GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I had to put on the spare yesterday and found the jack very hard to crank up the car. I had to push very hard just to crank it half a turn at a time. I would say it was twice as hard as any other one I've used. I think the handle is a poor design, it doesn't allow you to get maximum leverage at the turning point. When I got the nuts off I had to kick the tire very hard a few times to release the rim from the hub.

i'd say its pretty typical....from what ive seen and used....hey...at least the vibe is one of the lighter cars on the road!

I don't know for the jack (I always used my hydrolic jack) but I had the same trouble to remove the wheel. I had to kick the wheel few time before it "unstick".

Why didn't you just call roadside assistance?

must be nice, i used my factory jack to put on my after market rims and tires, half way through it started pour rain, fun.....

i used the factory jack twice already.. to put on and take off my winter tires... and it only fell off the jack once

Actually the second time I used it was much easier. I guess the threads weren't fully greased the first time.

gonna pick up a hydraulic at walmart this weekend...less than 10 bucks!!ive done a few tire rotations w/ the stock jack....thats just irritating!

Where is your lifting point when using a non factory floor jack? I've only used my factory jack. It works fine but is a little cumbersome until it starts to actually lift.

I used the jack once to lift the rear end when I tried to put in suspension spacers. I didn't find it difficult at all. What you need to do is use one hand to hold the shaft of the crank right where the main handle bends outward to become the crank, hold it high enough off the ground that you can crank a full 360, and go to town!I got the car off the ground very quickly, which little problem. Never took a tire off, though, so can't tell you if it stuck to the axle. But hey, better it stick to the axle right? Then you know it was holding tight.

Yeah, I had to change a tire in August and it was terrible. I've used scissors jacks on other cars in the past with no problem, but this one was just awkward beyond belief. The joint where the handle meets the jack is terribly designed and binds up every half turn! Next time I visit the friend to whom I gave my old car, I'm going to see whether that jack will fit the cubby in my Matrix.I'd use a bottle jack, but they don't provide enough travel. The ride height is fairly low already and with a flat tire, it's definitely too low to slip a bottle jack in there. I'm curious about jacking points too. In the past when I've used bottle jacks on cars, I've kept a block of wood in the car to slip between the jack and the frame.

I used the stock jack to remove the back wheels to install my rear mudflaps and thought it worked very well. I also found it easy to remove and reinstall in the trunk. The hook and rope gizmo that attaches to the rain gutter to hold open the spare tire well is another example of the thinking that went into these wonderful little cars. What a joy to work with such light duty stuff compared to my pick-up.

quote:Yeah, I had to change a tire in August and it was terrible. I've used scissors jacks on other cars in the past with no problem, but this one was just awkward beyond belief. The joint where the handle meets the jack is terribly designed and binds up every half turn! Next time I visit the friend to whom I gave my old car, I'm going to see whether that jack will fit the cubby in my Matrix.I've used the stock jack to rotate my tires, twice and I completely disagree with you. I think that it is one of the better jacks that I have ever used. I also rotated the tires on my wife's car (01 neon). That jack was ok, but you had to use the tire lug wrench to raise and lower it and it took a while. When I put some gloves on (I keep a set in the car see Here ) I can raise and lower the Vibe very quickly with the stock jack. I havn't had any trouble with the wheels sticking to the car, are you rotating them enough? or do I just have to rotate them too often