Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Vibe Maintenance & Repair Concerns
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I have had just the same situation last night, for the first time since I got the car 3 weeks ago. I filled up the gas tank, then I have had to crank it for 2-3 seconds to start up. It also happened this morning.
Do you still have that starting problem with your vibe? Have you taken your car to a dealer? Does anyone have just the same problem? I am wondering if I should take mine to a dealer.
I realized that you have had the starting problem with your Vibe for about two months. Do you still have that problem? Did it get worse since the first time?
Does anyone know why it happens and how to fix it?
TIRE WEAR!!! I know that the factory Goodyears are "performance" tires, but wearing out at 30k is ridiculous. Tires were rotated and balanced regularly and the car was not out of alignment. Lots of road driving and inflated to 35 psi. I got 50k out of the same tire on a 99 Grand AM GT and about 80k on a 97 Grand Prix GTP.
Leg room - I am 6'1" and my wife is 5'. I cannot get comfortable driving this car. Needs telescoping steering and more than 2" of tilt capability. When I adjust the seat position for leg comfort, I am too far from the steering wheel. This is primarily my wife's car, and she loves it.
Compartment below the shifter - after a short time, it kept falling open. Dealer replaced the bin. Short time later, same problem. I put a couple of layers of duct tape on the pivot area on the bottom of the bin and the problem is fixed. (What did we ever do without duct tape?)
Gas mileage - excellent! We go from northern Iowa to Kansas City twice a year, and running 75-80 mph on the interstate and we get 34 mpg.
Air filter - I replaced the factory filter with a K&N. I plan to keep the car for a long time, so the initial cost of the K&N will offset the replacement cost of disposable filters.
All in all, this is a great little car - a small SUV that is classified as a station wagon! Wife loves it, and that allows me to have my toys (02 GTP 40th Anniv. Edition and 89 Vette Convert.).
I have not found any "answers" for this problem through this Forum or any others I have looked in. There doesn't seem to be a sure "fix" - only lots of ideas as to what to try.
The only thing I have had any success with is turning the key and waiting about 20 seconds before starting the car. In other words, I turn the key to "on" and wait about 20 seconds before cranking up the motor to start. This usually makes the car start without cranking forever. However, I still notice a "stumble" as if the engine doesn't want to run at first, then it "catches" and runs OK.
I also hear a very distinct clunking sound in the engine bay (it's not ABS, I do not have ABS) right after the engine fires up. It sounds like a sewing machine (thunk, thunk, thunk) and disappears once I pull away. I read somewhere else that this sound may be coming from an emissions component of some sort, but like I say - no one has been able to specifically say "your problem is caused by ___________." This has been very frustrating.
I'm hoping my dealer will have either a TSB or a clue as to what might be going on. I'll let you know if they discover anything. I've now heard of many others with 2005 and 2006 Vibes that are having this same issue. It's one of those things that is maddening because while the car still operates, a person shouldn't have to wait 20 seconds when they've just plunked down 18K for a vehicle! :mad:
Let me know, please, if you find anything else out about this. I read this forum often, or you can email me directly. Thanks.
Thank you for your quick response. I am sorry to hear that you still have the problem. I don't hear any strange sounds coming from mine except for the ABS "knock" sound. You had better take your car to your dealer, they may give you an idea about the sound, and your start up problem may turn out to be related to it.
I had read the suggestions about turning the key and waiting for a while before starting the car. But I thought it was just for a couple of seconds, I see that your's takes longer (20 seconds). I will try it next time.
My car has the problem when it sits for a short period of time (I guess most of the cases are the same). It takes about 2 seconds to crank it now. Did you use to crank it shorter when you first had the problem? I mean, did it get worse in time, or nothing changed from the beginning? I am hoping that it justs stays as it is.
Nevertheless, I guess even after a long crunking, your's run okay all the time, right?
It is really depressing to have to deal with problems of a brand new car.
I will inform you of the progress. Thanks.
As for tire wear, 30k is very good on OEM tires. Most go out of round, have side tread problems, or wear out prematurely. I hope you got an H rated tire to replace your OEMs. It will ensure you get the Maxx-imum
As for length of time issues - the car started doing this just about right away. As for turning the key and waiting, someone else (norstar1?) in this forum suggested that a while back. It does seem to make a difference. However, even after doing that, the car start differently than it does on a cold start.
As for the clunking, I'm clueless on that one. When I first heard it, I about had a heart attack because it sounds like a loose rod in the engine. However, it goes away as soon as I pull away, and I hear it at no other time - including cold starts. That means it has to be something related to this warm start issue.
I'm hoping the dealer can figure it out. I hate wild goose chase problems. I'm really impressed with my dealer thus far, so hopefully they won't let me down here. However, it seems like this issue has evaded a solution from everyone else who has it as well.
I love my car, but this is an annoying problem.
Any power left to pass, safety, ......
Can you get away with towing 1500 - 1800 lbs for a few miles on flat terrain, once a week ?
Thanx!
-Mathias
It seems I can't find anything on the back of the seats... Probably it doesn't come with side airbags...
The owner has to know, see, so he doesn't put seat covers on, for instance.
If you still have the original window stickers, it'll have the information, too. Safety "extras" like ABS and air bags are hard to come buy in your more basic Toyotas.
-Mathias
Recently I have put a can of RESTORE Engine Restorer to my Matrix. The first day it ran very smooth (noticible change). However, the nightmare has come. WHen the car was running, it's fine. When the car came to a stop, the engine started to choke. When the car is completely stop, the engine choked even wrose. RPM dropped to lower than 300 rpm. And eventually it stalled. Engine light came on.
I managed to drive to the dealer (since it's running fine when it's moving). The error code was "CODE P0011 CAM SHAFT Position a Timing Over Advance". The Sensor was fine. So all they did was to reset the sensor with a clear code.
Now the car is running ok (so far). They blamed me that I'm driving the car so tough and the sensor got freezed up. (Of course I didn't tell them I have put the thing in my engine). Lucky it's still under warantee.
So does anybody know what has happened to my trix?
:sick:
Do you think I could sue the company?
:mad:
That being said, I would suggest trying to contact the RESTORE company before you think about suing them. More than likely they won't do anything, but it's worth a shot - especially if there was some sort of "guarantee" on the can.
I hope this works out for you in the end, without costing an arm and a leg!
I told him it was an automatic. The most I rev up was 4000 RPM. It would be impossible that reason. Of course I did not mention anything about the restorer.
You've posted this before... while I agree that the rack leaves something to be desired, my '04 has the darned things and if they weren't so hard to remove, I'd let you come pick them up for free. They're very nearly useless, and I have never used them.
Instead of all this indignation, spend $140 and get Thule or Yakima cross bars that fit the rack. Even then, the darned thing is too short to be useful for anything bigger than bicycles.
Do you realize that you sound like you're overreacting rather childishly...?
-Mathias
Our 2005 and 2006 owners manuals say every 5K, under all conditions. I showed up at 3k to get it done since that is what I have always done on previous vehicles and the Toyota dealership said to come back at 5k.
Great vehicles so far - we got two in red!
Cheers
Steve
We are only getting as high as 26.5 mpg and as low as 24 mpg in mixed urban and suburban driving. In my previous 97 Olds 88 LSS with a 3 litre V6 I was getting 18-20 mpg in similar driving in the winter.
In my other car current car (which is stored for the winter) I have always gotten more than the EPA estimates of 23/29. It is a 2001 Miata which is driven pretty aggressively and averages 28-29 in city/highway mix.
Has anyone gotten their dealer too look at this issue or do they just blow you off? Again, we love our Matrix otherwise, but this facet is a little disappointing.
Happy Holidays,
Steve/OH
At 7,700 miles = 26.5 mpg
At 15,000 miles = 26.8 mpg
At 22,700 miles = 26.5 mpg
At 29,800 miles = 26.5 mpg
That's with less highway driving than driving around town, but a mix. Winter driving can easily be 3 or 4 mpg less than similar jaunts in warm weather.
Is this a problem for other Vibe owners and/or is there any solution to this?
Please remember to use the Browse By Vehicle search tool to find existing discussions before creating new ones.
I will say, however, that I have not experienced it blowing "cold" air at speeds under 40mph. I would have that checked out. From what I understand (I'm not a mechanic, so I'm going on what I have read elsewhere), the Vibe's HVAC system always has air blowing through it, which is usually routed through the dash vents. For heat (floor) or defrost (windshield), you must close the dash vents for full airflow.
The air temperature is controlled through a "door" that opens or shuts off the amount of outside air/heated air, etc. I suspect that maybe that door is not shutting all the way or something like that if you have cold air coming in through the vents. Just a guess, but you might want to check that out.
I have also read in other posts that Toyota Corollas are notorious for not having the best heaters in the world. Since that is what our Vibe really is (mechanically anyhow), this issue may be normal for this car. I've never owned a Toyota product before, so it was a change for me also. The Ford Contour I had before my Vibe heated up within 5 minutes and blew heat so hot my foot would burn until I turned it down! Good luck, and stay warm!
Hope this helps.
Thanks for any advice.
Todd
Thanks again.
We asked our Dealer that same Question.
They told me it would be fine to to use Regular.
I also asked if that in any way would void the warranty-and they said no.
So to answer your question - yes I use regular for more than a year now and have not seen any change in performance nor has it affected my gas millage.
But I do have a question for you...
If you have the GT...do you have the 17" rims and if so what do you do for winter/what kind of tire?
-TGoes
Thanks,
Steve/OHIO
I just purchased a used 2004 AWD Vibe and am getting vibrations when I hit 60mph or more. I had the dealer balance the tires before I drove it off the lot becused it was obvious they were off and then again at a well repected dealer where I live. The dealer in my area said these tires would NOT BALANCE! Has anyone esle had this issue? Upon a little investigation I found that these tires come from WalMart (a place I do not patron).
Wondering if I am just looking at 4 crappy quality tires? Has anyone else had balancing issues on their Vibe with other tires? (I did see a couple of posts speaking to balancing)
Any recommendations on good quality all seasons? Anyone using the GoodYear Triple Tread?
Many Thanks!
Antonio
Thanks,
Steve
Here is the link if anyone else wants it:
http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=20692
Cheers,
Steve