thanks chrpai!! I just called Kent. He quoted me $1,545 (his cost that "he has to turn in to GM" plus $100) for the 72/90k warranty (zero deductable). He remembered you as an EDS employee. He is going to call GMPP right now to see if the 72/90k gets added on to my current mileage and time. I told him that it did, but he did not know. I told him that I wanted him to call GMPP so he would have piece of mind. If the planets line up, I'll be paying the $1,645 (currently $80 under Blacks). Thanks so much for the tipper. Kent was baffled that someone was calling him from so far away, but hey, money talks. Pat: thanks for the latitude on this conversation. We all recognize that there is a warranty board, but there's some serious savings going on for a lot of people with this one. Thanks again.
When posting about your experience with a dealership, you may post ONLY the dealership name, city, and state. You may not post a salesperson's name, phone numbers, email addresses, links to dealer web sites, etc.
There have been some recent posts that have contained some names - please don't post any more names of salespeople, dealers, owners, etc. Thanks!
Thanks again chrpai. I just faxed my vitals to the finance manager at Buckalew Chevrolet in Conroe Texas (following Rule 6). For $1,545 + $100 profit, I now have a 72 month/90,000 zero deductable warranty which when added on to my current mileage, will take me to 82 months or 100,700 miles. A great deal on a GMPP for my Malibu. He's waiting for more business. Thanks for this great tip!!
It's 72 months and 90,000 miles at zero deductable, but what is the coverage? Is it exactly the same as the full bumper to bumper coverage of the standard 3 year 36,000 mile factory warranty? If it adds to your existing mileage and age, wouldn't it make more sense to add it when the car has more miles so it will expire later?
I just found edmunds forum. Thanks to all of the 2004 and 2005 Chevy Malibu owners who put out recall and TSB info on forum. I recently purchased a 2004 Malibu LS from my local Chevrolet dealer. It was a GM program car with 8,700 miles on it. Love the car. I have not had any problems with it sofar. Mileage is what was stated on window sticker 23 city / 32highway.I used the forum info to check to see my car was one that was recalled for the power steering and it was not. Also so the TSB regarding replacement headrests. I had them ordered today from the Chevy dealer. The headrest was more of a problem for my wife when she is the front deat passenger. Driver side doesn't seem to be a problem for me or her. signed 04malibu
I can get the same mileage with our LT but my wife is an admitted leadfoot. She drives the car through the week. So if I don't use a full tank on a trip but manage to wrangle a 34.6 - 35.x (not kidding, I've had it get to almost 36 once or twice. LOVE this car), she usually kills the mileage for the tank full in just a few days. :P
Edit: BTW, those numbers are purely DIC-indicated. Unlike what you guys posted about accuracy, I've found by manually calculating that the DIC is routinely off from anywhere around .5 - 2 mpg (and it's usually optimistic, hehe). The best tank full I've achieved after manually calculating was 33.1, and that was with a 34.6 DIC-indicated. Not that I'm complaining at all since this tank was all interstate, but at speeds between 75 and 85 mph (10 mph over the speed limit wherever I happened to be). Still outstanding, especially since I could probably have picked up at least another .5 just by following the speed limit.
Yeah, my message got yanked for posting a link. Been a while since I've posted, and I forgot the rules. Anyway, Malibu SS info can be found everywhere now. The most comprehensive I've found is on Autoweek's site under it's NY auto show coverage. The specifications link for the Maliub SS answered most questions I could think of.
Most disappointing is the mileage. The Sedan is rated at 18/25, the Maxx at 17/24. I guess the bigger engine, performance final drive ratio, hydraulic stearing, wider tires and perhaps even the chin spoiler all take their toll. It's a shame- I've got it on the brain that 28 mpg highway is about the lowest I'd accept in any future car purchase. It's too bad they don't offer optional final drive ratios like in the old V-8 rear drive days. I do alot of highway driving, and good mileage is important to me- probably more so than performance at this stage in my life. 10 years ago it'd have been a different story. 'Course, 10 years ago gas was a lot cheaper too.
I hope at least the 3 spoke stearing wheel makes it into the '06 non-SS Malibu's. The gauge bezels look nice too. In case GM is listening, I hope they put in an aux input to the front panel of the radio such as will be standard in the new Impala.
Hope also the Malibu's get the VVT 3.5 liter (rated at 210 h.p. in the '06 Impala). I doubt they will though, as more than likely Chevy will want to keep the performance gap between baseline and SS more distinct. I wish they'd get away from that kind of old-think marketing.
Seems like they've given up on the DOD idea with the V-6's. I imagine it's quite a bit more problematic to quell vibration when 3 out of 6 cylinders are operating vice 4 out of 8 (as in the 5.3 liter DOD V-8). Obviously Honda have done it in their Accord, Odyssey, and MDX etc. but they have incorporated some inovative techology such as hydraulic motor mounts (if I recall correctly) to tame the vibes.
Perhaps GM will prove my concerns to be baseless and they will in fact come out with all of this stuff. They do, after all, need to sell some cars.
So if you're listening, Chevrolet Marketing Director, my dream Malibu would come with the 3.5 liter complete with VVT and DOD technology. Additionally, I do prefer the restyle on the nose, though I'd leave the chrome bar on the trunk, as it integrates better with the rear lamps. I definately like the 3 spoke stearing wheel and the gauge cluster bezels. That's about it.
I saw the original link and didn't think I cared for the SS front ends. Just had another look over at Autoweek's site. All I can say (again), is WOW!
Amazing how much difference some relatively minor changes can make. I originally thought it would take at least getting rid of the current huge headlights to really spruce up the appearance of the Malibu front end, but those seem to be completely intact. And it still looks awesome!
BTW, I don't put too much credence in those mileage numbers yet. I saw that the 4200 Trailblazers are currently listing something like 13/17 city/highway EPA numbers on the stickers. I got 15-17 in city driving routinely with my 4200 equipped 2003 4x4 LT, and actually hit greater than 20 on three separate occasions of mostly highway driving. If I hadn't traded it in on a truck soon after, I have no doubt that I'd be hitting ~20 on nearly a weekly basis by now.
So I wouldn't be surprised to see the 3900 SS's to give a bit higher than listed (especially when my 3500 is hitting 33-35 highway right now, at least 2 mpg better than the sticker that was on the window when I bought it). At least when driven more conservatively.
Of course with that appearance, engine, and gearing maybe it'll be all but impossible to drive conservatively.
My big fear with the SS is that it will be way over priced. If GM is smart, they will price it fairly and get them moving off the lots right away rather than having to offer $5000 cash on them 6 months later.
I want to see actual performance numbers for the SS (both of them). Despite the printed test numbers for my 3500 equipped LT sedan it feels very strong especially for a family sedan.
With the horsepower increase and more aggressive gearing I imagine the performance of these cars is going to surprise a few people by running stronger than the horsepower and torque numbers might make them think.
To make this more interesting the story I received from a GM dealer is the months are added on but not milage. Makes since to me, milage is what breaks cars, not months.
do you (or anyone) have a copy of the TSB for the tail light condensation problem? I have a 98 and my wife has a 99 LS. I have a trunk leak on the right side (no visible condenation) and my wife has visible water sloshing around on the same side.
working for a different car manufacturer, I know GM won't cover it, but I can get my indy to do it for cheaper.
You can look up TSBs by clicking on the Edmunds.com logo within the Inside Line banner at the top of the page. Then click on the Tips & Advice tab, and then the Maintenance Costs link which will show up below the tabs on that next screen. Then just fill in the info about your car and you'll get lots of info, including a list of TSBs.
Then you can drop by our Technical Service Bulletins discussion and ask 0patience and alcan to give you the text. They'll be happy to do so.
Come back here and let us know how things work out!
i would recommend a malibu to anyone who is looking for a good midsized and affordable car. it is very spacious and the information you get on the cdreading(where all the time and stereo stuff is written) is not available on cams or accords. and fuel economy, one of the best in class. and it looks better than the old models. i am sure gm will get something out of this new badboy!
the best small car in the market right now. better than ford chevy pontys hondas nissans mazdas hyuandais of course and it is best in class i should say. they have a corolla that fits everyones lifestyle. the LE is more of a family car, the S is more of a family sports car and the XRS is awesome. and the best fuel economy. better than a Hybrid Escape.
GM has a TSB out on windshield wiper posts, wiper transmissions, and other wiper items for '98 and '99 Malibus. If you experienced heavy snow and the snow messed up operation of your windshield wipers later on GM will put in a new transmission and fix or replace other items. I found this out when I had a problem with a wildly swinging left wiper blade. All I needed was the bolt tightened but I found out about the TSB. It only applies in certain states unless you tell the dealer that you experienced heavy snow and it affected operation of your wipers. Anyway - I don't have all the info but if you have a '98 or '99 with bad wipers you might check it out with your Chevy dealer. This is NOT a recall. I'm sure this also applies to the Olds Cutlass too since it was basically a Malibu.
Okay, so I've been scouring the internet forever -- where can I get sales releases for the Malibu? I know Hyundai releases them on hyundainews.com, but I can't find Chevy monthly sales anywhere. I'd also like a monthly list of the top 10 selling passenger cars. Every once in a while, these pop up in the car magazines, but I can never find them on my own. Any help would be appreciated, guys. :shades:
Not sure if it was mentioned yet, but part of the '06 freshening for ALL Malibu models will be that nose you see on the SS model, sans the under spoiler--very good news because the current car has needed a serious nose job since day one.
Excellent news! I'm seriously considering the Malibu now...even though the SS model is what caught my eye initially. Mmm, that engine. And yes, I'm fairly new here, but...Alpha01, I see you ALL OVER this site. How many posts do you make a day? You're amazing!
When will the 6 speed automatic transmission be available ? Is it 06 or 07 ? Is the Malibu SS going to get it ? I think it should. The 4 speed automatic is getting antiquated.
The SS only moves up from the 4T45-E to the stronger 4T60-E that is in the Impala. Not positive on this one, just pretty sure I read it at GM Inside News. So doesn't look like we're getting the 6 speeds just yet.
Yep. Several times now. I wasn't the first to report the problem though.
It sometimes takes up to three attempts to get the car to start when it's warm or hot (like when stopping off for a quick bite to eat at a fast food restaurant, after getting gas, etc.). When I had my car at the dealership on Monday for a couple minor issues and the free sunroof wind deflector TSB I included this problem on my list of problems. Predictably the car worked perfectly for them the whole day regardless of how long it sat between cranks. So the note on the receipt says "CSK - working as designed" or something to that effect.
BTW, this also affects the remote start- the car attempts to start, fails, then tries again (at least one time), and if it doesn't start then, it gives up.
(Note that I'm not concerned about being stranded. The car DOES always start up for me, usually by the third attempt.)
I recently quit my job, due to the fact that it was making me miserable, and so Im slowly but surely returning to sanity, and I'll start looking for a job soon (the privelege of youth... no wife, no kids.....). Im hoping to get into the auto industry, actually. I digress.... since last week, I've had plenty of time to play here
Incidentally, I hang out mostly on the Sedans, Sedans Comparisons, and Future Vehicles threads.
I want some help in considering if this is a good deal or not..
I'm thinking about buying an 03 Malibu.. 33000 miles on it.. price on it is 8990. 4 speed auto/overdrive.. CD player, Power steering, power brakes, power door locks, power windows, radial tires, gauge cluster, clock, trip odometer, tachometer, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, tinted glass, interval wipers, rear defroster, remote trunk lid, driver side airbag, console, carpeting, vanity mirror, day night lever, dual sport mirrors, front bucket seats, reclining seats, cloth upholstery, accent stripes, body side moldings, center arm rest, deluxe wheel covers, courtesy lights, driver side remote mirror, map lights, passenger side air bag, am/fm radio.
I'm thinkin this is a pretty good deal... Just wish I had the money to buy the carfax report. the records say there are 9 listings.. so i'm not sure if it's good or bad.
Also, could anyway.. give me a possible.. estimate for insurance, I'm calling them in the morning, but I'm excited about getting a car! that I'm just real antsy and want to know. hehe. I'm a good driver.. student.. w/ good grades, no accidents or tickets or anything, just a good clean record.
Hope this is not too late for you. Our 02 LS cost $280/6 months to insure when brand new. It was worth about $7K after 2 years and 20k miles. Is it an LS model you're looking at? It sounds like a good deal. BTW, our car has been trouble free.
Definitely get the carfax report before you buy it. The previous generation Mallibus are decent cars but they do have a noumber of issues that may or may not pop up by 50k miles. Wapred rotors (this vehicle may have already been through this), alternator issues, ignition switch, intake manifold gasket leak, water leaks around door and trunk seals, HVAC fan failure on the 1&2 setting, etc.
Again, these are hit or miss issues. Get it checked out by a mechanic before you purchase. Do some research on pricing here on Edmunds but I would not pay more than $8000 for the car. It sounds like the vehicle is an LS. Everything you mentioned is standard on the vehicle.
Thanks e2helper, time before I had looked up the update by vin for my car and the engine had one, told dealer and said it would cost me $69 even under warranty, was I surprised. I am going in wed and will show them jerrywimer post so they will know I am not alone.
Thanks for responding, I am going to show my dealer your email, if I find out anything I will post here. I am also going to tell them to contact GM Tech for help.
Joe, Make sure you read my other post that this new calibration likely doesn't address your hard start hot complaint although it does address a few other complaints others have posted about at one time or another.
Thanks Joe. The reason I didn't push the reprogram with my dealership was because of what e2helper just pointed out - a few others here have had a similar complaint recently who did get the reprogram. A couple said that the hard start issue still occurred afterwards.
Hopefully GM figures out the problem while my car's still under warranty so I can get it fixed without paying for it. That's another reason I mentioned it to my dealership - documentation in case my warranty does expire before they figure it out. Even then I've still got another 21,000 miles and 2 years before that really becomes a concern. :shades:
Hi all, I have a 05 Maxx LT and I get a periodic rough idle, seems to be no rhyme or reason just random rough idle. Other then that and some rattles car is running great after 13000 km (8000 mi) Still wondering if anyone has found a cabin air filter for this car? Still none here in Canada. The slot is there behind the glove box but GM and after market have no listing for it.
I read you on the engine update, so far just hard starting when hot some times, no other issues. The service writer did mention they have it documented for future reference.
Yep, the slot is behind the glove box. Simply go buy some disposable furnace filters and cut it to size. Slide it in, and off you go. Cheap, efficient, and mine hasn't "fallen down into the fan blades" as some predicted earlier this year.
Ah-ha! You hang out in sedans and the future vehicles threads. Those are the only areas I've ever visited -- no wonder I see you so much! Good luck in the job hunt, Alpha.
sure, the sedan and maxx are carbon copies up front. I've had my cut up furnace filter in since December, and it was slightly darker when I checked it today. I was able to simply shake out much of the loose dirt/sand particles.
Comments
Pat: thanks for the latitude on this conversation. We all recognize that there is a warranty board, but there's some serious savings going on for a lot of people with this one. Thanks again.
6. Posts about dealers
When posting about your experience with a dealership, you may post ONLY the dealership name, city, and state. You may not post a salesperson's name, phone numbers, email addresses, links to dealer web sites, etc.
There have been some recent posts that have contained some names - please don't post any more names of salespeople, dealers, owners, etc. Thanks!
Is it exactly the same as the full bumper to bumper coverage of the standard 3 year 36,000 mile factory warranty?
If it adds to your existing mileage and age, wouldn't it make more sense to add it when the car has more miles so it will expire later?
signed 04malibu
Darn good for a midsize V6.
Edit: BTW, those numbers are purely DIC-indicated. Unlike what you guys posted about accuracy, I've found by manually calculating that the DIC is routinely off from anywhere around .5 - 2 mpg (and it's usually optimistic, hehe). The best tank full I've achieved after manually calculating was 33.1, and that was with a 34.6 DIC-indicated. Not that I'm complaining at all since this tank was all interstate, but at speeds between 75 and 85 mph (10 mph over the speed limit wherever I happened to be). Still outstanding, especially since I could probably have picked up at least another .5 just by following the speed limit.
Most disappointing is the mileage. The Sedan is rated at 18/25, the Maxx at 17/24. I guess the bigger engine, performance final drive ratio, hydraulic stearing, wider tires and perhaps even the chin spoiler all take their toll. It's a shame- I've got it on the brain that 28 mpg highway is about the lowest I'd accept in any future car purchase. It's too bad they don't offer optional final drive ratios like in the old V-8 rear drive days. I do alot of highway driving, and good mileage is important to me- probably more so than performance at this stage in my life. 10 years ago it'd have been a different story. 'Course, 10 years ago gas was a lot cheaper too.
I hope at least the 3 spoke stearing wheel makes it into the '06 non-SS Malibu's. The gauge bezels look nice too. In case GM is listening, I hope they put in an aux input to the front panel of the radio such as will be standard in the new Impala.
Hope also the Malibu's get the VVT 3.5 liter (rated at 210 h.p. in the '06 Impala). I doubt they will though, as more than likely Chevy will want to keep the performance gap between baseline and SS more distinct. I wish they'd get away from that kind of old-think marketing.
Seems like they've given up on the DOD idea with the V-6's. I imagine it's quite a bit more problematic to quell vibration when 3 out of 6 cylinders are operating vice 4 out of 8 (as in the 5.3 liter DOD V-8). Obviously Honda have done it in their Accord, Odyssey, and MDX etc. but they have incorporated some inovative techology such as hydraulic motor mounts (if I recall correctly) to tame the vibes.
Perhaps GM will prove my concerns to be baseless and they will in fact come out with all of this stuff. They do, after all, need to sell some cars.
So if you're listening, Chevrolet Marketing Director, my dream Malibu would come with the 3.5 liter complete with VVT and DOD technology. Additionally, I do prefer the restyle on the nose, though I'd leave the chrome bar on the trunk, as it integrates better with the rear lamps. I definately like the 3 spoke stearing wheel and the gauge cluster bezels. That's about it.
Amazing how much difference some relatively minor changes can make. I originally thought it would take at least getting rid of the current huge headlights to really spruce up the appearance of the Malibu front end, but those seem to be completely intact. And it still looks awesome!
BTW, I don't put too much credence in those mileage numbers yet. I saw that the 4200 Trailblazers are currently listing something like 13/17 city/highway EPA numbers on the stickers. I got 15-17 in city driving routinely with my 4200 equipped 2003 4x4 LT, and actually hit greater than 20 on three separate occasions of mostly highway driving. If I hadn't traded it in on a truck soon after, I have no doubt that I'd be hitting ~20 on nearly a weekly basis by now.
So I wouldn't be surprised to see the 3900 SS's to give a bit higher than listed (especially when my 3500 is hitting 33-35 highway right now, at least 2 mpg better than the sticker that was on the window when I bought it). At least when driven more conservatively.
Of course with that appearance, engine, and gearing maybe it'll be all but impossible to drive conservatively.
Guess we will have to wait for a pic of it though.
With the horsepower increase and more aggressive gearing I imagine the performance of these cars is going to surprise a few people by running stronger than the horsepower and torque numbers might make them think.
working for a different car manufacturer, I know GM won't cover it, but I can get my indy to do it for cheaper.
Thanks,
John
Then you can drop by our Technical Service Bulletins discussion and ask 0patience and alcan to give you the text. They'll be happy to do so.
Come back here and let us know how things work out!
Thank you, sir. Lots! :shades:
New nose will do wonders for the car's look.
~alpha
And yes, I'm fairly new here, but...Alpha01, I see you ALL OVER this site. How many posts do you make a day? You're amazing!
It sometimes takes up to three attempts to get the car to start when it's warm or hot (like when stopping off for a quick bite to eat at a fast food restaurant, after getting gas, etc.). When I had my car at the dealership on Monday for a couple minor issues and the free sunroof wind deflector TSB I included this problem on my list of problems. Predictably the car worked perfectly for them the whole day regardless of how long it sat between cranks. So the note on the receipt says "CSK - working as designed" or something to that effect.
BTW, this also affects the remote start- the car attempts to start, fails, then tries again (at least one time), and if it doesn't start then, it gives up.
(Note that I'm not concerned about being stranded. The car DOES always start up for me, usually by the third attempt.)
Incidentally, I hang out mostly on the Sedans, Sedans Comparisons, and Future Vehicles threads.
~alpha
I'm thinking about buying an 03 Malibu.. 33000 miles on it.. price on it is 8990. 4 speed auto/overdrive..
CD player, Power steering, power brakes, power door locks, power windows, radial tires, gauge cluster, clock, trip odometer, tachometer, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, tinted glass, interval wipers, rear defroster, remote trunk lid, driver side airbag, console, carpeting, vanity mirror, day night lever, dual sport mirrors, front bucket seats, reclining seats, cloth upholstery, accent stripes, body side moldings, center arm rest, deluxe wheel covers, courtesy lights, driver side remote mirror, map lights, passenger side air bag, am/fm radio.
I'm thinkin this is a pretty good deal... Just wish I had the money to buy the carfax report. the records say there are 9 listings.. so i'm not sure if it's good or bad.
Also, could anyway.. give me a possible.. estimate for insurance, I'm calling them in the morning, but I'm excited about getting a car! that I'm just real antsy and want to know. hehe.
I'm a good driver.. student.. w/ good grades, no accidents or tickets or anything, just a good clean record.
Anything else u want to know, just ask..!
Thanks!
Your suggestions and information on our cars has been a lot of help already.
Again, these are hit or miss issues. Get it checked out by a mechanic before you purchase. Do some research on pricing here on Edmunds but I would not pay more than $8000 for the car. It sounds like the vehicle is an LS. Everything you mentioned is standard on the vehicle.
Hopefully GM figures out the problem while my car's still under warranty so I can get it fixed without paying for it. That's another reason I mentioned it to my dealership - documentation in case my warranty does expire before they figure it out. Even then I've still got another 21,000 miles and 2 years before that really becomes a concern. :shades:
Good luck in the job hunt, Alpha.