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Did I mention I'm really happy with this dealership?
think you are one of the lucky ones that has found a competent service department...I honestly beleive this is 99% of GMs problem....the poor service after the sale....and the seemingly incompetent service techs.....LISTEN and READ GM.....get your field reps out there.....educate the service departments!!!!
They solved my brake and transaxle noises during a second attempt at repairing the problem (They had first replaced a rotor, after turning the original, and also replaced some transaxle parts). The second time they replaced brake and more transaxle parts. After the dealer's extensive searching for a TSB , I returned several weeks later when a fix for the rear sun screens was found and the required "stiffeners" came. These were replaced without removing the headliner (as GM had recommended). This seems to have fixed it the problem. When the rear seat lever broke they managed to get the seat back in the upright position and I returned later for installation when the repair part came in. The clunking noise revealed some loose struts, which were tightened.
For the most part, since all this, my Maxx has been running and handling well.
My dealer, Edwards Chevrolet in Birmingham, has always been courteous, listened patiently to me about my problems, and made me feel that whatever my problem, it was theirs too, until solved. I live 50 miles from my dealer, and the travel has been very inconvenient, but My dealer's service department has been my advocate, and worked with me and helped with transportation when I had to leave the car for several days. Since the car's newness did not provide a long history of problems and solutions, I think they really researched my problems and did their best. It was raining when I took the car for the last repair. When I went to pick it up there was a 20 minute delay. When I went to get in the car, I noticed that it had been washed. I asked the Asst. Service manager about it. He said, When I went to get it for you, It was dirtier than I wanted to return it to you." A good dealer is sometimes hard to come by, but I am happy with mine, and the drive has been worth it.
I do not feel that GM did sufficiently testing for potential problems before releasing the first edition of the Maxx. However, If my problems are basically solved, then the car now seems to be what I hoped for when I bought it. (Good ride, excellent handling, comfortable, quiet, good leg room, well-equipped, versatile, and great gas mileage...33 - 35 mpg on any sustained trip.)
I have noticed recently, after rotating the tires, some torque-steer to the left under strong acceleration, but I think it it may be a characteristic which I have experienced before on another vehicle shortly after tire rotation. I am going to go to my local tire dealer, in whom I have confidence, and have them check this out, as I think it is tire-related. I have not determined uneven wear, but having come from a tire-business family background, I am aware that the rotation, and my noticing of torque-steer beginning in such close time-proximity is probably more than coincidence.
GM has a sad history of rushing cars to market without completing them. The Maxx is no exception.
As for the alignment, they had to do one for me after replacing the strut. I asked the service manager about your question and he said that the alignment (even with the electric steering) is no big deal, and that any place can do it. He did recommend however, that the shop have a modern machine. He says the new machines actually tell the mechanic what to do (toe, camber, etc) and how far.....no more guessing.
I noticed that with my 05 LS. I can't drive with the rear windows down--it is literally deafening.
Where is this noise coming from? Not sure what the rear seat panel is exactly.
Joe
general ventilation workaround is to open one front, and one opposite side window on rear.
If you want real air torrent, open windows on just one side of the car.
My father-in-law then asked the service department to take a look at the other spring, and they said it was fine. Earlier this week, my mother-in-law went to get into the car, and the car was lying on the ground again, but this time, it was the driver's side suspension spring that was broken! My in-laws live in Georgetown, Massachusetts, and my mother-in-law had driven out to Shrewsbury (a little over an hour drive) with my wife and kids. My mother-in-law had planned to drive back home that morning when she noticed the front of the car on the ground. I keep thinking of what would have happened to the passengers of the car if the either spring had failed while it was moving on the highway. My father-in-law called the dealership in anger and demanded them to tow the car back to the dealership in order to fix the spring that they said was fine. But they said no, so since my in-laws need their car, they had it towed to a local dealership in Shrewsbury to have it fixed.
My concern at this moment is that GM received a set of defective springs, and that they're on the verge of failure with 99 Malibus hitting the 100,000 mile mark. Both of the broken suspension springs have been saved so that someone could make an analysis of why they broke. My in-laws have also saved the bills from both repairs. At this point, what is their best course of action in order to receive compensation from GM and/or the dealership since I believe a catastrophic failure of such an essential component to a car, with only a little over 100,000 miles on it (mostly highway), is simply unacceptable and dangerous.
It's sad since my in-laws loved their Malibu when they first purchased it (my father-in-law has been a Chevy man his whole life), but between the brake problems with the car, other repair issues, and now the double suspension spring failure, they're ready to make their next car a Toyota.
There is a sharp left turn I make on my way to work everyday. Before making the turn, I slow down my 2004 Maxx LT to about 10MPH and begin to accelerate as I come out of the turn to get up a slight hill. This always causes my car to hesitate for a moment. Would a PCM upgrade correct this problem or do I need to take this turn a bit differently? I do not go around this turn fast, which wouldn't be possible even if I wanted to. I never had this issue with my two previous cars, so I don't think I am taking the turn improperly. The car's mileage is 12,700 and has never had a PCM upgrade since I purchased it a year ago.
Although I have given you my VIN and build date before, here they are again:
1G1ZU64814F224114 - May 4, 2004
Thanks!
Secondly, I also get a hesitation when I stomp on my gas pedal to get the tranny to downshift. It is not the most seamless tranny, although a pretty darn good one nonetheless.
Anyways I think maxx4me's real world similar experience was a great response!
As far as calibrations, your vehicle is a late 2004 model build and originally got the calibration that many others have updated to. Per the GM calibration website it (link posted in an earlier thread by someone else) there looks to have been 1 later PCM update which was specifically for a fuel gage not reading full complaint. I thought you might have had some complaint on fuel gauge in the past?
e2helper, thank you for your response as well. My fuel gauge issue isn't anything like what many others have experienced with theirs. Unlike the other Chevy's I have owned, the fuel gauge needle never goes past the "full mark" following a fill up. It is something that I can live with however. I will make sure not to send you my VIN again!
I thank both of you for your responses.
they were made in china. My dealer told me it was because they were rusted, I could see through the wheels they were not rusted.
someone said i need to get a new ignition, that mine for some reason is not reading my key anymore. has anyone else had this problem and if so how do you resolve it.
The body computer only communicates this information when the ignition key is actually turned on, it is NOT communicated during a remote start. Your radio display is normally going to be blank (and radio inoperative) when in remote start mode. The only time this might not occur is if you performed a remote start on vehicle just after you turned the vehicle off with key but before you opened the driver door (perhaps to demonstrate the feature to someone else).
So this doesn't explain WHY but it does explain WHAT
I bet you are going to tell me that isn't the way your vehicle is working but it is the way I believe it is supposed to. :shades:
I've checked the ignition fuses, and relay for fuel pump. I tried the "10 min leaving the key on to reset the Anti Theft system" procedure. None proved to be any help. Is there a fuel cutoff switch? I've read about replacing the fuel filter. Will probably try that tomorrow. I've also read about a key sensor in the ignition switch/steering column. Is that something I can check? I bought the car used - no original key, no keyless entry transmitter - about three and a half years ago. Right now, odometer is at 50k. This is the first time anything like this has happened.
Has any one else experienced this problem?
My new 2005 Malibu MAXX is only 2 weeks old.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Susie P, Ontario, Canada
i have all original keys as i bought the car new in 2001. mines is a little worn but my wifes key is like new. i also have an auto start installed( by me) which eliminates the key problem altogether by electronically sending the correct signal down the wire. i seem to have no pressure at my fuel rail (there is a place to test this on passenger side of fuel rail, it looks like a tire valve and you can remove the cap and depress the little valve which should spray fuel, but no fuel came out except a little dribble) .today i will try removing the pipe before the filter and turn on ignition to see if i have fuel pressure before the filter , i have none at the fuel rail right now... i hope someone has a solution to this soon. i only have a small deductible on my policy but still it's $100 i need elsewhere right now.
anyway i put in 4 gallons, cranked the car and voila..
sorry bout yours tho' man
regards.
I was fed up and asked my mechanic to replace the fuel pump. He did. He found the some black plastic casing of the fuel pump cracked and some small pieces fell off. He said he cannot get a steady flow of fuel when he tried to use the bad pump to suck the fuel from the gas tank during repair. He said my wife damaged the pump by repeatedly starting the car at very low fuel level back in March - fuel pump overheated and caused extra wear. See also my previous posts.
The mechanic charged $120 and the pump from the JY costs $60.
The lesson - never try to restart the car at very low fuel level, especially try to drive the car at high speed at low fuel when some prob signs showed up.
Your local repair shop may charge $400 for such work.
Search this forum you may have more information on the issue.
I have a 2000 Malibu LS and have recently noticed that when I am accelerating through 50 mph (80 kph) the engine seems to surge as if I was putting my foot
on and off the gas pedal. Once I get to about 60 mph, the problem goes away.
It also happens if I am climbing a hill and just trying to maintain a certain speed (again around 50 mph). The problem doesn't seem to be there until I have been driving for about half an hour. The dealer checked it out and no error codes showed. He also took the car out for about an hour, and of course, couldn't duplicate the problem. Does anyone know what this might be? Thanks.