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Chevrolet Malibu

4972 messages,  Last post on Feb 09, 2013 at 10:37 AM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Malibu, Sedan

Messages Page 106 of 498

#1043 of 4972 Impala vs others by sola2000

Jul 26, 2002 (9:11 am)

I recently purchased a new family sedan. Before purchasing the car, I did a lot of research and extensivley test drove many cars, both domestics and imports. I drove the Chevrolet Malibu and Impala, Dodge Stratus and Intrepid, Ford Taurus, Honda Accord, Mitsubishi Galant, Nissan Altima and Maxima, Pontiac Bonneville and Grand Prix, Saturn LS, Toyota Camry and the Volkswagen Passat.
 
After driving all those cars I would say, without question, the imports are far superior to the domestics. I remember driving the Chevy Mailbu and then going to the Toyota dealer, driving the Camry and being shocked at how much smoother, more refined and better designed and engineered it is than the Malibu or any of the domestics.
 
My favorite out of all cars I drove? It was the Passat. I thought it provided the best driving experience. There really is something to that German heritage. The car I actually bought? My second favorite. A 2002 V6 Honda Accord. Why? I keep my cars a long time and I just didn't trust VW's long term reliability. I know with a Honda or Toyota product one is virtually assured bullet proof quality and reliability for years and years, and hundreds of thousands of miles. In the final analysis that still can't be said for American or German cars.

#1044 of 4972 my 1998 Malibu LS by malibuinsc

Jul 27, 2002 (12:20 pm)

Hello everybody,
My '98 Malibu LS is holding up very strong in South Carolina. I have over 94000 miles on it and the only problems I've had were an alternator at 53,000 and the lower intake manifold gasket leak that was repaired at 78,000 miles. I had the A/C flicker but replaced the control unit in the dash and haven't had trouble with it since. Here the summer heat is harsh 90's and 100's occurring easily and this car takes it without breaking a sweat and the last few winters here, we had some pretty big winter storms by SC standards with 6 inches of snow this year and many past years ice storms. This car handled them with no problems. Sorry for people with Malibu's with troubles, but mine is a joy. I still get 30 mpg on the highway and 24 in city driving. I had the transmission fluid changed in May at 90,000 miles and I'm still on the original spark plugs. I hope this is some encouragement for some Malibu owners. The problems that did occur were IMO normal. Brake rotor problems were not a serious issue for me. My car's build day was Jan. 15, 1998, with the 155hp engine, not the 150hp engine as stated by the car's manual.

#1045 of 4972 Rodent Nests by piercet

Jul 31, 2002 (2:56 pm)

I have a 2002 Malibu I purchased Oct 01. In almost all respects I like the car quite a bit. However, during the colder months, my fan started vibrating so badly I couldn't run it above the #2 position without seriously shaking the console. Also, practically no air flow from the vents. When I took it to the dealer, they took a look, called me, and said the warranty didn't cover the problem since nothing was actually broken. The environmental air intake (and fan, and evaporator) were filled and blocked with rodent nest materials. The did agree to forego, for one time only, the $688 cost of removing the console entirely and cleaning out the air system. Ten days later the fan was vibrating again and airflow blocked. Well summer is here and the Mojave desert is seeing 106 degree temperature and now I have no useable air conditioning.
 
The Chevy customer complaint line said I was out of luck and the dealer will not help again. Haven't these people ever heard of Hanta Virus? All the time I am in the car, I am breathing rodent nest debris.
 
So, I would love to hear from anybody who has had this problem in the 2000, 2001, or 2002 models. If I can get enough juice I might be able to sway Chevy to cover this potentially fatal design flaw and clean that "crap" out of the air I breathe..
 
Thanks ahead of time for any help you can offer.
 
Terry

#1046 of 4972 Ist Post /'97 owner/Need help by gwm2

Jul 31, 2002 (5:20 pm)

I just found this site & need some help. How can I find the posts(without reading all of them)that deal with "ABS" light & "Security sys." light on dash? The "Security" light shuts the car off & I have to wait approx. 20 min. to restart. I want to sell this car & would feel better if I could fix these two problems or at least explain them to prospective buyers! It's a '97 LS w/67K mi. & out of warranty. Any help would be appreciated.

#1047 of 4972 piercet by joe3891

Aug 01, 2002 (9:46 am)

Check for a screen over the air inlet in front of the windshield,lift the hood & look.
Do you leave your windows open at night?

#1048 of 4972 3.1 Oil Leaks by dfenn

Aug 01, 2002 (12:27 pm)

WOW!! There are a ton of messages here on this board. Most of them address problems I've already experienced under warranty and can share my 2 cents worth with multiple trips to the dealer for rotor replacements and the like. Additional trips to the dealer dealt with the air conditioner and overheating (the dealer replaced the ECU panel). However, has anyone out there had any oil leak problems with the 3.1 V6 (2000 Malibu)?
 
I began smelling burnt oil coming in through the vents a few months ago and the dealer responded by "gooping" every engine seam with high temp sealant. This of course didn't stop it all together and can still smell the odor, but to a lesser degree. I noticed some moisture on the firewall side of the engine, just under the head. Has anyone experienced this? I only have 2K left on the standard warranty and am looking to confront the dealer with some good/hard info. I imagine that with the 1/8th inch thick gaskets sealing every engine component, a leak is bound to turn up anywhere.
 
Boy, I can go on and on about this car and the time it's spent in the shop. If GM would install some ceramic rotors and pads on this car and replace the Isuzu engine, they might just have a car worth it's salt.
 
Thanks everyone!!
 
Dave

#1049 of 4972 My warranty expires soon... by mjohns7861

Aug 01, 2002 (4:13 pm)

....on my '99 LS. As a general rule is it a good idea to bring it on for a "look over" by the dealer? By the way, have had my LS for 3 years and 24K miles, no problems.

#1050 of 4972 Response to #1012, warranty expires soon by vet5

Aug 01, 2002 (5:19 pm)

Judging by the posts here, at least have a pressure check done on the cooling system, and visually check the radiator cap yourself when engine is cold for crud buildup. This was mentioned a few posts back. I checked my cap the other day (2001 w/21K miles) and it's getting gunky. Going to get new cap tomorrow ($10.50 at Chevy). I read it is supposed to have a negative effect on the cooling system/intake manifold gasket/etc. I am sure others here have a variety of good ideas.

#1051 of 4972 Vet5 by bcmalibu99ls

Aug 02, 2002 (7:01 am)

Vet5, what exactly "is supposed to have a negative effect on the cooling system/intake manifold gasket/etc" ? A new pressure cap? Why?

#1052 of 4972 ** A/C and WINDOW PROBLEMS by mkstf

Aug 05, 2002 (8:22 am)

i have a 98 malibu recently i've been having problems with my power windows and a/c. some days they work fine other days they stop working (at the same time) one time i just happened to jiggle the key a little bit and they came back on. other times i tried it and it didn't work. if any one had this problem or has a solution i'd appreciate any info. thanks mkstf

Messages Page 106 of 498

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