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Comments
Hopefully the 04 Impala SS will get similar headlights.
It reminds me of the old Mazda MX3 of the 1990's with its bug eyed headlights...yuck!
Oh yeah and my Impala has a lighted glove box.
Viva Lutz!
BTW, has anyone else noticed that the reflective lens on the front signals is designed to make the light look like it's LED? Fooled me the first time I saw it.
Brad
My '01 LS had a MSRP of 25.5K an identical '03 is more than 2K more.
As for me, there is NO way I want leather seats, no way, no how. I wouldn't buy a used Impala with leather, or a new one. And if they ONLY came with leather, then some other manufacturer would be getting my business.
Same story with cars that group needed options (for me) such as ABS with either moonroofs or leather. I will NOT own a car with either. Others love these things. They should be able to get them. As for me, I do not want them.
This is what kept Mazda from selling me a car (twice, no less).
Why don't I like leather?
a. too cold, too hot...(and the rear seats do NOT get seat heaters, why punish the passengers?)
b. a leather equipped car is noiser inside than a cloth one
c. I just don't like it!
and I haven't even addressed the philosophical concerns that some have, as in cows died so I can sit on them!
I still wouldn't want leather, and I wouldn't want you to have to take cloth, either!
Them Police impalas are getting evil, I swear!
The grand kids on the other hand are another story.
Our 2k Impala LS was the first car we had leather seating material in. I cannot imagine not liking the leather seats over cloth. I'll never go back.
Tony
Accidents in the back seat cause kids.
Bless you chevy for the big back seats. Bless you!
My '02 Cooper offers 3 seat material choices (Like all other BMW's):
* Cloth
* Leatherette = Vinyl
* Real Cowhide = Leather.
In the MINI, Leatherette seats are offered as standard equipment but cloth can be specified as a $0 cost option. Real Leather runs for $1,250 extra.
I ordered my Cooper with Letherette seats...why? Because they offer the best of both worlds, the Low cost of regular cloth upholstery and the looks, quality and strength of real cowhide.
BMW's Leatherette is one of the highest quality seat materials offered in the industry, looks fantastic (can't tell whether is real leather or not), easy to clean and maintain, does not sag, crease, dry up, peel, etc like leather seating typically does overtime. No this is not your grandpa's 1965 Chevy Belair's sticky, slippery, hot and smelly black vinyl seats.
Most manufacturers should offer high quality leatherette seating options in their vehicles. This gives a 3rd choice for those of us who don't like or want to put up with cloth seats or the extra expense and hassle of real leather.
As far as I know, BMW is the only manufacturer that offers leatherette standard in the MINI and BMW model ranges.
At one point I considered the Impala's "Leather" seats (Which with all due respect to those of you who own Leather seats in your Imps, looks more like cheap plastic imitation leather) but at $600 extra, I prefered to put up with the standard Sport Cloth Seats and they have been fine so far.
Dust? I have the pollen A/C filter in my LS and keep my car regularly clean inside and out. Never a problem with dirt and dust. You can still get dirt in the fanciest Leather trimmed interior. This is more a problem of not keeping your interior clean frequently than anything else.
The sunroof, leather, CD, trip computer, steering wheel stereo controls, etc ARE the good stuff. A "stripped" LS is far from "well-equipped". It's pretty basic to me.
If you're going to compare value between the LS and other vehicles, make sure you compare comparably equipped models, not a stripped LS to an well-equipped Camry/Accord/Altima/6. Fair's fair.
But, I have to say a USED LS is anincredible value over ANY competitor. (as long as it's had the cradle and steering shaft fixes, and maybe new rotors, andcheck that manifold gasket.)
Thanks.
I popped open the hood and checked the Coolant recovery tank level and it appears to be right at or just a hair below the "Hot" line.
Did not check the oil on the dipstick, but just had oil and filter changed less than 2 weeks ago.
Car is running great otherwise and the engine temp gauge never goes above the middle mark.
Should I be concerned? Is this an early symptom of the infamous warped upper manifold gasket or plenum?
Car has 18K troublefree miles.
I smelled mine for months before I took it to them.
I smelled mine for months before I took it to them."
I already have setup a service appt for early tomorrow morning. They will be doing a Pressure Test first to see if indeed there is a leak somewhere in the system and if found get it fixed. The coolant level in the recovery tank seems OK, but the smell is there.
I don't want to take any chances as if coolant is leaking into the oil this could spell serious trouble to the engine.
I hope is just a hose leaking and not the upper intake manifold.
Did they find the source of the leak? What parts/repairs were required?
Kinda of a bummer but will hold off until the dealer finds the leak if there is one.
If coolant is getting into the cylinders, you may see increased vapor coming out of the exhaust, or a coolant smell in the exhaust.
If you can, leave a peice of cardboard under your car overnight. That might show leaks better than the concrete or blacktop you park on now.
Thank you
Bill
Will see what the dealer has to say tomorrow after they do the pressure test. They'll have the car for the entire day.
I actually saw some coolant on one of the accessory drives on the engine. I thought it was a gasket leak.
maybe it was a gasket leak and they charged GM for the manifold base. i don't know.
All I can tell you is that i took the car in the morning without an appointment and about 4-5 hours later my car was ready.
tells me that they keep these parts in stock so it must be a fairly common occurence.
My brother (who has @ 380k on his '84 Toyota pickup) managed to drive an '82 Buick Century wagon (with I think a 2.4 liter engine) for almost 170k miles before it played out on him. Granted, it sounded pretty rough in it's latter years, but it just goes to show that regular maintainence/oil changes can prolong the life of any engine. If my brother could get 170k out of his underpowered Buick, I have little doubt a properly maintained 3.8l will go 200k. I plan to drive mine for at least 7-8 more years; possibly longer assuming it hasn't become problematic (and since my kids will be approaching college age at that point, I might not have a choice!!!).
That counts me out.
Tony
There was a redesign in the late '90s and the thermoplastic intake manifold assembly replaced the aluminum one.
Might have been in '97.
Replacing the upper intake manifold is not that easy of a job for what I have read in other forums. It seems the 3.4L V6 engine is a real pain in the rear when it comes to these problems.
Brought my car in this morning to the dealership and the service manager and service advisor noticed the strong coolant smell coming from the engine bay. The coolant level in the recovery tank was midway between the COLD and HOT marks suggesting that indeed there is a leak somewhere in the system as the level should have been sitting all the way up in the HOT mark. Still, the car ran fine to the dealer and the temp gauge never went pass the last marker before the middle mark.
Car is currently undergoing a pressure test of the cooling system. I am awaiting to hear from the dealer on the results of the test and what will be done next (Depending on where the leak(s) are found).
This is my first ever problem logged with the car. I hope the coolant leak is external albeit a minor one too.
This problem does not change my opinion on the 3800 V6 engine as an extremely solid and reliable powerplant. However, the choice of a plastic manifold intake is questionnable over the long term due to durability issues. But the engine itself, is a sure bet from all performance and reliability standpoints.
It would be very wise for anyone keeping their Imps past the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty to get solid and comprehensive extended warranty coverage. I personally would not keep an Impala without an extended service contract. I do not distrust the engine/transmission and other parts of the car at all, but components such as the Intake Manifold and the ISS do seem to have questionnable durability and high repair costs over the life of the car.
We are still puzzled about the coolant odor coming from the engine compartment. Could it be that the dealer techs spilled somnething inside the engine during the last service visit?
So, I guess these are good news. If there is still a problem in the coolant system, it will just get worse overtime. I will keep checking on the coolant level every other day and generally keep an eye on things. Otherwise, I am getting ready to go and pick up my Imp in a few minutes.
You bet I will.
That is all there is to it.
I think they are replacing these intakes with the same ones.
I found no leak in mine for a good 3-4 months the coolant recovery tank finally started going down and my temp gauge inched past the halfway point in a McDonald's drive thru after over 10 minutes of waiting.
it had never gone past the halfway point since i owned it and i have never put additional coolant in.
The only other thing it could be is a heater core and you DEFINITeLY don't want that to happen.
Unfortunately with every iteration of the 3800 GM will take cost out of the engine. That means reliabilty/durability too.
You must have a small butt! LOL Sorry, I couldn't resist.