How many miles on your Vibes?

[ihaveavibe]

Base '03
Looks like all LED segments work for the fist 5 digits

odo 88888.JPG (12.42 KiB) Viewed 9463 times

[Bookworm]

First 2003 vibe is still running, but not on the road - the person I sold/gave it to sheared off the tensioner bolt, and is still working on getting that out. Anyway - that one pegged the odometer.

The current 2007 Vibe is at 169k, and I expect to go at least another 100,000 with minimal problems. I'm replacing some parts proactively.

[ColonelPanic]

Base '03
Looks like all LED segments work for the fist 5 digits
odo 88888.JPG

That's the kind of picture I would take. Yep, all the segments work!

And 88k on an '03 - amazing!

[ihaveavibe]

That's the kind of picture I would take. Yep, all the segments work!

And 88k on an '03 - amazing!

I realized after putting that up that it's probably LCD not LED. Oh well.

89k is still 5.5k/yr-ish, so not super low. It's in use every single day, mostly around town to shuttle kids to/from school, library and activities (too close for bus and too far to walk) also to get groceries the occasional beer run, etc. I'd like it to last minimum 3 more years, and don't see why it wouldn't. These forums has been quite helpful in maintaining it. Still have some fixes /diagnoses in progress...

[Bookworm]

That's the kind of picture I would take. Yep, all the segments work!

And 88k on an '03 - amazing!

I realized after putting that up that it's probably LCD not LED. Oh well.

89k is still 5.5k/yr-ish, so not super low. It's in use every single day, mostly around town to shuttle kids to/from school, library and activities (too close for bus and too far to walk) also to get groceries the occasional beer run, etc. I'd like it to last minimum 3 more years, and don't see why it wouldn't. These forums has been quite helpful in maintaining it. Still have some fixes /diagnoses in progress...

My 03 is still running, albeit with someone else (waiting for a bolt to be extracted). Rust is probably your only real enemy - that and replacing the catalytic converter and oxygen sensors. Starter motor, shocks, etc, are just sort of consumables.

[vibenvy]

Both our Vibes recently turned over 87,000 miles!

[tpollauf]

30,000 last week .... 33,000 this week. Nice LONG Florida trip !

[cptnsolo77]

247K

[TechMaxWare]

I have had my Vibe since mid 2014 and since that time I have racked up about 65,000 miles I believe. Still runs great!!

[VibeTribe5StillAlive]

Just totaled my '03 with only 80K miles
Onto an '05 with 180K miles. How many more y'all think she's got in her?

Vibe tribe.jpg (89.71 KiB) Viewed 9350 times

[chas0218]

2004 with 241k No real body rust even though it has spent 200k in upstate NY where they love the salt. The under carriage still looks mint only the components are starting to rust like solid lines and brake lines. All in all in decent shape with few issues.

[zbyers]

2004 with 241k No real body rust even though it has spent 200k in upstate NY where they love the salt. The under carriage still looks mint only the components are starting to rust like solid lines and brake lines. All in all in decent shape with few issues.

you probably have more rust than you think. have you ever removed and inspected under the rocker covers?

[chas0218]

2004 with 241k No real body rust even though it has spent 200k in upstate NY where they love the salt. The under carriage still looks mint only the components are starting to rust like solid lines and brake lines. All in all in decent shape with few issues.

you probably have more rust than you think. have you ever removed and inspected under the rocker covers?

Yeah I have a few bubbles in the front fender a little under the plastic flares but no holes or missing paint yet. Pretty clean considering.

[350kVibe]

Just another 59 miles to go and I'll be hitting 350K! 2009 Vibe GT

[ntorch]

111,111 in about 15 miles. Will hit it on my way home from work.

[campb292]

My 2006 Vibe hit the 299999 mark recently and thought it was due some praise. It hasn't been a primary car for a couple years and only goes out for beach trips and groceries on occasion. The old girl has been a benchmark of reliability. Everything still works - starts, windows, brakes are smooth, still has 3 modes of acceleration - loud, louder, and loudest. In 300k here is a list of everything I can think of that was replaced:

Front Struts
blower motor
front hub/wheel bearings (warranty)
airbag (warranty/recall)

Other than that just normal maintenance of brakes, fluids, battery, headlights, etc and even the struts might be considered a maintenance wear item. Really great car that never once left me stranded.

[tpollauf]

My "now daily driver" 2004 Vibe GT Fusion, just hit 130k miles. Bought it down in Florida 18 months ago at 125k miles but just started driving it regularly 2 months ago. Other than a slight oil leak (I can live with for now) and the cruise control which just quit a couple weeks ago, it's been an unbelievable ride. Love it!!!

[ColonelPanic]

Hit 134k a few days ago!

[gskatz2015]

I am about 500 miles away from hitting 370K! 06 Base, manual transmission.

A few months ago my alternator went and left me stranded. That was the first major job it needed in quite a while. Also had a new serpentine belt put in when that happened. Other more major items have been all new rotors, drums, pads, and shoes, and a new exhaust donut that rusted out.

A couple of weeks ago I got a new clutch assembly and flywheel. It got to the point where I had to give it 5k RPM just to get it going. This used to be my dad's car, and he put 275K of almost all highway miles on it and claimed to have never replaced the clutch. When the guys at the transmission shop did it they said that it surely had been replaced at some point because it looked like the flywheel had been resurfaced. I'll have to get in touch with my dad about it, because 370K on a clutch seems unbelievable to me.

So after the new clutch job it's been having a starting issue where sometimes it starts right up, but sometimes it will crank a couple times, then I hear a whine, and the engine kind of thuds to a stop. It hasn't stranded me yet though. Also, one of the motor mounts is pretty rusty and that is causing some new noises I hadn't heard before, primarily when accelerating through the top ends of 1st 2nd and 3rd gears.

The new clutch feels great though and I feel pretty confident this car could get to 400K. I put 15-20k a year on it for work so It'll happen soon if it doesn't crap out on me!

[Bookworm]

Is it a spinning metallic whine? If so, your starter may be going bad. When you put the key into the starting position, it shoves the gear into the 'turn the engine over' position, and connects the battery directly to the starter to start turning things over. If it's having an intermittent problem, the drive gear may be retracting back into place.

A similar problem is when you release the key, and then hear the starter whining because the gear assembly isn't retracting fast enough. (What's happening right now to my car)

[Caretaker]

If it is the Bendix gear inside the Denso starter, then I would not use the word whine to describe it. It is a scratchy metal on metal grinding noise sounding like rubbing your brass knuckles across your barbecue grate. The Bendix gear issue also does not result in a non-start situation. The car starts normally; it just does so with a one second burst of grinding metal sound and normally happens in cold temperature situations. If you are having an issue where the car rumbles to a stall, then I'd check more on "bad gas" or bad sending unit side of the house. I had starting issues with my first gen Vibe when the car was fully warmed up and would be difficult to get restarted after a lengthy drive. And since this issue seems to have only started after the clutch repair, it is pretty likely that it has something to do with that repair. Any more information you can provide to describe precisely when the car exhibits the noise would be helpful so all the backyard mechanics on this site don't have you replacing every part in your car

[zbyers]

Let's see how many miles...

'03 GT- 280k... Now parked and will be parted out.
'03 Base (faux by 4)- 260k... Burns oil, but still runs great. Brother needs to replace the engine one of these days...
'04 GT- 96k...
'04 Base- 176k... Sister is still happy with her investment!
'05 AWD- ~150k... Mom puts lots of miles on her driving around playing pokeman still runs great.
'07 Base- 192k... Rolled that as soon as I hit my driveway on my way back from VA Beach. She's had the biggest increase in miles since purchased.. Bought around 85k miles.
'09 AWD- 115k... Dad just traded it in for a new vehicle as he was never happy with the 2nd gen Vibe.

[Bookworm]

Your dad should have "sold" the 09 to your brother, and then traded in the oil burner

[zbyers]

Your dad should have "sold" the 09 to your brother, and then traded in the oil burner

Brother didn't want the 09.. I almost grabbed it from him for the same price they were giving him in trade... But couldn't say no to the new GT. Plus it also burns a bit of oil. The good ol' 2.4L.

[cptnsolo77]

254K. It has been reliable but however I feel like I have replaced more parts than others have at this mileage.

- driver/pass door lock
- driver power window motor
- 3 door handles
- struts, lower control arms, inner/outer tie rods, stabilizer links
- fuel pump ( replaced at 210,000 )
- AC compressor ( replaced at 210,000 )
- radiator
- cooling fan assembly
- valve cover gasket
- coil packs ( replaced at 254,000 )
- 2 HVAC blend motors
- starter
- alternator
- belt tensioner piston
- both front calipers

Although at this mileage ANY part would be a wear item, I can only attribute it to being our primary car for 12 years and taking us BOTH back and forth to work for over a decade, PLUS numerous road trips. I am also very picky about EVERYTHING. I think if only i used it for work there would be less wear and tear....obviously. Not knocking the Vibe. Im eager to hit the 300K mark with no engine/transmission issues. Engine is burning a quart of oil about every 2700 miles. Thats great for a early " oil burner "

[zbyers]

I feel like I have replaced more parts than others have at this mileage.

- driver/pass door lock
- driver power window motor
- 3 door handles
- struts, lower control arms, inner/outer tie rods, stabilizer links
- fuel pump ( replaced at 210,000 )
- AC compressor ( replaced at 210,000 )
- cooling fan assembly
- valve cover gasket
- coil packs ( replaced at 254,000 )
- 2 HVAC blend motors
- starter
- alternator
- belt tensioner piston
- both front calipers

That is a similar list to my 03 GT I parked. Outside of the AC Compressor and door handles, and door lock, I have replaced the same things.

Those are all pretty reasonable replacements, honestly. Only one I would have questioned was the compressor. You may have been able to just do the compressor coil/clutch and called it a day.

[Bookworm]

My 300,000 mile Vibe would have been the same for me, roughly. I hadn't replaced the front suspension bits (other than the struts), nor had I replaced the valve cover gasket (or intake manifold gasket) - but needed to. The person I passed it on to did do those, plus motor mounts.

Similar list there, except no fuel pump or a/C compressor. I flipped the blend door actuator gear once, and replaced once? Had to replace side windows as well, as someone walked by and broke both passenger and driver windows. Didn't steal a thing - just broke them. No caliper replacements or back brakes.

This one, at 175k, I need to replace the rotors, redo the back brakes (probably replace the drums as well, just to be safe), replace all four corners of shocks, maybe control arms and motor mounts, just to have it done.

[cptnsolo77]

I feel like I have replaced more parts than others have at this mileage.

- driver/pass door lock
- driver power window motor
- 3 door handles
- struts, lower control arms, inner/outer tie rods, stabilizer links
- fuel pump ( replaced at 210,000 )
- AC compressor ( replaced at 210,000 )
- cooling fan assembly
- valve cover gasket
- coil packs ( replaced at 254,000 )
- 2 HVAC blend motors
- starter
- alternator
- belt tensioner piston
- both front calipers

That is a similar list to my 03 GT I parked. Outside of the AC Compressor and door handles, and door lock, I have replaced the same things.

Those are all pretty reasonable replacements, honestly. Only one I would have questioned was the compressor. You may have been able to just do the compressor coil/clutch and called it a day.

At the time I was hoping it was the AC clutch. With the AC on you can see it engaging. Unfortunately it was the compressor. I do live in south Florida and I swear the AC gets used 51 weeks out of the year. so go figure over a 12 year period of my ownership. I was disapointed though...

As a side note looks like next on my list is motor mounts. Im getting a bad vibration in reverse and drive. Car runs great otherwise. Thx for the reply....when you see posts of 250K+ you dont get all the details....i was questioning if i got a "BAD VIBE"

[Bookworm]

I feel like I have replaced more parts than others have at this mileage.

- driver/pass door lock
- driver power window motor
- 3 door handles
- struts, lower control arms, inner/outer tie rods, stabilizer links
- fuel pump ( replaced at 210,000 )
- AC compressor ( replaced at 210,000 )
- cooling fan assembly
- valve cover gasket
- coil packs ( replaced at 254,000 )
- 2 HVAC blend motors
- starter
- alternator
- belt tensioner piston
- both front calipers

That is a similar list to my 03 GT I parked. Outside of the AC Compressor and door handles, and door lock, I have replaced the same things.

Those are all pretty reasonable replacements, honestly. Only one I would have questioned was the compressor. You may have been able to just do the compressor coil/clutch and called it a day.

At the time I was hoping it was the AC clutch. With the AC on you can see it engaging. Unfortunately it was the compressor. I do live in south Florida and I swear the AC gets used 51 weeks out of the year. so go figure over a 12 year period of my ownership. I was disapointed though...

As a side note looks like next on my list is motor mounts. Im getting a bad vibration in reverse and drive. Car runs great otherwise. Thx for the reply....when you see posts of 250K+ you dont get all the details....i was questioning if i got a "BAD VIBE"

"Normal Replacement Parts", to someone that buys a new car every four or so years, is belts, oil, tires, battery(maybe), and light bulbs.

Normal Replacement Parts for anyone who keeps their car more than 75k miles, includes the starter, shocks, gaskets and/or seals, and wear and tear parts like the control arms, motor mounts, tie rods, etc. Nowadays, it's rare for the fuel pump, electric radiator fan, and locks, to go out. The Vibes, I've found, have the problem that if your door handles are the _black_ unpainted handles, they go brittle after a few years in the southern sun. I replaced at least three out of four on my 03 vibe. My compressor didn't blow, but then I use 4/60 A/C most of the time - no point in kicking it on for 10 minutes. I replaced two out of four coil packs on the old vibe at 300k, with one of the replacements failing right around that mark - it _only_ lasted 90k miles or so. Yes, I didn't do the "replace them all" - just what failed. at 175, I haven't had one go yet - I should probably put a spare in the spare tire compartment at this point. That's something I can replace anywhere, as long as I have my socket set.

[cptnsolo77]

Agreed. I never had a car as long as the Vibe. When you get past the 200K mark, others things come into play that I would not have thought before. Its almost like there should be a 200K + checklist. Theres maintenance and theres HIGH MILEAGE maintenance To anticipate any breakdowns I have a couple of things im going to repalace come this fall:

Thermostat
Upper Radiator hose ( the lower was changed when I replaced the radiator
Motor mounts ( cant take the vibration anymore )

I cant really think of anything that I can replace that will fail without giving me a warning/code.

[Bookworm]

Agreed. I never had a car as long as the Vibe. When you get past the 200K mark, others things come into play that I would not have thought before. Its almost like there should be a 200K + checklist. Theres maintenance and theres HIGH MILEAGE maintenance To anticipate any breakdowns I have a couple of things im going to repalace come this fall:

Thermostat
Upper Radiator hose ( the lower was changed when I replaced the radiator
Motor mounts ( cant take the vibration anymore )

I cant really think of anything that I can replace that will fail without giving me a warning/code.

Intake manifold gasket?

Definitely, rebuild the rear brakes.

I'd pull the cover off of the bottom, and with the car at least somewhat in the air (I have a low mechanics creeper), look carefully from front to back with a high powered flashlight.

[cptnsolo77]

Intake manifold gasket was replaced about 7 years ago I replaced it when I was trying to fix my idle problem. Cleaning the IAC fix the issue. Great idea though inspecting the underside though.

[cptnsolo77]

Intake manifold gasket was replaced about 7 years ago I replaced it when I was trying to fix my idle problem. Cleaning the IAC fix the issue. Great idea though inspecting the underside though, and yes rear brakes

[gskatz2015]

If it is the Bendix gear inside the Denso starter, then I would not use the word whine to describe it. It is a scratchy metal on metal grinding noise sounding like rubbing your brass knuckles across your barbecue grate. The Bendix gear issue also does not result in a non-start situation. The car starts normally; it just does so with a one second burst of grinding metal sound and normally happens in cold temperature situations. If you are having an issue where the car rumbles to a stall, then I'd check more on "bad gas" or bad sending unit side of the house. I had starting issues with my first gen Vibe when the car was fully warmed up and would be difficult to get restarted after a lengthy drive. And since this issue seems to have only started after the clutch repair, it is pretty likely that it has something to do with that repair. Any more information you can provide to describe precisely when the car exhibits the noise would be helpful so all the backyard mechanics on this site don't have you replacing every part in your car

Thanks for the detailed response. I've been trying to pay attention to see if there's any sort of pattern to when it has this issue but I can't discern anything. But when it does start, I definitely do hear this one second burst of the grinding metal sound. It does not happen in cold weather situations (I live in Tennessee) The only "regularity" I can kind of observe is that it usually takes me 3-4 turns of the key to get it to start. Also when the car is running, I notice that the key does have quite a bit of play (I can move the key back and forth about 1/6th of a turn) The guy that did the clutch said that having weight on my key ring (which I have had since I have several other keys on there, which I have since removed) may have contributed to the issue, although I never had this issue prior to getting the clutch job done. The car is not rumbling to stalls and idles just fine. After driving for a while, and then stopping say for gas, it has the same amount of trouble as usual restarting. Maybe 1 out of 5 times it starts up on the first turn of the key, but I can't find any pattern of when it does that. No difference if the car has been sitting over night or after driving it for a while.

Normally, when I turn the key from the on position to engage the starter, it cranks once or twice and then I hear this high pitched whine. I really think that is the most apt description. As long as I hold the key engaging the starter it makes this sound, and then when I release it back to the on position is when I hear the thud of the engine stopping.

[Bookworm]

That whine is generally the Bendix gear.

[zbyers]

Yep, I'd be leaning towards starter/bendix gear as the culprit.

[gskatz2015]

Okay thanks y'all! After doing a little research it does make sense that It would be the bendix gear since I had a new flywheel installed. Maybe the pinion gear was worn down and is slipping off the flywheel? Because it usually cranks a couple times and then I hear the whine when it disengages. Do y'all think i'll need a whole new starter is it possible to just replace the bendix gear?

[Bookworm]

I wouldn't try to rebuild it. You wouldn't save much, if any, money vs time.

[gskatz2015]

So I ended up getting a new starter put in. Cost me $335 and it seems to have solved the issue! Cranks right up, and quicker than it did before with no grinding sound.

So I'm pretty sure, after looking through my maintenance records (I keep all my paper copies and put them into a spreadsheet) that I actually have 360K miles, not 370. Does anybody know if there is a way to read the computer to find actual mileage? Is that something they can do on a 2006?

[zbyers]

So I ended up getting a new starter put in. Cost me $335 and it seems to have solved the issue! Cranks right up, and quicker than it did before with no grinding sound.

So I'm pretty sure, after looking through my maintenance records (I keep all my paper copies and put them into a spreadsheet) that I actually have 360K miles, not 370. Does anybody know if there is a way to read the computer to find actual mileage? Is that something they can do on a 2006?

That's a pricey starter... It's a ~$100 part, and about an hour of time overall to do.

As for mileage, I don't think there is a way to pull ECU mileage, unless a dealer can.

[gskatz2015]

So I ended up getting a new starter put in. Cost me $335 and it seems to have solved the issue! Cranks right up, and quicker than it did before with no grinding sound.

So I'm pretty sure, after looking through my maintenance records (I keep all my paper copies and put them into a spreadsheet) that I actually have 360K miles, not 370. Does anybody know if there is a way to read the computer to find actual mileage? Is that something they can do on a 2006?

That's a pricey starter... It's a ~$100 part, and about an hour of time overall to do.

As for mileage, I don't think there is a way to pull ECU mileage, unless a dealer can.

Oh I wish I had the time, skills, and tools to do the work myself. This was done at a shop. The part was 200 and it took them an hour. Guess maybe I could've ordered my own and had them do it but I really wasn't too concerned.

I've called 3 dealers and nobody has had an answer for me. Guess I'll have to keep trying.

[WeVibe2019]

We just got ours from a used dealer it was only 100 down and we were in need but it has over 225,000 miles on it. Its a Pontiac vibe 2003. hopefully it lasts us through winter into next year....

[Bookworm]

We just got ours from a used dealer it was only 100 down and we were in need but it has over 225,000 miles on it. Its a Pontiac vibe 2003. hopefully it lasts us through winter into next year....

Mine hit 300,000 miles - it still runs, but the tensioner retaining bolt sheared off in the engine, so the belt won't turn the alternator.

The guy who has it now keeps the battery charged and runs it a few minutes every week or two.

[andrewclaus]

I just returned from a 2,200 mile trip to Chicago for a funeral. That ran the odometer up to about 173K miles.

The car ran great. I got about 34 mpg on the trip--36 with the wind on the way there, 32 against the same wind on the way home, mostly 75+ mph on interstate.

My wife and I have a 5,000-mile road trip planned this for this winter. We talked briefly about shopping for a newer car, but this last trip convinced us the Vibe is still good and reliable. And certainly economical.

[zbyers]

My '07 is just about to hit 200k miles. We have owned it since 85k miles. Outside of a broken belt tensioner bolt, and a variety of mishaps to the body, she still is a fabulous car. Not sure if I want to trade it in next year for the wife to get a new ride.

[cptnsolo77]

258K and in the process of replacing motor/tranny mounts.

[350kVibe]

370k and counting!

[andrewclaus]

2200 miles into our 5000 mile winter road trip and the '07 Vibe is running great! It now has over 175K miles. It's going to sit for a couple of months in Central Florida (The Villages) before we hit the road again. It's not consuming or leaking any oil or any other fluid.

It's been a miser on gas as well, even though we saw prices as low as $2.00 in TX.

[GoofyGamer]

Hi y'all. This is my first post on this forum. I have a 2006 Vibe and this morning when I got to work it's showing 211,125 miles. We bought the car with 33,000 miles and we're the second owners. And we haven't had any major repairs. The only thing it needs is a new paint job and new radio so I connect via Bluetooth or USB.

[zbyers]

Hi y'all. This is my first post on this forum. I have a 2006 Vibe and this morning when I got to work it's showing 211,125 miles. We bought the car with 33,000 miles and we're the second owners. And we haven't had any major repairs. The only thing it needs is a new paint job and new radio so I connect via Bluetooth or USB.

Welcome to the party. Feel free to make an introductory post and include some pictures of your ride. Glad to hear the car has been trouble free!