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The real "bargain" at all dealers are the $29.95 (or so) oil changes which throw in a multipoint inspect (19 point upt to 30 point, depends on dealer and make! but basically a fanbelt and underbody look-see). So far as I can tell, the "free" multipoint inspections are pretty much what they want to charge $150 to do at "intermediate" oil changes.
IT does cost more at those dealers.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
"Do you have data about the subscribers' cars?"
A "yes" or "no" will be nice....
My intention wasn't to answer your specific question.
But my answer is no, I don't have such data. I think YOU should be the one to furnish the data to back your supposition.
Good enough and I do respect his choice. I was taken back by the gentleman's comments about those who don't share his opinion on car buying should "LEAVE" the country.
I would say these maintenance packages came about because Hondas and Toyotas broke down less than the domestics and these dealerships needed the revenue.
Now the playing field is more level in terms of reliability, but this doesn't mean these practices will go away. It just means the other dealerships will do the same thing.
With any car I own, I just follow the manufacture's maintenance schedule and not what the dealership recommends (you think Honda is bad you should see what their dealerships want to add onto it). It's funny how when the manufacture's is footing the bill for maintenance (like Audi for the first four years) the intervals are fewer and farther apart.
So that's a "No." You don't have anything to support their data. Please provide some real support rather than they must have something. No support is no support. If you can't support what CR does, just say so instead of trying to put it off onto someone to prove they don't. Have a nice day.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
YOU (or someone else) are the one that stated that CR subscribers are more likely to be bias towards Japanese cars.
-"With it" types of people who keep up with what products are out there. They probably have an interest in HDTV, and DVD Recorders. They probably don't drive their 15 year old cars to the junkyard.
-Probably are in the top third of wage earners
-Most likely concerned with the environment, good health, fitness etc.
-Probably like Japanese cars because of the reliability record and because it is more fashionable to buy a Lexus than it is a Cadillac.
Joe Six Pack is probably not a CU subscriber.
my car (5934 miles) was involved in a low-speed ($3000-) collision.The computer did not record the accident.
My son slammed on the brakes to avoid the suddenly stopped car in front ...
We did not lurch toward the windshield at all.
The brakes responded better before the reprogram. I plan to have the dealer undo the reprogram!.
Has anyone else had a similar problem.
I no longer white-knuckle it driving in the winds in the desert. It hugs the road and is a sweeeet ride.
It did go further than we anticipated, thus, tapping a bumper in front of us resulting in damage. I get it out of the shop on Thurs and will take it somewhere to test the braking distance... before I trade it in or have them undue the reprogramming....
It had no emergency brakes when I bought it, therefore the brakes have been worked on twice. I'm a driver, not a mechanic...
But anyway, I like the new Impala a lot, but frankly, after nothing but trouble with my 3 previous cars (plus my then-fiance's Alero), I'm thinking about throwing in the towel and going with something else. I'm not planning to buy right now (unless my car can't be fixed, its on its third trip the dealer), but when the 5/60 warranty is up I'm worried, with good reason.
Which brings me to my point--right now, at least, there is zero price advantage to Impala over Accord, Camry, etc. An Accord EX V6 with leather, sunroof, heated seats, dual climate, stability control, traction control, 6 disc cd changer, etc is running $24.5 in the real world market. Impala inventories are low, but getting one up to that level right now is over $25k, whether its LT3 or LTZ level. And frankly, the Accord V6 is far superior to the Impala 3.5, so I'd want the LTZ to get the 3.9.
So anyway, I'm sort of neutral at this point, but I did want to point out that there is really not a price advantage (a discount as you say) with the Impala right now.
I think that is a good sign. As long as the practice holds, that means higher trade in values for us that have these cars. What kills our trade in values on gm cars for the most part is you could get a new one for thousands off msrp due to rebates and such.
And, if you are on the fence still, at least you are an educated consumer.
I have the LTZ and it is a very solid vehicle. A little luxury and good power. I am averaging 21mpg in mine mostly city and a little highway. Much better than the 15mpg I got from my 2003 trailblazer that I traded for this. I liked the trailblazer too but I had no luck with it. I got in two accidents totalling 12k in repairs including repairs to the frame and at 39k miles, out of warranty and some rattles due to the accidents, I decided it was best to move on! Previously to the trailblazer I had an 2002 impala that I was very board with. I traded that quickly because I got such a good deal on the trailblazer 8k off msrp! When I sat in the Impala at the auto show, I loved it and had to take a test ride. I was sold.
My wife drives a 2004 Malibu Maxx. Its on its THIRD set of rotors at 18k miles and these are squealing like a scared cat. The service advisor tried to tell me that the problem was that she drove the car into Washington every day, and the stop and go traffic was too rough on them. I asked him what it wasn't too rough on the Accord in front of her in that stop and go traffic. He said that the Malibu's rotors were metallic, and that made the difference. We should drive it more gently. (Maybe quit work I guess?) Oh yeah, the circuit breakers that regulate the direction lights are causing the taillights to short, so that had to be replaced.
Uhh, ok. That epitomizes it in a nutshell. How about the rotors are low quality? Her previous car, an Alero, dropped its entire steering system at 21k miles--just out of warranty because it was over 3 years old. Cost us $3 grand to fix, GM chipped in like $400.
And now my Intrigue--two steering shafts, this stall problem. They ran the codes--and in the midst of trying to fix the stall, discovered a leak in the infold manitake, busted Co2 sensor, and blown ignition switch. And the check engine light is right back on! Oh yeah, 2 months ago my power windows stopped working--switch had to be replaced ($600 if it hadn't been warranty).
In all those cases, I LIKED the cars. I think my Intrigue is well engineered, stylish, fast, great features, etc. But can I trust it as time goes on?
That's my concern with the Impala.
On my Intrigue, both major problems are common. If you went over to the Intrigue forum, you'd see it over and over again. My service advisor says the same thing. So if virtually every Intrigue has chronic steering shaft problems, well, that's a quality issue that shouldn't be acceptable, especially considering a bought I car in its last model year.
I hear you...good luck with your Impala. From everything that's known so far, its a great car.
The rotors on all cars are "metallic". They're all made from cast iron. What your service advisor is trying to explain to you is that the brake pads are metallic pads. There are several reasons for brake squeal. The most likely cause is that the pads are glazed from all that stop and go traffic. If your wife is one of those who left foot brake, resting her foot on the brake pedal in heavy traffic, she could be part of the problem. "Riding" the brake pedal causes drag on the rotors and pads, which in turn creates heat. This heat can warp the rotors and glaze the pads. Either, or both conditions can cause horrendous brake squeal. By the way, the squealing caused by metallic brake pads is relatively common since most cars use them. If you truly needed 3 sets of rotors in just 18K, driving style could be part of the problem.
- Ray
My Intrigue hasn't had the problems the Maxx has. I did have new front rotors and pads put on at around 31k and just had new rear rotors and pads at 38k. I consider that within the normal range for the type of driving I do, which is about as heavy as you can get. My wife's Alero was a disaster on wheels but didn't have brake problems, so its not her driving style.
I should haveshared a little more information if we're going to discuss brakes---#1, the problem is not really squeaking, that's cosmetic, the problem was/is braking performance. Heavy vibration, decreased stopping distance, etc. I should have also said that the service advisor's comments were before they got the car in.
The time he made the driving style comments, I got a phone call a few hours afterwards saying that his mechanics believed that the rotors were so pitted they couldn't even be resurfaced, and they would be replaced under warranty since it was their determination that they were not due to normal wear but rather equipment failure. Those particular rotors had been resurfaced less than 5k ago and themselves were new not long before that. I restrained myself from saying "I told you so."
On the Maxx, I've never paid a dime for any of the brake work, its all been under warranty. It has been my experience that dealers aren't eager to pass brake problems onto the manufacturer if it can be avoided, so I think that speaks to the quality of the product.
Again, btw, with the Maxx--we like the car. Its a shame its going to have a short model span because its an incredible useful, unique vehicle. I went ahead and bought a GMPP 7 year/72k warranty on it, which I felt was neccessary. I got such a good deal on it (it was an '04 LS1SB and we paid well under $17k) that I didn't mind paying for the extra warranty. But my experience with it so far still has me questioning the long term quality. In addition to the brakes, as I said we've had a new circuit breaker put in the back since the tailights kept on burning out--literally every month (driving style too right? ha), and we've had some parts of the interior fall off---mirror, panels, center console stack got loose, etc. Just not the sort of thing that inspires confidence.
When I have any work done on the car, I come home and jack each wheel they touched up and loosen and retorque with my own wrench. It takes 10 minutes for one and 3-4 for each after. Worth it.
Another cause of warp is right after a stop heats the rotors drive through a puddle of water splashing a lot onto the hot rotors before you've driven far enough to cool the rotor some.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
But actually, tires were only rotated once, problems have developed a bunch of times since then.
Bottom line....we really like this car, and would recommend it to anyone considering one.
I got a 7 year, 72k mile extended warranty on my Maxx, $200 deductible, for about $1000. By the time the warranty expires, my car will be 8 years old and have 81k. Not too bad. And they are fully transferable, and you can cancel at any time and get your pro-rated money back, less $50 or something like that.
Its a good deal, I didn't mind doing it when we paid what we did for the Maxx, but on a $25k Impala I might resent it when $24k would get me something else that didn't need the extended warranty.
I checked the manual, and it doesn't list any times for a timer. All it says is that while driving, it may stay on longer. (A possibly accurate but equally useless answer!)
Most cars usually have a 10-20 minute timer. Not sure if there's any difference between the three main trims, but would appreciate feedback from 3LT and LTZ owners anyway. Trying to determine if I need to bring it into the dealer, thanks.
pressing the button again or by turning off the engine. whatever that means all i know is that is stays on forever and ever from what i can tell
Interesting about the warranty--I would suspect there are different terms considering the certified Cadillac warranty. I have my GMPP in writing, and the expiration date was 7 years from the date of purchase of the warranty.
Incidentally, I just spoke to my service advisor about my Intrigue. They think they've cleared the service engine soon light once and for all, but my steering shaft is gone. Again. This one lasted all of 10k miles. Replacing under warranty.
I wish GM would get to that place. The Oldsmobile I had in the 90's was the worst of all. It didn't matter that the dealer covered all the defects and repairs. Having to take a car in, wait for it, and sometimes have the repair re-done is a rotten experience even when it doesn't come out of your pocketbook.
I know some Buicks have a good reliability reputation now. Good enough that you can skip the extended warranty--which is just a dealer money maker on Toyotas and Hondas?
I believe time will come soon when the big three bump up their basic warranties. If Korean companies can offer 5 years with unlimited mileage now, then it won't be long that the big three get into the game to compete. But even if basic warranties are extended, the cost is built into the car somewhere.
I have never had an issue with a new American car other than a rebadged import that continually had ignition problems.
My fiance's Alero had just 21,000 miles but we as 3.5 years old and thus out of warranty. The entire rack and pinion steering system collapsed. She was driving in a parking garage, you should have seen the power steering fluid oozing out. Cost over $2,000 to repair. I tried to get GM to pick up the cost, arguing that a component like that should not fail in modern car with 21k miles. Their response: "that's why we recommend an extended warranty." They chipped in $400.
I learned my lesson. GMPP for me.
Up until the mid 60s basic car warranties in the US were 12 months or 12000 miles. Oil changes were 2,000 to 3,000 miles and bias belted tires lasted 10,000 -15000 miles. Most people rode the tires until they were bald, or had a blow out back then. The 2006 Impalas have come a long way since then and more improvements more often will come as we move ahead.
2. I haven't driven an Accord so I can't comment. As to maintainence, what really needs to be done other than the standard fluids, etc. An oil change is an oil change. My point was only that for the price point where the Impala LT3/LTZ is, you could have a loaded Accord and still have money left over, and I personally don't think that's a winning proposition for GM at this point.
3. Because I thought--and continue to---that the Intrigue was an excellent car. I knew resale was going to hurt me, but I got such a deal on it that I considered it at least an even trade. The MSRP was just about 28,000, I paid $19 and the dealer gave me $10k for my '01 Alero that also was full of problems. KBB was $7k. I also had some GM Card money to burn and got a college grad rebate, so the out of pocket for me to go from my clunker of an Alero to a loaded Intrigue was worth the money.
In terms of the problem, you can't differentiate Oldsmobile from the rest of GM here. Most of the components are the same. The only part NOT shared was the Shortstar V6 which was a better engine than the 3800 anyway and has been problem free. Also, my Intrigue has PCS, a stability control system that wasn't offered on Impala, etc. But is the same platform and many of the mechanicals are shared. So the "oldsmobile" nameplate doesn't really mean much other than sheetmetal (which for my money was easily the best of the GM W bodies).
A $27k Impala will have literally everything on it, whereas the $27k Avalon will be the base model. These days, a comparable Avalon is going to run you $33k or so.