GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Can anyone tell me what that small box is under the drivers seat? I have an 05 with just the basic cd system NO MT. It looks like a little amp on a stand.

That would be your inverter for the AC power outlet on the dash...

Since the subject came up... has anyone thought about replacing the inverter with one of a higher wattage capacity? I wonder why they just put a puny 100W unit in there? I've seen 300W units that aren't much bigger.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably to keep from drawing too much power and adversely affecting performance or causing overloading/overheating problems with the wiring/electrical system. The 100W was probably just the safest way to go.

I'd like more watts out of the inverter because we lose power a fair amount where I live, and i found out this past winter that my 100W Vibe inverter has only enough current to power the blower in my woodstove at the lowest setting. you could wire up a bigger one to use the same power switch in the dash, but i'd recommend using it to control a bigger relay, along with a bigger fuse and 12V wires. you'd want all the 12V stuff to be rated for about 40+ amps, I think the one in there now is run off a 15A fuse.

What can be powered by this outlet? Can you power a dvd player?

Certainly... Anything under 100 watts you can power. I keep an extension cord in the car so I can use both my NiMh battery charger, and charge the PDA at the same time for instance.The maximum wattage for whatever equipment *should* be listed on it somewhere.

I have a small 600w inverter that i'm going to put in the spare tire compartment... It's probably 100w because of the wiring in the car.. and it's only meant to power laptops, dvd players, etc...

Thanks to everyone who has responded. Your help is appreciated.