GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Fixed the under shifter compartment. The latch stopped latching this weekend. I brought the tray/cubby into work and fixed it on my lunch break at my desk.

Popped off the 2 screws, noticed where the spring is held in by a ridge of plastic. The ridge broke. I made a small hole in the side where the ridge was, bent the spring to fit in the hole and put it all back together. Good as new.

Today I took the lumbar support out of the back and placed it in front, between the foam and the fabric. I adjusted it a few times to get the height just right. There is no need to take the seat out of the car. A write up will follow when I get to it.

I added sound proofing to the passenger door. I get the hang of it. I noticed on that door the lower exterior trim is a bit loose and rattles.

Toyotiaction wrote:Fixed the under shifter compartment. The latch stopped latching this weekend. I brought the tray/cubby into work and fixed it on my lunch break at my desk.

Popped off the 2 screws, noticed where the spring is held in by a ridge of plastic. The ridge broke. I made a small hole in the side where the ridge was, bent the spring to fit in the hole and put it all back together. Good as new.

Haha nice. I did a little jerry-rigging this weekend as well. My t/o bearing was chirping pretty bad so I sprayed it down with some white lithium grease. Its quiet now!

Bought some XRS rear cables for my parking brake. Didn't quite work. Cursed a few times. Then started the car up without the muffler attached to cheer myself up. It worked pretty well.

Last weekend I painted a few exterior parts on my Vibe with satin black Krylon Fusion. I did the small grilles next to the fog lights, the lower grille, the upper grilles, the pieces under the windshield wipers, the windshield wiper arms and the windshield wiper blade housings. Nothing really looks too different except for the pieces under the windshield wipers which were pretty faded. I probably won't be doing any more painting anytime soon as the weather is supposed to get hot and humid .

Yesterday I was in the area, so I stopped by the WeatherTech factory store in Bolingbrook, IL. Wow! Since the last time I was there about 2 years ago, they have opened their new, "state of the art" factory store which is two levels, has a cafe (where apparently everything is complimentary!) and tons of floor space with all their products on display in addition to an old car and a bunch of motorcycles on display as well. Anyway, I stopped in to pick up a bottle of their TechCare Floor Mat & Liner Cleaner and Floor Mat & Liner Protector. I am hoping the combination of these two products will get our GM floor and cargo mats looking a little nicer. I will make a post in the Washing, Waxing & Cleaning Forum once I have time to use the stuff. It was $24.99 (plus tax) for 1 bottle of cleaner and 1 bottle of protector. Not too bad, especially if they work as well as they claim.

vibenvy wrote: I probably won't be doing any more painting anytime soon as the weather is supposed to get hot and humid .

I'll be visiting Chicago next week and I'm looking forward to the break in heat and humidity! Its been in the 90's here!

I restored the headlights with the Sylvania brand kit. I took pictures, but they weren't really bad enough to see in the photos so I won't be posting them. They're like new now!

09vGT wrote:I'll be visiting Chicago next week and I'm looking forward to the break in heat and humidity! Its been in the 90's here!

If you have time, we should meet up! I'm assuming you still have my number? If so, text me and let me know if / when you'll have some free time.

Last Friday I had a Magnaflow catback exhaust (#16849) installed on my Vibe ! I ended up getting an amazing deal from HottExhaust. They sent me a coupon code for $146.xx off the exhaust and they offer free shipping, so the exhaust cost me $440.87 and my exhaust guy charged me $60.00 for the install. Not bad at all if you ask me!

It sounds amazing. It's very mellow and barely louder then stock. Just the sound (or lack thereof) I was looking for! The fit is also great. It tucked up against the underbody very snuggly and the new muffler is about half the size of the OEM muffler so it hides great up under the rear bumper cover. I will post pictures later on this week/weekend...

vibenvy wrote:Last Friday I had a Magnaflow catback exhaust (#16849) installed on my Vibe ! I ended up getting an amazing deal from HottExhaust. They sent me a coupon code for $146.xx off the exhaust and they offer free shipping, so the exhaust cost me $440.87 and my exhaust guy charged me $60.00 for the install. Not bad at all if you ask me!

It sounds amazing. It's very mellow and barely louder then stock. Just the sound (or lack thereof) I was looking for! The fit is also great. It tucked up against the underbody very snuggly and the new muffler is about half the size of the OEM muffler so it hides great up under the rear bumper cover. I will post pictures later on this week/weekend...

I was thinking about getting one also, but I was thinking about swapping out the muffler for a flowmaster, due to problems that I have read about with the magnaflow ones. Let me know if you have any problems with it.

Broke yet another door handle the other day, this time on the passenger side rear door. 2nd one in a month. I'll be replacing it soon, and the driver's side rear as a precaution as well. A driver's door handle replacement isn't far off either, the keyhole cover is barely hanging on as it is.

And since the rear door panels shall be removed, I will install new speakers in the process. I suspect I will not be winning any sound competitions with a $39 set of Kenwood 6.5's I ordered today. But it should be a considerable improvement being that the fader has been shifted fully to the front for the last 7 years or so when the OEM's gave out.

ColonelPanic wrote:Broke yet another door handle the other day, this time on the passenger side rear door. 2nd one in a month. I'll be replacing it soon, and the driver's side rear as a precaution as well. A driver's door handle replacement isn't far off either, the keyhole cover is barely hanging on as it is.

And since the rear door panels shall be removed, I will install new speakers in the process. I suspect I will not be winning any sound competitions with a $39 set of Kenwood 6.5's I ordered today. But it should be a considerable improvement being that the fader has been shifted fully to the front for the last 7 years or so when the OEM's gave out.

A little bit of Peel and Seal on the door skin and such can do miracles for the sound quality.http://www.lowes.com/pd_154017-81326-PS ... Id=1018733" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I started on my clutch. Everything went smooth so far except I did rip one axle seal (not sure how). Then Toyota gave me the wrong ones. I bought them for a 2009 Matrix but I think they gave me the ones for at automatic or possibly the rear differential. When I came back in to order the correct ones, the the guy squinted his eyes and said "This isn't really for a vibe is it??", I said "No... It's for a 2009 Matrix". Apparently a lot of parts really are different. He said that multiple times per week people come in and order matrix parts for vibes and end up having to return them. I might actually have to go to GM for these. I guess we'll find out on Tuesday when the 'right ones' come in.

As far as my clutch job, I am replacing the flywheel, disc, pressure plate, release bearing and now axle seals apparently. My flywheel really could have been resurfaced, it didn't look bad at all but I already bought a new one so I don't really have a choice now. I think I'll resurface my old one and give it away on here. Does anybody need to do their clutch? Haha.

The disc was another story. It was so worn down that the rivets that hold the friction material were starting to grind against the pressure plate.

If you guys want more pics let me know. The car is still in pieces

You are making good progress. show us a picture of that disc.

Sometimes I check for compatibility of a part by searching a catalog under both vehicles to see if the part number matches. Rock Auto is a good place to do that.

Today, I took the carpet out and washed it with the garden hose. I have to let it dry over night. I added more sound deadener to the floor pan. I probably get up early in the morning to start putting it back together. Tomorrow will be a very hot day.

kaflex wrote:I was thinking about getting one also, but I was thinking about swapping out the muffler for a flowmaster, due to problems that I have read about with the magnaflow ones. Let me know if you have any problems with it.

From everything I have read online, Magnaflow is the only company that makes a muffler that mounts sideways and has the inlet and outlet on the same side (which is how the OEM setup on the 2009-2010 Vibe is). So far, the exhaust still sounds great except for a rattle that's developed right under the center console (I'm assuming it's coming from the connection between the catalytic converter and exhaust). I've got to stop and see my exhaust guy one day this week, but I'm not worried about it. It's more than likely something hitting a heat shield or something goofy like that, but boy does it sound like crap when you accelerate . I registered the exhaust online with Magnaflow, so if any issues do arise, I will definitely be contacting them and posting about it here on GV.

Yesterday I rotated the tires on my mom's Vibe. We are definitely going to need new tires in the spring. The OEMs are starting to crack on the inner sidewalls. They are going on 6 years old, so probably overdue anyway even if not for the cracks. There was a screw in the tread of one of the tires. I left it alone. Hopefully it holds until I put the winter wheels and tires on in a few months. Other than that, everything looked good. I'll be rotating mine within the next week or so. With any luck my Vibe won't pull to the right as much after I rotate the tires .

I also put on the new ugly yellow-ish, orange-ish 2014-2015 registration sticker on my license plate yesterday. New sticker was $141, but well worth it when I look at my sweet Route 66 VIBIN plates! Still so glad I got them !

Here's a picture of the Magnaflow catback exhaust before installation...



I will post pictures of it installed later this week after I have time to wash the Vibe...

vibrologist wrote:You are making good progress. show us a picture of that disc.

Sometimes I check for compatibility of a part by searching a catalog under both vehicles to see if the part number matches. Rock Auto is a good place to do that.

I tried rock auto but they don't have the seals available. I don't think any aftermarket company makes them yet. Luckily Toyota got it right this time. I got It all buttoned up yesterday after work.

Here is the grinded rivet on the clutch disc.



I also noticed something interesting. The OEM clutch is apparently made by Luk.



And hey vibenvy, that exhaust looks remarkably nice for an aftermarket!

Thanks for the picture. Yes, that clutch was finished. You are a fast mechanic too!

By the way if anyone cares to know: LuK stands for Lamellen und Kupplungsbau. They are located in the area where I grew up. They are a major employer there.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/LuK+G ... 39e5c1a367" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

vibrologist wrote:
By the way if anyone cares to know: LuK stands for Lamellen und Kupplungsbau. They are located in the area where I grew up. They are a major employer there.

Hmmmm ... I knew the Vibe had parts from all over the globe. Nice to see some German engineering went into the Vibe as well So you grew up over in Germany not far from that facility? Guess you're now a Loooong way from home

tpollauf wrote:

vibrologist wrote:
By the way if anyone cares to know: LuK stands for Lamellen und Kupplungsbau. They are located in the area where I grew up. They are a major employer there.

Hmmmm ... I knew the Vibe had parts from all over the globe. Nice to see some German engineering went into the Vibe as well So you grew up over in Germany not far from that facility? Guess you're now a Loooong way from home

Yes, very interesting!

Got these nasty things out of the rear doors the other day:




Pretty rough shape, I couldn't even get the cone to move on one.

End result:


Pretty painless install, save for the drilling out of the rivets. Lousy bits and a weak cordless drill battery weren't helping. The supplied mounting brackets actually worked out well, all the holes lined up so there was no need to drill through the door.

These probably won't wow anybody but they seem to be perfectly acceptable for the $40 price point to me. And they're definitely better than snap/crackle/pop or silence as we've been accustomed to over the years.

Also threw in a set of these, replacing the GE bulbs the car left the factory with in 2002:


Amazing difference in lighting compared to the old, dingy bulbs that were becoming a tad dangerous. The downside: Previous me did not alert future me that I had tried these before. I can't forget running $ilver$tars and having them fail on a regular basis, but I didn't recall trying these. At least they came down in price, this pair was about a buck more than two individual standard 9003's at Meijer.

tpollauf wrote:

vibrologist wrote:
By the way if anyone cares to know: LuK stands for Lamellen und Kupplungsbau. They are located in the area where I grew up. They are a major employer there.

Hmmmm ... I knew the Vibe had parts from all over the globe. Nice to see some German engineering went into the Vibe as well So you grew up over in Germany not far from that facility? Guess you're now a Loooong way from home

Yes, I still get some "Autobahn time" every 3 to 4 years. I am due....

Some Black fForest time doesn't hurt either:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qTL_s-9qwc

Put the trim back on. I am now ready to pass out because almost none of the clips holding the trim on the door came out, my trim removal tool wasn't working on them, and so I had to use a screwdriver blade pressing on the tabs on each side of every clip to remove them and 1 in 4 still wouldn't come out.

gtv237 wrote:And hey vibenvy, that exhaust looks remarkably nice for an aftermarket!

Yeah, it's a really nice setup! I am very pleased with it! One of these days I will get the Vibe washed and post some pictures of it installed.

Yesterday I rotated the tires on my Vibe. The front driver's side tire definitely has some uneven wear on the inside of the tire. I need to get that figured out before I get new tires in the spring.

There are only 2 kinds of Vibe owners: those who have replaced their fog lights and those who will replace their fog lights. Today I officially crossed over.

It's easy enough and can be done without tools. I still have to aim them though.

I took the opportunity to inspect the front struts. The driver's side is leaking. I will likely replace all 4 sometime next year.

vibrologist wrote:There are only 2 kinds of Vibe owners: those who have replaced their fog lights and those who will replace their fog lights. Today I officially crossed over.

That's most certainly a true statement!

We were fortunate enough to be old timers and got a set of ToolGuy's fog light protectors while he was still around. Many years later, they're still good!

Did my first mod on my new to me (bought brand new by my sister/BIL) 2004 Vibe. Removed the factory roof rack cross bars. Hope to max the mileage, I gave up a TDI Jetta for this one.

ColonelPanic wrote:

vibrologist wrote:There are only 2 kinds of Vibe owners: those who have replaced their fog lights and those who will replace their fog lights. Today I officially crossed over.

That's most certainly a true statement!

We were fortunate enough to be old timers and got a set of ToolGuy's fog light protectors while he was still around. Many years later, they're still good!

That's why I had trouble finding them! I might buy a sheet of lexan cut out two covers and mount them in front of the lenses.

Picked up the touch up paint I ordered for the 03 GT and 06 Vibe. Going to be painting them both tomorrow.

Sounds like fun! I need brushes far larger than that to fill in all the missing paint on ours. Maybe a paint roller will do.

I did some touch-up a couple weeks ago, the roof where the hatch meets lost all of its paint and began to rust.

trb, let me know how the paint works out. Seems every time we buy the GM paint in the proper color for Neptune it doesn't match at all - very much lighter than what's on the car. Sometimes I wonder if ours got that Corolla dark blue color on accident. Or I'm just doing it wrong - very possible. lol

Its hard to match paint on a older car. Even if you buy the correct color the paint on your car has faded over the years from the elements. Impossible to get a match

cptnsolo77 wrote:Its hard to match paint on a older car. Even if you buy the correct color the paint on your car has faded over the years from the elements. Impossible to get a match

Here is an opportunity to apply the epithet in my signature.

cptnsolo77 wrote:Its hard to match paint on a older car. Even if you buy the correct color the paint on your car has faded over the years from the elements. Impossible to get a match

Heck, even when the car was a couple years old the GM touch-up paint still didn't match. Multiple batches of the correct paint over the course of a decade and none of them looked right. Quite strange!

Looks like the blue is a bit darker than what is on the body side molding, but not enough of a difference to matter to me on a 11 yr old car. The rest of the paint is in such good condition on the sides, I just don't want the car to look like it was abused! The touch up paint on the sheet metal looks like it matches looking down, but does look a bit lighter looking up. I might put a second coat on a few of the deeper spots.

Before:





After:






Up close pics showing the match:




If I get really serious one day, I might just sand down the body side molding and repaint it completely. It would just require some of the paint in a can with the flex additive. But this will work for now!

Good work, thanks for sharing the pics!

Well I worked on the short shifter today. I added about 1/8 washers behind the top of the shifter to move it forward slightly and also remove a bit of plastic that was hitting the shifter cable arm when going into 5th or 6th. The shifter is now centered more in the boot and my hand won't hit the radar detector power connector when shifting into reverse.

Today was easy…cabin air filter change.

Another easy one…replaced the PCV valve.

Cleaned the MAF sensor and throttle body.

Changed ATF fluid, filter, and gasket.

I replaced that feeble horn with a Hi-Lo horn setup. Today I used the horn to get attention by a woman who made a call on the cell phone. I think it may have been the first time she got honked at for driving while calling. She drove erratically.
[attachment=1]2tonehorn vibe.jpg

The horns are Fiamm. The mounting hardware: The dark gray bracket is from the donor car (Ford or Volvo, I think) and the shiny bracket for the 2 horns I found collecting dust in my garage. I had to cut off some insulation on the male electrical connector.

drove about 5 hours to erie, pa

kaflex wrote:drove about 5 hours to erie, pa

Nice. I use to live in Erie. Visited PA last year for the first time in 9 years. I miss the change of seasons.

vibrologist,

Nice modification. Do you notice a dB increase? I installed a Stebel air horn on my motorcycle and man, what a difference.

KevinV wrote:vibrologist,

Nice modification. Do you notice a dB increase? I installed a Stebel air horn on my motorcycle and man, what a difference.

It is louder, but no way as loud as an air horn. That air horn may save your life some time. What are you riding? (hint: post in "The Others")

KevinV wrote:

kaflex wrote:drove about 5 hours to erie, pa

Nice. I use to live in Erie. Visited PA last year for the first time in 9 years. I miss the change of seasons.

Live in PA my whole life, on the N.E. side

I put a dual horn on from a Jeep Liberty, cost $5.00.

Loud?????????????????

Oh ya, its loud and gets attention.

Got a custom license plate frame:



And a dual tone horn. Been meaning to grab one for the past several weeks. This one is from an 02 Mustang:



And a hint on my next project:

New DENSO spark plugs, yay.