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2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu

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Comments

  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    I have the 6-speed on the 3.6L mill and it shifts smooth as silk, never an issue.

    I wonder if this is a 6-speed / 4 cyl. glitch?
  • billm6billm6 Member Posts: 5
    I have the 6 speed / 6 cyl and let me say I love this car and I got a great deal. For the most part the shifting is quite smooth, however, I do notice the downshift at low speeds very slightly. I actually thought (or still think) it is supposed to do that because the engine actually slows the car down a bit as if I were downshifting a manual transmission. I thought it was a feature that is part of the 6 speed until I read this post.

    My wife's Mazda does not appear to downshift at all and if it does it definitely does not slow the car down. I often find myself grabbing the manumatic gear shift to manually downshift. I had to have the rotors machined before we even drove it for a year.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    I do find the Malibu does slow itself down more than my old car, it's all good as it saves brakes. I notice a light shift down but heck, it not obtrusive. When I floor it what impresses me is the speed and almost unnoticeable shifts. I love that not to mention the snarl of the 3.6.
  • pegasus17pegasus17 Member Posts: 536
    Anyone have this model? It was only built for a short while but basically you get the engine for free ($850 discount) so you end up with a 24k 1LT MSRP. still working the final price due to all the incentive soup...
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    I think 3.5L Malibus were specially made for rental fleets, they were not available for retail but maybe a few slipped through.

    The 3.5L is not a bad engine, pretty efficient and reliable. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it, especially if you get a good deal.
  • bwiabwia Member Posts: 2,913
    Don't know what happened but suddenly I have been seeing a lot of Malibu's on the roads around Boston. Is this only a Boston phenomenon or is it a national trend? To increase sales further, GM should introduce more and bolder colors. At prsent there are too many grey and neutral colors make the Malibu look too generic and anonymous. Ours is the imperial blue with the cocoa/cashere Katzkin (after market) leather interior which is very nice indeed.

    By the way our 2008 is doing fine, no problems so far...no squeaks, leaks, rattles, thumps or broken switches and dials. Great car!
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    I see more in the last month than I had seen all winter also. That said, I started a new job and I drive a bit more / farther now also so maybe it's an illusion.

    That said, it was nice driving mine when there were very few around. I got lots of stares and second looks which I loved. Malibus are very nice compared with the sea of dull Camrys on the roads.

    I am just over 6 months now. No issues aside from some overheating when my rad got iced over after driving through a storm in the winter. Not the car's fault obviously.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    "By the way our 2008 is doing fine, no problems so far...no squeaks, leaks, rattles, thumps or broken switches and dials. Great car!"

    Great to hear this...if only GM did this 10 years ago and did it across the entire vehicle lineup, maybe they wouldn't be in the straits they are today...

    Chapter 11, here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    Chapter 11, maybe. But GM is not going anywhere and it's not in so much trouble because it made bad cars. It's in trouble because it's costs are so high, at one point about $2000-3000 more than transplants per car.

    Sure they have made bad decisions also but $2000+ per car is a lot of money that would have kept them much stronger over the years. Thanks UAW!
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    My brother in law just pulled the trigger tonight on a 2009 Malibu LTZ base with a moonroof and upgrade stereo. He was looking at the Camry, Altima and 2010 Fusion. He took my LT2 V6 for a couple of drives and I think it sold him along with the looks.

    Now that summer is coming I am jealous of his sunroof. :cry:
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    Chapter 11, here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I never could understand why some people would be happy that people may be losing their jobs.

    I am at 11K miles and my 2008 is doing great !

    I am glad we are back to Sunroof season too. The heated seats got me thru the winter, but an open sunroof makes the daily commute so much more enjoyable.
  • etcarrolletcarroll Member Posts: 87
    Malibu was 3rd on my list, after Genesis and G8, to replace my 2001 Impala. I'm 6'3" @ 310lbs, 55" through the shoulders, 50" in waist.

    Just got back from Orlando for 5 day vacation, rented a 08 Malibu, and hated it.

    Good looking car, and it drove fine, but everytime I got in I caught my left, rear thigh on the point that results from the continuation of the driver's door arm rest when the door is open.

    After 1st day, I looked at door frame and figured out the problem, and with that knowledge was able to gently work my hips past the point, but still gently brushed the still sore area on the point.

    By day 5 I was cursing the car.

    Too bad.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    How do you get in the car? I have never got caught on anything at any time getting in.
  • bmason77bmason77 Member Posts: 2
    Can anyone tell me or does anyone know where I can go and what equipmet I need to purchase to get a deep rumble out of the exhaust? I know Its not a big souped up V8 but I believe I can get that nice muscle sound from my 2009 V6. I love my Malibu and I have given her some cosmetic up dates that are very sharp, from Larger rims and tires, chrome door handles, chrome door pillars, chrome grill, and tinted windows but my work of art will not be complete until I can get the sound I want. Can anyone help.....please?
  • etcarrolletcarroll Member Posts: 87
    Like everyone else, one leg at a time -

    Seriously, I'm 51, have driven many cars in my life, a motorcyclist for 20 years, and a class II CDL driver. I'm not a lame-o. I don't 'get caught' on anything, but bumped into the small bit of the arm rest that's exposed when you have the driver's seat pushed all the way back and all the way down.

    Moving the seat forward to block the offending armrest portion then makes it difficult to get my head to clear the roofline on getting in.

    It's a small thing, but it absolutely killed my desire to own this car.

    My number 3 pick is now a used pre-2005 Impala with low miles, instead of a new Malibu.
  • 10sfan10sfan Member Posts: 136
    At 6' 185 llbs, my problem was the pillar/post between the front and rear door. My wife who is 5'.5" 115 lbs also noticed this annoying bit Bad ergonomics. No sale for us.

    Now thinking of the Buick Lucerene as the Impala (reminds me of a police car or rental agency vehicle)

    Will wait to see how GM, the Government and potential bankruptcy turns out first..One looses enough on a vehicle purchase when purchasing from a financially strong manufacturer.
  • bohemia1bohemia1 Member Posts: 33
    I am a bit smaller at 5'8" and 170 pounds but I also have a problem getting out of my 08 LT2. The shape of the seat combined with the door pillar seem to make it difficult to swing out my legs and then get up. You must raise your legs to clear the sill, pivot and fight the seat cushion bolster, move forward to clear the door pillar, and then attempt to stand up. I find pulling on the steering wheel helps.
    I do not have this issue with other vehicles.

    This issue alone would not stop me from purchasing a Malibu however. My 08 has been great!
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    Just hit a speed shop, they should be able to help you.

    Personally I love the sound of the V6 stock twin pipes. It has a great snarl.I would like to add fog lights to my V6 2LT but I can't find any that look stock or really close.

    Oh well, at least the car has great head lights!
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    Never had an issue or even thought about it. Must be ok for most people, it's the first I have heard of this?
  • etcarrolletcarroll Member Posts: 87
    Hey - who deleted my rimshot from my post above?!?

    Seriously, is this forum that PC?
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    "I never could understand why some people would be happy that people may be losing their jobs."...no, I believe you missed my point... I have NEVER been happy that someone is losing their job...Chapter 11 is what the copany must do in order to survive by shedding its debt and its burdensome UAW contracts...yes, I acknowledge that some jobs will be lost as a consequence of Ch 11, but it is the Ch 11 that will allow GM to continue on as a smaller, yet viable company...

    I am sure we can agree that GM cannot continue on in its current form, having lost 40 billion $$$ in the last 5 or 6 years, and some of those years were record sales years...if GM cannot make money in a record sales year, surely we can agree something is wrong...I believe it is the UAW cost structure and restrictive work rules that force GM to employ 6000 workers in a plant to make the same number of cars that Honda can do with 2000 workers...add to that restrictive work rules and you have a recipe for disaster, which is what GM has been for well over a decade...

    So, no joy in lost jobs, but I must acknowledge that in order to save the company to employ what it can in the future, many jobs will be shed in the Ch 11 in order to survive...no happiness, juts a simple acknowledgement that it must happen, as GM became bloated over the years with jobs "created" (UAW featherbedding) out of thin air that never should have existed to start with...

    Change is tough, but it must occur or GM cannot survive at all, and then the job loss will be even greater...

    It is obvious to the outside observer (me) that the entire autmaking infrastructure must shrink and shed jobs in order to survive in the current market, one where the imports have 50% and the Big 3 (2?) now share the other 50%, unlike the past where the imports had 15-20% and Big 3 had 80%-plus...those days are history...GM, Ford, and all of their suppliers will shed capacity and jobs in the next year like never before...not making me happy, just a simple fact that, IMO, is undeniable, and shedding tears will NOT change a thing...
  • megzinmegzin Member Posts: 3
    I still love my 08 Malibu LT2 that I bought used in October last year. However, I've been noticing an increase in loud squeaky noises whenever I go over a a speed bump, or even a small dip in the road , or make a sharp turn. It's coming from the entire back of the vehicle. The bottom, the top, the back doors, sometimes it seems like the noise is coming from the backseats too. There's nothing in my trunk or backseat so I know it's not being weighed down.

    It happens very often when driving. For such a pretty car, it's very embarrassing driving down the road. It's like dressing up for a special occasion only to have broccoli in my teeth and toilet paper stuck on my shoes! :sick:

    Does anyone know why this is occurring?
  • bandit08bandit08 Member Posts: 14
    I had the 2008 LT and my car did that alot almost from the beginning. I was told it was the Electronic Stability Control and that it was normal, however, I feel that was misleading. I also had to have new brakes and rotors put on twice and was told by the dealer's service dept that this was normal also. Needless to say, I do not have the car anymore.
    Someone had suggested to me that I go to another lot (in a car other than the Malibu)
    and test drive the Malibu to see if it does the same thing but I never did.

    Good luck.
  • yuryyury Member Posts: 146
    hmm....when everything squeaks like that it makes me think that there's a common reason. First thing that occurs to me is dry rubber seals, which can be helped with some silicone spray (or grease). Rubber can get like that, I would consider that normal.
    Also there are couple more things specific to Malibus. First is the rear seat belt buckles hitting the seat surface, in the case of my 2LT, vinyl, which tends to increase in the cold weather. Second is the door "armrests", namely the connecting surfaces there. I had one of those squeaking from day one and my solution was, again, a delicate application of silicon spray. So, it's either excessive dryness caused by local weather conditions or perhaps there's some factory coating that is missing at places. At any rate, more a maintenance item that anything.

    Also, I keep reminding myself how quiet the car is which brings things like that to light.

    Of course I haven't driven your can and I don't know for sure.
  • bandit08bandit08 Member Posts: 14
    Maybe I am not clear about the noise. Mine was more like going over rumble strips on the side of the road, but it did it on every small dip, curve, and uneven pavement on the road. I drove the same curvy road 2 times a day and it drove me crazy to hear it all the time.
  • yuryyury Member Posts: 146
    bandit08, I was actually replying to megzin's post where he or she complaing about squeaks coming from all over the car. No idea what it is in your case...
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    My 2LT is very much squeak free.

    Go for a ride with a tech from your dealer. I did that with my old car when I had a noise and he identified the issue very quickly. You can not just have them look at it, the drive is key or they will claim "can not duplicate".
  • megzinmegzin Member Posts: 3
    Thank you all for your suggestions! Hopefully I won't be charged an arm and leg just to find out what the problem is.
  • yuryyury Member Posts: 146
    It should be covered under warranty.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    Absolutely. It's warranty work.
  • mar008mar008 Member Posts: 2
    Recently purchased a 2008 Malibu LT. After the purchase noticed the seat rails under the seat are all rusty. There is no record of the car being in a flood. I think it is strange these would be rusty and wondering why or how this could happen. Anyone else have any idea?
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    I don't mean to be TOO sarcastic, but here's an answer..."General Motors...Bankruptcy...due to loss of market share...due to products with problems like yours"

    It has to make you wonder how stuff like this happens...
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    do the rails appear to be painted or not....not sure that they should rust....did you buy it ne?...you didnt indicate either way.....is it all the seat rails or just one that is rusty??
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    Your comments are utter nonsense and unhelpful.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    You mentioned it's an 08. Was it a used car?
  • sidewinderzsidewinderz Member Posts: 49
    Do a CarFax check on your Malibu
  • mar008mar008 Member Posts: 2
    The rails were painted and we did not buy it new. The drivers seat is all rusted and then the passenger seat is starting to rust. It seems odd, never seen anything like this happen. The dealer stated that it is happening to all cars even the new ones. He blamed it on the manufacturer. Who knows, they are going to replace them.
  • sidewinderzsidewinderz Member Posts: 49
    Sounds like water damage to me ! Check the rug inside for any signs of mildew and check hinges all around the car .. any rust ? . Still check with CarFax
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    We have had 2008 Malibu almost a year and there in no rust issue whatsoever. The dealer is telling you a lie. I too think this sounds like water damage of some kind?

    You can try and have it corrected as warranty work but you may me denied as it does not sound like a manufacturing fault.
  • bwiabwia Member Posts: 2,913
    We are in the 18th month of ownership of our 2008 Malibu LS.

    Well would you know it--our 2008 Malibu with 15,000 miles was doing fine until the brakes suddenly started to pulsate. We took it to the dealership and their technician determined that the brake rotors had excessive “run out” (whatever that means). They resurfaced the two front rotors and road test. The tech says pulsation was better after the resurfacing but still there. They then resurfaced the rear rotors, which feel much better although not as good as original. Also, the initial shrill on drive-off was eliminated. Thank god that annoying noise is gone.

    On the electronic side both remote control units failed. Again, the tech found the terminal was loose on circuit board. He soldered the terminals back and they are both working fine again.

    Both repairs were covered under warranty. When we asked how much it cost they refuse to disclose how that information. Not that it matters since Obama has guaranteed all GM warranties.

    Nonetheless, our Malibu is doing fine. It is as smooth and as quiet as ever. The AC is working great and apart from the repairs noted above we have not had any other issues. Maintenance costs are extremely low, just three oil changes and set of wiper blades in 18 months.

    Great car and we are enjoying our Malibu.
  • gonogogonogo Member Posts: 879
    My 04 remote did the same thing, solder broke. Looks like they are still delivering poor quality remotes, just like GM. I repaired my own,no charge.
  • ohgeezohgeez Member Posts: 12
    Well car has only 800 miles, clearly audible front suspension clunky noises resonate inside car. I think this may actually be normal with these cars, or is it defective bushing dampening issue? The wheel fascias also rattle very badly causing embarrassing worn suspension jalopy noises that I'm not too happy with. They are not clamped down tight the perimeter of wheel the old fashioned way. Maybe those tiny stick on felt pads all the way around will help. Overall fit and finish is very good, excellent ergonomics and like the low pro file gangster widows, even smaller than Lexus that makes the look really good. Excellent ergonomics, I've avoided buying GM because of this problem for years, You know GM geezer ergonomics Seats don't slide back far enough and steering wheel placed too far and high from pedals.
  • kplacerkplacer Member Posts: 97
    I never heard any clunky front suspension noises when I have driven Malibus.

    As for wheel fascias, not sure what you are talking about. A 1LT does not have hubcaps, it has alloys, so I am baffled. In any event you have a warranty so take it back to the dealer.

    I passed on the Bu because of those low-profile windows among other reasons. It is a stylistic trend I do not appreciate. Hopefully the light, airy greenhouses and low cowls of a decade or two ago will soon make a return.
  • bandit08bandit08 Member Posts: 14
    I had the 2008 LT model and had to make several trips to the dealer for brake and/or
    rotor problems. I also had the ESC come on all the time.......in curves that had little dips, slight roads that had uneven spots, ect..... I loved the car but got tired of those issues and got rid of it.
  • sidewinderzsidewinderz Member Posts: 49
    >Hopefully the light, airy greenhouses and low cowls of a decade or two ago will soon make a return. <
    I too miss those" airy greenhouses " big , wide windows on my previous GM car
    ( 1996 Pontiac Sunfire) Hopefully my next car (also a GM.... I HOPE ) will go back to the older style
    BTW-I have an '08 Malibu with no issues .. 10k on it .Purchased in May 2008
  • ohgeezohgeez Member Posts: 12
    Sorry 1LS, according to build your own Malibu site only 2LT comes with std 17" bright aluminum alloy, 1LS & 1LT have the spoke fascia hub caps which i do like and hard to tell it's not alloy. I've tighten the plastic screws, the clattering noise is embarrassing and unbearable.

    Going to ask the dealer to upgrade to Alloy, not looking for even swap but maybe pay the difference of cost and not pay full price. GM parts is offering them at $285.60 each from $403.39.

    The noisy suspension sounds like it's attached to the frame without bushings, i understand every car makes this noise over rough washboard surface, but this car is just way to loud.
  • ohc6sprintohc6sprint Member Posts: 23
    I had a similar noise develop in my 2008 Saturn Aura. It clunked on turns, driveway transitions and when I reversed direction. It was a worn pitman arm bushing. Car had 15,000 miles on it. Service tech told me that he has seen bad bushings in cars under 1000 miles. It took only an hour to replace part and totally eliminated the noise.
  • vanman1vanman1 Member Posts: 1,397
    I have had my Malibu almost a year and it's as smooth and quiet as day 1.

    If you are having a clunk, get it checked immediately.
  • bohemia1bohemia1 Member Posts: 33
    My 2008 2LT Malibu (Purchased May 08) developed a "clunky noise" from the front suspension at about 2,400 miles. Dealer replaced a sway bar and all good since. Now at almost 16,000 miles
  • e_net_ridere_net_rider Member Posts: 1,380
    Attention Everyone!
    The most common cause of warped rotors and drums (if you have them) is having a wheel removed from the auto as in rotating tires or brake inspections. Wheel nuts are to be tightened upon reinstall to specific torque values. Too often the mechanic uses an impact wrench that is not set or calibrated to that vehicle. He may be using one that will install truck wheels to 160 ft-lbs. They then try to guage the correct tightness by feel of the torqueing motion of the impact gun. There is no way to be accurate with that. Consequently you end up with a wide range of different torque values on the nuts. Over time that uneven pressure spreads to the face of the rotor and you develop that shimmy, pulsation, etc. For a few years there were attachments to use with those impact guns known as torque sticks. A few years ago, ASE, American Society of Engineers, said using a torque stick was no longer valid. These means the only way to correctly tighten your wheel nuts is with a calibrated torque wrench or with an impact gun that is calibrated for a specific torque value. The latter would mean that the mechanic would probably need to have at least a dozen of those guns laid out in a row to get the proper one for your vehicle. If the mechanic can not prove he used a torque wrench, it is a free brake job, and I would not settle for turning of rotors since most of the time it can only be done once. I would insist upon new ones, especially if yours were low mileage.
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