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Wanted to let you know about a website that I use, http://www.iautobodyparts.com/
I have been able to find incredible deals on replacement parts on this site for my maxx - usually have of what you would pay elsewhere. Then, I just check to make sure that my mechanic will put them on for me for just the labor costs. They usually will. I only mention it because you were saying about how expensive things are at the dealer - this should save you tons. Just be careful to be certain you are ordering the correct part because returns are nearly impossible. You can get specific part numbers from your dealer prior to buying online. Shipments arrive super fast too. Good luck!
btw(I realy love this car ~.... It just about helped me move everything out of my house after my divorce, like a minny suv that gets me 30mpg...D~
After refueling with 12.8 gallons, it did show FUEL RANGE 31 MI for a second, which tells me it doesn't count the last two gallons of the tank.
blk,fully load interior... 15k miles clean,clean,clean... beige leather. looking to add on hid lights, tints, exhaust... but most of all i need an ipod connection to work with the factory radio...any help???
Can't really just replace the stereo's in these cars.
the issue with the OEM radio is the DIC is integrated into the radio display....
check here for IPOD Adaptor:
http://ipodcarparts.com/chevroletgm-lanclass-radio-ipod-interface-with-auxiliary- - -p-291.html
this adaptor assumes you have an OEM satellite radio with the car
Thats funny my 65 buick still has the original stamped steel cap. D~
Bad fuel injector at 5k (replaced under warranty).
Power steering column threw a bad code at 40k (replaced under extended warranty).
2 sets of front brakes. Factory pads replaced at 32K because of rotor warp. Plenty of meat on the pads. Replaced rotors and pads with Bendix parts. 75K on them and still going strong. A little vibration after 10k but smoothed out afterwards (can't explain that).
1 set of rear pads at 50K.
A couple of minor things that seem to be common for others as well include:
Recalibrate fuel gauge because it wouldn't read full.
Replace gas cap because ratchet mechanism loosened and threw a code.
Gauges seemed to go off even though the engine was running. This happened twice over 107k miles. It probably was an electrical glitch related to the remote starter which seems to leave the gauges off when the car is running. Not worried about it.
Hard start when car is partially warm. TSB out that says to reprogram computer so that start lasts 8 seconds instead of 4 when engine partially warm. Didn't bother with this since pumping that gas pedal works just as well.
Thumping and rattling of steering column. A shot of Liquid Wrench where the column shaft goes into the firewall takes care of it but must be done every 10K or so.
I haven't replaced the Tranny fluid yet but am thinking about doing it when I do the Coolant. Speaking of which, does anyone know how to drain the Coolant? I can't find a radiator drain plug and the hoses are half way up the radiator so taking them off won't drain very much.
First, the remote entry and start.... works when it wants to. I replaced the battery in the remote the day I got it and it still only works when it wants to. Any suggestions?
Second, knocking, sounds like its something on the drivers side but cant pinpoint it. And it started making a weird noise when I am going slow and making turns, like in a parking lot. Anyone else had this problem?
Last, random panels have been falling off! We discovered on the way home from the dealership that I had no tail lights. Next day trying to figure it out found two aftermarket switches installed in the rear compartment by the fuses. Flipped a switch and they work again! Anyone know why these would have been installed? Also, there is another on/off switch on the side panel in the drivers area... make sense? Have no clue what it does. So... that panel keeps falling off and the cover on the hatch that covers the rear wiper falls off everytime I close the hatch. These are not huge problems but only having it two weeks I am scared the whole thing is going to fall apart one day while I am driving down road!
Please tell me there is no history of engine or transmission failure at 60K miles!
My main concern right now is the knocking.
Thanks
Has anybody replaced their antenna? It looks almost like I'd need one of those special drill bits to drill out a stripped screw to get the remainder of the antenna out of there. I considered trying to pry the rubber cover off to see if that would make things more accessible for a repair, but I have a tendency to make things worse so I thought better of it.
Happy owner with 122k miles and counting...
BFG Premier Touring $88 + $14 install package (includes lifetime rotation and balance @ Costco)
Dunlop SP Sport 7000 A/S - $63 each + appx $10 ship tirerack.com. H speed rating. Perhaps too sporty for year-round use in Michigan.
Yokohama Avid Touring-S $70 each + ship tirerack. T speed.
Continental ContiProContact. $77 + ship. $58 each + ship after rebate ($75 Visa card when you buy 4). These would probably be $75 less than the BFG, but I'd put that money back in, perhaps more, via paying for tire rotations and any necessary balances over the life.
I've been happy with the BFG and perhaps shouldn't mess with a good thing, but price is a concern and the Continentals seem like a tempting play.
Any opinions or specific tire experiences anyone cares to share?
My wife loves her Maxx (approaching 40K now) and no problems other than this TSB fix which we got fixed before the '06 36K warranty expired. For size and V6 economy we hope it lasts forever. I'm not sure about the switches you mention (I think you can turn off the hatch interior light, but that's only from memory as it's my wife's car)
The replacement was going strong around 45K, which is when I traded the Maxx.
if your brakes arent last but a few thousand miles.....there some else wrong other than the brake pads....
Thaks in advance. D~
-Jeremy
Neither the check gas cap nor the check engine light have gone off. I had an oil change at Jiff Lube one week before the check gas cap light went on. So its not about routine service I assume.
Should I take it to an AAMCO and get them to reset the CEL which they offer for free? Or is there a reset button somewhere? Or should I just keep driving another 500 miles or so before going to a mechanic?
I am getting great highway mileage of 33 .2 miles and 29 in the city. There is absolutely no change in sounds or car performance.
Our 2004 LT has 126k miles and check engine light came on a couple days ago. Went for free code pull at AutoZone, some sort of 'bank' error (should have noted the specific code but didn't) and the store manager said very likely it is a bad O2 sensor. This seems reasonable -- don't O2 sensors typically give up the ghost after 80-100k miles?
Search of this thread turned up no discussion about O2 sensor.
AutoZone price was 66 bucks.
I haven't started to figure out where the O2 sensor is located and whether it's an easy removal of old and installation of new part...anybody in the know?
I was able to get enough leverage with the tool to successfully change mine on the Dodges in the 120K miles range. (no torch was needed). In the Dodges the downstream ones are easy and in the open, whereas the upstream (y pipe area) are hard to access lying under the car and depending on access difficulty in the Maxx you may wish to farm that out.) You will need to drive the car a while after replacement to reset the sensor(s) to "ready" state again ( I had an OBD II reader for the Dodges, so I knew when I was ready for my emissions test in a few days)
The only good news was, he said no action is needed at this time since the car is still running great. But at some point, things will probably get worse and we'll have to fix this.
The car sounds less than perfect when idling, but drivability seems fine and fuel economy is the same as it was a few years ago -- around 30mpg highway @ 70mph, usually 26-27mpg overall with lots of highway and some city driving.
Shop owner also said not necessary to replace the spark plugs yet -- they looked at them and they are a bit low. He said replacing them before winter would be prudent.
For some reason, I was under the impression that catalytic converters basically never went bad in modern automobiles. I guess that's not true.
Check out this URL:
http://tinyurl.com/malibucats
(I know nothing about the place, but this was a quick search and the prices are far cheaper as you can see!!!)
Shop owner clarified that right now, it was just a trouble code and they found nothing actually wrong with the cats. Could be an early warning sign, but the car could run fine for several more years.
I already knew I could trust this shop, but today's visit was further proof. If I understood everything correctly, they pulled the trouble code from the car, looked at the O2 sensors (look fine), cleaned the throttle body, inspected the spark plugs ('getting low' but don't need replacment quite yet) reset the check engine light. Total charge 35 bucks! That's 1/2 hour labor at my shop.
here is what I found for an OEM one..and yes..there are two a front and rear one for the 3.5L Maxx..this shows the MSRP and what the site is selling them for...
Catalytic converter, malibu, malibu maxx, 3.5l, front
2004 $442.86 $322.40
Catalytic converter, malibu, malibu maxx, 3.5l, rear
2004 $465.00 $338.52
Wise to shop around in advance (knowledge is power). Most times they got you over a barrel with an undriveable car you need fixed ASAP and the price shows this. Try not to be a victim and price compare. If you find a fair priced place it's good, but If the shop gouges you with their estimate then walk!!! (lots of times they don't want to warranty their work if you don't use their supplied parts (vs yours) but you see what the significant saving are with the cats. (since you are not likely to exceed the aftermarket cat 50k warranty on the Maxx, Id go with the cheaper direct fit parts, rather than OEM myself, but it would be your call at the time. I'd show the place you know what it really can be had for and see if they suddenly become "real" with their price. As you say, I hope you never need to replace the cat . (My stepdaughter still has the original cat on our former Durango that she drives at over 190K last time I checked (I replaced the O2 sensors a few years ago and it still passes the annual emissions test which is an OBD-II self test that is read by the station for sensor status, the actual emissions level is not measured with a tailpipe sensor here in upstate NY)..
At around 70 mph while driving on the interstate, a vibration will start from the passenger’s side and progress over to the driver’s side. It starts out softly and by the time it reaches the driver’s side it is extremely loud and can be felt thru the steering wheel. It almost sounds like you have a flat tire or that you are driving on the “rumble” strips that they have along the edges of the highway. If the brakes are applied in order to slow down while this is happening, it gets even worse and feels like the whole front end of the car is going to fall off. This problem does not happen every time the car is driven, however. When it does occur, it will last for a distance of 2 or 3 miles, which seems like an eternity while this is going on. I have had my driver’s license for over 50 years, and I can tell you that this honestly scares the hell out of me.
After 2 or 3 miles, this vibration will gradually fade away as if it never happened in the first place. Our local GM dealer checked the car out after I had given them as much detail as I could in order to help them find and correct the problem. The only thing that they could find wrong with the front end was a bad outer tie rod end, which was replaced under warranty, and the front end was re-aligned. I have also had the brake pads replaced all the way around on this vehicle. The vehicle has apparently thrown no fault codes that the dealership’s diagnostic equipment can find. I have had the tire balance rechecked, and it is fine. My extended warranty is only good for 100,000 miles or Jan. 2012, whichever comes first. I got laid off from my job 6 weeks ago, and money is kind of tight until I find new employment. I am afraid that I will not be able to get this problem corrected while still under warranty at this rate. I am at my wits end, and don’t know what to do here.
I've written to Chevrolet customer service about this problem, and they are absolutely useless. Any suggestions?
Very strange
That being said, every one of these episodes starts around 70 mph, when you're going down the highway and not even touching the brakes. By the time it builds to full intensity, it's quite terrifying. I thought it was just my wife overreacting to an out of balance tire until it happened to me...it scared the holy hell out of me. I'll tel the wife to manually switch off the traction control when she is experiencing one of these episodes and see if that has any effect on it.