2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

dewdrops38

Teo. I thought I'd give you a pat on the back rather than a slap in the face. Only when and until "others" walk in your shoes do they know your discontent no matter what the given hardship. People think they understand, I was one of those people, until things happened directly to me. 25 grand means as much to me as it does to you Teo. I have a disabled husband who works harder than the average bear for his pay, and to see him be taken by "our" substandard Impala is a sin. Secondly, to see other Impala owners speak of your ranting/raving/complaining humors me when they spend as much time on the board having a relationship with their Impalas as though they were of flesh and blood. Had they experienced the SAME issues, they just might "rant" also. Instead, they choose to slam you for "ranting" about a vehicle. Lets not forget people, its a car... Teo is a person. YOU put your son/daughter/mother or something you love that is HUMAN behind the wheels of OUR vehicles and tell me if you feel safe? To see grown men and women slam each other over a vehicle is appalling to say the least. To see grown men and women take up for their vehicle rather than another human disgusts me. As for the fuzzy math on who reads, who lurks, who posts, who owns how ever many Impalas, who loves their Impala like their wife, who hates their Impala, who has issues with their Impala is all a matter of opinion. This is the internet, some people spend 100% of their time here, others have Impala problems, but no time at all to go internetting, nor the desire. Sorry to see Teo take a leave from the boards because some simple man or woman took up for their car as though it were human. Moronic behavior on the internet never ceases to amaze me.

cabello

i just dropped my impala off, for the steering clunking. should know something in a few hours. he said that the clunking "is a concern we have".

i spoke to lg motorsports thru e-mail and he qouted me a price of 725.00 total.

cabello

"spoke" you know what I mean.........

woo_by

just for closure's sake:

I put in a tank of premium gas and the persistent oil change light that wouldn't go away went away!
(thanks to the tip from forum post-ers)

duraflex

Nobody "slammed" TEO. He is well regarded for his wealth of car information.

No one needs to be told that "Teo is a person." - The obvious speaks for itself.

IN TEO's OWN WORDS

" #1036 of 1055 Jeffbog by teo Jan 30, 2001 (04:12 pm)

You are absolutely right about that! I apologize to everyone if I have become nothing
sort of a broken record....Anyway from now on I will lurk more than typing, so that
way you and other will not get bored with my never ending rants.....my fingers need
some rest!

Anyway, the car continues to perform really nice after the shaft
replacement...starting to regain my love affair with this car...."

tpken

And the posters here are well intentioned and decent people so it's a shame to see the flaming that has been occurring lately. It is not uncommon to see various Town Forum categories take an occasional slip down the drain when someone gets a bit frosted - I for one hope it's over and done with here and that Teo rejoins the discussion.

You're a valued friend, Frank.

Best regards to all Impala owners and fans.

Ken

vocus

I still have my Mazda Protege, but have been driving a 1993 Bonneville SSE left to me. My mother passed on Jan. 3 and left the SSE that I bought for her this summer behind. The more I drive it, the more I want a larger car with more luxury items (auto lights, head-up display, etc) like the Bonnie has.

Impala vs. Bonneville: With the whole engine cradle thing, that's enough right there to make me want the Bonneville over the Impala. I just feel more comfortable with a piece of steel holding my engine in rather than aluminum. I am going to find a good, used 2000 Bonneville as well. The 2000 SSEi models with 10-20K go for like $24-25K. Considering the Bonnevilles lose alot of their value in the first year, I am NOT going to take the hit!

teo

For those of you with engine problems, enter the VIN number in this site and it will provide you with the latest calibration info available for your car..

http://calid.gm.com/vci/

Back to the booth....

cabello

The service guy who has my 2000 impala said, (after I called him) "that we problalby need to swap out the intemidiate steering shaft, it will be ready this afternoon". I said, "you have the shafts in stock?", he said, "yes, we have had a lot in for this replacement".

chevyrog1

Well

Until I checked in the other day with the police article I hadnt read these posts in several months.

BTW I forget who said it but the police posting wasnt something i wrote....

Teo I am sorry to see you have soured on teh car so much. It was your exuberant promotion of the values and virtues of Impala quality this past spring that helped me as well as many people consider the car more seriously( albeit truthfully not the only deciding factor)
I do however feel a good natured urge to chide you on this fact and to remind you how you downplayed the engine cradle noise when others were complaining about it yet you had not exeprieinced it yourself(yet). Remember saying something to the effect (paraphrasing here)"look at the honda posts..there are problems with those seemingly infallible cars as well"

I noticed that the steering shaft problem you and cabello have are both in LS Impalas. Are there any base models that have the same problem?
Reason I mention it is that the steering ratio of the LS is different than the base Steering Specifications

Ratio (overall)

- 3400 V6 engine
15.2:1

- 3800 V6 engine
13.3:1

Turns stop-to-stop
2.9

Turning diameter curb-to-curb (ft./m)
38.0/11.6

If all steering related problems(exceptning cradle noises) turn up in either LS or 3.8 outfitted Impalas then perhaps there is a problem only with some of those racks and not in both base and ls, since it is a differnt rack used in the ls and 3.8s
thoughts?

jeffreyw1

I believe you should take the warranty they are willing to give you and keep the Impala. You should keep posting in this forum because it was your posts and others here that swayed me in the direction of purchasing an Impala S. I am single and I chose the Impala over the Camaro. You have a right not to be satisfied with a new car that has problems with it when it has under 15,000 miles. These days it seems that new vehicles are having more and more problems with them. I would believe this is due to the outsourcing of components that make up the cars. I value my money as much as you do Toe and 20-25k is a great amount of money to invest in a faulty car, truck, sub, etc. I don't blame you one bit for feeling the way you do about a problematic car, but if Chevrolet is willing repair it right then I believe I would keep it. May all have a great day!

cabello

according to my service guy .....this steering shaft problem is not rare, he said a lot have come in.

cabello

Calibration History for :CONTROL MODULE CALIBRATION Part Number Cal. ID # CVN Bulletin # Description
09389764 09389677 N/A N/A control module calibration
09393434 09393307 N/A N/A new calibration to address false setting of dtc p0442 and stalling in park, neutral and drive
12201894 12201830 N/A N/A new calibration to correct deceleration stall from 45 mph.

teo

The site gives you specific firmware upgrades for the PCM management control system. This information is used by dealers to perform such upgrades on vehicles that have exhibited any of the conditions described at the results window.

Back to the booth, again...

nosirrahg

I have a base Impala with the 3.8 engine, and I'm experiencing the shaft problem. However, after driving (bouncing) around in my "new in '82" F350, I find the occasional clunking in the Impala to be less annoying than before. I've got a two-day meeting ahead of me this week, so I'll probably try to take my Impala in next week to have the steering shaft and the cradle checked.

Question - If the Bonneville is essentially built on the same setup as the Impala, what it the likelihood of the Bonne steel cradle directly swapping out with the Impala aluminum cradle?

teo

The Bonneville is a 'G' platform car where as the Impala is a 'W' platform car. Not sure if the Pontiac Cradle will work on the Impala.

Nice view from the booth.

teo

The purpose of this part is to enhance steering 'road feel' and improve on-center feel as well.

cabello

he said he changed the dreaded steering intermidiate shafter thingy....and to my amazement also a strut base thing.....oh well...i will pick up around 5:00 today........

cabello

post better scintific details tomorrow.....

teo

What about the engine rod noise problem?

cabello

He said it was the belt tensioner and that its normal, but I don't buy it. I am going to show him the noise at 5:00 today. This morning for some reason we could not hear it. I think they purposely have the service area noise pollution up a notch so we cant explain our noises.

lrcobra

I took my Silver Bullet in for the noise in the tranny.(also got a service and had the cradle welds checked out) We couldn't get the tranny to make any noise at all while shifting. Tried everything. So, if it ain't broke don't fix it is the attitude we are going to take for now. The service manager said that at least it was on the books now and he was serious in telling me he really wanted to fix it. I am to take it back in a few days and we will try again. As for the cradle we couldn't find any cracked welds and everything seems to be in perfect condition. They rprd the seat around the air bag and said if it came loose again they would replace the seat back.
On another note they took in a 95 LS Impala with only 28,000 miles on it. An older lady drove in and traded for a 2001 Impala LS. I am going to check the 95 out and see if I can make a deal on it. The owner of the lot took it home with him and he is going to Vegas for a week, so I won't get to drive it till he gets back.
More on this saga later
Ciao
LRCobra

platour

I agree that there are repeat visits but the number is still significant. I set up the album on the New Year's weekend.

heavenbound

Matt, you're right I am so used to typing and saying V6 that it's a habit. I do like the sound of a 270hp 6 though.

How's school and your teacher these days?

shamino

Recently the paint bubbled and peeled off the side mirror. I see the grayish primer coat and haven't had time to take it in to get it touched up. Initially the spot that peeled off was small, but progressively it is getting worse!

Does anybody know whether the casing holding the side mirrors are metal or plastic??
I only have about 13000 miles on the car..would the paint repair still be covered under warranty?

duraflex

Man - given those circumstnces, I'd grab that car.
Call me crazy but I like those big boats.

Of course, you'll want to have a trusted mechanic check it out first.

As far as your 2000 - it sounds like the dealer is trying.
Did you look at the cradle personally or take his word for it?

hunter39

Cobra, Just days before I bought my 2000 ls I saw a 96' Impala in the paper, 2,000 total miles on it for $20,850! It was on a dealer lot, when I called they said it was gone...I still see those cars on the road and sigh, I told the wife that car is my mistress...oops, sorry it's not like I love it or anything, I mean it's just a car and all (tounge in cheek)

crosley4

is an inline 6 cyl motor, it will not fit the Impala.

The new motor has set many records in various race settings. Pikes Peak hill climb comes to mind. But this is a specially prepped motor that GM is using for these race efforts.

jijco

Whenever and if Chevy/GM says there is presently no fix for the engine cradle problem, they mean simply that they are not offering one. Like I said earlier, if the police cradle doesn't have the problem, they can just use that part, it will however, cost them, but that's their fault! If the police cradle is faulty, I don't think it is because of the design/dimensions, but merely the material/metal used(read aluminum). They can fix it, it is not an enigma, just common sense, and more dollars at their expense, but that is their problem if they want to hold good on their word and product to all us loyal and prospective customers that deserve at least that. What else? Well, since they have the technology to monitor all those diagnostic parameters of the police Impalas in real world use, how about adding those features to our cars? Engine cradle creak, early steering shaft clunk detection, et al... LOL, just kidding, but in a way, I am not. They can fix it, but how much are they willing to? Maybe we should ALL ask them. o~O-------JACOB

platour

Apparently, it means nothing. I did the same test: N/A for whatever ails those vehicles. I am beginning to suspect that we have a low-volume problem here: low-volume problems on cradles and steering arms. I do not have enough miles on my Impala to fall victim to the problems but it seems to me that this Forum is dominated by those who have had problems. And that is why these these Forums exist, to cetain extent. I recall when I was a Service Manager years ago that I was aghast at the defects that I was seeing and I thought that I would never buy the product I was promoting. Until I looked at the stats on units sold vrs. complaints. Then I realized that any product will have defects and that was all that I was seeing. Many more were very happy! Anyone have the JD Power stats on the Impala?

platour

People like the Impala. I do too!

http://www.jdpower.com/auto/jdpa_ratings/FindJdAwardsResults.jsp

platour

http://www.jdpower.com/auto/jdpa_ratings/FindJdAwardsResults.jsp

It does no seem to work but go to JD Power and you will see that things are pretty good with the satisfaction ratings on the Impala?? Why the problems on this Forum? Small sample?

chevyrog1

Hi

You may have seen my previous post on this subject
I would like everyone that has had the steering work done to let me know what engine you have
thanks

p.s. anyone have any tips for gettign grease out of the headliner from when a greasy work hat brushed agianst it DOH!!!!!!

mcdill

Cobra, I know you meant 95 impala SS and not LS right ???? , the other night when I talked to you you said it was an SS , just a typo I guess ...... . heavenbound, schools going about the same , teacher ....... well about the same , I havent picked any more fights with him , if thats what you mean, and I don't plan to , he makes my eyes cross with some of the stuff he says about automobiles (~: thanks----------mattmcdill

hvan3

I have a Honda Accord EX. I'm in the market for an Impala LS. One thing I'm disappointed with the Impala LS is that the LS package should include moonroof ....just like Accord EX.

Although I'm impress with the performance, I think Impala LS is a bit expensive. $26K fully loaded for 2001 LS?

I can get $5K off for 2000 Impala LS. Is there a big difference between 2000 and 2001? I would think 2000 would have more "bugs" then the 2001. Comments?

lrcobra

Yes I meant SS. And yes if the deal was right I would trade off my 4x4 pick-up in a heartbeat. I would rather use my brother-in-laws pu than do without the boat of Impala SS.
JVAN3--You really should look around some more for a better price on an LS. At the dealer the other day they had 3 new ones on the lot and some last years also. The new 01's sticker didn't come close to the 26k. I think they were all @24.5k and that was with everything on it inc the moon roof.
Now before I find out about trading off my truck I better go get a load of stone for my soft driveway. I hate this freezing and thawing process.

LRCobra

yurakm

MSRP is as high as $26,239 for LS, provided it is loaded by every option available: leather, sunroof, heated power seats, CD, engine heater...

I just checked with GMBuyPower.

duraflex

No guarantees on this but I have used a special soap
called "Carbona" on a greasy seat belt and it worked just fine.
I applied the suds with a lint free hunk of white tee shirt and a
very soft old toothbrush. Rinse very well.

NOTE: The headliner is sort of a felt like material and that may react differently.

How about asking the parts counter at your local dealer?

billbell4

My 78 Chevrolet Caprice w/350ci engine behaves strangely when started in cold weather. I have to back out of my driveway. Then place it in Drive and then place it in D2. Then it will move off. It only behaves this way in extreme cold weather. It runs perfectly otherwise.

tpken

Does the 95 have the floor shifter? I thought I read somewhere that it didn't until '96. Those were great cars - as evidenced in the resale value today.

Hmmm - two gorgeous Impalas side by side - what a choice when grabbing the keys!!

Ken

darthpecker

I have the "base" Impala (3.4L) with 30K miles. I am having the same problem. Fortunately it's a company fleet car, so I won't pay for it. The dealer could not replicate the "binding" of the wheel when turning and braking. I have the same symptoms as Teo did. But living in a cold weather area, it takes a few miles before it lossens-up. I suspect they drove it around the block in the afternoon. The dealer called the tech center and they knew nothing about this problem, and the dealer has had no complaints. My car was made in Nov. 1999. The dealer inspected the shaft and said it was fine, is this a visible defect? Will the shaft break if left un-replaced? I am worried about my safety and GM's ignorance about a potential problem. Fortunately they do have it "on record" for my wife and lawyer, should the shaft fail.

kysloc

I bought an LS 1/11/01. There were lots to choose from - my car stickered at $25.3K (has everything except cassette player). I paid $23.8K. A GM-employee friend said that Impalas are popular and selling well - that is why they removed the incentives they had on it until 1/15/01.
Bargain hard, and play one dealer off against the other--- car buying is a combat-purchasing experience, and as i told one dealer "I will go to someone else to save $200 just as fast as you will sell the car to someone else for $200 more than I will pay, so gimme your lowest lowest price right up front!"
It's a fun car to drive - I am very happy with it, though I wish they will make an SS version!

teo

The dealer is under total and complete obligation to replace your Intermediate Steering Shaft. If they still give you a hard time, call the 1-800 number for Chevy customer service and ask them to open a new file case number in your behalf and also request them to contact your dealership's Service Manager so he can become officially involved in your problem. Once the Service Manager is contacted directly by the Chevy customer service rep and he is provided with a SDR report and case number, he will contact you directly within one business day or so to meet with him at the dealership and take the car for a test drive with you on board.

During the test drive, be very polite, and describe your problem to the service manager with luxury of details. If due to cold weather the steering clunks are not easily reproducible with a 'cold' car, then take the time during the test drive to warm up the car and the steering gear until the clunks are felt and acknowledged by him. Make your test drive visit as productive as possible. If after the test drive the Service Manager sees the problem but can't offer a solution, then take out from under your sleeve all the posts and printouts (Found here in the topic) describing the problem in detail, resolution and intermediate steering shaft part numbers.

If he tells you he needs to keep the car overnight for further troubleshooting, then he is obligated to offer you either a dealer loaner vehicle or a rental up to $30 per day. If he doesn't or denies you with courtesy transportation, he is in breach or limited warranty consumer benefits.

If the dealer is clueless, make their troubleshooting easier by pointing them in the right direction. If they refuse to replace the shaft or provide a loaner while the car is in for repairs, do not hesitate in calling the BBB and reporting them to GM. Find yourself another dealer to get the shaft properly replaced. The repair takes about 2 to 3 hours to complete if the dealer has the part in stock. If they don't, the part takes typically 7 business days to reach the dealer.

Suffice to say, the Intermediate steering shaft is a serious SAFETY problem that compromises the steering response and vehicle control under normal driving conditions. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

Get the car repaired as soon is possible. The clunks will only get worse with time...remember is your safety and of those around you.

larryhart

My Y2K LS (23,500 miles) has BOTH these symptoms. (Build-date = 10/16/99) The dealer acknowledges that the cradle is causing the 'clicks' & he has successfully remedied the situation for several other Impala owners by calling in an independent welder to strengthen the cradle. However he couldn't duplicate the 'clunking' intermediate steering shaft symptom and seemed genuinely surprised by my claim. This Chevy dealer also sells Olds & GMC and they are well acquainted with the intermediate steering shaft problems that plague Intrigues & Tahoes.

The dealer has offered to re-weld the cradle and I declined (for now) hoping that there will be a fix forthcoming from GM. I am more concerned with the shaft problem because it could deteriorate. Opinions ??? (BTW, I continue to luv this car despite the clicks & clunks - - am I nutz ?? )

teo

Read post #1094...follow contact customer service procedures and get the service manager involved in your steering clunk problem..don't delay.

watusi

today at work (local driver friendly exxon station)we had two guys doing a survey for the nhtsa (us dot) they were asking questions like "is tire pressure important too you" and "how often do you check your tire pressure" apparently the nhtsa will soon require auto makers to include tire pressure monitors (much like the one included with the ls' rds radio) as standard equiptment on all cars/trucks. they are doing the survey to present proof that most people do NOT check the pressure or even know what pressure is supposed to be in the tires....after doing the survey on the people they then checked all 4 tires and wrote down the current pressure along with the recomended......apparently if they want to make this standard equiptment it is a major saftey concern since most people are ignorant in the proper tire care techniques.

btw i may work at exxon but i still use texaco 89...i prefer their detergant to exxons.

teo

"I feel for those of you you have had engine shutdowns and engine cradle weld problems.
There's no excuse for that. Although the audio has nothing to do with safety or performance, it's a valid issue too."

I found this quote on an old post of yours dated 5/16/2000, at a point were you stated your frustration with the stereo in your car (and no too long before the by-pass solution was discovered).

I am not picking on you or anything like that, but to just illustrate my point of argument with the 2 major repairs on my Impala during the 1st year of ownership....whether is the radio, the engine cradle, the intermediate steering shaft, the tranny, no matter how serious or not so significant any of these problems can be, they can potentially change your perception and level of enthusiasm for the car.

My Impala is driving great and thinking back to the last 6 months or so, I don't recall feeling the steering so tight and crisp before the intermediate shaft was replaced on this car. It has changed it completely on an entire new and positive way. It is unfortunate that GM sometimes doesn't hammer on their little heads that even if problems like this can be fixed, they absolutely spoil the car for its owner...in other words, there was no need for this repair to happen in the first place.

No word from the GM Zone manager yet.

duraflex

You're going around in circles here and proving nothing in the process.

Apologetically, you've even called yourself "a broken record" in post # 1036
to jeffbog.

People feel your pain. Your car's been properly fixed. They've offered you a
100,000 mile warranty - maybe even a new car. What more do you want?

That's a rhetorical question.

It's hard to believe you would waste the time searching through thousands
of posts to dredge up something I typed 8 months ago! And to what end?

Another rhetorical question.

The issues you've raised again were addressed in post # 1035 and in a
congenial private e-mail.

My understanding of this forum is to have a place to make observations,
raise questions, share problems and find solutions. I think you've done all
that.

I thought we were cyber-friends and I'm really disappointed in this.

Sorry man - but at this point you're beginning to look foolish.

SEE POST #1035.

platour

I am becoming more and more intrigued by this matter. I did a search of JD Powers and the internet and I have come up with only glowing reports on the Impala. Are we dealing with a bad production run here? Limited in time? Long since correceted? How are the Police forces making out with the Impala? I am skeptical that this is a wide-spread problem or else it would have hit the various automotive trade mags. Nothing there either....

teo

Sorry for the misunderstanding generated by my post...I happened to be roaming around the old archives searching for info on the cradle and I stumbled upon that old post of yours. No harm intended good friend and again I apologize.....hope we can keep our cyber friendship intact. ;-)

Cheers