Vibe chime problem (Pontiac is clueless)

[tomdurkin]

We brought our 2007 Vibe in 3-4 times to get rid of a 3 chime series. The chimes go off when we are going over 45 MPH & the car is warm. It is more likely when the highway curves. We taped the chime noise, but the mechanic couldn't recreate it. They said "their hands are tied". Pontiac is stumped, & we have a long holiday drive scheduled. It is not the seat belt buzzer-it is a bell chime.

[Wolfman213]

possible that when you are taking a curve that sensor detects a door is opening and it chimes. Possible a bad sensor maybe? Probably a horrible theory. But like on House last night a bad answer can lead to a good answer

[tomdurkin]

Wow Wolfman213- that was quick! Thanks!!!!It sounds plausible-I'll tell the Pontiac service people to look @ that.

[ColonelPanic]

It is a bell chime? There shouldn't be anything that would make that sound unless somebody pulled a chime out of a cheap Hyundai like I have and hid it somewhere. Now, if the stock radio is off and the ignition is on, and you hold down the preset 6 button, it will make a chime sound for a few seconds and the display will read NORMAL or LOUD. (this is a throwback to the other GM vehicles that used the radio for the chimes and was a method for selecting chime volume - although the Vibe did not have that capability.) Try that and see if it's the sound you're hearing, if so your radio could be freaking out.The door I wouldn't think would be an issue since the buzzer is disabled when the ignition is on. But who knows, anything is possible.If it were the buzzer sound (similar to key in ignition/lights on/seat belt) I would ask if you had stability control. From what i gather, the toyota vsc system constantly nags you with annoying beeps when it operates. If you do have it and it was the buzzer sound I would suspect something isn't working right with it and it keeps activating when it shouldn't. But I think you would see a light for when it activates.That's a weird one, good luck.

[tomdurkin]

Thank you ColonelPanic!It is absolutely sets of 3 chimes rather than a buzzer. I'll fax that to the service manager. We are hanging on to a loaner car until they fix it. We didn't know the radio thing. The chimes go with the radio off

[Sublimewind]

Have you checked the hatch to make sure it's closed solid?? do the interior lights come on with the chime?

[tomdurkin]

Thanks Sublimewind!There are no warning or other light that come on. That damn chime happens day or night, so we would notice new lights. We have tried opening & closing all the doors, hatches, etc. The Vibe still chimes, and Pontiac remains clueless.

[tomdurkin]

It is that kind of radio- we did get the LOUD-NORMAL. We are also totally pissed @ the Pontiac people. They decided after parking the car for 3 days that if they couldn't replicate the problem, it didn't exist. We are driving from Chicago to Florida for Xmas, & they told us the next time it happens take it to a dealer. They remain clueless s to the cause.I think the head Pontiac engineer job is yours, if you want it.

[tomdurkin]

Hi, it's Tom's wife here. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. We now think the problem is the radio thanks to ColonelPanic. AFter the Pontiac dealer was unable to recreate the problem over three days, on our way home from picking up the car, I hit the "6" button on the radio, and voila! Ding ding ding. That's the sound.Now--what do we do about it? Must replace the radio, or is there some other fix?Jane Durkin

[ColonelPanic]

That is so bizarre... Whatever circuit that sends the signal to the radio to tell it to chime *shouldn't* be present on the Vibe so I don't know why it would be doing it on its own... unless the '6' button is flaky and holds itself down. But then when the radio is on you'd hear it beep all the time as if the button is held down it's registering the preset.I guess you could pull the fuse for the radio and sing yourself. That would be a good way to make 100% sure it's the radio doing it, yank the fuse and take a drive to see if it changes. If it is the radio, a replacement would seem like a good idea.

[keithvibe]

pull the head unit out and check the connections first. makesure it didn't come lose from them doing all their tinkering trying to find the ding ding ding. lol If not then pick up a used headunit to replace it. If i remember i believe that there was one for sale here for about 40bucks or so.http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=35305there was also another member vibe11 looking to sell their radio

[ou.grizzly]

CP knows his stuff... If the radio is still under warranty, let GM foot the bill to replace it 1st. If they do not cover it, get a nice aftermarket radio which can be had for a good price.

[tomdurkin]

Thanks everyone--although I don't know if you want to hear us sing. We will try that ASAP, as well as cleaning the door switches.. I'll pull the fuse nest time it goes, as the chimes often happen in extended series. It is still under extended warranty, so Pontiac should replace it. Thanks again- Tom & Jane

[tomdurkin]

I wouldn't say that the Pontiac peoplel are stupid or incompetent because of this. THey might be, but it is an odd problem nobody has encountered before and they can't recreate.(ME) Thanks! I appreciate the help, and you guys here know a lot. Harsh, admittedly. I said they were clueless because the Zone Team Manager called & said she was excited to tell us that the matter was resolved & the case was closed. I asked what they fixed, & they insisted that there was nothing wrong with the car because they couldn't make it chime. They fixed nothing, & they were angry that we wasted their time.. I thought that if they make a car that chimes, they should know what caused chiming. In 5 minutes on the web I found a few others w/ the same problem. My dealer said Pontiac engineers have been "studying" this since I reported it over a year ago. (END ME)I have never been inside a 2007 Vibe, I have a 2003. In my 2003, there is nothing that makes a sound anything like a bell chime, just the beeper for seat belts, or when you open the driver door with the lights on or the key in the ignition. This chime sound, is there anything in a 2007 Vibe that makes a chime sound? If you can come up with some situation where it is normal to make the chime sound, then that helps identify which components or systems might be malfunctioning to make it sound when it shouldn't.(ME) CP mentioned the radio chimes, & we got it to chime following his instructions (END ME)Now if a normal 2007 Vibe never ever makes a chime sound, then different wuestions come up. You didn't say, but are the original owner of the car? Have any modifications been done to the car that you know of? What options does the car have? Maybe OnStar is calling.(ME) We bought it brand new in April 2007. The only modifications are floor mats and horizontal bars for the roof rack. It is an automatic, power windows, AC, & that is about it. No OnStar, No DVD, no MP3, stock cd/radio, no sunroof--pretty vanilla after the transmission. (END ME)How loud is the chime sound? Is it clear, or slightly muffled? Do you have any idea where it's coming from (cluster, glove box, under the seat, etc)(ME) The chimes are always clear as a bell (sorry). They seem to be a little louder when it is hot--so it sounds like wiring. Sounds like it comes from the middle of the car under the dash--which gives support to CP's idea about a radio problem (END ME) Have you recently lost a cell phone in the car, or maybe have some bell chiming electroinic gadget in your back pocket and it goes off when your weight shifts going around a turn? Does it only happen when a certain individual is in the car? Some chime thing under the floor mats?(ME)- No lost phones, & I keep mine in the indentation in the door handle. I'll try to post the sound. (END ME)Is it an electronic chime, or just sound sort of like one? Can you post the recording of the chime? I had a minivan that would make a ringing sound randomly going around curves, not electronic, more like the ring of good steel, never did figure out the cause.

[Sublimewind]

I have an install tutorial that shows how easy it is to pull the stereo... pull the sucker out and drive the car a few days without it... No chimes, you found the problem...

[tomdurkin]

Thanks. We can try that next.

[ehoff121]

Maybe someone put one of these in your car? j/khttp://www.thinkgeek.com/gadge...pg=cj"A devious hide and seek game"The Original ThinkGeek Annoy-a-tron would be useless against an army of Snowbots, but it's very effective at disturbing that guy in the sales department or your "friend" down the hall. With its thin design and embedded magnet for easy hiding, the Annoy-a-tron can be placed in a variety of locations. Select one of the three sound choices (2 kHz, 12 kHz, or alternating) and push the switch to the on position. Place it in a proper hiding spot and let the "fun" begin. The Annoy-a-tron generates a short (but very annoying, hence the name) beep every few minutes. Your unsuspecting target will have a hard time 'timing' the location of the sound because the beeps will vary in intervals ranging from 2 to 8 minutes. The 2kHz sound is generically annoying enough, but if you really really want to aggravate somebody, select the 12 kHz sound. Trust us. The higher frequency and slight 'electronic noise' built into that soundbyte will make a full-grown Admin wonder where his packets are. 3 simple steps. Turn on.* Hide it. Muahahaha... Assuming you have done your part in selecting a suitable hiding location for the Annoy-a-tron, it will do its part to drive your co-workers slowly mad with its short and seemingly random beeps. And when someone does locate the Annoy-a-tron, they're really not going to know what it is - which is almost as much fun as watching them search for it. Muahaha. The Annoy-a-tron takes one CR2032 battery (included) and measures approximately: 2.5" x 1.25" x .3". It will run for 3 to 4 weeks on a single battery. Some Recommendations: Don't hide it inside of food (the chemicals in a burrito are known to be quite destructive to electrical components) You should probably avoid the area near your local BOFH (we understand that most likely you are the local BOFH, but still please take note) Yes, we realize you could buy a dozen and hide them all inside someone's office (oh, did we say that out loud?) Please reserve the use of the Annoy-a-tron for deserving subjects only (we'll leave it up to you to determine who qualifies) * Note: Please remember to remove the small plastic tab underneath battery. Not convinced of the Annoy-a-tron's evil powers? Read this letter we received from a satisfied customer and be enlightened: Dear friends at thinkgeek.com, I recently acquired the "Annoy-A-Tron" from your web site. Actually, I acquired two, thinking that perhaps two devices might be necessary to truly splinter the minds of my friends and co-workers. How woefully did I underestimate this powerful tool. I have watched this simple device transform an (until-now) mild-mannered colleague into a spitting, cussing, paranoid lunatic. He has ordered all of the staff he supervises (not a small number) to locate the source of the dread beeping before doing anything else (but since they are in on the prank, they haven't been much help). So he waits, white-knuckles gripping the edge of his desk, anticipating the next beep. He has set a timer on his computer to track the duration between beeps. It hasn't been much help. My favorite quote so far, nearly bursting that vein on his temple as he shouted it: "That beep has been F***ING with me for HOURS now." He has called the facilities department to schedule a maintenance worker to investigate. He speculates that "they" might be doing air-quality testing in the building. This beep must be some device in the ducts detecting dangerous levels of asbestos in the air. Or worse. Radon? Aerosolized mercury? Legionella spores? The beep means something. What does the beep mean? Is it a warning? It sounds urgent, doesn't it? It's telling us to do something. But what? Replace a battery? Call the authorities? Evacuate the premises? Scrub ourselves with disinfectant and put on haz-mat suits and call our families to give them our tearful goodbyes? I imagine that soon he will begin to take things apart. He will methodically dismantle all of the electrical devices in his office, creating an unusually precise metaphor for what is happening in his psyche. I am reminded what a thin and fragile thread keeps us attached to sanity. Today, this tiny little device helped me break a co-worker's mind, and I thank you for the sinfully pleasurable schadenfreude. My best to you, John Seattle, WA

[tomdurkin]

That's great--not the problem but great. I may have to order 1/2 a dozen for Christmas. But back to the point, Pontiac seemed unpersuaded by my logic that if the car is chiming, look at the things that are designed to chime. As CP said later, it may be the radio. Following CP's directions, we made the radio chime. But Pontiac said that because the car didn't chime while they had the car, the car is perfect (the *******s didn't even wash it, which they say they always do for customers).

[keithvibe]

stealerships never do what they should do or what they say they are going to do.

[tomdurkin]

Thanks. We looked @ the Lemon Law, but intermittent chiming is not considered a serious problem. The "stealership" (thanks!) tried to tell me that the problem didn't exist. & I agree that intermittent problems do suck. I used to repair computers, and those problems are the worst. But it seems to me that if something is chiming, you need to examine whatever chimes.

[ou.grizzly]

Is trying a different dealer an option?

[tomdurkin]

Thanks. I don't think so. The problem goes higher than that. When we talked w/ Pontiac headquarters (you have no idea how much this chime drives my wife up the wall), they said the case was "resolved"because it didn't make the noise when they had it. Of course, it has been well below freezing here in Chicago this week, and the warmer it is the more it makes the chime. We may have to try another dealer when we drive to Florida next week to see my Bro in law--and we expect it to be warm by the time we get to Ft Lauderdale.