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Chevrolet Malibu Maxx General Care and Maintenance

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Comments

  • rdesantisrdesantis Member Posts: 30
    no problem. The door edging is very DIY freindly. Its very similar to the isulated pipe wrap that you have around your water pipes. Cut the desired length you wish to cover then, open the seam. There is adhesive on the inside that allows the vinyl door guard to stay put. Push on and rub the stip so it doen't move. The 3M product is a good one too, i beive he is referring to Clear "maq taq" found at hardware stores and even wall mart.
  • nydogboynydogboy Member Posts: 6
    thanks so much. i'll will use your solution.
  • nickdnickd Member Posts: 14
    My Maxx is getting close to the 5 year interval for changing out the DexCool. Anybody here know how to drain it? I can't find a drain plug on the radiator and the hoses look like they are about half way up so taking them off won't drain much.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    Quess I cant complain..my 04 Maxx LT will be five years old this week..just rolled over 140K on the odometer this weekend...had to take it in for the VA safety inspection.....and yes my mechanic does a real inspection...noticed the front tire rod was bad at the joint.......so had to replace it......$330 to include part (Only GM makes it...$100), front end alignment ($90) and labor hour and half for $140.....first component of any kind that need replacing....so not bad....
  • scanman88gtscanman88gt Member Posts: 16
    I am the second owner of a 2006 Malibu Maxx. The car had 28,000 miles on it when we bought it in Jan. of 2008. The car now has 60,000 miles on it and has developed a problem that scares the holy hell out of me. Unfortunately, the dealer has been unable to reproduce the problem. My wife has been complaining about it for a week or so. Every time I had taken the car out to check it out, it seemed fine to me.

    This problem kind of gradually creeps up on you, scares the hell out of you, then fades away as if it never occurred. I finally experienced it while driving this past weekend, so I don’t think my wife is imagining it. I drove the car on the interstate at 70 mph for about 45 minutes, with no issues. The wife needed to have me stop at a rest area so she could use the facilities. I parked the car and turned off the engine. I waited about 10 minutes, then we proceeded on our way. In merging onto the interstate, I noticed that traffic was really coming up behind me fast. I pressed down on the accelerator, and it seemed unusually “stiff”. I finally kicked it into passing gear to get up to speed. The tachometer shot up way past 4000 rpms, then settled back to under 2000 rpms pretty quickly. About 5 minutes later, I started to hear this rhythmic thumping coming from the right front of the car. It almost sounded like I was driving over those rumble strips that they have along the edges of the highway. It was faint at first, but then it got louder and louder and I could feel a matching vibration thru the floor and the steering wheel. I went to use the brakes to slow the vehicle and I thought the front end was going to shake right off of the car. It was really scary. I drove a few extra miles at reduced speed, and it eventually faded away to nothing and it was like it had never happened. We got to our destination, and stayed for about an hour.

    I drove the car home, and it never once happened the whole way home (about 90 miles). I have the car in for service at the dealership that I bought it from, and they are doing a few things under warranty. I had asked them to look into a clunking noise from the front end which occurs when I straighten out the steering wheel after making a turn. They said it was a loose outer tie rod end and they replaced it. They didn’t mention any other front suspension issues. I figured that if it was something mechanical like a bent half-shaft or bad CV joint that it would be doing this constantly. They said that no fault codes were stored in the ECM, and that they had taken the car out on the highway several times and were unable to get the car to do it again. While they had the car, I had them do the recommended 50,000 mile transmission service. I figured that if this turns out to be a transmission problem, at least I can say that we did the recommended maintenance. My extended warranty has only got another 40,000 miles on it, although I’ll be making another 3 years of car payments on this vehicle. My wife puts about 100 miles a day on it going to/from work.

    Have you ever heard of anything like this happening with a Malibu Maxx, and if so, what was it?

    I hope that you can shed some light on this or give me some advice. I just lost my job 2 weeks ago, and money is going to be kind of tight till I find a new one.
  • nydogboynydogboy Member Posts: 6
    cabin filterMy 2007 Maxx has a cabin filter. Is this something I can change?
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    tire rod could have caused the issue you described......was curious though about your 50K transmission service...was that the dealer recommended service....the owners manual has a requriement to change fluids out at 150k since its a sealed transmission....no dip stick......at least that is the change interval on my 04 Maxx....I had the fluids changed at 100k....and will again at 150K.....just turned 141k today.....
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    do a search for it...I beleive you have to remove the glove box to get to it......this was brought up for the 04 models...which didnt come with a filter but you could do an easy mod to a saturn ion filter to fit the 04 Maxx
  • scanman88gtscanman88gt Member Posts: 16
    I may have been mistaken about the trans service (looks like the 50,000 mile service was for severe use. Regular use should've been at 100,000 miles according to my owner's manual). As it turns out the trans cooler lines were leaking, so they were both replaced by the dealer the other day. I had a lower intake manifold gasket leak, so they fixed that too. The outer tie rod end replacement seemed to really help. They told me that my brake pads were pretty much worn down front and rear, however being unemployed, I couldn't see spending $280 to have the dealer replace them. I bought new pads today at O'Reilly's and am going to have my local guy install them for about $100 (maybe less, if I help him). The pulsing that I felt while braking during these episodes is non-existent when the car isn't having one of these "fits". So, hopefully we won't have to turn the rotors. Once I get the new pads on, I'm going to take it out on the Interstate and see what happens.

    I called the dealer that did the work, and told him that I still hear the "thump" coming from the left front after straightening the wheel out after turning. He suggested that I bring the car back and have one of his tech's ride with me to see what I'm hearing.
  • beedublubeedublu Member Posts: 236
    My 04 Maxx just hit the 64K mileage mark and I've not yet had to do anything with the brakes. But just lately I've noticed, especially on damp mornings, a certain grinding or scraping noise on the first few applications of the brakes. It seems to be coming from the rear, so I took a look at the rotors through the spokes of the wheels. The right rear one seems to have a dark band, close to the edge, that looks like scoring.

    So......I guess it's time to do some brake work. The question for all you who have had work done on your Maxx's discs...what kind of ball park $$$ am I looking at? Did you have it done at your dealer, a Goodyear-type place or an independent? Just wondering -- thanks.
  • nickdnickd Member Posts: 14
    That Thump you hear is a common problem with Malibus with Electric Power Assist steering. There is a TSB out (I don't remember the number though you can probably find it on this forum). Basically the fix is to squirt a lubricant (I use Liquid Wrench) at the spot on the steering column where the inner shaft goes into the outer shaft. You can find this spot where the steering column goes into the firewall. A couple of squirts, turn the wheel a few times and the noise will go away. I relube whenever I do an oil change. Either way, it's not a dangerous condition or anything. I would certainly try it before throwing money at the dealer.
  • nickdnickd Member Posts: 14
    My rear brakes only get between 50 and 60k before the inboard pad on the passenger side wears to the wear indicator. At that point it makes a screeching/scraping noise. You CANNOT see this through the spokes of the wheels. I do it myself for the cost of $25 pads but you have to have a caliper piston screwdown tool to do the rears (about $40 on Amazon). They turn the piston while depressing it which is necessary, unlike the fronts which you can squeeze with a pair of channel locks. I would probably go with an independent as it's a very easy job. Also, I've never had those rotors turned since either and it's never been a problem. You may get some very minor brake squeal though if you don't. My guess is that an independent garage would charge about $200-$250 for the job and a dealer about about $100 more than that.
  • scanman88gtscanman88gt Member Posts: 16
    I just did the brakes on my Maxx today. It cost me $54.55 total from O'Reilly's for the pads, and my local mechanic charged me $100 for putting them on. I was surprised by the rear pistons screwing in like that. I've never seen anything like that that before. How long does it take for them to return to their "normal" position after screwing them in like that? Any specific tips on getting the pads seated all way round? A couple of hard stops shoud do it, right?
  • nickdnickd Member Posts: 14
    The reason they screw in is because of the emergency brake mechanism I believe. They don't screw out so as soon as you step on the brake the piston will go out and engage the pad. You don't even need a hard stop.
  • maxxlibertymaxxliberty Member Posts: 82
    >Did you have it done at your dealer, a Goodyear-type place or an independent?<

    Most trouble-free service I've had has been from small shops that are owned by the guy doing the job - who should be a ASE certified Master Technician.

    I'm in the South and some time ago had brake work done by a place called "Just Brakes" - not recommended. Have had Sears do some work - not recommended.
    Had a ASE Master Tech do some work - excellent.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    Im averaging about 65-70K between brakes...on my third set now wiht 140K on the car....Im not a mechanic, nor do I have the space, tools or time to do the work..my experience is roughly $200 an axle, which includes pads, and labor to install and turn the rotors....I have never gotten the Maxx out of a brake job for less than $400...and that is in Northern VA through both a local ASE self employed mechanic...and Merchants Tire....with another ASE mechanic that I perfer to use there.......add rotor replacement and its another $150 an axle for the parts....
  • scanman88gtscanman88gt Member Posts: 16
    One thing I forgot to mention is that one of the wheels for my Maxx has a pretty good ding along the outside edge (almost like a curb was run over or something), although they were able to balance the wheel when I had the new tires installed. I had forgotten that this wheel was on the passenger side rear before I got the tires rotated about a month ago (which is coincidentally when the wife started to complain about this problem).

    After getting the dealer to replace the outer tie rod end on the passenger side front and putting new brakes on all way round last Friday, I had the tire with the dinged rim moved back to the rear of the car. We took a trip yesterday with 2-1/2 hrs of driving each way, and didn't feel a single ominous vibration of any type, so I think the problem may be fixed. I was really surprised at how cheesy the design on these wheels looks (we have the factory steel rims with the fake aluminum colored wheel covers). Are the factory alloy wheels for this car any beefier in construction than the steel wheels? It doesn't look like it would take much to damage these stock wheels.
  • kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    The filter is easy to change. You have to first get the glove box door to drop down fully, which you can do by opening the door, then pulling the sides of the drawer towards the center of the drawer (this lets their molded-in stops clear the glove box housing's sides).
    Then look towards the top of the opening and you will see a small latch and door on the side of the HVAC housing. Once the latch is opened (you either press it down or flip it - it's been a year since I've owned a Maxx), the door can be raised and you can then pull the cabin air filter out and replace it.

    '04 Maxxes did not come with the filter. I juryrigged a Saturn ION filter and plastic support mesh inside my HVAC filter opening, which worked very well.
  • kurtamaxxxguykurtamaxxxguy Member Posts: 1,798
    The alloy wheels are reasonably sturdy. However, you have to be careful when having them torqued as over torquing (over 100 lbs per wheel lug) will cause brake rotor deformation and pulsing brakes.
  • vasy1vasy1 Member Posts: 3
    new rear refill: blade wsw 1039-2621 (chevy part number)
    or Trico 45205 wiper refill (have to trim); ANCO N-14R, 350 mm
  • maritime_maxxmaritime_maxx Member Posts: 2
    Are there any Haynes or Chiltons repair manuals for the 2004-07 Malibu (/Maxx)? I can't find anything on a Google search.

    Also, what are the best sites online to buy parts for the Maxx? I live in Canada, so shipping fees are important. Thanks. We've had our Maxx for 5 months now and so far, so excellent! :D
  • rdesantisrdesantis Member Posts: 30
    Google Haynes...was not specific to Maxx just malibu (You probably know this already). Contact them thorugh Mail or email www.haynes.com/contact.us and www.haynes.com/products/productID/509
  • wantamaxxwantamaxx Member Posts: 7
    I just got home from driving my maxx in a little bit of snow. Usually when I drive in the snow I use the +/- button on my shifter to drive in lower gears (usually 2nd) which gives me a lot more control. I came upon a large hill and my car started to slide quite a bit, I was going pretty slow so I tried to put the car in second gear and it would not work at all. I could get the car to down shift but no lower than third gear. Is this a sign of a transmission problem?
  • pin4pin4 Member Posts: 1
    I have a Malibu Maxx 2007 hatchback model and I am experiencing electrical problems. When I open the driver's side door the interior lights do not light up it is as if the vehicule door has never opened, I've learned to live with this defect since it does not affect anything else on the vehicle. However recently when I lock and arm the alarm system on the vehicule, the alarm will sound off as if someone is opening the door from the interior. Furthermore when I start the engine the computer indicates that one of the doors are open, yet they are all closed properly. Can somebody please help me with this dilema
  • nydogboynydogboy Member Posts: 6
    Once out of warranty the driver's side heating has a mind of its own. Sometimes it stays on all of the time, except when the car is off. Other times it works perfectly.
    The same of the drivers side electric seat operation. It gets stuck in one position for a few days and then it just starts working again.
    Other than that, love this car.
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