Chevy Malibu Maxx

californiamaxx

I have two young kids (3&5) that love their music and frankly I've heard it enough. On our last trip I pulled out the headphones and my kids loved having their own music while we listened to "OUR MUSIC". The headphones only work behind the front seats. This is to keep the driver from listening to the headphones, which is illegal. If any of you have headphones and haven't tried them for your back seat passengers yet, give it a try. You can listen to different sources (AM/FM/CD) than what's being listened to over the main system. Unfortunately I cant listen to my CD while my kids are listening to their "the wheels on the bus go round and round" CD.

swampwizard

I bought an 04 last month built in April 04. So far I have found no problems and have no complaints. Two people "on the street" have asked about the make of the car. Seems they like the idea of it sort of being a wagon and not an SUV. The power is great and on a 350 mile trip on interstates going 65-70 I averaged 30 mpg.

missourigrl

Where can we find the long term report? Is it online?

 

Thanks!

maxx4me

right here:

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2004/chevrolet/malibu/100274113/roadte- starticle.html?articleId=102177&editorialpage=page002&tid- =edmunds.h..wkedmunds.longterm.1.*

liming

Hi,

 

I bought a 2004 Maxx on August in Chicago. It has 1SB option without Sun roof and costed me 15200 (With GMAC finance and rebate). I think you got a pretty good deal.

 

Where did u buy it? I am thinking of buying another one.

maxxlt2004

I wanted to share the excuse my dealer gave me after failing to reprogram my steering column when it was replaced on my 04 maxx lt

  

Service Manager response: This is a new problem and we are unfamiliar with the problems with the electric steering.

  

General Manager: Told me he didn't know.

  

Vice President of dealership: Spoke with Regional Rep and he told the VP that the mechanic simply forgot to reprogram the steering column which was why I couldn't steer left, only could steer right when they gave my my malibu back after replacing the column.

  

After they reprogrammed it they also failed to establish the center of the steering again. They told me a simple alignment would fix it. Got the car back and it didn't fix it, the center is off and my car still pulls to the left. Now my dealer will not take back my car to fix it. Even the regional rep told them not to take it back.

  

I need some advice here. Since it took over 1 month to have the dealership "admit" the mechanic forgot to reprogram the steering I need to have them fix the steering so it's centered again.

  

The dealership and the regional rep keep telling me to go to the BBB and do arbitration, but we all know dealerships contract the BBB to make sure consumers don't win cases.

  

What should i do?

ktc

I bought the car in Beaverton's Carr Chevrolet, they have the GM red-tag sell priced the car at $15995, I also used my $3500 GM credit card rebate, so actually I only paid about $12490. So far I only drove 60 miles, like the car.

beedublu

It's not a very complimentary review, nor very thorough one either. After trashing the steering they didn't mention any of the car's many good qualities. Although I do sort of agree with the comment about the brake pedal being tiresome to hold at long red lights.

kurtamaxxguy

Apparently the steering's highly variable from vehicle to vehicle. Mine is not like the review - while a bit "numb" it is responsive and well behaved on the freeway, and doesn't have any huge dead spots or wildly varying turning efforts.

 

As for the rest, though picking up rattles as it gets older, the car remains good transportation. And the amount of room in the rear seat is amazing for a vehicle its size!

ownerof4chevys

Bought my first 2004 Maxx LS in early Sept 04. It has the preferred package option. Window price $23,150...paid $13,000. Dec 18th went back and bought a leftover Maxx LT with a sunroof. Window price $25,450....paid $15,000. I still can't believe how great these cars are. Features, features, and more features! Smooth, powerful, economical,comfortable, practical, and inexpensive to purchase....I must have died and gone to heaven. Kudus to Chevy for this car!!!

dplav

can someone tell me what's the best digital tire pressure gauge they have used?

 

thanks

KCRam

Stop by the Tire Gauges discussion in our Aftermarket & Accessiories message board.

 

kcram

Host - Wagons

dplav

I bought the Accutire MS-4020B and had trouble getting it to fit to get a proper readout, anyone try the newest Accutire MS-4100B. Costs about $30, should be worth it, but wanted to see if anyone used it and their experience.

kurtamaxxguy

can be found at automobile.com (add www. in front for full web address).

 

They liked it over the Malibu and found it compared well with other small wagons or hatches.

 

As my Maxx is currently in shop for bumper repair, I am driving a rental VW Jetta. Will post comparisons of Maxx to Jetta once my rental stint is over.

michiganmaxx

Thanks for the tip, Kurtamaxxguy. I agree the article is worth checking out.

 

Be sure to give us your impression of the VW Jetta after you turn it back in.

kurtamaxxguy

Wrt Maxx .vs. Jetta, some brief comments:

 

1. Instruments; Jetta Instrument panel glows in red and blue - hard to read at night. Every button is lit, though, even rear window controls (Maxx does not light rear window, but does light the audio/DVD console).

 

2. Ride; Jetta rides a bit better. Feels more connected to the road and does not have the "gut jiggle" the Maxx's rear suspension often exhibits.

Jetts is noiser over bumps, though.

 

3. Build quality; Jetta has 32K miles .vs. Maxx 13K. A lot more rattles in the jetta and there are some poorly fitting plastic parts.

 

4. Steering; Jetta is more "hair trigger" in the freeway; small steering wheel motions result in big moves. Steering is much heavier, but you do get a tiny bit more road feel.

rkw2

Companies pay an annual fee to be members of the Better Business so they tend to favor the "hand that feeds" them. When I have a problem with a business I've successfuly filed a claim with the Department of Consumer Affairs (here in NJ there is one in every county or there is one in your state). The more documentation you have the stronger will be your case. Just insist on a full investigation.

vanman1

How did you get so much off you Maxxes? Do you work for GM?

 

Best deals around here are maybe $2000 cash back total.

avanti

Prices are now appearing for the new chrome wheel option ($695!) and Sport package ($800+!!) - has anyone seen the new wheels? I've Googled, etc., but nothing...

occking

Although I will continue to check in on occasion & advise how I am doing with my next vehicle (Subaru Outback)

 

Ended up with a little more than 24k on my MAXX. I do too much traveling up north & miss the handling of SUV's I have had in the past. Just didn't feel safe with the MAXX in winter conditions. Otherwise, was very pleased with the vehicle. Never had any problems with steering, excessive rattles, etc. Probably averaged around 26 mpg for as long as I had the car. Sure, I took a big hit. Finally got 13.5k in trade for it, which means a hit, after I figure the loss on the extended warranty, sales taxes, registration, etc. of approx 12k. For the 24,000 miles I actually drove the car, that's around 50 cents a mile.

 

I will miss the power that the 200 horses gave, & the Subaru Outback I got (2.5i, not their turbo or v6 because I still wanted good gas mileage) is much less responsive. But, it has all the features I am accustomed to, and the safety of all wheel drive, six air bags, rear windshied washer (which, I really noticed withe the Malibu was an oversight--not during dry or wet weather, but in the snow, coupled with the very poor rear window defroster on the MAXX was a problem). I will keep you guys posted on how I far with my new car & wish everyone the best of luck with their MAXX!

kurtamaxxguy

thanks for feedback on winter driving in the Maxx, occking. Sorry to hear it does this poorly, and yes I understand taking a hit on trade-ins (this happened to me with my last Honda; that 3 barrel carburetor nightmare was traded for a Camry I kept for 9 years). I'll keep that in mind if need comes to move out of southern California into snowy realms

occking

It may have very well been that I panicked a bit but I could not believe how poorly the car performed in even a little snow. Even at one of the car dealers a few days ago, while looking around. Going up a slight uphill with a few inches of packed snow was not easy. It may have been the tires. Although remaining tread looked ok (had 24k on). Had I kept the vehicle would have bought four Goodyear Triple T's. I read on the message board from Tire Rack.com over 100 reviews for this tire and 98% were in high praise of those tires. Guess I will never know...

 

But, I do feel good about the Outback I bought with all the features I am accustomed to (except controls on the steering wheel) and the MAXX did have more room for passengers in the back and was certainly very peppy for a vehicle with 200 horses. That I will really miss! Afraid if I had tried the Outback with the 250 hp 6 cylinder of 250 hp turbo I may have been swayed in that direction, but that would have cost another $4000 or so, plus would have had to buy premium fuel, plus would have gotten poorer gas mileage. The 2.5I I got rated at 22 to 28 city/highway mileage but the 6 & turbo something between 20 and 25.

 

Oh well, best of luck. I know you are one of the more frequent posters on this board I will have to find someone like you on the Outback board!

 

Happy New year!

kurtamaxxguy

Turbos seem a hassle. A co-worker's Subaru WTI (nice ride/handling, so so build quality) was constant worry as he feared turbo would cook oil or cause trouble (he had special turbo monitor installed for several hundred $). Also Turbos make the engine peaky and usually need premium fuel. Seems fine for track and race, not so great for everyday use.

I had considered Subaru before Maxx but dealers for Subaru were poor and far from home.

rdeschene

A front wheel drive car with this high a front weight bias can CERTAINLY have much better winter traction then what you experienced. I've been using 4 Michelin Arctic Alpins on our Alero, and our Corsica prior to that, in the winter for about 5 years now, and the improvement in road-holding over the all-season tires has been pretty incredible.

 

It's important to note that while 4wd will help you get moving, and a bit in handling the corners, it wont do anything to shorten your stopping distance on snow or ice. Winter tires actually improve the amount of friction. I have been on many drives through snow and ice and time and again I see 4wd/awd vehicles that have gone straight through a corner and through the snowbank. Just my 2 cents.

maxx4me

Happy New Year everyone. I just got back from San Diego and got an '05 Maxx as my rental. I notice one glaring difference between my car and the rental: the tranny worked incredibly well with the rental. My '04 (with the howling tranny) downshifts an awful lot. The '05 just screams when I accelerated. So a question begs to be asked: for those of you who got the "tranny howl" taken care of, did you notice an increase in power and efficiency when accelerating??? Truely: the '05 zoomed when I hit the gas pedal. I often think that my tranny downshifts too much, and that it gets stuck in overdrive too early, thus forcing the frequent downshifts. I also notice the slight hesitation with my car, where none was evident with the '05. Comments???

maxx4me

After spending my $7 at the San Diego auto show, I once again came away with the sense that I did very well with my 6 months of research in making the decision to buy the Maxx. I sat in all the wagons and SUVs out there, and still cannot believe some of the features in the 'Bu which are not found in other more upscale cars. In fact, the only other car at the auto show that I took a liking to was the G6; and it is full of Maxx parts and features. GM also was the only auto maker to have a test drive of their vehicles around the convention center. It was amazing however, that VERY few people during the 3 hours I was there, were looking at any of the wagons. People were flocking to the Honda and Toyota mini vans, and the Hummer of course. The Maxx did have a family of 5 sitting in it at one point; I think I sold them on it.

kurtamaxxguy

The leading no-ads consumer mag (not sure if Edmunds allows the name here) tested both the G6 and the Maxx. The Maxx came out way ahead. The G6 got nailed for a harsh ride, weak handling (poor choice of tires?), little rear headroom and a cheap interior. The Maxx did not get mileage anywhere as good as the Sedan (21 .vs. 26 ???) and had a huge turning circle (true), but otherwise was well liked and praised for its flexibility. However, sadly, the Malibu Sedan is no longer recommended due to below average reliability.

 

No idea why there is such a huge mileage difference except that they tested the sedan in the summer and the maxx in the winter. I've noted decreased mileage on my Maxx during cold spells, which is still around 24 mph.

maxx4me

yeah, the winter probably was the difference since they have the same engine.

2themax

Has anyone used this company for an extended warranty (or more accurately, insurance)?

 

Well, my wife's Maxx has 11,500 miles on it and we wanted an extended warranty coverage for peace of mind. She bought the 6 year -- 100K plan for $1600 from our local chevy dealership. I am wondering if changing my oil about every 6000 miles (which is what we have done thus far) will void the warranty, even though the Maxx's computer indicates the oil life is at 40% at worse. Of course, the sales rep that sold my wife the policy said this would not be a problem, but I am concerned that I may get screwed because we don't change the oil at 3,000 mile intervals.

 

Also, I know this issue has been discussed before, but I am (still) confused as to whether the "oil life" indicator is a valid measure of true oil life and what is Chevy's and/or UUnderwriters position on this matter.

 

By the way, Klick and Klack said one time that with today's oils, filters, and engines, that 6,000 mile intervals are just fine, thus this has been my rule of thumb. Seems to me that the standard 3,000 mile principal is nothing more than a marketing ploy by manufacturers, lube shops, and dealerships to make more money.

 

Any other insight or heads-up about my ext. warranty is greatly welcomed.

 

Happy New Years!

2themax

I took the car in for the remote start problem I mentioned recently...oddly, the dealership had no probs with it working, and it has worked just fine ever since (And no, it was not "operator error.") The day we took it in, the weather was unseasonably warm, thus I have not ruled out temperature as a correlating factor.

maxx4me

Just one man's opinion here, but I can say that the "expert's" opinion on this subject is all over the board. I change mine every 6k with synthetic. I used to do 3,500 mile changes with conventional oil. I cannot see how an extended warranty company (especially GMPP) can void your warrenty UNLESS they drop your oil pan and discover lots of sludge.

newtogm

I'm considering buying a Maxx but have been reading many differing opinions on power steering problems with the malibu. While they appear to be centered on the 04, does anyone have any info for 05. I like the concept of the car and all the comforts but hate to buy new technology (electronic power steering) if all the bugs are not worked out.

hickoryd

Happy New Year! On New Year's Eve I traded in my '04 Silverado for an '04 Maxx...seem to have found the last new '04 LS on the planet (at least in SE LA and Southern MS).

Initially, I have 2 questions:

Does someone make a customer bug/stone deflector, and, if so, how does it look on the Maxx?

Thanks.

Dean

prdm

According to information gleaned from e2helper (engineer for GM) and other helpful people here on the board the EPS problem was resolved late in the '04 run. Year turnover occurred sometime during the early summer so any car with a build date of maybe April on is fine. I'm vague on dates because I just don't remember but should be good give or take a month. BTW, I find the EPS to be outstanding - fingertip light at parking lot speeds and nicely tightened up for road speeds.

madmaxx

Hickoryd-

 

Here are two places for bug/rock defectors:

 

http://www.autoseattle.com/

 

http://www.invinca-shield.com/main.htm

madmaxx

I like my '04 Maxx LS so much I traded it for another, identical '04 Maxx LS(same color even).

I racked up 14,950 miles on my Maxx since purchasing it early last August.

GM Card sent me $2,000 bonus cash/credit for use against '04 GM ($2,500 for select '05's).

So.. I took my '04 Maxx to the dealer and told them I would trade my Maxx for it's twin, new brother, plus my $2,000 credit--straight across, no cash.

They quickly accepted! (Wished I'd asked for an 04 LT or 05 LS.)

Bottom line: I drove a new car for 5 months and 15,000 miles for nothing other than gas and oil changes.

The bonus credit expires tomorrow, so I'm out nothing.

The only downside, is my new Maxx is a March build date, so I'll have to have the service department do all the TSBs.

I pick up my newest Maxx tomorrow.

Absolutley Amazing!

newtogm

Thanks for the info. Basically, that was the main issue that was of concern. Appreicate your quick response.

markf57

Madmaxx:

 

I just bought an 04 LS Maxx with a March 04 build date. What are the TSB's that apply to that build date?

bwolter

I recently purchased a bug deflector for my 04 Maxx. It installed easy and looks okay, although I thought it looked a bit big. However, everyone tells me it seems to make the "froggy" look of the front end go away. Here's the URL address Web site:

 

http://www.autoseattle.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=hd5H04

pao

protriminc and autoseattle do....as for how they look..I havent seen one with it installed....just add www and .com at the end of both names...and do a search on their sites

pao

Ok, Im just curious..why did you trade?

madmaxx

....because I now have a new Maxx with 40 miles vs the Maxx I had with 15,000 (14,997 miles to be exact).

   

The GM card $2000 credit was a freebie that expires today (Jan03/05). I have no other credits on the card.

 

So, I got a new 04 Maxx LS (even the same Galaxy Silver) for no cash out of pocket. I really like the Maxx, so there was no reason not to get a new Maxx with zero miles if the dealer was game.

 

Driving 3,000 miles/mth means I incur huge depreciation. As long as GM keeps sending me free credits that offset the depreciation, I'll keep swapping 'em.

triedntru

My understanding is that the EPS problem was resolved in February 04. Anything with a build date after February should be good.

 

Maxx sales are really in the tank! Hopefully, that'll drive some good deals for consumers.

 

Dave

kurtamaxxguy

Can anyone provide Maxx sales figures ...vs... the Malibu sedan?

triedntru

I don't have specifics, but I do know that it is taking GM roughly 3-4 times as long to sell the current inventory of Maxxes vs. the time it'll take to sell the current inventory of Sedans... and there are a lot more Sedans than Maxxes out there!

towit

So what's the real story on the turning circle? Edmunds lists the Maxx at 38',the sedan at 38',and the G6 at 39.3'.

I've been considering one of these, but the Cobalt has caught my eye, and the 34' is a plus.

vanman1

I see lots of sedans but very few Maxxes. It's strange as the Maxx seems like a much more practical and better looking rig.

 

That said, I see many more Maxxes now than I did even 2-3 months ago.

pao

Seeing more and more Maxxes here in the northern va area......passed two the other day during a short 5 mile trip and suddenly there is one here in my office parking lot.....identical to mine....abeit an 05.....I agree that the Maxx seems more partical than the sedan...but who knows....still loving my 04 LT with 16k on it now!

hickoryd

Thanks all for the great info on sources for the deflector, especially bwolter, madmaxx, & pao.

Dean

pao

can anyone post a pic of the deflector on their maxx yet?