GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi there. Does anyone out there have some clear pictures of the Vibe roof without the headliner on? I am interested to see one because I would like to screw in some brackets/clips into the roof where it is curved so that I can install a roof storage net. I already went to the junkyard and got an extra grab bar to install on the drivers side, which was missing but after install it came out perfect. Now I simply need to install brackets/clips so the net can connect to the back area. I know along the roof or the curved roof corner there are some areas where there is a standoff metal chassis. I would like to screw into that rather than into the actual roof. Any pictures would help immensely as I can get a good idea of where I want to install these. I will still remove the headliner to double check but a picture is worth a thousand words. Thanks.

Over the years, through various forum software upgrades and server migrations, genvibe seems to have lost a bunch of pictures, including some good ones user Herb posted when he had his headliner removed, that , unfortunately, I didn't capture when they were there.

Now, the only pics i can find here of what's behind the headliner are in the thread viewtopic.php?t=44651
Not sure if they'll be clear enough for what you want. Might be best to just pull the headliner and see in person/ IF you do that, take and post some pics here.

Ok. My gf and I removed the whole headliner from the Vibe. (see pictures below) My hope was that I would be able to find 2 good spots to put anchors for a roof net that goes from the sunroof to the back of the car. I planned on using two sunvisor hooks from a Toyota Corolla which I'm sure I can find at the junk yard. I would prefer that instead of just an ugly bolt sticking out of the roof. However, to my surprise I found that I had leak and there was a significant amount of rusted metal near the top of the back hatch door. So unfortunately I did not have time today to get to the roof net clip. I did however clean the rust with a wire brush to break off the nimble bits of metal. After that I cleaned the area with paper towels and all-purpose cleaner, and then I used Liquid Nails Clear Seal (this is the same stuff I used to fix the leak from my sunroof). Once it is dried tomorrow I am going to give it a coat of Behr Ultra White Paint/Primer and once dried will reattach roof and start on the roof cargo net clips. I hoipe these pics help Vibe/Matrix enthusiasts out there.

great pics, except the one of the rust, that's like looking at a crime scene photo.

Awesome report and pictures! I wonder how many Vibes have had leakage around the wiring grommet connector (like yours at the driver side rear hatch area) and to this day don't even know it! Hope you didn't break many clips OR plastic trim pieces. I'll be doing this exact thing probably next summer as I have to remove the headliner from my 2003 Vibe GT only because the fabric has separated from the composite headliner section and is hanging down to where you can't see out the rear window! This was very common and typical from GM cars in the 70's & 80's. At that time I'll consult with others here as to which adhesive is best for re-attaching it to the headliner. Since this is an extra vehicle (I'm calling it my project car) there's no rush for me to fix it. Keep us posted on the reassembly.

Oh one other thing ............... Glad your car was WHITE. It better displayed all components, seams, welds, and pretty much what is under the trim panels & headliner. A dark color would have been more difficult to see. Nice work so far!

tpollauf, here is an adhesive that should work for your project. You will want to test spray some on a rag first to get a feel for how tacky this is and how to work with it. 3M Super 77

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Multipurpose- ... 0000AZ735/

jolt wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2020 1:41 am 3M Super 77

Thanks for the tip. Yeah I've used that stuff some 30+ years ago (it's been around awhile) and had mixed reactions as to it's adhesive strength back then. I'll experiment with it and leave it inside a hot car to make sure it does not separate ................. Tim

joatmon wrote: ↑Sat May 30, 2020 3:29 pm great pics, except the one of the rust, that's like looking at a crime scene photo.

Yeah. Believe me I was surprised to see that when I took the headliner out.

tpollauf wrote: ↑Sat May 30, 2020 3:39 pm Awesome report and pictures! I wonder how many Vibes have had leakage around the wiring grommet connector (like yours at the driver side rear hatch area) and to this day don't even know it! Hope you didn't break many clips OR plastic trim pieces. I'll be doing this exact thing probably next summer as I have to remove the headliner from my 2003 Vibe GT only because the fabric has separated from the composite headliner section and is hanging down to where you can't see out the rear window! This was very common and typical from GM cars in the 70's & 80's. At that time I'll consult with others here as to which adhesive is best for re-attaching it to the headliner. Since this is an extra vehicle (I'm calling it my project car) there's no rush for me to fix it. Keep us posted on the reassembly.

Oh one other thing ............... Glad your car was WHITE. It better displayed all components, seams, welds, and pretty much what is under the trim panels & headliner. A dark color would have been more difficult to see. Nice work so far!

Thank you very much I really hope these help others going forward. I uploaded the pictures on imgur (guest/no login) so I don't know how long they will be available?? In regard to the leak, it was not leaking from the wiring grommet surprisingly. It was leaking below the wiring grommet. Upon closer inspection it appears that it was leaking from an area where the metal is welded together. What I did was clean off all the loose pieces and rust with a wire brush, cleaned it with general purpose cleaner, applied Liquid Nails Clear Sealant/Adhesive, and then paint it with Behr Ultra White Paint & Primer. Yes I broke a few clips on the panels but got replacements on a trip to the junkyard. Quick side story, when I was fixing my windshield washer nozzles, I had to remove the engine bay hood insulation pad/panel to get to the nozzles. During the removal I broke every single one of the 10 clips holding it on (they are weak clips). So I went to Advanced Auto Parts to get replacements and there they charge $4 for just (2) clips! But the associate told me to go to Home Depot > hardware section > automotive drawer where they have the same clips for like 25cents each. I bought and used those and they worked like a charm! Saved about $17. Yeah the white chassis allows you to see every little detail. Thank you!

tpollauf wrote: ↑Sat May 30, 2020 3:39 pm Awesome report and pictures! I wonder how many Vibes have had leakage around the wiring grommet connector (like yours at the driver side rear hatch area) and to this day don't even know it! Hope you didn't break many clips OR plastic trim pieces. I'll be doing this exact thing probably next summer as I have to remove the headliner from my 2003 Vibe GT only because the fabric has separated from the composite headliner section and is hanging down to where you can't see out the rear window! This was very common and typical from GM cars in the 70's & 80's. At that time I'll consult with others here as to which adhesive is best for re-attaching it to the headliner. Since this is an extra vehicle (I'm calling it my project car) there's no rush for me to fix it. Keep us posted on the reassembly.

Oh one other thing ............... Glad your car was WHITE. It better displayed all components, seams, welds, and pretty much what is under the trim panels & headliner. A dark color would have been more difficult to see. Nice work so far!

Here's the pics of the repair on that leak.