Chevy Malibu Maxx

meandmymaxx

Well I know I am going to regret saying this( car gods, please don't punish me!!) but I too have a 2005 Maxx with the original steering column. 4 yrs and 106,000 Km (about 66,000 miles) And I must say except for a few things when she was new and still under warranty, She has been completely trouble free. Oh geezze now I am in for problems for sure.

notascirocco

Just bought a 2006 Maxx LT. The dealer has ordered an owners' manual for me. Can anyone tell me the correct way to store the spare with the tools included? Many Thanks.

glennb

Misery loves company; has anyone here experienced any transmission shifting problems? My trans seems to slip out of gear when letting off the gas, then "slips' when re-accelerating. The dealer calls it a flair, and has no diagnosis for it. I had to go out with the service adviser myself when he and a tech could find no problem. 64,000 miles and now this? I finally got the steering issues squared away on Chevy's dime at 49,000. I have been told it would require a tear down to analyze. I'm thinking I am not the only one to have this issue. Anyone have any insight here? TIA.

Glenn

maxx4me

well Glenn, what I've had since day one was the chain and sprocket issue. I had it replaced under the 2004 TSB, and while it got rid of most of my tranny whirl, it did not get rid of all the noise. To this day, my tranny does not downshift well when I am in third gear, and asking for it to go down to 2nd. This happens around 25mph regularly. I asked about it at my last GMPP service, but they essentially blew me off. When I take my foot off the acclerator and turn a corner, the car is generally going 25 mph or so. When I go to accelerate again, the car is very hesitant to downshift to 2nd gear and give me more power. It seems to get hung up on the higher gear, and forces me to stomp on the accelerator to get the lower gear. Dealer says it is normal.

glennb

I am getting my first brake job this week at an independent garage; maybe they can shed light on this. The dealer wants me to replace the non functioning L(ow) gear selector on the shifter before going further. His thinking is it may be related. $400 and no guarantee. Sounds like a stall, but I'll get it fixed before calling Chevy again (what it took to get my steering fixed finally). He mentioned $2k for a diagnostic trans tear-down. I can't believe this is a mystery problem. He more or less alluded to it being normal as well.

davidwli

I had this problem 2 years ago; The transmission seemed to slip into gear with a noticeable "lurch" when reapplying the acc. after coasting at speeds over 50 MPH . The culprit was the shifter assembly which did not function in the L / Manual toggle shift selector mode . I was dubious that the 2 problems were related but the new shifter assembly cured the both problems. It was replaced under warranty...good luck

glennb

davidwli, you just gave me hope. Thanks for that info.

meandmymaxx

My range selector was not working a few months ago. It did seem to effect the shifting but not as drastically as yours. My mechanic traced the malfunctioning selector to a broken wire where they bend 90deg to go up the shifter shaft into the handle. Spliced in a new piece of wire and all was good, including the tranny. Good luck

glennb

I got the Maxx back from the local mechanic today and my trans problem is history. It was indeed the +,- toggle switch on the shifter. The part was $49 and the labor was the same price. My Chevy dealer told me it was going to be $400!!
At any rate, I thank all that replied and I hope this will help anyone searching for a similar cure in the future.

Glenn

rferd43

I am having problems with the fob (the system that locks, unlocks and starts the car remotely). It seems that it sometimes works and sometime does not. I replaced the battery but it did not fix the problems. My second unit has the same problem. I would like to know if someone had the same problem and how was it resolved. If it is a receiver in the car, is it easy to replace or do I have to take it to the dealer. I do not think that the sending units are the problem because it is happening to both. Can anyone help? Thanks.

comem47

Its been a while since I played with my wife's Maxx remotes and I remember it being fussy once. You say it sometimes works. Does it work consistently from say 25 feet away or are you saying it's not related to distance?

rferd43

It is not related to distance. When it works it works and when it does not work, even if I stand in the front of the car it does not work.

lne216

Funny you should post this today. Well, not funny. One of my remotes will not unlock so I asked the parts department today what to do. He said it is $100 to buy a new one.

I have had this happen all summer. Remote start only works a few times. One remote key is fine, other does not unlock. Add to that heat comes out of the vent if I do not fittle with the air conditioner setting.

They think, as usual, I am crazy. How can a car have this many problems?

glennb

Same issue with one of my remotes. I opened it up and noticed that the battery holder had a broken solder joint on the printed circuit board (one side only). I tacked it back in place with a 15w soldering pencil and that cured the problem. Previous to the repair, the remote worked intermittently, then eventually only when I rapped the remote on my palm a few times. Open yours up and look at the attachment points on the battery holder. You may have the same issue. Even a cold solder joint could cause a similar problem.

rdesantis

Went to the dealer yesterday to discuss the same problem with Key Fob. Dealer service/parts does have key fob Tester to check battery life and transmitting activity you don't want to open the fob too much. Remember, After changing the battery be sure to reset the key fob by: Pressing Lock and unlock buttons at the same time until you hear the lights/horn chirp. I agree with the previous sender. There are three saulder points at the battery connector (the metal clip the holds the battery in place), when a battery is replaced the saulder may break causing a weak connection and for the key fob to work intermittently resaulder if necessary to keep that connection strong.

rferd43

I pressed the lock and unlock buttons at the same time but did not hear the horn chrip. I replaced the battery recetnly. I am away from the car, so I will do it when I get near it. If it does not work, I will go by the dealer to see what is going on. Thanks for your response.

lne216

We opened mine. Circuit board showed fried on the side that unlocks. Thanks though!

drbell_2332

Does anyone know where it located in a 2005 malibu maxx. Would that be causing my radio to stay on when door opens up? :confuse:

meandmymaxx

Try sitting in the car after you open the door. If the acc. turn off after 10 min with the door open and the key out, then chances are it's the door switch. Good luck

maxxliberty

When I got my Maxx in 2004 there was a problem with the gas cap/fuel tank.

The fuel tank was replace and the gas cap error message and incorrect fuel gauge reading stopped but now the check gas cap message has returned along with "Check Engine" light which never appeared in the past.

Anyone experienced the same conditions and gotten corrected? Mileage is 55,000.

csandste

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/minisite/venza/index.html#

Even down to the rear seat sun roof. Damn it GM, why did you give up on this car? Why didn't you bother to market this car? A next gen Malibu Maxx would have gone up against the Venza with no trouble. Instead GM pulls it (the plug I mean). :sick:

comem47

I dunno. It reminds me more of a smaller Ford Edge.

As to the discontinuance I think it was pure numbers. While it was the answer to the problem for us, not enough people must have bought them as a percentage of total Malibu sales over the years to make it worth it for Chevy to carry on to the new model. I'm not particularly blind loyal to any make. I hope my wife's Maxx lasts a real long time, but when the time comes to replace it I'll give all the manufactures a shot
then. (and yes it will be hard to top the current 30mpg V6 economy size and performance)

pao

Chevy did little to market the Maxx after the initial introduction of the 04 MY....the first commercials showed them.but after that..nothing for the next three years....why is anyones guess......if you dont advertise it....you normally dont sell in high numbers.....

my 04 is going strong at 132K.....and I still cant beat the 3.5L gas mileage in any other like size auto at this point.....

did a comparison of the toyota and the 04 maxx for specs......toyota/maxx
lenght 189/187
width 75/69.8
height 63.4/58.1
Wheelbase 109.3/112/3
weight 3500/3477

very much a comparable vehicle....now a true hatchback IMO..but still worthy at looking at....depending on MPG in the V6.....reminds me of the Dodge Caliber or a Matrix on steroids........

meandmymaxx

Just wanted to thank all here who helped me with my Maxx over the last 3 years, especially e2helper. I have traded it in with the help of some generous offers from GM for a 08 Equinox. The only thing I could find that even came close to the utility of the Maxx. I was pretty lucky with my Maxx only had a few of the problems that many have experienced and all were dealt with by the dealer very well. But I had leased the car and was already way over the millage and it would have cost me a bundle to turn it in Feb 09 So I dealt it and the dealer looked the other way for the over millage. So thanks again, and I will be hanging out over at the Equinox forum.

maxxmd

Tropical Storm Hanna came through DC on Saturday and I still have some of the rain under the passenger side carpet from front to back. It is still very wet. This does happen on occasion but this time it's much worse. I'm guessing it's the sunroof leaking. Sometimes I see a little rain on the seat but not much. The carpet is soaked now.

I took some electrical conduit and cut the plastic off and tried to feed the copper wire down what looks like drain holes in the front corner of the sunroof hole. I can't get the copper wire more than a few inches in before it bends.

Maybe I need a stronger wire like a bike cable? How far should it feed down? Can I see the other side oif the drain hose somewhere? My local dealer subs this wrok out.

Please help.

comem47

try a wire coat hanger (of smaller diameter size wire).

Joan Crawford was wrong!!! ;-)

maxxmd

Thanks, I tried that too.

I found they drain down between the doors. The left front drains fine. The right front does not drain when I pour water in.

comem47

Have you tried "bottom up" ? (spraying a hose into the drain flap where the water exits?) Other than that, maybe you could find something like a small roto-rooter to spin a cable like a drill bit to cut through the blockage.

Good luck

maxxmd

Thanks, I tried it today and I think it worked. The water sprayed in reverse drained back out.

kurtamaxxxguy

You could also try using one of those rubber-syrnge type basters to suck debris out of the hoses at the roof end, or blowing it back out from the bottom end.

kurtamaxxxguy

Chevy could have tried repackaging some features, or possibly using a simpler steel hatch (the Maxx used a specialized Aluminum forming process that was expensive).

One big ommision was AWD, which the Maxx really needed up here in Oregon. Sadly, the Equinoxes I checked out here were no match for the Subaru Forester even without the latter's AWD.

As for the Malibu sedan; nicer interior and more refined suspension and engine, but a ridiculously tiny trunk lid and bigger size compared to the Maxx

csandste

Bigger outside but far smaller inside than the previous (Maxx) platform.

drej

Seems my 05 Max with 65K highway miles had a inner rear drivers pad waste away to the metal. (luckily the rotor is barely scraped, but some metal dustings were everywhere- boy do they rust quck and make a mess) I took it off to replace and found all the pads in great shape but this inside (piston side) pad ground down. It seems the lower bolt is not sliding corectly. I have to figure whats up with it still. Froze up ! Any experience out there? Seems the piston is ok. The piston spins in the cylinder & not retracts like what I'm used to seeing (so carefull when you decompress it (I always open the bleeder to extract some of the old dirty fluid when doing this) A~

drej

Hi , also -My 05 Maxx needs a battery in the key fob. (unlocked the door for the last time the other day) Any users out there with experience replacing it. Is it a standard button Battery? any ideas appreciated? D~

kiltman

Should say the size of the battery on the back of the FOB. Believe it is a 2032. The battery is about the size of a nickel and usually come in packs of two. Just use a knife or screwdriver to pry the two halves apart and replace the battery. Be careful of the little silver tension bars inside on the battery, mine came off and had to solder them back on to keep the battery in place. Good luck

rferd43

I replaced mine. There is nothing to it. The battery is standard and can be found anywhere where that type of battery is sold; I bought mine at Best Buy to make sure I got a fresh one. When you put it back, make sure it makes good contact. I had to close the side contactas a little to make it work; they openned up when I took the old one back. It is now working fine.

rdesantis

Anyone have issues with their transmission shifter? I purchased the maxx used and upon test driving several units i noticed that most of the cars has loose gear shifters. The vehicle that i purchased the shifter acutally popped off. I had the dealer fix it. It was tight for a couple months but is now loose again. Any thoughts or past comments about Loose shifters?

drbell_2332

I've had my Malibu for 3 years and no problem with it yet.

drej

Hi, Here in NE Ohio , I just changes the RR brake pads on the inner (piston side )caliper. as a note : these pistons don't depress with a C-clamp as the front ones do, they screw in and out (some E-brake feature coordinated to the piston)
Anyway to DIY folks, I noticed the inner lower slider bolt siezed partially. I worked-it loose and relubed it with white grease. Both sides were the same note free to move. Heck if it were'nt for the inner pad wearing to the metal...the rest of the pads (I cleaned and checked operation of all) would have went 160K ...God willing. D~

turboshadow

After wanting once since they came out, yesterday I purchased a 2007 Maxx LS. Its black with grey interior. Great riding car, I'd forgotten what a difference a fully independent suspension makes. One big holdup for me was the auto....I've always driven stick. But this tranny shifts just like the old TH400 in my parents old Suburban. Its great.

I've got an annoying rattle to track down, but that's it for complaints. Very comfortable car, and quite roomy.

kurtamaxxxguy

Yup. The shifter lever can indeed come loose - happened to me several times.

To fix it, look at the shifter and pull straight down on the lowest part of plastic (the pyramid shaped piece just below the handle piece). That will pop downward to expose an allen / hexkey screw facing the rear of the car..

Use an allen wrench on that screw until it feels snug (don't make it ridiculously tight as you could crush the shifter tube (it's hollow to hold the wiring for the electronic manual shifter).

When done, push the pyramid plastic back up and it will snap back into place.

csandste

I too always preferred a stick but after putting 60K on my Maxx, I've got to say that it's the best overall car I've ever owned. It did take me several months to get used to the electric steering, the looseness always hurt it in reviews. However, once you adjust, it's a great road car with long oil changes out of the 3.5 engine and great mileage.

pao

there should be a few of them out there besides mine now...just checking...on reliability etc......mine will be 5 years old in March 09 and currently has 134K on it.....no problems other than wear and tear items.....on my third set of tires, second battery, third set of brakes (replaced front rotors on last brake job), and followed suggested maintenance at 100K.......in addition replaced all belts and did the transmission service at 100K.....otherwise going strong......

christina5

pao,
Is there any preventative maintenance that I should undertake at 50k miles? I have an '05 Maxx that went out of warranty in April. I have an awful dealership repair shop, so I want to keep it out of there as much as possible.
Thanks for your advice!

syb1

2004 LT Malibu, (Not Maxx) just turned 126000 miles, also have enjoyed the dependability of this car, will be 5years old this coming Feb 09...Have followed maint schedule

trans flush 2x at 50,000
lof every 5,000
complete brake pads change out...front and rear
rear at 50000 and again at 115000
fronts changed out at 95000
set of tires at 60000

will flush the coolant and have the radiator flushed at 150000
other than that I can say the car has been fantastic

hope to see 200000 or more trouble free driving...

will probably be looking at replacing this car in next three to four years

pao

the only thing that I would recommend is a transmission flush and fill...most places have a diffcult time with it however since it doesnt have a dipstick and is considered a seal system....you have to fill the case from the top....drain plug in the normal place.....but they have to lift the car to fill it.....the instructions are in the owners manual...on how to check the level....

csandste

"Fuel economy is also impressive — with EPA estimates of 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined, the Venza is more fuel-efficient than many V6-powered family sedans, and it doesn't even drink premium gasoline"

So GM had the same concept with the Maxx, except that the fuel economy was 3-4 mpg higher, and did absolutely nothing to sell the car. Nice going.

mpwest

Wow, Thank you so much for that info. I thought I was going nutz. I was a single mom for Years, Now i am married with grown children and Grands. My daughter has a Chevy Malibu Maxx LS and she's financially hard times, so I was going to help her save a little money and do her brakes. Well I haven't done brakes in ten years but I figured they should be about the same. NOT she has all 4 disc and well i thought it would be a piece of cake. Not.... That's why the cylinder wouldn't compress It screws in and out. Give me a hint, special tool right? I put it back together and did not do anything to it yet. I just appreciate your post, I'm not going crazy after all.

mpwest

I found two posts for the rear brakes on my daughters Maxx i have found the same problem. Inner pads on both sides driver and passenger these two pads are worn just before the metal, first I checked the driver side and could not compress the cylinder to save my life, so I considered that i was going to have to buy new calipers, so I put it back together and took the rear passenger side apart and well the same exact thing. So I thought an called a couple of coworkers that work on cars a lot and one said Welll the fords rear brake cylinders screw in and out. So then I came to the Internet to look and there you are!! right here. Now I am wondering should i find a rebuild kit for these cylinders , replace them or just clean and go on? I feel they are faulty. why do they just wear on one pad? this just does not seem right. Anyone, can you help me understand. :confuse:

mpwest

I am sorry I didn't give the details on my daughters car other than the problem I was having. Her Malibu Maxx LS is a 2005, dark in color and she loves her Maxx. only problem she had with it at first was what she called squishy brakes. They replaced the master cylinder and it al was good. Now she has 77680. miles on it and I felt 500.00 to do a brake job was just too crazy. But I know that labor at the dealerships are crazy high anyway. My mechanic may get this job. But I wanted a good shot at it anyway. I'm not to old for an adventure still. I use to care for my automobiles for myself always. Its just I have never even heard of the brake cylinders screwing in an out, or rotating. I am looking further into it . I have acquired lots of info in this forum and thanks Its great to see all the chitchat. I still would like to know if there is a special tool for this cylinder or will i be able to hand turn it? I will find out for sure tomorrow.