GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My 'new to me' 2007 Vibe (1.8l)
Purchase date: March 22, 2011 w/ 70,400 miles
Stock:
-Moon and Tunes package
-Single CD player

Mods/Upgrades:
-ambient LED in maplight/sunroof console (4/14/11)
-photos below-AUX input wired into stock HU (4/22/11)
-interior bike rack (4/27/11) -photos below
-rubberized carpet liner for entire cargo area (4/27/11)

Planned mods:
-WeatherTech window visors
-powercoat roof rack rails black
-Corolla horn
-touch up chips on hood (not a 'mod' but necessary)
-window tint (maybe)

Maintenance:
-NGK Iridium XI plugs (4/9/11 @ 71079 mi)
-cleaned TB and replaced TB gasket (4/9/11 @ 71079 mi)
-Techron (10oz) added (4/10/11 @ 71100 mi)
-Lucas UCL (3-3.5 oz) with each fill-up (since 4/23/11 @ 71400 mi)
-switch to synthetic oil (Castrol Syntec (old) 5w-30 w/ Toyota filter (90915-YZZF1) 5/21/11 @ 72200 mi)
-new PCV valve (5/21/11 @ 72200 mi)
-intake manifold gasket replaced (w/ yota pn #17171-22060) (5/27/11 @ 72456 mi)
-intake manifold cleaned - lots of caked on oil inside (5/27/11 @ 72456 mi)
-OCV valve and filter checked - spotless! (5/27/11 @ 72456 mi)
-2nd oil change (Castrol Syntec (old) 5w-30 w/ Toyota filter (90915-YZZF1) 10/18/11 @ 77400 mi (5200 mi OCI)) - SAMPLE sent to Blackstone
-engine block heater installed 11/2012
-coolant drain and fill (Toyota Super Long Life - Pink) (11/18/11 @ 78400 mi)
-new tires (finally!) - Conti ExtremeContact DWS (12/6/11 @ 79145 mi)
-3rd oil change (Castrol Syntec (old) 5w-30 w/Toyota filter (90915-YZZF1) 03/20/12 @ 83400 mi (6000 mi OCI)) - SAMPLE sent to Blackstone
-new Wix air filter 03/20/12 @ 83400 mi
-rotated tires 3/29/12 @ 83517mi (~4400 mi)
-new cabin air filter 3/30/12 @ 83770 mi
-replaced blower motor (w/ Delphi OEM) 4/11/12 @ 84090 mi
-new serpentine belt (Goodyear Gatorback) 4/11/12 @ 84090 mi
-4th oil change (Castrol Syntec (new) 5w-30 w/ Toyota filter (90915-YZZF1) 8/29/12 @ 91101 mi (7700 mi OCI))
-rotated tires 9/27/12 @ 92028 mi (~8500 mi since last)
-Techron (10oz) added (8/29/12 @ 92145 mi)
-transmission fluid change w/ Toyota T-IV (all fresh fluid~8 quarts used to flush and fill) and PowerTorque FK372 filter and gasket 03/23/13 @ 99100 mi (probably the first fluid change since coming off the line)
-5th oil change (Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 w/ Toyota filter (90915-YZZF1) 03/24/13 @ 99100 mi (8000 mi OCI))
-rotated tires 3/24/13 @ 99100 mi (~7075 mi)
-6th oil change (Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 w/ Toyota filter (90915-YZZF1) 08/25/13 @ 105900 mi (6800 mi OCI))
-Techron (10oz) added (11/06/13 @ 109063 mi)
-rotated tires 11/30/13 @ 109833 mi (~10700 mi)
-7th oil change (Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 w/ Fram Ultra filter (XG4386) 3/30/14 @ 113930 mi (8000 mi OCI))
-new oil pan drain plug gasket 3/30/14
-new STP air filter (9/17/14 @ 121000 mi)
-8th oil change (Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 w/ Mobil 1 EP filter (M1-103) 10/26/14 @ 122950 mi (9020 mi OCI))
-new tires - Conti ExtremeContact DWS (11/25/14 @ 124490 mi) (45345 mi on previous tires)
-9th oil change (Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 w/ Toyota filter (90915-YZZF1) 5/6/2015 @ 131170 mi (8220 mi OCI))
-MAF and TB cleaned (5/10/15 @ 131510 mi)

Picture(s) added 4/5/11
===4/9/11---71079 miles===Cleaned the throttle body and it was filthy. I also planned to replace the PCV valve but the replacement didn't seem to work...it allowed air to pass in both directions...so I think I'll return it and get one from the dealer instead of Autozone Replaced old spark plugs because I did not know the age, I'm not sure how Iridium plugs should look after ~71k, but these look rough to be considering they are supposed to be 120k items? Oddly enough, the gap on all the plugs is still pretty good... right around .042-.045.

===04/14/11===Finalized and installed LED into overhead maplight/sunroof console. It is wired into the dash illumination and behaves just as the rest of the back lighting. The write up is located here: viewtopic.php?t=36257 (LED on)After (LED off)

===4/22/11---71400 miles===AUX in wired into stock head unit using 5 prong 3.5mm jack. Jack was installed hidden inside the center console near the 12v accessory outlet. I'd take a photo, but its hard to get a good one in the confined space.Replaced 4 backlight bulbs on the stock head unit. Used Radio Shack bulbs (#272-1092), they were a bit smaller than the original LCD backlight bulbs (T-1 vs T1-3/4), but provide equivalent output. Fairly easy job, just required some tedious soldering.

===4/27/11===Added a full length rubber-backed liner for the rear area in addition to an interior bike rack for my tri bike. My first triathlon of the season is this weekend so it seemed fitting. The bike fits alright, but I need to remove the front wheel (for the fork mount) and the seat for it to fit. I can leave the front passenger seat up but no one can sit there due to the handle bars. I prefer this to a roof rack because at least this way my bike is safe from the elements/theft.

===5/27/11===Today I decided to replace the intake manifold gasket as well as clean the OCV valve and filter. All went smoothly. The OCV and filter were spotless so I simply replaced them. The intake manifold was filthy (caked on oil sitting in the bottom) so I heavily sprayed with carb cleaner and then ran hot water thru (off the car of course) for about 10 minutes. After airing out infront of a fan for about an hour, I put everything back together.

===8/12/11===Nothing new to report. Fuel economy is holding steady just over 30 mpg with 16 fill-ups spanning 4200 miles at about 60% highway driving. I'll be starting a new job that will involve a lot more driving so I'm looking at changing my transmission fluid before we get too close to fall here in Wisconsin.

===1/1/12===Happy New Year! My odometer was at 80450 today, so I put just over 10k miles on my Vibe in less than a year and so it's far been holding up like a champ!

===3/20/12===It's been about a year since I got my Vibe and besides regular maintenance it's been great! I still have to change the transmission fluid and it's probably time for new struts/shocks, but that's all pretty low key normal stuff!

===3/24/13===After the transmission fluid change the transmission seems to shift more smoothly and with less hesitation. Hopefully with that a much needed oil change (8000 mi on Castrol Edge) my fuel economy should improve.

Welcome to the family!

Welcome to GenVibe!

Welcome to GenVibe!

Welcome to GenVibe. Post pics real soon

^^^^^Yes Post some pics. Lets see what she looks like.

Pictures added (finally), just back from a car wash. Unfortunately my hood is suffering from the factory GM paint job and has some chips that I'll have to touch up...something else to add to the list

I also ordered components for the overhead 'ambient' led install...hopefully I will start that project this weekend. This post will be a place holder for the pictures upon completion (assuming it works!)

Quote, originally posted by blindman10 »Pictures added (finally), just back from a car wash. Unfortunately my hood is suffering from the factory GM paint job and has some chips that I'll have to touch up...something else to add to the list That would be a "Toyota" paint job.

Welcome to GenVibe!

Hey blindman, its me from HIDP!IDK If you were talking about my hubcaps I painted, but here are the ones I did. I think you could do the same method on yours and it would turn out pretty cool. Leave the surrounds chrome and the center pontiac vibe logo chrome, the rest black. That is up to you though .On a side note, that is a nice color Vibe!

Those are the ones! Maybe I'll give it a shot...did you use Krylon Fusion/plastic spray paint??

woot! another neptune. welcome man. im jealous of your moon roof.

welcome to the site -- your 07 paint looks in a lot better shape than my 06

Yeah I did use Krylon. It is something that looks like the one on the far left. I just taped off the parts that I didn't want black with painting tape. You can get pretty creative and paint whatever parts of the rim you wish.

Going in for a new PCM as part of the recall tomorrow...hopefully its trouble free!EDIT: Part had to be ordered...will be going in Wednesday morning now.

New PCM installed this morning and all is well so far!

such a nice, clean color!lookin sharp.

Thanks! Today I will be adding an aux port because I don't own CDs anymore and the radio is awful...

Just ordered $100 worth of stuff from ToyotaParts...some oil filters, PCV valve, intake manifold gasket, OCV filter, and a case of T-IV!

The Vibe is NOW officially running full synthetic oil! I'm trying Castrol Syntec, it was on sale and reviews alright at BITOG forums.I've been seeing some great fuel economy increases lately so I'm hoping to see a little bit more (and will push my OCI a bit longer).

I love the interior bike rack. Also, +1 for synthetic.

Quote, originally posted by papacueball »I love the interior bike rack...+1I usually take off the front wheel and strap the handle bar stem to the head rest. Nice clean look on yours

Happy 75k!!! I've only had my car for 4,600 miles but its been great so far! Here is to another 75k and beyond!

hehe. i have you beat by far. im at 110,000 miles now and still running strong. im ready for my recall fix too.

Quote, originally posted by RISCVibe » im ready for my recall fix too. hold up....WHAT recall fix? Can I get a link plz?My uncle suggested that my problem may be linked to the pcm so I'm curious.And x2 on the moonroof envy

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/1082/ecm.pdfThat shows all the PCM numbers that will be replaced as part of the recall. Call your dealer and schedule an appointment if it's on the list.Mine was very painless, took less than an hour and drove the exact same afterward (I wasn't have any issues prior to the replacement either).

Thanks...mine's an '03, so I guess I have a different problem

Quote, originally posted by A Psycho Martyr »Thanks...mine's an '03, so I guess I have a different problem Think it could stem from the little 1.8 pulling around those big 20"s?

hey, they're aluminum!

awesome job on the rubber backing on your sets and the bike rack.I may eventually do something similar (minus the bike rack)And I've been looking into doing the led thing as well. I recently rode in a Mini Cooper and they have ambient multicolor led's everywhere! So now I'm jealous and I simply must have it.lol Anyways...good job

I've owned the car for just about 7 months and I finally decided to do my 2nd oil change I went with another 4qts of Castrol Syntec 5w30 since I've got a few bottles sitting around. The OCI was only 5200 mi (in 5 months) but I figured I'd do it now instead of having to deal with it once the white stuff is on the ground here.Due to my curiosity and desire to stretch my OCIs, I am sending a sample of the used oil to get analyzed...will post results!!

My oil analysis! Looks alright except for the trace amount of fuel. We will see how the next one after 7k looks!