2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

bcmalibu99ls · December 2002

sorry to hear about the tranny, this is so weird, cause it's the last thing Bu owners would complain about. How many miles you got on it?

joe3891 · December 2002

I would say that is normal,the computer is confused with the transmission in neutral and car moving,it goes to default full pump pressure.

b4z · December 2002

Frankly I was doubtful that there would be 240 hp.
The 3.6L DOHC motor in the CTS will have 260 hp. So why would they go to all that expense when a pushrod motor would have only 20 hp less.

Also the malibu has the 4T45E transmission they would have had to put the 4T65HD in to handle 240 hp.

homer29 · December 2002

Bu has only 6000 miles on it. I'll post an update on the transmission as soon as they decide what to do with it.

chevymalibu19 · December 2002

I have that same noise when I slow down in neutral with the engine running. It is no big deal, or at least has not caused me any big problems... yet. I just don't use neutral to stop with. My car has always done it, we got it with 21000 miles on it.

Sometimes, my gear selector will actually get stuck. On cold days when I first start the car, I can't take it out of gear, or it is very difficult to take it out of gear. Instead of using just my thumb, I literally have to grab it and push with the palm of my hands. Or just let the car warm up, then it is normal, perfectly normal. It just started that, recently, I have 115400 miles on my car now. It's a 98

homer61388 · December 2002

I am looking at a new car for my wife and the Chevrolet Malibu LS have come up in my search. I'm also looking at the Hyundai Sonata LX, Chysler Sebring LXI, and the Ford Taurus SEL. Which car offers the best reliability, performance, accommodations, safety, value and resale? My wife's current car is a 2000 Chevrolet Prizm LSI. This car has been very reliable although it is a bit tight on room. I would like a car that can match the Prizm's reliability. I have also been looking at the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord too but they don't seem to match the content of the other automobiles, plus there aren't any deals so far on these two cars. These would be the top reliability cars. But I'll put them into the mix, since they are good choices.
Which of these 6 cars is the best in your opinion?The Malibu sparks my interest since GM is redesigning it next year. Therefore, Chevy is making some great deals.

chevymalibu19 · December 2002

Of the six cars you mentioned, the Hyndai offers a 100,000 mile factory warranty, I believe. You shoud keep that in mind.

regfootball · December 2002

If you like the Malibu I would encourage you to check out the Saturn L series as well. Saturn finally wised up and now has 2500 cash incentive on this car. The L is superior to the Malibu and is more attractive. It has better road manners and nicer interior.

Resale is crap on it but the Malibu is no resale champ either. What GM car doesn't have questionable resale.

I would not recommend the L if the cash incentive was not available....but this incentive makes the car a really good deal, especially if you like the attributes of cars like Camry and Accord rather than Grand Ams.

I would definitely say you can't go wrong with the Saturn at that price and the Taurus may actually be the best choice, especially if you want a larger, more solid road car. The 96-03 Taurus, aside from trannies in 96 and 97 have been very solid and reliable. The Sebring is nice too but The Saturn L is a little nicer IMHO. The Hyundai you ought to look at is the XG350, the Sonata has a good price but its other attributes are surpassed by the domestic names.

Consider also that well equipped base model Impalas and Intrepids are not much more than their smaller counterparts.

dindak · December 2002

Keeping the HP down at the 200 level keeps insurance down which may be a factor also. I know our 215HP Intrigue is more than our previous 200HP GP which had the same platform and almost the same price.

bcmalibu99ls · December 2002

Fellas, I regularly coast downhill on Neutral, and I have never had any transmission noises whatsoever!

By the way, does it really save fuel when you go downhill on neutral?

Also, I read on auto.com that the new Bu will have 190 horses. Should be quite enough

dtownfb · December 2002

Why would you want to coast downhill in neutral???? Not sure shifting into a drive gear at high speed on a regular basis is good for the transmission. But I'm not a mechanic.

homer61388 · December 2002

OK, I went to the Chevy dealership today and I was checking out the Malibu. It was nice. The interior looked well-laid out and the leather was of decent quality. I also drove the car. It was smooth and the engine gained power easily the ride was also relatively smooth. But then as I stepped out of the car, I checked the tires... FIRESTONE! I was a little bit shocked but the model was affinity. Now this wasn't the model that was exploding on the explorers but it is still built by the same company, firestone. Now they rode easily and took twists and turns smoothly but I still feel awkward about driving a car with firestones. My wifes current Prizm had Firestones on it and I managed to switch them for goodyears. Unfortunately, firestone is all Chevy puts on the Malibu. The Saturn L-series also has firestones.
Now, is this brand of firestone better then the Wilderness and steel-ex firestones that were on the explorers? I still feel stupid buying a car that has this brand of tires on it. I am going to ask the dealer if they could switch them but I probably will end up just going out and buying a new set of michelins or goodyears to stop the worrying that firestone has put in my mind. What should I do??

bcmalibu99ls · December 2002

dtown, I heard on several occasions that coasting downhill on Neutral saves fuel, since the engine is not spinning the wheels. I doubt it damages tranny in any way, because in manual people shift from neutral to gears all the time and at any speed, and I don't think automatic is any different in this respect

Homer61, Affinities are average tires at best, and I found them to be below average on wet asphalt. They are also somewhat noisy. But if you want to save some money, you should be just fine with Affinities for a couple of years. There hasn't been a safety problem with these tires. Firestone had the problem with tires for SUVs, and those tires are different. If you live in a rainy climate, I highly recommend Goodyear Aquatred III. Pricey, but AA traction is definitely worth it

larryt22 · December 2002

You should question the affinity tires as they are crap. If you buy the car, go straight to a tire store and have them replaced. Anything is better than these tires.

usaf52 · December 2002

I have a 2002 Malibu, and it has the Firestone Affinity tires. I live in a cold, mountainous area with plenty of snow/rain and twisting roads. Have never had a problem with road handling with these tires, and have not found them to be noisy.

bcmalibu99ls · December 2002

usaf, you are making me regret I threw Affinities away after just 30K miles!!!

But they do suck on wet asphalt with B traction, and it rains on average 160 days a year in Vancouver, so...as much as I loved those wonderful, wonderful tires...bye-bye, sweeties!

dtownfb · December 2002

Homer61388, So the tires were fine while you were driving the car but not when you stopped and looked at the brand of tires? Hmmmmmm.

Bcmalibu99 is right. The tires are average at best but they are not unsafe. They will suit you fine for about 30k miles. Most OEM tires in this class fall into this category. About the only company that puts decent tires on their base models is the Honda.

Bcmalibu99 - A little secret..going downhill your car naturally gets better gas mileage. It's called gravity. I think it's a potentially dangerous situation by taking an automatic transmission car out of gear at speed. The shifting you are referring to for manual tranmission, the cars are slowing down (ie. approaching a stop sign or red light). Going down hill you could be approaching speeds in excess of 65 mph. It may be fine for the tranny, like I said I'm no mechanic, but I don't see the fuel savings benefit. Driving the speed limit, making sure your car is properly maintained...I understand those fuel savings but shifting into neutral while going downhill... I just don't get it. It doesn't mean it's wrong, I just don't understand it.

bcmalibu99ls · December 2002

dtown, if a car has a manual, you are briefly switching into neutral every time you change gears, whether you are upshifting or downshifting. Thus, if you are shifting into the 4th gear, you may be going as fast as 60-65 MPH at the time. Some heavy trucks even require "double clutching," when you have to hit the clutch before you pull the stick into neutral, then release the clutch for about half a second and hit it again before putting the stick into the next gear.

The fuel savings are there because your engine's role is to spin the wheels, and if you disconnect the engine from the wheels (when you shift to neutral), the engine does not have to spin the wheels, and thus it requires less fuel to operate. Is it making any sense?

norbs · December 2002

One problem using neutral on hills is lack of cooling for the transmission. All automatics have an extra cooler or at least piping from the radiator to keep the transmission fluid from getting too hot. In neutral the engine is probably at idle and the water pump is less efficient. Idle on my 99 is 450 rpm. Ofcourse you are not in neutral for long but it also could use more brakes if you were to come to a stop without being in gear. Malibu's have enough trouble getting long mileage out of the rotors supplied by chevy. Many automatics are warned against towing the car with the drive wheels on the ground and in neutral. Oil not circulating well enough in the torque converter. Needs to be warm and spinning up in gear to be effective. The fuel savings by using this technique would not be measurable over a months time. Just not a recommended procedure.

dtownfb · December 2002

bcmalibu99ls. I understand the theory with switching to neutral but for you to get any type of fuel savigns, that hill would have to be 30-40 miles long.

I've been in cars with the computers that show the instantaneous gas mileage. As you go down hill, the computed instantaneous gas mileage jumps up to 50 mpg or more. So there is a natural fuel saving from just going downhill.

I think norbs gave a very good technical reason for not shifting into neutral on the hills. He obviously knows more about cars then I do.

.

bcmalibu99ls · December 2002

I have already asked it to forgive me for being so mean to its transmission. I indeed think it's not worth some minor fuel savings. Thanks everyone for your input!

homer29 · December 2002

Guys,

Took the Bu into the dealer to figure out what was going on with this thing in neutral. Needless to say they didn't want to take the transmission apart. Brutal job. Anyway, so we test drove a couple brand new Malibu's sitting on the lot. Both of them did the same thing. Nice big clunk in neutral just before the car stops. The techs were amazed. So, apparently they all do it. Give it a try sometime with your when you're on a clear road with no one around.

homer61388 · December 2002

well if you hadn't noticed I am not a big fan of Firestones. In a way I was surprised by the ride of the car since I know that firestone is a crap tire company. And mind you this was a spin around the block. I dont own the car! I have had past experiences with firestone, namely on my 1993 Saturn. The tires crapped out at 23,000 miles. It was a brand new car when i bought it and it seemed like the tires had been run around for a while. So I will definitely replace the tires if I buy the Malibu. I won't take any chances.

chevymalibu19 · December 2002

Does any one every have problems with there gear selector? If so, I'd like to hear some info about it. Mine does in only when its really cold, maybe near freazing and below. I can't use just my thumb to push the button to move it, if i can move it, i have to use both hands and squezy really hard. It feels like i am not applying the brake and trying to shift like that. Again, it only does this on really cold days, but if i let the car warm up it does't do. I live in Oklahoma, have 115500 miles on my car.

bcmalibu99ls · December 2002

Hey, Chevymalibu19, have you ever changed your tranny fluid? It's a good idea to do so every 50K miles, unless you are always driving on absolutely flat surfaces. Besides, if you are living in a climate with hot summers and cold winters, extreme outside temperatures sometimes make it necessary to change fluids even sooner than in mild climates. Maybe that's why you are having this problem, and it could be a sign that worse things are just around the corner

dtownfb · December 2002

Yes, I know you don't own it (Remember I'm the one who gave you the long dissertation about the Saturn, Sebring, Taurus and Sonata). My point was you test drove the vehicle and you liked the ride of the car and you did not object to tires until after you saw the brand name.

If you don't like firestone, no big deal. i'm not a fan of Chrysler cars. I think they are crap but that is another discussion. Like I said earlier, I consider the tires one of the weak points of the car. You liked the ride of the Malibu with the "crap" Firestone tires on them so the ride should be even better with Michelins or Bridgestone (which is the parent company of Firestone and I am not a fan of Goodyear). But why buy a new car and then spend $400 right away on new tires. Run on them for 30k miles esp. since they are covered by warranty anyway. Then you can do research on tires in the meantime.

Good luck car shopping. You picked a good time of year to buy a car.

chevymalibu19 · December 2002

Yeah, i've changed my trans fluid, actually pretty recently. I changed it at 100000 miles, but not before. So, it could possible be a transmission problem? What other signs should i look for to detect a trans problem. For now, the trans literally drives like it did when when i got it a 20,000 miles.

bcmalibu99ls · December 2002

that there could be some small part responsible for trouble-free operating of the tranny knob, and that part is worn out which shows when it's cold outside. Maybe give a chevy dealer service dept a call and describe the problem. Who knows, maybe it's common and takes 20 minutes and 50 bucks to fix

homer61388 · December 2002

Yeah I was thinking about that. Keeping the firestone tires and running them for a while. I didn't think that the tires were under warranty. It makes sense but it just never occurred to me. But yet, I am worried about putting my kids into a car with Firestones because I had a close friend who had an explorer and he was involved in a big accident, almost losing his life. And I just couldn't imagine that happening to me. But then these are a different brand of Firestones. I don't know. But it will be something that I will definitely think about for a while. That does seem stupid though to buy a car then go and buy a new set of tires! oh well.

Thanks

tamu2002 · December 2002

Personally I found the firestone tires to be adequate for everyday driving in terms of noise, ride, and handling. Who goes all out in their Malibus anyway? The different road surfaces make a much bigger difference in road noise level, so the tires themselves are almost irrelevant. As far as safety, there're so many Malibus on the road and you don't hear about tire-related accidents. I really don't think you need to be overly concerned with these particular firestones.

Of all the cars you mentioned, if budget is 1st priority, as in our case, the Malibu is definately the one to go. It's like a faithful servant that doesn't have the glamor but does the job well. We have almost 5000 miles on ours and not a single problem. If money is tight, there's no way for me personaly to justify spending $5000 more on an import.

chevymalibu19 · December 2002

Those Fire stone tires are very bad. If i were you, i'd keep them for a while, and replace them some something different. When it rains, those tires are really no good.

Thanks for the info, i guess i'll call the dealer, i'll let you know how it turns out.

pluto5 · December 2002

Most new cars don't come with great tires--so I usually trash the OEM tires after 2 yrs. and get what I want--Tirerack has so many bargains I may not wait that long.

dtownfb · December 2002

I understand your concern over Firestone the company, esp. after the Explorer debacle. That was a sad situation. But these are different type of tires and Firestone has been in business for a long, long time and they actually have a good reputation. As you noticed, most GM cars in this class have Firestone tires on them. If you like the ride and handling of the Malibu, go for it. It a nice car. Most of my complaints about the car are minor. I thought i might regret purchasing this car after a year. But I can honestly say I'm happy that we chose this car. Now my next purchase will be a minivvan in about a year.

Do some research here on Edmunds but also check out sites like carpoint.com. They give the malibu very nice reviews.

pluto5 · December 2002

I would agree that Firestone makes some good tires but their reputation was stained before by the infamous Firestone 500 tire and apparently they did not learn too much from that experience.

tamu2002 · December 2002

I did our Malibu's 2nd oil change last night at 5104 miles. Boy, did I have a hard time removing the oil filter! Since I didn't change the filter at the 1st oil change, it was still the factory filter. My arms and neck are still soring. Once the filter was off the rest was a breeze cause everything was located at the front of the car.

A scary incident did happen though. My oil filter wrench, which is made of metal, touched some part nearby the filter and sent off sparks! I immediately crawled out to check on the car. The key wasn't in the ignition when it happened, and I saw the parking lamps blinked a couple of times. I started the car and everything looked normal. Now maybe I'm a little paranoid and I think I'm hearing more engine noise. Let's hope it's just my imagination. Does anyone of you experts know what part I touched? Thanks!

credman41 · December 2002

I know the manual says the fuel tank on my '02 Malibu holds 14 US Gallons, but my fuel light went on a couple of days ago, and I got to a station w/in 10 miles. When I filled the tank, it only took about 11.5 gallons....does the tank really hold 14? or is it closer to 12 ?. seems that I should be able to go about 300 miles (250 at least) before worrying about re-filling, and I'm getting a good 24-28 MPG on my '02 'Bu... (actually got 30 this weekend, driving about 300 miles @ between 70-75MPH...)Anyone got any info ?

wilfj1 · December 2002

local GM ad: 2003 Malibu 3.4 sfc 180 hp. Did they change the motor in 2003??, I bought a 2002 with a 3.1 . I could have waited till the 03 was available but the Salesman said there was no major changes in 2003 model so I went ahead. You just have to do your homework as I would have preferred the 3.4 over the 3.1 .I would think the 3.4 is a far superior engine and is the base of the Impala.

pluto5 · December 2002

3.4 liter engine in Impala was not too impressive in my opinion. 3.1 liter engine in Lumina is not as noisy and there isn't much difference in horsepower. Haven't seen the Malibu advertised in U.S. with 3.4 liter engine, either.

wilfj1 · December 2002

Thanks for the come back pluto5, I'm going to call GM Canada after holidays, it could well be a misprint. Knowing GM they will refer it to their legal dept. before answering. have a Merry Christmas.

bdeyes333 · December 2002

Just a quick post regarding OE Firestone Affinity
tires. I recently replaced mine with Michelin
Harmony tires and the result was a smoother,quieter more responsive handling Malibu.
(mine is a base 99 model) I would advise anyone still running on those lousy Firestones to spend the extra money and go with a a set of these Michelins. I live in Toronto Ont. and the recent snow we've had convinced me these are the best all season tires i could have for my driving needs.Love this forum and have learned alot abot my car from it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All.

dindak · December 2002

3.1L is still the Malibu engine until the 2004 models come when it goes to a new 3.5L.

check out http://www.gmcanada.com

chevymalibu19 · December 2002

Hey people guess what, some of my lights that light up the buttons on my radio are gone out. I called the dealer, and they told me that it would cost about $100 just to look at it, and more the replace it. The call it a repair!!! All I want is the bulbs replaced. Is that B/S or what? Has this happened to anyone else.

I have no more warrenty, I have a 98 w/ 116500 miles

dtownfb · December 2002

chevymalibu19: Since you are out of the warranty, why not take it to an independent garage? it will definitely be cheaper. Also check your fuses first to make sure it's not a blown fuse that is the problem.

credman: I see you did not read your owner's manual. The red light comes on when there is approximately 2 - 3 gallons left in the tank. Then it blinks again when there is one gallon left in the tank. The fuel tank capacity is 14.2 gallons. I pusehed it one time and actually put 14.1 gallons of gas into the tank. I wanted to see approximatley how far I could go once the light goes on. (Good thing to know in case you're driving in an area where you are not familar). My Malibu can go about 60 miles.

bcmalibu99ls · January 2003

May this new year be better than the last for all of you and, especially, for the precious automotive masterpieces - your beloved Malibus!

norbs · January 2003

Just put a K & N air filter in my 99 2.4L and because the airbox is not changed the computer will remap itself the small amount needed for optimum timing,fuel/air mixture. Like night and day. Have enjoyed the power of the 2.4 since new and with the small extra boost this product gives it is even more fun than ever to eat up cars with small 6's. A great 4 and I am sorry Chevy stopped putting it in the bu. Also, one of the reasons for the water pump on the 2.4L being driven by the timing chain is in case of serpentine belt failure the car can still be driven without over heating until you can find a garage to replace the belt. It will be total loss off the battery but by pushing the emergency brake one click on the DRL's turn off and save battery. Just a little useless information for us diehard 4 cylinder owners. Happy New Year to all on this great site.

yurakm · January 2003

The fuel pump of Malibu (and many other GM cars) is cooled by fuel itself. Driving to the last drop of gas strains the pump, and a couple of months later it may fail. Repair is expensive.

joe3891 · January 2003

will cause a pump to fail is a myth,the fuel return line dumps into the pump sump to keep the pump cool.
Only when you run completely out of fuel will it not be cooled,but not for long.

kcldmurphy · January 2003

I bought a 2001Malibu almost two years ago and checked into this discussion to see what others thought about the car. Most of the comments were numerous "experts" ragging about the Firestone Affinity tires. I just bought a 2003 Malibu and I'm checking in to see what others are saying, and numerous "experts" are ragging on the Affinity tires. Will it ever stop? To those of you thinking about a Malibu, I've driven 20,000 miles on Firestone Affinity tires in Michigan weather, and they are just fine. Enjoy your new car. The Malibu is a great value!

tamu2002 · January 2003

Hi all, hope everyone had a great CHRISTmas. We just came back from a 1670 miles round trip and I wanted to let y'al know how our 2002 Malibu LS (now has 6900 miles) performed.

We covered a variety of terrains from plains to mountains (West Virginia, I-77) and a lot of different weather conditions as well (heavy snow, pouring rain, etc.) Overall the Malibu did very well. We're extremely happy with it and glad we bought it! We had four adults and a toddler and a trunk filled to the brim with our stuff, and the power was adequate for the most part. With 31 psi front and 28 psi rear tire pressures, we got about 31 mpg with exclusive highway cruising at close to 80 mph. The handleing was secure and reassuring in the heavy rain and snow we encoutered. On the mountains it was an excersize trying to keep the transmission in the top gear while accelerating uphill or maintain a high speed (I wanted to keep the RPM low to save fuel). That's when I wished it had more power. Going downhill the engine keeps the speed nicely in check, and somehow it knows that you're going downhill and doesn't kick into neutral.

Throughout our trip, the Malibu was quiet at high speeds and the ride was very smooth and comfortable. The trunk swallowed all of our stuff without any problem. Man, for its practicality and quality, I can't believe we paid only 16 grands for it. The affinity tires did their job very well as far as I know. I'm not sure how much more one can ask of them. I just hope they last long too.

Now with 6900 miles, our Malibu has been trouble free. You just put gas in it and off you go. I follow the Edmunds' letters to the editor and there's quite a few angry letters about edmunds' "most wanted" picks for the lack of domestic cars. Here I just wanna throw out an interesting perspective regarding this topic: the imports ARE probably more refined cars and for the prices they are asking they absolute oughtta be. My thought is (let's take mid-size for example)if every auto maker makes cars the same calibor as the Accord and Camry, aren't they all gonna charge for the same prices? Then who would be left to make cars like the Malibu that offers this kind of size, power, equipment, and all and only costs $16000. What are folks like us with a small budget gonna do? That's why I think the most important issure here is reliability and not who is better! I'm getting more and more sick and tired of auto journalists' pretention and over emphasis on performance and 0-60 numbers. I think for the most part these things are totally irrelevant to regular car buyers. Kudos to GM and other domestic auto makers for making reliable cars affordable.

bcmalibu99ls · January 2003

Tamu, I too, have had very few problems with my Bu, and it has more than 38K now. Unfortunately, not everyone is so fortunate, especially with brakes, though the last couple of years Bu has been mostly bug-free. At the same time, it appears Bu is GM's highest quality vehicle, as it competes in the most coveted segment of the market - family sedan - and the competition is severe. See, they CAN do quality vehicles when they want to or have to

2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles