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Comments
Hope the wife likes it half as much as you like yours.
How's the radio?
Hope this helps.......Kerry
It sure would make the renewal decision easier if OnStar was as useful on a day to day basis.
Format is US MPG / CDN MPG / litres per 100km
Actual Average Mileage: 23.24 / 27.91 / 10.29
DIC Average Mileage: 25.47 / 30.59 / 9.34
Actual "Best Tank": 31.62 / 37.97 / 7.44
Actual "Worst Tank": 18.63 / 22.37 / 12.63
I drive with quite a heavy foot. When I remember to take it easy, or if I'm on a long highway trip with the cruise control set to 110kmh (about 70mph) I get closer to the "best tank" values.
Brad
If your dealer happens to have a Body Shop, talk to them and see what suggestions they may have. Remember that Body Shop people deal with body trim related problems on a day in day out basis.
My dealer steps back whenever they are approached with body related problems. I think it is wise and honest on their part as they recognize that body trim problems are best left for seasoned body shop workers.
OnStar::: I like it just because of the 'Safety' factor it represents. While I dunno I would pay a subscription to use it for the purpose of locating restaurants or retreiving E-mails, I think its main benefits are the Air Bag deployment call alert, driving directions, Medical alerts, roadside assistance and On Board diagnostics. To me these are the greatest assets of the OnStar service. I for one don't care much about in-dash DVD navigation systems. Those screens look cool and in general they are a nifty toy to impress your family and friends but my beef with these Windows CE screens is that they yet add another distraction factor when driving pretty much like a cellular phone does. For instance the Acura Navigation system has a women's voice (At least on the TL I test drove back in '99) that tells you went to make turns, make stops and whatnot. But the $2000 premium charge for the Navigation toy is very difficult to justify if you don't have a REAL NEED for it. Take it from me the computer guy, when it comes to cool gizmos I really like them but on board navigation screens are not my favorite thing to have on a car.
I still prefer the "Concergie" type of service provided by OnStar and they ability to talk to a live person.
Just so you know, Acura will be offering GM's OnStar on the 2002 Acura RL sedan. Audi will be offering OnStar as standard equipment on all their 2002 models. Saabs already offer OnStar as well. Lexus will also offer OnStar on their vehicles but they will be selling it under a different name (Under GM's license) and I think it is 'LexusNet'. Nice to know we already have a gizmo offered on sedans that cost thousands more than the Impala.
The OnStar cellular phone service is not yet provided in the State of Florida as per my last inquiry with the OnStar people. In other states where the feature is currently being offered, Verizon Wireless is the carrier in charge of providing the phone service for OnStar. It is a prepaid service only unfortunately which makes it more expensive than a regular contract based service. Still, it is a good thing to have for emergencies if you don't have a regular cell phone or if your phone goes out of comission.
Spoilers:: I love the spoiler on my '01 LS. Perhaps the Impala is the only sedan that actually looks better with a spoiler than without it. It looks sporty and muscular, not to mention that it really helps in measuring distances to objects when your are backing out in the car. Without the spoiler, the rear end of the Impala just looks kind of whimpy, but that's my opinion.
Gas mileage: I am currently getting 18 to 20 MPG in the city and 28 to 31 MPG in the highway. I use either Exxon or Chevron 89 octane gasoline with magnificent results. Just keep an eye on your tires pressure and excercise a light 'foot' when pressing the accelerator (I know the 3800's take off power is wayy to tempting) from stoplights and stand stills..those habits do take a toll on fuel economy.
3150 miles and solid as a rock!
One other side comment: If you are planning on keeping your Impalas past hte 3/36 warranty period I highly encourage you to purchase a GM Major guard warranty.
On my last trip the DIC said 27.8 and i calculated 27.75. But around town it is always off. I guess it is because the car is getting turned on and off.
I will try to cut out the bolting starts. As for the highway, I doubt if I'll be slowing down. However, I will try and use the cruise more often. I notice that even when going at the same speed, the instant MPG reading is better while using the cruise.
OnStar / NAV - I still prefer a true DVD Nav system. It also has "concierge" info, restaurants, businesses, addresses, phone numbers, etc. I like the voice, which can be turned off, giving me directions. How is that more distracting than the voice from the OnStar operator? I find it less distracting, as it doesn't require a response from me.
I promise not to tell your wife that you think female voices are more distracting than male ones. ;-)
I would love to see a DVD/LCD/OnStar system. I wonder if the NAV on the RL is integrated with the OnStar. If so, I would like to see that. (Not buy it, though! The CL/TL is more in my price range.)
Cadillac offers a DVD/NAV system on the DTS. I have no idea whether it is a good system or not.
Female voice? Yeah it was too sexy...but my wife doesn't mind that really. I think she is more jealous of the car itself than any computer voice in the cabin. I think women often feel that their husbands take better care of their cars than of their significant others...
But I still have my daugther as top priority. So I'm not a total looser yet.
Just kidding! She's a person. The cars are only machines, after all, no matter how cool. You know: products, property, objects, etc. People are obviously more important. (I do take care of her CL better than she does, though. I don't think she'd change the oil at all, if it wasn't for me!)
What do you think? Would 32 be a good pressure?
Going by the looks alone, I'd say the tires look low, but technically they are right on.
Thanks,
RR
I, too, am averaging around 28 MPG; down from 30-31 MPG in the first 3K miles. No hills here in No. IL but the stop and go of the city is murder on my numbers.
$1.18/gal! Geez, must be nice. 89 Octane is going for 1.67/gal here.
Thanks for the pressure info. I think 32 will be a good pressure and may even give me the stiffer ride I like, but you have the Yoko's right? Well, I won't expect too much. Just have to wait until next season for new rubber.
For an excellent source of regional gas prices, try:
http://www.gaspricewatch.com
I often wondered the same thing about theives disabling the OnStar. It would seem a simple matter using a pair of wire cutters or, more likely, a switchblade.
The only thing preventing that scenerio, is if some kind of ignition cutoff were integrated into the OnStar system. Perhaps Nathan has the answer to that in his Helms manual. Those things can tell you just about anything, except the meaning of life. (Although, I think one of the Corvette books may mention something about that one!)
OnStar: I sure hope the OnStar system is linked to the ignition.... although I do recall a fellow TH member having a discussion with OnStar re: the inability to "see" the car and the solid red indicator light. The cover was out of place (OnStar inoperable) and the car still ran.
Be good info to know the correlation between OnStar and ignition, if any.
Guess we could disconnect the OnStar system in the trunk and see what happens!
RR
Another check in the DO NOT RENEW column for me.
RR
Unless the car thief has your keys, he won't get
far since it will cut off fuel after 5 miles I believe. If Onstar controlled the ignition you'd have to renew it every year or your car wouldn't work at all No?
But, adding a cutoff that can be activated remotely by OnStar personnel is an excellent idea!
I tried the personal calling, and it works well. I like the idea of having an integrated system, so that there isn't any extra equipment hanging off the dash. The trouble in my case was that they gave me a phone number that is long distance from where I live, but the same area code. This is the most expensive long distance. It's cheaper to call out-of-state. They refused to change the number to a local number, blaming Verizon for not giving them enough numbers in my area. They suggested I could contact Verizon to get a number, but if I'm paying $200 a year and $1 a minute, I think they could do this for me.
Some of you have mentioned that, like me, you have cell phones and it would be nice to be able to integrate existing cell phone accounts with this service. But I don't see how this could be done.
I've wondered also if it's possible for the Onstar to be disabled easily so that the theft notification service is useless.
Anyway I have until next May to see if they address my concerns, so I'll wait to see if they make improvements. Of course my wife will probably tell me that we have better ways to spend $200.
BTW can someone tell me where I can find these systems? I was going to look into one.
Alpine is acknowledged by many to make the best aftermarket DVD based Nav and entertainment systems. Their web site might list authorized retailers, installers, and msrp. It will definitely describe their products.
www.alpine.com
I wonder if it is me or if other experienced the rear view mirror installed so low on the windshield that you got it directly in your line of sight ? If so can it be moved higher,or are you getting use to it ?
As for the rear view mirror, get use to it.
It's due to the large OnStar-equipped mirror needing to be mounted low to see under the D.I.C.
The dealer has been able to duplicate the hesitation once in all the times I've had them check it out - but before this new noise appeared. I've received the software updates, but they have no other information or fixes for it.