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Chevrolet Malibu Meet the Owners
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Comments
If I drove the 4-door, I doubt if the car would have made the cut, it is a bit bland although certainly competant. The Maxx, however, is appealing because of its oddness and its versitility.
Still find it a bit large, and interior quality appears a bit down from my '01 Elantra. So far everything's worked well, however, and I'm planning to use it this weekend for some heavy hauling.
I asked this before, but does mileage improve as the engine loosens up? Still very good for a big v-6.
Bought a new 05 Maxx LS on 3/7 and LOVING it! Traded in my frontier for it, and never looking back. I got the medium gray and cloth interior, with everything but onstar and leather... im averaging about 25 MPG so far during the first 500 miles, wont complain about that!
About me, im 21 y/o firefighter in the Air Force... Hope to be around for a while!
The dealer screwed up and ended up giving us a HUGE discount off the price to make up for it. They also misquoted the price on the perma-shine rust/paint/fabric protection, so I got that for almost half price. This was the first time that screw ups ended up benefiting us in the end.
About 600 klms on it now and I'm loving every bit of it.
We got the Medium Gray Metallic with the Gray Interior. My favorite feature is the remote starter. What other car has a remoter starter in it from the factory???
However the 2004 Malibu was the FIRST to have such a feature as OEM
What is very, very cool about OEM system is that it is so well integrated into the vehicle electrical system - there are hardly any additional parts or wiring required.
This differs significantly from an aftermarket remote starter which requires a bunch of wiring modifications and often the aftermarker disables the factory anti-theft system in vehicle :mad:
I believe for 2006 that all Malibus will be built "remote start ready" so that even if vehicle on lot didn't have the option it is very easy for dealer to add it.
That plus wasting fuel.
Get everything moving SLOWLY and at the same time, I say.
New to the forum with a 2 day-old silver 05 LS sedan with the 1SB package. My wife and I were looking for a solid, safe, easy to drive sedan that gets decent mileage and is affordably priced. I'm from a loyal toyota family so this was treason, but I rented one a few months back and have been thinking of malibus ever since. I think the new models are great value, and we'll see how this one does!
Great forum, helped me get a decent price and know ahead of time the experiences many people are having.
Great car!
No problems yet but with 650 miles it is too early.
I am very Displeased with this cars reliability.
I do love the gas mileage, 37 mpg average on the hilly alberta highways and 23 around town. Also happy with the reclining rear seat, picnic/parcel shelf, stereo sound when it works, driving dynamics except the wheel hop around corners, driving comfort with the pwr pedals, seats, tilt/tele steering wheel. Command start is a very welcome change to my last car(94 T-bird v8), also the winter drivability compared to my t-bird. Factory tires were more than able on snow and ice.
Also disapointed with the resale values. I paid 26,000 plus taxes with extended warranty and now the book value is only $16,000 with 15,000 kms. Its depreciating faster than i can make payments so im stuck with this car till the end off my lease.
Future mods: 2006 Malibu SS front and rear bumper install, gold paint job, new wheels for summer, a K&N air filter from the 4 cyl malibu, and new struts and tower bar. Might as well make it livable if im gonna keep it.
Looking for some thoughs on a custom roof rack. The yakima or the thule ones are not very pretty. Aside from that have a GREAT SUMMER!@! Rod
my only concern is the temp guage,it keeps going pass the half mark up but not to the highest mark,the overheating light never came on.changed the thermostat and sensor,both didn't help,the mecahnic says everything is functioning well.are malibus that hot?suggestions really really welcomed.
I had a 1973 opel 1900 (in years previous it was known as the Kadett in previous years)... few people know this, but that car design eventually became the Chevette in 1976. As many of us know, the 2004 Malibu is based on the GM Epsilon front wheel drive platform, that is also engineered by Opel. I never cared for the Chevette, but I loved my Opel dearly. It was gitchy cool and very fun to drive.
We have a lot of dirt roads in Michigan... even the paved roads get dirt all over them from all the cars entering from dirt ones. Livingston County MI only has about 60% paved roads... and you can taste the road salt in the air all winter...
Anyway, he was extremely knowledgable about both oil and the GM engine, more so than most of the others on the board (and that's saying something). They take the GM engine algorhythm very seriously and when they say you can trust their indicator they're really very serious about that. The indicator takes a lot of different things into account and some of the links posted above go into great detail.
Modern group II+,III and IV SM oils are very, very good. Dumping any modern oil at 3K is wasteful. Most other engines can't do this. I posted a UOA for my Elantra (with 10w30) SuperTech on bob and it was pretty well used up (TBN about 1) at 4K. That was during winter (my GM indicator showed oil degredation to go way up in winter v. long summer trips) with outside rather than garage parking. When you figure out how many rpms the 2 liter Elantra cranks v. the 3.5 liter Maxx it pretty well equals out.
At the very least you should invest in a used oil analysis or two on this engine before dumping perfectly good oil with about 2/3 of its service life available. I think Blackstone or any other reputable test lab would tell you to stretch things out. I would think that the 5w30 would probably test out as a 5w20, although shear is a lot better than it was 20 years ago. That doesn't bother me since there are so many good 5w20's out there.
I may invest in another uoa when I drop this oil and will post the data here. I'm using Pennzoil 5w30 with one of the new Wal-Mart (Champion) e-core filters. I'd expect the PZ to be a lot more robust than the SuperTech oil used in my late UOA. If I was changing my own, I'd buy TropArtic instead.
165K on a dodge caravan..no problems....45K on a kia sorento and almost 37 K on my maxx now....no problems with any....of course Im probably one of the few people any actually checks the dipstick everytime I fill up too!!!
in 35 years of driving..never had a car (GM/Ford/Chrysler/Dodge/Toyota/Nissan) fail with electrical, engine or AC problems (except a ford explorer...went thru three compressors in a year under warranty!)...averaging 80-100k on each car that I owned as I normally trade every 5-6 years.....but I also followed factory maintenance schedules for most of that time as well....and never was hard on a car in driving styles.....never towed with the vehicle on a regular basis...the uhaul trailer a few times....so I guess Im a fortunate one that never suffered through a car meltdown....
csandste msg..127 was very insightful and there are many articles out today on the modern engines and oil.....I would agree with is statements on oil useage..again..just another data point.....just like the auto injector service offered by the oil change places and dealerships....look into any owners manual and it isnt part of regular maintenance....if one uses a high quality gasoline..with good detergent it will clean your fuel system as it works for you......
BTW...discovered there are 17 grades of gasoline..that refineries make based on the region of the country the product is being sold in..in order to meet environment and air quality concerns.....so why cant we have one standard for the entire country......?
We went right back and bought an 05 galxy silver Maxx Lt loaded, we call him Oliver, We were able to get the employee discount, plus rebate, and other discounts and saved over $6,000. We were never unhappy about the car itself just all the repairs we were having to have done. When you buy your first ever brand new car you don't expect it to be in the shop more than at home. I have so much fun telling others about this car and all of it's features. When it came time for GM to buyback the other Maxx we had the option of taking our money elsewhere. We did not want any other car and do not want any other dealership than the one we had. We have had the new Maxx since June and other than the rotor trouble no real problems. The stereo has a glich every now and then but I can deal with that, and we have a rattle in the roof we are going to get looked at when it's time for the next oil change. We tinted the rear windows,and added a wooddash kit to the stereo these help give it character.
I really hope that GM is not serious about doing away with the Maxx in 07 and replacing it with the HHR the two do not compare. Maxx is way cuter and has many more features.
Having a great dealership to work with helps too. Fitzpatrick is the best. We even got homemade cookies sent to us and free oil changes for the first year.
Unfortunately, I currently have no shortage of problems. I have a returning water leak in the hatch area, the shades in the back don't stay and tend to snap back (even after the fix) which caused them to not roll up completely, intermittent remote start problems, dash peeling, brake vibration (when the car is warmed up, but not cool, which is why the dealer doesn't find any runout) and grinding (when stopping hard and its not very loud), and Auto Volume setting adjustment doesn't always work.
Since this is "Meet the Members" here is what I've got:
2004 Red Malibu Maxx LT build in Feb 04, with the sunroof wind deflector. So far, I've replaced the POS Insignia SE200 tires with Goodyear Assurance ComforTread and they are much smoother. The highway I take every day to work is just about forgotten by the state highway department (ADOT), so it is a mixture of cracks, road sealant and developing potholes. Plus the expansion joints for the bridges aren't evenly lined up with the road, so that can be pretty jarring. But, with the new tires, it certainly takes the edge off of the bumps.
Things I like:
XM Radio - Nice clear sound, even if the XM module doesn't always communicate to the radio correctly every time (sometimes I get the preview channel for the first minute or so of driving).Economy - Highway is great, getting 30-31 on the highway at 65MPH is nice. Around town? Not spectacular. My average economy is 22-23.Power - Engine is powerful and it makes passing easy Transmission - Smooth, most of the time. Sound - The uplevel sound on the LT is excellent!Cruise - Implemented very well. Tries to accelerate for a while before ordering a downshift. Plus, it holds to within 1MPH almost all the time. Unlike my parent's Montana, which goes all over even on the slightest incline.
Things I don't like:
Going back into the dealer repeatedly. The've tried to fix the shades now 3-4 times. :lemon: I'm not going to pursue returning it for a lemon as I have no real mechanical issues (right now). They really should have just done away with that whole design and put a sliding solid shade in. Plus, the hatch now leaks water again. Last time it was from the CHMSL, and it looks like that is going to be the problem again. You would think that with all these years of building cars and SUVs, GM would get that right.Transmission inconsistencies. Usually it is smooth and accurate, but there are times when it gets clunky.Cruise - Yep, got it on this side too. What were they thinking not allowing the cruise to unlock the torque converter. If you want to speed up, holding the accel for a few seconds should not result in a downshift. That usually sends me rocketing past the speed I want to go. Ex: Going 65, want to accel to 70. I know I can tap it 5 times, but sometimes it only gets up to 78 or 79 so I must be tapping too fast. So, for precision, I just hold it down. But...it gets to 79, downshifts and by the time I let go its up to 72 or 73.
despite your issues......my concern would be the leak.......i think you still hold a favorable opinion of the car...at this point....long term may be a different story
I probably not as picky as most are with an automobile....Im a fanatic at keeping it clean and maintaining the service.maintenance, oil changes, tire pressure, etc......but I still love this car....
Yes, I do have a good opinion of the car. But, if this thing starts leaking again out of warranty, I'm going to be pretty POed.
I probably not as picky as most are with an automobile....
I'm probably a little more. I tend to notice the little engineering inconsistencies and stuff. Maybe I should apply to GM?
Im a fanatic at keeping it clean and maintaining the service.maintenance, oil changes, tire pressure, etc......but I still love this car....
Check, check, check and check. :shades:
Larry
Even though i hate this car, its good quality features like the fold down front seat/rear seats, pwr pedals, rear audio controls, good highway mpg, easy maintenance(6-9000km oil changes acording to oil life monitor)would make me love the car if i didnt have so many problems with it.
p.s. resale value has gone up, car still worth 15,400 with 30,000kms.
I'm had a few problems with the electronic steering, where the steering feels like a standard rack and pinion, when it's to cold outside, but the fit and finish of the interior just stinks. I had to have the clips for the front seat backs replaced, and yesterday I had to have the handle on the passenger side rear seat replace since it snapped off.
Besides all that, I'm very happy with the Maxx, I'm surprised that GM could actually create a vehicle that I would recomend and by another one.
Also, I like hearing on Cartalk a few weeks ago, someone from England, was moving back, and taking his Maxx with him because of the fuel economy.
1. Versatile....6 CD changer, adjustable rear seats, heated seats are a few of my favorites.
2. Classy looking, I opted for midnight blue. The fog lights add a nice touch.
3. Was able to use 2000 GM Card miles
4. Engine, this 3.5 V6 is great on the highway and around town.
5. Leg room. I'm 6'4" so I need it for sure.
6. Mileage. I drove from Spartanburg, SC to Charlotte, NC and averaged 30 MPG. Right now there's about 1,000 miles on the car.
I just purchased a 05 certified chevy malibu LS V6. Car has every option that I could ask for except xm radio. I have to say I really am impressed with this car. This car will run like the wind. The power from the 3.5 is unreal for a v-6 that gets over 30 mpg. handles exceptional. comfortable to drive with many creature comforts. Love the remote start. I was scared of the malibu at first but I am glad I bought it now. Great car at a great price. It's fun to see the look on peoples face when the innocent malibu blows their doors off at red lights. But I bought the car for fuel economy not racing so I got to quit that hehehehe, front tires are also expensive. I have to say I would recommend a malibu to my friends and family. Car feels very safe. Currantly looking for custom accessories would appreciate any links.
Take care all.
You'll notice that people do very little complaining about the new Malibus here. In fact there really is only one problem that keeps coming up and thats the steering, which was taken care of after 04. Thats quite impressive when you think about it.
A reason the GMs beat the asians at the traffic lights is good ol north american muscle. Most asians are measuring HP at the flywheel rather than the wheels which makes them look more powerful, on paper at least.
Good luck with the Malibu!