A 12 year review
Jason
on 08/26/2015
Comfort Rating: 3
Performance Rating:
4
Interior Rating: 3
Reliability Rating:
3
Safety Rating: 4
Technology Rating:
2
Value Rating: 3
I bought my Malibu in 2003 when the transmission in my old Grand Prix started to go. It was a rental previously, and I knew this going in. I will say though, despite it's faults, I have a hard time saying the car is complete junk, because my kids (ages 9-11) rode in it when they were babies. I will start with what I believe to be the minor faults, but they can cost:
1. 15 inch tires are getting hard to come by now, and being FWD, it eats up tires quick, if not rotated properly.
2. It only uses the front disc brakes for stopping, thus eats brake pads fast. The drums are only used for parking brake.
That said, I will now go into the more expensive repairs I have had:
1. Fuel pump went out 5 years ago, driving down the road.
2. The starter has a safety switch, that will go bad in time, and require replacement, unless yu know how to bypass it, which I did.
3. The biggest....the head gaskets from the factory, are junk and a ticking time bomb. He manifold gaskets are plastic and will crack in time. You will start to lose oil and coolant once they do. I overheated the car 2 winters ago, causing the heads to warp, which required mill work, than changed the gaskets with Fel-Pro gaskets, use regular coolant, and since than, the car drives almost like new. It was a complete PITA to get the top half off and put back together. Just beware that if you have one, and are approaching 150k miles, you have a time bomb on your hands. I recommend flushing the cooling system, to help slow down erosion of the gaskets. Total time and money, we spent 4 days, and around $400 to fix.
4. The fan sensor, which turns the electric fan on and off, went bad, which caused my overheating problem. Would have cost $500 for a new one, but rigged a wire and toggle switch, and it now works. I just have to remember to shut it off, or I will have a dead battery.
Interior: Not much, very basic, which I like. Over the years, the arm rest on the drivers door has developed a hole, a couple holes in the driver seat, and the headliner is starting to droop some.
All in all, I would have to say that through it all, I should have considered more when buying a car, but I can't complain 100%, because after some work and money put in it, it still runs. Would I recommend it to anyone else? No, especially for anyone wanting a car that lasts a while. The only reason we put money into it, is because we couldn't afford to buy a new vehicle. After the first of the year, the Malibu will be retired to a local driving car only, and one used for a backup, as I will hopefully have a new vehicle.
VIN 1G1NE52J32M553806 may have been
recalled. Check full report for more information
