2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

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Comments

  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    Saw a '04 Supercharged SS on a car carrier today.
    I will go by my dealership and see if it is there tomorrow.
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    The ad is probably referring to the emissions package. For $16K you can get a base sedan, not including freight which adds over $600. The dealers usually factor in all the rebates except for the GM card earnings when they write the ads. I saw one 03 LS on the lot this week with no options but a base sedan with no options would not have ABS which would not be a smart purchase IMO.

    As far as seeing Impalas everywhere, I am glad to see every one of them since each represents one less gas guzzling van or SUV on the road by someone who needed a family size vehicle!
  • wyoimpwyoimp Member Posts: 87
    Didn't someone here recently post that they were using a different oil filter. That it was longer.
    I was going to do the same but couldn't remember what vehicle the person was using for reference to the different oil filter. I'm using the Mobil1 oil filter (M1-01) as opposed to the K&N filter. The closest filter I could see was for the current small block V-8 (M2-01) used in the Chevy truck. The only differences in the filters where the length (roughly 1/2 inch longer) and the gasket diameter was just a little bit larger (less than a gasket width). The outside filter diameters were the same.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,785
    try this:
    drive an impala 15k per year normal driving, plus take at least one 2000 mile round road trip, say 750 miles to destination, plus other driving, with a vehicle that can take carry enough stuff, 4 bikes plus luggage, for a week or so.
    let me know what you come up with.
    i drove am impala 1400 mile in a month,as a loaner. my opinion, great gas mileage, good looks, good stereo, basically a good car, uncomfortable seats, bad handling.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    Didn't find the SS at my dealer today, but I did find a '04 LS.

    Discovered that the LS has completely different front and rear fascias than the base car and our '00-'03 cars.

    I guess they wanted to keep the look of a moulding so the '04s have the "strip" moulded into the fascia. Not glued on as it is now.
    So the fascias are completley different.

    The body colored side mouldings are now made of smooth plastic.

    The car is a little plainer looking but it is a clean look and i have always liked monochromatic paint schemes.
  • rbb2rbb2 Member Posts: 70
    Are you sure the $1500 is still valid on your GM card? On August 1st. did you loose many of them as they switched to the new card?
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    Found a raspberry colored '04 in the a dealer's back lot today.
    Looks better with the monochromatic paint than the white car.
    These '04s will look great with tinted windows.
    Base price is now...(don't hold me to this) $23,430 + $660 shipping.
    Over 24K for a no optioned LS!
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    In fairness I did try an Explorer before I bought one of my sedans but the ride was too choppy and the back seat was tight. I don't know where you put 4 adult bikes except on a rack and I can do that with a Draw-Tite receiver hitch on the Imp. 03LS handles better than any SUV or truck I have driven and I've driven a few. Took a 2,000 mile trip in the LS and it was very comfortable with room for 4 people's luggage. But, whatever floats your boat. When I see how the SUV's handle in emergency situations I feel sorry for the unwitting drivers who purchased these vehicles thinking they were somehow safer.

    The rasberry color Imp sounds great!
  • rbslosbergrbslosberg Member Posts: 6
    somehow my son has switched the odometer in our 2000 LS from miles to Km. Any ideas how to switch it back!
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    Yes, I still show $1500 on my GM card statement. As each month goes by, I"m losing my points since I have accumulated these points beyond 7 years. I don't know about you, but I have the first original GM card back in the early 90's.

    I have no heard such thing about a new GM card....
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    You can go to GMcard.com and change to the new GM card. I did after using my old GM card earnings and now am accummulating 100-200 in earnings per month.
  • crosley4crosley4 Member Posts: 295
    you must have a DIC in your car. push and hold BOTH the reset & mode buttons at the same time for 3 seconds ...

    this information is in the owners book, page 2-80 in my book.
  • garywgaryw Member Posts: 116
    Do not convert to the new card. I also have the original card and am losing dollars every month that I do not redeem it. Big difference in new card is the $$ limits they impose on redemption.

    For those of us on the old card, we are grandfathered in and can use ALL of our earning on any vehicle. No limits...period.

    The new card only allows up to $1500 dollars and then it is only on some vehicles.
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    I just got something in the mail today. GM Autoshow In Motion will be held from Aug 14 to Aug 17 at the El Toro Marine Air Station (CA). Basically, GM has their entire fleet of vehicles for us to test drive at the track.

    I cant' wait to drive the new Chevy SSR, H2, Cadi CTS-V, and SLR.

    Here's the website..

    www.autoshowinmotion.com
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    The Imp allowance with the new card is $1750 so it takes 3.5 years to save that much in earnings with the old card. I did the old card rebate twice but I don't think I want to wait 4 years before buying a new car, so it's whatever floats your boat. You also lose a lot of potential earnings with the old card if you charge a lot of your expenses. The earnings with the new card are unlimited. Also, the extra rebate now being offered-loyalty bonus--adds up to two year's of earnings with the old card.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    ...is alloy wheels, CD instead of cassette, bucket seats instead of bench, split rear seat, cruise control, and some other goodies - $2,500 in options for only $1500, but more importantly dealers are offering them at deep discounts, so maybe these have some other incentives.

    The dealer offered to show me "invoice" and I said invoices on cars are now about as honest as Hollywood accounting, and the dealer got offended.
  • garywgaryw Member Posts: 116
    So basically its a choice of earn more quickly with a limited allowance per vehicle (i.e. $1750 for Impala)on the new card.

    Or...use old card and have unlimited allowance with a limit of $500 earnings per year.

    How many people buy a car every year or two. Thanks but I'll take unlimited on any car.

    Your other two points are the same regardless of program. The loyalty is for everyone and loss of earnings has nothing to do with which program you are on.

    Again, personal choice based on buying habits. My original point was simply to make old card holders be aware that there is a cost of switching to new program. For example, if you have $5K in earning and switch...then you just lost $3250 in earnings using your Impala example.
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    I believe you are partially correct; your individual circumstances drive the decision, but there is really no such thing as unlimited earnings. You could in theory accumulate $3,500 in earnings under the old card but it would take seven years.

    In my case I used my earnings twice and am looking at building them up again. Under the old card it takes 3.5 years to build up the same amount of earnings I can accrue in a little over a year with the new card. If you only own one vehicle at a time you are probably better off with the old card, with the caveat that GM can change the rules at any time.
  • garywgaryw Member Posts: 116
    Bingo...GM can change the rules anytime. I had $4800 in earnings as of last year. I am down to $4000. Originally I could get $750/year and they changed it to $500.

    Now they take money away after 7-years. I have considered hiring a corporate lawyer to investigate this. I do not recall signing any paperwork that had a 7-year term in it.

    Now I understand that old card members will be screwed again when they send out a warning that changes redemption allowance again.

    Oh well, I hope you enjoyed your savings. I hope to buy an SS Impala with mine.
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    Actually, GM did specifically say on the application form that the rebate points has a shelf life of 7 years. AFter that, it's on a rolling 12 months.

    I have both the original GM Blue Card and Gold Card. At one point, the Gold Card allows you to accumulate 1,000 points per year. They changed the allowable points to 500 on the third year.

    AFter I had used up my 3,700 points to buy the Impala, I thought about cancelling my GM Blue Card. I decided not to because by cancelling the card, I would have lose out on the credit history. The credit rating is base on "historical" data from the oldest card. It's never a good idea to cancel cards with the most history on record.
  • 2002ls2002ls Member Posts: 11
    I have a 2002 LS and cannot switch my odometer from KM's. I have never seen a 2000-2004 Impala with a digital cluster except for the odometer. Can you provide some more info?
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    I think he was referring to the DIC (driver information centre) you can change that but you cant' change your speedometers odometer....from Miles to Kilometers...
  • jpstaxjpstax Member Posts: 250
    Check out the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times for the '66 and '67 Chevy II cars at this site:

    http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/chevrolet-nova/chevrolet-- - nova-history.shtml

    I think the new Impala SS will have identical times (6.5 and 15.0 seconds) to these musclecars.
  • 2002ls2002ls Member Posts: 11
    Thank's Charts2, that makes more sense.
  • crosley4crosley4 Member Posts: 295
    As I posted about the changing of the display from english to metric and miles to KM with the reset & mode buttons in the DIC.........

    in my owners manual on page 2-80 for our 2000 Impala LS when refering to the change of metric to english settings it states :

    " This also changes the setting of the odometer"

    this may not be the same as a different year of Impala from our 2k unit. Perhaps it was deleted, the person bought the car used with no owners manual?

    Maybe a non LS car or a car with no DIC is changed differently ??
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    Maybe someone doesn't understand that odometers measure miles or kilometers and speedometers measure speed?
  • crosley4crosley4 Member Posts: 295
    johnclineii said:

    "Maybe someone doesn't understand that odometers measure miles or kilometers and speedometers measure speed? "

    *****************

    after 30+ years in the automotive repair arena I sometimes wonder how some folks are able to put gasoline in their cars.

    A good friend that is a service rep at a local dealer told me recently how a middleaged woman was "very upset" that her interior lights stayed on in a new car with less than 200 miles on it.

    He walked her around to the passenger side of the car and pointed out the door was not shut completely.

    This is NOT a slam on women. It is just the most recent story I have heard about people missing the obvious cause to a problem.

    We may go look for a 2004 Impala today. Mayb one of the dealers has a few?
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    A few are here in West Virginia, so perhaps your dealer will have a few as well!

    Cheerio!
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    Went to my local chevy dealership this morning Sunday August 17th.....in the back lot they have a black Monte Carlo SS supercharged, and the Black Impala SS....to be honest I was not impressed. The SS was loaded...most everything is add on. 17" diammond wheels with a plain chevrolet bowtie as the middle cap..same as the Monte Carlo. Dual exhausts with chrome tips, the Impala has the Monte Carlo dashboard with a boost gauge, no big deal.The flat Monte Carlo spoiler.. SS letters embroired on the inside door panels, otherwise everything the same inside as an LS...on the front exterior doors they removed the letters Impala where it was on the LS and have black stickers Impala SS below the side moldings. If you stand more then 5 feet away you cant even see the Impala SS letters. From a distance the side the car looks the base model....I believe Chevy dropped the ball on this one...This car I believe will head to the recycle bin like the current T Bird and Mercury Maurader will be soon....Its too bad. they could have done a lot more to add excitement to this car, to make it a winner!
  • jons01jons01 Member Posts: 59
    Hi Folks,

    It's been awhile since I have posted here. My '01 LS just turned over 20,000 miles and overall has been a great car. The only problem is the recent pulsing when heavy braking. On a recent trip through the mountains, it was very noticible when braking going down hill at 65 mph.

    I remember that warped rotors were a common problem and may have been covered under warranty. I would like to have some information from owners before I talk to the service people at the dealership, so any help would be appreciated.

    Also the roof trim strips are coming loose. Is this a warranty problem?

    Thanks!
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    My buddy has the same car I have. 2001 Impala LS. We live in Ontario Canada. He has 32000 miles 49,000 Km on his Impala. Last month he had the pulsing brakes. Took the car to an independant garage for an opinion. Was told the back brakes were worn out and his rear rotors were pitted. Usually the front brakes wear out before the back ones. Went to the Chevy dealer where he bought the car. Explained his situation. They checked his brakes on all 4 wheels and they replaced the rear rotors and pads free of charge (the gm mechanic indicated that the (rear rotors were pitted) & prematurely wore out the back pads. Front brakes were fine but had the front rotors turned while there. He paid for that service. He was very happy. The roof strips are going to be a problem for everyone eventually. Mine are starting to lift at the back. They are held down by foam tape and it is starting to break down. My buddies Impala went into the chevey dealership 6 months ago and they reatached them under warranty. I have 12 months left on my warranty and for sure will have mine to the dealers to have my roof strips reattached. Hope this information helps you
  • jons01jons01 Member Posts: 59
    I don't think my dealership will give me any trouble, but it's good to have some background info just in case. I am hoping that they will replace the bad rotors with new ones instead of just turning the old ones.

    Did your buddy get Goodyear Eagles with his car?
    Mine are very noisy and have an annoying vibration at certain speeds. I had the tires rebalanced and rotated, but it seems even worse. I hate to get new tires at 20,000 miles. the thought of putting up with the noise for three more years is unacceptable. Big decision!

    Any suggestions for quieter tires?
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    Michelin Harmony
  • jpstaxjpstax Member Posts: 250
    I think you're correct that Chevy "dropped the ball" for the '04 Impala SS and Monte SS. They should've at least gotten Pontiac's permission to use their Series III S/C engine, instead of using the now dated Series II S/C. I disagree that it will wind up on the GM scrap heap. I think they'll be forced to offer the same V-8 the SSR is now getting for next year cars. Otherwise, bye-bye.
  • hvan3hvan3 Member Posts: 630
    I had a chance to test drive the '04 Impala SS at the AutoShow in Motion last Friday. As you recalled, GM hosted the AutoShow in Motion where they let you drive all sorts of GM cars, including BMW, MB, Lexus, Infiniti, and etc. From a distance, I think the SS looks awesome. I really liked the exterior look to it. As for the test drive, I raced through the course in a matter of seconds that I didn't get a chance to thoroughly test drive the vehicle. From first impression as I zig zag my way through the turns, I noticed the handling is much improve than on my LS. I can't report on the acceleration since the course was short and curvy.

    Other cars I drove was BMW 530i, CTS, Z06, GMC Envoy, and the H2.
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    I don't see the style excitement about this car..I went twice to look at it.. the same inside as my 2001 LS except has SS embroidered logos on the doors and a tiny boost gauge..the front grille is the same, the rear light treatment the same as LS sport, no other exterior SS badging except for the black Impala SS stickers on black that you can't see from 20 feet unless you look for it. Sure the suspension is beefed up and supercharged and the rear end lowered but most mods made are from the Monte Carlo parts bin. Monte Carlo SS spoiler, Monte Carlo dashboard, carry over from last year style diamond cut wheels except 17", comes only in black. Only gray interior. Would never compete with an Altima or Maxima for performance/styling and I'm a Chevy guy....they could have had an aggresive egg crate grille like the 94-96 SS had..they could have played with the back lights to make them unique..from the back you only know its an SS because of the dual exhausts. from the front of the car it looks like any base model regular grille with no badging..for another grand they could have made this car look aggresive like its supose to be. My opinion.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    it is already more expensive than it should be.

    neutral is available.
  • txguytxguy Member Posts: 57
    My '01 LS DIC will change the odometer from miles to km. I found it by accident the other day. Yes I have a manual! Just haven't read all of it ;-)
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    I stand to be corrected. Neutral it is...what happened to nice sporty reds, blues and even black interior for this SS. Neutral is not even a color. Its a cross between beige, white and yellow, isn't it? I believe the SS requires premium gas and gets 2 to 3 mpg less then the base 3800 engine Its probably easier to clone your own LS and put nicer more aggressive 17" deep dish chrome wheels on it, with Impala logo centre caps. I am trying to like this car but it just doesn't jump out at me. We waited a long time for this!! I believe there will be some interest for a while as tire kickers check out the showrooms. Still needs more power and excitement like Pontiac says about their products.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    and you can have any exterior colour you want, so long as it is black. Same silly mistake Ford made with the Marauder...and had to reverse, probably too late to do much good...
  • etcarrolletcarroll Member Posts: 87
    I had my upper plenum replaced at aprox. 44k miles. But they replaced with same part. I know others are in same boat, what do you plan to do;
    1- Get momey back for 1st repair,
               - or -
    2- Replace the replacement for free under the recall?

    I just clicked 64k miles on a 01 LS that I'm still pretty happy with otherwise.
  • crosley4crosley4 Member Posts: 295
    we did look at some 2004 cars.

    Not much difference from the 2000 Impala we owned. A person would think that GM would freshen it up a bit more in the years the car has been around.

    The dealer is expecting some more SS Impalas. As mentioned I cannot imagine much difference there too.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    I have a spring that is trying to push it's way out of the back of the passenger seat.
    Anybody heard of that?
    Know how to fix it?
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    Can anyone recommend a car top luggage carrier for the IMP? There doesn't seem to be an edge near the roof for the hooks that most of them have.
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    Chevrolet improved their web site but the only difference between the 04 LS and the 03 appears to be $2,000 less rebate on the 04.
  • tommy42tommy42 Member Posts: 70
    GM Parts Direct.P/N12496344 $128.00.
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    the picture's in a pdf and you can't tell how this mounts, do you know
  • tommy42tommy42 Member Posts: 70
    It looks like it hook in above the door. Look at the on that page at figure F. On PDF at the top you can zoom in or out.
  • pbuono1pbuono1 Member Posts: 4
    Hi guys/gals, I have a 2003 Impala LS that has had vibrations and pulsations since 6000 miles. The rotors have been turned twice and they replaced one. They also replaced two tires. Plus I hear a high pitched sound when I apply the brakes. Anyone have similar probles or am I the lucky one??
  • jons01jons01 Member Posts: 59
    I recently posted a message about my problem with warped rotors and noisy tires on my LS 01. My problem did not start until about 18,000 miles, although the tires have been noisy from the start.

    Do you have Goodyear Eagles? Why was your tire replaced? Mine have developed a vibration that is most noticible when changing speeds, even though they have been rebalanced and rotated.

    I will be taking the car in for service soon and hope they are aware of the rotor problems and will cover it under warranty.

    Good luck with yours.
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