rewire it....Other than that, I am happy with the cosmetics and performance of the Vibe.... (I've got the GT 6-speed in Shadow) I just wish that the antenna, although looking good cosmetically, was not in the way of items placed on the roof-rack...

The liftgate on my Vibe takes quite a bit of force to close. I have gotten into the habit of pulling back after closing it to make sure it is latched. More often than not it doesn't latch on the first try, and if I don't remember to check it, I'll take off with a thump coming from the back and a flashing door ajar indicator. The liftgate on my friend's Vibe closes with minimal effort. And will close fully each time.His is significantly newer, build date 03/2003 compared to 11/2002 for mine, so perhaps they started adjusting them differently from the factory...?

My hatch closes great, and easily. Only time I have trouble is when something is in the way, like when i got it, came with a cargo mat and I left it in the original plastic for a while, and it would slide around a lot, and sometimes interfere with the hatch closing. (an english teacher defintely wouldn't like that sentence) I'd say if you routinely need to really slam the hatch, then you might consider taking back to the dealer for an adjustment. Shouldn't be that hard to close it, and also should be covered under the warranty.

I was thinking that was just the nature of the beast... But now I know it isn't so, as I've seen otherwise... I tell ya, having another Vibe readily available for comparison is great. It's goin' in for an oil change this weekend, I think I'll see what they can do.

Ig Gm is truly watching this website then the only complaint is why such a large company, promises a car for the tuner market, but when it comes time to deliver the sister car has double the available performance parts for its car (TRD) has way more stuff for their Matrix than gm. Would love a front sway bar from Gm etc. I'm kinda sick of watching the imports pass me by when the potential of this car can be seen and nothing is availble. You can't buy the spoiler yet (In canada) without the whole kit. Cold air intake from Gm? Where is it? Trd already has theirs out. As they say in business comit entirly and kick some (removed) or get out and put your resources into something better. I f by the end of 2 years nothing is happening with Gm and the aftermarket segment for the vibe I'll be buying import. You know a good strategy would be if Gm took a couple of cars in test cities tricked them up to the Gills and let them loose on the streets and tracks and showed everyone what its cars can do. Every weekend at Race city there's track racing if their vibes showed up and started stomping the civic's and the like word of mouth would probably increase the market share that they are steadily losing to the commited import companies. Did anyone see a gm car in any of the fast and furious movies? My point exactly.

I've never known GM to release CAI's for their cars --Plus, everyone knows this is a Toyota at heart...so my guess is GM saves the times and energy and doesn't bother developing performance parts when they're already out there. All TRD parts will work in the Vibe...

All this complaining is kinda funny. If you read all the people complaints over again... you will notice a lot of the following comment: "my (fill in the name of your old pontiac car) has this feature"Please realize that a lot of the features you guys don't like are toyota features. Name one Pontiac car that has a moonroof with crappy controls, name one pontiac car that doesn't have a good tilt steering setting. Most all Pontiac cars come with Speed control volume, most pontiacs come with lighted window controls and fog light indicators... These are just a few of the common small complaints.THANK TOYOTA, NOT PONTIAC. I do a crap load of competitor benchmarking at work, and I've driven almost every toyota product on the market (including that crap-box prius) and I notice the daily differences (the little ones) between the two companies. I would really like to see GM/pontiac gain a little more control in the future over this car, and hopefully have the Vibe/Matrix split off in thier own direction. Until then, be happy with what you've got because they are still very nice cars.

quote:All this complaining is kinda funny. I have never, ever seen a post on this site where some Vibe owner said " I got rid of my Vibe because I didn't like it". So, either everybody likes it, or those that don't don't post here. Every vehicle has different things that somebody will feel can be better. I think the purpose of this thread was to post what people thought could be improved in the hope (apparently misguided) that there would be some GM or Toyota rep that might see these things, and possibly improve the product in future models. I would think this is the kind of feedback that the manufacturers would like to get. When people referred to features on other cars they had, I did not take it as if they were saying that this should be a standard Pontiac feature., more like this is a feature that they miss. Could be wrong, but that's how I took it. So, is there nothing about the Pontiac Vibe that you feel could be improved? Is it your total concept of THE perfect car?

not at all is it my total concept of a perfect car... but I was just simply pointing out that all the people who say, My old pontiac.... should realize the reason the Vibe is different is because toyota has most of the control. A few things for example can be the Cat's meow horn, and the fact that the steering wheel totally blocks visibility of the windshield wiper controls. So many toyota models have those problems, and ironically, so do our Vibes. I'm not saying to stop complaining... I was just pointing out the source of most of the complaints, thats all.

Those little holes in the plastic behind the bin located at the rear of the shifter console should be covered so that pens and other junk can't fall in there.And another thing...I'd like to see 325 horses in there.

quote:I'd like to see 325 horses in there.I'd like to see more like 350 or 400 -- but kdon't raise the price more than a grand or two. Now THERE'S a challenge...

quote:If I see a Vibe with a blower coming out of the hood, I will just stare..... I'm thinking about it, but will charge for autographs. Money talks... wish I had some.

Love to see the awd version with a lot more kick this car would be fun on a rally if the AWD had more guts. The DRL is mandatory in Canada so nothing there except the side markers glowing bright yellow kinda like the old SAturns would of been cool. White background dials with red or black numbers would of been cool better yet maybe a chrome scheme? I afree about the cigarette lighter lighting being green..why? Move the cd shanger from under the seat to the back of he car..another storage compartment under there would of been better. Overall the car is great would of loved ram air hood as option or celica type inlet at front. This car has a long life ahead of it just don't do what you did to sunfire...every year some new quirky nose cheapens the look I think.

Sorry about the spelling my gooder english coming through haha

quote:I'm not saying to stop complaining... I was just pointing out the source of most of the complaints, thats all.I misunderstood, and thought you were saying that people finding fault with Vibes was silly. Now I get it.

I want a File Drawer or tilt-out bin. It should have just enough room for two or three vanilla file folders. It could be in the door, under a seat, or anywhere else that the driver could reach.Now I'll tell you why... My Vibe came with lots of paperwork. I like to keep all the records of gas purchases, repairs, add-ons, etc., in one place. Right now I keep all that in a file folder in a file cabinet inside my house. But since all the info in that files relates to and is generated by the Vibe, I think it should be kept there. Then each receipt, repair invoice, purchase order, etc., I get when the work is done or the tank is filled or the part is picked up can be filed away right then and there... in the Vibe!Are you listening, Vibe designers?KSNeptune

I will that we could get Xm added to car as factory add on

You can. It's available on 2004 Vibes.

but his (and mine)are 03 models...

This thread was started to ask people what they wanted to see added to new (2004-up) Vibes. You asked for XM and GM gave it to you. If you want it so bad, trade in your '03 on an '04.

Here's what I want on my next Vibe! Well damn! Maybe the attachment was too big! (although it was under the listed 5 meg limit) Anyway, it was an ad for a Citroen that looked quite Vibe-like. It morphed into a Transformer and started dancing up a storm. Very cool!

More 12v power outlets - one on the back of center console for rear passengers and one in the cargo area.A little more power for the base model would be nice.But other than that it's "ay ok" in my book.

Quote, originally posted by MadBill »Here's what I want on my next Vibe! Well damn! Maybe the attachment was too big! OK, try this: Go to this site and click on the "See the TV ad" button: http://www.citroen.co.uk/c4/ho...pe=c4The C4 even looks kinda Vibish...

Ok, you forced me into it, everyone has said their peace, my turn, short and sweet. 1. No roofracks (still haven't had time to take mine off.) I guess I'm middleaged for a Vibe owner at 26 but I would never use or put anything on my roof, nor do I know anyone from age 18-100 that would use these racks.(I will put my ski's in the car thanks) 2. Please put some lights in the car, ie. the window buttons on the driver side, we have 4 buttons only one light that says "auto" 3. Horn...any questions? 2b. If we have an auto window "down" why not an auto "up"? 4. A GM motor and tranny, let's see a 200-240hp Vibe from the factory, call it whatever you want...ie. Vibe GXP, Vibe "JCPenny Edition", hey why not, Ford has an Eddie Bauer Explorer. 5. Get rid of the GTO front end, go back to the 03-04. One of reasons I bought my vibe was the cool "Bird" looking front end, like the mid/late 60's Firebird's. Ok, Ok and yeah the late 60's GTO too, but the 05 faciea (sp) sucks!

OK, I'll reply to a 2 year old thread... *lol*I like my '03 the way it is, for the most part.I *WILL NOT* buy an '05 Vibe. If you *give* me an '05 Vibe, I will sell it to the highest bidder and go buy a Matrix. The new front fascia is dorky as all hell, and that's all it took for me. I'm not a fan of the two tone plastic around the bottom, either. Makes it look too much like a Rav4 or a Honda Element.Pontiac is moving away from the plastic body trim of the '90s at a pretty good clip. Dump the grey plastic altogether for '06...On a technical level?I want an *AWD* GT 2zz 6spd Manual.I'll pay the $24,000 price tag that would command, too.

So, doesn't anybody else think that Citroen ad (link a couple of posts back) is great and that it would be a cool feature for the Vibe?

No.I want a car that's a *clone of* the Matrix.Not an APU *from* The Matrix.If I wanted a Citroen, I'd buy a 2CV.Besides, if you REALLY wanted one, there's a grey market for them.

All wheel drive or 4 wheel drive with a standard transmission and possibly a more powerful motor (not a hopped up cam system like the GT - we'd want the lower end torque not the high end).

Quote, originally posted by MadBill »So, doesn't anybody else think that Citroen ad (link a couple of posts back) is great and that it would be a cool feature for the Vibe? That's a great ad! It's up there with the Rube Goldburg Honda ad. That car would make a great Christmas present, good for the kid in all of us. The C4 looks like a cross between a Honda CRX and a Vibe.

On my 2003 vibe, there is a ledge, or lip, at the front of the rear wheel wells. Mine is always collecting dirt, gravel, sticks, etc. I try to keep it cleaned out because it seems like this accumlated debris is going to cause it to be a rust problem area down the road. Is the front side of the rear wheel wells the same on the newer Vibes? If it is, then GM should change this so that it is flush, stuff should fall clear instead of accumulating.

Attached files

Yes, I always clean them out before I take the Vibe in for its annual rustproofing and verify there's pools of oil in them when I collect it! PS: I can't believe this thread is still running! I started it in Dec '02. Guess this proves we're all frustrated Engineers at heart!

1. go back to the old style front end.2. more power3. standard cargo mat4. wind noise5. longer lasting trannys

Old thread bumpI wonder if GM will incorporate any of our suggestions in the 08 model.

Probably not. Its GM we are talking about here. They are just lucky Toyota was nice enough to build Vibes for them, the only good car in their ENTIRE lineup.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that

i can't help but think we were partly responsible for a sub being added to the premium stereo. a huge complaint here was about how it had no bass, but was considered "premium"