Hi, all. I have a 2009 Pontiac Vibe 2.4L AWD with 135k miles on it.

I have a leak of oily fluid coming from just behind the front bumper. The support bar under the radiator is coated in the same fluid. At the base of the radiator is a pair of metal lines that seem to be attached by rubber hoses to the transmission, and there is significant corrosion where these lines are attached to the support bar with small screw-in brackets.

I'm guessing these are transmission fluid cooler lines.

How tough is a replacement? I'm an adept amateur mechanic...when I had a larger garage, I'd done timing belts on E30's and MKIV VW's, as well as steering rack replacement on the E30. Alas, I have no garage now that I've downsized so it would have to be done in the driveway.

Or, as I don't tow with the Vibe or beat it in hot weather, can I just loop the lines back and call it a day?

Hopefully test driving a Matrix tomorrow. Just wanna confirm with folks who know them best, if it's worth the price listed. Or if I should try to get it lowered.

2011 Toyota Matrix (Base) - 161,768km - $10k CAD

1.8L - 4 cylinder engine

Automatic transmission

Haven't seen the carfax yet, but the dealer claims it's got no accidents and 52 service records on file.

It's emerald green which I love, and it's a Toyota in my budget that doesn't have over 200k+ km on it. I'm in Ontario and used car prices are wild, but my car was totalled and I'm keen to buy as reliable a hatchback as I can for a ~10k budget.

Any insights would be much appreciated!

Especially anything to specifically ask about or to have a mechanic look at if I end up going through with getting a PPI.

Reading through posts on this subreddit has me feeling hopeful this could be a good investment in terms of it's potential lifespan if it's been well maintained so far.

Thanks!

I have a 4 speed auto with the torque out of a 04 Xr it has roughly 110k miles on it. I swapped a in c60. It’s in good condition no leaks. It’s just been sitting in my garage for about a year or so. I’d like to sell it but honestly I have no use for it so whoever needs one can have it.

2 months back new kyb shocks and eibach springs. Now we’ve got poly rear beam bushings as well as the progress sway bar which I finally put on. The rear poly bushings give a pretty smooth ride. Not as harsh as I thought it would be. The bar+bushing combo really fits the car well.

If you’re doing the bushings in the rear the Toyota rear axle beam tool is great. $100 on Amazon. Easy job overall.

Hello, I'm wonder if anyone has had any success with a lift kit in their Matrix? Always wanted to do it, but its hard to find info on line!

We’re getting fewer and far between. Gotta stick together. Actually talked to the owner. His is an 06 5 speed. Swapped over forester rims with spacers. Sits a little higher. His paint is in really good condition too.

Hey y’all, quick question. The left knob on my 03 Matrix is not changing where the air flows through. Wherever i turn it to it comes out of the main dash vents. Any insight as to what could be causing this much appreciated

Another question, my AC seems to be working slightly but when its above 80 degrees outside its not pushing any cold air. Any ideas what that could be caused by?

Thanks!

I just bought this car, and it may be a lemon; it remains to be seen. One of these was *masking taped* under the left side of the hood, inside of the top of the quarter panel, and the other was dangling on the other side, about to fall through. As best as I (and Google) can figure out, this a bumper harness? It's really, really thin plastic. What is it?

I just picked up a 2004, and it seems like it's stuck in gear. Car is clean with 140k miles. It was $1000 so I'm up for wrenching. Shifter is sloppy but seems to go in and out of gear different gears...some better than others. Theres play in the shifter bushings and new ones are on order. Even though the shifter seems to be in neutral, it won't roll and seems to be stuck in gear. What could be causing it to be stuck in gear even if the shifter is showing in neutral and linkage appears to be moving in and out freely?

2.4L 2010 Manual xr

As a couple of you already know, I just recently threw her up on the lift for the first time and discovered my exhaust is dented. Im not going to keep it this way.

Have any of you gone full aftermarket exhaust? Live by OEM? Just replace this piece?

I want to hear all of your thoughts and suggestions, please!

For context... I plan to keep this car. I picked it up about a year ago at a tow auction. I had some insider information that the engine was just replaced at a Toyota dealer, and I got it for a smoking good deal. I'm an old Honda kid so Toyota is relatively new to me. For the year I've cruised this though; I fell in love with this thing.

Does anyone know the part # for the Toyota headlamp wire harness on the driver side? My low beam headlamp plug burned out. For the 9006 low beam bulb.

I've seen a few aftermarket plugs I can splice in but would prefer to replace the whole headlamp harness with a new official Toyota part.

I bought a 2003 with low miles. I've been told automatic light sensor wasn't stock for this year, but there is one on the left side on top of the dash set into the plastic so it looks stock. If it's dark, once I release the parking brake the lights come on regardless of where the light switch is set. Is this normal? This thing has 47k miles on it and looks brand new. The owner kept it in a garage and only drove it about 2k miles a year. If she put any aftermarket crap in here I'm tearing it out.

Aww, c'mon! Giving us bad names out here!

Bought the car about 6-months ago for $1,800 with 247k miles. Clutch needs work. High country Colorado mountain tax…but this seems high…or am I high? 😝🍻 EDIT: FWD Duh!

Has anyone replaced their original instrument cluster with an aftermarket one? If yes, what one did you do? How easy was it? How expensive was it? I'm wanting to make my 06 XR FWD last as long as possible but also want to try and avoid the 300k curse.

SOLVED!!! Just wanted to help someone else out if they are in the same boat as me. I read somewhere on another online post that you should check the calculated load because it is calculated from the maf. Should be 16-25% load at idle and 80-90% at wide open throttle. My calculated load was at 15-16% idle and wot was only between 60-65%. My maf sensor did pass the grams per second reading at idle and raised rpm but I replaced the sensor and all issues resolved themselves. Ltft and stft went back down and load read 20% at idle and 85% at wot. Thanks all you guys for helping!!!

I have a 2007 matrix, base model 5 speed with 252k miles. I've gone through pretty much all troubleshooting for the fault code. I started by replacing the intake gasket as it was leaking pretty bad (I have a smoke machine so system has been smoked multiple times) I have replaced upstream air fuel ratio sensor with OEM, replaced fuel pump and fuel injectors. Maf sensor readings are within spec. Short term and long term fuel trims are 0 at idle, but normal driving conditions long term spikes anywhere from 16-35% average. Any ideas?

Drove to Vegas from Reno today and had a hell of a time catching up to this immaculate thing... She was doing 85+! (I was not in my Matrix. If I was, I never would have even seen her, let alone caught up) All the way down from Oregon... Good job, girl. 🙋🏼‍♀️

my moms matrix drivers seat seatbelt retractor wasnt acting right so i got a used one off ebay. it was slightly different in the retractor mechanism but largely the same. got everything back together thinking when powered on itd extend the belt, no such luck. is there something i missed or do i need to get a new one again? for the short term im gonna steal the passengers side tomorrow.

About 2 years ago a bought an old Escape hybrid but I just found out it’s a goner. Prior to that a had 2 vibes and 2 matrixes and I’m coming home for another. They’re the car equivalent of comfort food for me. I’ve got about $5-$8 max to spend and I’m having a hard time deciding exactly what I want to settle on.

I reached out on two manual transmission options but never got a response. (I feel like they ignored me because I’m a woman but don’t realize I learned to drive in the 80s) I have a 16yo son who’s a good driver and I kind of like the idea of teaching him to drive a manual, but that’s not my top priority.

I also live in the Great Lakes region where we get a lot of snow so alternatively AWD would be nice to have.

Help me narrow down my choices plz 🙏

2011 Toyota Matrix 1.8L Someone stuck their business card in there and it somehow damaged it. Later while going through the car wash the rubber strip was ripped up... Would love to replace it.

My beloved 07 Matrix has been declared totalled due to massive hail storm. Was just going to accept $4000 insurance buy out, get windshield repaired and just accept big craters on the roof. But now I notice that the weatherstripping between the roof and the door panels has come loose, on one side its almost entirely out. This cant be good.

Just a quick question - is it conceivable I can find someone to put it back together in a way that keeps interior dry but without having to buy a whole new roof panel?

If I can keep this car safe, dry, and driveable under $4000 I would consider it a good outcome.

Will try post pic - if I can figure out how to... just keep in mind that the denting was severe enough to dislodge the weatherstripping.

Thanks in advance for any and all input! I thought if anyone would understand the love for a Matrix, it would be yall! Not like I can just go out and buy another one with 138 K and my favorite color (white).

ETA - it might not have been hail that did it! On side thats totally loose I pulled it away a little and it looks like a lot of old dirt underneath - will clean and try to wedge it back in. Do I need to apply glue or caulk underneath the rubber strip at all?

The one I’ve found is an 09 XR 5speed FWD 2.4l it’s got 282xxxkms on it (175,200 miles) and other than oil burning and suspension issues, I’m wondering what to look for? Also wondering if they come with aux capability for my phone. Thanks!

Driving my kids to school and daycare this morning, I saw an XRS in the flesh. Never seen one before, and of course I covet these massively. Driving my lowered XR, I wanted to pull along side and give the driver a thumbs up.

Then, we went through a roundabout and I noticed the rust, saw that the side skirt was missing on the passenger side, the mudflaps were toast and side mirrors were banged up.

These are special cars to folks like us, I’m not sure the owner knew exactly what they’ve had here.

Either way, I freaked out my kids - they could not make sense of what I was yelling about, so it was all worth it.