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Comments
I was thinking about the X-Pel "clear bra" film but then I found this product that you use in conjunction with a bottle of touch up paint that does such a great job that you cannot see the repair unless you know exactly where the chip was. I fixed a chip on my wife's Saturn and when I brought her out to see the results, it took me a while to locate the repair.
Keep an eye on the web site. I'll work on that page and get it on-line tomorrow.
I love my car! Look at all the features: power everything, traction control, ABS, OnStar, driver side airbag, radio controls on the steering wheel, ignition on the dash (love that!), huge 4 wheel disk brakes, vent ducts under the front seats to warm/cool the rear passengers, air filtration system, auto dimming mirror, battery run-down protection. You can also program a number of the car's features (alarm chirp, light delay, door locks, etc). The car can detect when a tire is getting flat, when you are running low on fluids, etc. Add to that a 5 star crash rating.
Not to mention it is a kick in the pants to drive and looks great.
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/
Monte Carlos.
You have to put all this in PERSPECTIVE. The negative stuff you read here is
from an incredibly small percentage of owners. Those people do have very real
problems and legitimate complaints. Some noisy steering shafts and engine
cradles have had to be replaced. That should NOT have happened. This forum
has become a good place to share problems AND SOLUTIONS with other
owners and that is very helpful.
Regarding serious safety issues, I know of NO REPORTS of these cars losing control
or of engines falling out. If so, it would certainly have made the news by now - like
the recent incidents with the Ford Explorer and Firestone tires.
HOWEVER, most of us have NOT had serious problems and the cars are
generally sound. Check the NHTSA website for serious compalints.
The problems are overstated and repeated endlessly - particularly by one
poster who writes lengthy messages up to 16 times a day! That does tend
to skew reality and exaggerate the situation.
Most of us are happy with our cars or at least content.
I agree with night owl in #1404 and hunter39 in #1406; Impala is a very good
car with lots of features at a very good price. Although it's not THE favorite of
the cars I've owned, I've warmed to it in the year I've had it.
Of course, for $11,000 more, I might have gone with the Park Avenue.
For $20,000 more, the "basic" Deville would have been nice.
Those who have had issues with their Chevys, for the most part - have been
addressed - even to the point of replacing the car. What more do they want???
For those without resolution, they need to go to another dealer for repairs or take
another path to a solution.
There is no such thing as a perfect car. Read about ANY MAKE and MODEL on
these boards and people have problems with their cars.
Buy a $200,000 house and you'll have problems - guaranteed.
Buy a ANY new car and you'll have new problems.
For your own peace of mind, why not RENT an Impala for a weekend and see
what you think. It's no guarantee but it will bring you a step closer to the
Impala experience.
Good Luck toledo with whatever you choose.
something that does not appear in the Impala owner's manual.
On another note, I just found this area this morning. I am both concerned and surprised about the cradle and steering shaft problem in the Impalas. I just took delivery of a new 2001 Impala LS about 2 weeks ago. It is Galaxy Silver, with medium grey interior, with leather, heated seats, sunroof and AM/FM CD player. The car has a build date of 11/00 and now has about 675 miles on it. Neither problem has surfaced yet, I may be too soon to show up. The only thing I have done to it was change the oil and filter at 500 miles to remove any residue and chips left from the initial running. I have replaced the oil drain plug with a magnetic one, to catch any additional chips. This can be obtained at your local Chevy dealer under part # 88891787 and was about $ 2.00 .
Thanks,
Frank
poster who writes lengthy messages up to 16 times a day! That does tend
to skew reality and exaggerate the situation."
Yes and they will be re-stated 100 times a day if I want to!
Look who's talking.....the poster who was about to TRADE his Impala just because the radio did not sound to his liking.....EVERY DAY FOR 4 MONTHS that was his only subject of his postings.....radio this, radio that....
I want to see what will happen when your cradle starts to tick, tick, tick or the steering starts to clunk, clunk, clunk....
Get over it Duraflex...you are beginning to sound like a grumpy man!
As far as the intermediate steering shaft, let's hope that GM already corrected the durability problems on this part on recently built samples.
Otherwise, you should not have any issues to be concerned about. The Impala is a GREAT automobile...drive your new '01 with plenty of confidence.
Thanks,
L8_Apex
Host
Sedans Message Board
Good luck!.
Thanks
L8_Apex
Host
Sedans Message Board
Does anyone have the "Trunk Content Sensor" as mentioned in the owner's manual ? As a parent with small children, this sensor seems like a good idea, as it is supposed to unlock the truck should it sense movement.
But rest assure, that I will not post any future complaints '100 times' on a single day....;-)
And thanks for your support!
PS: How is that Buick Regal GS doing?
Not sure about the Uniroyal Tiger Paws installed on Base 3400 V6 Impala versions.
My '00 LS doesn't have the 'Entrapment Kit' emergency trunk release install. This is a kit that can be added by the dealer if the owner requests it. I don't know if the kit is included on new '01 LS sedans, but once I get my new '01 LS, I'll re-confirm that with you.
The emergency release handle inside the trunk compartment is supposed to 'Glow' so it can be easily located in the darkeness.
Just take it easy....
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Message Center Boards
This is an open, public forum. I do not set the discussion guidelines or rules, Edmunds does and it is the job of the room monitors to ensure that conversations follow an orderly flow and don't degenerate into wrestling matches or verbal wars.
Everyone here is FREE to post and discuss anything related to the Impala. However, common respect and courtesy should be observed by all participants at all times.
If the current discussion topic is not of other's liking, then they can open up their own forum and guide it as they please.
I rest my case.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
I love the Impala, and that's why I have decided to stay and get another one.
Frank
I appreciate your message with a possible cause for the engine hesitation problem on the Impala 2000.
I have always felt that my problem was fuel related. It always appears that the engine is starving for fuel. The problem always occurs after the vehicle sits for a period of time and then is restarted. When attempting to accelerate the hesitation occurs. Once running normally, the problem never happens again until the next shut down. If the fuel pressure is low when starting, this sure might be the cause.
Maybe you can tell me where the fuel pressure regulator is generally located. Is it part of the fuel pump inside of the tank or is it located someplace on the fuel line? I am not sure what the fuel rail is!
The dealer, of course, has been unable to determine the problem and will not try anything that their computer does not show as a problem. I am at the point that I am willing to pay for them to replace suspected parts. I should not be required to do this because the warrantee is still in effect.
At one time, in the old days, I would do all of my mechanical work, but with the new cars, that is impossible for me.
Thanks
Ron
I don't find your posts disruptive but they did seem a bit harsh after your glowing refferal of this car at the beginning. I count you as one of the people who I was reading intently when I was making my decision on this car, as well as Cookie, 00Impala and 2k Icobra, Matt and others. Sometimes the grass does seem greener and it is very true that you are bound to have problems with any vehicle you buy regardless of the price. I consider myself lucky so far and a very happy owner in spite of the issues presented here.
Teo
I have the utmost respect for your comments.
LRCobra
The condtiion you describe is exactly what happened on my turbocharged Pontiac. When it would sit for a while after running it would be extremely hard to start - almost running but when you let go of the key, the engine would stumble and stop. When you finally did get it running it would be unpredictable and hesitate or stall on acceleration at any moment. The fuel rail is the term given to the high pressure fuel line that runs along the top of the engine between the check valve in the fuel tank and the fuel injectors in the case of SFI. The fuel pressure regulator in the case of the Pontiac was located in the engine compartment under the intake plenum. On my Olds Aurora it was located right under the plastic cover that covered the top of the engine. In both cases, the fuel pressure regulator took engine vacuum and modified the fuel pressure in the fuel line according to engine load. I also had an S-10 pickup with the same problem. This truck had the fuel pressure regulator built right into the throttle body unit. I took it to the dealer and they "sold" me a new computer for $300 because there were no error codes. It ran for about a month and a half. Based on what happenned with my Pontiac, I started by checking the fuel pressure. On this vehicle, the fuel pressure was supposed to be about 13 psi but was only 2 psi. This one was caused by a bad fuel pump. If I had a service manual for the Impala I could check to see if the Impala also uses a fuel regulator. This may or may not be the cause of the hesitation and stumbling in your Impala, but it is a good place to start. A Mass Airflow sensor can also cause the same problem.
Good Luck,
Frank
Cheers
http://community.webtv.net/dman4ford/00IMPALALS
Posting 620: EGR VALVE FAILURE, by lfty53 Jan 19, 2001 (10:02 pm)
/direct/view/.ee9e6c1/639
I do not know whether this is true or not but a Michelin dealer
told me that Michelins made for SEARS and SAM's CLUB and
other retailers like them are NOT made to the same high specs
and standards as the Michelins you would buy at a tire dealer.
I have read favorable things about the Michelin Symmetry.
Makes me understand how we can all "feel" a problem or "hear" a noise, but be frustrated because the service manager/mechanic can't feel/hear the same thing. Up until getting my truck, I drove the Impala almost exclusively for the last year - I got very in tune with the car, and noticed the clicking and clunking problems. But after just a few days of driving something else (that handles and sounds much worse), the Impala seems like paradise.
I still plan to take the car in and have the steering shaft replaced. I've got to out of town for a few days next week, so I may schedule a time to take it in then while I won't need it.
However, I think the Impala lacks a bit in the road noise insulation dept. The Eagle GA's only help to contribute to magnify the road noise altough it doesn't bother me personally.
I don't know if the new 2001's have better road insulation added to them...I'll find out soon.
The TSB suggests to install new 'Shim Material' reinforcements in between the cradle assembly and the supporting bolts. This supposedly eliminates the 'free play' in the cradle altogether thus also eliminating the front end noises.
However, there is no mention of adding extra welds or replacing the cradle altogether with a new cradle design. This leads me to believe that the extra welding and constant cradle switching back and forth has not proven to be 100% effective in most cases.
My Service Manager has assured to me that recently built Impalas have the extra welding missing from the 2000 model year units plus the shim material reinforcements. I have not seen this changes in person but he has offered to put the 2001 car high on a jack and he will go over the changes made to the manufacturing process at the assembly line.
I believe that altering the welds to cars already manufactured is a very difficult task. That's why I believe that going to a 2001 car will reduce the odds of ever developing this problem...it is easier to change the manufacturing process at the assembly line than to try to repair a car already made using the old technique.
I'll try my best to take pictures of the cradle on the new 2001 when I go down there sometime this week.
maybe your car will never develop the problem.
Don't worry, you can post in here, I am not going to chew you ;-)
As soon as I upload the pics to my PC tonight, I will proceed to forward them to Night_owl so he can post them immediately in his website.
After this extremely productive visit, all I can say is that the 2001 Impalas are much better bolted and finished vehicles than the 2000's. These differences can be seen in hidden places around the vehicle..small details that make a world of a difference I might add.
Engine Cradle::: Basically the problem is located around the frame's rear supporting brackets facing rear and directly behind the engine. In the 2000's, these two brackets (Running side by side in the frame)were just spot welded at the base of the bracket (part that makes contact with the frame). However, the sides of the brackets are NOT WELDED leaving a gap (an inch or so)between the side bracket mounts and the frame's tube. What happens is, that overtime, these two brackets begin to develop some 'free play' and this unintended movement of the brackets together with the high temperatures in that area make up for the popping noises heard when turning the wheels at low speeds or during acceleration/braking manuvers. In the pictures you'll see clearly the bottom part of the bracket welded and the gap on the sides of said bracket mount. Now here is the problem...some cars will develop the noises soon, others later during the car's service time and others maybe never. There are clear inconsistencies from the welds and clearence of the bracket gap between one car and the next. This explains why some have the noises, others had them but went away (because the frame brackets re-positioned themselves against the tube assembly but the noise will come back eventually) and others don't have the pops just yet. My Service Manager assured me that the welding process is completed by a Robot not a human operator...but it looks like the Robot had a few beers before going to work....
The pictures will 'speak' for themselves when you see the way the brackets were welded on the 2000 model year cars.
Now, he brought a brand new '01 Impala LS (Sandrift/spoiler/leather) to the hydraulic jack and we both went under the car to examine it. This car had a built date of 12/00 and the VIN sequence was 242xxx. I took pictures of the entire frame assembly and let me tell you..the cradle looks much better welded than before. the two brackets in question now feature FULL welds on the bottom and ALL around the sides of the bracket mounts...this will completely stop the noises from ever developing. The Shim material re-enforcements are in there but they are invisible since the shims reside in between the supporting bolts and the cradle assembly.
The Shim Material fix on the 10/2000 TSB is as good as it gets for 2000 Impala/Monte owners. Chevy has suspended any further re-welding attempts to exisiting engine cradles since this remedy seems to back fire even worse than before. the shim material is the only remedy available to stop the free play on those mounting brackets but I doubt its effectiveness over time since there is a lot of pressure applied to these brackets when turning the steering wheel. The other remedy is the high temperature lube that is basically a band aid that will need to be applied and re-applied for the rest of the life of the car.
So folks, again the pictures will speak for themselves. The Impala is a very solid and extremely well put together automobile when you slide under it and look at each component...but the engine cradle on the 2000's will always be its shadow.
Another change in the 2001's is the rear wheel well liner that now extends fully and flushes with the inner metal panel..there are no more gaps were water and dirt can get stuck in there..it looks very well finished by the way.
I also peeked on the trunk to look at the radio amp and it looks the same to the naked eye. Unfortunately I could not get a serial number or to test the sound quality of this 12/00 built Impala as I was running short on time....I took a pic of the AMP just for reference.
The 2001's are simply better cars all around, so if anyone had doubts about getting a new 2001 Impala, I'll say go and get your hands on one....it is a very well put vehicle and the main bugs seemed already to have been worked out.