My 2001 Monte Carlo SS, with 1500 miles on it, is developing an annoying clunking sound when the brake pedal is released, which is transmitted through the steering wheel. This sound is not apparent when the brake is depressed, nor can it be felt through the brake pedal when you take your hands off the steering wheel. Does anyone else have this problem? Either on the MC or Impala. Do I have a safety problem here or can I wait until the 3,000 mile check up at the dealer? St. Louis MO
On Page 26 and 27 of the January 30, 2001 issue of Auto World Weekly the new Impala AS has received an outstanding review. Two thumbs up are given for fuel economy, the 3.8 liter engine, acceleration, braking ability, braking distance and interior and trunk room.
Two items they found wanting were the thin sound coming from the stereo (really????) and the lack of an electronic lumbar support adjustment for the driver's seat. The last sentence of the review sums it up in total by stating that Inarguably this is the best Impala ever built.
The article should appear on their web site in about two weeks at www.autoworldweekly.com. Currently on their site, for those interested, is a review of the 2001 Mote Carol. St. Louts MO
Finally, the Service Manager returned my message from a couple hours earlier. This is what he had to say:
A new replacement 'VALVE' (Could not specify exactly as to which valve he was talking about)was ordered for my Impala, and he was confident that this new part would fix the problem with the clunking steering column and brake pedal faint noises (OIL_MUTT READ MY PREVIOUS POSTS WERE I DESCRIBE THE NATURE OF YOUR PROBLEM IN DETAIL).
He said that on further test drives he did yesterday, the car exhibited the clunking not only when turning right but also going straight ahead and going over bumps. He also said that the clunking was almost non-existant when making steering turn to the left..DUH! I know that!.
Last, he said the part was ordered on overnight delivery (See what I told ya about the dealer trying to hurry up to avoid accumulating those out of service days so important to invoke lemon law)so it should be arriving later today and the car should be ready some time tomorrow.
I am confused as heck. In my limited car mechanic knowledge how a Valve can cause the entire front end to clunk the way it does???
Platour and other more technically knowledgable heads......does this 'Valve' thing make anysense to you???...can you relate any valve (Steering pump, etc) that if going bad can cause this kind of problem??? HELP!!!!!
I am very skiptical about this repair and I am almost certain that this is not a fix, rather a quick band-aid for a bigger problem.
Opinions??? Comments?? Ideas???? Does this sound right????
very skiptical until I get to drive the car again.
I hope that GM will buy your car back! With all the repairs that the dealer is doing to your car, I don't think it will do you any good in the long run! Here are several reasons why:
1) With the dealer ripping apart your car, they are bound to screw up some factory installed option (e.g. electronics, the integrity of the body, etc)
2) If you ever try to sell this car later on, the repair records will show up. This might lessen the value of the car
3)All these so called fixes for the cradle are a interm solution. Until GM does a full recall of the cradle problem, then the fixes are useless!
Who knows..maybe in the 2002 model year the impala will end up getting a steel cradle? And all of us with the 2000 & 2001 owners will get compensated somehow?
Teo, I've been away for a while and the last time I read your posts, you were praising the car, just talking about the glovebox latch. Now, due to a problem, you are ready to give up and invoke the lemon law process. The car now suddenly has cheap plastic interior pieces and you are comparing the Impala to a $#&%box Metro. Which by the way, I would have never accepted as a replacement. I would have demanded something of similar size and have successfully done so with my previous truck during warranty work.
Give your dealer the opportunity to fix the problem before trashing the Impala/Monte. Sure, there appears to be problems with a few cars concerning various front end components, but I doubt it is as widespread as this forum suggests. People with car problems tend to want to share but I'm sure there a number of people lurking here that don't have problems and probably don't have much to say.
While looking in other forums to get info on a car for my wife, I noticed you are inquiring on a Bonneville... glad to see you haven't completely given up on GM.
I take good care of my car, but by no means do I baby it. Plus I've hit my share of potholes on expressways in the Chicago metro area at 70 + MPH. Maybe I'm lucky, but I have 16,000 + miles in 10 months and have no squeaks, rattles (interior or exterior), grinding, thumping or popping noises. I've been listening for any strange noises since I read the first post, but still nothing and I hope it stays that way.
I have 30,300 miles on my 12 month old impala. Not many complaints. The "Teo Syndrome" I have is a very faint bump when applying the brake while turning into a driveway. Also a very faint loose bearing noise when I rev the engine then quickly let go of the gas, then the loose bearing noise winding down. Will check this out in the next month or so. I will buy a 1969 WV squareback in the next few weeks to have another car available.
My guess the valve they are replacing is the control valve in the power steering rack. This valve directs high pressure fluid to either side of the power cylinder in the rack to provide the power assist to your steering input. If the valve is sticking when you turn right you could get an abrupt power assist which is causing the clunk you are feeling.
Wow what 180 turn you have made. About the valve thing I can relate to that. While my Impala was a 1964 model the power steering pump had a deffective valve that caused nasty clunking. A repair kit took care of the issue so I believe your mechanic. Hang in tehre man the Impala is a great car ( I do dislike the interior a bit but that's minor).
- did the dealer require you to sign papers, that only you will drive the "loaner car", and never your wife? Is it a usual practice to impose such requirement?
Also, you told that dealer provided the loaner car without you asking this. The same with me. But did the dealer offer to take the car, or ordered you to take it, without asking whether you want it, and without explaining the rental process and conditions?
I am interested because had a very himiliating experience recently with a loaner car from Buick. Cannot remember to be so strongly offended for years.
Every now and then, when I back up, I hear a clunking noise, but, I think it might be the gas tank. Could that be the case? Has anyone else associated a one-clunk sound with the gas tank? I don't hear it often, just sometimes. Anyway, I'm taking my car to the dealer next week to check that as well as the annoying "warm-up" time needed before the car runs smoothly. Does anyone else have to warm their car up for at least 2 minutes? otherwise it jerks and shudders? Sometimes, I park it for a couple of hours, after driving it, and I still have to warm it up. This is becoming unacceptable to me! What about the shift gear stick sticking? any of that happening? I'm compiling a list of things for my service man to look at. I'm almost at 15,000 miles and I really like my car, even though some clown has scrapped the back bumper again! I dread the thought of my car sitting in a repair shop and that's why I've taken this long to take it in for servicing (other than oil changes).
Thanks for the quick explanation. Hummm, now I feel like a total IDIOT! But...the car is not out of the woods yet until I get to drive it and see how it performs after a week or so. Still, if this is the cure to the clunking, then it means that the Power Steering Control valve could be defective in some units...interesting.
Still, not a good sign on the durability of some key mechanical components outside of the engine, tranny and brakes. Once I get the repair ticket, I'll post the description of the repair and any part numbers.
The engine cradle continues to be a concern. The car hasn't yet developed the nasty clicks but it can happen at any time, sooner or later. My Lemon law statue of limitations will run out in about 6 months or when the car hits the 18K mile mark, after that point I will be at the Mercy of the Dealer and GM should this gremlin surfaces. (No Lemon law recourse)
Let me clarify this...I like the car and I bought it with the 'mindset' of keeping for a very long time and be there when we decide to have kids. However, based on my own reliability experience with the car, this is not extremely comforting....two 'major' repairs in less than a year....A/C Compressor and know this Power steering control 'Valve'...and the jury is still out on the latter if this turns out to be the actual source of the front end clunks.
While I believe the engine, tranny, brakes, body and interior will survive the test of time in the Impala, I still hold major doubts with the durability of the front end. The cradle is a very sore spot in these cars and emotions and attachements towards the car aside, we all know that GM's inability to cure this malady in almost 2 production years only tells me that this is a safety defect BY DESIGN with the only possible cure of applying grease to the cradle mounts many times during the life of the car. If most of you can leave with that, fine by all means, but remember that owners have come forward to tell the same story...GM still can't fix it!.
Even if the repair fails, I have to give the car and the dealer one more chance before I decide to take the next level. If this repair is the final chapter in the saga, then I'll decide to keep the car and restore my confidence in it when the car and the repair has proven itself over time (And the cradle problems have been publicy addressed by GM).
You all know about my rentless enthusiasm about the Impala even before I bought it. If GM fixes or recalls these seriously defective cradles then I'll keep on recommending the car. As it stands now, I can't and I am still very iffy about the long term reliability of the front end.
In the mean time, I'll wait for the repair to complete and drive the car normally to see if the problem goes away or persists...one more thing going wrong and the car is going back to its maker.
Teo, I can take a pic of my 2001 (October 2000) engine cradle if that would be helpful. However, I have no measure of comparison: have not seen mine much less a 2000. It is dark now but I will try to get a picture tomorrow. I guess we are all hearing clunks now (power of suggestion, to a certain degree) but the one on backing up is probably the gas in the tank. The internal baffling is designed for forward and sideways motion. I suspect that the "valve" is the power steering control valve as someone else has noted. One went south on my Corvette and abrupt, on-off bursts of power assist did cause clunking noises in the front. Now that is a much different set-up than the Impala but as I have said before, there are only so many ways to build a front end.
Get ready for more. This is a January 18 GM press release.
MONTREAL, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Norwegian auto parts supplier Raufoss A/S said on Thursday it will build a C$60 million ($40 million) plant in Quebec in order to fulfill a contract from General Motors of Canada Ltd. for aluminum suspension parts. The value of the contract was not disclosed. A Quebec government agency will own a 20 percent equity stake in the plant, to be located in the Montreal region. The plant will employ 60 workers and will have the capacity to produce up to C$50 million in parts each year, Raufoss executive vice-president Leif Bronken said in a press conference.
Construction is scheduled to begin this spring and production should start in early 2003. The components will be used in a number of future vehicles, GM Canada president and general manager, Maureen Kempston Darkes said.
It will be the first North American plant for the state-controlled Norwegian group, which intends to add other North American carmakers to its client list.
Raufoss already has a similar plant in Norway where it produces aluminum parts for GM Europe.
The Norwegian firm has 2,300 employees and an annual turnover of about C$345 million.
Kempston Darkes said the contract awarded to Raufoss was not linked to the fate of GM's Camaro and Firebird assembly plant in Ste-Therese, Quebec, near Montreal. GM will stop producing the sporty Camaro and Firebird with the 2002 model year and has yet to announce plans for the Ste-Therese plant.
The Metro golf cart I was provided, it came from Enterprise Rent A Car. This little critter costs around $30 a day. If you read the warranty information booklet that came with your car (I believe the same applies to all GM brands) the Rental car guidelines state that GM will not pay for a rental vehicle that costs more than $30 flat rate per day, while the car is at the dealer overnight for warranty repairs. Another line of paragraph also states that it is not possible by GM to provide a rental vehicle similar in size or equipment to your car.
My dealer unfortunately, doesn't yet provide their own loaner car fleet, but I was told that they will do so in the coming months (Still a very small dealer).
Since my wife drives her own car to work, she told me not to include her in the rental agreement as I need the car mainly to go to the office. The Service Manager doesn't know that my wife also legally owns the Impala, hence he didn't ask but I am sure he would have no problem having my wife included in the rental benefit.
The dealer courtesy transportation took me to the rental office a couple of blocks down in US1 to pick up the car.
The Metro sucks, but at least GM is paying for it, so I can't complaint. A more ideal car for that chore would be a Cavalier or a Malibu, both of which are much substantial cars than the Metro.
Jbog: My comparison between the Metro and Impala was mainly sarcastic, but there are a couple of interior finishing touches in the Metro that in my eyes are better executed than the $15K more expensive Impala, again is mostly subjective and might not be entirely relevant..apologies if I managed to get a 'raise' from you. Don't forget the Metro is a Japanese car (Suzuki), hence you can expect a bit more attention to detail even if the car costs $10K. The Asians still have an edge to domestics in interior assembly quality and it is evident even in crude cars such as the Metro.
Sweetpolly::: Back in the Montecarlo discussion archives, there you'll find plenty of discussion in regards to the gas tank 'Sloshing sound' problem reported by early Monte owners. I have only heard this 'sloshing' from the tank one time and probably the car was about a month old then. Another issue discussed there was the annoying 'thumping' noises coming from the back of the car under braking and acceleration...both of these issues are no longer discussed with intensity.
Wait a minute! I was just thinking, which I do occasionally, and for the record, my patrol Cushman is faster than a Metro, except for top speed. Anyway, back to the Impala. I still want to keep my car, unless I get a new one with the goodies I want. Why does the Regal GS have the GM top of line Monsoon stereo, while the flagship Chevy Impala LS have a "decent" but comparatively lackluster sound system? But getting back to the real issues, it just dawned on me! A police car needs the power steering cooler, HD trans and cast iron front wheels hubs/spindles(though the factory aluminum W-body parts are said to be quite strong under most applications), along with the stiffer springs/shocks, but... why should there be a difference in the engine cradles? The mere fact that the police version is reinforced shows that Chevy/GM already knows the standard production one is lacking, no? Yes! What I want to know is if the police models have any cradle problems at all. If not, then that may be the viable fix for the production version, since police put stress on the cars by nature of their work, though some civilians out there probably are just as bad, not in performance of law enforcement duties! If not, like I said earlier, the police cradle in steel may be the next solution. With a car this good safety wise and performance wise, being their flagship cannot afford to be a lemon. Speaking of Fords, if I'm not mistaken, all police package mechanicals can be ordered by civilians as production options on the Crown Vic. So what's the big exclusivity? Taxi's for years were merely yellow cop cars! And you know the driving habits of some cabbies! But the mystery is... how come some cars have the cradle creak and/or steering shudders, and others do not? As someone hinted in an earlier post, is it certain production times? How about different assembly lines, where one set of tooling is loose/defective or something, or a bad batch of aluminum, or an operator on drugs affecting assembly or something. I don't know, just fishing for answers. 9 months and 6,700+ miles and still no problems, but I still want to retrofit mine with whatever HD stuff I can get my hands on, or get a new one with them like I said. This can be fixed, one way or another. Just like the other minor problems. As for the A/C compressor, it is indeed a problem for the unfortunate owner, but not an elusive phantom malady that can't be located. Some units may be defective, and if it is replaced promptly without undue inconvenience to the owner, time or cost wise, we have to face it and demand rights when warranted and due. But GM/Chevy beating around the bush? Not, blaming the new prez, maybe of Chevy/GM. They owe it to their loyal customers that generally love their premier Chevy "motorcars" if it weren't for the quirks that irk and cause undue stress. Let's pool our knowledge and research folks, and work on this together! That way we can continue to make the best of the situation, whatever we may come across. Isn't that what this message board is for? Night_owl1, you said you were compiling all the data from the post for a FAQ section in your site? Can we go one step further and have anyone with problems report it to him. I think his site is designed in a way to be the best one to use for this. Is there any other major problems with our cars? Post anything for the common knowledge of all. We can make a difference for each other, can we do that? Once we have all that data compiled, maybe we can work with the local police departments to get info and then present it to the automotive consumer groups and then Chevy/GM to get what we need and want, just what should have been expected in the first place. Maybe those whose police departments use the Impala, could approach the officers when not busy(on "donut" breaks, etc.), or the community relations department as a link to whoever is in charge of their cars. I think if done the right way, it would even benefit them. We could also try to link up with all Impala owners out there for a broader input on on these issues. I could work with HPD, I know where to start once I get some info. To my knowledge, they don't use the Impala yet for department "cruisers" but the "motor patrol officers" that use their own subsidized cars have the Impala to choose for their personal vehicle. And most are not police packages. That would be a good research bed. Anyway, let me know what you think, because I don't think the problems and solutions offered by Chevy/GM is satisfactory at all. I think we need to make a few "adjustments".... o~O-------- Jacob/jijco
I think we should do a quick survey of those of us that have had any type of problems with the Impala...let me start the survey:
Build Date: 01/00 Mileage: 13100 Clicking noises from engine cradle? Not yet If yes, at mileage the noises were first noted?
Other problems: A/C compressor replaced, Steering/front end clunking noises/rattling glove box latch assembly, Radio AMP, small interior fit/finish details.
Saw powerful replacement headlamp bulbs at Pep Boys. Cost $14, if I remember it right. Did not check, though, if the bulbs fit Impala.
Do not think, though, that switching to the bulbs is a really good idea. Do not like when a vehicle with bright headlights is driving behind me - and would prefer not blinding other drivers.
Additionally, the bright lights must attract the police attention. Better to avoid when speeding, even marginally.
Is the A/C Compressor the culprit if your heater takes a long time to heat up? I noticed the other morning that my heater took some time to heat up (43 degree weather). It hasn't taken that long before. Any one else have this problem?
I tend to agree with you. I see these lights on up-scale vehicles but they may be illegal in certain Provinces/States. I would check before using them. Personally, I find them very irritating to the eye. And I assume that is on low-beam. What really does irritate me are those boy-racers with their Honda Civics with a xenon light show on the front (sometimes underneath) and a coffee-can, fart pipe on the back. You know, the blacked-out window crowd with a $5,000 stereo in a $3,000 car. These drivers are oblivious to their surroundings and are a real menace on the roads. If an ambulance were to come up on them, (1) they would not see it approaching owing to the blacked-out windows, and (2) they would not hear it because of the $2,000 boom box in the trunk. I see them every day and they are scary. And their attitude towards driving safety is: get out of my way, I am coming through.....
My wife has just purchased a new Impala sedan. She test drove a used LS and loved it, but preferred the bench seat to the console. I would have liked the 3.8 car better, but the 3.4 isn't bad. I was disappointed in the lack of a tachometer in the standard Impala gauge cluster, and the little "delete button" in place of the Traction Control button looks chintzy; they should have made a dash without the hole! I really do like the car overall, and hope not to have too many of the problems described here. Are the engine cradle problems just with the 3.8, or with the 3.4 as well?
Our local police have just started using the Impalas. They are "standard" Impalas on the exterior. (No LS side badge, wheels or spoiler) and only small center caps in the black rims.
Tonight I drove it to the store and forgot to turn "on" the headlights. When I realized the switch was off, I assumed I must have had only the daytime running lights on with no taillights. When I left the car running and got out, the taillights were on anyway. Switching the headlight switch on or off seemed to have no effect. Is this a safety feature?
I also have a 1963 Impala SS with a 327. I love the retro touch of the dashboard ignition!
I have been going through all the old posts, cutting and pasting together a FAQ. It's taking a lot longer than I had anticipated. I really miss the "view all messages" option.
I am willing to set up a "Impala Problems" page to document and list all the problems that owners have had. What kind of info would you all like to see on it? Owners name (real or nickname), Model year and build date, problem, date and mileage problem detected, Dealer's diagnosis and fix, and if fix was successful.
Give me some time and I'll whip up an example page.
I can honestly say I have had NO problems w/ my 2000 LS Now has 12,900 mi, New on 11/15/99, matter of fact it has only been to the dealer once in the year & 2 mos I have owned it,I had the first oil change (do it myself since) and had them check for a Squeak around the sunroof, the prognossis was, ""Cannot Replicate the sound"", (THAT IS PAR FOR THE COURSE with GM" BUT he said the car only had 2700 miles and it would work itself out and Break in?, As sceptical as I was, come summer/warmer weather the squeak was GONE, Not to return since, only other thing is the Drivers Door Now makes a popping sound when opened or closed (The little hinge mechanism) I put some grease on it and it has gotten worse! It sounds like a Rusty Barn Door! and it makes a binding popping sound, maybe a Flat spot on that mechanism? Off Subject...I bought a SET of Michelin X Radial Plus 225/60/16 tires today for my 5 spokes, Will wait a month or so to have them mounted and take off my Winter Black Steel rims w/Bolt on caps and GA's..(For you guys w/ the Base model and Bolt on Wheel Covers, Get that brake Dust off of them FAST..The ones I have are turning Green, meaning the Dust is degrading the Silver Paint on them FAST)I prefer the Black rim to the two tone green/Silver caps myself...Need some 9C1 Caps and a Drill Bit I geuss for next year..ha? Who said they Bought these Michelins at Sams Also a while back? let me know how they are working out? Thanks Don
I believe the engine cradle is the same for the 3.4 and 3.8. I cannot believe that GM would engineer things ay other way.
On the lights (from the Driver's Manual): "A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the DRL work, so make sure it isn't covered......When the DRL are on, only your high-beam headlamps, at a reduced level of brightness, will be on. The headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker and othe lamps won't be on. Your instrument panel and cluster won't be lit up either.
When it's dark outside, your high-beam headlamps will turn off and the headlamps and parking lamps will turn on. The other lamps that come on with your headlamps will also turn on.
When it's bright enough outside, your headlamps will go off and your DRL will come on."
I guess you could call this a safety feature. To test in daylight, cover the sensor with a cloth and the headlights will come on. Take the cloth away and the headlights turn off.....
Did you have your heater set to RECIRCULATE or FRESH AIR?
The heaters in these car are NOT electric elements. AFAIK they use heating coils - miniature radiators - and are dependent on the temperature of the ENGINE to produce heat for the interior of the car.
RECIRCULATE is warmer, faster but if your car has been sitting out overnight and IF you turn the heater on BEFORE the engine can build up heat, it won't be warm.
Turning the heater on too soon just blows cold air and dissipates the heat instead of allowing it to build up - kind of like opening a window when you turn the house heater on first thing in the morning.
Times like that make the electric heated seats a nice treat!
to date i have 10,115 miles on my ls implala. i picked the car up in september of 00, and the build date is 05/00. i take good care of my car but by no means do i baby it. if i wanted to drive like an old lady i would have bought a taurus/sable ( i work at a gas station and 80% of the old women i see comming through there on a daily basis are driving either a taurus or a sable...no kidding) so i do take advantage of the quick acceleration, the agile handleing and the supurb braking power of my impala. after saying this let me list the problems ive had with my car:
1. left rear splash guard has a small crack extending from the outside vertical edge extending about an inch towards the inside. i have a feeling this happened in NC. i was driving on I95 in a rainstorm approx 2am. i was in the process of passing a tractor trailer when i ran over a bit of debris. it looked like nothing more than a dead tree brach, but none the less it was either run over the limb or swerve into the side of the truck...i think i made the right choice.
2. small rusty 10p nail imbedded into the right/front tire. had it pulled and the tire plugged...no further problems
3. dent on my hood caused by some punk kid throwing a metal trashcan against my car...guess i can consider myself lucky as it could have broken the windsheild or the grill or headlight assemblies, all i got out of the deal is a dime sized bare metal "pock" mark in the hood surrounded by nasty looking scratches. insurence qill cover the repair less $100 (estimate was $419.17) so im just waiting for some good weather to take it into the body shop as i will have to drive my 86 ss monte while the impala is in for service.
so after putting 10k on my car in 4 months i have no major problems (no ticking at low speed turns, no popping, no clunking, absolutly no front end problems -knock on wood- ) yes there is scattered problems with the front end design of this car. my theory is that there are an unknown number of improperly manufactured alum. cradles out there that can not easily be traced to certain production runs of the impalas/montes. the problem is not widespread. if it was we would all be hearing about it on the news right between firestone/ford and ashcraft. yes this is still a problem, and yes chevy/gm needs to put forth a permantant fix towards the people it effects, but it by no means should persuade anyone from buying an impala...no one should expect everycar to roll off the assembly line to run for 350,000 miles with not even a rattle. i feel for those of you who do have major problems with your car, it should be fixed asap, but overall the impala is still a great car that shouldnt be ruled out.
I cannot answer your question. If I did it would be pure speculation and that is not a wise thing to do. I am mechanically inclined but not a mechanic or technician. On the engine cradle, I tried to get under the car this morning to get a pic but that was an exercise in futility. Just cannot get an angle on it. Really need a hoist for that kind of thing. Also it is -22C (-8F) and crawling around in the snow at those temps numbs the bum.....
Well folks, after being sure I was going to be driving an Impala LS, it turns out I'll be cruising a Bonneville for the next few years.
My local used car superstore called to say they had a new shipment of GM preowned (generally rentals) in and there were 5 Impalas to look at (turned out to be all base models and no bucket seats).
I stopped by during this afternoon and saw this gorgeous 2000 Bonneville SE (spruce green with charcoal cloth bucket seat interior) in front - just had to take it out for a ride. The wife was more sold on it than I since she loves the color and I'm just OK with it but the combination of that wide track ride, the 3800 series 2 performance and the price of $15,995 with only 18K on the car sold me and we signed for it.
The car has the 1SB package and CD player - not exactly loaded but hey for 16K I can live very nicely with this for a few years - sure beats the old 90 Grand Marquis I've been driving!
I've got to check on warranty info and get the credit unioin lined up - but expect to pick it up mid next week.
I'll still be monitoring and participating in the Impala forum - it's the greatest and you folks are the BEST and BRIGHTEST around!
Exactly one year ago today , we became proud owners of a 2000 impala , with the only problem to date being the creaking cradle , it now has 19,000 miles on it. Did anybody catch COPS tonight , I just saw a part of it in Jacksonville florida , on the beach , there were about 5 police impalas that responded to fight , along with the usual crown vics , good to see them on the tv though . thanks-------------mattmcdill
I saw today one of the worst examples of a 2000 Impala. Jade green LS 20" wheels, with purple and white flames on the hood! Oh my, I wanted to run him off the road. A travesty...
Ken, so you bailed on the Impala huh? Sorry to hear that buddy, Did Teo's problems scare you off?
Thanks for the responses. I don't think I would say I 'bailed out' of Impala; the Bonneville SE is very close to the Impala LS and I had been considering the idea that I could enjoy either car. I do have to admit that the aluminum cradle issues got me thinking that I may be better off waiting till 2002 or even 2003 models come out to buy the Impala LS. Bonneville doesn't seem to have any particular plaguing issues in this edition so it helped convince me.
I still LOVE the Impala and if it gets a nice refreshening look (6 tail lights PLEEEEAZE) and a cradle fix in a couple years - who knows? Maybe I'll enjoy this one for a while and then trade for the Impala.
The price was hard to resist on this car and my wife loved it - so there you go - it's a deal.
I'm trying to decide whether to buy a warranty extension - any suggestions?
Yes, when I turn the heater on in the morning, my fresh air button is the default. I sort of figured that maybe that's why it was taking so long to heat up. Normally, we have 70-80 degree temperature here most of the time. This has been an unusually cold winter and I find myself using my seat heater more than the car heater. I'm only ten minutes away from work, so, the seat heater is fine!
Phew, finally finished the update. This is a prime example of a project getting out of hand. It started out as a page with a simple list. Then I thought there had to be an elegant way to create a problem submittal form. Hours of JAVA programming later, I finally got the form working. Now, what's a nice new page without some neat graphics to go along. More time spend on making animated gifs. My wife thinks I am obsessed with my car. What makes her think that??
Check out the page and let me know what you think.
build date: 04/00 # of kilometers: approx. 21000 km
I was wondering whether the side mirror assemblies are made of metal or plastic? I've noticed recently that there is a paint chip on the right side mirror. I haven't had the time to bring the car in the dealer to fix numerous problems in the car.
Here is a list:
1)The most serious problem: The steering seems to be really loose!! It was not as tight or crisp in feeling and response
2) Loose trim in various parts of the car! I wish that GM used better glue to make these parts stick!!
3) Recently, the radio reception seems to suck!! All of my favorite stations come in with a lot of interference now. Would cold weather affect the reception? The problem only seems to act up when the car is moving..any suggestions?
4) the panel trim for the sunroof area seems to droop down and never stick in place
Other then these 4 problems, the car runs great!! In my area, I am no longer the exclusive driver of a galaxy silver Impala LS! Some copycat also bought one and is crusing around in one! Is there any way to tell the difference between a 2001 and 2000 model???
On a recent business trip, I was given a 2000 Impala LS from AVIS as my rental. I had it for a week. I really haven't paid that much attention to the Impala since its re-release. Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable drive. Seems like most of the comments I have read from you owners have been positive...I found the exterior design of the car to be low key and tasteful until I looked @ the rear end. Those tail lights surprised me. Its was like seeing a well groomed nicely dressed business man coming towards you and when he passes, he has his hair pulled back in a pony tail. It just didn't seem to fit with the rest of design. Other than that...nice ride, and this was a rental.
I'd be curious to hear what others have to say about the tail lights...they are not ugly, they just don't seem to go with the rest of the car. Just my opinion...
They are pretty much the same car. The 01 LS came with OnStar as a standard feature so look for the antenna on the driver side of the rear glass. The rear inner fender is different also. I got side by side photos of the two on the Splash Guard How-To page. Some of the paint colors are different. '00 was offered in bright white, light driftwood metallic, medium nightmist metallic, and medium regal blue metallic. In '01 these colors were replaced by white, sandrift metallic and medium bronzemist metallic. Also some interior colors were replaced. '00 featured light oak leather and cloth vs neutral leather and cloth in the '01.
This seems to be a hit-or-miss with most people. I would have preferred that they were not so big. 6 smaller ones would have been nicer and more like the older Impalas. When you open the trunk, the reverse lights turn on and are blinding. Teriffic for reversing at night, but when you are about to load stuff in the trunk at night, wow. My biggest gripe is that the whole panel is built from the same plastic lens material. Chevrolet probably did that to keep costs down. I believe they were saying this car has less parts so it should be more reliable for consumers. Read that cheaper to assemble. I may end up painting the lens or something to match the body.
Way cool website my friend! Can I suggest another site? I think it's Myhubcaps.com has the Impala logo hubcap that will fit on an LS's five spoke wheel. I believe they're 19.20 ea. but check it out to see. I'm very immpressed with your site though, hard work I'm sure but very appreciated!
I like your website. The problem page is a good idea, especially for those who take their car to the dealer for repair. They can post their results and it's shown as a "hard copy" record of the transaction for future reference. I like that!
I am quite happy with them. I would be happier if a conversion kit was available to make the back-up lights, tail/brake lights. Thus, more visibility in the rear. Who needs back-up lights? There is an aftermarket opportunity for an entrepreneur. I would be very happy if someone could find a way to make a three-lamp spread in the back like the Impalas of yore. But there does not seem to be enough room for that.
Yesterday afternoon, I had a long chat with my service manager at the dealership. Among many items discussed regarding the reliability of my car, he stated that his 'Guru' suspension technician believes that the culprit in the steering gear is caused (As I suspected at first) by the infamous INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT part, which has also been a major headache on early production '98 and '99 Oldsmobile Intrigue siblings. The technician worked before at a Buick/Olds dealership, so he could recognize the steering clunking noise symptoms right away (This dude apparently had been on sick leave for about a week). Still, the jury is out on this 'diagnostic' until I get to drive the car again, possibly Tuesday morning since the replacement part will not arrive until sometime tomorrow. For the most part, I think the Intermediate Steering Shaft is the real cause of the problems on my car and for those of you that have also reported 'looseness' and clunks when making turns and applying the brakes at low speeds.
If the Intermediate Steering Shaft turns out to be the final solution to the problem (Still UNACCEPTABLE on a car with just 13K miles)it will be very helpful to gather the last six digits of the VIN number, build dates and mileages of those of you that are experiencing this problem. The failure of this part could be limited to a certain VIN number sequences and/or Build date ranges; however, this is still a safety problem and if you car has these symptoms, AGAIN I STRESS THE POINT...don't wait or hesitate to take the car in for reapirs. The nature of this particular repair requires an overnight stay of 1 or more days while the dealer gets the part and performs the repair, so the owners of Impalas with defective intermediate shafts are fully entitled to be offered either a dealer loaner vehicle or a rental vehicle fully paid by GM (See warranty booklet for details). If the dealer denies either loaner car benefit, LEAVE THEM BEHIND!!! They are full of BS!! and they are breaching the car's warranty in the process!!! GO Soomewhere else to get serviced.
Again, failure of the Intermediate Steering shaft is a SAFETY CONCERN. Just ask any '98 and '99 Intrigue owner on how serious this problem can be.
Also, many Intrigue owners have had the part fail not only once, but twice and three times. Finally Oldsmobile issued a new revised part that stopped the problem on that model line; however, if the Impala steering shaft is defective and no revisions have been made to this part by GM, may be the new shaft will fail again in 6 to 12 months and again the car goes back to the dealer for a week stay. I hope the problem just affects a specific build date range, but until more owners complain, it is will be difficult to establish that by ourselves.
The two major concerns right now with the Impala are the unsolved popping noises of the Engine Cradle and now what appears to be a batch of defective Intermediate Steering Shafts.
Once I drive the car, I will post back with the results...something tells me that this is not the end of the road yet with the car.
Comments
St. Louis MO
Two items they found wanting were the thin sound coming from the stereo (really????) and the lack of an electronic lumbar support adjustment for the driver's seat. The last sentence of the review sums it up in total by stating that Inarguably this is the best Impala ever built.
The article should appear on their web site in about two weeks at www.autoworldweekly.com. Currently on their site, for those interested, is a review of the 2001 Mote Carol.
St. Louts MO
A new replacement 'VALVE' (Could not specify exactly as to which valve he was talking about)was ordered for my Impala, and he was confident that this new part would fix the problem with the clunking steering column and brake pedal faint noises (OIL_MUTT READ MY PREVIOUS POSTS WERE I DESCRIBE THE NATURE OF YOUR PROBLEM IN DETAIL).
He said that on further test drives he did yesterday, the car exhibited the clunking not only when turning right but also going straight ahead and going over bumps. He also said that the clunking was almost non-existant when making steering turn to the left..DUH! I know that!.
Last, he said the part was ordered on overnight delivery (See what I told ya about the dealer trying to hurry up to avoid accumulating those out of service days so important to invoke lemon law)so it should be arriving later today and the car should be ready some time tomorrow.
I am confused as heck. In my limited car mechanic knowledge how a Valve can cause the entire front end to clunk the way it does???
Platour and other more technically knowledgable heads......does this 'Valve' thing make anysense to you???...can you relate any valve (Steering pump, etc) that if going bad can cause this kind of problem??? HELP!!!!!
I am very skiptical about this repair and I am almost certain that this is not a fix, rather a quick band-aid for a bigger problem.
Opinions??? Comments?? Ideas???? Does this sound right????
very skiptical until I get to drive the car again.
1) With the dealer ripping apart your car, they are bound to screw up some factory installed option (e.g. electronics, the integrity of the body, etc)
2) If you ever try to sell this car later on, the repair records will show up. This might lessen the value of the car
3)All these so called fixes for the cradle are a interm solution. Until GM does a full recall of the cradle problem, then the fixes are useless!
Who knows..maybe in the 2002 model year the impala will end up getting a steel cradle? And all of us with the 2000 & 2001 owners will get compensated somehow?
Give your dealer the opportunity to fix the problem before trashing the Impala/Monte. Sure, there appears to be problems with a few cars concerning various front end components, but I doubt it is as widespread as this forum suggests. People with car problems tend to want to share but I'm sure there a number of people lurking here that don't have problems and probably don't have much to say.
While looking in other forums to get info on a car for my wife, I noticed you are inquiring on a Bonneville... glad to see you haven't completely given up on GM.
I take good care of my car, but by no means do I baby it. Plus I've hit my share of potholes on expressways in the Chicago metro area at 70 + MPH. Maybe I'm lucky, but I have 16,000 + miles in 10 months and have no squeaks, rattles (interior or exterior), grinding, thumping or popping noises. I've been listening for any strange noises since I read the first post, but still nothing and I hope it stays that way.
Good luck with your situation!
Heres my page. I love my car and dont want a new one. So I hope theres a fix for these problems soon.
Also, you told that dealer provided the loaner car without you asking this. The same with me. But did the dealer offer to take the car, or ordered you to take it, without asking whether you want it, and without explaining the rental process and conditions?
I am interested because had a very himiliating experience recently with a loaner car from Buick. Cannot remember to be so strongly offended for years.
Still, not a good sign on the durability of some key mechanical components outside of the engine, tranny and brakes. Once I get the repair ticket, I'll post the description of the repair and any part numbers.
The engine cradle continues to be a concern. The car hasn't yet developed the nasty clicks but it can happen at any time, sooner or later. My Lemon law statue of limitations will run out in about 6 months or when the car hits the 18K mile mark, after that point I will be at the Mercy of the Dealer and GM should this gremlin surfaces. (No Lemon law recourse)
Let me clarify this...I like the car and I bought it with the 'mindset' of keeping for a very long time and be there when we decide to have kids. However, based on my own reliability experience with the car, this is not extremely comforting....two 'major' repairs in less than a year....A/C Compressor and know this Power steering control 'Valve'...and the jury is still out on the latter if this turns out to be the actual source of the front end clunks.
While I believe the engine, tranny, brakes, body and interior will survive the test of time in the Impala, I still hold major doubts with the durability of the front end. The cradle is a very sore spot in these cars and emotions and attachements towards the car aside, we all know that GM's inability to cure this malady in almost 2 production years only tells me that this is a safety defect BY DESIGN with the only possible cure of applying grease to the cradle mounts many times during the life of the car. If most of you can leave with that, fine by all means, but remember that owners have come forward to tell the same story...GM still can't fix it!.
Even if the repair fails, I have to give the car and the dealer one more chance before I decide to take the next level. If this repair is the final chapter in the saga, then I'll decide to keep the car and restore my confidence in it when the car and the repair has proven itself over time (And the cradle problems have been publicy addressed by GM).
You all know about my rentless enthusiasm about the Impala even before I bought it. If GM fixes or recalls these seriously defective cradles then I'll keep on recommending the car. As it stands now, I can't and I am still very iffy about the long term reliability of the front end.
In the mean time, I'll wait for the repair to complete and drive the car normally to see if the problem goes away or persists...one more thing going wrong and the car is going back to its maker.
Thanks again for eveyone's toughts and support.
MONTREAL, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Norwegian auto parts
supplier Raufoss A/S said on Thursday it will build a
C$60 million ($40 million) plant in Quebec in order to
fulfill a contract from General Motors of Canada
Ltd. for aluminum suspension parts. The value of the
contract was not disclosed. A Quebec government
agency will own a 20 percent equity stake in the plant,
to be located in the Montreal region. The plant will
employ 60 workers and will have the capacity to
produce up to C$50 million in parts each year, Raufoss
executive vice-president Leif Bronken said in a press
conference.
Construction is scheduled to begin this spring and
production should start in early 2003. The components
will be used in a number of future vehicles, GM Canada
president and general manager, Maureen Kempston
Darkes said.
It will be the first North American plant for the
state-controlled Norwegian group, which intends to add
other North American carmakers to its client list.
Raufoss already has a similar plant in Norway where it
produces aluminum parts for GM Europe.
The Norwegian firm has 2,300 employees and an annual
turnover of about C$345 million.
Kempston Darkes said the contract awarded to
Raufoss was not linked to the fate of GM's Camaro
and Firebird assembly plant in Ste-Therese, Quebec,
near Montreal. GM will stop producing the sporty
Camaro and Firebird with the 2002 model year and has
yet to announce plans for the Ste-Therese plant.
($1=$1.51 Canadian)
My dealer unfortunately, doesn't yet provide their own loaner car fleet, but I was told that they will do so in the coming months (Still a very small dealer).
Since my wife drives her own car to work, she told me not to include her in the rental agreement as I need the car mainly to go to the office. The Service Manager doesn't know that my wife also legally owns the Impala, hence he didn't ask but I am sure he would have no problem having my wife included in the rental benefit.
The dealer courtesy transportation took me to the rental office a couple of blocks down in US1 to pick up the car.
The Metro sucks, but at least GM is paying for it, so I can't complaint. A more ideal car for that chore would be a Cavalier or a Malibu, both of which are much substantial cars than the Metro.
Jbog: My comparison between the Metro and Impala was mainly sarcastic, but there are a couple of interior finishing touches in the Metro that in my eyes are better executed than the $15K more expensive Impala, again is mostly subjective and might not be entirely relevant..apologies if I managed to get a 'raise' from you. Don't forget the Metro is a Japanese car (Suzuki), hence you can expect a bit more attention to detail even if the car costs $10K. The Asians still have an edge to domestics in interior assembly quality and it is evident even in crude cars such as the Metro.
Sweetpolly::: Back in the Montecarlo discussion archives, there you'll find plenty of discussion in regards to the gas tank 'Sloshing sound' problem reported by early Monte owners. I have only heard this 'sloshing' from the tank one time and probably the car was about a month old then. Another issue discussed there was the annoying 'thumping' noises coming from the back of the car under braking and acceleration...both of these issues are no longer discussed with intensity.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=543408366&r=0&t=0
and does anyone know about these xenon headlight bulbs, they are supposed to be brighter and whiter than stock, bidding at 13
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=544049560&r=0&t=0
Build Date: 01/00
Mileage: 13100
Clicking noises from engine cradle? Not yet
If yes, at mileage the noises were first noted?
Other problems: A/C compressor replaced, Steering/front end clunking noises/rattling glove box latch assembly, Radio AMP, small interior fit/finish details.
Next...?
Do not think, though, that switching to the bulbs is a really good idea. Do not like when a vehicle with bright headlights is driving behind me - and would prefer not blinding other drivers.
Additionally, the bright lights must attract the police attention. Better to avoid when speeding, even marginally.
http://www.angelfire.com/nc2/mycoffeecan/page1.html
Our local police have just started using the Impalas. They are "standard" Impalas on the exterior. (No LS side badge, wheels or spoiler) and only small center caps in the black rims.
Tonight I drove it to the store and forgot to turn "on" the headlights. When I realized the switch was off, I assumed I must have had only the daytime running lights on with no taillights. When I left the car running and got out, the taillights were on anyway. Switching the headlight switch on or off seemed to have no effect. Is this a safety feature?
I also have a 1963 Impala SS with a 327. I love the retro touch of the dashboard ignition!
I am willing to set up a "Impala Problems" page to document and list all the problems that owners have had. What kind of info would you all like to see on it? Owners name (real or nickname), Model year and build date, problem, date and mileage problem detected, Dealer's diagnosis and fix, and if fix was successful.
Give me some time and I'll whip up an example page.
On the lights (from the Driver's Manual):
"A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the DRL work, so make sure it isn't covered......When the DRL are on, only your high-beam headlamps, at a reduced level of brightness, will be on. The headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker and othe lamps won't be on. Your instrument panel and cluster won't be lit up either.
When it's dark outside, your high-beam headlamps will turn off and the headlamps and parking lamps will turn on. The other lamps that come on with your headlamps will also turn on.
When it's bright enough outside, your headlamps will go off and your DRL will come on."
I guess you could call this a safety feature. To test in daylight, cover the sensor with a cloth and the headlights will come on. Take the cloth away and the headlights turn off.....
The heaters in these car are NOT electric elements. AFAIK they use
heating coils - miniature radiators - and are dependent on the temperature
of the ENGINE to produce heat for the interior of the car.
RECIRCULATE is warmer, faster but if your car has been sitting out
overnight and IF you turn the heater on BEFORE the engine can build
up heat, it won't be warm.
Turning the heater on too soon just blows cold air and dissipates the heat
instead of allowing it to build up - kind of like opening a window when you
turn the house heater on first thing in the morning.
Times like that make the electric heated seats a nice treat!
1. left rear splash guard has a small crack extending from the outside vertical edge extending about an inch towards the inside. i have a feeling this happened in NC. i was driving on I95 in a rainstorm approx 2am. i was in the process of passing a tractor trailer when i ran over a bit of debris. it looked like nothing more than a dead tree brach, but none the less it was either run over the limb or swerve into the side of the truck...i think i made the right choice.
2. small rusty 10p nail imbedded into the right/front tire. had it pulled and the tire plugged...no further problems
3. dent on my hood caused by some punk kid throwing a metal trashcan against my car...guess i can consider myself lucky as it could have broken the windsheild or the grill or headlight assemblies, all i got out of the deal is a dime sized bare metal "pock" mark in the hood surrounded by nasty looking scratches. insurence qill cover the repair less $100 (estimate was $419.17) so im just waiting for some good weather to take it into the body shop as i will have to drive my 86 ss monte while the impala is in for service.
so after putting 10k on my car in 4 months i have no major problems (no ticking at low speed turns, no popping, no clunking, absolutly no front end problems -knock on wood- ) yes there is scattered problems with the front end design of this car. my theory is that there are an unknown number of improperly manufactured alum. cradles out there that can not easily be traced to certain production runs of the impalas/montes. the problem is not widespread. if it was we would all be hearing about it on the news right between firestone/ford and ashcraft. yes this is still a problem, and yes chevy/gm needs to put forth a permantant fix towards the people it effects, but it by no means should persuade anyone from buying an impala...no one should expect everycar to roll off the assembly line to run for 350,000 miles with not even a rattle. i feel for those of you who do have major problems with your car, it should be fixed asap, but overall the impala is still a great car that shouldnt be ruled out.
My local used car superstore called to say they had a new shipment of GM preowned (generally rentals) in and there were 5 Impalas to look at (turned out to be all base models and no bucket seats).
I stopped by during this afternoon and saw this gorgeous 2000 Bonneville SE (spruce green with charcoal cloth bucket seat interior) in front - just had to take it out for a ride. The wife was more sold on it than I since she loves the color and I'm just OK with it but the combination of that wide track ride, the 3800 series 2 performance and the price of $15,995 with only 18K on the car sold me and we signed for it.
The car has the 1SB package and CD player - not exactly loaded but hey for 16K I can live very nicely with this for a few years - sure beats the old 90 Grand Marquis I've been driving!
I've got to check on warranty info and get the credit unioin lined up - but expect to pick it up mid next week.
I'll still be monitoring and participating in the Impala forum - it's the greatest and you folks are the BEST and BRIGHTEST around!
Time to whoop it up now for Prez W!!! Hurray!!
Best to all
Ken
It does NOT lift the hatch.
Ken, so you bailed on the Impala huh? Sorry to hear that buddy, Did Teo's problems scare you off?
I still LOVE the Impala and if it gets a nice refreshening look (6 tail lights PLEEEEAZE) and a cradle fix in a couple years - who knows? Maybe I'll enjoy this one for a while and then trade for the Impala.
The price was hard to resist on this car and my wife loved it - so there you go - it's a deal.
I'm trying to decide whether to buy a warranty extension - any suggestions?
Ken
Yes, when I turn the heater on in the morning, my fresh air button is the default. I sort of figured that maybe that's why it was taking so long to heat up. Normally, we have 70-80 degree temperature here most of the time. This has been an unusually cold winter and I find myself using my seat heater more than the car heater. I'm only ten minutes away from work, so, the seat heater is fine!
Check out the page and let me know what you think.
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/
# of kilometers: approx. 21000 km
I was wondering whether the side mirror assemblies are made of metal or plastic? I've noticed recently that there is a paint chip on the right side mirror.
I haven't had the time to bring the car in the dealer to fix numerous problems in the car.
Here is a list:
1)The most serious problem: The steering seems to be really loose!! It was not as tight or crisp in feeling and response
2) Loose trim in various parts of the car! I wish that GM used better glue to make these parts stick!!
3) Recently, the radio reception seems to suck!! All of my favorite stations come in with a lot of interference now. Would cold weather affect the reception? The problem only seems to act up when the car is moving..any suggestions?
4) the panel trim for the sunroof area seems to droop down and never stick in place
Other then these 4 problems, the car runs great!! In my area, I am no longer the exclusive driver of a galaxy silver Impala LS!
I'd be curious to hear what others have to say about the tail lights...they are not ugly, they just don't seem to go with the rest of the car. Just my opinion...
Thanks!
Is there a grid that shows problems reported to date?
If the Intermediate Steering Shaft turns out to be the final solution to the problem (Still UNACCEPTABLE on a car with just 13K miles)it will be very helpful to gather the last six digits of the VIN number, build dates and mileages of those of you that are experiencing this problem. The failure of this part could be limited to a certain VIN number sequences and/or Build date ranges; however, this is still a safety problem and if you car has these symptoms, AGAIN I STRESS THE POINT...don't wait or hesitate to take the car in for reapirs. The nature of this particular repair requires an overnight stay of 1 or more days while the dealer gets the part and performs the repair, so the owners of Impalas with defective intermediate shafts are fully entitled to be offered either a dealer loaner vehicle or a rental vehicle fully paid by GM (See warranty booklet for details). If the dealer denies either loaner car benefit, LEAVE THEM BEHIND!!! They are full of BS!! and they are breaching the car's warranty in the process!!! GO Soomewhere else to get serviced.
Again, failure of the Intermediate Steering shaft is a SAFETY CONCERN. Just ask any '98 and '99 Intrigue owner on how serious this problem can be.
Also, many Intrigue owners have had the part fail not only once, but twice and three times. Finally Oldsmobile issued a new revised part that stopped the problem on that model line; however, if the Impala steering shaft is defective and no revisions have been made to this part by GM, may be the new shaft will fail again in 6 to 12 months and again the car goes back to the dealer for a week stay. I hope the problem just affects a specific build date range, but until more owners complain, it is will be difficult to establish that by ourselves.
The two major concerns right now with the Impala are the unsolved popping noises of the Engine Cradle and now what appears to be a batch of defective Intermediate Steering Shafts.
Once I drive the car, I will post back with the results...something tells me that this is not the end of the road yet with the car.