By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
The material is unimpressive and tends to get wrinkled over time around seat edges and such.
Otherwise, it has been durable and small messes have been very easy to clean up, even without the scotchguard.
The over the counter Scotchguard that comes in spray cans is a different formula. You could try it, but check for colorfastness first.
Its been a while since I posted, but wanted to let you know I'm taking my Impala in for what I believe is the manifold problem.
My Impala's symptoms are very similar to drivinisfun's, about a month ago the Low Coolant Level warning came on, the recovery tank was low and I put in a cup of dexcool which brought it to the cold mark. Now it is low again. No coolant is visable, and I don't even smell it.
I am past the warranty milage (41,000). Took delivery of the car 5/1/01, about 95% highway miles. I service the car by the book and then some.. hoping this isn't going to cost the 800 dollars I think it is but I will let you know..
gw
http://www.impalahq.com/
"Coolant leak. Customer with eng. Using coolant jug is low again. Pressure tested system found coolant leaking through upper plenum. Necc to replace plenum and gasket.
1 Manifold (Part #17113136)
1 Coolant (Part #12346290)"
They did not specify the new gasket's part number which also had to be replaced along with the plastic plenum.
By the way, the new Manifold's part number is the same exact part number described in the 3.8L Composite Manifold replacement TSB posted in Nightowl's website. So in other words, I was given the same exact plastic manifold that lasted 20 months the first time. How long will this one last?
GM has not updated this part in a very long time and evidently the problem continues and will do so until the cows come home.
I really wish that GM would fix this for free, since I've researched on the internet and found that this is very common for non-supercharged series II engines.
happy new year to you all
gw
The car had 18,500 miles when the manifold was replaced.
The car is 20 months old and has another year and a half left in the warranty.
Also, I had the car in because some of the charcoal "paint" flaked off of some leather on the left hand rear door. The dealer said this was normal wear and tear, but at the area this happenned, it is not an area to get wear and tear. Has anyone else had the color flaking off the interior leather? The size in ours is about the size of a quarter.
Scroll back and we have been talking about the thermoplastic intake plenum/ manifold base warping.
We will add you to the list of Impalans that have had to have this replaced.
I am afraid that the upper plastic manifold intake plenum has also failed in your car and it is leaking coolant on the right side of the engine, hence, the strong antifreeze smell when you shut off the engine.
My car had the upper manifold replaced less than 2 weeks ago and it is all fine now. Also my coolant level was mysteriously dissapearing for several months until the odor became evident in November.
This is a 4 to 5 hour repair job, so plan to leave your car for at least 1 day at the dealer if they happen to have a replacement manifold in stock.
A Coolant system pressure test performed at your dealer prior to begin any repairs should reveal the presence of a leak in the plastic manifold.
Very common problem in GM's 3800 Series II V6 engine (Otherwise an excellent motor).
You are the 5th or 6th owner in this thread that has had the manifold replaced in their Impalas with less than 20K miles on the odo.
Good luck, don't wait any longer. Also check your oil just in case coolant is not leaking inside the engine block. (Very serious damage may occur)
$3000 rebate or 0% 60 months has been continued until Feb 28 th.
Get you one.
GM needs to stop this nonsense. The Impala is a terrific car that can sell alone on its well known virtues. GM has placed themselves in a predicament with all these cheap deals and by failing to keep the cars updated and fresh to gain public interest or at least keep up with it.
Basically today a new 2003 Impala looks, feels, behaves exactly the same as the very first model year 2000 edition when it was launched in April 1999. That's where the real problem lies.
Impala has $3000 rebate. Lexus doesn't.
Gm needs to price their cars closer to what the actual transaction prices are.
Got a quote from my "invoice plus $98" dealer.
Bronzemist LS, leather, power seat package, XM radio, DIC, 1SB package, spoiler delete, radio upgrade, side airbag. MSRP $27,235 my price $22,2XX. About 1K more than my '01 LS but without Onstar. But with XM.
If I could get out of the '01 for less than 2K I would buy it.
The service manager said he would have to check all three items out to find the clunk. I would hate to have him create a problem with the cradle or other part, by just have him trying to "shotgun" the problem. Is there a positive way to isolate what the source of the clunking is?
----
"Cust reports low coolant light on, check and advise. Pressure tested cooling system and found throttlebody gaskets leaking. Replaced Throttlebody gasket."
QTY 1 Number 17109532 Description Seal 3.336
Unit Price 33.85
Total Parts 33.85
Labor 105.00
Misc Shop Supplies 14.00
-----
I hope that ends the problem, but you can be sure I'll be keeping a close eye on the coolant overflow tank level from now on.
and to Frankf3: At the 9 and 3 position on my steering wheel I have noticed a little wear in the color, they should have wrapped that part of the wheel in leather also. So far no other interior color comming off on mine yet.
Have a great weekend
gw
I am in the middle of buying a new chevy
Impala LS 2003. I transfered plate and bought
the insurance for this car through the phone.
I was about to sign the purchase contract and pay the dealer the money. Before I did anything final,
I checked through my new car, and found that there were two scratches on back bump and trunk, a deep chip in the black rubber around the license plate. They are noticable. The dealer used some cleaner to fix it, but it did not help. Therefore, I did not sign the contract and did not pay the dealer yet. The dealer promised me that he would fix the problem.
Did you guy have similar experience? How did
your dealer deal with this business?
Thank you very much.
How were you able to transfer the plate when ownership of the car has not transferred?
one is the signature on the DMV registration
application form. This one authorizes my dealer to transfer my old plate and car registration to the new car, this signature will go to DMV to obtain the registration for the new impala.
Another one is the signature on car title transfer
form. After I signed these two forms, I decided to see the car first.
I did not sign the customer-dealer purchase agreement which lists the itemized price. Therefore, the ownership is not transferred completely yet.
dy
Drew
2 weeks later I was back at the dealership for the same problem. The did the pressure test again and found a leak coming off the plastic manifold plenum on the right side of the engine. Manifold and gasket had to be replaced under warranty. Repair took about 4 to 5 hours to complete. Also my cooling system was flushed and new Dexcool added.
If the coolant smell continues YOU DO HAVE A LEAK!.
Insist on having the plastic intake manifold and gasket inspected and replaced.
Its been 2 weeks since the repair and all is well.
I'm trying to get Digital Horsepower Performance to go ahead and release a DHP PCM for the Impala. They said it would be no problem, but they need a test car to get the PCM code and everything. Do you know anyone with a 2002 Impala LS that lives in the Michigan/Illinois areas?? Would you be willing to let them look at your computer for a couple hours? That is where DHP is located, and it would really help if we could get somebody to volunteer their car for a couple hours so we could all have a DHP available for our cars! I'm hoping to get one in a Performance Package at the end of this month, but the DHP is unavailable for the Impalas as of now due to this problem. Please let me know!
Drew
Larry
aka LR Cobra
I would think there are plenty of us who would be interested in improving the performance.
I have purchase many sets of tires from tirerack so I will use them again.
Eagle GA $79.
Eagle LS $79.
Had the LS's on the Intrigue and they were okay.
The GA's have been okay too.
Any ideas?
Drew
Actually, it says on impalahq.com that part number 12498346 is a rear molded guard that will fit the 2001 model. I can't find any other info to confirm that though.
The coolant if full in the radiator and it is full in the reserve. Is there any way to reset the sensor (as with the tire monitor or oil life monitor)? Or maybe the garage did something when they fixed the gasket, because the monitor worked fine before. Guess I gotta make another appointment.
Anyone have suggestions?
Thanks