I have had one, and only one issue with my 2009 Malibu. The price was great, incentives awesome, nice offerings from the dealership, great car all around, fun and problem free... except one thing. As I've posted in another thread there is a really annoying whine directly linked to the interior lighting, and specifically the instrument/ambient/gauge/radio lighting. I don't know if it is the, or a light specifically, interference within the speakers (though I doubt it because turning the stereo off or down changes nothing) or something else.
When I have the adjustable lighting turned to it's brightest the noise is at it's loudest and most annoying. As I turn the lighting down it decreases in intensity and eventually goes away. The problem is that to get it to disappear completely I have to have the lights all the way down which is not desirable or safe. About half way down it is subdued enough to make it tolerable, but this isn't what I want. Everything looks nicer at full brightness, and especially so for the instrument cluster. Furthermore, I bought a brand new car (for the first time ever) off the lot, and expect everything to be to my liking, but I also don't want to be too picky. I didn't hear it in any test drives because I was distracted by talking, etc. and it isn't something you notice right away because of being excited about being in a new car, etc., and it isn't piercing or loud... just annoying because it never goes away.
I'm not sure if it's an issue with all Malibus and should probably test it out on another at a dealership. Another member here heard this before, and the dealer said one of his technicians knew what it was and called it "static noise", but didn't know of any way to fix it because some people are sensitive to it, and others are not. I also don't know if I want them to start pulling apart the dash with no real intent or planned fix. If they did this would it never be the same again as it was new? I'm worried about that, and it rattling down the road or whatever. I am sensitive to noises like this such as department store security systems, etc., but it is also a real concern for me. This car is so refined, so nice and so quiet that the noise isn't really drowned out by road noise/wind/etc. Having music turned up helps distract me from it some, but it doesn't cover or even mask it really because the pitch cuts through all of that, and it never stops... and is going to drive me nuts.
If the dealership has already said they know what it is, but don't know how to fix it, what can I do? Should I do anything? Is it wrong of me, or demanding for me to ask them to work on it as part of the bumper-to-bumper warranty? I don't want to be a finicky, demanding, a-hole customer, but this is something that bothers me. The service manager and sales managers could not hear the noise at all, and neither can my girlfriend, but I had all of them play with the brightness knob while I was in the passenger seat (with music on and off) while my eyes were closed and I could tell them if it was fully bright, all the way down or in the middle based on sound.
When I have the adjustable lighting turned to it's brightest the noise is at it's loudest and most annoying. As I turn the lighting down it decreases in intensity and eventually goes away. The problem is that to get it to disappear completely I have to have the lights all the way down which is not desirable or safe. About half way down it is subdued enough to make it tolerable, but this isn't what I want. Everything looks nicer at full brightness, and especially so for the instrument cluster. Furthermore, I bought a brand new car (for the first time ever) off the lot, and expect everything to be to my liking, but I also don't want to be too picky. I didn't hear it in any test drives because I was distracted by talking, etc. and it isn't something you notice right away because of being excited about being in a new car, etc., and it isn't piercing or loud... just annoying because it never goes away.
I'm not sure if it's an issue with all Malibus and should probably test it out on another at a dealership. Another member here heard this before, and the dealer said one of his technicians knew what it was and called it "static noise", but didn't know of any way to fix it because some people are sensitive to it, and others are not. I also don't know if I want them to start pulling apart the dash with no real intent or planned fix. If they did this would it never be the same again as it was new? I'm worried about that, and it rattling down the road or whatever. I am sensitive to noises like this such as department store security systems, etc., but it is also a real concern for me. This car is so refined, so nice and so quiet that the noise isn't really drowned out by road noise/wind/etc. Having music turned up helps distract me from it some, but it doesn't cover or even mask it really because the pitch cuts through all of that, and it never stops... and is going to drive me nuts.
If the dealership has already said they know what it is, but don't know how to fix it, what can I do? Should I do anything? Is it wrong of me, or demanding for me to ask them to work on it as part of the bumper-to-bumper warranty? I don't want to be a finicky, demanding, a-hole customer, but this is something that bothers me. The service manager and sales managers could not hear the noise at all, and neither can my girlfriend, but I had all of them play with the brightness knob while I was in the passenger seat (with music on and off) while my eyes were closed and I could tell them if it was fully bright, all the way down or in the middle based on sound.