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Chevrolet Malibu Maxx General Care and Maintenance - READ ONLY

77 messages,  Last post on Jan 02, 2010 at 2:58 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, Engine, Oil, Hatchback

Messages Page 6 of 8

#48 of 77 Re: Transmission Fluid change interval [pao] filter? [drej] [pao] [maxx4me] by crosby1

May 24, 2008 (9:42 am)

Replying to: maxx4me (May 20, 2008 12:36 pm)
The following comes from an industry journal entitled The Lube Report. I Googled it and found it at the following URL:
http://www.imakenews.com/lng/e_article000505058.cfm?x=b11,0,w
 
It is the only portion of the article that dealt with trany fluid. Of note is the LONG term aspiration GM has to develope a 150,000 mile fluid. Apparently the newest version of Dextron does not yet meet this standard. I am contemplating changing the fluid soon on my 2004 Malibu Maxx with 60,000 miles on it just to be sure. I bought it new in 2004. I look forward to hearing from others about what they have learned about GM guidance on this matter. The article follows immediately below:--------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
 
Jim Linden, who is responsible for specifications for GM’s automatic and manual transmission fluids, axle lubes, greases and other lubricants, described the impact of upgrades in those fluids.
  
“GM wants fill-for-life for all applications,” said Linden, who is based in Warren, Mich. “In the future at least, 150,000 miles will be considered ‘life’ for transmissions” in severe service.
  
In April 2005, GM introduced its trademarked Dexron-VI automatic transmission fluid, a significant upgrade over the previous spec, Dexron-III. The new fluid was required by the reduced sump volumes, higher fluid turnover rates and increased energy densities with the company’s new transmissions, Linden said. The new transmissions also have less airflow, and thus less cooling capacity, and more aggressive electronically controlled converter clutch usage. New six-speed transmission designs demanded a new fluid, which also had to be back-serviceable.
  
With premium ATFs, said Linden, base oil quality is vital to fluid performance. Ford’s Mercon-V calls for Group II-plus; DaimlerChrysler’s Mopar ATF+4 calls for Group II-plus or III; and Dexron-VI generally needs Group III quality.
  
“The Dexron-VI ATF specification does not specify a base oil quality level,” Linden noted. However, the viscosity and oxidation requirements make it difficult to meet the spec without using at least a Group III or Group II-III combination.

#49 of 77 Door Protectors by nydogboy

Jul 16, 2008 (9:55 am)

i noticed the edge of the driver's side door is starting to chip. Anyone know where I can get door-edge protectors?
 
Thanks.

#50 of 77 Re: Door Protectors [nydogboy] by rdesantis

Jul 19, 2008 (8:41 pm)

Replying to: nydogboy (Jul 16, 2008 9:55 am)
Canadian Tire? Car Quest? NAPA parts stores. Murrays discount Auto stores. Usually comes coiled, there's black, chrome edging. Where ever you can buy auto paint and mouldings there is usually door edging. I think this is what you are inquiring about not the door sill protector.

#51 of 77 Re: Door Protectors [rdesantis] by nydogboy

Jul 20, 2008 (4:06 am)

Replying to: rdesantis (Jul 19, 2008 8:41 pm)
thanks.
is it easy to install?

#52 of 77 door guard by crosby1

Jul 21, 2008 (5:55 am)

The strip is probably the best idea. If you have a roll of the 3M clear plastic film, I forget the name, some people cut an inch wide stip and wrap the door edge. My wife drives our Maxx and thanfully is careful opening it both for our cars sakes and others. Large parking spaces help too.

#53 of 77 Re: Door Protectors [nydogboy] by rdesantis

Jul 21, 2008 (6:52 am)

Replying to: nydogboy (Jul 20, 2008 4:06 am)
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.

#54 of 77 Re: Door Protectors [rdesantis] by nydogboy

Jul 21, 2008 (8:21 am)

Replying to: rdesantis (Jul 21, 2008 6:52 am)
thanks so much. i'll will use your solution.

#55 of 77 Draining Engine Coolant by nickd

Feb 03, 2009 (9:32 am)

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.

#56 of 77 First Major Repair by pao

Mar 07, 2009 (6:42 pm)

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....

#57 of 77 Intermittent Front End Shaking and Noise by scanman88gt

Mar 19, 2009 (5:56 am)

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.

Messages Page 6 of 8

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