GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

i've been playing with the idea of blacking out the chrome grill nostril thing on the 09-10 vibes. i did a quick photoshop to see what it might look like. what do you vibers think?here's the original pics...here's with the chrome blacked out...here's with no front plate...damn i wish i can do that here in cali loland here's with no front plates and the pontiac logo gone too...what do ya'll think?

that looks good man good job! im not a big fan of the new vibes but i must say that is a good look for it.

you are on to something, I like the blacked out looked

I'm def not a fan of chrome, so I'm all for it!!! I painted my chome ring on my 06 the same that I done the interior pieces, but it didn't quite turn out how I wanted it, but that's due to painting issues on my part. I say go for it!! Esp if you don't like chrome

I painted the chrome ring on my grille too, I think it looks good.

I think it would be cool to make it one solid grill instead of the split. that would look really good with the black

i plan on either painting it or wrap it with some black vinyl stuff. i don't like chrome but i've tried to make myself like it and it's not working =/ it just stands out too much especially on a black vibe. i hope to get this done soon when i have some time

definitely looks good blacked out... i think the chrome gives the front a little bit too much of a mini van look

I think the chrome on the vibe is tasteful and well-placed(I used to hate chrome with a passion as well) but a light smoke tint like that VHT stuff on never enough tames chrome and looks a lot better in most cases than a full blackout. Purely a matter of opinion though. And I've blacked out plenty of chrome in my day too so it's not like I'm totally against it.

Tint the headlights as well!

did that on my old Vibe... good luck with the rock chips

I didn't think it would look good when you proposed it, but I have to agree the pics look good. Very aggressive.I like the chrome (in fact, I got the fog light surrounds just to add a bit more visual interest to the front because they have chrome trim rings - that also mimic the rear lights).But, it looks good. I guess I like it because it is a signature "performance" look and it makes the car much more unique.Can't wait to see it in person (well, I mean after you do it - like to see some closer up pics too). I agree with using some kind of vinyl applique so that it is easy to go back to stock.

i might buy a spare set of grill from the dealer. they said it's about $50 each side. i'll play around with them to see how they come out

Should powder coat your rims black them too.

Leave the arrowhead alone

not going to remove the arrowhead...but i was thinking of maybe using black vinyl to cover wrap around the chrome part lolas for the rims, i'm going to leave them alone...need a bit of contrast haha

I like the chrome.. especially on the black.. It give it a little something to look at . There is a Shelby Mustang that drives around my town.. Completely blacked out.. and too just glance at it driving by, it looks like a black box with wheels..

I waited many years for the Chrome to go away, mostly the 70s and 80s, and spent enough hours toning it down on cars I have owned during that extra shiny period.A little Chrome is fine... but car stylists will always increase the stuff on anything they can, given the chance. It started to creep back on grills, then window surrounds and now it has spread to wheels and bumper trim again. You can even see clinging to some European cars, too. Auto Blasphemy! I'm sure we will start to see the return of the "Gold Package" as an option again, soon!

I hope gold never comes back! It looks HORRIBLE!!!!

Quote, originally posted by lowincash »not going to remove the arrowheadThank you

Well I finally did it Forgot about this project but I finally got around doing it. Actually it's just temporary, I only used electrical tape but just wanted to get an idea of how it'll look. I only taped up the front chrome and left the inner chrome as is so it still has some contrast. It was already dark outside and I was doing it in the dark, I'll try to get some daytime pictures tomorrow. I'm excited to see how it looks during the day

Takes you a while to make a commitment? Three years and you've only gone as far as putting tape over the chrome.

I like it the way the factory built it.

Hmmmm .... Really hard to determine if it looks better or not. Retake some pics of the Vibe in DAYLIGHT Way too dark, especially since the car is already BLACK !!!

I'm diggin' it. I think it looks more mean that way. DO want to see some more daylight pics though!

Been MIA for a while but hey it's never too late right

Ok I just woke up, here's some quick daytime pics, I'm going to take them off later, it's bubbling and peeling off. Looks so ghetto lol







Ordered a can of black plasti dip, going to finish it off this weekend I think I'm just going to cover up all the chrome with it. Man where have I been all this time??? Plasti dip looks like the perfect solution for this since I didn't want to permanently paint it. At one time I even thought of buying a spare grill so I can go back to stock if I wanted to. I called around to see if there's a place to buy vinyl and the guy told me about plasti dip haha

That looks great & a very tastefull mod. It matches the lower grille area & that doesnt have any chrome trim. Nice job.

It doesn't look bad with the just the outer edges painted black, but I agree with beemerphile1, I think it looks fine just how it came from the factory.

I am curious to see how it will look once you paint it with PlastiDip though...

Finished plasti dipping my grill, I actually spent more time masking the area around and the honeycomb than the actual painting lol I'm going to let it dry for a day or so before I wash my car. Was a fun weekend project. Tomorrow I'm going to plasti dip the rubber strip on the roof since it's been fading for a while now =]

Took a few pics from different angles, sun's going down =/

I still prefer the chrome accents, but it does look pretty good ! I would have just painted all the honeycomb too to make it easier .

Black looks excellent! Chrome is OK, but the black grille soround on a black Vibe is perfect. Front end of the '09/'10 is my favorite part of the car. You really made it better.

Definitely looks good on your black car.

vibenvy wrote:I still prefer the chrome accents, but it does look pretty good ! I would have just painted all the honeycomb too to make it easier .

lol yeah I should have painted the honeycomb too, probably next time, if I need to redo it or something. I think if I had a lighter color car I wouldn't want to paint it but on a black car the chrome pops like a flaring nostrils lol


Now I only wish I can plasti dip my license plate, hate having the front plates on

lowincash wrote:
Now I only wish I can plasti dip my license plate, hate having the front plates on

Totally with you on that one!!!

Maine requires front plates too. Front plates ruin a lot of the aerodynamic work that is engineered into a car and can affect cooling and fuel consumption. Plus the plate looks plain ugly stuck there on the front bumper of a car.

Call, write or email your state representatives... tell them that they can save 1/2 of the cost that a state shells out to make plates for vehicles, while also saving precious natural resources by eliminating those front license plates.

Mention that they can be seen as heroes in at least two ways...

1. Cutting state operating costs in a time of serious budget shortfalls.

2. Being "Green", by eliminating 1/2 the aluminum and paints required to make those extra plates. Also saving fuel since car will be more aerodynamic while engine cooling may also be improved.

A single rear plate works just fine in many states, so why not all states??? Maybe we can start a National movement against wasteful front license plates!

Front license plates are required here in Illinois too, but we haven't had them since July of 2010 . Cops don't look twice at our Vibes. As a matter of fact... I haven't been pulled over for anything since 2005.

That goes in waves here in Maine. Sometimes they ignore not having a front plate. Sometimes they will ding you for not having one. You're running a risk of being stopped without a front plate, not worth it.

Definitely looks good on the black. Maybe on the Navy too, but I think most other colors probably look better with chrome.

vibolista wrote: You're running a risk of being stopped without a front plate, not worth it.

Such is life in the fast lane Both of our Vibe GT's have NO front plates. The wife's G8Gt does (she's not a gambler like me) Being so close to Michigan, who does NOT require front plates, makes it a bit easier to not get noticed and thus never pulled over. FOUR years & counting also and no problems

tpollauf wrote: Such is life in the fast lane Both of our Vibe GT's have NO front plates. The wife's G8Gt does (she's not a gambler like me) Being so close to Michigan, who does NOT require front plates, makes it a bit easier to not get noticed and thus never pulled over. FOUR years & counting also and no problems

We get overrun with Florida cars all summer and Massachusetts cars all the time and they don't have front plates. Hmmm! I'd still have to stick it on to get it through our yearly state inspection.

Now you have me thinking about it!


Is that white '92-'95 Civic sedan next to your blacked out Vibe part of the family? Headrests make it one of the earlier years, '92 or '93? Only reason I would notice... I have a '93 Civic Coupe EX in the garage.

vibolista wrote:

tpollauf wrote: Is that white '92-'95 Civic sedan next to your blacked out Vibe part of the family? Headrests make it one of the earlier years, '92 or '93? Only reason I would notice... I have a '93 Civic Coupe EX in the garage.

No idea what year it is, it's my neighbor's haha


Btw few years back, on my maxima, I was parked outside and had no plates on, parking enforcement gave me a ticket around 10PM!!! Don't want to risk it anymore

lowincash wrote: Btw few years back, on my maxima, I was parked outside and had no plates on, parking enforcement gave me a ticket around 10PM!!! Don't want to risk it anymore

Wow! They are tough out there!