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2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu
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Comments
As for the theft light, if it doesn't come back again, I wouldn't worry about it too much. About two years ago out of blue my ABS light lit up for a second during highway driving. At first I thought I was hallucinating, but about 20 minutes later it did it again. But after that, I've never seen it do anything like that
While its true that the Malibu seats aren't as plush as some, the power seat adjustments on the LS have a fairly wide range. I have found that making a minor adjustment every couple of hours allows me to stay behind the wheel all day. I am past 60, and have a bad disk in my lower back so a bad seat gets to me fairly quickly. A couple of months ago, we took our LS on a good long trip of about 4000 miles. One day, I drove almost 700 miles, and got out of the car feeling good. I usually keep the seat bottom tilted back just a little..too much and it will seem to put a bit of pressure on the lower thighs. And, I keep the seat back fairly upright. I haven't spent much time in the passenger seat, but the wife says it is comfortable. See if the dealer will let you have the car, or a similiar demo for a day, and put a 100 miles or so on it..trying various positions on the power seat. You will probably find a position that feels good.
And about the leak - I think I'll just put a piece of cardboard under the P.S. pump and see if it leaks overnight. If so, then I'll take it in.
Jeremy - 97 bu
By the way I posted in this group a month ago on noise from my front suspension. It turned out I needed my front break pads replaced. Somehow the sound was never consistant to me that it meant the brake pads - but that's what it was. Wierd thing though the last several days. The ABS light pops on just after the battery light. Don't know why this is.
Any guidance on above is appreciated! Magnus
Good luck!
Jeremy - 97 bu
Also, i posted a messenger about my gas hand doing a 360 degree turn, and not reading the gas currently. Well, i fixed it, i took the instrument cluster out and turned it back around, and it works fine. I was very surprised at how easy it was to take the dashboard apart. If you unscrew the two screws at the top of the instrument panel behind the steering will, you can just pull the whole strip out, the air vents and all. It all just snaps in and out. It was pretty neat.
They are not the most comfortable seats but i have driven much worst.
I call my motor club - after some debate in my head (and some duress on a very humid Virginia day) I directed the driver to the Chevy dealership almost walking distrance from my work. While convenient a big mistake. Unfortunately, I had not read the posts above with the sage advice of taking it to an independent shop.
I took it in and yes, it turned out to be the altenator. Final cost $506. $348.29 for the part and $151 for labor according to the receipt. I told the sales guy this seems VERY high for an alternator (referring specifically to the part) and he indicated this is the price and some BS about some lifetime warranty and that in fact I was paying "going rate". In disgust I paid my bill and I got out of there. Basically, I think I got ripped off - plain and simple. Any other thoughts?
Magnus
Magnus
she bought an '03 malibu base model(sticker almost 20). traded in her 94 lebaron with 99k and some weird body damage down the right side. didn't leak and everything works. both cars dark green. price after everything was a lincoln under 14k.
That price was horrific! The same alternator problem happened to me, but mine was about 200 less than your's, and I went to a Goodwrench service dealer. Is it a GM Goodwrench service provider that you went to? If so, you REALLY got ripped off. I would call the customer service # and complain. It's weird how a guy (me) in Denver got the thing replaced for $360, and a guy in Virginia (you) got it done for $505. I don't think location had anything to do with it! Sometimes parts and labor charges vary dealer to dealer, but by $200! No way in heck. I'd DEFINITELY complain.
Oh and about all of your indicator lights comming on when the alternator finally took a crap - It's weird you mention this because the night I got my alt. replaced, I went to start the car (we were going to dinner). It wouldnt start and all the lights stayed on for about 10 seconds. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. I told you guys the Malibu was possesed!
explorerx4: Sounds like you got a great deal!!! Congratulations! Enjoy.
Since Honda started using Delphi alternators in the US built Accord, alternator problems have increased somewhat.
Mine is a Denso unit and still original at 101K miles.
After reading this forum for a while, it appears GM has some room for improvement in longterm reliability.
Both sites have a wealth of information about what you can do with a defective vehicle (info about lemon laws, attorney referrals by state, complaining to the manufacturer, "secret warranties" to extend the mfr's warranty, technical service bulletins, recalls and investigations, etc.).
PLEASE TAKE ACTION WITH THESE GOVERNMENT AND CONSUMER ORGANIZATIONS. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO FORCE GM TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR PRODUCTS.
Jeremy
I have owned two Volvo's and two VW's. The problems I had with those make Malibu problems very pale by comparison. Malibu owners complain about a $250 fix. You need to realize that repairs to the Malibu are VERY inexpensive. You can not look at most other cars for less than $250.
Just realize there will be problems, but accept that the Malibu (especially since the 2001 redesign) are actually relatively reliable cars that are cheap to repair.
Many people complain about the Malibu brakes. After reading some of the notes here, I decided to check my '03 LS out. When I tried to remove the lug nuts, I found some that came loose with as little as 65 ft/lbs. and a couple I had to get my cheater bar and a length of pipe to break free. The book says 100 ft/lbs of torque on the lug nuts. If you are taking your Malibu to a garage for tire rotation, and the mechanic is putting the wheels on with an impact wrench which may be set way too high, you are Going To Have Brake and Rotor Problems. The only way to install aluminum wheels is to torque them in stages, and in the proper sequence. This is especially important in cars like the Malibu which have the rotors held in place by the wheel. If you don't put the wheel on correctly, you WILL warp the rotors. This is but one example of problems on the Malibu that may be more of a "people" problem than a basic design flaw. I fully agree that the early Malibu's had room for some improvement, but the last couple of years, they have become quite good. Sure, GM could make them better, and fancier, but then, they would cost $27K, like most of the Camcords. For a $20k car, the Malibu has few, if any equals.
Also I would also suggest that people complain file complaints about the Malibu. The problems that people are refering should not happen to a car in its 7th model year. The complaints on the Malibu are rotors, intake manifold gasket, alternators, A/C switches, suspension problems (strut mounting plates), rear brake cylinders, leaking problems, electrical ghosts that are untraceable by the mechanic. I think I got most of them. The rotors could be fixed with thicker rotors. That excuse that deminim comes up with for the rotors is lame. I had my Malibu maintained at the dealership and still had warped rotors. Based on his theory, GM did not train their technicians properly to avoid this "people" problem. So either way, shame on GM. How long is GM going to allow the intake manifold gasket leak to go on? It affects all of its small block V6 engines and they refuse to come up with a permanent fix. The other problems should have been simple mid year fixes that never happened. Why? Basically, GM is too cheap to solve the problems and they wait for the consumer to have a problem and fix them. Plus GM is stuck in the 80's. They squeeze every bit of profit out of their suppliers and still expect them to make a decent product. It ain't gonna happen. True, None of these are safety issues but very annoying and things that should not happen in the 7th year of a model. And they wonder why nobody is buying this car. At least with VW, Mercedes, Volvo you get the reward of a great driving experience. With the Malibu, you sit and wonder why I didn't spend the extra money to get the Camry or Accord. I may have some problems but at least my car is still worth something after 3-4 years. My 2001 Malibu LS with 29k miles may be worth $9000. A 2001 Accord LX (4 cylinder engine, same mileage) is worth about $14k. And they MSRP for about the same price.
Jeremy
I had a '66 Malibu (283ci V8 Chevelle) which I loved, but got hooked on Honda in the 70's. Sure, even Honda has problems, but they usually announce their problems to their owners (if a little belated) and fix problems well outside of their 36K warranty free (free 100K-150K extended warranties are not unusual). Its that reality, plus the overall excellence of their products, that GM most confront if they really want to compete in the mid-size market.
I wish GM would bring back the small block v8, rear drive Chevelle sized 2 doors again, except with FI, no carburators please. LOL
This was something they use to do very well.
I guess what's unsettling is that both batteries died without any warnings, such as a week or two of labored starts, or something like that. It's a good thing both times I had a very quick access to a portable battery which saved the day.
By the way, I highly recommend getting one of these batteries, especially if you plan on a trip to an area far from auto repair shops. Bugging people (especially strangers) for a jump start is also not much fun. A portable battery costs about 90 - 100 bucks
bcmalibu: YOu may want to get that checked out. A battery should not die without warning and so quickly. It could very well be a sign of a bad alternator. I would take the bad battery back to get a refund or at least a prorated refund. How much is 221 Canadien dollars anyway? I paid $55 for a battery 3 and half years ago at Walmart for my Explorer.
and sorry, i don't believe the taurus/sable with the duratec and all the premium options would make a difference to me except for the added power. i didn't find the car dreadful because it lacked features. it was the way the car drove and build quality.
The battery itself cost CAD 125 (about 80 USD), and it's a "high-end" model. The rest of CAD 221 were labor charges and taxes. Welcome to socialist paradise :-)
One lesson I have learned with batteries, alternators, water pumps, and flushing the cooling system, is it's much easier and cheaper to do yourself. The only of the above that I have had to get replaced was the alternator, which I got screwed on. I found out I could have gotten one from Checkers for about $75 - $80 and it would have taken me an hour to put it in. Just by looking at the water pump, I can tell it wouldn't be that hard to do. And as for a battery...I'd NEVER pay anyone $100.00 to put one in.
I agree that it would have been cheaper to do it myself, but I am so bad when it comes to even the simplest of repairs, that I'd rather overpay than screw the engine. Sad but true :-)
One question: Has anyone had to change the accessory drive belt on the 3100 Malibu? I know you have to take out the engine mount on the passenger side, but to do so you have to put a jack with a 2x4 under the oil pan. How much pressure do you put on the pan. Do you put any at all or just enough to where the 2x4 touches the pan? Also, how much was the belt?
Jeremy
Not many cars have a V6 with AT for the modest price of a Malibu.
Jeremy
I was looking under the hood and found that the factory air tube takes a round about path from the airbox behind the battery, goes downward to a resonator and back up behind the headlight. The open end of the tube is located right behind the driver side headlight. Since I've done similar things on past cars, I decided to improvise a path for MORE cold air to reach the intake tube (without feeding the tube direct or cutting the top off - which you could also do) I pulled out the headlight and took two lengths of black 3" flex pipe and routed one at the opening from the lower air dam and another from the driver side front grill so that more cooler outside air air is "scooped" and redirected to the area behind the driver side headlight. And then replaced the headlight. Since the tubing is black, it remains hidden behind the grill and airdam. This setup allows the stock intake to suck in much more cooler (ie; denser) air than it would be getting without the redirected airflow, allowing the car to gain a bit more power on these hot summer days.
Since this car was not equipped with foglights, I could have routed a tube from the fog light opening and cut the factory inlet lower to allow more air to be pulled from inside the empty area behind the bumper instead of the headlight, but did not want to cut anything until I could test results. So far it's been performing nicely.
Is it even across the RPM band?