2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

pat

(hmm, I just made this post in another discussion, but perhaps I should reprise it here ...)

I don't think it is necessary to use the term "stealership" or refer to dealers as "stealers" - please feel free to speak candidly about your experiences with Chevrolet dealers here - positive and negative - but that kind of derogatory label interferes with a polite and useful conversation.

With that said, let's remember that we ARE talking about the Impala here and not the general state of the world of salesfolks.

Thanks.

zx3for_me

Thanks Kenneth! Your info is much appreciated!

nosirrahg

Just a recommendation for anyone considering installing a receiver hitch on their Impala - I bought one from etrailer.com, it arrived last week, and I installed last Thursday night.

The one I got is made by Hidden Hitch (#90025); it's a 1-1/4" Class II hitch (even though the Impala isn't rated to pull that much, many of the bike racks that mount in a reciever hitch require a Class II hitch). The info stated that it required no drilling, and would take about a half-hour to install. It took me closer to 45 minutes, and I've got a couple of holes that didn't align just right that I'm going to have to drill out a bit, but all in all I'd say it was an easy installation (especially considering I did it with no assistance, and at night in my garage with just a shop light and a couple of wrenches).

Granted, I haven't actually put the draw bar on yet, but with it removed and the cover in place, the hitch is really not noticeable on the car at all - I was afraid it would look really large and tacky under the car, but unless you're looking for it, you wouldn't notice it at all. I've still got to drill out the couple of holes and finish the installation before I can actually put it to use, but it's held on with four other bolts, so I'm not worried about it falling off or anything (I'm not going to put any weight on it until I get the final two bolts put in).

I'll probably also install a wiring kit, so I'll have the option to rent a small trailer from U-Haul should I need it. I occasionally need to haul something, but not with enough frequency to justify my selling the Impala to buy a truck (especially with gas prices on the rise).

Anyway, I didn't remember seeing anything else posted here about installing a trailer hitch, so I just wanted to confirm it can be done pretty easily (and fairly cheaply, I think I paid @ $135 including shipping).

nosirrahg

I took posession of my 2000 Impala in March 2000. In October 2002 my original battery died without warning (lasting approx. 31 months and @ 43,000 miles). I replaced it with an Interstate battery, which lasted until about 5:30pm today (when it also died without warning, this time after only 21 months and @ 26,000 miles). Fortunately I was able to jump-start the car, and drive it to Firestone, where they confirmed the battery was bad, and I got a pro-rated replacement.

Any thoughts as to whether this is a "normal" cycle, or if the seemingly short life span of batteries is any type of sign of a bigger problem?

Also, FWIW, my airbag light has come on again...I had this dealt with a couple of years ago too, and it involved a problem with wiring related to the side airbag - Has anyone else had this experience of having the airbag light dealt with, only to have it return after some period of time?

charts2

Mileage shouldn't really have any bearing on the length of time your battery lasts...when your car is operating your alternator if operating properly runs your system as the engine is turning (battery is just used to get things started) ......31 months and 21 months is definetly pre-mature but it is not uncommon....Could have been bad cells in the battery but I would have your charging system checked to see if your alternator is up to charging capacity.....also if you do delivery type of work from your car and have to shut off and start your car several times a day (30-50 a day etc) you can wear your battery down faster then normal...just some thoughts...

this_is_nascar

That's the same one I have installed. Been using it for a couple years to pull a 4 x 8 trailer. It's great for those trips to Home Depot and Lowes.

nosirrahg

charts2 - Not sure what the problem is with my battery life...I drive back and forth to work each day, which is only 12-15 miles, so not a lot of stopping and going. I probably do need to get my alternator checked at some point, but until the battery quits, I've not noticed any other problems.

nascar - have you had any trouble pulling the 4x8 trailer with your Impala? I don't really have anyplace to store a trailer, but I can rent a 4x6 from U-Haul for @ $10 a day...but I think that trailer weighs @ 700 pounds. Total towing weight allowed with the Impala is something like 1,000 pounds, so that doesn't leave much margin in terms of what I can haul.

02impalals

just a thought...

maybe youre not driving long enough to fully charge your battery on the weekdays to/from work. on my beretta, i was only driving 10 miles round trip to work and noticed that my battery would be weak after a couple of years and would need a good charging or a long drive on the weekends.

you may try a long drive on the weekends to charge the battery or hookup to a trickle charger. did you check the acid level or the specific gravity of the acid?

worst case, you have a short somewhere.

bty, the 2nd battery, how many months was it good for and how old was the battery when you bought it?

nosirrahg

The 2nd battery is the same as the one that it replaced, an Interstate battery that has about a 72-month warranty. I don't know how old the new battery is (or how old the old one was before I got it); in both cases it's been a situation where I was in a bind, and was pretty much at the will of the Firestone dealer to get one installed as quickly as possible. I know I should probably have asked, but I figure if they sold me an old battery, they're taking more of a hit by having to replace it early than I am.

nosirrahg

When you installed the trailer hitch on your Impala, what type of wiring harness did you use? That's my next step, and after doing some searching around on the web, I find some parts places that recommend something as basic as a universal kit (such as Hoppy #46105 for $12.88), or a basic kit with a stronger flasher module (Reese #74051 for $9.99), to an upscale $70 version that includes a short circuit protector (Hoppy #46365).

Problem is, I don't know what I need - obviously I don't want to spend $70 if I can spend $10, but if I NEED to spend $70 to avoid causing problems to my wiring system down the road, then I'd rather pay now than pay later.

jkohan

I traded my 01 LS for an 04 LS and I do think the ride is a little softer (which I like anyway) and it does seem to me that it does have a little more sound insulation (though it still could use more). One thing I did notice a few days ago was the windshield on my 04 is not tinted at the top like my 01 was. It doesn't have that blueish tint that comes down from the top of the windshield 2 or 3 inches. It doesn't bother me, I just noticed that it was different than my 01. I wonder why they eliminated that. Maybe it costs Chevrolet more to have the tint on the first few inches of the windshield.

Even though I only have 1600 miles on my car, I'm taking it within the next few days to get those terrible Goodyear GA's taken off and get the Yokohama Avid Touring tire put on which I had on my 01 Impala and really loved.

kcwolfpack59

Please let us know how well you like your new Avids compared to the like new GAs.

bradharmer

Hi,

I'm working on replacing the plugs and fuel filter on my 2000 LS. I was able to get the front plugs with no problem, however, the back three look like its gonna be a real [non-permissible content removed]. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get at them.

I'm also replacing my fuel filter. Are there any gotyas I should look out for?

Thanks!

BRAD

dgonzalez13

Loosen the bolts on the top front motor mounts of the engine (near the Impala's front grill) and use a cheater bar to pull the engine forwards on its mountings. There is a ring on the drivers side top of the engine in which you can place the motor mount bolt into to prop the engine forwards while you work on the other set of plugs. Maybe getting the help of a freind to place the bolt while you prop the engine forwards will save you a limb. I havent done it, but I watched the mechanics do my tune up, and it was a two man operation to pull the two motor mount bolts, prop the engine forward, then place a bolt in the ring to lock the engine in the forward lean position. Good luck!

wayneski

Did you notice your Impala cranking slowly before the last battery failure? Did the interior lights appear dim when the car was off or any other indications that the battery was weakening? If not, your problem may not have been a bad battery.

The Impala has a fuse and relay box under the hood and one of the relays is a starter relay. Try pulling it out and looking at the contacts. If they appear a bit corroded, you can clean them with the abrasive side of a dish washing sponge. You know, the side that is normally green for scrubbing pots. It's non metalic and works great for cleaning electrical contacts like that. After it's clean, spray the male and female contact points with something like marine grade silicon spray to keep them clean for awhile. It would be a good idea to do them all at the same time.

I had pre-mature "battery failure" that really was just dirty starter relay contacts. I did the above procedure and my bad battery works like new now.

Hope this helps.

blendeng

Im thinking about buying a 2004 Impala and notice that the rebate for $4k was over. Now they have $3.5k rebate and GMAC rebate of $1.5k if you finance thru them. I dont want to finance this car, does anyone know if there will be at least a $4k rebate again without having to go thru the GMAC finance. I would like to pay this car in full.
Thoughts??

johnclineii

So, finance it. Get the rebate. And pay it off immediately. Your credit rating is helped, you get the money, GM is happy, the dealer is happy, you are happy. What is not to like?

blendeng

Do you know if GMAC will let you pay it off immediately? or is there a certain time I will need to finance with them.

johnclineii

Read the contract. Make sure it is not based on the rule of 78's (which is illegal in most states). Consumer laws in most states allow immediate payoff of the loan...after all, what would you have done if the car had been wrecked or you needed to trade right away?

blendeng

Thanks.

jimbmw

I got a GMAC loan in June, and was informed that I could pay it off at ANY time w/o penalty.

this_is_nascar

I've never found an issue loading up the trailer. I've had quite a few landscape bricks, trees, mulch, stones and dirt all on the same load. Never an issue.

As far as the harness, I let the dudes at Franklin Trailer worry about that when I purchased the trailer. I had got the hitch and installed that on my own. I let them recommend the trailer and wire the harness.

rbb2

Are the GMAC rebates added to the GM rebates or is it one or the other?

frankf3

It's time to get new tires for the 2001 Impala. Although there is still SOME tread left on them, I would prefer not taking the family out on the next trip on them. I have been looking around and the Goodyear Assurance - triple tread caught my eye with the 80000 mile warranty. Has anyone had any experience with them? They are supposed to be quiet tires. The tread design looks intriguing. The goodyears that came with it now have about 45,000 miles on them and I could probably get 50,000 out of them, but I don't want to push it when it comes to the safety of the family.

jkohan

Ok, need some advice here. I'll try to make this short. Got an 04 LS in June. Noticed vibration in the steering wheel after about a week of driving. Took it to Goodyear and they replace a bad tire and rebalanced the tires. About a week later, it was vibrating in the steering wheel again. Took it to the dealership and they found & replace two more bad tires. They rebalanced the tires. About a week or so later, the vibrating was back. I decided to get rid of the tires that were on the car and replaced them with another brand figuring that would fix the problem. Well about a week after getting my brand new tires, its vibrating again. I am now at a loss. Since I replaced the tires, I know it cant be the tires. Its got to be something with the car itself. Any suggestions before I take it back to the dealership again? The vibration happens between 50 and 70 mph. Or thats when its the worst anyway.

johnclineii

Voice of experience: Just because the tires were replaced does NOT necessarily mean that it isn't the tires. It still could be...

I would, however, suspect wheel balance and/or a bad wheel(s).

bradharmer

Hi,

I have a 2000 LS 3.8 with about 86,000 miles. I drive it 100 miles a day total to and from work. I've recently noticed a strong burnt rubber smell coming from the engine compartment. I've looked all over and don't see any wires/hoses that could be leaning against the block or exhaust.

Does anyone have any other suggestions on what I should check?

Thanks!

BRAD

bradharmer

Is the dealership required to fix the following TSB's free of charge?

#01-02-32-001C Clunk Noise from Front of Vehicle During Turning Maneuver/Steering Wheel Rotation (Lubricate Intermediate Shaft) - (Sep 12, 2003)

#00-08-61-003 Clunk/Pop Noise From Front of Vehicle (Shim Rear Frame/Cradle Mounts) - (Oct 17, 2000)

Thanks!

BRAD

this_is_nascar

Frank, I've been thinking about a set of those myself. Let me know if you get them.

chuck1

No, the dealer is not required to fix TSB's for no charge. A TSB is a condition the manufacturer is aware of, and provides specific information on how to correct an issue. These TSB's are available to dealers and independents. The dealers get the information first. The burnt smell coming from you engine compartment could be a loose oil filter underneath the car or an oil leak spilling on to the exhaust system.

johnclineii

Not to mention the car went over 80,000 miles without these problems. Manufacturers could provide warranties that lasted ten years and several hundred thousand miles. Then again, if they did, the cost would be built into the sales price.

NOTHING is free. You pay for it all. Either early or late.

You got your money's worth from the car (or bought it used at a price reflecting the market).

There comes a time when WE have to pay repair costs.

I know these things. You see, my Impala LS has 167,000 happy miles on it.

dgonzalez13

Could be a loose tie rod?
I bent at least 2 passenger side and one driver side tie rod in the 4 years I have my Impala.

Just got the two front Goodyear Eagle HP's replaced with Goodyear Assurance (80k mile version) and the car is noticeably quieter. Also a little better responsive with these tires in hard turns.

frankf3

dgonzalez13 - Were the tie rod ends actually bent or just worn out. I have seen on some web sites that if you have a severe pulsating problem with the brakes (warped rotors) that extended driving with the pulsation will accelerate tie rod end wear.
Glad to hear your input on the Goodyear Assurance tires. Did you get the "Triple Tread" or the Comfort ??Ride?? version of the Assurance tires? I'm glad the noise level is noticeable quieter.

dgonzalez13

passenger side was bent, drivers was worn out. I drive my car to about 20 different medical centers a week where parking on curbs is sometimes necessary, along with all the beautiful potholes the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn has to offer. So my front end does get abused more often than not. Car is almost at 100K miles, and this is the third set of tires. I like these assurance tires better than any of the others so far. Wish i bought them 47,000 miles ago. I dont know if I got the comfort or ride version, but i think they are the triple tread with the wide channels to prevent hydroplaning.

Anyway, love my impala, waiting till 2006 to get a new one!

boots207

My 2003 Impala seems to have picked up a vibration when accelerating or turning left at speed. Any suggestions ?

jcd

Just changed to the Yokohoma Avids. Great tires! Much quieter than the Generals on there before and lots more grip. Not much else to report. Mileage has dropped to 24-26 instead of 27-30. I need to change the plugs and wires but don't look forward to that project. Guess I'll have to try the motor tilt suggestion. The only maintenance in the last 40K miles is replacement of struts and strut mounts(at 98K) and rebuilding the power steering pump, both under extended warranty. Oh and I had to replace the driver's window switch. I'm still driving my 55 miles to and from work. The car is still free of squeaks and still fun to drive.

danzigdan

Brad,

A question for you. Do you actually have the problems described in the two TSB's you mention? Or do you want to fix them as a preventative measure?

Dan

this_is_nascar

I just put a set of these on my '03 Impala LS (with SAP). I've only driven on them for a few miles, however they're much grippier than those GA's that were OEM to the car. As far a ride and comfort, there is a noticable difference, however I don't know if that's because the Assurance's are that damn good or because the GA's had 35k miles on them before being replaced.

jim257

I have been overall very satisfied with my 2002 Impala. I have had it just over 2 years and have 38K miles. I just replaced the battery that was supposed to be a 6 year battery, but was apparently defective and cracked where the cable screws into the battery terminal. This was not an easy task because you need to remove a bar crossing over the battery and push wires and the hose to the radiator reserve tank out of the way and even then it is a tight fit. On the bright side, I guess it makes the battery less desirable to steal. I also gave up trying to replace the air filter myself and gave it to the service tech to do. In the past I have changed my own spark plugs, but I can see that the back ones will be impossible for me to work on. Apparently they are designing things so that you cannot work on it yourself.

charts2

Regarding the last post,changing the air filter...As we know this is a frequency maintenance item and it is not like previous cars we had where we spun the wing nut lifted the metal housing and popped out the the filter in 10 seconds....I recently changed my air filter for the 4th time on my 2001 Impala and it can be frustrating and take 15 to 20 minutes...If you have this done at a garage or dealership make sure it is done!...My son purchased a 2003 Impala (33000K) at a Chevy dealership recently and it was suppose to have this 150 point GM inspection.....within a week we noticed going up hills the car seemed sluggish....we took the time and removed the air filter.....it was plugged solid! we notified the dealership right away, they gave us a new filter...(I am sure it had never been replaced).....why? because it is time consuming and difficult to do....we also found two maintenace bills for this car in the glove box from another Chevy dealership showing at 18000 K and 26000 K that the air filter had been changed...this car shows no signs that it had been driven under any extreme conditions........if you take the car in for filter replacement put a piece of masking take across the right side of the filter housing where it joins together....when you get the car back if the tape isn't ripped then you know they didn't check/replace the filter...I am sure this goes on all the time......When I take my Impala in for an oil change at my local chevy dealership checking the air filter is suppose to be part of the 20 point inspection, I know they never do it...the masking tape tells the story and the service manager is informed everytime this happens. I don't think they care! why? because it takes too much time!!

badgerfan

Just came back from vacation, we got a rental Impala LS with about 13k miles on it. Owning a 2000 Taurus SES (Duratec), here are my comments.

The Impala is overall a good car. Major things I liked:

Quiet smooth transmission and engine, virtually no wind noise. These items were quieter than my Taurus, though the Impala had appreciable road noise on the Seattle freeway system (do they allow studded tires in the winter in that area? It felt just like the stud worn roads did in Wisconsin before they banned studded snow tires.) Road noise is hard to compare directly unless you drive the same roads in both cars. Impala ride and handling was smooth but not too floaty and handled well in the moderate twisties leading up to the Mount St. Helens observation center.

Nice individual temperature controls for driver and passenger.

I liked the trunk hinge system that did not intrude on luggage. Trunk was very spacious.

Nice large outside mirrors, bigger than my Taurus.

Dislikes:

Center armrest too far back. I am 5'7" and with seat adjusted for my height, the center armrest was useless. Door armrest was hard as a brick. I thought my Taurus door side armrest was too hard, but the Impala was irritating.

Steering wheel spokes required hand positioning either too low or two high. Fat spoke seemed mispositioned. Steering wheel was large diameter compared to my Taurus, but I could get used to it.

Why put the cruise control on/off switch on the wiper stalk and all others on wheel? They should be all on the wheel.

Why no shift position indicator on the floor shifter, only on the dash? They might as well just put the shifter on the column and free up space to move the arm rest forward and then move the cupholders further forward, as they are an awkward reach.

Noticed occasional suspension creaking in city driving over rough, uneven streets.

Lumbar adjuster seemed to do little from min to max, all felt about the same.

Why the oval inside rear view mirror? Cuts off the corners of the rear view. Would have worked well with the ovoid 96-99 Taurus rear window!

No upper windshield dark tinted band? The black perforated area above the rear view mirror I can see working OK to block sun in that area, but it was kind of distracting. My Taurus has dual visors, which are handy at times, the Impala does not.

Seemed to run out of torque when accelerating from higher speeds, but was adequate. Low speed torque was good, as it should be with a pushrod V-6.

All in all a good car, but the armrest issues and the steering wheel spokes were my only major gripes. the rest are my minor nitpicky opinions and may not bother most people.

johnclineii

And my 2000 HAS dual visors AND the tinted band on the windshield AND a lit PRNDL on the shifter AND a coin holder AND seat pockets on the backs of both front seats AND lit glove box, etc., etc.

Apparently Lutz thought deleting these things would save GM money.

I ordered a car Friday last. I have over $3500 available to me on the GM card, and there are large incentives on the Impala right now.

I ordered an AWD Ford Five Hundred.

The deletions were a major factor in my decision.

I have over 168,000 miles on my 2000 LS. All it's ever really asked for that wouldn't be expected is a headlight switch and an airbag sensor!

But with the things GM has deleted that I CAN see, I couldn't stop wondering what they had deleted that matters that I cannot see.

So, the decontenting resulted in at least this customer not being content. My last three cars had all been GM products. The last two each had respectively lower levels of equipment than the one before them.

It's been a fun ride. But, for now at least, it's soon to be over.

Still a great car for the price, but I would miss too many of the things that have gone bye-bye.

frankf3

dgonzalez13 - From what I've read and easy way to differentiate them is by what is in the oval emblem on the sidewall. An oval with Comfortred Technology and a feather symbol indicate the Comfortred. An oval with Tripletred Technology and a sun, raindrops and snow flakes indicate Tripletred.

ryanbab

Well today I got a new vehicle

2000 Chevy Impala, goldish/beige color, 3400 engine, power/heated leather seats, 51K miles.

Few Questions

1. Anyone ever replace the clear plastic that covers the instrument cluster? How did you do it? The one in this car is cracked

2. I have the compass/temp display. The compass works fine but the temp reads 0C. Anyway to recalibrate/fix this?

3. Anyone ever hear a gurgling noise coming from the coolant tank? I was told this is just the tank refilling. I have never heard any other vehicle do this. It did it once tonight out of the 5 times I drove it.

Anything else to be aware of? Its a very nice car. Drives great and is very quiet.

Thanks

Ryan

theeman

Has anyone figured out a way to disable the DRL on a 2001 Impala? I am not convinced they are the safety feature they claim and I live out in the desert where visiblity is great and if it isn't I know where the light switch is! Can anyone help me disable these things? I took out the DRL Relay but that didn't work. I really want to be able to get rid of these things. Anyone can email me at: theeman@citlink.net if they don't want to post here. Thanks!

dgonzalez13

i am going out to check the tires now. Someone asked about replacing the plastic on the instrument cluster, its easy if you follow the instructions on impalahq.com's hot to section. i open the dash up often ( doing stuff with radio , xm install and cluster replace) and give yourself about an hour to open and close it.

dgonzalez13

If anyone has the info on that I would appreciate a copy as well. I know there are Pontiac GTP websites that document how to do it on the GTP, but havent seen anything for the Impala. I know they are very similar electrically, but not in respect to DRL. I have the bad feeling that it is controlled by the BCM, and unless you have a 3800 engine its not realistic to reprogram the BCM with a police 9c1 or 9c3 BCM image. 9c1 BCM's have a different programming that recognizes the Surv. Mode switch.

ryanbab

thanks for the link it was a huge help!!!

jim257

I agree, that is why I tried to do things myself in the first place. If you want it done right, do it yourself my father used to say. I guess I should take a peek to make sure the filter looks good. I brought it to them after buying it and trying to do it myself. I'll keep that tape trick of yours in mind. I have had much better luck with BP Procare working on the car than the dealers. I have experienced what you have said a few times and have been mad that they do not follow specific directions. I might still have Hondas if the dealer service departments did not make me mad.

jim257

I think I have been spoiled by my Honda tires lasting 80 to 85K. How long can I expect tires to last on the Impala? What kind of tires are best to use on the car? Bridgestone, Michelin, and Kelly all seemed good on the Hondas.