GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello

I just bought a 2004 2wd vibe. I have to change the rear axle beam since it bent from an impact.
I found a local junkyard that sells the beam for 60$. The thing is they just post a picture of the car on facebook. If you call them they dont really know the cars specs.

Is the any way to tell if its a 2wd or 4wd from the picture ?

Can i take one from a 2wd matrix ? I know they are the same car. But sometimes there are slight differences between the 2 models.

Anything else i should know ? (Abs or something that will not fit if not same option...).
Thanks

AWD Vibes were really only identifiable by a small 'AWD' or 'ALL WHEEL DRIVE' emblem on the lower left hatch. Not much else to identify them that I could ever tell, unless looking underneath of course.

If the junkyard has a 2007-2008 then it's a guaranteed FWD as the first gen AWD Vibes went away after 2006.

If they can provide a VIN it will also identify which one... 4th and 5th characters are SL for FWD and SM for AWD.

Corolla, Matrix FWD, and Vibe GT axle beams will fit. Only concern if you acquire one from the Corolla is the torsion beam that acts as a sway bar may be different. But there's so many stock torsion beams out there, or even the Progress one which is thicker, that you'll be fine getting one if it is indeed different. Also, the GTs had rear disc brakes. So you could convert, or change the axle to drums yourself.

That all said, the AWD models are much rarer and had a completely different rear suspension setup than the FWDs, so it will be difficult for a place to mistake one for another.

The AWD has an IRS. By looking at a picture I'm not sure if you can tell the difference unless you see the rear left side.