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Sedans Chevrolet Malibu Chevrolet Malibu: Meet the Owners
176 messages, Last post on Nov 29, 2006 at 11:38 AM
You are in the Chevrolet Malibu Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: cwesleyg (Aug 22, 2005 12:49 pm) 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. |
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Replying to: cwesleyg (Aug 22, 2005 12:49 pm) 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!!!
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Replying to: pao (Aug 23, 2005 4:11 am)
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Replying to: cwesleyg (Aug 23, 2005 12:51 pm) 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......? |
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Replying to: KarenS (Feb 04, 2004 9:38 am)  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. |
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seems the bugs are beginning to work themselves out of the Maxx now...Im seeing less and less problems show up on the board now...hope that is a sign it is settling down and not loss of interest in the car and board.....I still love my Maxx LT....built Feb 04, purchased in Mar 04.....have had no problems with it...and will roll over 40K on the way home tonight....just completed a 1700 mile trip this past weekend...Northern Va..to upstate SC down to Charleston SC and back to MD...got abtou 27-28 MPG..running 75-80 with the AC on....most gas was 3.19 a gallon thru VA, NC, and SC.....I beleive I have lost about 1 MPG with the upgraded 17 inch rims and wider tires...but will trade it for the handling and ride now....otherwise..still a very satisfied Maxx owner.......love the new styling on the 06 Maxxs.....I do hope they keep them after the 07 model year...perhaps just a major restyling........now if my Pontiac Solstice would arrive.....I would really be a happy camper....cheers!!!
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Replying to: pao (Sep 07, 2005 5:26 am) 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:  Things I don't like: 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. |
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I think we are seeing far fewer problems with the 05 model year than our 04.....again ours was probably built around the same time (2/17 a Tues) and we have the same color etc......I never did take the car in for the window shade fix...noone sits in the back anyway...so mine simply stay open and retracted...never a leak of water......brakes are good...have noticed a slight vibration...but at 40K...nothing Im concerned with at this point..probably need to have them checked...but will do that at my local brake center, not the dealer.... 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....
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Replying to: pao (Sep 07, 2005 10:10 am) 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. 
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