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Chevrolet Malibu: Oil Changes/Service Questions

245 messages,  Last post on Aug 18, 2009 at 8:58 AM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Malibu, Oil

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#1 of 245 Chevrolet Malibu: Care & Maintenance by KarenS HOST Feb 04, 2004 (9:40 am)
Discuss routine maintenance and special care for the Malibu here. Replies to this message: clarencehollow (Sep 07, 2005 9:15 am)
#2 of 245 my routine maintenance by oldmedic Feb 06, 2004 (12:01 am)
Drain oil every 7500, find filter; change filter. fill with oil of choice, check fluids, check tire pressure, wash & wax frequently, start car and drive. What could be simplier.
#3 of 245 "Grueling" Schedule by breetai52 Feb 06, 2004 (6:03 am)
I dont put on too many miles so I've been changing the oil at 3k. I don't bother rotating the tires though. Its a waste of money/time for the POS OEMs.   Everything is good, I just need to give the girl a bath. She's looking pretty dirty. It finally rained so its not too bad now.
#4 of 245 Oil change intervals by oldntired1950 Feb 06, 2004 (2:29 pm)
I believe that the oil should be changed every 3 months or 3K miles, whichever comes first. 5K miles if you move up to synthetic oil. I've done this for years on all my cars and have never had an engine problem. I think the small added expense is much better than an engine job down the road! JMHO
#5 of 245 Oil Change interval by kpugh2 Feb 07, 2004 (3:10 am)
The wife's 04 LS last weekend had the first oil change. I put in AMSOIL 5W-30 good for 25K or 12 months. Her last car a 97 Monte Carlo 3.1 had only 8 yearly oil changes. The car had over 85K when traded. This method is cheaper, save time, reduce engine wear, and improves mpg.
#6 of 245 My Routine by deminin Feb 07, 2004 (9:29 am)
So far, I'm sticking to the 3,000 mile intervals on oil/filter. I use only Pennzoil 10w/30, and after reading a bunch of data on filters, I've switched to Walmart/Champion filters. I used to use exclusively Fram, until I read from several resources how cheaply they are made. It looks like Champion, Mobil 1, and WIX are the good filters. I used Pennzoil Synthetic for years when we lived in the city, as I had to put up with rush hour traffic all the time, but now that we have a more relaxed lifestyle, and almost never see heavy traffic, I've gone back to regular oil. Almost all of our miles are on the open highway, so moisture/sludge in the oil should not be a problem. I also rotate the tires regularly, and pay close attention to the brakes while doing so, because of all the complaints about Malibu rotors. Once again, however, since we are putting on mainly highway miles, I will probably see less brake wear in a year than a city driver would see in a month. I lube the weatherstripping and door/trunk/hood hinges every Spring/Fall, and pay especial attention to the sunroof seals with silicone grease. I would hate to have to hold up a towel while driving around in a heavy rainstorm. Most importantly, I try to do everything myself. I have little faith in some of the people who call themselves mechanics. Its been my experience that if they fix problem A, they usually create problems B and C.
#7 of 245 Oil dipstick by oldntired1950 Feb 07, 2004 (9:58 am)
I pulled the oil dipstick on my '04 Maxx and was suprised to see that there are only very vague markings. There are no markers for full or low, just some crosshatching with 3 or 4 pinholes at the bottom of the dipstick. This is my 1st GM in many years.... is this normal?
#8 of 245 Oil Dipstick by deminin Feb 07, 2004 (4:09 pm)
Yup, I've noticed this trend towards "holes" on several newer cars. My guess is some beancounter convinced the carmakers that they can save a penny or two by not enscribing lettering on the dipsticks. You almost have to check the owners manual to see what a particular automaker is using as a guage on its dipsticks. I guess they never heard of the old saying that "if its not broke, don't fix it".
#9 of 245 change interval by oldmedic Feb 09, 2004 (6:33 am)
We all have diffferent intervals we think best and if it works for you.... I've gone from one extreme to the other. Used synthetic in 70s & 80s changing every 60K, filters every 10K and dino oil in the 90s every 3K with filter. Had one tear down (not oil related) on vehicle with 75K on it. Mechanic ask if it was a new short block, no apparent wear whatsoever. Now I change dino at 5000 and synthetic blend at 7500 or close. Mainly I go by how dirty the stick looks. Never had lubrication related problem.
#10 of 245 Oil Changes by chevyguy657 Feb 09, 2004 (11:14 am)
I change mine every 3,000 miles, and after, 61K miles on an '00 LS, no engine-related problems, other than the infamous intake manifold gasket issue.   Other problems, yes, too extensive to even begin to detail. Would take 15 pages of posts, or more.

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