GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey everyone, I have used my vibe to move a couple times and now there are some deep scratches/gauges in the plastic. Completely my fault for not putting down a blanket or mat but now I am considering taking off all of the plastic panels in the cargo area and painting them with truck bed liner to protect the "bed" from future abuse.

I know you can buy replacement oem panels, but they are a bit pricy and I want to protect the cargo area of the car.

Is it a good idea? or are there better solutions out there?

Thanks in advance!

Depends on the how bad the scratches are. If there are just a few gouges, they make colored epoxy you could use as fill. Post a pic of the damage, will help with ideas on the best method of repair.

Here are some pics of my poor vibe. It looks much more noticeable in person. The scuff marks also wont come off.

consider going the opposite way: use carpet to cover up the scratches, remove the carpet when you do some rough hauling. I put some carpet in my trunk area and my wife's reaction was: "oh, that is nice!" And it reduces noise too.

Yes it reduces noise !!! Very happy about that after I purchased my cargo mat

Here's what we have in our Vibes...





We started out with one of the GM Accessories premium all weather cargo mats (#19170827) in each of our Vibes when we first got them to protect the cargo areas. A few years ago, I decided to order two more to protect the backs of the rear seats when they're folded down. When the rear seats are up, the two mats stack nicely on top of each other. These are some very heavy duty mats and are very easy to clean if you happen to spill anything on them. Just take them out and spray them off with a hose and scrub them with a brush if need be.

Thank you all so much for your replies,

I think I will go with some type of mat, really like the oem ones that vibenvy posted pictures of, very nice look. I guess I was over thinking it a bit lol. Truck bed lined cargo area would still be sweet (maybe a future project if I get bored), but in the interest of time, a mat is a better way to go for now.

Cheers!

like the above stated

the back area scratches easily, and most cover items will too
By a nice mat, or customize on of your choosing; many DIY stores sell big carpets/mats

Take out the mat when you are gonna move big stuff, then put it back in to cover the damage

of note:
If you still have child car seats, you'll have to cut a whole in any mat to gain access to the upper center child restraint hook in the back

goodvibes05 wrote:I think I will go with some type of mat, really like the oem ones that vibenvy posted pictures of, very nice look.

I highly recommend GMPartsCenter.net. I have dealt with them many times and never had any issues. Their prices and customer service are top notch! Their price for one GM Accessories premium all weather cargo mat (#19170827) is $93.00 shipped ($78.47 + $14.53 [shipping]). The MSRP (dealer price) for one mat is $95.00.

GMPartsDirect.com is another great place I have also dealt with many times. Their price for one mat shipped is a little cheaper: $71.16 + $12.97 (shipping) = $84.13 shipped.

If you’re looking to order two of the cargo mats, I would go with GMPartsCenter.net as they are currently offering a 10% discount on orders of $150.00 or more [through September 5, 2015] (enter code 10AUG15 at checkout) which would save you a little more money.