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One TSB at at time. Good thing I like this car! :P
Except for the extra trip for each repair, my dealer's svc. dept. is good. They are accommodating, and once they know what to do, they seem to do a good job. Oh well, still like my Maxx.
I was wondering if anyone might know if there is a sensor in the front bumper linked to the fuel system. AND/OR if I can find out the location of the reset button.
My husband put some sort of starter fluid in the intake and it started right up but as soon as it burned off the car died. (all greek to me)
The Chevy dealership in my area is no help. They just want me to bring it in. If it is a matter of just resetting a button I can save myself a heap of $$$, they are notoriously overcharging!!
Thanks so much!
Kay
k2272@yahoo.com
Still love my Maxx....almost 21k on it now....and just about to reach 15 months old
My concern now is that replacing the headliner may create a whole new bucket full of problems. I could certainly live with the unusable shades. I would hate to have a bunch of creaks and rattles in a car that has none to date (15months, 16,000 miles).
Has anyone out there had the headliner replaced or had the rear shades successfully fixed in some other way? Should I let them keep trying and trust in their ability to do the work properly? Any opinions appreciated.
It's a __major__ repair and I would be ___very___ sure your service provider has an impeccable record on interior trim work (a __huge__ weakness in most dealer shops) before you let them tear your car apart.
At least your dealer is trying - both of mine are totally clueless about this TSB.
Until last night..
Traveling the interstate on the way home from a doctor's appointment I attempted to set the cruise, then let off of the throttle.. and immediately began slowing down. :confuse: Thinking that I'd either bumped the cruise on / off button or that she'd turned it off herself (she does that once in a while) I checked- nope, it was on.
Attempted to set it again. Same result. At this point my wife said "I told you so- keep trying and it'll eventually work.." So I did, and it did, but only after many repeated presses of the button. I had to tap the breaks for slower traffic at one point and then hit resume- the resume works fine (every time). But when I tried to use it to decelerate for a lower speed zone the same issue popped up- that darn set / decel button refused to work unless you continue to tap it incessantly.
So I guess it's time for another visit to my local dealership service department. :sick: While the car is there I'll have to have them check out the creaky driver's seat. (No idea what caused that, but the slightest movement in the seat results in the back creaking like an old stair step. :P)
I see you are having problems with your C.C. as well. See my earlier post for a similar problem:
billymaxx, "Chevrolet Malibu Owners: Problems & Solutions" #1788, 11 Apr 2005 5:16 pm
I think I was experiencing the same problem with getting the cruise control to set. I would press the button in but the C.C. would not stick to the speed. I think what I had to do was hold the button in for a couple of seconds rather than just pressing it in and releasing. Give it a try. Have you experienced trouble with the C.C. disengaging on it's own like I have?
seems you have completed all the TSBs now..what was your build date again....still doing great with mine here...never did get the pics of the bug deflector up..will try this weekend...see you went with Blacks for the GMPP as well.....I will do that shortly....what plan did you opt for..their prices were excellent....need to do mine before its gets further down the road...but still 21K here and not a problem..knock on wood...abeit the minor bulb issue..the socket to be replaced tommorrow if all goes well
As for Blacks, with their $30 off special, it takes their price down to only $50 over my best deal I got with those unnamed folks in Texas. Their constant delays cost them my business. Blacks just sent me an e-mail confirmation that they received my signed letter and personal check; nice touch. Just remember, your price is higher now that you have passed the 12k mark, and will go up again after 24k to (in my opinion) an unreasonable rate for an extended warranty.
This week, I started using the bike hitch again. I also tried some self stick velcro to quiet the squeeks in the sunroof driver's side spring. It did not silence it totally, so I'll have to put some grease over the spring to see if that solves the squeek.
I'm really curious to see how much pollen my 'furnace' filter catches. I checked the filter a couple of weeks ago and tapped out much of the sediment. I'm sure the tree pollen will force me to change the filter by the end of May.
Here is the scoop I have tracked down an 04 LT with XM radio and onstar, and of course all the other bells and whistles of an LT. Like many/most of you I was extremely impressed with the substance this vehicle has.
However, when I initially noticed the left pull on my overnight test drive, I began to research and stumbled upon this forum. This alerted me to other early 04 issues (build date is 1/30/04), after my test drive I addressed this issues with the salesman and indicated I wanted to buy an 04 out of the reported troubled VIN range. Unfortunately this wasn't possible at the price I wanted to pay...
So I am entertaining purchasing this vehicle with these issues being addressed first and I am wondering if some of you whom are more experienced with this car can advise if I have addressed any possible 04 glitches.
Here is the list of issues I asked to be addressed:
1) left pull, gave dealership tsb# 04050 for recall on steering column.
2) howling tranny, tsb# 04-07-300-21
3) rough idle, tsb# 04-06-04-080
4) noisy (understatement) sunroof, tsb# 04-08-67-009
Additionally the dealership has agreed to extend the factory warranty.
Each issue I asked to be serviced was directly correlated to what I experienced during my test drive, for those of you who have had these same issues, have they been resolved with the proper tsb applied? Do you have any other advice regarding this purchase? Additionally I also heard what some of you referred to as a "strut clunk", but wasn't sure if that was resolved with the steering recall or not. I would truly appreciate any advise or experience you could share with me as I consider this a major purchase and intend to drive the car for at least five years. Thank you for your help!
Informational - Vehicle Leads/Pulls Characteristics and Diagnosis #04-03-06-001 - (Sep 10, 2004)
2004-2005 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu MAXX
Lead/Pull Description
At a constant highway speed on a typical straight road, lead/pull is the amount of effort required at the steering wheel to maintain the vehicle's straight path.
Lead/pull is usually caused by the following factors:
Tire construction Variability in the tire construction may produce lead/pull. The rear tires will not cause lead/pull.
Wheel alignment
Brake Drag
Unbalanced steering gear
Visual/Physical Inspection
Inspect for aftermarket devices which could affect the operation of any of the suspension subsystems.
Inspect the easily accessible or visible system components for obvious damage or conditions which could cause the symptom.
Inspect for proper tire size and inflation pressure. Refer to Tire Placard in General Information, SI Document ID #1211368.
Inspect for abnormal tire wear.
Vehicle Leads/Pulls Alignment Diagnosis and Repair
Front cross-caster and front cross-camber are the only wheel alignment parameters that influence lead or pull.
For vehicle leads/pulls diagnosis, refer to Vehicle Leads/Pulls, SI Document ID #1458799.
If the vehicle leads/pulls to the left after performing the steps listed in SI Document ID 1458799 and the front wheel alignment parameters are found to be in specification, adjust the front left and/or right camber to achieve a cross-camber of -0.50° to -0.75°. Refer to Front Camber Adjustment, SI Document ID 1238715. The cross-camber is the difference between the left side camber and the right side camber (cross-camber = LH camber-RH camber). Positive cross-camber may cause the vehicle to pull to the left. For example: If the vehicle pulls to the left, adjust the cross-camber more negative and vice-versa.
Steering Position and Torque Sensor Calibration
Important
ONLY perform the steering position sensor and torque sensor recalibration procedure after the tires, suspension and alignment specifications have been inspected and/or corrected and the vehicle still exhibits a lead or pull condition. Failure to do so may result in additional customer lead and or pull concerns.
After inspecting the suspension, tires and alignment, and if the vehicle still leads or/pulls, it may be necessary to recalibrate the steering position sensor and torque sensor. Refer to Control Module Setup, SI Document ID #1255331.
GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.
WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION
© Copyright General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Got my left light socket replaced under warranty today at Pallone Chevy...in at 730 and out at 840...not bad.....will see if that fixes the problem...scary the amount of stuff your filter is catching....how did yuo make it again..sounds like it might be a weekend project not in the too distant future...
You will probably get nailed by the steering columm (bad sensors, strut clunk) and rough idle.
Fixes are available for both but be sure your dealer is cooperative and will do the tsb's for you.
Howling tranny is iffy around that time - same cavet.
There was a reinforcement for the doors done with March '04 builds and on that make car safer in side impacts. It's not retrofittable.
Palone is a good repair shop.
See my old message for the instructions on installing the filter:
maxx4me, "Chevrolet Malibu" #4481, 11 Apr 2005 4:16 pm!
Hopefully you can find out if your dealer is one of the good ones.
Best of luck!
Maxx4me has had a good experience with them so far....
Now to the front noise and thud: Could not duplicate. Nothing in databases. I left fuming mad. I was 200 feet from the dealership and the noise and thud came again. I drove back to the dealer and this time the manager went with me. He heard it. His odd comment was "I heard it, but are you sure it isn't the bump in the road. I think you're expecting too much." I know the difference between tire thud and metal banging. He and the service tech both told me they have annoyances with their Chevys.....they just tolerate them. How's that for an answer. He then offered to keep the car and maybe see if something develops. I said, I need my car to drive. How do I get around without it? He said, "Guess you'll have to go rent a car, or have us check it again the next oil change." By this time, my blood pressure is so high, I'm about to blow a gasket (me, not the engine). I told him there won't be an oil change. Now, I have to decide what I will do next. Go find another dealer.........or trade the thing off.
Maybe I lucked out and got a dealer who honestly cares in customer satisfaction and return business...A service managers comment that maybe you are expecting too much....my comment back to him would have been maybe you arent interested in my business or are too lazy to keep it.....Had that been me I would have asked for the owner or the senior representative of that dealership on the spot!!!!..I know...Im not there..but Ive heard of too many of these experiences on this board about lousy service departments....incompetent technicians..or a simple its not my problem attitude, in a customer oriented service...do these guys honestly think we would ever buy another car from the dealership after being treated this way!!!...I dont think so.....
my two cents....find another dealer...with an honest service department.....HEY GM...are you listening!!!!!! especially after your 2M vehicle recall announced last night for the SUVs!!!!!!!!
The sad part of this story is that it did not take me more than 15 yards of driving off the dealer's lot to hear the rattle, as the car left the cement apron and went on to the blacktop one tire at a time. But this also means that I don't believe the steering column is the solution to the rattles you and I are hearing.
I think there might have been a couple of PCM software updates since that timeframe!
But yes, adding a pad on the console to keep the belt buckles from banging against the console can help.
Another place to look for rattles is the rear seat. Some positions of the rear seat will have its back banging against the shock towers instead of resting on the rubber stops. I showed mine to the folks at a GM clinic and they kinda shrugged their shoulders and simply suggested I keep the seats in positions where their seat backs don't bang the rear shock towers.
Sadly, though the Maxx is an improvement over older GM cars, it seems GM still doesn't "get it" with many interior trim issues.
Would you recommend buying an 05 MAXX LS?
This first happened about 2 months ago when my wife was driving from New Orleans to Houston. She started with a full tank and after driving about 260 miles (fuel is relatively low, showing 1/8-1/4 left), the car suddenly lost power (meters stil working, so appears engine shut off). My wife had to pull off to the shoulder, then wait a while and restart and she can drive a short distance. Then same thing happened. After several times, my wife found a gas station and filled up then the problem dissappeared.
Then the same thing happened earlier and more frequently during a long trip, engine shut off when fuel gauge showing half then 3/4 tank left. Also after restart, the car can only run at low speed 50-60 mph. After filling a full tank, the problem dissappeared.
The car runs fine locally.