So i finally took her in...(its a long one)

[ashleymc_38]

What a mess..that is all I can say and it makes me feel as though if this car is even worth the trouble. I have an 04 vibe. Been having some problems with something underneath the hood, couldn't figure out what the hell the grinding, gurggling, etc., noise was. My I never suggest buying a pontiac or any other kind of car from a dealership that doesn't sell that type of car. Cause of course, i bought my vibe from a ford dealership, the extended warranty, just call it about worthless. It says all this nonsense in the brochure about me getting a rental car and that i have road side assistance. Well, come to find out, i get my rental car, thinking that everything is all said and done and i dont have to pay for it cause it says its covered, well, its not. Took the car in monday, its friday today, 20 bucks a day, it adds up. But thank God that the dealership guy was nice enough to help and say not to worry about it. So i'm asking this guy, "well how come these sales people don't tell us customers about this *bleep*" Cause when i pick up my car tomorrow i have to pay $100 deductible and of course, i would of had to pay for the car if they didn't pick up the tab. But anyways, about the car. They went in to go find the problem, comes to find out its the belt tensioner. They wanted 299 bucks to fix the dang thing. Cause what ford did was send the car to the pontiac dealership next door (b/c i first took it in to a pontiac dealership but they said they couldn't do nething w/the warranty even though the ford dealership when i called said they would, so i took it back to ford to complain). 177 for the part, 100 bucks for labor, and plus taxes and fees. So the dealership guy is telling me that if i dont get it fixed soon enough that basically the power steering, yadda yadda, will go and i wont be able to drive..true or false? Neone have any idea of what a belt tensioner cost? Well, just as they were getting back everything in the car and go for a drive, car died right on the spot. Go to pick the car up last night thinking it was ready cause they said so, PCM has to be replaced. $800! I was thinking, "what the heck are they trying to do to me here." But luckly, somehow that is under warranty. But hopefully this will be the last of my troubles for this car for a while. Also, does anyone know if the belt tensioner is under factory warranty for a certain amount of miles? My stepdad is trying to convince me to go in and ask about the whole drivetrain/powertrain warranty, whatever you call it, so that i dont have to pay for it...ne suggestions?Thanks for the time guys!

[northvibe]

are you still under 36000 miles? if you are then everything should be covered. Im not sure about how long the drivetrain is though....crap they are really pullin ya around. I would get the district manager on the phone and complain like hell. extended warranties have reputations like that from any place you buy them from. usually when you buy the extended it should extended the bumper to bumper but you have to read the fine print.

[AKLGT]

yep, not a huge extended warranty fan myself. of course, i've not OWNED a vehicle long enough for it to kick in and i've usually voided it with my mods. LOL

[JohnC]

Some generic advice...do not buy extended warrantiesdo not buy used cars from deaslershipsdo not buy used cars if you do not have them thoroghly checked out by a trusted mechanicdo not buy used cars if you expect to not have any trouble with themdo not take your car to a dealership for repairs unless it is factory warranty work.Sorry for your problems, hope things work out ok.

[ToolGuy]

Well fist I am sorry for the luck you are having... I think you hit the nail on the head when you stated do not buy a Pontiac from a non-Pontiac dealership...

[Atomb]

Quote, originally posted by JohnC »Some generic advice...do not buy extended warrantiesdo not buy used cars from deaslershipsdo not buy used cars if you do not have them thoroghly checked out by a trusted mechanicdo not buy used cars if you expect to not have any trouble with themdo not take your car to a dealership for repairs unless it is factory warranty work.Sorry for your problems, hope things work out ok.of course there are occasions when some of the above aren't true...but maybe i can add 'more often than not' to the beginning?Quote »I think you hit the nail on the head when you stated do not buy a Pontiac from a non-Pontiac dealership...and after having my vibe for just over 2 years and the hassles i went though...i'd like to change this comment to:Don't buy a 'non-pontiac' (read: Toyota) from a pontiac dealership!

[ashleymc_38]

One thing though, I think I rushed wayyy to much with buying a car. I had my eye on getting a Vibe for like a year and then all of a sudden I saw the one I just had to have..and look what quick repluses get you : ( My tranny on my other car wen though so I needed one and my dad was pretty much stern about getting what I wanted but he approved of..well..my vibe that is now not working the way a car should work..that is..actually RUNNING! I've only had this car since Feb. and as much as I love it you need to learn to hate it at times like these. The rental car that they gave me actually runs a lot worse than my car was though. 2006 Ford Focus, has about 8k miles on it and weather stripping is starting to wear, shakes pretty bad at stop lights and is when it comes to quality, has none what-so-ever. The visors seem like they are made out of styrofoam. I'm sorry for anyone who owns one of these, but they are just way worse than the vibe when it comes to quality and reliability. And another thing that upsets me, is that consumer reports rate the vibe so highly when really they need to re-evaluate what they are researching. Sorry to be so critical, I still love my car just I dont think i'll ever be buying a pontiac in the future.

[ToolGuy]

Well I hear you but you did buy a used Toyota/Pontiac... Therefore you have no idea how it was treated before you owned it. They really are very reliable cars if not modded. Once modded like any car for that matter though, someone can have issues from a modification...

[tnpartsguy]

Quote, originally posted by JohnC »Some generic advice...do not buy extended warrantiesdo not buy used cars from deaslershipsdo not buy used cars if you do not have them thoroghly checked out by a trusted mechanicdo not buy used cars if you expect to not have any trouble with themdo not take your car to a dealership for repairs unless it is factory warranty work.Sorry for your problems, hope things work out ok.This just burns me up. Sorry John, please don't consider this an attack (as I did, working for a REPUTABLE Dealership), but this is just misinformation.1st, the only extended warranty on the PLANET that will actually do what it says it will do is GMPP/Major Guard; if you don't have it, you DID waste your money.2nd, buying a used car from a dealer is not a bad option at all, not sure why you'd say DO NOT....Last, not taking your car to a dealership, especially a NEWER car can be the biggest mistake most people could make today... This dealership has to spend many thousands of dollars every year just on special tools (Tool-Guy can tell you exactly how much the average dealership spends, I'll bet ;}) and each of our techs has at least 24 hours a year spent on training (btw, we paid them for that). Basically what I'm saying is don't lump all dealerships together, not all of them are bad. I will say that some are horrid, but to generalize that ALL dealers are bad is just not fair, nor is it correct.And just to make sure it's understood correctly, any GM vehicle can get GMPP, at any time after the purchase (whether its bought new or used) as long as it has under 36K miles, and is under 3 yrs from the intial delivery date.Sorry you got jerked around Ashley, I hope it won't scar your Vibe ownership experience.

[ashleymc_38]

I was gonna say tell me a little more about that GMPP warranty but my car is way above the 36k mark. I'm up at about 57k right now. Ya, my car is getting up there for its starting point to wear and tear, its just I dont want to have to worry about it just months after I bought the thing. I know my mom had a grand am, head gasket went on that and since then its been ..for lack of better words..just garbage, so I just hope that there isn't to many more problems to go wrong.I mean, I dont know how the people before have treated it but I only wish I did. But i guess that is the chance you have to take when you buy a used car. My last car, a 1992 plymouth acclaim, lasted me 2 years before anything went wrong with it. Loved that car to death for being so grandma-ish but hey, when nothing goes wrong with a car you gotta love the thing. Tranny went with low mileage, about 120k but i dont know if it was just b/c of age, usual wear and tear, etc. The dealer is helping me out though, as my rental car expense is being waived even though i should be paying, which i appreciate but sometimes i just dont think they should offer those warranties if it is going to be such a big confusion in the end. Makes me feel as though these car companies just cant stick to their word and they wonder why car sales are so friggin low. Ya, its the economy but maybe its also the problems that people are having with these vehicles that they can't afford to get fixed....you never know..just look at me..lol.

[ToolGuy]

Lots of people have been in the same boat so do not feel bad... The sales people, not all but some, sell whatever warranty and tell the customer everything is covered just to make the sale. Sad but true... And the only way a customer knows what is or is not covered is not until after it is bought and they read the contract. Which by then it is too late. My advice and if you can afford it is to the have all the following items looked at and changed out i.e. plugs, wires, trans fluid, radiator fluid, thermostat, engine belt, air filter, cabin filter and PCV, all that stuff changed out. That way you know where you are and could count on no issues from those items. Unless some of these items have already been done... Do not go by the 100,000 mile interval on spark plugs. If the plugs are left in that long you will most likely have annoying issues like low power, not smooth idle, the plugs getting stuck in the cylinder heads and could throw misfire codes and more. Just like 100,000 mile coolant in some cars. That is misleading because the coolant hoses and thermostat do not last that long, thus when they are changed the coolant should be too. OK I am done with my technical garbage! I will stop...

[ToolGuy]

This is true... We have seen the trend of many mom & pop repair shops closing because they cannot or do not want to pay for the newest equipment and repair tools to repair all vehicles. Cars today as we all know have more electrical components on them than years ago and if not repaired correctly that component can be damaged. Technicians now have a PC right next to or in their toolboxes, the good techs that is and not techs stuck back in the 1960's. The dealerships have to have the equipment per their agreement thus are trained and know how to use it.

[Houston]

Quote, originally posted by tnpartsguy »Basically what I'm saying is don't lump all dealerships together, not all of them are bad. I will say that some are horrid, but to generalize that ALL dealers are bad is just not fair, nor is it correct.I totally agree with this. I've bought all my trucks and cars from the Durand, MI dealer since 1987 and have never had complaints. I've always had great service and free rental cars from them. I really don't know anybody there, so this isn't a plug for friends. That dealership is great, that's all, and I highly recommend them.

[ashleymc_38]

Its not technical garbage, its just I dont understand a lot of it and its like the people who do know things about my car, (my stepdad, uncle) they either 1) dont "hear" anything wrong or 2) they just dont have the time to fix it. My b/f is supposed to be going next year to college for mechanics but as for now, I'm left as the girl at the shop getting suckered into everything : ( My b/f has suggested to me though that why dont i have someone come over from genvibe to see what my car is like and who may have some suggestions on what could be wrong. So in the Michigan forum, I may soon have a post asking about this : )

[ToolGuy]

Well since you live where you live, I work in Warren and live near Rochester Hills, you could always stop my my office if you have an issue... I would always be willing to help and or hook a scan tool up for you if your check engine light comes on! For free too! My company makes and sells all the dealership service tools for GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Jaguar, and many, many more companies!We are also in the process of leasing the building next to our current and will be installing 5 lifts and lots of tools! Starting next month...When your boyfriend goes to school, I am sure he will hear of our tools Miller, Kent-Moore and OTC. Just let me know whenever! You can tell where my office is by my sig pic!

[ashleymc_38]

Quote, originally posted by Houston »I totally agree with this. I've bought all my trucks and cars from the Durand, MI dealer since 1987 and have never had complaints. I've always had great service and free rental cars from them. I really don't know anybody there, so this isn't a plug for friends. That dealership is great, that's all, and I highly recommend them.Well I see that you live in Swartz Creek, which is by P.H. right? Where is Durand at though, and what kind of dealership are they? I'm guessing pontiac, gmc right? Glad to know at least you have some luck with the dealers! I thought I liked Imlay City Ford (where i bought my car) the head service department guy is really nice but the salespeople even though the guy who sold me my car went out of the way to do everything he could to make sure i'd get that car and get me the best interest rate, now I just think it was all just a bunch of crap.

[J-freakie]

I am Ashley's (ashleymc_38) boyfriend. I just had another question. They said something about how the suspension wasnt set up right from the factory, aparently to me that means that they were all made that way, that is why the back tires dont last as long as the front ones. Is that true? Also, is there anyway of fixing it? Reposition the ball ... or even upgrade the suspension?Ohh, and Mi VIbe-ToolGuy ... unfortunatly I have not heard of that brand of tools Also, are you looking for any help there? Not mechanic wise, but maybe a shop ***** (for lack of better words)Also, I almost forgot to add ... does the PCM just fail by itself??dan

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by tnpartsguy »1st, the only extended warranty on the PLANET that will actually do what it says it will do is GMPP/Major Guard; if you don't have it, you DID waste your money.Heh, what a ripoff the GMPP is... I only got $8,000+ worth of new parts and no telling how much labor when I had the vibe. God that was a great warranty!GMPP MajorGuard rocked, it saved me from having to enter bankruptcy because of that stupid Vibe. I'll ALWAYS suggest it to anyone that buys a GM car that can get it... Yes, even on TOYOTAS, as I proved, it can be very useful. But many will never believe me.

[JohnC]

Quote, originally posted by tnpartsguy »This just burns me up. Sorry John, please don't consider this an attack (as I did, working for a REPUTABLE Dealership), but this is just misinformation.I am glad you work for a good dealership and sorry if I offended you.I worked at a Buick dealership and have purchased many new vehicles from various dealerships and have not found a "reputable" one yet. They all try to rip you off on the purchase price and rape you on a trade in. The service dept will not let you talk to the actual person who will/has worked on your car, instead they make you deal with a service rep who usually will not write down the problem correctly (or not enough info). On factory paid repairs they rush thru the job as fast as they can because they are not being paid as much, and when you are paying them by the hour they still rush thru it. Even though they charge time by the book. I think the majority of Americans would rather have a root canal than to have to negotiate with a car salesman or take thier cars in for repair at a dealership service dept. Check with your Attorney Generals office or Better Business Bureu and you will find that dealerships are usually on or near the top of the consumer complaints list.Here is the Arizona AG's Office video on the subject, there are some very good suggestions in it in regaurd to vehicle sales.http://www.azag.gov/consumer/CarBuyingVideo.html

[JohnC]

Quote, originally posted by Atomb »of course there are occasions when some of the above aren't true...but maybe i can add 'more often than not' to the beginning?That is what I ment by "generic". Guess I didn't use the correct word.

[Mavrik]

Maybe there should be a thread called "My sales person never told me." And then all of us can submit things.For example... Extended warranty is an awsome thing to have if you consider keeping your vehicle for longer then the factory warranty lasts either time or mileage wise. In case of a break down, it can cover the repairs.However... you really need to read the booklet for that extended service contract before you buy it. It will list whats covered and what is not. Example being wear items... brakes belts, lights, hoses, clutch just to name a few. Also do you plan to modify the car? Certain mods can black flag your car and this includes factory warranty as well. You pay to play.But what the sales department doesn't tell you is this (but this should be in the extended warranty booklet I suggest reading just like your owners manual.) -Rentals can be paid for providing the repair is covered by the warranty. If it isn't, then they won't pay for the rental.-Towing to a certain mileage or authorized repair facility is covered... but again providing that the repair is covered.-Deductable can be $0.00 to $250 depending on your contract. If you look on your contact you signed it should say if you have a reducing, one time or constant deductable per claim.-Parts. Some extended warranty companies are cheap lil buggers. They will only pay a certain amount for parts and will even force repair facilities to use used or aftermarket parts. So make sure that your getting new dealership parts, they come with their own warranty for 1 year for most but have a mileage restriction. If there is an issue with aftermarket parts, pay the difference between that and a dealer part if you really do not want used or aftermarket on the car.-Large claims of over $1000 in repairs can be time consuming. IE: engine or transmission related repairs. You may need to authorize teardown of that area to determine what went wrong as the extended warranty won't cover a failed part unless its proven to have failed. You may be on the hook for the diag cost if the repair is not covered. Once the cause is found, an adjuster comes out the same as you get for insurance claims. They then report back to the extended warranty their findings which can hinge on coverage.-Who can perform extended warranty repair? Some extended warranty companies will only work with the selling dealer or in your case Ford. Some will work with anyone and others will work with any car dealership but not some local repair shop. It is best to call your extended warranty and find out if they will let a certain repair shop work on your car, and if so, then contact that repair shop and see if they will work with that extended warranty.I am assuming that your belt tensioner is considered part of the wearable belt section and not covered? As for power train warranty, it would be a covered item but unless something changed, Canadian Vibes have powertrain warranty and US ones do not. At least thats how it was up to 2005. I have not followed much with that since.Now I'm not going to get into the discussion of dealer vs local mech shop but I will say this. Sure some dealerships have bad reps or poor techs and or customer service. But so do local repair shops. Plus local repair shops do not have the access to the latest information, the latest equipment invented for the latest vehicles and their techs do not get sent off for training several times a year on the latest issues. As a dealership employee, I'll always stand by a dealership provided they are treating people right. And unless I'm stranded in the middle of nowhere and only Joe Dirt is there to fix my car will I take it to him. I've never gotten anything but good service from the dealerships I have gone to, including before I worked at one.

[AKLGT]

you cannot say ALL dealerships are the same. however, i will add that i've dealt with some bad service departments and bad dealerships, as well as good service departments and good dealerships.please remember:1. you bought a USED car. do you know the original owner/s? how did they drive the car? was it modded? if so, then you can throw out any original reliability out the window!2. not only did you buy a USED car, but a make and model not from the original manufacturer's dealer! Why on earth would you BUY a Toyota/Pontiac from a FORD DEALER in the first place??? do you honestly think they know what to do with the car AFTER you drive it off the lot?? 3. you bought an EXTENDED WARRANTY from a dealership that does not sell your make or model of car so they cannot offer you the factory extended warranty. they just made out like a bandit because extended warranties, service contracts, gap insurance, interest rates, credit/life disability are all things that can be negotiated! you probably made that finance guy a lot of money! 4. if you really WANT to buy a USED car vs a NEW one (not sure why now a days since they have so many rebates and incentives on new), but a CERTIFIED used car from the dealership that sells that make and model! Certified used cars have almost like the factory warranty, depending on manufacturer. they go through a lot of inspections to pass and qualify to be a certified used car. you may pay a tad bit more on the up front (car) price, however, you'd probably spend just as much after you paid them $$$ for extended warranty to a dealer that knows NOTHING about your car!5. did i mention you bought a USED car??? don't expect it to be perfect. there's usually a reason the car is USED and they original owner doesn't have it. when you trade or get rid of your car, there's usually a mechanical issue as to why you get rid of it. very few people trade their car in just for the sake of it anymore. unless that car is still under the original factory warranty when you buy it used, don't bother! I've NEVER had luck with a used car, even if it had the original factory warranty. keep in mind, it's not gonna be perfect, and something will probably not work quite right. that's just life. depending on how you drive that car (or if used how someone before you drove the car), will also lead to how well that car will hold up over time. trust me, when i traded my vibe gt in for my legacy gt, i KNEW it needed: brakes, clutch, windshield, front end fascia, factory foglights, new tags and IM, tires, etc. it would have cost me another $3000 just to fix the things that were wrong with the car and being $4000 upside down on it, why fork over another $3K?? no thanks! now, Mav gets to deal with the girl who bought my old car when she takes it into the SUBARU dealership for work.

[Mavrik]

Well it is kind of unfair to say "your a dumbass, you bought a used pontiac from ford." because every dealership sells used cars. The Subaru dealership I work at sold Hope's Vibe GT (took a while to I might add) and we sell all makes here from trade ins to auction house purchases. We sell extended warranty with those cars and we service them here to. Plus the United Car Care we sell authorizes other dealerships to service the vehicle or have us use them as a sublet repair shop if we can not fix the car ourselves.IMO you can buy a used pontiac from a ford dealership, buy extended warranty and make good of it. Just make sure they know how to fix it or can get it fixed if something goes wrong. Most dealerships that sell used cars of all kinds have a tech who is trained on many different makes of vehicles. For example here at Continental Subaru we have three guys who are familer with most makes and unless it is a specialized type of repair, they can fix it.So no your not a fool for buying a used Vibe from a ford dealership... You got the car you wanted and the Vibe is a great car. Just learn from this and next time there is a break down, call the extended warranty yourself and see who they will allow to work on the car. It is in the extended warranty's best interests as well to have someone trained on that vehicle to work on that vehicle. That way diag and repairs are more accurate.

[AKLGT]

LOL. and see... now you can guess why we don't see eye to eye on many things. then again, i really don't care for buying used cars as i've said before (above) not had much luck and usually end up purchasing someone else's problems. good luck! maybe Ford will know how to fix a Toyota better than the dealerships up here!

[J-freakie]

trdvibe ... I dont understand why you are complaining. Its not your car. 1. Just because you buy a ferrari at a ford dearership, does mean that ford will work on it. They will take it to a ferrari dealership. 2. A Chevrolet dealership is working on the car3.If she didnt buy the extended warrenty, she would have had to pay ATLEAST 800 dollars w/o labor4. There was a car fax that was done on the car, FOR FREE by the dealership, and it came up clean. 5. Why buy a new car when you cant afford it? Not to mention, when you buy a new car, it depreciates its value by atleast 10% as soon as you drive it off the lot. Where as a used car, doesnt lose more than 5%.6. Just because YOU have not had any luck with a used car, doesn't mean that EVERYBODY is going to have terriable luck with them. Which, in return the extended warranty would be perfect if you are going to get the extended warranty.7 Just because somebody knows ALOT about their car, doesn't necessarly make the extended warranty usless. Parts are expensive as hell!dan

[AKLGT]

you're right, it's NOT my car. good luck to you guys! hope they get it fixed without costing you an arm and leg!

[ashleymc_38]

I really didn't mean for this whole topic to get out of control but maybe some of us just have some aggression we need to take out on something. Its just frustrating, the whole situation. I mean, ya its a used car, but come on, its a 2004, I should be expecting major problems on a car that is older than this. Plus it just bugs me cause its been at the dealership for so long but yet it is not fixed yet when they supposively know what is wrong with the (belt tensioner and PCM). Another thing, about this warranty, does not at all tell me much about anything. No deductible that I have to pay, just basically what mileage my warranty started at and when it is gonna end. But at least it is all being takin care of with a little pushiness of mine and my b/fs mouth. I mean, i took it to a gm place that is affiliated with the ford dealership in the first place but for some reason they were saying that they couldn't except the warranty, so that is why i took it back to where i bought it from and let them handle the situation, since it was their warranty and they were the ones who said i could go there in the first place. So another gm dealership is working on it and of course, they are billing ford for the work. All works out for me. But it seems like some people are getting a little bent out of shape with trying to argue their opinions about things, but really, in my opinion, I thought I would be getting a little more support about me owning a VIBE in the first place. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and concerns but I thought some of you would have been a little more helpful than hurtful about my VIBE owning experience. I mean i've read in other topic areas about people who have the whining in the air conditioning, the gurggling and grinding when going at slow speeds, etc etc., and it all seems that most of us share the exact same problems. Lets just hope that the VIBE generation doesn't go down like the Pontiac Fiero or what was it, the Ford Pinto?

[AKLGT]

hey, no i would be PISSED if i'd bought the car and kept getting the run around. i'm not doubting you or saying you shouldn't be. however, being in the same boat as you before, you have to understand that because it is USED, there is a lot more potential for things to go wrong. it's that simple. it seems you're getting things all worked out and that's the important thing to keep in mind.

[Mavrik]

Well I would not view this topic as a lack of support and think we don't feel for you. We do rally and support our fellow vibers in any way we can. Some of us just have different experiences and there for different opinions from what you might be looking for.

[ToolGuy]

Quote, originally posted by J-freakie »IOhh, and Mi VIbe-ToolGuy ... unfortunately I have not heard of that brand of tools Also, are you looking for any help there? Not mechanic wise, but maybe a shop ***** (for lack of better words)danIf you do get into auto mechanics, you will hear of us! LOL!!! We are everywhere! I do not think we are hiring in our shop in Warren for there are only two guys that work in the back (small prototype shop) but it does not hurt to try. I am at SPX Corporation on 28635 Mound Rd. And tell Ashley, I bought my 1998 Corvette from a BMW dealer! Yep, they got it from the Chevy dealer up the road, the sales managers wife worked there. Why did I buy it there? They had the best price!!! However I thoroughly checked it out since I am into cars and wrench on them and it did come with a 3,000 mile or 90 day warranty. I would not have bought it if I did not think it was a good car. It is for sure and is nothing but a problem free fun car! The BMW dealer gets other used cars for its lot to attract people to come in the doors. The dealer also treated me as if I did buy a BMW and I get mailings from them to go buy a BMW. Dan of you have any trouble with the Vibe by all means let me know and bring it by and we can look at it together! My offer still stands!

[ashleymc_38]

I got the car back yesterday...and still..the problem is there : ( I mean, i got the pcm replaced, an 800 part under warranty, can't go wrong. But my questions and my problems are still there. Why when I start the car does it feel as though it wants to stall sometimes? Why does it then jump from 1200 rpms to 1800 than back down again? And why does it make that crunching, grinding, gurggling noise when I put it in reverse when the engine is running cold? They say its the belt tensioner, which I am a little weary buying a 100 dollar part that I might not need. So, anyone have any answers that might help? And MIVibe Tool Guy- I'm glad you still stand by your offer, cause of right now, I'm looking forward to coming in and getting my car looked at. The dealership obviously didn't find anything wrong, so I am hoping that someone else can! And i'm sure my Dan will do anything he can just to try to get his foot in the door with mechanics!

[new05vibeowner]

Ashley, I feel for you. Look up some of my recent posts on my '05 and what I went through to get a clunking sound fixed. And I was under the 3/36 factory warranty! Best suggestion I can give you is to find a Pontiac dealer who is reputable, take the car there and pay the diagnostic charge to find out why it's running rough and what the tranny noise is. Perhaps your extended warranty could be honored at another dealer who runs a better service department. As for buying used, you didn't make a mistake. When I went through the hell of my front end noise, just for s$%&s and grins, I looked up the KBB value of the Vibe. Mind you, it stickered for $21300, I paid $17300 for it, and after one year and 35K, it was worth $11K. That's a 35% depreciation rate in 12 months. Also, CarFax doesn't always show everything you'd think it would. I have a very bad personal experience with that, but that's a whole other story.Good luck and keep us posted.

[ashleymc_38]

Ya, I started to skim through your topic the other day but didn't really have the time to really read into anything. It is very frustrating to have to go through everything, get tossed around to here and this get told one thing by one person and another thing by another. Especially in your position b/c you have an 05 and plus its under 36k. And the value, I purchased mine at around 12k...so ya..it makes me wonder now how much mine is really worth...lol. It also just frustrates me too cause i'm purchasing this vehicle and I dont want like 3 years into my loan, the same thing happening over and over again to where it is gonna cost me a lot of money when my warranty is overwith. Ya, I was warned that carfax doesn't catch everything, which is understandable, I just hope when my was ran, that something horrible didn't get missed. I'll have to do some more searching in the forums to see what I can dig up about this problem but in the meantime I still wanna just get all this bad karma overwith. I can say though, I am glad to give up my rental to be able to drive my car again. I don't think I could of standed another day with the focus (sorry for anyone who owns one ..lol)

[new05vibeowner]

I'd still suggest that you take the car to a reputable Pontiac dealer to get it checked out. I'd also contact the warranty company to find out what your options are for repair other than the dealer who has it now.BTW, my warranty expired at 36K, I now have 37K, and that's why I was so pissed when I kept getting the "we don't know what's wrong with it." routine.

[J-freakie]

That clunking sound that she is talking about is when the A/C is on. If you take off, like a normal human being, it makes that noise. I guess we are just tired of getting beatin around the bush (so to say). And about the belt tensioner (sp) ... I didnt see the cerpitine (sp) moving at all ... so that leads me to believe that nothing is wrong with it.For instance, if the belt tensioner was wobbling back and forth, so would the belt, right? They told us that the bearings were worn out. And from my past experience ... leads me to believe that the belt should be wobbling around.MI Vibe-Tool Guy, we will definatly let you know when we will be comming down there. I think Ashley e-mailed you, hopefully its the right acount in your Genvibe profile, so maybe though there we can communicate about her car and possibly set something up to where we can look at it together.I might be getting a new job, so hopefully I will be able to start classes next fall dan

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by J-freakie »That clunking sound that she is talking about is when the A/C is on. If you take off, like a normal human being, it makes that noise.Hmm, I'd look at the A/C compressor. Especially if the noise goes away when the A/C is switched off. My car chewed up A/C compressors like mad, they made all kinds of screwed up noises when they went bad...

[Vibe_dude]

All i can say is never buy a car from a "dealer" that does not sell that brand.........there is a reason that someone traded it in for one of the brands that that deal sells........Just my 2 cents.lol

[J-freakie]

Vibe_dude:You know how women are with their colors. They have to be a certian way, lol ... so ... to sum it all up, she wanted a black vibe, and that was the only dealership that had one for a good price. For all we know, the guy probably wanted the new mustang, or a F-150 lightning ... or for that mater ... a Focus *shivers in disgust*dan

[J-freakie]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Hmm, I'd look at the A/C compressor. Especially if the noise goes away when the A/C is switched off. My car chewed up A/C compressors like mad, they made all kinds of screwed up noises when they went bad...Where is the compressor, is it by the header or the intake manifold? ... or is it underneth the stock air box? Or, is it by the drivers side from suspension spring area?dan

[ToolGuy]

Quote, originally posted by J-freakie »Where is the compressor, is it by the header or the intake manifold? ... or is it underneath the stock air box? Or, is it by the drivers side from suspension spring area?danLeft side of the engine, it is the bottom right pulley when looking at this pic...The arrow and wrench show a hand pulling the belt tensioner forward to remove the belt.

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[J-freakie]

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »Any update on if the vehicle has been fixed or not? Well, "its still a piece of ****" *direct quote from Ashley* lolWell, we had a person look at it, and he suggested that we need a new Serpentine belt, since the one that is on there is nice and glossy, some minor cracks and has some slack to it. Murray's had the Goodyear belt for 26bucks. So, we are going to install that. The air compressor still turns, so its definatly not that. We will give you an update as soon as the belt is installed, hopefully this weekend. Good to know that people on here actually care dan

[J-freakie]

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »What is Ashley's Vibe donig exactly again? When we were opening the TB up, and closing it (manually) when it would go down to lower RPM's it would make a chirping noise. And, it would become more aparent when the A/C was on. I would say the person's name ... but im not sure if he wants to be reconized for his curtiosy on helping Ashely and I about her vibe dan

[Vibe_dude]

if it s a viberating sound coming from the belt area....it is more likely the belt tensioner itself....just replaced mine last week......it was really load when u would put the AC on.....i was told from a toyota guy that this peice has been a real prob for toyota for years..get ur guy to look and see if the tensioner is covered in oil gunk..if so it is leakin and needs to be replaced.