Pontiac Vibe

yukon4

Thank you everyone for the replies. So the cross-bars came standard with the Vibes until 2004, then, as an accessory starting in 2005.

That clears up the confusion, thanks again. And if I DO buy the cross-bars, I'll know not to load it up with very much....

5679

Anyone know the depth of new tires? I had new Tiger Paws installed in April and yesterday, after basic servicing and tire rotation, I was informed the front tires were 6mm and the rear 5mm, which seems odd.

nortsr1

Does anyone have any idea of what changes or additions will be on the 2006 Vibe??? If so, please post.
Thanks

rkp51

Can you help me prove that to a dealer? What can I show him to get the incentives after the Employee Price. I bought a 2005 Vibe on Friday and he claims the Employee price includes the incentive. I may be dealing with the smallest GM (Pontiac only) dealership in the whole US, so it is possible that he just does not get it. Please help me save $1,000.

jheaferj

'm not sure if this is the right place to be asking this, but here goes....
Has anyone else had a problem with the cruise control button popping out and disabling the cruise control? I have a 2004 Vibe, with 43,000 miles on it and an extended warranty. Can't seem to get an answer as to whether this is covered. No damage or incident involved. Just got into the car one afternoon and noticed that the button at the end of the cruise control lever was sticking out further than it should be. Pushed it back into place, but the cruise control no longer works.

nortsr1

Why don't you call the dealership? You say you have the extended warranty, so give them a call and ask.

jheaferj

I did that already. They said wouldn't know if it was covered or not until they look at it, and they want $50 to just look. Sort of disgusting. I just wondered if anyone else has had this happen to them.

nortsr1

at it....and it is covered under the warranty, then you should not have to pay the $50.00????? Sound to me as though you will have no other choice unless you try a different dealer.

jheaferj

This one does not engage anymore AT ALL.

nortsr1

drive a Vibe that reads this topic??? No posts since August 8th?????

eilros

I might be tomorrow!!!. I'm dealing on a 2004 with 19K miles. Base model with the power group, automatic, monotone package and alloy wheels for $12,900.

mjh7550

Does anyone know if the AWD Vibe can be towed 4 wheels down (behind an RV) without any transmission cooling apparatus?

nortsr1

mjh7550....If you are already an owner, your owners manual might have the answer. I really don't know, myself. Hopefully, someone in the discussion group will supply you with the correct answer, now that we have some interest in the Vibe topic again.
Perhaps a call to the loacal Pontiac Service manager might be your correct solution.

perky1

I just recently purhased a 2005 Vibe. I really enjoy my new car except when traveling over bumps you feel everything. I was wondering would purchasing different tires help.

maxx4me

tires won't help to that great extent. If you don't have the AWD version, you are in for a bumpy ride.

nortsr1: I'm active on this board and I drive a Vibe AWD. I certainly prefer my Maxx over the Vibe however by a long shot. Also, the Vibe manual states: "towing an AWD vehicle with two or all four wheels on the ground will damage drivetrain components." It also says not to tow any Vibe from the rear. But since you also have an AWD, NO TOWING on the ground. It must be up on a flatbed (per page 4-32 of the 2003 Vibe manual)

perky1

Thanks for your reply...However, what is the AWD version?

eilros

http://www.gmfleet.com/us/acquiring/vehicinfo/summaries/2006/2006PontiacVibe.pdf

maxx4me

all wheel drive. It gives you independent rear suspension, and a much better ride over the base and GT Vibe.

nortsr1

Thanks for the info; however, since that post of mine was back on July 30th and no one answered it, Edmunds new car section now has the 2006 Vibe with all the prices and packages. Keep on positng. Thanks

george26

Hello all, I'm considering a Vibe with the All Wheel Drive. I'm wondering whether the advertised city gas mileage of 26 MPG is realistic? Also, how has the AWD version performed in deep snow? I noticed that there isn't a whole lot of clearance in front so I was curious if that's been an issue with AWD owners. I really like the appearance of this car, but I'd like some feedback about the gas mileage and ability in snow before signing on the dotted line! Thanks in advance for any help. I have a Subaru Forester that I can't wait to get rid of.

steine13

Two words for you: snowtires
Clearance is fine, basically as much as an Explorer.

What's wrong with your Forester??? The two cars are very similar in nature and size, and for snow, I'd take the Subie any day of the week...

-Mathias

george26

Thanks Mathias for the reply. So even with the AWD I'm going to need snow tires? Interesting. I've seen posts that say snow tires are a good idea with the front drive but I didn't think I'd need them with AWD. I've read that the Vibe is similar in clearance to the Explorer and RAV4 but it looks much lower to me. As for the Forester, it uses much too much gas. It also has an engine ping that is noticeable even with the high octane fuel. The dealer refuses to acknowledge that the problem is harmful but this is an issue with many of the 2.5 Subarus. It is great in the snow though. I really like the Vibe's size better and if it gets close to the mileage the sticker advertises, it would be better for me now because of the price of gas. George.

steine13

No, what I meant is you need snow tires in the snow, no mattter what.
THEN you can think about whether you also need AWD. If you don't have 10% grades where you live, you'll be fine without the AWD.
AWD without snows -- which lots of people do -- is just stupid, IMO. You give up a lot of braking and handling.. the only thing you gain is getting unstuck easier.
If mileage is a concern, get the stick... much more responsive, my wife can get up to 35 mpg with it... worst case is 28 mpg in town...
The ground clearance numbers are the same as the Explorers... the Vibe IS lower, but the Explorer has a few bits sticking down low... so it's the same.
Vibe is fine in the snow.
-Mathias

maxx4me

no snow tires needed on the AWD george. I did fine even with the pathetic OEM Continentals on mine. I now have a much better Dayton Daytona H rated tire. Save your money; skip the snow tires.

george26

Thanks guys for the replies. I think that I'll pass on the snow tires and try it without them. Maxx4me, what is it about the tires that makes them so undesirable? Also, what is your gas mileage with the A.W.D. Vibe? I do over half of my driving in the city so I'm trying to find out if I can expect to come close to the 26 MPG that's on the sticker. Even if you don't drive in the city if you can let me know your average mileage it would be a help. Thanks again for the info.

maxx4me

he, he...I'll have to steal the Vibe away from my wife to do the calculations. I drive my Maxx 100% of the time. I'll ask her to reset the chronometer and do the calculation for you. She drives city only. All I can tell you is that when we bought it in the winter of '03, the city mileage was about 22, not 26. I'll get a test done and let you know george26.
As for your tire question, the OEM Continentals wore very unevenly for many folks, and were noisy as well. Again, I went to the directional H rated Daytonas, and get a great ride and handling from them. The Bridgestone Potenzas are also highly rated by the Tire Rack guy on the tires page here.

maxx4me

OK, here it is: my Vibe AWD gets 24 in all city driving. As I suspected; below the posted 26. That number is lower due to heavy A/C usage. In comparison, my 6 cylinder Maxx gets 21 in all city driving with the A/C on; the A/C eats about 1.5-2 mpg. I suspect the same thing is happening with the Vibe. I'll do another test in a month when there is no need for the A/C.

george26

maxx4me, Thanks very much for the info and calculations! 24 MPG with all wheel drive and automatic transmission sounds great to me. I guess I'll find out how much snow it can handle in about three months. Thanks again for the replies, much appreciated.

mokesmith

rkp51 - I don't know if you ever got the answer to your question of whether rebates were included in the employee price. A better place to ask would be the Prices Paid and Buying Experience discussion for the Vibe.
I can tell anyone who's reading, though, that the $1000 customer cash rebate Pontiac has for the Vibe IS included in the GM Employee Price quoted on pontiac.com. If you own a non-GM car, you can get an additional $1000 off for what is called the "conquest" bonus. Thus I just bought an '05 Vibe with automatic, power package and moon & tunes package that had an MSRP of $20230. The GM employee price off the website was $17338, which takes into account the $1000 customer cash. Another $1000 came off with the conquest bonus. Hope that helps someone.

ronoboy1

Just purchase a 2005 base Vibe last week with the power group package, moon and tunes, automatic, monotone paint, and ABS. With delivery MSRP was $21,080, the GM employees price brought it down to $19,157 then they subtracted a standard rebate of 1,000 then a 1,000 Conquest rebate, so total pre-tax sale price was $17,157.05

At least the way the wrote up mine the 1K standard cash rebate was not written up as part of the GM employee pricing.

mokesmith

I checked my paperwork, and at the dealership they wrote mine up the same as ronoboy's, with the two $1000 rebates added in separately from the "GM employee price." As I mentioned above in post 2570, though, pontiac.com will show a "GM employee price" that already takes into account the $1000 GM customer cash.

raythegerman

Does anyone know why there is a difference between the front wheel Vibe and the AWD Vibe in horsepower??? Is it because of different engines?? I know the Toyota RAV4 horsepower is the same between both configurations and wonder why this is not the same on the Vibe? Thanks in advance for the feedback.

maxx4me

yep, the AWD puts out slightly less horsepower. You can check the numbers here on Edmunds. The engine is the same, but due to the extra heavy AWD parts, gives you slightly less get up and go. Only the GT version has the different Yamaha (Celica) engine. The base and AWD are the same engine. The difference in HP is negligable to me. The added benefit of the AWD, plus the independent rear suspension that comes with it, offsets the slightly lower HP and 1-2 mpg gas useage.

maxx4me

122 hp for AWD versus 130 for the fwd

raythegerman

To maxx4me: Thanks for the feedback..It is still confusing however....The RAV4 fwd with automatic weighs 2965 whereas the awd is 3186....both have 161 hp!!!
I have a 2005 AWD Vibe and am happy with it (other than the ride). Our previous vehicle was a RAV and that is why I'm asking the question about the HP.
I believe you are correct but you would think this would affect the RAV HP as well...Thanks again....

emaher

My plastic cover over the speedometer is foggy. I asked at the dealer how to remove it so I can clean it. The exterior clust cover came off easily but I see no screws to remove the clear plastic. Does it pop out? I don't want to crack it but I can't read the temp or odometer

bporter1

From what I read, the difference between the FWD and the AWD, is the AWD has different exhaust pipe routing.

jstant01

Yes - that is correct. The AWD Vibe has a more restrictive exhaust route because of the AWD system underneath. That's also why it has independent suspension, whereas the base Vibe has a torsion beam setup. The exhaust on the AWD has to "curve" around the AWD hardware underneath, which causes more back pressure on the system, and thus less horsepower. From what I've read, however, the difference is pretty negligible. Torque remains the same, and that is what is needed to move the extra weight. It is unfortunate that the AWD Vibe is only available with an automatic. I have a 5-speed and noticed a distinct difference in acceleration when I test-drove the automatic. The tranny slows it down considerably.

beliver

emaher: Just took a look @ mine and it appears to me that the "cover / lens" is a integral part of the instrument cluster and the whole thing will have to be removed to get @ the backside of the lens. Foggy ? My car has almost 30K on it (2 1/2 years old) and the cover is crystal clear !

believer

nortsr1

You got 90,000 miles on "one" set of tires and "one" set of brakes????

maxx4me

well, I'm over 50,000 and I just changed the front brakes. It was all city driving and I did not need to do it right then and there. Pretty amazing. I ended up using Delco brakes since they came with the hardware kit. I'm sure you won't be suprised to here when I asked about Toyota front brakes (I assumed the only GM part in the Vibe was the radio), my mechanic told me that the Toyota brake kit was extra :mad:

vonnyvonce

Actually tires at about 60000 and front brakes at 85000. I obviously do a fair amount of highway driving and never was the kind of driver that would go 60 mph between stop signs 100 feet apart.

sandhog2

has anyone towed a trailer with thier vibe .

nortsr1

I read in one of the posts a discussion about your question.. It seems that with the Vibe and the small type 1 1/4" hitch, it is very limited to such things as a small trailer with two SeaDoos or a small type boat. Best to check your manual for the weight limits and the hitch tongue limits. With the 4 cylinder, it makes it limited.

maxx4me

from post #2486: the Vibe's towing capacity is 1500 pounds

bporter1

Anyone care to venture a guess as to why Toyota lowered the HP rating on the Corolla/ Vibe/ Matrix engine? Last year it was at 130hp, this year it is down to 126hp. Both the Pontiac, and the Toyota web site mention the lower HP. Usually you see manufacturers raise HP not lower it. I know 4hp does not seem that much, just curious.

rowlandj

There is a new standard for reporting HP as designed by the SAE. Likely nothing changed with the actual HP but the test method is resulting in different numbers.

JR

bporter1

I had forgotten about the way the HP numbers are reported now, as opposed to before. Thanks for clearing that up.

vonnyvonce

Does anyone know the "engineer" who decided to put the fuse box under the dash so the only way to see it or check a fuse requires you to lay on your back with little room to maneuver. Brilliant engineering, I'd love to compliment the person.

jstant01

Is it just me, or is it annoying that the instrument panel controls for the outside mirrors and dash dimmer switch do not light up? I forgot to ask the dealer if this is standard, so I'll ask all of you. Does the control panel to the left of the wheel where the mirror controls and dimmer switch are light up on your Vibe? I want to have mine fixed if it's supposed to light up. If they designed it that way, what a bunch of crap - it would have cost pennies to put a couple of bulbs in there. Costsavings run amok! :mad: