2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

iexplore2000

AUTOMATIC CAR WASHES: IMOP, i do not believe in the "soft cloth" type of systems. Personally, I do not feel that these units have 100% of the contamanents removed from the previous vehicle(s) that may have went through the system. Just think.. what if a BIG & DIRT COVERED SUV is ahead of you and your car is next to enter the wash. Doesn't that make you feel somewhat uncomfortable? For me.. YES it does. I resort to the TOUCHLESS systems because in most cases, if your vehicle is not covered in serious dirt or debris, these systems can clean the vehicle pretty well. Although it may not lift 100% of the dirt off of your vehicle, it buys you enough time in between hand washes! In my city, there is only ONE touchless system that I use faithfully and it just so happens to be attached to the Marathon gas station. Usually I will fill up with gas, purchase the ULTIMATE wash for $5 and use the squeegee to clean my windshield, the touchless system does the rest! Most people believe that I hand washed my vehicle when in essence, it has just went through the touchless system. My advice would be to try several touchless car washes before settling on just one, most of the newer ones have better or more sophisticated equipment!

IN CONCLUSION: I know that this is a verrry lengthy posting, but I just wanted to share with you all my "personal" car care tips that have given me plenty of advantages over the past years, especially when it comes to trade-in time. I am new to this forum and as a matter of fact, I just took delivery of my Impala LS this past Saturday (see my original posting). Although I know that some of these processes can be quite lengthy, I do believe that the rewards are excellent. Actually this weekend, I am going to spend two days applying the Zaino product to my vehicle.. now in air conditioned comfort since I just purchased an A/C unit for my garage today! If any of you have questions, comments about my car care tips, please do not hesitate to e-mail me. I am more than willing to share ideas with you all.

Thanks!

IExplore2000@aol.com

nosirrahg

Not that you'd ever use such a wash system on a vehicle like the Impala, but should you ever have a vehicle that you'd take to a do-it-yourself high-pressure car wash that has one of those hand-held brushes that pump out soap through the handle, be sure to take the high-pressure wand and wash off the brush before you switch over to it and start scrubbing it all over your car!!!

Once started using one of these brushed many years ago on a pickup truck, only to learn the last person had apparently used the brush to remove a bunch of mud/gravel from their vehicle, and a bunch of it was still on the brush when I started using it. I caught it quickly and didn't damage anything, but if I hadn't paid attention, I'd have ground a good bit of grit all over the car and likely ruined the paint job.

tpken

to the do-it-yourself car wash (mostly winter months when us New Englanders just can't do it at home). By using the presoak and then the wash cycle (without full force spray) then applying my sponge before rinsing, it gets the job done without risking scratches or just leaving the dirty film that use of the spray alone can't remove.

Works for me.

[Deleted User]

>>>Most weeks I wash it 3 or 4 times.<<<

It must be nice to have that kind of free time. Bless you sir. For most people, I think that once a week, or 3 or 4 times a <i>month will work .

2k_impala_ls

I just got my order from Meguirers, (I use all of their products), a clay bar kit, the EXTRA cleaner and degreaser (works on everything with no staining, even carpets. I also got some Gold Class Trim detailer, it works great on the black trim and makes it look new. I frequently clean my rims ( a few times a week) with quik detailer and they look new and the brake dust doesn't stick too much. If you leave that corrosive brake dust on them to long, it eats the clearcoat and it turns color. I see neglected rims all the time. I learned about cleaning the rims from my friend with a new vette. I noticed a mention of the radiator cap problems. I tried to get mine off and it won't come off. I did not want to force it. Is there some trick to getting it off. It doesn't leak but I would like to see if it comes off.

hvan3

Is this the How to Wash Your Car message board?

On my Galaxy Silver, the fastest way for me to wash my car is to use a damp cloth and simply wipe over the exterior. Voila! A brand spanking new Impala!

yurakm

3-4 times a month?

3-4 times from snow to snow at best: 3 times during pollen season, once in fall. If there is not enough rains.

Plus 2-4 times during / after the snow season, at regular car wash, to remove salt from the undercarriage.

copychick

Thanks iexplore for your detailed advice about car washing. I do have to admit, it all seems quite daunting to someone who is usually too lazy to even take the car to one of those scratchy car wash places.

I still haven't even found a place in my area that sells all this stuff yet. Guess I'll try to do that tomorrow on my day off.

hvan, I'm quite tempted to just try your simplistic approach. Maybe if I start now, while the car is still relatively clean, I won't have to do anything too extensive.

copychick

Has anyone read the latest crash test results for the '02 Camry? Pretty discouraging for the prices they charge and the stellar reputation this car has. Makes me glad I didn't follow the pack (remember, there's a Camry in nearly every driveway in my neighborhood). Hope the link below works.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2002/06/25/camry-crash-test.htm

[Deleted User]

Almost forgot. Whatever you do, don't drive it anywhere. Driving only makes it dirty, and forces the microscopic dust particles deep into the clearcoat finish.

badgerfan

Yeah, the Camry zealots must be having a heart attack. I see Impala has a good number of stars accross the NHTSA chart. My Taurus didn't do bad either, but I gotta admit you got 4 stars on the side impact and Taurus got 3. But we both beat the Camry's 2 stars. Plus look at all the money we saved by buying our good old USA designed and USA and Canadian built vehicles.

copychick

I don't mean to get all happy over the inherent side-impact danger to my Camry-owning co-workers and neighbors, but it does warm my heart to know that the "Camry zealots" are not always right.

Now if they could just find something wrong with my parents' beloved Hondas, life would be just a tad sweeter;)

badgerfan

Honda is releasing a redesigned Accord for '03. Maybe Honda will screw up also!

copychick

I'm embarassed to admit my DH was equally as psyched at this news. He's as bad as we are.

And it just dawned on me that drivinisfun owns a Camry, so drivin' I apologize for our glee. Please don't take it personally (just drive your Impala only from now on;)

drivinisfun

I don't own a Camry. No hard feelings

copychick

Sorry, I guess I got you confused with another board person.

nosirrahg

My wife wants a Camry, but one of her reasons for wanting one is to get into something safer than her '95 Prizm. Not sure the Camry is going to give her the piece of mind she's looking for.

I bought my Impala after I had an incident where my '89 Celica was shoved (literally) off the road by a Lincoln Navigator - the driver couldn't see me as I drove beside him, because my car was so low/small, and his was to tall/large (in his defense, it was at night, and it was raining). I said then that I was going to buy the biggest, safest car I could afford - turns out I made a pretty good choice considering the crash test results on the Impala weren't out when I ordered mine.

As much as I like my car, if I ever have an accident and am able to walk away unscathed, I'll like it even more - even if it's totaled. I feel pretty confident if that were to happen today, I'd go order another Impala.

drivinisfun

The Camry is a well rounded out sedan. My dislikes about the current model is its tall/boxy "Minivanish" looks, long overhangs at the front and rear of the vehicle and the very poor side impact test results (Only 2 stars).

Otherwise it is a top notch vehicle, but I concur than the Impala is a nicer/economical and better looking alternative to it. Actually the Impala is more the size of the Toyota Avalon as both have similar shoulder room measuraments.

[Deleted User]

>>>...by a Lincoln Navigator (in his defense, it was at night, and it was raining). <<<

There's no defense for someone who owns a Navigator.

drivinisfun

But this is a free country and everyone enjoys freedom of choice. I personally don't like SUVs that much and despise the fact that a lot of people buy these vehicles for all the wrong reasons, but is their choice whether is in tune with our thinking or not.

Conversely, the guy in the Navigator can say that there is no defense for someone who owns a Celica...

[Deleted User]

Some enjoy freedom from a sense of humor, as well.

impalaboy2001

Well I took my car to the dealer Monday and told them I was having a popping noise coming from the front. They took at look at it and replaced a rod that connects to the front left wheel, they said it was worn. Anyway I got the car back and the popping noise was still there for a while. I noticed that the popping noise is there during my first 30 mins of driving meaning that it will only pop while the engine is cool. So I went back to the dealer today and told them about it, and the Shop Foreman drove around with me, and he said it sounds like the noise is coming from under the seats and the engine bay. he also said that the engine cradle bolts itself under the driver and passenger seats. He said he was going to call Chevrolet and see whether they're gonna do the shim fix or have the cradle replaced.

Chris

http://members.cox.net/2001impala

drivinisfun

"he also said that the engine cradle bolts itself under the driver and passenger seats"

He is dead wrong on that one. The cradle never, ever bolts under the front seats. If you look under the car, the cradle never reaches that far back.

I respectfully suggest taking your car to another dealer. These people don't seem to know what they are taking about.

drivinisfun

Also to ensure the cradle is the source of noise, they have to use an instrument called "Ears" (Like a Doctor's stethoscope) to identify the source of the noise if it is indeed the cradle that all of a sudden started to pop.

Here is a hint for you: Have them check the engine mounts. When these go bad, they produce the same exact noise as a popping cradle. When an engine mount goes bad, the engine tends to tilt a few degrees out of place when accelerating (Engine moving on its own) thus causing popping noises when accelerating or going over speed bumps.

Since the engine cradle hysteria in first year Impalas, dealers are often making the wrong troubleshooting and automatically blaming the engine cradle without looking at other front end parts in the suspension and engine mounts.

b4z

Got to be the Intermediate Steering Shaft.

drivinisfun

Could also well be.

The point is: A lot of dealers seem to be very paranoid about the engine cradle in these cars. You have a front end noise? "It has to be the damn cradle".

Often this leads to misdiagnosis of the problem and replacing perfectly good parts in the front end.

The Steering shaft and the engine mounts are 2 good places to start.

impalaboy2001

Well I got the steering shaft replaced at 20K miles. Anyway, she shop foreman called me this afternoon and told me he got off the phome with GM, and they said they have a new fix for the cradles. Its not the shim fix, but it seems to be something else. The technician told me that I'm the first person they had, that showed up with this problem - *Oh Great* My car is in the hands of someone that isnt gonna know what the hell they are doing. Anyway, they said they're gonna install the shim kit and some other kit that GM has had good results with. I'm gonna have to find out how this goes. I asked thyem if they could just replace the whole cradle or engine mounts, but he said that GM whats to try this kit first, and that its not the dealerships call. My Car is done. Cant wait for the GTO
Chris

crosley4

As a former owner of an early GM on-the-road test unit (aka 2000 Impala with build date 08-99) I am interested in any "new" fix GM may have for the Impala.

The first time our Impala was in for the popping noises the dealer replaced the lower control arms of the front suspension. At the time I felt that the control arms were not the problem, but on the flip side I could not identify where the noise was coming from.

We still miss our Impala. It was the correct size for us,good quality for the money & very good MPG for the size of the car.

Gm will probably find a cure for the aluminum engine cradle flexing/noise and then kill the production of the Impala a year later.

dennisw3

I know this isn't a sell/buy forum, but I am hoping somone could direct me to a set of the trim rings that some of the 2000-2002 Impala police cars have, I've had little luck finding a set.

hvan3

1) One local dealer is selling all remaining 2002 Impala LS for $5500 off MSRP. (Weseloh & Sons Chevrolet)

2) One local dealer is selling all remaining 2002 Impala LS for $4500 off MSRP.

3) One local dealer is selling one 2002 Impala LS with MSRP of $24,980 for $19,995. A savings of $4,985. (Joe MacPherson Chevrolet)

4) One local dealer is selling a base Impala with MSRP of $21,815 for $17,490. 2 at this price. (Nicholas Chevrolet)

Typically, I rarely see Impala ever go on sale. But lately, it's fairly frequent.

By the way, a loaded 2002 GMC Envoy SLT with MSRP of $35.5K is on sale for $27K!! Hmmm. Tempting.

jimmiec

2002 Impala: When attempting to back-up, I have a problem trying to determine where the rear end of my car is in proximity to any objects in the area. The high trunk lid, and the bow out design along the side of the vehicle render the mirrors useless (in my opinion). Does anyone else suffer from this type situation? My previous car was a Blazer, which caused me no such aggravation. Appreciate your thoughts on this matter. Thanks,

night_owl1

You might want to contact Kerr Industries. They carry all the official GM police equipment. I have a link to their site on the Accessories page, under Emergency Vehicle Equipment.

http://www.impalahq.com/

spider717

Do you have a spoiler? I can imagine that without one it would be hard to tell where the back of the car is.

duraflex

Ten cars that will be out of production by the end of the year:

http://carpoint.msn.com/advice/windowshop.aspx?contentid=4021153

b4z

I am going up to Tyson's Corner, VA on the 3rd to the 37th Annual Packard Meet.
I think I will probably to Western, NC after that.
Of course, I will be in the Impala.
Are any of you guys taking road trips?

[Deleted User]

Going to Japan on the 3rd. Just so no one thinks I'm unpatriotic for going to a foriegn country during the holiday, I'll be going to a baseball game while I'm there. Plus, I promise to eat at McDonalds at least once.

dmullins

Can anyone provide the TSB # for the coolant odor in a 2000 LS. I understand it had something to do with either the radiator cap or the coolant recovery bottle cap. Ant help here is appreciated. A copy of the TSB would be great. ALLDATA only lists the titles.

Thanks in advance!

[Deleted User]

Post that same question in the Technical Service Bulletin forum topic here in TH, and you'll get your answer.

corsicachevy

Do you have a 3.4 or a 3.8 V6? The 3.4V6 and its siblings are known to suffer from leaking intake manifolds. A leaking manifold could be the source of your coolant smell.

00impala

I found this last fall in the September issue of Popular Mechanics..page 108 in the "Service Tips" are...here it goes...

"" Got a Plastic-tanked aluminum radiator on your 1999-2000 GM car or light truck? If you do, and the engine runs hot, overheats,or loses coolant regularly, the problem may not be the plastic end tank, but an imperfection in the sealing surface of the plastic filler neck where it seals to the gasket on the filler cap. To cure this,lightly sand the filler neck sealing surface with 400-Grit sandpaper and a block of wood to true it up, and then replace the filler cap. TSB 00-06-02-001 ""

That is it.... ah.... Your welcome.. Don

[Deleted User]

Couldn't that cause plastic shavings or "dust" to fall into the reservoir, and thus the cooling system as well? It might be a good idea to remove the bottle, and turn it over before sanding.

I also wonder if it will be necessary to replace the cap, or its gasket if that's available separately, due to damage from the rough edge of the bottleneck.

00impala

Plastic Filler neck on the actual Radiator that the Metal Radiatior Cap covers...the filler-neck is 2 pieces that are sealed together to make the opening and they are saying there is a plastic burr or uneven raised area where the 2 pieces meet during production causing the Radiator Cap to not seal properly when twisted on.. causing odor, leakage and overheating from coolant loss...I had to read the thing a few times myself, when they mention the "Plastic End Tank" or for lack of a better term "Recovery Bottle" It can throw you off, The TSB refers to the plastic Top part of the Radiator Neck under the Radiator Cap..I would still stuff something in the hole while sanding..and I think they might mean to "REPLACE" (as in install a Brand New one) Metal Radiator cap since there may be a gouge in the gasket from the raised area and the Cap deforming it..I can see how this could happen if the cap is not sealed properly, alot of pressure under that cap when hot and the pressure will take the path of least resistance to escape... Don

copychick

I've noticed backing up in the Impala does take some getting used to. Even with the spoiler, I do find it takes some doing to be able to judge where the actual end of my car is.

My sense is that in time, you'll get a feel for it.

copychick

There was something wrong with my login on edmunds and it has taken me 2 days to (hopefully) straighten it out.

That said, you may see me on this board as "copychix" instead of "copychick" on occasion, depending on which computer I'm using, etc.

dmullins

Wow. What a great board! Thanks everyone for the response. I did find a copy of the TSB and will try it this weekend. By the way it is a 3.8L LS. I'll post my results next week. Thanks again!

[Deleted User]

I didn't even realize there was a cap on the radiator! I'll have to take a look. I thought the only opening in the system was the reservior. After all, that's where coolant is added.

I was probably confusing it with my other car, which has what they call a remote header tank. That is where the pressure cap is. I guess I should have figured the Impala would need a pressure cap somewhere, and it ain't on the overflow tank.

[Deleted User]

Sounds like they use tofu, instead of real "chick".

tpken

I prefer the Real Thing!!

lol

cookie01

Boy, I've been gone a lot of posts. And 10 months, basically.
I've missed you all so much and see all sorts of names I remember like Don, and Teo and Garypen and tpken and others...

The 2000 is still running like a dream and I'm nearing my cut off for mileage and the end of my lease. It will be a VERY bad day.
In fact, to postpone that day a bit more I spent $2000 on a 1987 Honda Accord to drive back and forth daily to the train station for work. The Impala gets to spend the week resting in the garage and used only for family outings on the weekend. This will probably give me an extra two months on the lease. Well worth it!
Hope everyone is doing well.
I'd like to hang out for a while longer (here in the forum) until the car is gone... Then I'll be an outsider, or maybe have to hang in the "Hondas with more than 180,000 miles" forum... if they have such a thing.

[Deleted User]

I don't understand. Most car leases are set by time, not mileage. For instance, if you hit the 36,000 mile mark on a 36 month/36,000 mile lease, you can't simply return it early without penalty. The payments are based on time. How would not driving the Impala as much extend the lease period?
Of course, I understand that if you exceed the mileage in the 36 months, you will also pay a penalty. That's a given.

BTW, my Civic has over 250,000 miles on it.