GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Since the odometer stops at 299,999 on the '04s you may be asking, how do you know? Well...June 26, 2008: Odometer hits 299,999 and locks up (as anticipated). Continued tracking my mileage on the tripometer until...October 3, 2008: Installed a salvaged instrument panel that I bought back in June. With a bit of planning I was able to match up my mileage to the replacement panel's odometer to the tenth of a mile. Upon the install my Vibe's actual mileage was 316,770. The odometer reading on the replacement panel was 16,770.January 19, 2010: While at work I rolled 100,000 miles driving up Okemos Road in Okemos, MI. YAHOO! 400,000 actual miles!A few Genvibers have asked what I've been doing to keep my car going for so many miles. Honestly? I can't say I have any secrets or any fascinating tips & tricks. For the most part its been maintenance at regular, er I should say, semi-regular intervals. I've had my share of misfortune in the form of three accidents (2 with deer, 1 with a wreckless driver). Collectively those resulted in mostly cosmetic work, a new radiator, an alignment, and tie rod on one side. What really blows me away is the lack of unexpected repairs excluding the accidents. I still can't help wonder if this car was built that darn well, or did I pick the freak of nature off the lot? And for the record, we're talking the original engine and trans. Neither have been rebuilt or have had any problems.*Oil changes: Valvoline MaxLife + Fram Extra Guard filter (There you go, Fram haters. LOL) Average interval of 5,000 miles and the occasional fresh oil flush using Valvoline conventional oil when I'm significantly over.*Transmission: MaxLife Dex/Merc*Coolant: Prestone Extended Life Dex-Cool*Spark Plugs: OEM Denso Iridium*Air Filter: K&N stock replacement*Gas treatments: Gumout High Mileage Fuel System Cleaner and Fuel Injector Cleaner alternated every 5-7k. Its debatable whether stuff like this really works. Guess its all about superstition and piece of mind at this point.

Congrats!That's great to know that it is possible for these cars to last a really long time. For me to reach 400,000 miles would take me another 20 years or so.

Wow that is amazing! Its very reassuring to hear it is even possible to hit 400K ! Does the Vibe consume any oil?Just think of all the money you saved not having a car payment !

Quote, originally posted by cptnsolo77 »Wow that is amazing! Its very reassuring to hear it is even possible to hit 400K ! Does the Vibe consume any oil?Just think of all the money you saved not having a car payment !She consumes maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart between oil changes.Funny thing about that payoff. It was a 5-year zero interest loan through GMAC. The car had 375,000 miles when I made that final payment in Sept. '09. Couldn't help but (removed) at the scenario. "Sweet! I officially own my car! No more payment! And its only got 375,000 miles on it!"

Congrats on the milestone...here's to another 400,000+ more!

That is crazy go nuts!

Truly amazing, congrats!

First off.....congrats!!!second....what do you do that you have to drive soo many miles each year?

Totally awesome!

Excellent, and congrat's! It shows me I was undershooting for my goal of 300,000. 400,000 and still going....WooHooo!

Quote, originally posted by toycar »First off.....congrats!!!second....what do you do that you have to drive soo many miles each year?Yeah!!I'd like to know that as well

someone on here was a taxi driver with insane amount of miles...forgot who though..Congrats on the high mileage! thats awesome now lets see you hit like 600k or 10000k!

Congrats!!!! Now, how many sets of tirs have you gone through?

awesome. i have a feeling mine wont be lasting that long

congratulations joejoe! you are an inspiration to us. Can you post photos of this pretty beast?? Would be a viable candidate for VOTM in my eyes....Are you planning on filing for an official record? If so be forewarned your claim may be closely scrutinized. Consider the recent world's largest bass record holder from Japan -- he had to file eyewitness depositions and even take a polygraph test. That's a big bass, boy.http://www.worldamazingrecords....htmlhttp://sports.espn.go.com/outd...90702But seriously you may wish to notify the NUMMI plant and certainly the Buffalo WV engine plant. 400K on a single body+engine is for me amazing (and in snow country no less) -- but I am guessing GM would be non-plussed by the accomplishment. I know the Buffalo plant is still turning out both 4 cyl Toyota engines and transmissions. Bet they would be proud.....http://www.dailymail.com/News/...60693One of my favorite things about the Vibe was that major assembly was 100% american (there are plenty of Asian-made parts). It sticks in my craw that GM kept the Aveo (made by GM Daewoo in Korea) but dumped the Vibe. (while on the subject of foriegn competition -- American bass fisherman take the challenge! the previous bass redord stood in Georgia for 77 years!!!)

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »someone on here was a taxi driver with insane amount of miles...forgot who though.. It was "Olympic" who ran a taxi service in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. He had Vibes with over 500, 000 kms i.e. 300,000 miles!

That is truly an amazing milestone to reach without any component replacements. Are you still using the original of the following list of parts?1. catalytic converter2. steering rack3. front struts4. starter5. alternator6. fuel pump7. water pump8. air conditioning compressorI am really amazed if all of these parts are the originals. Trust me, most GM cars can't make 50,000 miles without needing at least one of these parts replaced at no fault of the driver. My 2007 even had to have a new PCM at 17,000 miles. You have been extremely fortunate.

that is pretty awesome - the most I hit was 333K in my old galant, which literally blew up as I was driving down the highway. I am very impressed - congrats, and looking forward to you talking about 500K.

I posted that on other forum I belong to !

That's almost 80,000 miles a year! That's almost 3 and a third trips around the planet along the Equator, each year! You, sir, are a traveling man! If I put 15,000 miles on a car in a year, that would be a big year for trips. Generally, I only get in 10 to 12K per year. But I do put about a 1000 miles on my bicycle and just a little more than that on my motorcycle each year. Congratulations. You've managed to compress between 26 and 27 years of average driving miles (using 15,000 miles as the average) on your Vibe, into about a 5 year period. I may have missed it, but your transmission... Auto or Manual? Keep on Vibin'!!!

Quote, originally posted by joejoev »A few Genvibers have asked what I've been doing to keep my car going for so many miles. Honestly? I can't say I have any secrets or any fascinating tips & tricks. For the most part its been maintenance at regular, er I should say, semi-regular intervals. I've had my share of misfortune in the form of three accidents (2 with deer, 1 with a wreckless driver). Collectively those resulted in mostly cosmetic work, a new radiator, an alignment, and tie rod on one side. What really blows me away is the lack of unexpected repairs excluding the accidents. I still can't help wonder if this car was built that darn well, or did I pick the freak of nature off the lot? And for the record, we're talking the original engine and trans. Neither have been rebuilt or have had any problems. If it was a "wreckless" driver you would not have had any damage - now a reckless driver - that's another story.

As impressive as 400k miles is, you've still got a ways to go to catch up with this guy:http://www.autoblog.com/2007/1...lion/

Wow! Congrats. Shame GM didn't (or didn't want to) realize what a great little vehicle they had on their hands.

Quote, originally posted by toycar »First off.....congrats!!!second....what do you do that you have to drive soo many miles each year?I work at a same day courier service. My annual mileage has actually decreased due to company expansion, the economy, smarter work habits, etc. When I bought the car in Sept. '04 I took a 5-year loan and estimated it would pay off at like 450,000. It paid off with around 375,000.Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »Congrats!!!! Now, how many sets of tirs have you gone through?I'm near the end of my 5th set of tires. Set 1: Goodyear RSA's, Sets 2-5: Goodyear TripleTreadsQuote, originally posted by bikeman1 »congratulations joejoe! you are an inspiration to us. Can you post photos of this pretty beast?? Would be a viable candidate for VOTM in my eyes....Are you planning on filing for an official record? If so be forewarned your claim may be closely scrutinized.I should snap a few shots of the beast. Should have her back from the body shop today...all sparkling and shiny. No plans on filing for a record. Maybe I should. If I'm not mistaken they can plug in somewhere to read the actual mileage, can't they?Quote, originally posted by 21Rouge »It was "Olympic" who ran a taxi service in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. He had Vibes with over 500, 000 kms i.e. 300,000 miles!Yep. I think he was the first here to post about the locking odometer. Somewhere in the forums there's mention that he retired that vehicle but I don't remember the mileage.

Hey everyone! Thanks for the congrats.Quote, originally posted by dzknmd1 »That is truly an amazing milestone to reach without any component replacements. Are you still using the original of the following list of parts?I'm still driving with all of those original parts. The cat converter does need to be replace though. You're right, I have been really fortunate with this vehicle.Quote, originally posted by vibolista »I may have missed it, but your transmission... Auto or Manual?Automatic trannyQuote, originally posted by DeClerq »As impressive as 400k miles is, you've still got a ways to go to catch up with this guy:http://www.autoblog.com/2007/1...lion/ Can't imagine doing 2.6 million miles!

Quote, originally posted by bikeman1 »congratulations joejoe! you are an inspiration to us. Can you post photos of this pretty beast??Fresh from the body shop! I was able to snap off two pictures before my camera died. Got the good side...new mirror, rear quarter panel, tail light assembly. Accident pics from 12/30/09 here: http://s295.photobucket.com/al...0Pics/

Congrats. Man, it still looks very good for the amount of miles. I have the same year and color at 110k and yours looks about as good as mine. The biggest shocker to me is that this is a Michigan car. I had a 95 Grand Am that died with 220k. Granted, I was driving it through the snowiest regions of Michigan; Northern Michigan and U.P. Right after that, my uncle gave me his 93 Grand Am. It was from Virginia and looked spotless compared to my 95.

This is fantastic! 400,000 miles! Now I feel a lot better; I've been racking up the miles since I got my 2003 Vibe, and was worrying a bit about how long it would be able to run. The previous owner seemed to take care of it, so hopefully if I keep on it, it can last for quite a few years without too much trouble!

Maybe I can't see, as I can't see any pics at work, but how has the car held up in the MI winters? How is the rust on the car, if there is any? Just wondering as I live in MN and want to know how these cars hold up in harsh winters. I want to keep mine for a while. Thanks.

WOW! Amazing, but not... I think these cars were just made right. Pontiac had a good thing going when they hooked up with Toyota back then (wouldn't do it now...) Anyway, I have a 2004 Lava going strong at 85,000+ and I am looking forward to years of loving to drive it in the future!

Quote, originally posted by hi-tower »Maybe I can't see, as I can't see any pics at work, but how has the car held up in the MI winters? How is the rust on the car, if there is any? Just wondering as I live in MN and want to know how these cars hold up in harsh winters. I want to keep mine for a while. Thanks.Its held up very well. No body rust thus far.Quote, originally posted by dzknmd1 »Are you still using the original of the following list of parts?Well, I finally replaced one item from the list...the alternator kicked the bucket last night. The timing of it stinks (given recent experiences/incidents) but I really can't complain since the OEM alternator lasted for just over 405,000 miles.

Congratulations. I just paid off my '05 with this month's payment with only about 72,000 miles on it so it looks like I've got many more years of driving ahead of me. I'd like at least 4 or 5 more years and then I can give/sell it to my niece. If I really baby it for another 9 years my oldest child could be driving it.So far, I've only had to replace one of the oxygen sensors. I've put in a new battery (Diehard Plantinum) but the OEM would have kept going for awhile and put on the TripleTreads because I hated the RSAs that came with the vehicle.Congratulations again.

My head gasket just let go with 365,000 kms on my 2003 Frosty. I'm reasonably happy with 8 years, one wheel bearing, water pump, cracked manifold (re-welded) radiator (stone damage) and six windshields! There's also a couple of spots of rust that periodically get sanded and re-painted.

Egads! Six windshields! Lots of rocks were flying I guess?

Quote, originally posted by simon »My head gasket just let go with 365,000 kms on my 2003 Frosty. I'm reasonably happy with 8 years, one wheel bearing, water pump, cracked manifold (re-welded) radiator (stone damage) and six windshields! There's also a couple of spots of rust that periodically get sanded and re-painted.that's what I'm hoping to get on my 06 -- probably need another 6-7 years of driving to reach it

Bought ours in late 03 as a 04 model. Driven daily, wrecked 3 times, other than 4 sets of tires, brakes once we are good.Now the other shoe, we are only at 184000. So I think it will be in the driveway for awhile longer.

That's fantastic! Congrats! I was hoping to get my Vibe to lock the odo but alas she was taken away from me! That's OK though, it got me (almost) through college and that was the idea. I'll carry on the challenge with my Infiniti now :DKeep it up! Buy a few more clusters so you're ready for this one this hit 299,999

Wow, and I was about to do the happy dance for hitting 100k in my 03 GT!

I hope to duplicate that some day.

Gives them young Vibe whippersnappers something to look forward to, huh.

Not even at 80k miles, and I'm looking forward to having this thing run FOR-EV-VER!

Wow;Makes me feel even better about choosing a Vibe!

Haven't visited Genvibe for quite awhile, thought I'd stop in and noticed some fairly recent activity on this thread.The old girl is STILL GOING! I just finished replacing the starter, the original factory installed starter. What a pain in the a--. And what a POS! I only got 459,683 miles out of it. LOL!Thought I'd be at 500k by now but I'm just not racking up the miles at work like I used to. Still have not replaced the cat converter yet. I think it's almost taboo to do so at this point.

Quote, originally posted by joejoev »Still have not replaced the cat converter yet. I think it's almost taboo to do so at this point.envy /my second cat is going out on me, at a token 238K miles. Does your engine burn any oil?

truly amazing!! if the vvti can pull off 1million miles that would be amazing also but i think that guy with the volvo just got lucky

iI'm at 196,700ish on mine...hoping to hit 200k in a month or so. I only put 300-400 miles a week on mine though, and soon I won' be putting nearly as many on mine since my work is moving 10 miles away from where I live.

Congrats!! We are at 163K and going strong in our AWD 2003. This car handles better than my old 525i, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Camry...it's so nimble and well balanced! The AWD is much better than the price would lead on! What specific model years do the Odometers stop at 299K?

wow, im from the same city and trust me it gets crazy cold, -40 today actually. that is amazingly high mileage for around these parts...

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »envy /my second cat is going out on me, at a token 238K miles. Does your engine burn any oil? That stinks. My first CEL code was the P0420 at about 250,000.She consumes less than a quart over the course of 4000-6000 miles (my typical oil change interval range). Seems to vary with driving habits. Its burns a minimal amount if any...never pick up the scent nor do I have the wrong colors coming out of the tail pipe. I know I have a leak but I don't leave puddles.Quote, originally posted by indianapolisvibe »What specific model years do the Odometers stop at 299K?Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think its just the '03 and '04.

I dont think you picked up a freak of nature. I am having similar experience. I bought my 2003 Vibe GT new in 2003 (march 18). Theo odometer stopped at 299999km a long time ago and i have been using the tripmeter log ever since. Last week it turned 400, 000 km (240,000miles) and it still runs fine. I have worn the leather off the shifter twice, 2 sets of brakes , one clutch and AC once. I run it through the gears daily and redline it often....sometimes with lumber on board...lol.


I drive the crap out of this car and it loves it. I dont miss any maintenance at all ...( my good luck charm)latest oil change over 12 years was at 7000k, all the rest were right at 5k.

awesome car, unbelievably solid and reliable..

Paul S