2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU wiper fluid

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-4
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12 Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-13
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-14
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-15
Malfunction
Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)/Traction Control
System (TCS) Indicator/
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-22
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
High-Beam on Light . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-27
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-27
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-27
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-27
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-28
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-28
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Ride Control SystemMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-30
Service Vehicle Messages . . . 5-30
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . 5-31

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
5-4 Instruments and Controls
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper lever is on the
right side of the steering wheel.
Move the lever to control the
windshield wipers.
9(Off):Turns the windshield
wipers off.
&(Intermittent; Speed Sensitive
Wipers): For intermittent or speed
sensitive operation. While in this
position, turn the
xband up or
down to vary frequency.
The amount of delay time varies
between wiping cycles due to the
delay setting selected or the speed
of the vehicle. As vehicle speed is
increased or decreased, the wiper
interval also increases or
decreases.
6(Low Speed): Slow wipes.
1(High Speed): Fast wipes.
8(Mist):Single wipe, move the
lever down, then release it. Several
wipes, hold the lever down.
Clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them.
If frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them. Damaged
wiper blades should be replaced.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wiper motor. A circuit breaker stops
the motor until it cools. If the motor
gets stuck, turn the wipers off, clear
away the snow or ice, and then turn
the wipers back on.
As an added safety feature, if
the wipers are on for more than
15 seconds, the vehicle's
headlamps turn on automatically.
They turn off 15 seconds after the
wipers are turned off. Windshield Washer
Press the button at the end of the
windshield wiper lever until the
washers begin.
{WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use
your washer until the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.
When the button is released, the
washers stop, but the wipers
continue to wipe about three times
or resume the previous speed.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-12
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-14
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-19 Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-21
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-25
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-26
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Taillamps, Turn Signal, andStoplamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-29
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-40
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52

Black plate (88,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
10-88 Vehicle Care
Use chrome polish only on
chrome-plated wheels, but avoid
any painted surface of the wheel,
and buff off immediately after
application.
Notice:Driving the vehicle
through an automatic car wash
that has silicone carbide tire
cleaning brushes, could damage
the aluminum or chrome-plated
wheels. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Never drive a vehicle that has
aluminum or chrome-plated
wheels through an automatic car
wash that uses silicone carbide
tire cleaning brushes.
Windshield and Wiper Blades
Clean the outside of the windshield
with glass cleaner.
Clean the rubber blades using a
lint‐free cloth or paper towel soaked
with windshield washer fluid or a
mild detergent. Wash the windshield thoroughly when cleaning the
blades. Bugs, road grime, sap, and
a buildup of vehicle wash/wax
treatments may cause wiper
streaking. Replace the wiper blades
if they are worn or damaged.
Wipers can be damaged by:
.Extreme dusty conditions
.Sand and salt
.Heat and sun
.Snow and ice, without proper
removal
Tires
Use a stiff brush with tire cleaner to
clean the tires.
Notice:
Using petroleum-based
tire dressing products on the
vehicle may damage the paint
finish and/or tires. When applying
a tire dressing, always wipe off
any overspray from all painted
surfaces on the vehicle.
Sheet Metal Damage
If the vehicle is damaged and
requires sheet metal repair or
replacement, make sure the body
repair shop applies anti-corrosion
material to parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion
protection.
Original manufacturer replacement
parts will provide the corrosion
protection while maintaining the
vehicle warranty.
Finish Damage
Any stone chips, fractures, or deep
scratches in the finish should be
repaired right away. Bare metal will
corrode quickly and may develop
into major repair expense.
Minor chips and scratches can be
repaired with touch-up materials
available from your dealer. Larger
areas of finish damage can be
corrected in your dealer's body and
paint shop.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-3
Your dealer has trained service
technicians who will perform this
work and reset the system. If the
engine oil life system is reset
accidentally, service the vehicle
within 5 000 km/3,000 miles since
the last service. Reset the oil life
system whenever the oil is changed.
SeeEngine Oil Life System
on
page 10‑12.
Every Engine Oil Change
.Change engine oil and filter.
Reset oil life system. See
Engine Oil
on page 10‑9and
Engine Oil Life Systemon
page 10‑12. An Emission Control
Service.
.Engine coolant level check. See
Engine Coolant on page 10‑16.
.Engine cooling system
inspection. Visual inspection of
hoses, pipes, fittings, and
clamps and replacement,
if needed.
.Windshield washer fluid level
check. See Washer Fluidon
page 10‑22.
.Windshield wiper blade
inspection for wear, cracking,
or contamination and windshield
and wiper blade cleaning, if contaminated. See
Exterior
Care
on page 10‑85. Worn or
damaged wiper blade
replacement. See Wiper Blade
Replacement on page 10‑27.
.Tire inflation pressures check.
See Tire Pressure on
page 10‑45.
.Tire wear inspection. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑51.
.Rotate tires if necessary. See
Tire Rotation on page 10‑52.
.Fluids visual leak check (or
every 12 months, whichever
occurs first). A leak in any
system must be repaired and
the fluid level checked.
.Engine air cleaner filter
inspection. See Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 10‑14.
.Brake system inspection (or
every 12 months, whichever
occurs first).

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-27
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29 Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-29
Taillamps, Turn Signaland Stoplamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-15
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-26 Child Restraints
Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54, 3-57
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Where to Put the Restraint . . . 3-45
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-85
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1 Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Cluster, IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-11
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Compressor Kit, Tire Sealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
i-12 INDEX
Vehicle IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Service Parts Identification
Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19W
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . . . 5-31
Wheels
Alignment and TireBalance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58 When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Where to Put the Child Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Windshield
Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 10-27