GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

It takes the car a good 5-10 minutes to warm up... thats not right is it?

When it was -15C it took about 10 minutes of city driving to completly warm up the car although it started blowing warm air within 3 minutes.I've also noticed that if you use fan setting 4 (09-10 Vibes) the car takes noticably longer to warm up then if you use fan setting 3.

Block your grill?

Quote, originally posted by wyatt89 »Block your grill?I'm 98% sure I shouldn't do that.

Quote, originally posted by Kevzaz »I'm 98% sure I shouldn't do that.Why? It's pretty dang common in the northern states. When I lived in Minnesota half the cars there had at least part of their grill blocked. The weather was cold enough that nobody really had to worry about overheating. I only had the upper part of mine blocked on my truck but it wasn't uncommon to see the whole front of someone's car covered in cardboard.

it recently had droped to -43 with windchill. parked at work for 12-16 hours in the open (airport) it sat running for about 5 mins and was good to go.note for most of this time my vibe was pluged in

When the temps are in the 40's, it takes my 2009 about 1/2 mile to start blowing warm air thru the heater vents. When it was in the 20's, it took about a mile or two.

It takes mine a good 5 minutes or so to warm up.

I find the 2.4L vibe warms up really fast, comparing to all my previous card and gf's civic....

When its around 30-40 degrees I think my temp needle has already moved some when I pull out of the driveway!

09vGT has a 12 mile driveway.

Quote, originally posted by vibolista »09vGT has a 12 mile driveway.ROFL!

Quote, originally posted by lovemyraffe »ROFL!Sorry, I had to do that. ... Though I have noticed that the Vibe does take a tiny bit longer to build heat... but it isn't way out of line with other 4 cyl cars I've owned. I don't pre warm my car when I drive it. First I clear the snow or frost and then I start the car, put my seatbelt on and adjust everything, before I drive off very gently. That super gentle driving mode lasts at least 3 to 5 miles depending on the outside air and engine temperatures. Idling cars waste a lot of gasoline. I know that there is a difference in opinion about that, but can't deny that any ICE idling cold is in its most inefficient mode. If you get cold before the car gets warm, you should wear proper winter clothing, including gloves and hat. You stay warmer and don't have to put as much heat on in the car as well... allowing more heat for engine operation that lets it run at a more efficient level, sooner. It's amazing to me how many people go out, start their cars and let them run for 10 to 20 minutes before they go back out and actually drive off. One guy I know, let his truck idle for over 2 hours, when he got sidetracked at work. Then he complains about winter mileage and the cost of gasoline. He recently installed a remote car starter with a 10 minute shut off. So now when he forgets it's running, he starts it again and lets it run some more. Just put some warm winter clothes on and you can save quite a bit of money, instead of burning your fuel for heat instead of go.

...reminds me of a 4-wheel SNO-CONE!

+1 1) Start engine2) Get out and clear snow and ice3) Get back in, put on seatbelt4) Drive awayThis whole process takes me a minute at the most. Less if theres no snow to clear!If you want the inside of the car to be warm when you go out there, put a space heater in and run an extension cord.

Quote, originally posted by Old Tele man »...reminds me of a 4-wheel SNO-CONE!Never looked at it that way... but you're right! Hey Tele, guessing your Vibe doesn't take too long to warm up? At least most of the year, right? You guys are now in your near perfect weather time of year.And star_ ... if someone really needs the inside of their Vibe to be warm when they get in every time... they need to live in a place like Old Tele man does. Just about guaranteed to be warm, nearly 99% of the time, compared to snow country!

Quote, originally posted by vibolista »And star_ ... if someone really needs the inside of their Vibe to be warm when they get in every time... they need to live in a place like Old Tele man does. Just about guaranteed to be warm, nearly 99% of the time, compared to snow country! My Wife says it get too hot HERE in the summer.... She'd probably melt down there!!! (I wonder what kind of panic southerners go through when the A/C dies?)

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »My Wife says it get too hot HERE in the summer.... She'd probably melt down there!!! (I wonder what kind of panic southerners go through when the A/C dies?)That's funny, I have one of those, too. This is as far south she'll live. I guess it's Ok, she spent the first 20 years of her life in Fla., so she paid her dues. My first car didn't have A/C... and the Air Force decided that I should experiece Florida first hand for the first 3 years. So I got some up close and personal exposure to that panic southerners feel. Imagine driving inside a 4 wheeled furnace at full boil... and the thermostat gets stuck on max high. Soooo nice.

Just north of Forks station, NV, on hwy 95 mid May 2008 coming back from Vegas... neither of our cars have A/C... Solution: Open the windows and drive like hell!!! We seem to have good heat tolerance, the wife on the other hand is lying down in the car complaining about the heat.

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Okay.. maybe not when I pull out of my driveway.. but right down the road for sure! Less than a mile.. and I don't poke around either!!!

Woh! At least it was a dry heat!! Very nice '93('94?) Civic Coupe and much younger Sunfire. I guess you could say they both look really Hot! That heat probably sealed your fate. Wife said- no never again? Good thing you didn't wait 'til summer.You took a heck of a route through that state. That's one side of Nevada I've never driven. Been across the top, the bottom, and driven all of 93 and I-15... so you have that one on me. Should have been a great road trip... except the hot part.

We went down the Wash, Or and Norcal coast to SF. Over to I-5 to LA. I-15 to Vegas. 95, 395 to Mt Shasta. And I-5 back to Canada. 11 days in total, 2 in SF, 3 in LA, and 3 in LV. The rest were on the road. And yes, the whole trip was photo documented.... even a few videos...But back to the topic at hand, does -35C and below ever freeze your rad? Definate coolant strengthening needed, 60:40 at least.

So far I haven't frozen coolant. The coldest temp I have driven in was -37C. I was running somewhere close to a 50/50 mix I think. That was in Montana. Nothing mechanical wanted to operate and the flat spots where the nearly frozen tires sat on the ground lasted for miles down the road. You guys aren't that cold right now, are you?

No, it's 2C and RAINING... which will probably freeze overnight and we'll all be skating to work. -30C might happen here 1 or 2 days a year.But I have lived and driven in -40 before I was just wondering how the Vibe would fare.

Vibes don't warm up very well from just idling. I usually let it run for a couple of minutes just to get the juices flowing then drive it fairly conservatively for the first couple kms to get the heat up. I did notice that in the extreme cold (<-30) that it takes a while to get the temp needle up to half way. You have to keep the revs up and the fan turned down to get the heat up to normal. And I have cardboard in front of the rad. I'm starting to wonder if it came with a 160 degree thermostat.

I believe it's a 195. As TRD sell a 160 for lower engine temps.http://www.brandsport.com/trdj....html