2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

night_owl1

The cradle is supposed to move a little. It isolates the motor from the body to cut down on vibration.

The changer was not a factory option. It is a dealer installed accessory. So the dealer could have installed it, or it could have been done afterward. See if you can use the radio to control the changer. Stick a couple of CDs in there and press the CD (or CD/TAPE) button and see the radio display changes.

teo

I have a 2001 Impala LS (Build date 4/2001) and my sister has a '01 navy blue base Impala with the 3.4L motor (Build date 6/2001) and ZERO problems on either in terms of ISS and cradle. The only problem my sister had on her car was a bad rubber motor mount (Right side) that was quickly replaced and after 4K miles not a single problem otherwise.

My '01 LS has been flawless in 1 year of service. I bought the car on April 2001.

hvan3

If the worst thing that can happen to the Impala (ISS and cradle), I would buy 10 more Impalas! Those problems are so minor to me that I don't know why there's so much fuss? The ISS is not a problem specifically to the Impala. The ISS is used on various models.

Be thankful that our Impala does not exhibit chronic problems related to electrical, transmission, engine failure, and etc.

I still love my Impala and highly recommend it to everyone.

sttropez1

They are annoyances for sure, but nothing that can make the car bad, etc.

Congrats to all of you, you have nice rides.

[Deleted User]

Shouldn't you be remaining neutral on the subject?

00impala

I know these problems are just irritating, but more irritating is to have to drive a car everyday like it on egg-shells, not my idea of a new car experience, My 2000 LS was my first Brand new car purchase, kinda wish I still had not traded my 1996 Monte Carlo...I geuss because it had no problems at all and it would be paid off to boot....by the way..Teo..I had my 2000 LS from 12/99 until 11/01 before I had any problems at all, the only time it went to the dealer prior to 11/01 was for oil changes, the Rear Liners and the AMP, then at 18k the rotors warped then (I won't mention, not to beat a dead horse) problems started...I don't know if "I" myself would buy another Impala, not because I don't like them, but because I want something different, like a Toyota Tundra 4x4, I was reading up on some vehicles that inteterst me and the Silverado vibrates at 65 mph(there is a webpage called "Get GM to Buy-Back your Silverado) Very promising..., the F-150 has engine problems and the Toyota Tundra "eats" front Rotors, like 3 sets in 16k miles, Just great news....so what is a guy to do? That is the main reason I want to keep my Impala, I am used to it's ways,(Don't want to trade these I geuss minimal probs for MAJOR probs) I just wish it were not as clunky up front..Don't get me wrong, I like jumping in the Impala and hitting the road as much as any of you......Don

crosley4

I've read a bit on the trucks too. My Silverado does not vibrate(over 80 mph today),it does not use a quart of engine oil in 600 miles among other complaints. It did vibrate with a heavy load on it due to rear driveshaft angles that were incorrect. I shimmed the diff mounting to the leaf sporings a bit and corrected that.

My F-150 Super Crew only has 8800 miles on it so I don't know if the engine is going bad yet. It is getting 17 mpg now, a far cry from the 26 mpg we got with the Impala.

It's sorta like the 2k and up Impalas, the majority of them are great , trouble free cars. Mine was one of the on-going problem childs.

A co-worker of mine has a good friend with elderly parents that own a 2001 Impala. The friend had driven the Impala for the first time last week and he was telling my co-worker about the popping noises and how the steering felt loose. My co-worker told him about the troubles I had with our 2k Impala.

This guy is a Saturn tech and he checked into the TSB's on the Impala. He has since set up an appointment to get his parents Impala into the dealer for repairs and updates.

spider717

http://money.cnn.com/2002/04/03/pf/autos/recall_gm/index.htm

vex

I purchased an impala with the 3.8L option because I was told from others that it won't develop an intake manifold gasket leak over time.
But in the GM newsgroups people who are driving Buick Regals with the 3.8L have had leaks and it's a Series II engine just like the Impalas.
Is this a rare incidence?
Why does GM use plastic materials? Sure they make money due to the sale of more parts but they will lose more and more customers.

ehenness

Hey, thanks for the information on the '01s. I'll be sure to check for clunks and such when I see the car either this weekend or next. My friend was told by the dealer that the ISS and engine cradle were only problems on the 2000s, but he never had any trouble with either of those things. Thanks for setting that straight.

I'm sure my mom will get a good car--the dealer has a good rep, and she's consciencious about maintenance, hearing odd noises, and so on. She'd definitely pick up on any clunks or other weird things. She picks up the car in a couple of weeks, after her IRA rolls over.

b4z

LOL.

b4z

I knew you were being sarcastic.

Taurus is a less expensive car and i think the buyer profile is a little different.

nivloc1

Was checking out a 2001 Impala w/3800 engine, loaded. The salesman stated it gets 30mpg. My brother has a 2002 LS w/3800. He says he's lucky if he hits 23mpg @ 75mph. What have others experienced as far as mpg??? I drive 150mi/day. I would like performance but I need the gas mileage more...

bearmer

I can't tell you what fraction of those gaskets leak but when it happens it's serious. It's an internal leak that contaminates the crankcase with antifreeze. Ethylene glycol destroys the lubricating properties of oil then the engine suffers friction damage. Watch for unexplained loss of coolant and when you check the oil take off the filler cap and see if there are any deposits that look like dirty mayonnaise. A mix of oil, EG and water emulsifies.
There's an Edmunds discussion group about this called "Common General Motors 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 V6s Engine Problems".

hvan3

nivloc1:
If those are 150 freeway mileage per day, you can pretty much expect at least 28mpg. I get an average of 22mpg. This is base on 65% city driving.

I'm lucky to be driving the Impala 3.8. It's powerful, get great gas mileage, and uses only regular unleaded.

sttropez1

Not only GM but other manufacturers as well are using plastic composite upper engine intake manifolds. The plastic is specially designed to withstand the temperature and operating tolerances required for the proper integrity and functionality of the intake manifold.

The advantages of a plastic composite upper intake are reduced weight, more durability and reduced costs.

spider717

What kind of driving? My 2.8 gets 22-24 city. I get 31-32 highway. I drove to baltimore the other day and got 32+ MPG, shocked the crap out of me. (Yes I manually checked this too)

b4z

Your brother must be driving in third gear. I can get high 29mpg at 80 mph and have gotten 34 mpg driving below 65 mph.

nivloc1

My drive ratio is about 55% highway,40% backroads and 5% city. I drive about 80-85 on the highway and 65 on backroads (with the exceptions of the occasional woodland creature, only 3 stop signs slow me down here). City speed is dictated by the guy in front of me.......

I have nightmares of being stuck driving a tin box with performance of turtle.

[Deleted User]

Did you save money by getting your Impala with a 2.8L engine? :-)

00impala

same lady I talked to at GM Customer Service, Myself, My Wife and our 2 Impala's are meeting with the Service Director tommorow, she said that they contacted "Global Assistance" and that he has not heard anything from them since last Nov. when they said they were working on it and should have some info by Feb/Mar, well that has passed and he said he still has no new news from them, and he wants to test drive my car(s)(again to try and narrow it down),GM Customer Service set next Tuesday as the call back date between me and the Service Director to check the progress. so I will see what develops tommorow. Don

teo

I get a consistent 29-31MPG in the highway with my 3800 V6 Impala LS. I am averaging between 20 and 22MPG in heavy city stop and go traffic. I also use Chevron 89 Octane gasoline with no issues whatsoever.

Make sure you are not driving on the "3" position for the transmission gear selector. A lot of people like to drive in the city without engaging the overdrive gear. "D" position means you are driving in all available forward 4 speeds.

Acceleration (Jack rabbit starts come to mind) and braking (Riding the brake pedal, frequent sudden brisk stops, etc) habits also play a role in the overall fuel economy performance of your car. Trivial maintenance items such as maintaining proper air tire pressures, scheduled oil changes, tire rotations, blancing and aligment can have a direct/indirect impact on your car's fuel economy and overall performance.

spider717

About $15.37........doh

macgyver24

News: GM and the Canadian Auto Workers Union are close to a deal that would see a third shift added to the Number 1 plant in Oshawa, Ontario, the home of the Impala.

[Deleted User]

That's gotta be good for the Canadian economy. Speaking of canada, I went to a hockey game last night. It was excellent. Well done you Canadians for bringing it to America.

00impala

My wife and I were with the Service Mgr. for about 1hr 45 min... today..(Nice Sunny Day), We drove around in my LS and not only did he hear the noise that I heard, but he herd 2 distinct noises, one is the Struts kinda scrunching,making a hollow pop sound at the stut area...and the other is the one I have been hearing, I have perfect alignment of my Steering Wheel and absolutly no vibrations as before, so he said that rules out the ISS and the Cradle for that matter, the ISS would pop when accelerating, The inferior Cradle would shift, I have a new cradle and my noise is only when going "over" bumps or ridges in the road, leading him to believe that it is one of the bushings, there are bushings on top of the struts, and of course the Cradle bushings, he said they have all of those things in stock, I take it over next Friday, My Blue Base with the loose steering wheel is a mystery that they will check out in a few weeks, we sat in a 2002 and it did not rock left and right and make a snapping noise, also we checked out a 2002 Impala SPORT LS.... in BLACK! WOW! It was really nice, I was turned off by the silver one at the car show, but in person the Rims and the Black taillights look great! AND YOU Can barely see the front air dam extension as it blends right in on the black car, it was $28,180 MSRP or so......Oh, and as for a problem that starts in warranty that is unresolved by the time 3 yr/ 36,000 miles is up? He said it "DOES *NOT* CARRY OVER" unless someone higher up deems it that way, Just food for thought... He said they will make every effort to repair my car, he was very professional and friendly, looking for Bulletins and such, I hope the 3rd time is a Charm. Don

b4z

If you have popping when turning then the jounce bumpers need to be lubricated.

My intrigue had this big time.

it was not a long term fix though.

It seems that when you turn it torques the struts and they are moving within the bushings.

hunter39

That wasn't the Sharks v Coyotes game was it?

Oh yeah, Impala...

[Deleted User]

You betcha! I got tired of hearing GaryGlitter's Rock and Roll pt. 2, after a while. They play it after each Sharks goal.
The 4th goal was a thing of beauty. Didja watch it?
Impala

bowtiefan01

Teo, thanks for the insight on the above matter. Took the car into the dealer today and it was a faulty Coolant Level Sensor. It's been replaced and appears to be fine.

John

00impala

It is quiet when I turn, it only makes the "Reverberating" clunky noise @ 25-30 mph "Over" a Bump, the Steering is great, far better than before I had the ISS replaced, before that it would make noises turning off the road into a business onto the driveway, and I could feel it in the Steering wheel and brake pedal, those symptoms are long gone thanks to the ISS, I really think that having them replace the Cradle was just a knee jerk reaction, they did that first and nothing changed, second was the ISS and it drove fine, I am hoping it is some kind of Bushing, I did find out that when they replaced my Cradle they used the existing Mount Bushings that actually came with my car, so they have 26,000+ miles on them and the new Cradle/ISS have about 8,000 miles each....a while back when my Base started doing this, I was told that they could start replacing all kinds of things including the Mounts after TEO said that was his sisters problem,(and they said they would if I wanted them to) but the one guy said that would not guarantee anything and it would cost "GM" money..I thought that was rather "CORNY" since they too did not know what it could be, the Lube kit seems to have worked for that instance....Thanks Don

phollan

Hi, I had my 01 LS at the dealer earlier this week for what seemed to be a "reverberating clunky noise". I could never think of a better way to describe it. It happens mostly at 25-30mph over slightly rippled roads. In the past they tried playing with the plastic wheel well liners, which didn't appear to fix anything.

This time they found too much spacing in the brake calipers. I'm not sure if I'm describing this exactly right. Anyway they had to order the Caliper Pin Kit which came in today and my appointment is next week, so I can let you know if this fixes it.

Also to anybody with the peeling roof strips, the dealer ordered new ones for mine. They said GM doesn't want them glued anymore, just replaced.

00impala

I actually asked him if it might be something along those lines, Cracked pad or loose Calipers, I kept on driving and it still did it "WITH" and "WITHOUT" Braking, So he said he didn't think so, Let me know if it solves your problem, he said next Friday I can drop off my car and the Front End Tech will drive me home in my car since I only live 2 miles away and the one 10 block street that my car consistently exhibits this noise is on the way, so "he" can get an idea....Thanks and good luck! Don

hunter39

Ummm, no. As an unabashed Coyotes fan I can honestly say I didn't think it was a thing of beauty, my boys' effort was not what we have come to expect here in the frozen tundra of Arizona for the past month or so. The Great One has put together a nice bunch of players and winning has become intoxicating after witnessing the Diamondbacks Championship last year we'd sure like a legitimite shot at the cup. I fear though that it would cause considerable consternation to our friends north of the border aye?

I forgot to ask you if you ever got your seat fixed? Is it still rocking and rolling? My little movement has returned but not as severely as it was when I got it repaired on their dollar. I think now I will live with it since I'm out of warranty...

Anyway, five games left and the Pacific Division champ is still in question...

[Deleted User]

>>Anyway, five games left and the Pacific Division champ is still in question... <<<

By who?

Also, I hope you videotaped last years D'backs celebration, so you have something to watch this October. ;-)

hunter39

Well at least my memories will be fresher than any the Giants might have! How long has it been? And a 4 point lead with 5 to play doesn't sound safe to me !

What about your seat?

hunter39

I meant your Impala seat...

reefer

I am currently looking to buy an Impala LS in rural PA and have visited several dealers armed with Kelly blue book info on my trade and Edmunds TMV info on the new Impalas. The dealers tends to accept Kelly info on the trade (this has not always been the case) but I have yet to find one that will discount the sticker price to close to TMV and also give you what your trade is worth. From my experience (and I have purchased many new cars) if I insist on getting a TMV price on the new car, I will never be able to buy a new car. What am I missing here? All the talk about getting a new car for a few bucks over invoice only serves to make me feel like a jerk when I can't get a dealer to come close. What gives?

b4z

I turned my intrigue lease in, and bought my impala LS for $98.00 over invoice, which included a advertising fee. I think it was about $179.00.

Sell your current car yourself, then go work your best deal on the new car.

Dealers are reluctant to even give KB wholesale, because they can go to any auction in America and buy your present car for less.

pluto5

Suggest what you are missing is twofold:

you are dealing with low volume dealer who needs a bigger profit per sale; high volume dealer in city/suburban area can sell at lower profit per sale but service dept. will probably not satisfy

you are missing an opportunity to realize the most return on your trade by not selling it yourself

this_is_nascar

Does anyone have one installed on their Impala?

spider717

Where in PA? I got mine from Apple Chevy in York. I went in there, the guy came out and was pretty cool. I told him I will be taking this car home with me, but I was only going to pay this much. I could tell he was like yeah right. I told him about TMV from edmonds and he said hold on. He came back out and said, ok let's get some papers we'll even beat that price(by only $30), but hey thats a week or 2 of gas.

bh0001

I have a Class 2 hitch on mine. I use it only for my bike rack. I think it's a HiddenHitch. It was a breeze to have installed.

If I'm not mistaken there is someone on this board that has the same hitch, but they have pictures.
Brad

hvan3

Brad
Can I see what your Hidden Hitch looks like on your Impala? Although I dont think I need a hitch, at least I know there is another possibility if I ever get tire of putting my mountain bike in the trunk.

How much does your bike rack/hitch cost you?

Thanks.

[Deleted User]

If I was a Giant fan, I'd be pretty excited this year. As a Mets fan, I'm even more excited!
But, what really matters is it's baseball season again!!!!!!

I do not miss the squeaking sneakers of basketball or the grunts of football at all during those sports' haitus. At all.

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and....Chevrolet.

bh0001

I unfortunately don't have any pictures of my hitch and rack. Hopefully the person that has the same hitch will come forward tomorrow. It cost me about CDN$300 for everything, but I didn't have the wiring done because I don't ever plan to tow anything.

I've been putting my bike in the trunk all winter because I don't want it covered in salt while I'm driving to the trails. Riding on snow covered trails is absolutely blissful, but I am looking forward to the warm and dry. Lots of racing to do this year!
Brad

larryfl

We just purchased a new LS on Friday the 29th of March (end of the quarter). List price was $26,545. After they offered the car to us with a whopping $500 off plus a ridiculously low trade-in value on our trade, I borrowed the salesman's calculator, figured 91% of list, added several hundred dollars to our trade and counter offered. They agreed to the new car price and we haggled about the difference in trade. I finally agreed on what I think was pretty close to wholesale on the trade and we elected to choose the preferred financing over the $2002 rebate. The 91% of list came out within a few hundred dollars of edmund's TMV.

I think the fact that we waited (by design) to the end of the quarter helped a lot. BTW, we are in the Tampa bay area - if that makes any difference.

reefer

The majority of small dealers around here want to deal right from list price when you present them with a trade in. And , in addition, they always want to start by offering a lowball price for the trade. I could sell the trade in myself but I don't like the hassle and the increased cost of the state tax on the new car without a trade diff takes some of the advantage out of selling the trade in yourself. The process of buying a new car really is a PITA.

carguy6

I just talked to the service manager at my Chevrolet/Pontiac dealer about the 3800 engine. He said that basically the 3800 is a good engine, but the intake manifold is definitely flawed. It is made of composite plastic with the EGR tube running through the middle of it. The EGR tube has very hot gases in it that cause the plastic to expand and contract. While he has not seen any manifolds crack, he has replaced a lot that have warped. This usually occurs around 45000-60000 miles. This is a known problem that GM has not yet addressed. The replacement part is the same as the original.

sttropez1

We would like to see some statistical data backing up your statement.

Thanks.