Chevy Malibu Maxx

stealthsignum

Well now, I just returned to the UK from a Florida vacation, I thought the Maxx looked vaugely familiar. I switched from a Vauxall Omaga (Caddy Catera to you), to a Signum last year - this is what the Vauxhall/Opel version of the Maxx is called. Although the Saab 9.3 has the same platform, the real sibling is the Vectra for the sedan and wagon and Signum for the Maxx. We get a nicer curvy rear end and some other stuff, like my 3.2 DOHC v6.

If you are sad enough to be interested, why not have a look at vauxhall.com if you like the steering wheel on the correct side of the car and opel.com if you don't.

The other thing I would like to investigate after the trip is the idea of KFC boneless wings, which turn out to be chicken breast anyway, but I guess I will have to surf some more sites...

Cheers

Marcus

maxx4me

Marcus, I saw you down in Florida. Actually there were a million Brits in the Orlando area this past week. I hope your flight home was uneventful. I was stuck with a Malibu Classic for my rental. I have nothing nice to say about that car, with the exception that it probably handles bumps better than the '04 Bu.

tallmug

Thanks for your help. This is a great website. I will register online, and upgrade my fuel so maybe the pinging will disapear (only happens rarely.)

Thank again

kurtamaxxguy

may be do the heat shield under the car (big plate of very thin steel that lies between the tailpipe/mid resonator and the vehicle underside), which is very thin and prone to resonate under some conditions.

csandste

What was your last car? There's much to recommend about GM's engines. Great gas mileage, durability, low maintenance among them. Smoothness isn't included. The 'bu is much noisier and rougher than my '01 Elantra was, and the Elantra was considered noisier than most Japanese engines. There's also a lot of banging and clanging as the engine cools down.

If you came over from a Honda engine, you'll probably notice quite a difference when you jam the accelerator.

bdc2020

Hi-
I stopped at the dealer tonight to see a Maxx and they have three 2004 models left almost exactly how I want them. Two questions for you all, as I can't find info on what the 2004 came with standard:

#1) Does the 2004 Maxx LT have side airbags for the PASSENGERS in the rear? The 2005 I see does have that for front and rear passengers. The 2004 seemed to have everything else available as the 2005s do (I don't care about the DVD player).

#2) Were any upgrades/fixes done to the 2005 vs the 2004?

The dealer said the GM employee discount isn't available on the 2004, but he said "they are almost 2 years old, and I need to get rid of them". He also said he would give me a deal way below the 2005 model price with the employee discount.

thanks,
-brian

e2helper

The 2005 side airbag system adds side airbags in the front seats as well as the roof rail airbags which are available on both the 2004 and 2005 models.

The 2005 had an optional spoiler and rear wiper option added.

Build month of the 2004 models would be good thing to know or if you have last 6 of VIN to help others better answer your 2nd question.

tallmug

Good point. We have mainly owned Hondas. Our last car was a Saab (which turned into a money pit.)

I like how the Maxx's V6 gets up and go when I jam it. I guess I need to quit worrying.

southcarolina

My grad student daughter needed some work done on her 97 Camaro so I let her take my Maxx back to school. The work is done on her car but she kept my Maxx. Told me to drive the Camaro, she likes the Maxx. Does this mean that I've got to grow a mullet?

pao

makes the car unique for sure....can you get it colored matched....and they look like they have 18-20 inch wheels on the car too..might look odd with the stock 16 inch wheels...and the body kit...here is my maxx with custom rims..and a few other additions......welcome to the forum

http://home.att.net/~p.oswald/

sschriber

Believe me, you don't want to lower your ground clearance any more than it is. My wife tried a 3 point turn in my driveway and caught the left rear mudflap on a stump or something. The bumper was torn just a little but it's going to take a grand to replace.

hockeyluke

I e-mailed the guy and he said he wasn't sure of the wheel size. It was a promotional picture from the manufacturer. I'm going to hold off until I can get some more info. They can paint it for $300.00, which sounds reasonable, I guess. Looks like I'll call around on that, too.

Thanks for the tips and giving me something else to consider. Maybe I'm better off to wait.

Thanks!

hockeyluke

Thanks here, too. I've got a few things I need to look into before I plunge!

Thanks everybody!

Luke

bhw77

How is your AC working? Summer is finally here at North East and I am not very
impressed with AC in my 04' Maxx LS. It barely holds acceptable temperature
in and there only 80+ out.

christinad

Sadly, I haven't driven my Maxx yet, but the ones I test drove had awesome ACs, both 04s and 05s.

sschriber

Hmmm. I first tried the AC in my 05 the other day and it seemed a little anemic. My other cars have had a "MAX AC" setting, this doesn't. Do you need to set flow to recirculation to cool down quicker?

bhw77

Yes - That is a "MAX AC" setting" and even with that it is not even close to my
other cars.
Even minivan with much larger salon gets cooler and and faster...

pao

make sure your recycle air button is pressed......I usually leave mine on auto (04 Maxx LT)...and then simply press recycle button..if that doesnt work fast enough....the auto configuration doesnt seem to turn the blower on full..I simply turn my up all the way, again with the recycle button on........gets real cold for me...and nicely chills down the car...hit 90 today in the DC area..and was comfortable within 5 minutes....once it cools down I turn off my recycle button...

lngtonge18

The 04 Maxx LT I drove for 24 hours had a noticeably weak AC system. It had trouble putting out cool air in a typical Florida hot and humid August afternoon. I was extremely uncomfortable in the back seat during the shorter initial test drive. The Maxx could really use rear AC vents. For a car that caters to the rear seat in so many ways, I was disappointed it lacked this feature. Maybe the AC performance is hit or miss. Many people complained about weak AC in the 04 Colorado, but my 05 Colorado gets plenty cold and it doesn't even have tinted windows.

southcarolina

Would the Malibu sedan give a similar performance? My 63 yo sister called tonight wanting me to help her shop for a car. She does not have a husband or kids, so she does not need the extra size of the Maxx. She also does not have a lot of money. I was thinking the 'Bu, a Vibe or a Corolla may be good choices for her. Any opinions?

csandste

Love my Maxx. Had an Elantra which I gave to my daughter (who totaled it ). Anyway the Elantra can be had for $11,000 with a level of trim almost equal to the 'Bu. Is far more roomy and comfortable than the Corolla and FAR quieter than the Vibe. Not as much room as the 'Bu, but 96 cubic feet is more space than most full sized cars had a decade ago. Smoother though less powerful engine than the Maxx, only gets a couple of mpg better however.

I had mine for 80K+ with absolutely no trouble. I was surprised how crude the Vibe was given its Toyota roots. That is one noisy vehicle, looks nice though.

maxx4me

Owning both the Vibe and the Maxx, there is no comparison in my opinion; the Maxx is a much better car. While the Vibe is a Corolla with a Delco radio, it is by far the worst car the highly touted NUMMI plant has ever produced, especially the paint job and hardware. Nonetheless, it is a Corolla, and we don't expect any problems over 10 years. Having said that, the '05 Vibe is having starting problems, and continues to be plagued by fuel sender/gas tank problems since the 2003 model. Oh, and did I mention the worst paint job since the 1960's???
The Maxx does sooooo much more than the Vibe, but will it hold up over time?? That is the $50,000 question.
For me it comes down to this: if the driver is tall, or you plan on carrying adult passengers in the car, or you are older and need to adjust your seat, pedals, and steering wheel to get a proper driving position, the Maxx is the clear choice. If you want to guarantee reliability over time, and don't mind a much tighter cabin area, the Vibe is the choice.
As for the AC issue, I rent all kinds of cars and have yet to be in a car where I say: "wow, this AC works great!!!" Since the demise of freon, it is tough to cool down today's cars with all the plastic inside.

bhw77

e2helper,
What's you take on AC in MAXX?
Is there the same AC compressor as in other GM cars, tracks?
How powerful compressor in there? Do you know the numbers?
Should I go to dealer to have it checked?

Thank you

pao

I have to agree with maxx4me...since we switched from Freon..to K-12..or whatever that new one is.....the coldness of the A/Cs has definitely gone away....The last time I had a dealer check an A/C he held some fancy device at the center outlet...and measured the air temp coming from the vents......then he stated it was within factory limits...eventually it just blew warm air...gosh what an indication the compressor was bad.....anyway......good luck...and I do agree...the Maxx probably would have done better with a vent or two in the back...

bhw77

Cannot agree more on dealers ...

What they did - compared outside and out of vents temperature and if there is a difference at least 10F it is "within factory specs".
Picture 100F outside in AC blowing 90F.
In the same time I have 2000 Villager and it gets cool very fast and keeps comfortable temperature even with 100F and high humidity with no recirculation on.

pao

was the transition away from freon...about the 2000 or 01 model year....that may be the difference..again ...the new coolant just does do what freon use to..but we are saving the environment....all good....just a bit hotter in the process.....I must admit..I have never owned a car..that in that heat..didnt need the recir...on to get it cold...being from the sweltering south here....looks like summer is here already!!

bhw77

I believe transition happened much earlier.
I use to have 1994 Honda Accord and there was "new" refrigerant

kurtamaxxguy

AC is not fantastic in my '04 maxx but decent. Way better than the Honda Accord I once owned. Having it go on all the time for re-circulating air is kinda a pain, though.

Wrt rear seat vents, there is an additional dashboard vent that you can set to send more air to the Back seat area (shades of the '1983 Camry I owned, which had the same feature, only the Camry's worked better).

wrt lowering the Maxx for the "def/cool" look; nice thing about Maxx is it devours bumps that clobber other cars undersides. Got nailed by several nasty invisible potholes during a severe storm - Maxx kicked pretty hard but didn't bottomm out like my other cars would have.
Will be interesting to see how the lowered SS with dem 18" dubs fares on cratered roads the Maxx currently waltzes over.

medinamalibu

Picked up a Silver Green 2005 Maxx LS w/1SB this morning (yesterday morning, depending on your time zone). Got the promotional GM employee discount AND plopped $4500 down AND got a $500 for my miserable trade-in. Have driven 60 miles so far. Loving the engine, suspension, and sound system. :shades: 6 years of warranty coverage and 4 years of payments ahead -- if I don't pay it off early. I have learned of the effort necessary to shut the hatch securely, and of the blind spots to the rear of the vehicle, and of the need to get the spare keys programmed. Took delivery 13 hours ago. Hope to keep it for 10 years. I'm emotional.

madmadam

How about the Cobalt? Or a Focus?

triedntru

I posted this in the Malibu board, but thought it was also appropriate here.

triedntru

My apologies! I don't frequent bulletin boards that often. I'll just type this stuff out manually.

The following is 3rd party data comparing a Chevrolet Malibu LS Sedan V6 Automatic against a Toyota Camry LE Sedan V6 Automatic. The first number in each line is for the Malibu, and the second number is for the Camry.

City MPG - 22 vs. 20...Winner: Malibu
Highway MPG - 32 vs. 28...Winner: Malibu
Frontal Crash - 5*/5* vs. 5*/5*...Winner: Tie
Side Crash w/ Side Airbags - 5*/4* vs. Not Available...Winner: ?
Side Crash w/o Side Airbags - 4*/5* vs. 4*/3*...Winner: Malibu
Rollover Rating - 4* vs. 4*...Winner: Tie
40 MPH Frontal Offset Crash - Good vs. Good...Winner: Tie
Side Crash w/ Side Airbags - Best Pick vs. Good...Winner: Malibu
Rear Crash Protection - Acceptable vs. Marginal...Winner: Malibu
0 to 60 MPH (sec) - 8.1 vs. 8.3...Winner: Malibu
60 to 0 MPH (feet) - 146 vs. 147...Winner: Malibu
JDP Initial Quality (PPH) - 97 vs. 99...Winner: Malibu
JDP APEAL - 872 vs. 853...Winner: Malibu
Price (MSRP) - $21,890 vs. $22,530...Winner: Malibu
Current Cash Incentive - $2,500 vs. $500...Winner: Malibu
Net Price - $19,390 vs. $22,030...Winner: Malibu

Items 1-2 are from EPA. Items 3-6 are from NHTSA. Items 7-9 are from IIHS. Items 10-11 are from Consumer Reports. Items 12-13 are from JD Power.

ktc

My old (1993) Buick LeSabre 3.8L uses a cast iron block and that engine is great, still working fine. Is Maxx's 3.5L V6 engine still using cast iron block or now everything change to Aluminum block?

csandste

I'm probably showing my ignorance and it's too late to check cause I'm almost out the door. I thought it was aluminum heads on a cast iron block and that was one of the reasons the thing clanked more than usual as its cooling down. Am I right on this?

prdm

Not convinced that's the reason for cool down clanking but your memory is good - iron block/aluminum heads.

balloo814

Well,

I took my maxx in the other day to have the dealer look at the rear shade that had unrolled... And they apparently are going to have to replace the entire shade assembly. What is the deal with that? Those shades are spring loaded and all it should take is a bit of rewinding right???

Does anyone think that the maxx is so new to dealerships that they might be going overboard with their replacements??? :confuse:

Don't get me wrong... I love my maxx, but if this weren't under warranty, I suppose I would be looking at a $300 repair bill easily...

balloo814

I know about the mygmlink mainly because I registered my silverado when I had it... For some reason, the site does not recognize my vin number for the maxx... Should I have concern over that?

I checked the dealer sticker, window tag and each other sticker in the car that lists the vin. I even swapped anything that could have been a difference like 0 and O.

prdm

It can take a month or two for the VIN to migrate from the dealer's sales report to whatever database mygmlink accesses. If your's is a recent purchase, no concerns.

nymaxx

Try using the "Recirculate" setting. The AC will get much colder.

ericw55

I had the same problem. Email GM at that site. They will contact the dealer, and confirm your VIN.

balloo814

Thanks...

I bought the car on Dec 26, So maybe I will try to register again...

As for the AC issue... I live in TX and my ac has been ok. I have a thermometer in the vent to keep an eye on things. When I get in the car after a long day in the sun, it can get upward of 150 degrees. It does take about 5 minutes or so to get to its lowest blowing temp of about 40. Not too bad... but on really hot days, it stays around 44.

I will say though, that my silverado woud blow at a bone chilling 36. And here in TX that could cool things down in a hurry.

medinamalibu

One of the inserts for the spare wheel/jack cover. I was checking out the cargo area today, looking for everything, and I found the latch/button/handle just fine, and that part of the floor folded up, but then I tried to lift the rest of the cover instead of pulling it straight back toward the hatch. POW! Super glue setting as I type.

102 miles on Maxxwell now.

maxx10

:shades: I have found that if you hit the button to recirculate the air within the car, it gets freezing cold. But you have to hit the button every time you turn the car on because it resets itself.

maxxliberty

"...but we are saving the environment....all good..."

No valid evidence of a problem or saving anything. Just misinformation and inefficient air conditioning. (Freon R12 replaced by R134a)

balloo814

R12 depletes the ozone.
R134a is merely a greenhouse gas...

I hope you can get the full effect of my sarcasm...

and by the way... I am federally certified to repair and recharge ac systems. as well as a science teacher

maxxliberty

"I hope you can get the full effect of my sarcasm..."
Got it!

More info: Freon superstitions:
http://www.junkscience.com/may99/freon.htm

raisncain

Wow, this is odd because I am having the same problem with my '04 Malibu LT. At first I had a problem with the radio draining my battery, and to date in the past 6 mos I have had 4 new radios installed. Just last week my presets were mixed up again.This has happened more times than i can count. However my XM stations remain fine. I never thought of the key remote.....I wonder if tha's waht is causing this. My dealer still can't figure it out, it's driving me crazy. Also my CD's are jamming on occasion and / or ejecting at random. It's bizarre and it's really irritating. my car is 6 mos old! I'll mention the keyless remote thing. How were you made aware of that and can it be fixed??

maxx4me

yes balloo814, but did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night??? :P
My friend began to drive my colleague and I to lunch today in his 2 door Mustang. After 5 seconds in that car, I directed him to drive down to where I have my Maxx parked. We took that instead. My one colleague was mystified and extremely impressed with all the "luxuries" in a $19k car. Just one more person wondering why he paid $35k for his Acura when it doesn't have half of the creature comforts that our Maxx does (to include remote starting).

doombert

I believe that is what the key remotes are suppose to do.
That way if you have two different people driving the car, each person can use a different key remote and have their radio stations preset to their own preferences.
But if you are using the same key remote every time you use the car, then this sounds like a different issue.
I think I read it in the manual for the car.

kjk2

medinamalibu, in your post you mention "I have learned of the effort necessary to shut the hatch securely...". What do you mean by that? I have an 05 Maxx and all I do is start to bring it down manually and then let gravity do the rest. It always locks.