2008 Chevrolet Malibu
southpaw412
Member Posts: 6
Recently purchased 08 Malibu LZT and on the 1st cold morning remote start the engine made a horrific knocking noise, as if the lifters were stuck, or oil not circulating. This is not a problem with regular key start, or after the engine is warmed up. I called the dealership and they said they would check for any new bulletins on this subject. Are there any other new 08 owners with this issue?
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The only noise I've ever experienced was a very, very slight ticking when cold at first start in both an '07 Malibu with the 2.2L I had for a rental and a little bit in the same situation in mom's new '08 Malibu with the 2.4L.
Hopefully, if you can leave the car at the dealer overnight, the service department would be able to re-create the sound when they go out in the morning and start it up. That's what I would recommend, or expect to go most productively.
It really shouldn't be a huge problem, as often at start up with a variety of cars you will hear some noises when it's VERY cold out...but I can understand how what you described is very worrying, still.
Hopefully it's just a minor thing, or even detectable to a dealer, whatever is going on.
Moreso, this is something that happens on the first start (of ANY kind) after a cold night sit. If you walked out and fired it up with the key first, it would be the same way, and the remote feature has zero to do with it.
I'd still get it checked out, but be careful in how I describe it--a noise with the first start of the day after sitting overnight in the cold, point blank, and nothing more.
Remote start is still great for warming things up...hopefully your sound is just something easily fixed, not an issue, etc. How cold is it, anyway, where you're at, on these cold mornings?
Thanks for your input. It's very helpful
We just received an "invitation" to purchase a GM Protection plan that would extend the basic manufacturers' warranty.
Here are the details of the two plans they offered although other terms are available online at http://www.gmpponline.com
Plan A
5 Years/100,000 miles:
$1,390 with $200 deductible
$1,550 with $100 deductible
$1,730 with $0 deductible
Plan B
5 Years/75,000 miles
$990 with $200 deductible
$1,140 with $100 deductible
$1,350 with $0 deductible
To scare you into buying these plans they show the representative costs for typical repairs:
Air conditioning compressor................$1,198
Sunroof module /assembly..................$1,214
Fuel tank..............................................$1,044
Steering column assembly...................$ 927
Radiator...............................................$ 840
Since we intend to drive the car for at least 7 years there is a strong argument for purchasing the warranty.
What do you boardies think. Should we buy the GM warranty or should we pass at this time?
with the current warranty on the drive train......the rest of the mechanics is what you are betting will fail..the other consideration is how long do you intend to keep the car and how much you drive mileage wise
Most everyone agrees that the 2008 Malibu's quality is significantly better than the prior model(s) but the compressor in our new Malibu failed upon first use. The dealership said the unit was defective and replaced it under warranty. Therefore, this experience leaves me less confident and more likely to buy the warranty even though I know it is not likely to payoff economically. I read somewhere online that for every $1,000 spent to purchase a warranty only $250 is recovered in claims. That's a high price to pay for peace of mind though....which reminds me of the old Fram TV commercial, pay me now or pay me later.
This link takes you to the Black Pontiac Cadillac extended warranty page. They will sell GMPP warranties at substantial discounts. I got this from post #2218 in the Extended Warranties thread on the Smart Shopper board. It's easy to follow; 08 Malibu is a Class B; go to Class B Table and choose what works for you.
When I went through finance, the guy tried to sell me a non-GM extended warranty for $1700. After I had a great laugh, he then quoted me the GMPP extended warranty (72 months, 60,000 miles) for $1270. That's when I pulled out the full print out from the Black Pontiac site, and said this discounted price is the price I'm willing to pay, or I'll just get it through them. He agreed to match it.
So, I ended up with an extended the warranty on my 08 Malibu to 6 years, 60K miles, NO deductible for $835 through my selling dealer. I think you can contact Black Pontiac directly and add the extended warranty after the sale depending upon how old a vehicle is and what the mileage is. Definitely worth looking at.
Hope this helps you--using the Edmunds automotive forums saved me $435!
I just fill out the form, printed it out and mail it to Blacks with a check. They usually give you another $50 dollars off of the discounted price at the bottom of the form. They charge a processing fee if you pay by credit card.
The other thing dealers try to tell you is that you have to purchase right away or else the price is more. You can purchase a GMPP plan any time during the 3 yr/36k mi basic warranty. The price does go up after 12 mo/12k miles. Then after 12 mo, the price increases again at 24k.
Also, the clock starts ticking on the GMPP on the date and mileage you purchase it. So to get the best value, it pays to wait until just before 12 mo or 12k miles to purchase it at the new car prices. You basically then get an extra year/12k miles of coverage for the same price , which you would not get if you purchase it at the same time you purchased the vehicle. When you fill out the form for Blacks you just tell them your current months and miles since new. They use honor system and don't check what you put on the form.
Blacks usually sets their prices once a year in October. So if you purchase from them after October, the price may be higher. Another thing to consider when timing your purchase.
For the two plans your dealer quoted, the Black's price from their cost sheet is
For 5/100/$0, $1155, a savings of $575. For 5/75/$0, $825, a savings of $525. You save another $50 if they give that discount on the form.
Good Luck with your car, no matter what you decide to do regarding a GMPP.
I have an 06 Malibu Maxx.
Can anybody confirm that? And when it comes to filing a claim has Blacks honored the warranty without hassles?
After I got my warranty from Black's, I did two things:
1. I tried to figure out, using GMPP's online site, if that was the
true GMPP plan.
Sadly, I came to the conclusion that it was likelier a "non-true"
GMPP plan, whatever that meant.
The card and brochure artfully mimic the genuine plan's docs -- but
they are not identical to the genuine ones (I don't remember how.)
2. I showed the card and brochure to my dealer and he said it was "the
plan" -- but it was not that car's service visit, so they really
didn't look into it in earnest.
So, I don't know: I hope Black sold me what I thought was the GMPP
plan, but I am not sure. I'd love to hear from somebody who did try
to use a Black-purchased plan for a real repair.
Anybody?
After I got my warranty from Black's, I did two things:
1. I tried to figure out, using GMPP's online site, if that was the
true GMPP plan.
Sadly, I came to the conclusion that it was likelier a "non-true"
GMPP plan, whatever that meant.
The card and brochure artfully mimic the genuine plan's docs -- but
they are not identical to the genuine ones (I don't remember how.)
2. I showed the card and brochure to my dealer and he said it was "the
plan" -- but it was not that car's service visit, so they really
didn't look into it in earnest.
So, I don't know: I hope Black sold me what I thought was the GMPP
plan, but I am not sure. I'd love to hear from somebody who did try
to use a Black-purchased plan for a real repair.
I know nothing about these plans, but I do know something about the legal aspects.
I would ask these questions...
Exactly how is the plan presented? Is the documentation the same as the GM plan's documentation? What does the contract say?
These questions should all be answered in the documentation you received, If it is different, and the documentation provided with the plan states that it is different...you are probably screwed.
However, if the sales agent is representing it as the GM plan, and providing original GM documentation, then the dealer is in for a bout of lawsuits, which he will eventually lose.
In my experience, I can't imaging a dealer would be dumb enough to sell bogus labeled extended warranties through his dealership. He might, however, have a different company selling them under an "umbrella" arrangement, which he can close up at the first sign of problems.
I would be highly surprised for that to be the case, but things like that have been know to happen.
So, to summarize...examine the documentation. If it isn't crystal clear that it is a GM policy, more than likely you have purchased a "knock-off" policy...ie.,you have been flim-flammed...
Good Luck!
like that have been know to happen.
So, to summarize...examine the documentation. If it isn't crystal
clear that it is a GM policy, more than likely you have purchased a
"knock-off" policy...ie.,you have been flim-flammed...
Thanks... As I said, examining the documentation left me with mixed
feelings, when I did it back in May.
Of course, I searched Web for any red flags and couldn't see any --
BBB was positive on Black's.
At the time, I found some site where one could enter the GMPP plan number,
from the card -- and it didn't accept mine. That was discomforting,
but I can't find that site now and repeat the experiment.
Just looked at the agreement text again, and compared it with what's
available online -- no reasons to worry from that.
But it would be helpful to hear from somebody who actually used the
coverage -- i.e. purchased at Black, used elsewhere.
I am 99% sure everything is all right, but getting rid of the
remaining one percent wouldn't hurt :-)
SP
Ironically, the day after purchase I compared the GM employee price I received on the website, gmfamilyfirst.com, with the price the dealer charged me which was, surprisingly, $300.00 higher. It was fixed when I brought it to the attention of the dealer, with no explanation.