1998 Chevrolet Malibu LS from North America - Comments

Just had Intake Manifold gaskets replaced at 65,000 miles!! ($700) Ouch!

Brakes and Rotors need to be changed every 10,000 miles. ($300 every time)

HVAC control unit fails on a yearly basis. Failures range from loss of fan speeds to the A/C compressor turning on and off by itself. Currently on fourth unit. (part itself costs $350)

Original tires wore very quickly. Replaced with Michelin.

Tail light bulbs melt in the sockets.

Cloth interior wears very quickly.

Alloy wheels discolor or peel.

Resale value in New York ($4200!!!) Car was considered Mint condition.

The following was a letter I sent to Chevy. Still waiting for response, though I don't expect much.

I just wanted to thank Chevrolet for convincing my wife and myself to convert over to Honda. We have had such joy owning the 1998 Malibu. The monthly trips to Hustedt Chevrolet for problems ranging from brakes and rotor replacements, HVAC control replacements, front strut mount replacements, recalls on wiper assemblies, front end vibrations, alloy wheel peeling or discoloration, indicator bulbs melting in there sockets, and the latest $700 Intake Manifold gasket replacement at 65000 miles was just enough to push me over the edge. I have been an advocate for Chevy for years. Well you just lost a longtime customer. I would just like to know why Chevy chose to do nothing about the problems listed above? If you are interested, which I doubt, do a GOOGLE. COM search and type in (1998 malibu problems) in the search field. Hundreds of sites of persons who own the Malibu telling their tales. It is sad that the original advertisement for the Malibu stemmed on "the car you knew America could build". Exactly what kind of car was Chevy referring to? I would love to know. We are now the proud owners of a 2003 Honda CRV, we traded in the Malibu and were only able to get $4200 on the trade in. My Chevy S-10 is currently in the shop for $1000 worth of repairs. Once I can get my S-10 in running condition, I will be trading it in for a vehicle that I can depend on. I am leaning towards the Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander. Are there any quality made Chevy's that are as reliable as the two trucks listed above? Come on, be truthful! Oh, wait did I forget to tell you that I did contact you in the past with some of our concerns. Nicholas Bagwell was informed of the vibration problem and did nothing for us except say, "sorry, but we can't help you." We wound up paying over $300 for brakes and rotors. Oh, did I tell you this was the third set of rotors replaced within a 30000 mile time period? The HVAC unit craps out every year, which for us is fortunate since the warranty for a replaced part is one year. Well, all my info will accompany this message. If for any reason you actually are concerned with the happiness of your customers feel free to call me. I would be happy to spend hours telling you what a joy it was owning the Malibu.

Think your prices on the parts are very wrong. But 65k.. Things will go wrong. I own a 98 malibu. Its been great since the day I bought it.. The heater control did go once. Only cost 175$ with labor..

"Think your prices on the parts are very wrong. But 65k.. Things will go wrong. I own a 98 malibu. Its been great since the day I bought it.. The heater control did go once. Only cost 175$ with labor.."

You're lucky then. I've spent over 3,000 bucks repairing my Malibu in the first 50K miles. His prices are dead on, I promise. The car is junk. That's why there's a potential class-action lawsuit against GM for faulty manifold gaskets. And, high-priced repairs may be normal at 65K miles in your world, but not in mine. I drove a Toyota Celica for over 80K and never once had a maintenance issue, even after a really, really bad car accident. I traded it in for the Malibu because I needed a four door. I'd take that Celica back in a heartbeat.

All your prices are wrong.. sorry guys, but you don't know what you are all talking about.. maybe be nice to the technicians and they will treat you right..

OK, I'm going to school to be a certified ASE mechanic. I have a 1998 Chevy Malibu LS with 181,000 miles on it.

The worst repair I have done was a harmonic balancer and that cost me a whole $80 for the part and I was able to do it in my driveway in 2 hours with a impact wrench...

A manifold will only go if you constantly push the throttle down to the floor.

Have you ever thought of getting an oil change every 3000 miles? That would really have stopped the wear and tear.

Your brakes and rotors going so fast is because of constantly pushing extremely hard on the brake.

My car has 18 x 8 rims with 225/40/18 tires, they said the ball joints wouldn't last a month with all the wear and pressure on the suspension... nothing has gone wrong in 2 years because I have been taking care of the car and have been checking the struts and ball joints.

My point to that is take care of the car and maintain it. No car is invincible.