For the most part, all the bugs that plagued the early Malibus are gone (brakes, electrical gremlins, etc). In the 2002 JD Power Initial Quality survey, the Malibu won the mid-size category which includes the likes of the Accord and Camry.
We finally took the plunge and bought a redfire LS with a spoiler for $16300. The car was built in Jan and has 140 miles on it. Other than that it seems fine. Will keep you posted. Thanks for your feedback!
By the way, it is hard to find Malibu in such configuration. Walked at new car lot while changing oil yesterday at a big Chevy dealership. They had about 15 Malibu on the lot, but only one was with sunroof. White.
Yes, I actually just lucked into it. My 98 Malibu had the dash go dead ON THE WAY INTO THE DEALERSHIP!!! hehe
My dealer was Henna Chevrolet here in Austin, the 3rd largest in the nation. They had 3 cars in this configuration, white, black and silver.
And yes, dindak, the 2002 is MILES above my 98. Much more solid...tight...better build quality and materials...and the extra 20hp is very noticeable...
Now, if my K&N air filter will just come today, and then if I can get to the performance shop for a better muffler...I should be up around 190hp...
Wow sounds like we are experiencing similar things. My car (99 malibu)Theft System light was blinking on 2 different occassions (would not let me start the car until it stopped blinking) and recently my dash went from being readable to everything being faintly lit (sporadically). Thank God it has not left me stranded (yet)! So what is the repair or part that need to be bought/done? Would I have to take the car to the dealership or is it an easy enought job that my fiance (mechanicaly inclined) can handle??? Please let me know at your earliest.
I have a 2001 Malibu purchased in Sept. 2000, just turned 11000 mi, also just got back from a 5300 mile trip from CA to PA, no problems, great gas mileage from 32mpg and one 300 mi stretch got 36mpg @ 80mph(had a 45 to 70mph tail wind in Wyoming),average mph on trip over I-80 was any where from 65 to 75 + mph, other wise no problems as of yet, car handles like a sports car and yes on some concrete highways there is a lot of road noise, read on another intenet site a fellow said he put Michilen tires on his Malibu and what a difference. Mine to has the Firestone Affinity tires and haven't made up my mind yet rather to change or wait, no more long trips planned in the near future, so must say at this time great car for the money, mine is an LS w/rear spoiler and cloth upholstery and I like that best (personal perference)........have a great day!!!!!
Can anything be done to the suspension that would help reduce body roll? Maybe strut tower braces would work? Where would I find such a thing. Any help and suggestions is appreciated.
The recommended tire pressure is 29 (front) and 27 (rear). That seems a little on the low side. Have any of you tried higher pressure? If yes, do you notice unusual wear on the tires? Thanks!
bigdaddy - strut tower braces will sharpen the handling when pushing the envelope. They won't decrease the roll. Yes I thought the rental I drove rolled a lot too. Got out and looked under the rear to see if there was a rear anti-sway bar. There is one but obviously not very effective.
Bigger anti-sway bars will do the trick if you can find them. Start with a bigger (thicker) rear bar unless it is a matched front and rear set (then get the set). There are aftermarket hi-perf bars, braces, springs and struts for Grand Prix's (@Grandprixstore.com). Don't know the availability for Malibu's. Hopefully there is a similar source.
For 98 Malibu GM used to recommend 29/26 psi front/rear. I am inflating my tires 3 psi higher: 32 psi front, 29 psi rear, as suggested by my Firestone mechanic. Currently I am mulling adding 4 psi instead of 3.
However, it depends on your driving style and driving pattern.
For example, I seldom drive on concrete slabs. Connecticut highways are mostly paved by asphalt; the same with streets. NY highways are mostly made from the slabs, and require lower tire pressure. I feel every road seam when venturing to NY state, and especially NY city. Uncomfortable.
Second, I am turning a bit faster than usual, and my tires are wearing out on shoulders first. Moderate overinflation helps somewhat. With slower turns, overinflated tires would wear out first on center.
I turned in a 1989 Toyota Tercel with 189,000 miles for my new 1998 Malibu LS. BIG MISTAKE. In all the 11 years and miles on the Toyota, aside from normal wear and tear items, I had to replace my alternator twice. Since 1998, I have replaced (most AFTER warranty) four sets of rotors (the NTSB website has over 10,000 complaints of bad Malibu rotors) which was finally fixed by changing from GM to Raybestos, the starter, the alternator, the water pump, I just replaced the intake manifold, the air conditioner control button keeps shutting itself off, the fan control went out after two years so I have only the top two positions, and I now have a new "clunk" in the front end. I do a lot of highway driving, and the car has 86,000 miles on it. But hey, I thought these cars were supposed to be as good as Japanese cars! I know two other people who have Malibus, one a 1999 and one a 2001. They are beginning to have problems, some the same, some different. You know, if this was a new model, ok, I'd throw Chevy a bone here because it's REALLY a nice ride and I love the sound system. But the Malibu has been around FOREVER and there's just no excuse for not having it right by now. So, I'm going today to buy something else. I'll probably miss the ride but I won't miss the ever present doubt about the car's integrity (I hope). With the price of cars today, we shouldn't have to make allowances for shoddiness. That just lets the makers off the hook and does nothing to improve reliability. I wanted my American car to impress me. It has, Just not the way Chevy wanted it to. Hope you all have better experiences than I did.
Have a base 2002 Malibu. Have had no problems at all. There was a recall for the left lower beam headlight not meet fed standards, and that was dealer replaced. I live in a mountainous area, and have driven the Affinity tires thru snow and heavy rains with no problems. I really found no appreciable difference between base and LS. Cars are mechanically the same, just different bells and whistles.
We have a 98 model, LS with everything but the sunroof, and are most displeased. Interior parts started coming off shortly after purchasing, door panels, etc. In one case, they replaced the middle armrest in the front, and it doesn't match the rest of the leather. The A/C switch went out, the front grill pops out, the transmission control went out, the cassette player doesn't work, the CD player was replaced three times and still doesn't work, brakes suck, on the third set in 60,000 miles, overall, a very bad car, which is a shame, since it looks so nice. yes, it was fixed under warranty, but I want to drive my car, not leave it for days at the dealership getting fixed. I've had two terrible GM cars now, last one was a pontiac, so I think I'm going to go to Honda or Toyata now.
Three days ago I test drove a Malibu LS and found it satisfactory for my needs. Since the car I drove was a demo and I didn't like the color, I bought a different colored one. I didn't test drive that one, but I should have. As I was driving it home, I realized that when I applied the brakes while going about 55 mph the steering wheel started shaking when the car slowed down to about 35 mph. It doesn't happen every time I brake, but often enough to be a problem. I'm taking it back to the dealer in a couple of days. Since rotor problems on that car have been mentioned on this board I'm assuming that the problem is due to that. I would appreciate any advice on what to tell the dealer when I take it in. My fear is that he will tell me that it's normal for ABS brakes to do that, or to wait until the brakes are broken in before they do anything about it.
The issues with the brakes are very well documented and now almost mythic or stereotypic or apocrophyl...whichever is correct.
To make a long story short...if you dealer gives you hassle, raise the "I'm calling the regional folks" card. I also think if you scroll back a little you will find the TSB info?
Hi ya'll! Is everyone on vacation or something? The board is barely moving! Anyway, I thought I'd ask. I have a weird problem with my cassette player. When I start playing a cassette a message is flashing saying CLN (meaning clean the player). So, I cleaned it, and nothing happened, the message is still there. How do I get rid of it, or is it permanent?
Also, there's a small plastic button (looks beige, or off-white) right next to the radio volume knob. What is it for? I've never seen do anything. I got a 99 M'bu
Hey, those of you fellas who got a new radio with RDS, I drove an Impala with an identical system, and let me tell you, they made the station-select buttons much smaller! What a huge inconvenience, you now have to look to see which button you are pressing. Are they saving on plastic or something? In my M'bu I don't even look at the buttons, cause they are so huge.
By the way, does anyone here have a M'bu with more than 100K miles on it? I am wondering how long these things last. A car engine should last about 250-300K miles before being rebuilt, right? And after it's being rebuilt, I guess it should last at least another 100K? Does anyone have an idea?
brake problem: definitely get it checked out. It should be fairly easy to fix the problem. The rotor issue is not exclusive to the Malibu or even GM. A number of midsize cars have had this problem including L Series, Alero, Grand Am and Taurus. They all went to the thinner rotors to save weight and cost. It's good because it keeps the price of the vehicle down but bad because the rotors don't las t like they used.
some issues: I think the motor will last well over 100k miles. This motor has been in production for years. The only negative against it is the intake manifold gasket leak that plagues the GM small block V6 engines.
I have 2001 Malibu with 16,800 miles on it and have been pleasently surprised with this vehicle. No it's not as refined as the Accord or Camry but for $3k-$4k less, it was exactly what we were shopping for last July. My biggest complaint about the car is the tires. But they are not bad enough to replace. I cna live with them for another 30k miles.
At 30K I replaced Affinities (they were OK) with Aquatred IIIs. Cost me 700 CAD, but let me tell you, these tires rock! Out of this world! Especially in Vancouver, where it rains 162 days a year on average. These tires simply cut through water, at any speed. I've gone through puddles huge and small, and I am yet to get an even slight hint that a car may get out of control. Simply amazing, worth every penny. Not much of an investment if you live in Phoenix, but if it rains a fair bit in your area, I highly recommend you spend a little extra to get your Malibu some exquisite shoes. And they look good too!
The CLN message needs to be reset. The manual should tell you how to do it depending on what radio you have. I used to have a 99LS and only cleaned it once.
This message is for anyone having problem with the ac going on and off constantly(light flickering)I bought a 98 malibu with 70k and had this problem and the dealer wanted $250 in order to replace the whole switch assembly. This is what you do if you mechanically minded, take the whole switch off and get to the circuit board. Unsolder both led (little light)one for the ac and the other for the defroster and swap them that should solve the problem and you will never have that problem again.If you have any question i will be happy to assist you further.
Could be the led gets weak. I just experimented by switching the defroster light and the ac light and it worked.Now i do't know the scientific reason why but it did. Before replacing the whole switch try what i said it will work.
I read somewhere that it's better to do the 1st oil change after 1000 miles rather than wait till 3000 miles to remove the tiny metal bits resulting from breaking in. Did any of you guys do that? If you did how dirty was the oil? Also, Is it easy to do the oil change yourself on this vehicle? Thanks!
Hi Tamu, Oil changes on the Malibu are very easy to perform. The oil drain plug could be metric size (15 mm). The oil filter is removed from the bottom. You have to remove the plastic cover which is held in by 2 wing nuts. Obtain a oil filter wrench which fits on the end of the oil filter. The added length and the leverage over the band-type filters will be greatly appreciated. My other car is a 2002 Avalon and the oil filter is just behind the exhaust manifold. Since the oil has to be drained hot, you get in very close contact with the hot surface when removing the oil filter (from the top of the engine).
I have a 99 LS. It seems that the AC panel has its own mind. The AC light (and compressor) turns on and off when it wants to. Same thing with the "recirculated air" button, it likes to switch itself to the "outside air" button. And lastly, the #1 and #2 position of the fan blower doesn't work... all others do. I've tried to pinpoint the problem by checking fuses, opening the console and checking switches and wires, but it all looks OK. It seems to me the problem does'nt come from the controls but from somewhere else. Does anyone know of this problem and how to fix it? My warranty ran out.
I have previously owned three cars with the 3.1 V6. None of them ever leaked anything. This one leaks oil. The dealer says oil pan gasket, without doing anything other than looking at it, but it seems it is leaking higher. Any similar experiences and or advice before I start throwing money at it?
I also have a very irritating creaking type noise coming from the center (I think) of the dash. I have not been able to locate it's source.
Other than that , I have been pleased with the car. I've had none of the problems often mentioned here, so far at least, with 39,000 miles. I will say that I am not confident in the longevity of this car. Too bad, because I like it.
is a common problem with Malibu. I had it in summer 2000.
Just a bad resistor. It was fixed under warranty, but according to paperwork it cost something like $25. 1/2 hour of labor at most.
The other problems you mentioned is either A/C, or its the lights going on and off by themself. I have no first hand experience, but there was several reports on this board.
I had a small leak from the oil pump gasket. $180 to fix, mostly labor.
Repaired it at Firestone. The mechanic at dealership also thought at first the oil leaks from different place. Later he looked the second time and confirmed the Firestone diagnose.
read post 980.I had the same problem with a/c cycling,light going on and off constanly.Try to switch defroster light with a/c light,you need to unsolder them but it worked for me. Or the need to buy a new switch assembly. You could buy one from junk yard but you might have the same problem.i have seen on this board same problem over and over again,i don't understand why there was no recall
Yurakm... do you know where this resistor is located? So that I can replace it.
czanfardino... I had read your first message regarding this and found it interesting. I don't understand the logic behind it but I might give it a try before going to the dealership or getting a new panel board.
The car has been great... of all the problems discussed here, I only suffered the rotor problem and that was a few months into owning the car. I then took it to the dealership and they put the newer thicker rotors and it has been running like a dream ever since.
I have a 2000 malibu and when I push in the lighter,it blows the fuse.I changed the housing on it and tried another lighter.Does anyone know what else I can check?Thanks,Joe
It sounds you have done all you could... Check to see if the fuse you have is the correct amperage, it could be too low. As a last resort, try to use a higher amperage fuse. I haven't experienced that problem before.
It is always good to inflate front tires a little bit higher than the rear ones (maybe 2-4 psi more) since they carry the signigicant weight of the engine.
so does anyone here have a M'bu with more than 100K on speedometer? How about 150K?
And what about my brake pads question. I seriously start doubting all those claims about bad OEM pads, as no one stepped forward to say which replacement pads they'd recommend :-)
Comments
Just today picked up my 2002 LS with gray leather, sunroof, spoiler...and beautifully smooth and shiny black paint.
I must say, for a "family sedan" it is fun to drive and I think it looks really cool...and my 11 year old loves it too.
Thanks to you board members who have posted and given us great insight, and I am so glad to see Chevy building a car like this.
By the way, it is hard to find Malibu in such configuration. Walked at new car lot while changing oil yesterday at a big Chevy dealership. They had about 15 Malibu on the lot, but only one was with sunroof. White.
My dealer was Henna Chevrolet here in Austin, the 3rd largest in the nation. They had 3 cars in this configuration, white, black and silver.
And yes, dindak, the 2002 is MILES above my 98. Much more solid...tight...better build quality and materials...and the extra 20hp is very noticeable...
Now, if my K&N air filter will just come today, and then if I can get to the performance shop for a better muffler...I should be up around 190hp...
Woo hoo...glad I have that radar detector!!!
L~
So what is the repair or part that need to be bought/done? Would I have to take the car to the dealership or is it an easy enought job that my fiance (mechanicaly inclined) can handle???
Please let me know at your earliest.
Bigger anti-sway bars will do the trick if you can find them. Start with a bigger (thicker) rear bar unless it is a matched front and rear set (then get the set). There are aftermarket hi-perf bars, braces, springs and struts for Grand Prix's (@Grandprixstore.com). Don't know the availability for Malibu's. Hopefully there is a similar source.
However, it depends on your driving style and driving pattern.
For example, I seldom drive on concrete slabs. Connecticut highways are mostly paved by asphalt; the same with streets. NY highways are mostly made from the slabs, and require lower tire pressure. I feel every road seam when venturing to NY state, and especially NY city. Uncomfortable.
Second, I am turning a bit faster than usual, and my tires are wearing out on shoulders first. Moderate overinflation helps somewhat. With slower turns, overinflated tires would wear out first on center.
To make a long story short...if you dealer gives you hassle, raise the "I'm calling the regional folks" card. I also think if you scroll back a little you will find the TSB info?
Good luck
L~
Also, there's a small plastic button (looks beige, or off-white) right next to the radio volume knob. What is it for? I've never seen do anything. I got a 99 M'bu
Hey, those of you fellas who got a new radio with RDS, I drove an Impala with an identical system, and let me tell you, they made the station-select buttons much smaller! What a huge inconvenience, you now have to look to see which button you are pressing. Are they saving on plastic or something? In my M'bu I don't even look at the buttons, cause they are so huge.
By the way, does anyone here have a M'bu with more than 100K miles on it? I am wondering how long these things last. A car engine should last about 250-300K miles before being rebuilt, right? And after it's being rebuilt, I guess it should last at least another 100K? Does anyone have an idea?
Thanks!
some issues: I think the motor will last well over 100k miles. This motor has been in production for years. The only negative against it is the intake manifold gasket leak that plagues the GM small block V6 engines.
I have 2001 Malibu with 16,800 miles on it and have been pleasently surprised with this vehicle. No it's not as refined as the Accord or Camry but for $3k-$4k less, it was exactly what we were shopping for last July. My biggest complaint about the car is the tires. But they are not bad enough to replace. I cna live with them for another 30k miles.
This is what you do if you mechanically minded, take the whole switch off and get to the circuit board. Unsolder both led (little light)one for the ac and the other for the defroster and swap them that should solve the problem and you will never have that problem again.If you have any question i will be happy to assist you further.
I need advice.
Thanks.
Before replacing the whole switch try what i said it will work.
Oil changes on the Malibu are very easy to perform. The oil drain plug could be metric size (15 mm). The oil filter is removed from the bottom. You have to remove the plastic cover which is held in by 2 wing nuts. Obtain a oil filter wrench which fits on the end of the oil filter. The added length and the leverage over the band-type filters will be greatly appreciated. My other car is a 2002 Avalon and the oil filter is just behind the exhaust manifold. Since the oil has to be drained hot, you get in very close contact with the hot surface when removing the oil filter (from the top of the engine).
I've tried to pinpoint the problem by checking fuses, opening the console and checking switches and wires, but it all looks OK. It seems to me the problem does'nt come from the controls but from somewhere else. Does anyone know of this problem and how to fix it? My warranty ran out.
I also have a very irritating creaking type noise coming from the center (I think) of the dash. I have not been able to locate it's source.
Other than that , I have been pleased with the car. I've had none of the problems often mentioned
here, so far at least, with 39,000 miles. I will say that I am not confident in the longevity of this car. Too bad, because I like it.
Just a bad resistor. It was fixed under warranty, but according to paperwork it cost something like $25. 1/2 hour of labor at most.
The other problems you mentioned is either A/C, or its the lights going on and off by themself. I have no first hand experience, but there was several reports on this board.
Repaired it at Firestone. The mechanic at dealership also thought at first the oil leaks from different place. Later he looked the second time and confirmed the Firestone diagnose.
Or the need to buy a new switch assembly.
You could buy one from junk yard but you might have the same problem.i have seen on this board same problem over and over again,i don't understand why there was no recall
czanfardino... I had read your first message regarding this and found it interesting. I don't understand the logic behind it but I might give it a try before going to the dealership or getting a new panel board.
Anybody else have any suggestions???
Should I have all tires inflated to the same pressure or should I have a higher pressure in the front, as recommended for the Firestone tires? Thanks.
And what about my brake pads question. I seriously start doubting all those claims about bad OEM pads, as no one stepped forward to say which replacement pads they'd recommend :-)