I was told the V-6 is on hold because a supplier to one of the GM plants is on strike. Is this true? I did a news search and could not find any info. It was hard enought to get a V-6 before.

I was told the V-6 is on hold because a supplier to one of the GM plants is on strike. Is this true? I did a news search and could not find any info. It was hard enought to get a V-6 before.
Lee, I ordered my Bu in mid-November and didn't receive it until mid-January. I was told by the dealer there was an unexpected demand for the "six" that the factory couldn't keep up with. :confused: Then the assembly plant shuts down for 2 weeks over Christmas.

I've heard or read nothing about a strike.

Lee, I ordered my Bu in mid-November and didn't receive it until mid-January. I was told by the dealer there was an unexpected demand for the "six" that the factory couldn't keep up with. :confused: Then the assembly plant shuts down for 2 weeks over Christmas.

I've heard or read nothing about a strike.

Yes it was a long wait for me also and I hit the Christmas shutdown. At the time I was told GM wanted to produce 80% I-4s and it would be a long wait to get a V-6. My V-6 was the only V-6 my dealer was allowed to order for the year.
I did another search today on the V-6 hold, and found zip. Mabe it was bum info.

Even when I ordered my 2LT 4 cylinder, the dealership told me it was on hold. Maybe there is a strike or something wrong with the suppliers???

I think they want to sell more 4's because of CAFE regulations.

I was told the same thing when I picked up my 4.

I think they want to sell more 4's because of CAFE regulations.
Very good point, Boo.

I was also told to forget about a 6cyl for 6 months but that`s up here in Canada I don`t know about the states.

There are still quite a few LTZs on the lots in my area.

There are still quite a few LTZs on the lots in my area.

LTZs are very rare in the Mid West.

There are still quite a few LTZs on the lots in my area.
On my side of the River Boo, I've only seen one other. (I don't get out much :eek:) I see plenty of the LT's though.

On my side of the River Boo, I've only seen one other. (I don't get out much :eek:) I see plenty of the LT's though.

Reedmans has 3 LTZs and 5 2LTs in stock now.

Reedmans has 3 LTZs and 5 2LTs in stock now.
I meant on the road. At one time Reedman had 13 Malibu's. Brandow had 1 and it sold in three days. When mine came in, the dealer called and said to come and get it quickly. He had a hard time keeping the other salesmen from showing it to their customers. It was the only one on the lot.

I've never used Reedman. Seems I was tainted by their reputation from back in the '60s and still continue to stay away from them. I'm sure they are much better now, they've been around forever. Rumor says they may buy out McCafferty next.

no the strike is american axle which is the main supplier for gm for axles,steering arms and drive shafts this strike has affected 29 general motor plants and countless suppliers this strike hasnt affected fairfax yet they are trying to push the four for cafe regs the v6 is at high demand and are extremely hard to get a hold of everywhere they will be upping production on these over the next several months to try and meet the demand

no the strike is american axle which is the main supplier for gm for axles,steering arms and drive shafts this strike has affected 29 general motor plants and countless suppliers this strike hasnt affected fairfax yet they are trying to push the four for cafe regs the v6 is at high demand and are extremely hard to get a hold of everywhere they will be upping production on these over the next several months to try and meet the demand

I did find the info on American Axle. I believe you are right and the delay is what the dealers have been saying from the start. GM wants to sell more 4s.
We were lucky to get ours considerng I ordered from a small dealer.

Mid Jan - news report
The Lansing State Journal reveals the reason Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Malibu sales are stuck in second gear: parts. According to Gary Cowger, GM's group vice president of global manufacturing and labor, "a lack of components" underpins this December's decision to shut down a third shift at Lansing Delta Township factory. "Even if that had kept running, we still wouldn't have been able to make more Enclaves." What's more… "As you know, we put that third shift on for a while to try to ramp up. But at the tooling rates of the supplier base, you'd have to buy another set of vendor tools (to make more parts) and that takes time. We're maxed out from a tooling standpoint." Cowger also implied that the Chevrolet Malibu drought is down to the same parts problem. "What we're doing right now with the Enclave and CTS and (Chevrolet) Malibu is doing a very detailed analysis of the bottlenecks in the supplier community so you can invest in the right tool sets out there and increase the capacity of that product at the plant." Cowger admits GM underestimated demand for all three cars, but said it's "a good thing." Try telling that to the 1000 GM workers who got laid off, or the GM dealers desperate for product to sell. Oh and don't think we've forgotten that back in October, when GM announced they were shutting down the third shift, they told the LSJ they "eliminated the third shift to keep from overproducing the crossover vehicles made there." I wonder why they didn't bring up the parts issue then?

"Laying off" GM employees is a relative term. I believe due to union agreements, they must keep these people on the payroll for 18 months or 2 years. If I get laid off I'm lucky to get 2 weeks.

found out today if the strike keeps going the cobalt plants will be shut down by 4308 or4408 laid off employees do not get 2 years the list of plants comes out this morning how long they have product to keep going parts are getting hard to come by for all gm products

Hamtramick MI, and Lordstown OH, plants to close due to American Axle strike at end of business day tomorrow.

Gary,

Do you think the American Axle strike could potentially impact the Malibu plants?

Gary,

Do you think the American Axle strike could potentially impact the Malibu plants?

yes they are shipping parts from one plant to the next trying to keep open the plants that are selling sooner or later it will catch up to the malibu plants

yes they are shipping parts from one plant to the next trying to keep open the plants that are selling sooner or later it will catch up to the malibu plants
Let's hope this strike gets settled quickly. This Malibu is so hot, I'd hate to see any sales lost due to the lack of parts. :(

The owner of American Axle is one tough SOB. This has all the elements of being a protracted strike.

right now things dont look good aam president got a 10 million bonus for product sold and sales

Who has the 6 and what do you think so far? Good shifts? I really wanted to try a 6 but the dealer didnt have any - the paddle shifters are a neat feature...

Who has the 6 and what do you think so far? Good shifts? I really wanted to try a 6 but the dealer didnt have any - the paddle shifters are a neat feature...
I do.

The car is very quick and the shifting is smooth. The paddle shifter is not something I think about using. It may come in handy if I ever needed to start out in a higher gear to limit wheel slippage on ice, I suppose.

Who has the 6 and what do you think so far? Good shifts? I really wanted to try a 6 but the dealer didnt have any - the paddle shifters are a neat feature...

The shifts are at good points and smooth.

I have the same trans in my Equinox and used the manual mode on a trip to Wis. The back roads were very hilly and curvy. The manual mode was handy to hold it in 4 or 5th gear.

The manual mode was handy to hold it in 4 or 5th gear.

Good point, I never thought of that. Higher gear=better fuel economy. Correct me if I'm wrong Lee, you cannot shift into manual while in motion, correct?

Good point, I never thought of that. Higher gear=better fuel economy. Correct me if I'm wrong Lee, you cannot shift into manual while in motion, correct?

Yes, you can shift into manual on the fly. I would stay in auto on the open roads and shift to manual when the road was hilly and curvy. you can not feel a change when you first shift to manual. A gear indicator will show what gear you are in.
Give it a try on your next drive.

I do.

The car is very quick and the shifting is smooth. The paddle shifter is not something I think about using. It may come in handy if I ever needed to start out in a higher gear to limit wheel slippage on ice, I suppose.

yes it works out great on ice and slick conditions started out in 2 or 3 gear every time a couple of weeks a go when we got our last snow and ice storm was on really hilly roads.

Yes, you can shift into manual on the fly.
Thank you, sir. I will give it a try.

That's what I like about forums. Helpful information from helpful people! :)