First-time Vibe owner/New member
Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 12:00 am
Hello all,
First off, thanks for adding me to this online community. I've found it useful and only owned my Vibe for 2 days!
Browsing through this forum is what actually pushed me to find a Vibe after reading all the positive information.
March 2nd I pulled the trigger on a 2005 1.8 auto trans, moon&tune, 197,000 miles. Part of me feels I paid a little too much(even after getting the seller down $400) but of the 3 I've looked at this one seems to have been cared for very well, and not just cosmetically. Previously owned by an older couple, they are the original owners. The gentleman had retired from the auto parts industry and assured me that regular maintenance had been done and when something as little as a molded plastic piece cracked he replaced it. He even replaced the factory stereo with a new Pioneer unit with red and white illumination because the buttons on the factory unit were wore to where they couldnt be read... So I feel pretty good about what I have. I'm not necessarily thrilled about a four-speed auto trans but after finding out that manual transmissions had wear problems I guess maybe I have the better option?? I'm just partial to having more control over my vehicle so 4 out of the 5 vehicles I've owned have been manuals. Growing up on a farm will do that to a person.. Inside and out are in what i consider very good shape. Four dings on the body, few rock chips up front, and a broken retainer clip on the passenger door side molding. Paint look good, probably be great with some tlc. The alloy wheels have corrosion so I want to learn how to strip and paint them(or powder coat if that's better). Inside is very clean. No fabric tears or stains, no headliner issues, no dirty door panels. Normal scuffs on plastic moldings in rear from cargo. Speakers sound very good still, might replace with some 2-ways since there is a nice stereo in it. Mechanically sound from what I can tell. No leaking fluids that I can see other than very small amount of oil residue under the plastic on top of the intake manifold/valve cover area. Trans feels okay I think but I always think these auto trans compact cars feel weird. No hard shifting or slipping. Steering is tight, no play in tie-rod ends or bearings. S belt looks and feels good and can't hear any squeeling from any of the pully bearings. Alternator puts out 13.6-8v. Wire harness connections all look good, some of them still have grease inside. I don't know what else to check!
Moving on, what I did find was something that this group brought to my attention. A bent and cracked deflector under the oil-fill hole. It was pushed down far enough that the cam had worn a small amount off the edge. I made a small tool to get underneath and pull it back in position. No telling how long ago it was forced down but it aggravates me that a tech at a quick-lube place probably just slammed his filler neck down without looking first. Oh well, I'm fortunate to have found it and thankful for all the great information on this site!
I'm excited to keep learning about this little car and hope to do what I can to keep it tuned well so I can get at least 100,000 miles out of it. I've enjoyed reading about modifications for power and efficiency and hope to tinker with it soon.
Any advice is appreciated! Hope to have some pictures up as soon as I can figure out this profile setup..
KMGMO
First off, thanks for adding me to this online community. I've found it useful and only owned my Vibe for 2 days!
Browsing through this forum is what actually pushed me to find a Vibe after reading all the positive information.
March 2nd I pulled the trigger on a 2005 1.8 auto trans, moon&tune, 197,000 miles. Part of me feels I paid a little too much(even after getting the seller down $400) but of the 3 I've looked at this one seems to have been cared for very well, and not just cosmetically. Previously owned by an older couple, they are the original owners. The gentleman had retired from the auto parts industry and assured me that regular maintenance had been done and when something as little as a molded plastic piece cracked he replaced it. He even replaced the factory stereo with a new Pioneer unit with red and white illumination because the buttons on the factory unit were wore to where they couldnt be read... So I feel pretty good about what I have. I'm not necessarily thrilled about a four-speed auto trans but after finding out that manual transmissions had wear problems I guess maybe I have the better option?? I'm just partial to having more control over my vehicle so 4 out of the 5 vehicles I've owned have been manuals. Growing up on a farm will do that to a person.. Inside and out are in what i consider very good shape. Four dings on the body, few rock chips up front, and a broken retainer clip on the passenger door side molding. Paint look good, probably be great with some tlc. The alloy wheels have corrosion so I want to learn how to strip and paint them(or powder coat if that's better). Inside is very clean. No fabric tears or stains, no headliner issues, no dirty door panels. Normal scuffs on plastic moldings in rear from cargo. Speakers sound very good still, might replace with some 2-ways since there is a nice stereo in it. Mechanically sound from what I can tell. No leaking fluids that I can see other than very small amount of oil residue under the plastic on top of the intake manifold/valve cover area. Trans feels okay I think but I always think these auto trans compact cars feel weird. No hard shifting or slipping. Steering is tight, no play in tie-rod ends or bearings. S belt looks and feels good and can't hear any squeeling from any of the pully bearings. Alternator puts out 13.6-8v. Wire harness connections all look good, some of them still have grease inside. I don't know what else to check!
Moving on, what I did find was something that this group brought to my attention. A bent and cracked deflector under the oil-fill hole. It was pushed down far enough that the cam had worn a small amount off the edge. I made a small tool to get underneath and pull it back in position. No telling how long ago it was forced down but it aggravates me that a tech at a quick-lube place probably just slammed his filler neck down without looking first. Oh well, I'm fortunate to have found it and thankful for all the great information on this site!
I'm excited to keep learning about this little car and hope to do what I can to keep it tuned well so I can get at least 100,000 miles out of it. I've enjoyed reading about modifications for power and efficiency and hope to tinker with it soon.
Any advice is appreciated! Hope to have some pictures up as soon as I can figure out this profile setup..
KMGMO
!