2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

teo

The noise is normal as the cruise control mechanism desengages the gas pedal when either tapping the brake pedal or turning off the system from the steering wheel stalk switch.

I had a 1995 Acura Integra and the cruise control was very loud and rough when it was turned off. You could even feel a faint clunk on the brake pedal and a harsh jerk motion when it was turned off. The cruise control was derived from the Honda Civic, so even if I had paid more $$$ for the Integra it still was a Civic under the skin.

Unless it sounds like it is going to self destruct I would not panic about a noise of this nature. The cruise control is a combination of electronic and mechanical mechanisms so you can expect to have a noise from time to time.

I would be more concerned if the Cruise control itself fails to turn on, to engage the proper speed, to accelerate or decelerate harshly on its own, to fail to store in memory the last speed set (Resume function), or even worse to get stuck in the ON position even if the brake pedal is depressed or the stalk switch is turned OFF. Also I would be mad if the steering wheel controls wouldn't work either.

I think the cruise control in the Impala is wonderful and it even can keep the set speed variation to a very minimum whether you are going downhill or uphill.

My Hondas' cruise control while very good as well did struggle when going uphill and downhill.

Don't panic the car is not falling apart.

nosirrahg

Thanks for checking your cruise controls for me; don't know if it's good news or not that someone is experiencing the same thing.

I too rarely use the cruise at such low speeds, but I was on one of those deserted back roads with a long straight stretch, where I'm prone to speed - hit the cruise button to keep myself from speeding, and heard the clunk. The noise sounds (and feels) somewhat similar to the ISS problem I'm having, so I'm going to point it out to them when I take it in later this week.

Mine is also a 2000 model (build date 3/14/00); approaching 28,500 miles on the 3.8l engine.

Brad - I also have kept records of mileage thus far on a spreadsheet; don't have access to it here at work, but my record high and low are a notch or two higher than yours (I think my record low is @ 19, and my record high is @ 33), but the lifetime average is pretty much the same as mine.

roderacer

Hey all!

OK, me and a buddy have an ongoing debate about the TRAC OFF button and why anyone would want to deactivate the feature.

Maybe the problem lies in the definition of Traction Control. What does it actually do and prevent? I am under the impression that the system, by design, eliminates or reduces wheel spin, therefore providing TRACTION.

My friend, new 2001 Monte owner, seems to think that the TRAC OFF button will come in handy this winter if the car gets stuck in snow. His theory is that by turning the Traction Ctrl. off, the car will be able to 'rock' out of a bog and get free. With the Trac. Ctrl. left on, getting out of snow would be more difficult... WHAT???

Just doesn't jive to me.... how 'bout it everybody?

Thanks!
RR

licavy1

I went to three different body shops and was told the same thing by them. The moldings cannot be painted because of the texture finish. They all said they would have to be sanded down, primed and painted and none of the shops would guarantee them. There suggestion was to contact GM to see if they make painted moldings for the Impala.

[Deleted User]

Many plastic body parts, such as bumper covers, are painted every day without incident. I wonder why those body shops have a problem with the molding.
FYI, I just had my Civic entirely re-painted, including a black plastic bumper cover with a surface very similar to the Impala molding. (I also saved a bundle by purchasing and installing it myself.)
I will probably be replacing the rear bumper cover on the Impala as well. It has a small crack. It is also plastic. It is also painted. So...why the problem painting the moldings?

night_owl1

I don't have my manual here, but from what I remember, when the system detects wheel spin, it will selectivly apply the brakes to stop the spin. When you are in muddy conditions, sometimes wheelspin helps you get out. I was in a pineapple field and it started to rain. I would back off the accelerator every time the wheels lost traction but that wasn't getting me anywhere. Finally, I just let the wheels spin and finally made my way out. The tires acted like a paddlewheel in the soft mud.

Once your rear tires digs a deep rut, then spinning the wheels would be a bad thing. However, if the system applies the brakes the instant the wheels start to break free, you might not be able to rock the car. Anyone want to intentionally get their car stuck and try this out?

teo

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-10-17-gm-quality.htm

bh0001

I bet you're the only person in this group that's almost been stuck in a pineapple field! ;-)

[Deleted User]

Ah. But I'll bet he never got his Impala stuck in the snow!

b4z

Yes, you are getting less than what it says.

roderacer

I guess I can relate to the wheel spin issue - somewhat.

With my last car (RWD T-Bird), I got into some jams to put it mildly. Winters sucked. No matter how much rubber I burnt on the asphalt, I couldn't get free from the white stuff. Out came the shovels.

Nevertheless, I don't plan on testing it out anytime soon with the Impala in snow OR a pineapple field. MMMMM, pineapple!

Thanks!
RR

p2001

In a trip to Virginia Beach (and return) from Ontario, Canada in August I consistently registered 37 miles per US gallon. That was at 70mph and with the A/C on for the most part. Interestingly, that converts to ~43mpg Imperial. And that is just what my GM Canada window sticker says it should be. Truth in advertising? Base 2001 with 3.4L. It sure is a nice highway cruiser but it did struggle a bit with the hills in Pennsylvania. Tended to downshift to get into the torque band. But it is a wonderful car.

spence30

Your friend w/ the Monte is correct. If you get stuck in snow, rocking the vehicle is the best way to get out (assuming your wheels keep spinning and the cars not moving) I live in NH, and got my Impala stuck once last year, turned the trac off, and rocked it out...

b4z

It has been my experience that most GM cars get better mileage than what the epa sticker says. Sometimes by several miles per gallon.
My imp is rated at 30 mpg and i got 29.6 mpg at 80 mph with the A/C on and going from an elevation of 6' to 2400' above sea level.

hunter39

Intrestingly enough, the Altima does have a bigger fuel tank than my Impala, I believe it is 21 gals but not sure. The v6 does get crappy mileage, I think it was 19 and 26, we are looking at the big 4 with 175hp, it gets better mileage, but the numbers are not at my fingertips. We still haven't found the color she wants, which of course is the most rare color. There are two in the region both in Huntington Beach Ca. They are going to see about snagging one from Smyrna TN. when it comes off the line destined for somewhere other than here, dealer checked what is coming in to this region up til dec. 29, no dice...

[Deleted User]

>>>Yes, you are getting less than what it says. <<

Not good.

b4z

Not bad either. There aren't many 200 hp full size cars that can 30+ mpg at 70-75mph. I don't think any of the Asian or European cars can do that.
The DIC is very accurate if you don't turn the car off. A trip to the mountains last summer resulted in a 27.75 mpg figure computed manually, and 27.8 mpg by the DIC. It don't get any better than that.
Around town it can be 2 mpg off.
Last week i took a side trip to some rural areas of SC and pulled a 32 mpg figure on two lane roads. There was some around town driving but the highway speeds were never above 70 mph.
I would guess that if you put the cruise on 55mph this car could probably pull 34-35 mpg. Thats pretty astonishing.

[Deleted User]

I suppose if I actually got that sort of mileage, I'd be astonished too.

morphius909

Hi guys,

Traction Control-your friend is correct. If you read the Impala Owners Manual, if you ever get stuck in snow, etc, you MUST turn off the Trac system, otherwise it will just sit there overcompensating for everything you try to do.

Last couple of weeks, I've developed some annoyances:

1) Slight Rattle from the Dashboard area, possible loose wire?(Probably left from when the Remote entry was fixed by replacing instrument cluster)

2)Airbag light erratically comes on when driving.

3)Excessive Gas Consumption

4)Slight engine hesitation when accelerating from a stop-eratic as well.

Any tips,hints from anyone on these??

Paul

b4z

Regarding excessive gas consumption. Sometimes the ECM goes bad and can cause that to happen. Do you have a rotten egg or sulphur smell in the car?
This happened twice with my camaro and there were no trouble codes stored in the computer.
i was getting about 9 mpg both times.

teo

Morphius, what year/build date of your Impala?

mediumfry

Yes, the DIC MPG is high. For mine the DIC says I've gotten about 28.3MPG over the life of the car ('01 LS, 23000 miles). According to my gas log I've gotten 26.8 or so.

Actual mileage has improved significantly since about the 18,000 mile mark. Don't know why but I'm enjoying about 10% better MPG than before. I can expect 30mpg on the road and 25 in town whereas I used to get 27 highway and 20-22 in town.

[Deleted User]

My DIC was telling me 17.3 mpg. I guess I was getting even less, though. Terrible, really.

However, while my car was supposed to be getting the seat fixed, I told them about the delayed shifting and uneven idle I've been getting.

They said there was a TSB, and they upgraded the software. I assume it was some sort of firmware BIOS upgrade in the ECM. On my commute home today, I averaged about 23.4mpg in serious South Bay stop and go traffic. The tranny seems better too. I guess it worked.

The seat still wobbles though. Time to visit a new dealer service dept.

norbnancy

My 2000 LS averaged 28.3 mpg over 25001 miles. My best was 34.6 on interstate driving aprox.65mph. My DIC seems to be accurate with minor variation. This can be expected as it is next to impossible to fill the tank the exact same fullness every time. Enjoy the ride.

gweilo

I am in the process of (maybe) purchasing a new 02 out of stock..hard to find. Even harder to find with the CD/cassette option. The dealer claims they can't work with GM to swap out a CD only unit for a CD/cassette. Of course I would pay the difference..maybe a little more for the trouble..but they say it can't be done. I'd rather stick with a radio that would be covered under the car warranty. Is this how it's always done?

crosley4

I must admit in the early daze of owning our 2k LS the mileage indicated on the DIC was laughed at till we did the math. The DIC was real close.

We have not done the manual math on fuel mileage in over a year.

The mileage & power given by this 3.8 "out dated"(other ppl's words) engine design is surprising & pleasing to me.

I must admit that I have been out looking at replacement vehicles for the Impala. I will not name names, but the manufacturer name starts with an "F". The vehicle does not get anyway near the fuel mileage of the Impala and it's not a sedan.

[Deleted User]

I'm not surprised you didn't see comparable gas mileage from Ferrari.
I'm sure you didn't mean Ford. :-O
You know, Fords may not get as many miles to the gallon. But, they definitely get more recalls per gallon.

b4z

So your gonna buy a explorer or a pickup?

woo_by

what build date and model is your Impala?
would you happen to know which tsb# they were talking about?

crosley4

I could not afford the air freshener in a Ferrari. LOL

I've looked at the new Chevy TrailBlazer and GMC equal. Nice vehicles, over priced and the dealers do not seem to be flexable with the price as much as I would like. Then there is that "new" in line 6 cylinder engine. With the trouble we experienced with the "new" aluminum engine cradle of the 2k Impala I am a bit concerned.

Fords do enjoy the recall notices that you get in the mail. On the flip side of that, my 2k Silverado has 3 mail type recalls in the past 2 years.

My wife comes back from Greece and Spain this friday. You can guess where we will be on saturday. I hate to let this 0% finance stuff get away from us with out a 2002 vehicle under my foot.

And yes...... I have been looking at 1/2 ton Ford Super Crew 4 door trucks and reading the postings and reviews here at Edmunds.

Tony

cabello

For those who have had trouble with the cradle, are the clicks always there or are they only there when the car is hot? I get like rolling clicks on my car kinda like a bad CV joint. But only when I have driven the car for a while.

teo

Crosley, I would not touch a Ford product with a 20 foot pole. Best of luck. Worst dealer service and this malady seems to be spread across their entire dealership network. Ford has a lot of problems right now and one of the biggest ones relates to quality. While I don't think their bigger trucks are as lousy as the rest of their product line you should do your research well before getting into the blue oval bandwagon. I had terrible experiences with Ford a decade ago and this is the reason why I despise their products and organization.

Gas mileage: At 6K miles my '01 LS is delivering a steady 21-22 MPG in city driving and around 31MPG in highway runs. The fuel economy did really improve after the 4,500 mile mark. I am using 89 and on occassion, 93 Octane gasoline, not a single problem to report at this time.

If anyone is planning to keep their Impala for longer than 3 years, I recommend purchasing an extended warranty. The powertrain is the least of my concerns, but since cars are machines, I am more concerned with the A/C, suspension, brakes, electrical and electronic components.

I believe that the Impala, well taken care of, is a car that can last virtually troublefree for 100K+ miles. Alternators, water pumps, timing chains and so forth will fail at some point in the life of the car and they would have to be replaced, whether the car is American, Asian or European.

My Honda/Acura ownership experiences have taught me that while Japanese cars are very good, they are not foreign to problems and dealer service bays...but of course that's my opinion based on 12 years of Japanese only car ownership.

hunter39

Yes you had better hurry, The dealerships are only offering the 0% until 10-31, at least that's what I have been seeing. You have to read the fine print though. These finks keep talking about getting America going again and then they want you to come in an buy a car for 0 down and 0%, only it's for 36 months! Yeah nothing like a 1000.00 a month payment. While shopping for the Altima a local dealership offered 3,000.00 minimum for your trade in. We went there and they told us it was only if you bought a Pathfinder. I knew there had to be a catch but I got reeled in anyway...

teo

GM has extended their GMAC 0% financing program until November 18, 2001.

Ford and DCX financing programs do expire as of 10/31/2001, unless they decide to follow GM's lead to extended the free financing deals.

teo

Hunter, I have seen the new Altima and it is a handsome sedan. I like the clear tailight treatment as it was tastefully done and doesn't look as juvenile as the one found in the Lexus IS300. I have seen these Altimas only in one color (Don't know why) all over the place. The color is like a metallic tan type of deal. The front is Blah but side and rear view is really nice. I think the Altima beats the Camry in design and powertrain by a long shot.

The Altima is a car to consider for future but I would wait for the demand and dealer price gouging to cool off for a few months. Also you need to find out if this car is troublefree as it is a first year major redesign.

I predict than in about 12 months, or even before that, you should be able to haggle the price on these critters down to invoice. But right now I would not pay for the novelty of having one, but that's me.

However, I still find it difficult to pay $22K for a four banger Altima let alone near $30K for a fully loaded 3.5 V6 Altima.

As a matter of fact I can do better with the Maxima and save some serious bucks in the process while everyone else gets ripped off paying MSRP plus dealer profit on a new Altima.

licavy1

I don't know why these moudings can't be painted. I followed up with GM to try and buy new painted moldings, was advised they don't make them. I'll wait for the factory painted ones.

hunter39

Actually we have found that my friend the Chevy Salesman has a friend who is the fleet manager for a Nissan dealer... looks like we will be able to get pretty close to invoice on the price afterall, only we still have to wait on color and options. The wife wants what she wants and won't except anything else...

[Deleted User]

>>>I could not afford the air freshener in a Ferrari. LOL<<<
I went to look at a used Jaguar XJS. Even with the top down, I was noticing a strong, sweet smell. I look up at the rear view mirror, and sure enough there's a 99 cent pine tree hanging from it.
So much for real mahogony and Connolly leather.

As a side note, I find it extremely ironic that <em>FORD, of all people, was the one to improve Jaguar's quality so dramatically. Now Ford just needs to find someone to improve their quality.

jeffreyw1

Funny, you should mention Nissan. Did you know that Nissan is building a manufacturing plant to make pickups and suvs in Canton, Mississippi? I think production of these vehicles are slated for late 2003/ early 2004. I could be wrong. Since Nissan announced it was building a manufacturing plant in MS, other car companies have expressed interest in building new automotive manufacturing plants here, too. No word as of yet if they are going to go ahead and do so. Canton, MS is located North of Jackson, MS. The job market in MS has been hit especially hard by the manufacturing of clothing in foreign countries. Almost every town had a some sort of clothing manufacturing plant about 5 years ago, but today you will be pressed very hard to find many at all. The building of a Nissan plant is a welcomed sight here in MS.

[Deleted User]

Honda, Toyota, and Mazda already make cars here. Maybe Volkswagon, who now makes cars in Mexico, will decide to move north. Doubtful though. Cheap labor is cheap labor.
Have you ever noticed how VW's ads always say "German Engineered"? I don't think "Mexican Built" would have the same effect.

teo

..and it shows in the reliability of the Jetta and Beetle which are manufactured in Puebla, Mexico.

The only VW's that you can buy built in Germany are the new Passat sedan and wagon and the Cabriolet.

The Golf is made in Brazil.

Samba, anyone?

[Deleted User]

Short and cheap and weak and ugly.
The car from Ipanema goes driving....

night_owl1

Just tell the dealer you won't buy a car without the radio you want. There is a saying for car salespeople. "Sell the customer what we have, not what they want."

When I was looking for my car, I wanted a black LS, CD/tape, with spoiler, no sunroof, cloth seats. They tried to sell me a silver car, CD (no tape), with leather seats. At first they said they couldn't tell me what they had in stock (the silver one was on the lot, the others were at the off site storage) Then they said they didn't have any black cars and couldn't tell me when they would get any more cars in. When I mentioned I could wait for them to special order one for me, they said something to the effect "Well, we have had some problems with special orders in the past so you would be better off buying a car we have in stock."

I didn't see a problem on MY side. If there was a problem with the delivered car, I just wouldn't take it. So you would think it would be in their best interest to follow up on the order to make sure there was no problem. But it's easier just to brow-beat you into buying something that they have on hand vice what you want.

I went to another dealer, special ordered my car, and got exactly what I wanted.

If they really want to sell you the car, they can order the radio and swap it out for you. Tell the salesperson "Are you going to lose this sale just because you are unwilling to give me the radio I want?" You may want to pay for the upgrade, but don't pay installation fee and make sure they don't try and charge you for the old radio. And that should be the option price for the radio, not the cost for a replacement radio at the parts department price.

spider717

Well I just hit 5000 miles on my 01 LS and on Friday I'll be taking it to Tennessee. (I live in PA). This will be the longest trip I haev taken my car on so far. I'm looking forward to the ride.

teo

These are the residual values for a new 2001 Impala LS according to the Automotive Lease Guide (ALG):

MSRP: $24,474

24 Months = 45% or $11,013
36 Months = 37% or $ 9,055
48 Months = 32% or $ 7,831
60 Months = 27% or $ 6,607

After 60 months of service the car would have depreciated around $17,867.00 from MSRP. The biggest hit takes place during the first 12 months of ownership.

This is indeed one of the biggest drawbacks of buying one of these cars. While the car offers size, value, equipment, performance and safety, the resale value is the weakest link like on any other domestic branded car.

I think that if when buying an Impala, the purchase criteria should be:

Drive the car for a couple of years and sell it.

or

Drive it to the ground or sell it and use the pocket change to buy your next car.

By comparison, a new 2002 Passat Wagon GLS with 5-speed tiptronic transmission and 1.8L Turbo engine commands the following resale value figures:

MSRP $24,175

24 Months = 66% or $15,955
36 Months = 57% or $13,779
48 Months = 50% or $12,087
60 Months = 43% or $10,395

A 2002 Passat GLS 1.8T wagon will be worth $3,788 more at the end of 60 months than the Impala LS. That's serious money.

By the way, the Passat commands the highest resale value in the market among midsize family cars, beating the Toyota and Honda models.

Going over the ALG residual values is quite an eye opener. I like and enjoy my Impala, but these resale value figures are kinda disconcerting.

[Deleted User]

I thought we had discussed those ALG numbers here months ago.
You didn't believe me back then? ;-)

hunter39

if you plan on keeping the car for 10 years like I do. My only hope is that I get 10 years of good service out of the Impala...

teo

True. But I hadn't been exposed to the ALG numbers before today. I was also surprised to see that most Acura and Lexus models don't do as well as the European brands. The only Acura that has the best resale value right now is the MDX. Honda has the Ody and CRV models.

Again, I still like my car but if I were to sell it in the near future, the main reason would be the resale value issue. Other than that, it is really hard to fault the car on any other area given the price/equipment/perfomance and safety ratios.

spence30

I have been looking at The Rendevous, If you are looking for any GM product, you can go to the GMBuypower site, and look at dealer inventory. I knew exactly what the dealer had, options, MSRP, and also was able to get my invoice priceing before I went into the dealership. It's not as much fun for the sales people, you tell them what you want, they say yes or no. It sure beats spending 2-3 hours in a dealership.

I am finally replacing my Eagle GA's on my 2000 LS, has anyone changed their tires yet with a different tire. I saw someone did the Yokahama AVS db, but I don't think I will get enough snow traction. I am leaning towards Dunlop SP Sport A2's. Any suggestions??

teo

Yep, if you drive to the ground (Which is to keep the car past the 5 or 6 year mark) resale value becomes a moot point. If the car delivers reliable service and reasonable repair frequency, then perhaps you have gotten your monies worth.

Getting back $6K or $7K after 5 years of use, is not terribly bad but not terrific either.

Sorry, I don't intend to turn this conversation into a resale value war.