2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

godeacs · February 2002

why not call your dealer? Sounds like it may be an antitheft device for your stereo system...

artwis · February 2002

That's the warning light showing that the "theft guard" system is set. There is a code number set and if the radio loses power (taken by theft, dead battery etc.) the radio will not work again till the code is entered. If you didn't put the code in yourself and you ever lose battery power to the radio it will cost you about $50 to have a dealer reset it. If you fool with it yourself and put a wrong code in it more than a few times the radio will be permanently disabled! Go back to the dealer and if they can't give you the code number that's entered have them take the code off and you give them a number to put in that's under 2000. Don't let them charge you for it. My truck was delivered with the code set and my battery went dead and therefore no radio and I didn't know the number. The dealer took care of it at no cost though. Read through the manual and it may make more sense than I have. LOL
Art

wwgljy · February 2002

I have a Chevy Malibu 99/LS with V6 and 150hp, bougth in March 1999, built in Sept. 1998.
I like this car very much with her roomy, stable on highway, good acceleration ...
plus this is my first brand new car except
I have to visited the dealer for quite a few times to fix the problem. Sometimes
it is annoying as for a simple seat adjuster problem, i need to visit them
3 times and the dealer has not even given me a rental. My warranty will expire at
the end of March and until recently I am worried about her duo to the gasket replace and
start to read the edmunds malibu review and find a lot of valuable information.
The big problems I worried are rotor,intake manifold gasket and suspension. So
far I got all these three on my car. But you are more than welcome to comment
on any of the others.
I hope some malibu guru can give me some advice as to how I should do at this
time to keep my malibu in a good shape at minimal cost.

Thank you in advance.

PS: I have not done the 30k service as the manual is not recommending this.

Problems I've had so far on my Malibu-99-LS with 32k milege. (i copied from
my malibu service receipt)

11/02/99:
Trim cover that goes the driver's side power seat base was cracked.
Replaced the adjuster. ( NC/under warranty)

09/25/00: (*** this is common for 97~99 malibu owners)
1. Warped rotors at 17,354 miles. Replaced the rotors and pads (NC/under warranty)
Up to now, the brake has no problem( no vibration) but the pad wear is much different
at each side. Not sure why this happens. Is this an inidication of the warped rotors
again? Any ideas??? In addition, how could I know the new rotor is a heavy duty
rotor? I have the number 18060442 (parts number or something else?) on the receipt.
Is there anybody who knows what this number means?

2. Cranked excessively when cold starting. Upgraded the computer program. (NC/ under warranty)
note: This did not help much with the cold starting ( I am at Seattle and the lowest temp
is about 30. Sometimes in the morning, the start is like da,da,da, .... and fails and
next time it is OK but the it cranks longer than any normal start I experienced.
Anybody had the similar problems?

04/06/00: (***this is common as i read the reviews)
Rear passenger brake lights ( there are two) were inoperative. Replaced bulbs and circuit board.

10/31/01:
Right seat recliner stopped working. Replaced the recliner and the control cable. (NC)

The air circulation light indicator (recirculation and outside air button light) jumped from
one to another when driving sometimes. Dealer said that when starting the vehicle and recycle
from one to other is normal operation. I dont think the the dealer got my point. But for
some reason, the problem gone after that. Interesting!! Anybody has similar experience?

Noise came from the front in steering on hard and slow turns. Dealer can not reproduce
the problem. Later I tried and was able to reproduce the problem sometiem but very hard.
Not sure if this is a serious problem as some owner complains the front and rear suspension
have squeals when steering. Is this the suspension problems?

Rattling noise inside the car from panel, left and right door on rough high way or @ 40mph. It
is sensitive to the road condition and speed.
Dealer claimed that they tightened the door screws at one of the front doors and fixed it
but I still got the noise at above situations. I think these are minor problems but sometimes
you dont feel comfortable since you are driving a new car but noise comes from every place.

The low coolant light came on first time. Dealer fixed it by tightening the coolant cap.

11/12/01: ( *** this is common. 5% as i read the reviews)
The low coolant light came on again. Dealer found the intake manifold gasket was leaking
and replaced the LOWER intake manifold gaskets. I am not sure if this will fix the problem.
How about the higher intake manifold? Is there such a thing in the engine? I am worried
about this since my friend told me it is an expensive fix.

yurakm · February 2002

I have 98 Malibu, base with V-6 engine.

1. 30k mile service: I would not skip it. A lot of small service items are sheduled at this mileage according to manual. Plus this is a good time to service other items, sheduled in the manual by time, not mileage (yearly, etc.). And simply to check everything.

Budget from about $300 and up for the service, if performed at dealership or first-class independent shop.

2. A pressure test will solve your concerns with coolant system. If there is a leaks, from a bad intake manifold gasket, or some other place, the test will show it.

The cost is reasonable, about $20-25. Replacing the gasket costs about $550, mostly labor. So it pays to test while the car is under warranty.

By the way, the car manual recommends to have the test performed yearly.

3. Assymetric wear of the brake pads.

Hardly related to rotor warpage. The first and easy symptom of the warpage is brake pedal pulsating when braking on higher speed, something like 70-75 mph. Try it on highway.

However, the reason for uneven wear must be found. Can be something simple, like uneven tire pressure, but the brakes are safety items...

4. Are the replacement GM rotors good?

My rotors were replaced at 22-23k miles. It was in early summer of 1999. No problem since. Currently 47k miles on odometer.

However, with my driving style and pattern, the pads need to be replaced again at 45k miles. Only pads, not rotors.

5. Problem with starting.

My car does not start at first attempt sometimes. Very seldom, and it does not matter if it is cold or hot.

My wife never had the problem, and she think I do not hold the ignition key long enough when in hurry. Looks reasonable for me.

However, the engine is noisy somewhat when starting cold, especially at winter. And I feel smell of gas from the exhaust if staying outside. When loading something in the trunk, etc.

6. Tires.

The OEM Affinity tires of my car wore out substantially at about 32k miles. Not down to the legal limit, but close enough. They squealed on turns even at low speed, like 15 mph., and behave bad in rain.

A Firestone mechanic told me they are still good to drive through summer, and I replaced them in fall, at 37k miles. However, I was wrong. It was unsafe to wait so long. Would be better to do it at 32k.

Put Firestone Firehawk SH-30, and am very happy with the new tires.

The tires are optimized for rain. The wet cornering is outstanding, and they do not afraid of puddles (resist aquaplaning well). In your places it must be the first priority, but on winding and hilly CT roads it is also important.

dtownfb · February 2002

The red blinking light is the antitheft light.

Quick update: 2001 Malibu LS, 10,400 miles. So far so good. No problems to report. Tires still are annoying (noise). But that is about it. had to stops to dealer for 3000 and 8000 maintenace. $24.95 (oil change) and $42.00 (oil and rotate tires) respectively. Yes the engine does soudn rough after sitting in cold weather for 12 hours(beloe freezing) but quickly smooths out.

Glad to see this board moving again.

wwgljy · February 2002

Yurakm, Thanks so much. I've seen you had a lot
of posts on this forum and I almost read all
of them before I wrote my first post.

I plan to do a 30K service as you recommended.
a few more questions ...

My car just had the gasket(LOWER) replaced by dealer
a month ago under warranty. Is it helpful to
do a pressure test now? if so, I will do it definitely. I also got an impression that if
the dealer replaced the gasket with the same
crappy ones, the problem will occur after 30K.

Since the replacement of rotor at 17K, it's
been fine. No vibration on either local or highway. but I will check with dealer to see why
there are uneven wear of the pads.

Actually you are right. It does not matter whether
it is cold or not, the first start may fail or be noisy. but usually the second time will be OK. Another malibu owner just emailed me a possible solution today by holding the key on acc long enough and listening to the buz of the fuel pump and then starting. it worked this morning. I will check everyday this week to make sure. I will keep
you updated on this one.

many thanks to yurakm. Weiguo

adc100 · February 2002

I think there is only one. Make sure you use the Dexcool- My understanding that not using it can contribute to the problem.

dtownfb · February 2002

The leak of antifreeze into the engine (upper manifold gasket) has more to do with the different metal used for engine: aluminum and cast iron. they tend to expand and contract at different temperature causing a slow failure (doesn't happen for all engines) of the gasket. Probalbly a better gasket is the answer.

wwgljy · February 2002

Let me clarify (if I understand correctly), you mean there are upper and lower gaskets in the engine and the antifreeze can leak
through them in either way.
I am worried about it since the
GM gasket is really bad for sure. And the dealer
only replaced the lower part of the gaskets.

Seems adc100 had different view from you.
I am confused.

Weiguo

yurakm · February 2002

You wrote: My car just had the gasket(LOWER) replaced by dealer
a month ago under warranty. Is it helpful to
do a pressure test now?

How can I know? Even a professional mechanic hardly can tell this definitely. And, after all, this is your car, your time and money - not mines.

Personally, I would do the pressure check just before warranty end. A month or so. During the final visit to dealer, to check all the small problems accumulated and to fix them for free, while it is still possible. Just to be sure. And would consider the $25 cost of test as a payment for peace of mind.

However, this is with my tastes and character, my wife's taste and character, our savings and income, our experience, and the information we currently know. Couple of years ago I did not hear about the pressure test, and did not know how cheap it is till the last summer. And six years ago we lived in Russia, where $25 was about 1/4 of my monthly salary.

yurakm · February 2002

I am sure that any GM dealer, and any competent mechanic would put nothing but Dexcool in the modern GM cars. However, the intake manifold gaskets are developing leaks even with Dexcool in several GM engines sharing a common basic design. There is even a special topic on the Edmunds board, where the problem is discussed:

rbenton "Common General Motor's 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 V6's engine problems" Feb 4, 2001 12:15pm

rmyers76 · February 2002

I also had this problem on another GM vehicle. Turned out that the fuel pump relay was bad ($10 part).

I was told that the fuel pump will activate under two conditions:

1: Turn the key in the ignition which sends a signal to the fuel pump relay which in turn activates the pump.

2: If the engine registers a certain oil pressure, it will engage the fuel pump. If you crank long enough with a bad relay, the oil pressure will build and cause the fuel pump to activate.

The above may all be dealer BS but it sounded pretty believable to me.

wwgljy · February 2002

I am just naive on the car and as I mentioned
this malibu is my first brand new car.
After I read all the posts on the common problems on GM specific engines, it turned out to be that
the coolant is not the culpit but the contamination of the coolant in specific GM cooling systems like malibu. I would believe following action would make my engine happy.
but welcome to any comments.

1. pressure test the engine to see if there is
a leak. I dont trust that the dealer has done it when replacing the leaking lower intake gasket.
and also there is upper intake gasket
and head gasket ... worth doing it. yurakm,
thanks.

2. replace all suspect radiator caps, especially those with a Drop-Center design, with a Stant Model 10230 or 11230 (Spring-Center type).

3. Check and keep the coolant pressure cap clean and functioning.

4. Keep the cooling system filled.

5. Keep an eye on the contamination of the coolant and engine oil by checking the engine
oil dipstick and pressure cap. Also I know that
the rust may be similar color to the coolant.

6. anyone out there know that GM gasket itself
had problems????

7. flush and refill the cooling system with
the DEX-COOL (50-50) every 2 years. this may be recommended even the manual says 100,000 and 5 years free maintenance of the coolant.

8. welcome to add more.

Weiguo

wwgljy · February 2002

I am still testing with the key turned first
on acc and listen to the buz of fuel pump finished
and then start. If this failed, I would let
dealer know the relay problems and hopefully
they will fix it. This sounds believeable to me too. mine is hard to reproduce
and how about yours? if hard, How did you get the dealer fix it?

yurakm · February 2002

Well, what you wrote looks reasonable.

GM recommends yearly pressure test. They must know. This is in addition to testing before warranty will expire.

I also replaced radiator cap. It costs only about $5 at Pep Boys. In reality it is coolant tank cap, not radiator one, but it is displayed in radiator caps aisle, and named radiator cap on the package.

By the way, to the best of my understanding, there is less problems with Malibu radiator and radiator cap, than with some other cars using the same engine. The cap and tank are well above radiator, and even with when the coolant level is low, the radiator is still filed to the top. Less prone to contamination, rust, etc.

Flushing coolant every two years looks as overkill for me. I believe that this would be like changing oil every 1000 miles, while 3000 miles are recommended for severe service conditions. I flushed it after 4 years. I mean 4 years after the car was build, not after I bought it.

Disclaimer: do not pay too much attention to my opinion. I have less experience than you. Six years ago I did not know the gas pedal from the brakes.

You told that your Malibu is your first new car. Well, we bought our Malibu used. It was built in July 97, we bought it in September 98, with 15k miles.

We thought then that this was a bargain: almost new car, priced at 15% discount to a new one. And even at this price, it cost more than we could afford comfortably.

Later we learned that the car was put in service in 6/12/98. So the initial owner had it for less than 3 months. And put 15k miles. Looks strange.

The salesman at dealership told us that the previous owner was GM, and a GM employee drove it for business... These time we were proud to understand so complicated things in English. We bought the explanation.

Currently we have strong suspicions that the car could have a bad repair history. A buy-back or something of this kind. Many small problems developed, and several not so small problems.

By the way, the car is in dealership from the last Friday, waiting for tranny replacement. It failed. Even while GM transmissions have a very good reputation concerning reliability. Fortunately, we bought an extended warranty.

mleskovar · February 2002

'97 LS ABS light started coming on intermittently and now it is solid. Chevy says ABS unit needs replacing because battery acid dripped on it...however that was 40K miles ago and it was cleaned off and there are no leaks so I don't think they really know. Any ideas? Car now has 90K miles. Bought the treated rotors and new ceramic pads from Pep Boys. Work great and wear great. Coolant has been leaking since 40K miles but it's so slow it's not worth fixing. My son put the cruise control on at 100mph+ (ticket too!)
and left it there for two hours (desert at night).
Absolutely disintegrated the transmission and differential. Found out they make hardened differentials for police cars.

rmyers76 · February 2002

When I had my problem with a bad fuel pump relay, the problem was all the time. Every time when I went to start the car, it took a good 3 seconds of cranking to get it going.

The dealer picked up on the problem right away when the tech started the car.

Sorry, no help for ya.

yurakm · February 2002

You wrote: Coolant has been leaking since 40K miles but it's so slow it's not worth fixing.

I have read that leaking coolant will eat gradually the metal around the leak. Either the intake manifold, or engine case, or both. Also read, that it can leaks inside engine, and it is even worse.

You wrote: they make hardened differentials for police cars

Malibu as a police cruiser?

mleskovar · February 2002

Yea, that's what I said....police cruiser? Evidently the problem happens a lot because the mechanic said he's put several of them in people's cars. Just don't cruise too fast or abuse the car and it should be OK. The leak is about two ounces a month. It puddles below the intake manifold and spills over to on top of the transmission. Never makes it to the ground. I find it hard to believe coolant will "eat" the metal. The whole block would dissolve! It has rust/corrosion inhibitors in it.

wwgljy · March 2002

I just did the engine pressure test at local
firestone with $20. the service guy told
my wife that there was no "external" leaking. (actually at the very first, they hesitated to
perform the test with the reason that there is
no observed leaking. I dont know what they mean.
if there is observed leaking, why need the test. )
For the internal leaking test, the guy said it needs to open the engine and will cost $100. I think my original goal is to have the engine checked with coolant leaking such as gasket leaking but looks like this can not be done in this test. Not sure if this is the same kinda test as you did? What kind of outcome did you get?
I got the impression that this test can reveal the
engine is leaking coolant. And also the guy said that the test will affect the car cooling system
and may lead to the potential leaking. Please
advise. Thanks a lot. Weiguo

yurakm · March 2002

I do not know. As well as I remember the car manual, it say "pressure test" every year. Not disassembling engine.

When I had the test, the external leak was found. The mechanic told me that there is no internal leak. I do not know, how he knows this. However, given I stopped adding coolant after replacing the gasket, he must be right.

I believe that oil analysis shows coolant in the oil, if it leaks into engine. Had read that the analysis costs about $20. Personally, never did it, though.

wwgljy · March 2002

I talked to the firestone manager today about the engine pressure test. He explained to me how
the test works. He mentioned that the test should
be able to tell if the external cooling system
including the intake manifold gasket is leaking or
not. (this implies that intake manifold is in the external cooling system. I guess since I really dont know how the engine cooling system works). Then I asked if the test can tell if the
head gasket is leaking. He said it was hard to
tell unless you do the coolant analysis or visually check the coolant. So far, no external
leaking and no obvious internal leaking as the manager told me. I am happy. I will keep an eye on my cooling system for potential leaking and contamination. i probably need to find a service book to see how the cooling system is integrated with the engine. Thanks for your info. Weiguo

teo · March 2002

Any servicing GM dealer can pull up complete repair history records on your Malibu, by means of the VIN number.

Carfax.com can provide you with details whether the car was a Lemon, Manufacturer Buyback, etc. This is often a good place to check before commiting to buy ANY kind of used car.

You could have legal recourse if the selling dealer in fact sold you a Lemon vehicle and this was not disclosed to you at time of purchase.

Check your legal rights on this area. You could be the victim of an used car scam.

claywaterfill · March 2002

Hi, Malibu owners. I bought a Saturn SL2 about three weeks ago. It came with Affinity tires like the Malibu's. Sorry if this has been covered before; but, how do you like them? I am thinking about replacing them because I have read so less-than-flattering reviews of the Affinity--noisy, no rain traction, wearing out too quickly, etc. There is also the lack of goodwill associated with the Firestone name as well. Have any of you replaced yours? With what? Am I being dumb thinking about replacing 3 week old tires? Thanks.

tomcat630 · March 2002

I can't wait for the 2004 Malibu!

yurakm · March 2002

I replaced OEM Affinity at 37k. Was wrong not replacing them at 30-32k: the last summer they were unsafe in rain, and squealed when turning as slow as 15mph.

However, if not great, the tires were decent, touring style, while new. Inflate them about 3 psi above the manufacturer recommendations if you prefer more sporty ride. I would not throw away $400 or so they costs.

As to the Firestone goodwill, well, I replaced the Affinity by other Firestone. Firehawk SH-30. The SH-30 are probably the best tires for Malibu, especially in rain / on wet pavement. Know nothing about Saturn.

claywaterfill · March 2002

I have not had the car long enough to know if I'm having problems in the rain or in turns or whatever. I just know I don't read good things about them. I may wait a year or so, though, because I do feel dumb replacing practically new tires. Thanks for your input.

31phantom · March 2002

I have a 99 LS and I have a situation with my transmission.

Every once in a while as I am shifting from "P" into "D" or from "R" into "D" and I start moving, I notice the transmission slips. It happens mostly if I shift too quickly. A mechanic buddy of mine says the transmission filter needs changed. The car has a little over 63K. If I shut the car off for a few seconds that seems to help. Any ideas?

Thanks

yurakm · March 2002

The following link is in Russian, but picture is picture.

http://www.autonews.ru/news/html/newsline/index.shtml?/2002/03/18/30144

According to the article:

- it looks as wagon, with tailgate, but GM is considering it to be "a stretched sedan".

- GM is planing the new Malibu to appear spring 2003.

- it will be build on the Epsilon platform, but the wheelbase will be elongated 7" (18 cm),

- and it looks similar to the Opel Signum concept.

yurakm · March 2002

Probably, you will get more responses on the following board:

"Transmission Traumas?" Mar 17, 2002 10:45am

teo · March 2002

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=4735&sid=178&n=156

compare to 2002 Opel Vectra:

www.opel.com

Sweeeet!

No more rental GM cars!!! Whoooho!

malibu99 · March 2002

Do you know of any place where they might have a spy photo of the new Cavalier?

teo · March 2002

Nope. The upcoming 2003 Saturn ION (Based on the all new GM Delta small car platform) should give you an idea of how the Chevy Cavalier replacement might look like. I believe the ION is to be released within the next few months.

I believe the Cavalier replacement is still delayed. Right now GM/Chevy are putting a great emphasis in the Malibu's replacement for 2004. The Opel Vectra/Signium (Built on the all new Epsilon platform) will be the basis for the all new 2004 Malibu. This car is getting rave reviews in Europe and as far as interior design and exterior looks, the car is as good or better than the current VW Passat, which is the benchmark in the class. I am looking forward to this truly new World class Chevy car when it becomes available in the Spring of 2003.

The next generation Opel Astra is the current runner up replacement for the aging Cavalier. However there have been conflicting reports as to what Bob Lutz' next move will be to address the lackluster small car offerings at GM NA. Originally, the Delta platform was slated to be the basis of the next Cavalier/Astra, but later on other reports stated that our Chevy Astra will rather be built off the all new Fiat Stylo platform (Very beautiful car BTW)and the European Vauxhall/Holden/Opel Astra would be built off the Delta platform available in the '03 Saturn ION.

The Cavalier replacement was scuffled in Consumer Clinics back in 1999 and ever since there have been issues within GM as to how to go about it. To me the Cavalier problem can even be solved by importing the current generation Opel Astra which is a fantastic car, better than the Ford Focus in many respects.

So, in the end, most entry market level new GM products will either be Opel/Fiat derived. The era of "Americanized, invented here, made here" GM entry level products is officially over.

The new 2004 Malibu/Vectra will boast Audi/VW like quality interiors and sharp exterior European styling with German driving manners at a Chevy price!

seminole_kev · March 2002

while I share (some) of your enthusiasm for the Vectra making it stateside, it hasn't exactly been getting "rave reviews". But it should be, much, much better than the out going malibu. As far as the current Astra being better than the Focus in Europe, I don't believe I've seen anyone (other than you just now) say that. The Peugot 307 and Ford Focus are the leaders of that class. I am hopefull that the next Astra will be very competitive in the class and that it will be available stateside.

tomcat630 · March 2002

From what I read, the OPEL Astra is going to be on a Fiat platform, while the Delta will be used on US comapcts; Ion/Cavalier.

The Ion is to be shown next week at the NYC Auto Show. Finally, the S series will die!

goatmeal · March 2002

I have a 2000 buick century with the same engine as the malibu. I went to the buick dealer and looked at tsb 010601010a on his computer. It applies to 3.1 engines with the J designation.
This is the eighth digit in the VIN.
The tsb said that the ticking starts 15 or 20 seconds after the engine is started when cold.
It says to replace the pistons on the effected engines. It also states that this is a customer satisfaction issue and will not affect the longevity of the engine.
The dealer said to leave it overnight and they would listen to it in the morning when it is cold and make a decision. I have the feeling that they will do nothing but say that it is normal. The engine runs good and uses no oil. The ticking can not be heard from inside the car so maybe it is nothing to worry about. Anybody have any ideas on this?

pluto5 · March 2002

You might want to look at the following link related to piston slap problem with GM engines as the worst case senario:

http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/gmpistonslap/index.html

teo · March 2002

What a poorly done, distasteful website. It is a cyber rant or shall we say a hate site.

This dude could have done a much better job of posting relevant information without having to resort to the silly amounts of foul language.

pat · March 2002

You got past all the popups to find something to read there? :-)

goatmeal · March 2002

Thanks Pluto. that is a great website concerning piston slap. I learned a lot.

robby8 · March 2002

I have a 2000 Malibu with approximately 32 000 km on it. There seems to be some pulsing when the brakes are applied, especially at higher speeds. Is this normal? I have had the rotors machined once before. Is it possible for this problem to return? The brakes were okay for awhile but slowly the problem has returned, although not as bad as before. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

dtownfb · March 2002

Is there any way to adjust the pressure on the brakes? It sometimes takes a while for my 2001 Malibu to brake. Meaning, the first few inches (probably only an inch or so) of pushing on the pedal don't seem to do much then I have to really apply pressure to stop. this is mostly when I first start the car so it could be a matter of everything needs to warm up. Just want to make sure I'm not heading towards trouble. BTW I have 12,200 miles on the vehicle. Everything else is going great. Even this is more of a nuisance then anything else.

falcondreamer · March 2002

Well, I was happy(for the most part) with my Malibu until today, I have a 98LS 3+ years old with only 40K miles on it and I should have spent the money for the extended warranty because I am paying for it now.

My car was "using" colant and my ABS light kept coming on so I took it back to the dealership where I purchased the car. Yes the intake manifold gasket had to be replaced and the circut board for the rear tail lights had to be replaced for a grand total of $860. Now keep in mind that this car has just turned 40K and I am very upset with Chevy. From what I have been told there are numerous problems with both of these issues (in addition to the rotors which I had fixed 3 times and then shelled out $330 to have them replaced again)and yet we the owners have to pay for it. I plan to pursue this with them but, It will be David against Goliath. Does anybody know of pending recalls for these issues? The brake lights should be a safety issue as I am surprised that I did not get hit in the rear.

Words of advice to Malibu owners and potential malibu owners:

1- If you are buying a Malibu, get the extended warranty as it will pay for itself because the car has too many costly problems.

2- If you are seeing your coolant getting used and you are still under warranty, take it to the dealership ASAP.

3- If your rotors are vibrating when you use the brakes and you still are under warranty, take the car in ASAP

4- If your tailights don't work, take it in.

5- Bombard GM with complaints if you are experiencing these problems as thay should have called a recall a long time ago considering the number of people who are having problems

6- Don't buy a Malibu! The cost to repair and agravation are not worth it until Cevrolet fixes these problems or recalls the cars already sold.

The sad thing is that I bought a Chevy Venture for my wife and a Malibu for myself (I loved the car at first) and believed in buying American. The Venture has been great with few problems. I wish I could say the same for the Malibu.

If anybody has any ideas how I can get some $$ back from GM please post. The rest of you can learn from experince.

Falcondreamer

yurakm · March 2002

1. Agree. Malibu needs an extended warranty.

Have a 98 base Malibu with v6 engine. Too many small problems during the initial period pointed to the high probability of major repairs.

For $1200 bought a 6 year/100k miles aftermarket warranty, valid till summer 2006. It already paid more than $3000 in repairs. Including the manifold gasket and, recently, transmission.

2. Pressure test the coolant system yearly, as recommended in Malibu manual. It costs only $20-25.

The dealer technician added coolant with every oil change, 3 months / 3000 miles or so. Found the $550 leak only after the warranty expired. However, it was easy to find the problem under pressure test.

Unfortunately, I did not reread the manual , and did not know about the test. And dealer did suggested to have it, for example, with the 30k miles service...

6. After the $1200 warranty, Malibu is still less expensive than most of competition.

pluto5 · March 2002

The best site IMO is:

http://www.lemonaidcars.com/gripe_sites.htm

If you follow the examples given you can probably get some compensation from GM although you may have to go to small claims court.

pluto5 · March 2002

You might try going to a Firestone dealer and telling the manager you are dissatisfied with the Affinity and see if they will give you a generous allowance toward a higher quality tire, either Firestone or Bridgestone. That worked with the old Firestone 500's before they recalled them. Unfortunately the Affinity is a very low price tire and should not be OEM IMO. I have had similar General tires as OEM and got rid of them when half the tread was gone.

pluto5 · March 2002

I suppose you wouldn't have a few choice words, too, if you bought a $30K truck that knocked like a diesel and GM would not fix it?

pluto5 · March 2002

Might add that I have the 3.1 in a '97 and dealer did not recommend any repair for the ticking. I know have 29K and no oil burning it.

goatmeal · March 2002

Mine is a 2000 Buick Century 3.1 litre with 29k. It uses no oil and the ticking can not be heard from inside the car. I decided not to pursue the issue at this time. I will re evaluate when I am closer to the end of the warranty.

falcondreamer · March 2002

My mistake, the bill was only $849 and not $860. The car runs nice now as it should after this.

Yuarkm, thanks for the advice. I wish I had gotten the extended warranty. I suggest that anbody who buys a Malibu gets one as you will end up paying for it one way or another.

You are right about the cost being lower than the foreign cars however, I am now at over $1K in out of pocket costs (in 6 months) and who knows what will be next. My AC/heater motor has the same problem that has been mentioned on this board or will it be the hood or windows or whatever else can go bad. Some of it you expect with wear and tear but to replace major parts before 50K miles tells me that these cars were not built well. Next time it is a Saturn or a foreign car. Too bad Chevy, I was leaning towards the impala in a couple of years.

I will let you know what happens.

2000-2011 Chevrolet Malibu

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