GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey guys. I'm new here. Not new to having a Vibe, however. I have a 2004 Pontiac vibe, it's black, it has the "2 spoilers" thing going on. I purchased the car in 2006. I'm trying to gain a new perspective on my car. I love it. It's so far been the best car I've had. However, it seems as of late I'm encountering frequent repair issues. I just paid it off last year and that is what everyone says. As soon as you pay off your car, you start having to feed it money in repairs. In July 2010, my ex husband brought my car to Walmart for an oilchange(I'm a WOMAN, and I know youre not supposed to do that. CMTFO!) about 5 hours after the oil change, we were on the side of the road. Come to find out, walmart failed to put oil in my engine at the time of the OC. fail.Long story short, I had to get a low-milage used engine. Most expensive oil change I've ever had!3 months ago, the alternator went out. Then, I needed new brakes. Now, I'm looking at spending about $300 on my front alignment because I'm being told I need a shim kit and possibly something else done. Then, last night I started her up(cold start) and (I've read that "weird" and high idling is a common issue or characteristic of Vibes?) it seemed like she started funny, and idled high for a few minutes and then went back to normal..?It was weird. So, I don't know if I should now put off the alignment so in case this is a serious problem. I don't really new what it could be..Other that, I love my car and would really like to make her last as long as possible. Nice to meet you all.

Welcome to GenVibe !As far as the oil change is concerned, I hope Walmart compensated you in some way since it was their fault. Forgetting to put oil in is a big mistake on their part. This is the perfect example of why I change my own oil (I'm a woman BTW). I'm sure you're more than capable of changing yours as well .Alternators and brakes aren't huge issues as far as repairs go. $300 for an alignment is crazy. I'm not sure about needing shims and such, but around here alignments range from $50-$75. I would go to another place that does alignments and get a second opinion for sure.My Vibe is an 09 and it seems to idle weird sometimes when I first start it. I'm not sure if it's a common issue amongst Vibes or not, but probably not something to worry about as long as it settles back down and doesn't stay up really high.Glad to hear you love your Vibe so much . You're definitely in the right place !

Welcome to GenVibe!!!

Welcome!Might I ask, what does CMTFO stand for? I even Googled it and looked it up in the web acronyms dictionary to no avail, lol.

Welcome to genvibe! Since coming here I have had the confidence to do my own maintenance as well. There are many how to posts and plenty of people here to give advice. Mine idles funny when there is a change in temp on the cold start. Case in point, the nights after work have been much cooler than the daytime, and it idles a little strangely on cold start. It goes back to normal though. there is a couple posts about cleaning the MAF sensor, which helps the high idle issue, and did on my car after I bought it.

Quote, originally posted by Chuck McKnight »Welcome!Might I ask, what does CMTFO stand for? I even Googled it and looked it up in the web acronyms dictionary to no avail, lol.Chill Monkey The Frick Out?

Can't Move The Family OutCould My Thesis Fail OftenCatch Many Theological Flies Obsessively.

Quote, originally posted by Serj22 »Catch Many Theological Flies Obsessively.

Welcome to this great forum Hopefully your "ex" was already an "ex" when he made that bad move to have the oil changed As Carrie stated here, get a second opinion/quote from another shop. That price does sound steep. Whatever minor maintenance your Vibe requires, PLEASE give it to it It will reward you for many more years of pleasant driving

I got it.............I got it...............I.got.the.answer!CURSED MAN THROWN THE (beep) OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!teehee. welcome, by the way.

I too hope you didn't have to pay for a new engine. Mal*wart should absolutely have picked up the tab on that one. They blew up a Stratus a co-worker had a few years back and bought him a brand new engine. I think that time they put on a wrong oil filter. Bottom line, I might occasionally buy oil there and drop off used oil there, but that's as far as I will ever let them be involved with my oil changes. For the idle, it's normal for those engines to idle upwards of 2000 RPM when cold and it settles down when warmed up. They all did this, it's a "feature."Do try to get some other opinions on the alignment -- were they shimming the rear? (a tire shop wanted me to do that to ours, but the Pontiac dealer says they never do this and looked at the alignment and found no problems.)Good luck, hope you get it all sorted.

HI WAS UNDER 100 BUCKS TO GET A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT DONE ON MY 85 VETT,FIND ANOTHER SHOP.

Sorry to hear about your oil change issue. As far high idle, it tends to be normal for our cars during warm up period. If it seems a bit too high. Try cleaning the MAF sensor. Why do you need an alignment? Are your tires wearing unevenly? Plenty of times Tire KIngdom ( DONT GO THERE ) told me oh, Mr Diaz you need an alignment.....well my tires wore down to the wear bars evenly with NO alignment!!! Thank you very much. ! What is the basis for them recomending an alignment?

Welcome to the GenVibe family!