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Comments
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=223638&a=10790790
I commute 2+ hours a day on a packed highway and some days see 2 or 3 Impalas and other days none. The ones I do see seem to be LS's or the 3.8 base.
I do live in SUV, van and foreign car country but GM's marketing and pricing is poor. Ford and Chrysler have much better incentives thus lower prices (and quality). Makes it look like you get more bang for your buck with them. Nothing on the Impala but the 5.9% and only base models are advertised. And I'm guessing most Camrys and Accords are the cheaper 4 cyl version.
BTW, mine is carmine and I get a steady 21.6 mpg. That's doing 55-70 on the highway and including 12 miles of bumper-to-bumper each day.
2k_Impala_LS - nice site - I'll have to get a good picture.
LRCobra
They told me to bring it in tomorrow and they'll try to fix it somehow. Needless to say I am getting very dissapointed with my car...only 13,000 babied miles and having serious problems already. First the A/C compressor, now the front end thumping and clunking...what's next? I smell the aroma of lemons here.....
As Cookie said one time, I will begin to ride one 'pony' at a time until I get GM to either fix it, replace it or buy it back...I have very little tolerance for subpar quality. I already have initiated a 'paper trail' and basically Florida lemon law....3 strikes and you are out!.
Front end problems are SAFETY problems. Different story if you have a burnt out radio or falling trim....this is the suspension, steering vital components. Ironically, the car's cradle has never popped as others have experienced, but the steering and suspension feel like they are going to fall apart!!!
Like the car, but if problems can't be fixed then its out!
Am I the only one having these problems??
Sorry for the rant, but i think the Honeymoon is over...time for some Lemonade...
Teo i also have this little thump noise when driving slow like in a driveway then I slightly push the brake..i hear a little clunk or thump. I can feel it in the steering wheel also.
I'll keep everyone posted and again don't take those clunks for granted, they'll just get worse as miles rack up.
I'll let you know what happens, but at $23K, this car better be PERFECT.
This is what ticks me off about so many car dealerships - both foreign and domestic. They treat the customer like he has gotten the best deal of the century relative to the sale (even protest that you have taken advantage of them) and then turn the screws in the service dept.
I am so disappointed to read of your problems - it had seemed that this car was relatively trouble free except for the engine cradle issue.
Best wishes to you - hope it gets fixed properly and quickly. I'll be staying tuned to your saga.
Ken
keep tuned, I am expecting a call from Chevrolet at 2PM today.
Are these problems front end related???
Update:::: Received call from Chevrolet customer service representative at 2PM sharp as promised by her earlier in the morning. This person seemed to be unusually caring about the whole ordeal and she has already contacted my dealer's Service Manager director to arrange for a test drive early tomorrow morning when I take it in. After the test drive, the service manager can directly get a hold of the GM District Manager and arrange for a further meeting. She said that she was recently promoted, so perhaps she is now in a management position, hence the interest in helping with the problem. I told her that if the meeting with the zone representative doesn't produce any results, I will proceed with the next step which is to file the BBB/Autoline arbitration panel.
Florida Lemon law considers Suspension and Steering problems SAFETY PROBLEMS; therefore, state law only gives the manufacturer 1 chance to fix the problem, then its out!
Florida Lemon law seems to be very straight forward and efficient in solving these matters.
To Teo. We will all follow your ordeal with great interest. It certainly must be disappointing for you. But, I am perplexed by the mechanical people not finding the source of the problem....You cannot be the first to experience the noise and the GM service network is wired; right to headquarters. There must be a hidden TSB on this one. Keep us up to date!
http://www.gmcanada.com/NASApp/offersearch/OfferDetailsServlet?oid=15440&lang=en&pc=K1G1C5&f=1&showminimal=&showOnly=
My temporary home page for my 3.4L base:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=223638&a=10790790
I will still try directly through Chevy's site and my dealership. Maybe in a year or two, I might try to see if I can order a police package LS. I bought my car cash, so I own it, no finance charges. I still owe my 401K loan, but it's just putting back into my own money, plus interest, but at least I don't have to worry about the monthly car bill and don't have to deal with a "lien" owner if I want to sell or trade in my car. As far as the 3.800II engine, as most of the others her know, RonaH, it is very reliable, provided you do the expected maintenance. If you want the extra protection, you could even change the oil with Mobil 1 synthetic. It's more expensive, but if you feel your car is worth it, the Chevy dealers should have it in stock. I believe it comes standard in the Corvettes, and is the the recommended oil. Also, some dealer ships have the Bilstein hot engine flush you can have done at the oil change. It's expensive, but recommended after initial breakin, when switching from regular to synthetic oil, or every 12,000 miles, etc. And yes, I agree with the others, I would rather have the low end torque with the low-tech engine than a cammer with more parts to worry about, especially the belts/chains etc. Teo, in line with your front end problem and my SS/police package project, maybe Chevy could make a recall of the engine cradle if that is causing widespread problems and make the police package engine cradle regular production. I've been blessed with essentially a problem free car for 9 months/6,000+ miles. I don't have to drive so far here in Hawaii as you folks in "America", and am no longer in the police department, so I don't have to wreck my car chasing bad guys, etc. LIke I said, all the police package parts should be available as regular production as they were put in the former SS's anyway, except the lights and sirens, of course. I also think the 2001 rear bumper on the LS makes it look like the "base" model, though I think it doesn't look too bad on the darker colors. Also, in August, my front end was totaled by an elderly man that passed out while reversing into the roadway, into my car. But everything worked, my car just looked like Mad Max's ride. I'll post the pictures somewhere when I get a scanner. Anyway, I think that's way too much for now, just had alot to share.
As for variety of cars, come to Arizona sometime and see what we have to offer in the way of cars. This weekend is the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, biggest and best in the country, this brings out all the cars! On my route I have so many guys who restore vehicles it's ridiculous, one fella does only mid 20's Ford trucks (he has three at the moment and they are fine!) Another is restoring a 68' Camaro made in Germany have you ever heard of that? The ultimate guy has a whole shop next to his house with nothing but Mopar(he used to be an exec with Dodge)two Roadrunners and a Charger ($$!!)which are almost complete and will bring about 35k each when he sells them. So anyway, Arizona is a great place to look at cars, the dry weather promotes the longevity of the older cars. The other day I saw a 66' Impala convertible blue green with white interior that was awesome. Oh I see about 20 Impalas a day around here, and not all of them are 00's and 01's I see every year from the late 50's on up...
1) When the car is in idle, I feel vibrations from the engine which is transmitted to the steering wheel.
I was wondering whether this is normal?? I thought the engine cradle was suppose to eliminate the vibrations and harshnness?
I was wondering why the fog lights seem to be so underpowered? Last night we had a lot of fog in my area, and I saw some pontiacs with their factory fog lights.. I was amazed to see how bright they seemed when compared to the impala's fog lights.
Teo, perhaps GM will give you a brand new impala LS as a sign of customer service!
1) When the car is in idle, I feel vibrations from the engine which is transmitted to the steering wheel.
I was wondering whether this is normal?? I thought the engine cradle was suppose to eliminate the vibrations and harshnness?
I was wondering why the fog lights seem to be so underpowered? Last night we had a lot of fog in my area, and I saw some pontiacs with their factory fog lights.. I was amazed to see how bright they seemed when compared to the impala's fog lights.
Teo, perhaps GM will give you a brand new impala LS as a sign of customer service!
TO ANYONE: why is a K&N filter so good? I've never heard of them up here.
Hey Cookie - Navy Blue all the way - how to keep it clean real cheap? Answer: I traded 450 air miles for 15 car washes at any SHELL gas station in Ontario or Quebec. The price is $7 for the works so that's $105 - best deal I can find for air miles without actually flying or 10 free minutes at a do it yourself station. Regards and blessings!
I like it because if I think the filter is too dirty, I can spray it with the cleaner, rinse it out, re-oil, and re-install. Don't have to make the trip to the auto parts store to get a new filter and after a few cleanings, it pays for itself. I will be installing a K&N in my Impala when it comes time to change the filter.
http://www.knfilters.com/affacts.htm
http://www.amsoil.com/products/ts.html
However, my problem with the steering clunk is different from the ticking noises (Ironically, no ticks to date)but he says that the cradle could be at least in part be causing some serious trouble down there. I URGE those of you with clunking steering wheel columns to not delay and take your cars to the dealer and get a hold of the service manager...I hate to admit it, but these cars have FRONT END PROBLEMS and GM should initiate a recall on these cars..they are defective.
I told the Service Manager that I am very unhappy with two major problems in less than 11 months of ownership (A/C compressor and now this) and he was in total and complete agreement that the problems are unacceptable from any angle. He has worked for GM for 35 years, so the dude says that if there is a design defect that can not be repair, he'll make sure that GM does what they are supposed to do so they don't lose my business for good. This guy a total gentleman and never gave any indication of rudeness or resistance to my complaints...after we cameback to the service drive he asked me what else I didn't like about the car....the useless radio AMP, the chintzy glove box latch, etc.
The manager arranged for me to get a rental (A brand new Chevy Metro with only 278 miles...what an aweful driving go-cart) that GM will be paying out of their own pockets. The Impala will stay at the dealer foer the remainder of the week for what it would be the last repair attempt before I file for arbitration.
I the car can't be fixed, its a goner for sure, but I have to gave these people the opportunity to fixed it as per procedure.
I'll keep everyone posted on the developments.
Go to this page sponsored by the Canadian government's Transport Canada and click on database.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/Recalls/recintro_e.htm#Safety-related defects
Depending on what happens to Teo, I might contact the Ministry about his problems. Perhaps, Teo, you could document again, in one report, the problems with the front end including the cradle, after you get a report from your dealer next week. I will copy and send to Transport Canada.
I am waiting to see what the dealer is going to do next if they can't come up with a fix for the problem. Perhaps they'll get back to me until tomorrow.
Good luck!
I gotta call and see if there are any dealers around me. Thanks for the link!
I am still on 'standby' until the dealer calls back with an update. Sometimes I wonder if GM really spend the time testing the integrity of these aluminum cradles?
I don't want to sour anyone's experiences with the car but rather to make you fully aware that sooner or later these cars can give up the ghost with cradle and other front end problems. It is time to demand to GM to either find a permanent fix or recall these cars and step up to the plate.
Again, if you car is working fine, enjoy it. If you feel something weird or akward when driving it in terms of faint steering clunk noises or cradle ticks, don't hesitate to enforce your customer satisfaction rights with the dealer and GM. These babies are expensive pieces of machinery and they should deliver quality and reliability as advertaised.
I'll keep everyone posted as soon as I hear from the dealer.
Shamino::: I don't have any idle vibration transmitted to the steering wheel; however, you have noticed an increase in steering play....have the dealer take a look it ASAP.
Sorry to hear about your problems. I own two Honda Accords, but being a car enthusiast, I check many different boards. I've read a lot of your posts on the boards, and you've long been an enthusiastic supporter of GM products.
That's inexcusable and quite troubling that your car is having such problems at 13K. If they can't fix the problem, don't back down! Stick to your guns. You spent a lot of money on the car, they SHOULD either fix the problem, or come to an arrangement where the car gets lemoned and they get you a new one.
Just remember, you are the type of customer GM doesn't want to lose. You're a loyal customer of theirs. You're their bread and butter. Make sure you remind them of that.
Good luck and keep us informed. Looking forward to hearing what GM has to say about your problem.
To those of you with trouble free Impalas: Keep enjoying them to the max.
To those with problems or early stage issues: Don't wait, take your car to the service dept and stay on top of the situation until a satisfactory resolution is provided.
Guess I'll postpone pursuing a preowned 2000 Impala purchase until it becomes evident what's going on with suspension and cradles. What a BUMMER.
Teo - better have your chauffer dust off the Rolls - better alternative to the Metro!
Maybe you'll find a unique vehicle to replace the Impala - like say a Russian Volga 3111. Now that would be an interesting sight in Miami!
Best wishes to you, Frank. We're all pulling for you!
Ken
However, I don't miss any of those 'Iron Curtain' cars, altough I would love to have the choice to own the current Renaults we saw in France.
Anyway, I agree with Ken to some extent that first model year car buyers often become the 'Beta testers' of new technology...in this case the engine cradle. Based on interesting info gathered around the internet, it seems that GM has just entered into the unchartered territory of aluminum structure vehicle applications. It seems that this whole cradle thing has been a big thing for GM since the late 1990's and much research and expenses has gone into the cradles we have in our Impalas....however the ponding question is....did they test these cradles for long enough in the actual pre-production cars??
Per Consumer Reports, the Y2K Bonneville has exhibited better than average reliabity for the first year on this car, thus recommending it.
May be if you want to stick with the General, I would personally lean in the direction of these 'Premium' sedans. I think none of them have the dreaded cradle.
Maxima GLE was on my short list - but pricier and less roomy than Impala. I wonder what your thoughts are on that car?
Ken
2001 Aurora (Either 3.5 V6 or 4.0 V8)
Rebate: $2,000
GMAC Financing: (Cheap GM money, not bad)
0.9% up to 36 months
2.9% up to 48 months
3.9% up to 60 months
Also Olds increased the bumper to bumper warranty from 3/36 to 5/60! However, the new warranty extension is not valid under Florida law :-(
I think it is possible to haggle a new Aurora 3.5 V6 with all the bells and whistles for around $25K to $27K, which is very good because it would undercut both Bonneville and LeSabre price and warranty wise. I don't think anyone can't touch a new near luxury sedan for that price, anywhere, so I think it would be worth a look.
Downs: Resale value (Olds is gone but with the incentives that can help minimize any resale issues), The 'OLDS' name and yep the 3800 V6 is not and option just the 3.5L V6 and the 4.0 V8 cammed engines (I have heard good things about them but the 3800 still has more punch in the low end).
Nissan Maxima: A year ago when I was shopping for the Impala, I test drove the Nissan..nice car, nice V6, good handling, the rest ordinary. I didn't care for the new style that much and the safety score results on the Maxima/Infiniti I-30 siblings are very disconcerting (These cars basically fall apart on an accident). Otherwise in terms of reliability they should be pretty solid and resale value should be decent as well. I have read about problems with the new Maximas...rattles, problems with the 5 speed V-6 models...another 1st year experiment?
I would check it out for the sake of comparison but I think the Aurora is hard to beat.
It seems that lately the 'grass is not much greener' whether you go domestic or foreign.
You are - or were - Impala's biggest fan.
I am sorry you're having the front end problem but as
you know with all trevails in life, what doesn't kill
you only serves to make you stronger.
Did it happen gradually or after you hit a big
pot hole or something?
I hope it all works out to your satisfaction.
I've actually been warming to mine the longer I own it.
Just hit 10,000 miles last weekend.
Any front end problem over the long haul?
Glad to hear that you are liking yours better now, but keep your eyes and senses open just in case.
I think this problem goes beyond a common manufacturing defect.
Teo, I am perplexed. I am not a mechanic or technician but have worked on many cars in the driveway. My 1979 Corvette is an example. When something is loose, it is loose. I am at a loss to understand your problem as a good Tech can normally spot these things within minutes. And the GM Techs are generally well-trained to new car intros. Even if you hit a curb or whatever. Look at the front-end components and they are few in number. You state that GM cannot find the problem, to date. I have a problem with that! They surely do know the problem with your vehicle. The Service Manager may be a nice fellow but he is well-trained by the factory. We look forward to hearing of the solution to your dilemma but in the absence of widespread condemnation of the Impala from Forum members, I do believe your reaction is knee-jerk. You may have received a "bad" vehicle but where are the other victims, en masse? Need stats and extensive hear-say to be swayed. Just a thought before you abandon the Impala.
No problems with our front end yet.
Rocks???? Yep, the Impala now needs a second replacement windsheild, about 14 months use on this one. A good sized pebble hit the winshield tonight. A big enough chip with star cracks that a repair probably cannot fix it.
Why do rocks seem to hit the windshield in front of the driver most times?? I just had a chip fixed on my 1971 Chevy truck that was almost the same spot as the Impala's new chip !