Just picked up a super clean 2003 Matrix XRS with 75k mi. Few Q’s

i drove 4.5 hours for my 05 matrix xrs a few years ago. my first manual car. for transmission fluid i used pennzoil synchromesh. it was yellow metal safe. for that transmission there is 1 drain bolt and i believe 2 fill bolts. the outer fill bolt you only had to top off with a little fluid. my timing chain tensioner o ring was leaking close to 100k miles. it'll look like a power steering fluid leak because it is just above the area. you could get brass shifter bushings to replace the rubber bushings. i don't know if they're available but eibach sportline springs are the springs to get.
 
Full synthetic 5W-30 in your fave brand, and Redline MT-90 for the tranny.
I used redline mt-90 in my 04 Corolla with the manual gearbox and it destroyed the brass synchros. OP make sure you buy the transmission oil from the dealer don’t play around the other oils.
 
Doing a drain and fill. What transmission fluid should I use in this 6-speed manual?

Amsoil MT 75W-90 two quarts GL4 and GL5. Should last you 3 years or 50,000 miles minimum.

REDLINE MT90 is a good GL-4 . Used it for a 2000 Chevy Prizm ( Corolla ) , 3rd generation Ford Escort , and '08 Yaris hatchback . No issues . Better shifting and no clunk into reverse .
 
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So I’ve been searching for a Vibe GT or Matrix XRS 6-spd manual for a while now. I finally got lucky! Drove three hours to Santa Rosa to pick it up, but it was well worth it. 75k mi. on the clock and it still drives like new and all is tight. Everything works and no leaks whatsoever. Been garaged for nearly its entire life. Very clean paint/body with very few scratches (lower front bumper). It’s been maintained with only Toyota 5w30 and Toyota Filters… Now I want to start my own maintenance program. I want to go full synthetic…
-Should I do it gradually with a syn blend first or would full syn be ok right away?
-Should I run High Mileage oil at 75k?
-Doing a drain and fill. What transmission fluid should I use in this 6-speed manual?

Very good choice . We had an '03(?) of same color . It was the base model with a 4 speed auto . Liked the rear hatch window that lifted up . The driver side rear door started to rust where the door handle meets the metal . Was a common issue .
 
I used redline mt-90 in my 04 Corolla with the manual gearbox and it destroyed the brass synchros. OP make sure you buy the transmission oil from the dealer don’t play around the other oils.
Are you sure about that? Something tells me that Redline was not the culprit here and there was some other factor in play.
 
are you sure the miles havent been tampered with?
I sure hope not, but I guess anything is possible. Looks legit from all the Lexus/Toyota dealership history I saw. And it’s just so clean and feels tight in/out considering it’s nearly two decades old.
 
Congrats on the score! I have an 03 XR with about 80K miles (owned it since new). It has a different engine, different tranny so I can't directly relate but, some GREAT information about your specific model is available here:

I have found a lot of helpful info on that site, specifically the maintenance sticky and the DIY sticky.

Enjoy the vehicle.
I’ve been a lurker on there for years lol! Finally signed up. Thanks man😄
 
I'd go with "Advanced" for the life of the car or length of your ownership, between the two oils. But if you look at my signature below, then you'll see the ultimate answer to which oil to use...
Hmmm. I do use that in my BMW 330i and also, previously use it in my supercharged Mustang. Felt good about it too! 😁
 
i drove 4.5 hours for my 05 matrix xrs a few years ago. my first manual car. for transmission fluid i used pennzoil synchromesh. it was yellow metal safe. for that transmission there is 1 drain bolt and i believe 2 fill bolts. the outer fill bolt you only had to top off with a little fluid. my timing chain tensioner o ring was leaking close to 100k miles. it'll look like a power steering fluid leak because it is just above the area. you could get brass shifter bushings to replace the rubber bushings. i don't know if they're available but eibach sportline springs are the springs to get.
Have a pic of yours sitting on the Eibach’s? You do any other mods?
 
I got a base Pontiac vibe not too long ago w 155k miles, I did the following to it: replace valve cover gasket, degreased under the valve cover, replace pvc valve, thoroughly clean the throttle bottle, replace the timing tensioner o-ring (common leak), replace all fluids (dex merc for power steering, prestone 10 year for coolant, dropped auto tranny pan, replace filter and used maxlife atf, 5 or 10w30 full syn at 8K OCI) new platinum NGK spark plugs, new air filter, new cabin filter, new brake pads and shoes (rear). I drove it from Los Angeles to Boston, up and down New England and back to Los Angles and it ran perfect, 30+ mpg, cold AC, cruise control good, etc. It has almost 180k miles now. I had an 03 prizm also, with a manual trans and used ac delco manual trans fluid per the users manual and it shifted smooth. I don’t remember how much $ for the fluid but it was not expensive. Congrats and enjoy your new to you matrix
 
I got a base Pontiac vibe not too long ago w 155k miles, I did the following to it: replace valve cover gasket, degreased under the valve cover, replace pvc valve, thoroughly clean the throttle bottle, replace the timing tensioner o-ring (common leak), replace all fluids (dex merc for power steering, prestone 10 year for coolant, dropped auto tranny pan, replace filter and used maxlife atf, 5 or 10w30 full syn at 8K OCI) new platinum NGK spark plugs, new air filter, new cabin filter, new brake pads and shoes (rear). I drove it from Los Angeles to Boston, up and down New England and back to Los Angles and it ran perfect, 30+ mpg, cold AC, cruise control good, etc. It has almost 180k miles now. I had an 03 prizm also, with a manual trans and used ac delco manual trans fluid per the users manual and it shifted smooth. I don’t remember how much $ for the fluid but it was not expensive. Congrats and enjoy your new to you matrix
Yeah all Vibes/Matrix are awesome cars! We just hit 200k on my wife’s’06 and she’s still running like a top! On our ‘07 I’m just about to hit 105k and I just checked the oil while I was gassing up at Costco and the dipstick is k still reading at the very top of the line! Awesome! Hasn’t burned any oil in the last 5k. I’ve been using ST HM FS 5w30 on all of them. On my wife’s I just poured in the Advanced 5w30 to see if I notice any difference. We’ll see. I plan on switching in between with the HM and Advanced. I do religious 5k OCI’s.
 
Just got the windows tinted and changed the oil and coolant. Went with ST Advanced FS 5w30, ST4967, and Peak Asian Red Coolant.

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All is nice and dry underneath 😁

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