2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

night_owl1

The blinding foglight effect usually comes from aftermarket foglights that people add to their cars then aim the reflectors up. Foglights work best aimed at the ground. If you are surrounded by fog and you aim the lights up, the light will reflect off the fog and you won't be able to see anything. People who add the lights usually aren't looking for help in foggy conditions. The Impala fog lights are aimed correctly and shouldn't be a problem to cars in front of you.

As far as I have been able to tell, there is no way to bypass the autoheadlights. The easiest way I have come up with would be to add a small light that shines on the light sensor. This would "trick" the car into thinking that it's bright enough and not turn the headlights on.

You would have to turn off this light to activate your headlights at night vice using the pull out headlight switch. If your car thinks it is bright enough that the headlights are on, it won't turn on all your dash lights even if you pull the headlight switch.

Someone asked this question before and was asked why would you want to defeat the autoheadlight feature. When I start my car in the carport, sometimes the car thinks it's too dark and turns on the headlights. This is not really an issue, but I don't have the dash lights at 100% intensity for night driving. So when I pull out onto the road, the headlights are on (not an issue for me) but the radio display is dark/dim. I end up toying with the dimmer to brighten the display, which messes me up when I drive at night.

But its a small irritation compared with the joy of driving this car.

mcdill

I think bronzemist is going to be RARE , and even rared than the auburn nightmist, Ive found one bronzemist impala for sale on gm powerbuy , it was somewhere around detroit , TEO- I am glad you are sticking with the Impala as well .thanks-------------mattmcdill

sweetpolly

I'm glad you're sticking with the Impala. It would have been a shame to have picked something else and have other major problems with that car as well. It's nice of GM to offer to replace your car with a new one. Makes for good customer relations. It also says they back the merchandise they sell.

heavenbound

teo, I agree with you about the crash test ratings. I'm glad you're sticking with the Impala and I hope this one will truly be "trouble free". Good Luck.

I saw a auburn nightmist Impala LS a couple of weeks ago. I was shocked!

lrcobra

Teo I too am glad to see you are going to stay with the Impala. I hope this one does you proud as mine has so far.
Watusi--Get a life will ya!!!!!

teo

I agree, the Dark Bronzemist Metallic is one of the most unusual and beautiful colors for the 2001 Impala. Unfortunately, this paint is extremely hard to find around this parts and dealers don't seem to get more than one allocation for bronzemist Impalas. I think the Bronzemist will be even more 'rare' than the 2000 model year Nightmist Auburn Metallic. The Auburn was a very interesting paint...under direct sunlight it was ugly as heck and yet at night the car had this 'copper' tones and it looked gorgeous.

If I could order my '01 LS I would not hesitate in getting the Bronzemist/neutral cloth interior and spoiler with 1SB package....that's a collector's item for sure!

Right now, I have only been able to locate 3 '01 Impala LS configured exactly the same way as my '00 LS with cloth, spoiler, 1SB package and now the Onstar system installed.

The 3 colors are:

Dark Carmine Red Metallic/Gray Cloth Interior (Like the exterior but I dread 'prison cell' gray interiors)
Sandrift Metallic/Neutral Cloth (I will get this car mainly because of the interior..I am not too crazy about the Sandrift theme for what I think the '00 model year Light Driftwood Metallic was a much better color).
Navy Blue/Gray Cloth (Love the Navy Blue but again I dread getting myself into the gray interior theme).

Does anyone know if the Gray interior was slightly modified from '00 to '01????

So far that's it, I am waiting on my dealer to give an update on the availability and build dates of these cars...

jrchvatal

I'm sorry you don't agree with my personal decision to use the fog lights, but I don't see that name calling was appropriate. I came to this forum to receive help. If you don't have any, please just refrain from responding.

shamino

I would stay away from those so called rare colors. They probably had problems with the paint quality. That is why some colors were changed from the 2000 to 2001 models.
Probably some R&D guys at GM conducted stress/heat/cold tests on the paint and realized certain colors just don't meet up to the GM standards.
The impala is my first GM product ever. From past experience does anyone know how duraable the GM paint is?

teo

My '00 LS Light Driftwood Metallic paint has been of excellent quality. Next week, my car will be exactly one year old and the paint looks just perfect as the day it left the assembly line. No chips, nicks, scratches, dings, etc. As far as the paint quality I am concerned, I am very pleased, better than the water downed crap they paint Hondas of late with now. The Light Driftwood was a very nice color and the quality of the blend and clear coat has been excellent. Keep in mind that the car has never ever been garaged before and it spends day and night out in open parking spaces. The UV rays of the Florida sun are nothing to joke about and so far the paint has held up extremely well under those conditions.

The reason why GM mistankenly discontinued the Light Driftwood color was because it wouldn't match with the new pale Neutral interior color...it would look just too weird. My interior was labeled as "Light Oak Sport Cloth interior" and it was a beige but some taught this color was a sort of loud Moustard scheme. Since GM couldn't match the new Neutral interior sucessfully with the Light Driftwood paint, they decided to drop the Light Driftwood in favor of the 'OLD' looking and much pale Sandrift metallic paint. My guess is that the Sandrift will be phased out in 2001 or 2002 in favor of the Light Driftwood or a variant of this color again.

How's the quality of the dark colored cars with metallic paint finishes?

cathy2000

How are things going with your recording device? I would like the dealer to put one on my car. My car stumbles almost every day. It sure would be a big help if your recording device works.

L8_Apex

...jrchvatal. Some inappropriate posts have been removed.

Thanks,

L8_Apex
Host
Sedans Message Board

teo

Has your dealer attempted to re-program or update the engine's computer or PCM???

cabello

32000 MILES
New shaft
3000 mile oil changes
Taking car in for strut rattle for second time,
first time they added grease to the strut base.
Everything else seems okay

teo

Which strut is rattling?

cabello

The two front ones....they belive its the struts because thats what they lubed lasts time. It is a rattle when going over bumps like if "your lug nuts are loose inside your hubcap" noise. We will see in a couple of days......... maybe tuesday I will take the car in.

cathy2000

Thank you for asking. My dealer has done everything they can do("states the dealer"). They hooked it up to the computer 2 times. I paid for a cleaning of the fuel parts. It has been test drove 6 different times, plus they kept it for 2 days straight to duplicate it. Nothing happened. I brought it home and that night it hesitated. What Can I do??? I have done everything I could thing of except highjack the service man and take him for a ride. I want my car, but I'm afraid of it. Help!

teo

Type your complete VIN number at the following link:

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

After you click on the 'submit' button, you will see a complete list of PCM updates available for your Impala's engine according to the VIN number break points.

These updates are the 'software' that controls your engine's computer and are probably needed to remedy the stalling problems you are currently having. Print out the list and give it to your service manager. Make sure he performs the updates that pertain to your engine's problems according to the symptom description in the list right next to each update.

I bet $100 that your dealer hasn't do any of these updates yet.

Do this ASAP and let us know.

scotsman93535

Cathy 2000 and others.

The recorder is still attached to my car in an effort to determine the hesitation/stumbling problem.

The recorder was set to record engine misfiring from Friday through Tuesday. The car was then returned to the dealer and they read the content of the recorder. The recorder was then placed back in the car, this time it is set to record the sensors.

I am really disappointed. The car has not hesitated once in over one week. Of course it showed nothing on engine misfire. This is the third day for the sensor check. The car has been running really well, with no problem.

Normally the car will hesitate within a day or two.

In case that anyone wants to have the recorder attached to his or her car, it is really simple to do. The recorder plugs into a receptacle just under the dash to the right of the steering wheel. The recorder is small and can sit inside the open area in front of the ashtray. A cord with a push button switch is attached to the recorder. When you start the car you must push the button to turn it on. If you have a hesitation, you must again, push the button as it is happening. The recorder also records on its own every few seconds, which causes the parking brake, ABS, and battery light to activate for a short time.

If the recorder is preventing the car from hesitating, maybe GM should install one permanently.

dewdrops38

Cathy,

I dont mean to make light of your situation, but I had to laugh, because I DID highjack a technician. Once we were in my car, I grabbed his arm and said "how much time do you have, because you're not getting out of this car until you feel what I've felt for 14,000 miles.". Its frustrating.

I'm afraid of my car too. I've been afraid. The steering is worse than ever. The parts were ordered last Thursday. Still no parts.

whippetcat

I think my message may have gotten lost amongst all the talk of the colors of Impala,,,can you please re-read post #1346. Thank you

teo

The only way to know is to place your car in a lift jack and check the way the cradle was welded. Aside from visual inspection there is no a certain way of knowing whether your car will develop the problem or not. Just keep an attentive ear for the next 10K to 10K miles.

shamino

Like I said before, I bought the car as a demo. It is a silver color. On the day we made the deal, the car was covered in snow..so didn't really get a good look at it in detail. But the deal on the car was so good, that I figured a paint chip here and there wouldn't be much of a concern!
Now that the snow has finally melted, I noticed a spot on the right hand side mirror that has a paint flaw on it. It started to bubble and then the pain peeled off. The exposed part is now black. But when it first peeled off it was a grayish color. I just hope the rust doesn't start from there.
Do you think that touching up that spot would be sufficient? Or should I demand the dealer to repaint that whole surface?? I am just afraid that there might be slight color mismatches between the rest of the and the mirror.
The size of this bubbling is about the size of a quarter..but it hasn't increased any.

Your thoughts would be much appreciated!

night_owl1

If the chip was a defect in the paint, get the dealer to take care of it. I believe the mirror housings are plastic, so rusting shouldn't be an issue.

You can live with the chip and enjoy your car, or you can get the dealer to take care of it and live without your baby for a few days. Truth be told, I'm not sure which way I would go.

sweetpolly

Shamino,

Get the dealer to paint the scratch themselves. They should be able to match it exactly. I ordered touch up paint for my medium regal blue and the "ordered" color seems too dark. I did get a couple of bottles from a collision repair shop and they were the right color. Seemed weird to me that the "ordered" color was too dark. Anyway, I also scraped my passenger side mirror (against an SUV's side mirror) and knocked a dime size piece of paint off. I used the touch up from the collision repair shop and it seems fine.

tpken

First one I've seen - almost looks purple - kind of a mahogany tone - certainly is very different. I can't imagine that many were sold in that color - it would turn off many buyers, I fear. But if you like it - it would make your car very distinctive to have a rare paint like that.

Ken

teo

Have the dealer fix the paint bubble as it appears to be more due to negligence than anything else. Remember that Demo cars sometimes are subject to abuse in the same manner as rental cars, so things of that nature doesn't surprise me at all.

Get on the dealer's case.

scotsman93535

TEO

Several days ago I did what you suggested regarding checking the PCM updates on the GM site. The read out showed a new calibration to address false settings for stalling in park, neutral, and drive.

My eyes lit up thinking maybe this would correct the problem of hesitation. I took the printed page to the dealer and was told that the first thing they did (several weeks ago) was to check for computer program updates and that my car had the latest one. Since the GM site does not show the date of the new calibration I have no way of telling when the update was released. I am unable to question this, and must take their word.

cathy2000

My dealer said the same thing. It still stumbles.

cmeans1

engine cradle
Last summer I took my 00 impala to be checked for the ticking sound when turning the wheels at low speed. The dealer said the cradle would need to be welded. I did not want the dealer to learn how to do this on my car so I did nothing. Today, at 13k miles, I told the dealer that I still get the sound. After checking with GM he said that a new cradle would be ordered and installed under the warranty and that this can be done without lifting the engine.

teo

Time for some LEMONADE perhaps??

dewdrops38

I saw the Nightmist Auburn Metallic. It was one of the very first 2000's I looked at and I thought it was awsome. Every way you looked at it was a different color. My husband didnt like it. I still do, even though I ended up with NAVY blue (as my x military husband named it). I think we have all the Navy blues here in southwest Ohio. I cant even count how many I see. Also, I see more Impalas on the road daily than I can count; several a day.

teo

Nice but only at night...during direct sunlight the car looked like the property of Austin Powers...

night_owl1

Whippcat, don't worry too much about the cradle. It's not an problem that affects all Impalas. If you start hearing a clicking noise it could be the cradle and you know what the fix might be. Then again, the clicking could be coming from something else entirely. Hopefully, your car will never suffer from this malady

cathy2000

I used to like lemon aid. My car was built on 05/99. It is a silver Impala LS. I would like to know if anybody else is experiencing the same problem with the same build date.

lrcobra

I like the Doc Otis' Hard Lemon Beer!!
I am in southeast Ohio. Our LS was built either 5/99 or 6/99 and we don't have the problems you are talking about. The only thing that has bothered us is the brakes. Front rotors turned then replaced and the rear ones turned also. Then we had a clunking in the tranny that we can't reproduce when test driving with a mechanic.
Later
LRCobra
"Silver Bullet"

mcdill

One of our good customers where i work ( full serv gas station) , has an auburn nightmist base model , its his company furnished car , I found out today that he will be buying the car , because his department has been taken over and they don't furnish company cars , and he really likes it alot , and hasnt had a single problem with it , he said it now has 19,600 miles on it , he has had it for 5 months , he does alot of driving , hes even got the 2000 brochure sitting in the back window .thanks---------mattmcdill

teo

You have a very early (Early first year production run)Impala LS. The very first Impalas I believe were built during 4/99 or 5/99, so your problems are not surprising at all. That's unfortunately the price you have to pay to be the very first one on the block with an all new model vehicle..you become the Beta tester or the Guinea pig. Lesson to be learned on cases like this: Never ever buy first year vehicles, specially domestics. Remember when they people say, never buy the first release version of any computer software? Well the same wisdom apply to cars. The Impala has had decent reliability for a domestic car for the first year but some 2000 models have some first year bugs:

* Engine cradle noises
* Intermediate steering shaft problems
* Sporadic A/C problems
* Sporadic brake related problems
* Engine shutdowns and sttuters (This is very frequent among early Impala build date samples such as yours).

If I were you I would start persuing GM to either buyback or replace your Impala with a new 2001, which is exactly what I am doing now. My trade-buyback repurchase was approved 2 weeks ago and in another couple of weeks I should be behind the wheel of a new 2001 Impala LS.

Your problems deserve special attention. Engine problems are serious safety problems. If your dealer hasn't been able to troubleshoot the problems (This also goes to you Scotsman) you should persue GM to take the car back. You paid TOP DOLLAR for the product and the product failed to deliver in the quality and reliability dept. Don't put up with that non-sense anymore. Enforce your consumer rights and get GM to stand behind their faulty product and to take it back or replace it.

My current '00 Impala LS was built during 1/2000. The car has NEVER ever had any sort of engine trouble...the engine has always worked like a Swiss watch..no hesitations, stutters, shutdowns, zero, zilch, nada. No brake problems, no electrical problems or no transmission related problems. However, I had serious problems with the intermediate steering shaft, a blown A/C compressor at 7K miles and some minor quality problems in the interior. However, I made a big stink about these problems to my service manager and clarly stated my dissatisfaction with the car..two MAJOR repairs in less than 11 months of ownership..unacceptable in my book. In the end the GM factory representative accepted without hesitation to replace my '00 with a new '01 Impala LS Trade buy back from sticker MSRP to sticker MSRP minus mileage use offset on the '00 at $.20 per mile. Short, sweet and simple. My service manager was on my side and it took only 10 minutes to convince the GM factory rep to buy back and replace my car...I say this is a great effort at keeping me a satisfied and happy GM customer. NEVER PUT UP WITH A PROBLEMATIC CAR! get your money's worth and stick to your guns!!! Demand a buyback or replacement buy DON"T DELAY!.

teo

Some ideas that come to mind to add for your already excellent "How to do..." section in your website:

* How to reset the Oil Change monitor on the RDS radio.

* How to reset the Tire Pressure Monitor on the RDS radio.

* How to program or re-program the remote key fobs on the RDS radio.

* How to access and set all personalized features (Theatre lighting dimming, alarm horn, etc) on the RDS radio.

* How to program and use the Integrated overhead Home Link remote transmitter unit.

* A brief overview of all function included in the overhead DIC trip computer and an explanation in how to re-calibrate it should the compass and exterior temp readings are incorrect.

* Care tips for the interior, including the upholstery.

* How to adjust the striker plate for the glove box latch should it start to rattle.

* How to access the engine's compartment power steering reservoir on the 3800 V6.

* How to change the headlight bulbs and the tail light bulb assemblies.

* How to change the trunk lid's third brake light bulbs.

* a brief explanation or animation as to how the interior self dimming rearview mirror works...

There you have it...some good ideas to add to your website overtime...most Impala owners will find this info incredibly valuable!.

teo

Also add to the above list a section with an overview of all the messages available at the LCD color display "Message Center" in the instrument cluster...

teo

Buddy, I am on a roll this morning! Hey, how feasible is to install or lay out a link to a Chat room IRC engine at your website? We could have weekly or bi-weekly live chat meetings among Impala owners and participants in this forum... (and why not Montecarlo owners as well).

The Montecarlo guys over at Yahoo Clubs (Y2K Monte Carlo club) had their first chat meeting about 2 weeks ago and it was a sucess! They have scheduled the second chat meeting for tomorrow night...I'll be there.

Does this sound like a good idea to you??

kissfan1969

We are having our second chat tomorrow evening at 7pm Central time.We now have 200 members in my free club at Yahoo.Any Impala owner is welcome to join the club,as our cars are almost the same under the skin.You will need to become a member (FREE!) in order to take part in the chat or access photo's and scans of the service bulletins we have posted.We also have the ability for voice chat in our chatroom.Stop on by and check us out!

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/y2kmontecarloclub

platour

Any available yet for the Impala from various Police Departments? They put on serious mileage under severe conditions. It would be informative to see our Police Officers' feelings about the 2000-2001. RWD bias included.

matteo2

Has anyone purchased the extended warranty? I have a 2001 base model , price for 6 yr or60k
is$852. Is this worth it?

shamino

I took the extended warranty as well. But the package I took was the "Total plus" extended warranty program. The plan covers for 72 months or 120,000 km.
I paid about $2100 Canadian for this plan.
I personally feel that extended warranties are always worth it. Especially when I have all the toys (sunroof, heated seats, cd player etc etc) in my '00 LS.
Fixing all these gadgets down the line can be quite expensive without the warranty.

On another note, I took my car in to let the service guys look at the paint chips/bubbling. I am quite surprised how these guys can pick up stone chips I didn't even notice before. He told me that he could do the touch up for me no problem at all.
I'm just kinda shocked at how many little tiny chips I have on the car. I wonder if it is due to subpar anti chip coat in the pain process?

Does anyone else have problems with paintchips on their cars??

teo

ZERO problems with paintchips. Hint: Get the front end bra from 'Perfecfit' www.carbras.com. It isn't the most beautiful thing to hang in the front end of the car, but it protects the front end 100% from flying chips, rocks, etc...

Boy! every timw I remove the car bra to wash the car and I see that front end clean perfect and free from paint chips, I give myself a pat in the back!! Those $84 that I paid for that car bra a year ago were the BEST investment I made to protect the car's paint finish...good thing it will also fit the new '01 LS! ;-)

sweetpolly

Surprisingly, my paint chips are not on the front of the car, but on top and the sides. No matter how much you "baby" the Impala, you're going to get nicks. I was amazed to find one on top of the hood, directly in front of my sunroof. Must have been behind a truck when that happened.

shamino

Only way to prevent paintchips:
If I ever win the lottery, I am going to get a collection of brand new '01 Impalas. Drain the oil..mothball them. And they will be worth lots of money down the line!

hvan3

To compare if you had a great deal on your extended warranty, check out this site. You can purchase it on-line!

http://www.warrantydirect.com/index.html

iusecad

from a site for enthusiasts of Chrysler, Plymouth & Dodge in which they compare an Impala to an Intrepid...

http://www.allpar.com/reviews/2000/impala.html

I gotta say, for being Dodge fans, they sure aren't biased towards the Intrepid...

night_owl1

Hahaha! Great ideas, Teo. I was searching for ideas and had thought about changing the bulbs and such. I gotta print out this list and get to work.

I'll look into the chat idea. Never thought about it so I'm not sure how feasable it is. Being the lazy sort, I would say go on over to the MC site on Yahoo because Kissfan is correct in saying that the MC and Impala are pretty close in nature. The gas strut that holds the trunk open says it is for the MC or Impala. The downside of sharing a chat like that is people who are only concerned with MC issues or Impala issues have to wade through all the other's stuff. Let me look into that one.