Chevrolet Impala: Problems & Solutions

colnelj1

I also drive approximately 500 miles a week highway miles. Change oil every three months. Traded in a 1997 Monte Carlo with 97,000 miles. No problems - still didn't use a quart of oil between oil changes. Changing every three thousand miles under these conditions is a waste of money. Even if money is no problem it is a waste of resources!

shrubs

I have a 2001 LS. I changed the oil at 3500 and again at 6500. I did not reset the monitor at the 6500 oil change. Less than 100 miles later, it came on. I always change my oil at 3k. It's a cheap investment to keep an engine happy....

macgyver24

I decided to do some further investigation on the oil change interval issue. According to the 2000 Impala owner's manual, you should change the oil when the oil monitor message comes up, every 12 months, or every 12,500km/7500mi, whichever comes first.

Now for a car to go that far between oil changes goes against conventional wisdom! After all, everyone tells you to change your oil every 5000km/3000mi. But wait. Just who tells you that? Think about it. You see a commercial on TV for motor oil and the message is "change your oil every 5000km/3000mi" Same thing with the outfits like Mr. Lube and Jiffy Lube that change your oil. Of course they would say this, they have so much to gain by encouraging people to change their oil more often. In reality, the 3000mi interval is for SEVERE driving conditions. But the kicker is that 75% of drivers fall under the severe category. Refer to this page for more info: http://www.goa-northcoastoil.com/tips/oilchange.html

So the bottom line is that each driver must assess their driving situation and change their oil accordingly, and not rely on the oil life monitor alone. Personally, I do not fall under the severe category, but your "mileage" may vary. )

dennisw3

In reality 90% of the cars driven fall into what is very loosely called "severs" driving conditions. Short trips are murder because they allow contaminants to build up in the oil faster and thats what kills motor oil. I think your assumption that we're all being advertised into changing our oil more than is necessary is a bit of a long shot, but hey its your motor.
I'm a religious 3000-4000 mile oil changer and I've had 3 cars that went nearly 200k miles all with strong engines that didnt leak or use oil the whole time, so I can only suspect that I must be doing something right. I'm also one of those beleivers in synthetic oils. Read some of the tech articles on what makes synthetic oil so superior to conventional petroleum based oils sometime, they are very interesting reading.

bdime

I know the instructions for resetting the change oil light are in the manual but am I
being unreasonable if I make the effort to have the dealer change the oil that I
should expect him to reset the thing? Mine just lit at over 8,000 miles and the oil
has already been changed at the dealer twice. Now I also have the low tire pressure
indicator. Spouse checked the pressure. Added 2 lbs and still reads low- after
driving another 60 miles. Hi ho- hi oh no- it's back to Chevy I go!

teo

In both instances, Oil change message and Low tire pressure warning, need to be reset at your RDS radio. Even if your add air to the tire, the light won't go away unless you reset the sensor. Read your owner's manual, the exact steps to do so are all outlined in there.

Last, don't expect the dealer to reset these warning messages for you. You must do it yourself.

[Deleted User]

Kinda makes you wonder. If the dealer's service people can't do a simple reset correctly, how can one be assured the oil change itself is done right?
Just another example that the belief by some that dealer service is better than private shop service is really just a myth.
More expensive maybe, but not better in most cases.

00impala

I just add air to the tires, above 30psi, bring the car home and let it sit, then using the tire guage adjust them to 30 psi or 32 psi what ever you prefer, then when they are all the same, get in the car and pull the headlight switch out to the parking light setting, do this on-off-on-off-on-off 3 times and you will hear a "BEEP", the Tire inflation moniter is new re-set, after you start driving for about 10 miles the sensors will "LEARN" the amount of rotation it takes your wheels to spin at the pressure you set, if anything changes from that setting the light will illuminate once again warning you of a pressure related problem. -OR- you can go into the RDS within the radio to re-set the Moniter, I like the headlight switch way myself. Don

bdime

Yes - you do have to manually reset the tire monitor after you check and inflate.
The dealer did this as well as reportedly checking tires for leaks and reset the
oil change- which I argue really should be done by them if they are changing the
oil.. Everything back to smooth working order. My main concern was that I not
encounter a problem that I could have intercepted now- on my trip next week.
I also asked about the On Star functions- running diagnostic- the service reps
state that only a major problem would be detected with the On star check-
minor stuff like above would not show up in their diagnostics.

00impala

I have a coupon for $10.00 off our first oil change on our new Base Impala,. The Washer Fluid light is on right now, I am not going to add any and see if they fill it up, why waste a dollar for fluid when they should top it off anyway. One time I found a Snap on Cresent Wrench under the hood of my car sitting on the fan shroud. About a week after an oil change. Don

teo

...and I found a nice screwdriver sitting in the same spot after my wife's 1997 Mercury Tracer LS was serviced at the dealership the week before....I kept the screwdriver of course..;-)

[Deleted User]

I guess they figure that as long as you're paying 50%-100% more than at a local shop, they'll throw in some free tools.

craigindc

Teo was absolutely correct. Bob Peck Chevrolet in Arlington, VA fixed me up, no hassle, no BS, very good service. "Loose front end" was corrected with new steering gear assembly 26079918 F-REM ST/GR and something with the power steering. Described to me as new steering shaft and rack, all the way out to tie rods. I felt the difference the minute I took the wheel after the repairs. The steering is tight and the car feels solid and sure-footed, just as an Impala should be! Re the Electrical, they saw the errors on the computer and replaced the "Body Control Module." My car is perfect - I'm so excited I can't stand it! Thanks Teo!

teo

Congratulations!!!!!

bdime

Maybe I'm just being _ithchy but I feel if you go for the extra cost to service with the dealer the little stuff like resetting the change oil function should be expected. The tire pressure monitor is a nice feature but when was the last time you saw a service station that had a tire pressure gauge with the air hoses- and can the ladies all use them without assist? I am not a wimpand have changed a flat in my
career but something like checking the tire pressure while you are on the road is not as easy as it sounds. I can only hope the next Impala owner that runs across this can learn from my experience.

dennisw3

Actually checking tire pressures is a very simple thing to do, all you need is a couple minutes of your time and a pressure gauge that you trust. Note to the previous message poster: A few bucks spent at the local auto parts store can supply you with your very OWN tire pressure gauge that you can store safely in your glovebox. Dig it out every two weeks or so and check those tires, not only is it a good thing to know how to do, but underinflated tires hurt your gas mileage, wear faster and more unevenly than properly inflated ones, and can be downright dangerous if you have to do any sort of avoidance manuvers. I suspect at least some of the problems that SUV owners have experienced with blowouts and rollovers, which they promptly pointed the finger of blame squarely at Firestone for might have had something to do with improper inflation pressures (to say nothing of the fact that probably damn few of those people realized that they were driving a vehicle with a much higher center of gravity and roll center than a passenger car).
Most of the air gauges at service stations (the ones who actually still have air hoses) I wouldn't trust to be even close to accurate. I'd rather spend the effort to properly equip myself to deal with situations instead of thinking that gas stations should. The days of the "service station" are about over, now most of them seem to treat gasoline sales as a secondary income to the sales of candy, pop, cigarettes and lottery tickets, and "service" is a forgotten word.
I treat the tire pressure monitor feature as a nice safety feature. If a front tire is going down you can usually feel it in the steering but sometimes rears are harder to feel until they're really dangerously low. In those cases the pressure monitor might give me enough warning to let me get to a safe place to deal with the leak instead of being forced to change a flat that caught me by surprise and left me on the shoulder of an expressway.

night_owl1

I agree that the dealer (who is SUPPOSED to know your car) should reset the monitor after doing an oil change. I am assuming they are following some sort of instructions or are trained to do an oil change on the Impala. Training to do an oil change? Of course. Each vehicle is different and while you would think changing oil would be the same from one car to the next, it isn't. For instance the Impala uses 4.3 quarts of oil. Not 4 and not 5. Also, did you know that if you do a flush and refill of the coolant, you need to bleed the air out of the system using the air bleed screw or you can damage your engine? Never had to do that on any of my other cars. Also, the people who work on our cars are now known as technicians. This implies an amount of training and expertise above and beyond a mechanic and as such, should be held to a higher standard. Sad to say I know a few technicians that couldn't troubleshoot themselves out of a cardboard box.

If, when you say on the road, you mean you are in a rental, I have to agree that checking tire pressure isn't easy. Sure you could pack a gauge, but you could also pack flares, fix-a-flat, extra coolant, etc. If you are talking about your own car, I agree with Dennis that you should have a pressure gauge. They are pretty cheap ($5) and I trust them more than the one attached to the service stations air line. Don't bother with the dial ones. Drop them and they will lose calibration. Go with the stick type.

On a similar point, not too many stations have air anymore. All service stations had compressors for their shop. The self-serve convenience ones don't need them. The one old-time service station by my house turned their compressor off. I had to go and buy a 12V one to fill my tires. Sign of the times I guess.

00impala

I didn't say anything about them doing it or not doing it...just said what I do and how I do it, When I want to re calibrate my tire pressure, I go to an Air Machine and add aprox. 34psi to all of the tires and drive home, I let the car sit for an hour or overnight, then I set them all to 32 and reset the Moniter. The only time in 2 years that it illuminated was when I re-did the pressure before a Vacation and in the rush of things forgot to get in the car and reset the moniter after setting them all to 32 psi, and as it was supposed to, I got about 15 miles and it came on, I checked all of the pressures and they were the same..35 psi since they were now "Hot" up from 32 "Cold", so I just reset the moniter and went on my 1800 mile round trip.
On the Dealer resetting the Oil Moniter, It seems moot. If you change the oil every 3000 miles (even if they do re-set it) it most certainly will not come on anyway, it would, if you re-set it every other time and allowed 6,000+ miles to accumulate, Resetting it every 3,000 miles will asure one thing, It will not come on...I think the only way to utilize the Oil Life moniter is to Re-Set it, and drive until it comes on, that may be 6,000+ miles, then change the oil and re-set it again and so on...... It would be different if it were like an odometer and once it was re-set (would make sense if it were done by the dealer, would replace the little reminder sticker on the windsheild) it would illuminate when it clicks to the 3,000th mile...That would be alot more user friendly, like a 3,000 mile reminder that would definatly get your attention to get your oil changed. Don

bdime

I was not interpreting your remarks as meaning anything else- it's great that you do the resetting yourself and perhaps I shouldn't count on the dealer to do so. I just was stating that the extra cost to obtain regular maintainace service with the dealer should include something above and beyond what I could get at the Jiffy Lube guys. I agree with you guys that a tire pressure monitor is a good idea to carry and I have to admit I never thought about it. I'm a nurse- how many of you have a basic first aid kit in your vehicles? That's a great thing to keep in there to and has come in very handy several times for me- but few people do it. I guess we all have our own systems- as long as we get it checked- or do it ourselves it will be fine for everyone- right?

00impala

All in all they should know the procedure, since they loop the same types of cars thru there day after day! The Gm Goodwrench oil change was $19.95 throughout the summer now it is back to $23.95. I was reading up on some horror stories on a Jiffy Lube board,just for fun (I would not go there if it were free,I'd do it myself) Man the crazy things they "DO" that they shouldn't do!
Don

[Deleted User]

Nice price. My local Chevy dealer charges $34.95. It's actually cheaper at Jiffy Lube! Who woulda thunk it?

teo

My dealer charges $14.99 for an oil/filter change, plus inspection. All done under 30 minutes or its free...

[Deleted User]

$14.99 is already free! ;-)

00impala

Deal with the Service Director or Service Manager, I noticed since my ISS Replacment the steering wheel is now off center, the bowtie is slanted while going straight and the wheel is turned to the left about an inch, I called the dealer today to thank them for fixing my noises and I got a real jerk on the phone (Service Writer) I mentioned the off center steering wheel and said I was letting them know, so when I go over for an Oil Change after the Holiday they can correct the off center Steering wheel, This guy goes on to say I need a $60 alignment and the Warranty work does not cover it, a littany of things like the Factory warranty only covers alignment for the first 7500 miles...blah..blah..blah...and I will have to pay...I said the thing was there on Friday and they disconnected my steering wheel to replace the ISS..He didn't care...I said the car goes straight..*(They aligned the front end 3 weeks ago for the Cradle replacement) and just the wheel needs centered..we got in a peeing match..I said whatever... I hung up and called back and asked for the Service Mgr who I usually deal with, left him a message and he called back and said when ever I want to bring it back after the Holidays they will "Surely" definatly take care of it and he was putting an note in the computer.. That is all I asked for and I get Mr I know everything guy at first. Teo you are right...those front line guys are a nusiance, Just think how they railroad elderly people into Fuel Injection cleaning and the sort....UHHH I am happy now that this will soon be behind me! Don

bdime

I got jerked around for days when they replaced the trim molding - later found
out they painted the darn thing the wrong color and then didn't have the mounting
brackets for it! When I finally called the service manager he couldn't have been more
helpful or willing to make things right. I was ready to do the call to Chevy on my cell
while physically at the dealer but told him I was willing to try him first. Everything
rolled out great after that! Now they know me on sight- not sure if that's good but at
least I get the car fixed right.

teo

Always deal with people that have decision making power like the Service Manager or Service Director.

The Service Writers are low level employees that have no decision making power whatsoever.

bh0001

Just had the 20,000 km service done on my 2001 LS. They recommended a "caliper service" - something to do with lubricating the calipers etc to "ensure long-term functioning and performance". Sounded a bit voodooish to me, but I had it done anyway for several reasons (too much to go in to here). Has anyone else heard of this or had it done?

I also (as always) asked to have the lug nuts hand-torqued to 100 ft/lbs. They agreed without hesitation. Then my brother-in-law (the parts manager) took me to talk to one of the mechan..oops "technicians". He showed me something called "torque sticks". They're extensions that fit onto the air wrench and apparently limit the amount of torque that the air gun applies to the lug nuts. There are various sizes of torque sticks for different sized nuts and different maximum torque. Does anyone know how these work?
Brad

bh0001

Here's a link to an interesting GM Service Bulletin on brake rotors:

<http://www.procutinternational.com/html/awards/gm_review.html>

Brad

night_owl1

So you saw this description on how the sticks work?

http://www.procutinternational.com/html/torqstik/how_torqstiks.html

I'll stick with my torque wrench.

dennisw3

Torque Sticks = lazy man's torque wrenches.
I suppose for the person who is either too lazy or doesn't know how to properly set and use a torque wrench they are better than just bearing down with the impact wrench. Also, they still allow the use of that air impact gun, the favorite toy of the dealership "technician".
How well do they work as compared to a properly used torque wrench? I have no idea. The idea seems sound enough but I would worry about production tolerances in the sticks making them less accurate than the average Craftsman torque wrench.
I'll stick to my (Craftsman) torque wrench personally.

night_owl1

The sticks sound like an interesting concept, but I trust my torque wrench more.

teo

What do you think about the engine cradle "Recurrance" claims for 2001? I am still having a hard time believing it...but...

night_owl1

Luckly, I have had no major problems with my car. My family has never owned a new car. My father taught me how to fix cars so when we had a problem, we would either fix it or live with it. As such, I learned to live with a lot and a little noise or vibration doesn't bother me all that much. I don't see the cradle issue to be a major concern. Of course, it hasn't hit me and if it did, I may change my tune.

Going by the description of the problem, I don't think it's the cradle. It may be the way the cradle is mounted, but not the fact that it is aluminum. The '01 cradle has more complete welds and it is made out of box aluminum so the overall structure is pretty rigid. Heck, airplanes are made of aluminum.

I'm gonna take a wait and see type of attitude. I plan to keep this car for a long time, as long as I can keep it running. I am really happy with the features, power, ride, and look.

kcidcampers

Here's a little bit of information for everybody that I just received. I was in Bob Taylor Chevrolet, Naples, Fl. talking to the service manager and during the conversation he made the statement that he has replaced a lot of Impala front end disc brake rotors according to Chevrolets TSB (I never did get a quote as to what the TSB number was) but I informed him that on my 2000 Impala, manufactured in July 1999 and bought in September 1999, with 26,000 miles by now, by applying the brakes I felt like the brake pedal was going up and down plus you could feel the car going slow and fast, slow and fast, moving irratic on a slow down. He then said you have the front disc brake rotor problem that I was telling you I had been replacing right and left. So in the garage I went and that has actually corrected that particular problem that I was having. Very smooth slow down now. The only thing to be aware of, I have the 6/60,000 warranty which does not cover this item but if you have this problem you have to have it corrected before the 3/36,000 expires. The only other problem I have is it sounds like my wheels or tires are running egg shaped or a bad bearing and the dealer said it's not the bearing it's my tires. These tires are very noisey. I guess I'm going to buy 4 new Michelin tires. If anybody out there has bought new Michelin tires let me know what the number is so I can purchase 4 new tires.

K-cid

night_owl1

What did the shop do to fix your brake problem? Change the rotors? And how did your tires wear egg shaped? I don't think I have ever heard of that problem before.

[Deleted User]

Could you look up in your magic book, and see where that antenna/defroster module for the rear glass is located. I'm having mine replaced, and I'm wondering if they're going to be anywhere near my rear speaker wires.
That's al I need. They fix the reception, but knock out one of the rear speakers.
BTW, I was under the impression that these antenna/defroster problems are always fixed by replacing the rear glass, not this module. At least, that's what a few posters here have said, including fatherlavidicus. (I'm sure I messed that name up!)

night_owl1

I don't have to look this one up. The module is behind the C-pillar. Replacing it shouldn't affect the speakers. Then again, to take off the C-pillar trim, they will have to remove the rear seat...

[Deleted User]

Driver's side C pillar?

I'm sure they'll find a way to muck up the left rear speaker, the rear seat, or the pillar/rear deck trim.

I've got a strong feeling replacing the module may not even fix the problem. Do you also remember a couple of folks talking about replacing the rear window. Or, am I imagining things?

night_owl1

Someone did have their rear windshield replaced. Something about a "micro-burst" taking out the antenna in the glass. I am assuming that the dealer did all the troubleshooting to come to that conclusion. Replacing the winshield has gotta cost the dealer way more than replacing the module.

[Deleted User]

I can't even imagine one of those "techs" being able to analyze and diagnose something along the lines of a "micro-burst", whatever that is.
I would imagine it would take a pretty powerful "burst" to damage the wiring within the glass.
"Micro-manufacturing-defect" is probably more like it.

socalchev

I think that post stated that he thought he had damaged it by placing a decal on the window affecting the wiring, or shorting out something..

night_owl1

I remember the decal theory. I have metal tint on my back glass and have no problems with the radio reception

[Deleted User]

Well...I just got my car back from the dealer, where they replaced the antenna amp module, part number 010289183.
Yup. Just as I thought. It didn't make a damn bit of difference. I'll go back and ask for the rear glass, but I know what they'll say. "That's the way it's supposed to work", or "Can't find a problem", or some such nonsense.
They just keep tossin' logs on the ole fire, don't they? It's OK. The bigger the fire, the warmer my file gets.

[Deleted User]

The reception still stinks (It was excellent when I first got the car). But, the rear defroster works GREAT now.
It doesn't rain here for like 6 or 7 months, so I didn't really start using it until recently, and was very unhappy with it. This morning it cleared the rear window up in about a minute. Wowzers!

[Deleted User]

I take it back. The rear defroster still bites. The window just wasn't too badly fogged up the other day.

herrdon1

I have a 2001 LS 3.8L build date 10-2000. The heater in this car seems to be substandard, it eventually warms the car, but takes quite a while. Anyone else have this problem or any potential fixes? I had the brake rotors replaced at 17,000 and am taking the car in next week for the steering clunk problem.

96g11

Just a note to the impala owners. I drive a "police package" impala every night. I am a D.W.I. / Traffic enforcement officer in Houston Tx.
I finally got my hands on a"police package supplement" for the owners manual. I have learned that the only mechanical difference from a "civilian" impala and a "police package" is the addition of a power steering cooler, larger radiator, steel wheels and reinforced seats. No suspension upgrades, no performance advantage. There IS included what is essentially a maze of wiring harnesses (see impala radio) to make it easier to wire up all of the electronics that a modern police car needs ie: camera system, computer, police radios, lights and siren systems. I have 4000 miles on my "shop" as we call them and will post from time to time how it holds up to being run by 3 different officers, 3 shifts a day (24/7). It took some getting used to pursuit driving with the front wheel drive (to say the least) after being used to a crown vic, but I love the way it handles and there is more room between the "cage" and the back seat That translates to making it easier for me to extract intoxicated drivers once arrested and transported to the station for processing. (if a drunk prisoner falls while getting out it would be my liability)

[Deleted User]

What if he falls "while trying to escape"?

96g11

To garypen, I honestly hope that was a joke! The implication is not my style. I have this "kill em with kindness" style that many officers just don't understand until they see one of my DWI cases go to trial. What I do at a scene is for the jury. All I really want is for the intoxicated driver to change their ways (lofty goal) and not hurt others during their lack of responsibility. I know this doesn't belong here in this forum but I will talk to anyone who will listen to stop DWI.
Thanks for your time.

[Deleted User]

Of course!!!!! A good friend of mine from the the wild and crazy past is now a Highway Patrol officer for the NYPD. Yes, they have Highway Patrol precincts in NY. (They also have much cooler looking uniforms than the beat cops.)
The CHP officer that stopped me for going a wee bit too fast was very polite. It made it a pleasant experience, except of course for making me even later for the airport, the huge fine, and the point on my license. ;-)