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We talked to our service rep today. THe TSB for the shim material was performed on our 2k LS Impala at the last visit at 28k miles for cardle mount noises.
The dealer rep we have now is really on the ball. A few weeks ago I called the recomended service rep at Chapman about the vibration in my Silverado, she said that it was the first news of vibrations to her in any Silverado. I hung up and called the rep we use for our Impala. He gave me so much info it was unbelievible. He is a former heavy line mechanic (back in the days of mechanics, not techs). I am a long time mechanic, so we got along real well and laughed about how GM has forgotten how to build light trucks with "correct driveshaft angles" to avoid the vibrations.
Now the interesting part (at least to me). A local TV station run a little segment on a person with constant new car trouble and the lemon law in AZ. 4 times for the same trouble in 2 years or 24k miles is the law. Our LS was into the dealer for the 4th cradle noise complaint at 28k miles........hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
We still love the Impala. I have read various bbs about volvo, honda, volkswagen and ford. None of them compare well with the Impala for value when you look at options and pricing. fuel mileage on these vehicles is slightly lower with the V6 engines, even with 4 cylinder engines the cars are only the same or slightly better.
Volvo's mostly require premium fuel according to what I read.
I wonder what design changes will happen to the 2002 Impala ??? Any one seen something yet? May not be much like the 2001 Imp.
A reminder: have you checked the air pressure in your spare tire lately ?? Mine was down to 48 psi from the 55 psi I keep it at. A flat regular tire and flat spare is no fun ,,,,,, been there, done it years ago!!
I rotated the tires last night. I reset the air pressure in them . I run 2-3 psi higher in the front tires. I did not reset the tire monitor. The warning message came up this AM on the way to work. I stopped (in the rain) and looked. The tires were fine, I reset the tire monitor when I got to work...... ((-; duh!
Just under 33k miles on the Impala and the front brake pads are getting thin. I will recheck them in 4-5k miles.
Thats it, Tony
duraflex mentioned in a recent message that the gas cap could cause a hesitation. He is absolutely correct. The gas cap needs to be tight enough that you hear several clicks when tightening it. This is addressed in the owner's manual page 6-7 in the last column. If you accidentally leave the gas cap off or loose, a warning light on your instrument panel should light.
One other item in the owner's manual that relates to engine stalling, hesitation and stumbling is in the first column on page 2-72. This mostly speaks of fuel quality. If this problem occurs, you should also get an instrument panel light.
I eliminated all of these items long ago. I have never had a light activate when my problem occurs.
Today was another day without any hesitation. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
The wife and I are looking around for a replacement for the Impala when we decide it is time to do that. Just sorta exploring what is out there and who likes/dis-likes what about a particular brand/model. We had not purchased a new or near new vehicle in 18+ years when we bought the 2k Impala. A week later we bought a 2k Silverado.
So far nothing came out ahead of the Impala for value. Now some folks love the toyotas and will pay more. Or the Hondas is the same deal. A Honda seems to go for a bajillion miles if you take resonable care of it. Most cars in todays market last longer than say 20 years ago. They cost a lot more too. ((-;
enjoy your car , what ever you own!
Tony
I too like GM and would buy another, but just not this next time...
(arm & disarm alarm) open the trunk and do the remote start. So far so good but if
you go this route I have found manually locking the doors is a problem. The disarm
doesn't unlock unless you arm it first (can you hear that alarm siren yet?) Not sure if
I want to live with all this hassle or just but it into valet mode. So far I'm just doing the
arm then disarm routine. You can get other after market remote starts (around $400 here)
but I went with the dealer so I can get it serviced or fixed there. I agree you shouldn't
have to let it warm up long but it does help the engine to let those fluids circulate for a
few minutes when it's really cold. The discount gas tpken is happy with should carry another
warning. Some of those places don't have the latest and greatest in hardware- therefore
the more expensive stuff has in pump filters to help take out the sediment and junk. Not
something you can see externally but worth knowing about.
Actually i had to tell the service rep that I had near 30 years of automotive playing and repair under my belt so he would talk to me more openly about his opinions. When I said :" you are telling me GM forgot decades of driveshft design and pinion angles for pickup trucks to avoid vibrations", he laughed quite hard and agreed. He had been giving me "GM's line of crap" that I had to add air bags or overloads to my truck to raise the rear of the truck up with a load in the bed. I pointed out that it was a design defect plain and simple. He agreed.
Has any pics been posted of the TSB wheel well liners???
We have not asked about them. Here in AZ I have to go looking for snow, salt and rust.....LOL
Everyone check their spare tire air pressure yet?? ((-;
Tony
I still prefer their trucks to the other big three tho...
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=223638&a=11988124&f=0
This subject was broached before but here it is again. I plan to get the first oil change at 1,500 km or about 1,000 miles. I was thinking of going to Mobil 1 synthetic. I have read on a number of internet sites that this is not a good idea yet I note the new Corvette only uses synthetic oil. I will not, of course, void my warranty by asking the Chev dealer to do this job but I ask for your opinion. Cost is not a consideration given the mileage I put on: oil change each spring and fall with about 3,000 miles in-between. Love to hear from you!
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=223638&a=10790790&f=0&vt=vp
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/freewaychat.html
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
As for wear (break-in) I can't say I know for sure, but I think that 1500-3000 miles is long enough to break in before changing to Mobil-1.
I personally changed the oil in my '01 LS at 1500 miles and put in Mobil organic Super HP. This was to rinse out any stuff from the factory. I changed it again at 3000 miles and put in Mobil-1. Each time the oil was pretty dark. Not black but obviously dirty. I've put 3000 miles on the Mobil-1 (6000 miles total on the car now) and the oil is a nice, deep yellow or amber color. Much cleaner than the organics were.
I've seen cars taken 250,000 miles on synthetics AND organics. I'll never know how much good or bad I'm doing with Mobil-1. However, seeing yellow oil after 3000 miles is peace-of-mind that's worth the cost by itself.
BTW, I plan on changing the Mobil-1 every 6000 miles, half as often as I would have changed organic oil. Why? Because it doesn't break down and it isn't getting very dirty so why waste it? It says it will go 25,000 miles. Maybe so but I think that's too far.
I looked into 'higher performance synthetics" like Royal Purple and Amsoil, and decided against them because they're even more expensive and by the time my car has 250,000 miles on it I'll likely be ready to get another one. Statistically, anyone's a lot more likely to crash the darn thing than blow the engine anyway.
I hope you find my opinion helpful.
http://www.9c1.com/pictures/ls1_impala/index.htm
macdill:
If you're still on this forum, I have a question. Is the SS spoiler the same as the LS spoiler? It's hard to see from the pictures.
> BTW, I plan on changing the Mobil-1 every 6000 miles, half
> as often as I would have changed organic oil. Why? Because
> it doesn't break down and it isn't getting very dirty so why
> waste it? It says it will go 25,000 miles. Maybe so but I
> think that's too far.
I know this dates me, but when Mobil 1 came out in the late 70s, there was obviously a lot of skepticism to its claims of 30,000 miles between oil changes. They demonstrated that this was even conservative because they had some New York taxi cabs and Houston police cruisers that went over 80,000 miles without an oil change.
Their engines were broken down and compared against premium Texaco Havoline and some other premo oiled motors of the time.
According to the advertisements and comparisons, the mechanics who were inspecting the motor parts claimed the Houston and New York motor parts came from new engines. They correctly identified other motor parts from the oganic oiled motors. So, for what that was worth, that was an interesting commercial of the time.
Well, anyway...... I have gone about 15 thousand between changes for years, even in our dusty area and put high miles on my vehicles. One car we have has 240,000 miles on it. It is a 1985 Olds Calais with a supposedly problematic Quad 4 and we haven't had a motor failure, oil-burning, bad anything at all, yet.
The motor has not been broken down and the only work done has been to replace belts and hoses, an alternator, a starter. Don't even want to think about the water pump.
Anyway, my point is that Mobil 1 has been in that car since about 6,000 miles.
Yesterday and again today after driving the car for a few miles and parking it for 45 minutes, it hesitated after starting and attempting to accelerate.
I called GM at their 800 number. The person I spoke to called the local Chevrolet service department. The service department now wants the car. They want to drive it until they can duplicate the problem. This could be a day, a week or two, or maybe never.
I was advised that I could rent a vehicle at my own expense. If they find and repair my cars hesitation problem, they will reimburse me for the rental.
I think the impala is a great car even after all that I have gone through. I really expected that buying this car would be a pleasure and I could sit back and relax with a new car. This sure has been a problem car for me.
That seems to be an across the board problem on a very limited number of many GM cars.
Remember all the Ford Tempos that were stalling in the 1980s?
While it appears to be that your service dept has done everything they possibly can to stop the dangerous engine hesitation, I seems that you have already hit a stone wall and the problem in your car has gone beyond the scope of the abilities of the techs.
The time for you has come to get rid of the car...GM has to step up to the plate and do a re-purchase or replacement for a new Impala..period. Engine hesitations are safety related items and under a Lemon Law case it provides enough leverage for the consumer to have the car taken back to its maker.
You said it right....you paid a lot of $$$$ for a new car to enjoy the peace of mind and reliabity that comes with it. Sorry to say but your car hasn't provided you with the safety and peace of mind of a high ticket item. Why you have to put up with non-sense as to changing a zillion parts, put recorders, exposing yourself and others to trouble out in the road??? The car is DEFECTIVE and must be returned.
If you really like the Impala, then concentrate all your efforts beginning with the dealer's service manager to have GM do a trade-buyback for a new 2001 Impala...its the right to do.
I had a new 1988 Ford Tempo GL with a dangerous stalling/hesitation condition which was the benchmark of the old Ford 2.3L 4cyl engine. The dealer changed the EGR valve and other parts including the computer...nothing cured it. Every time I picked up the car from the dealer it was in worst condition than when I had brought it in. In the end, the service manager showed me a computer printout from Ford stating that my car was not fixable by any means and it basically was a Lemon....the next day I got rid of the turkey and got myself a new '90 Honda Accord.
No one has to put up with substandard products.
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I have been in Texas and Atlanta since the 28th and I was only able to check in once during the whole trip. Rented a Kia Sportage and a Dodge Stratus. Blech. The Kia was a brand new car (500 miles) and it was really bad. The "power/economy" button would stick in the dash and didn't seem to make any changes at all. The seats were pretty bad also. It was pretty funny. My wife, who thinks I am obsessed with my car, kept saying, "I really miss your car." The Stratus was ok as a rental, but after the Impala, I couldn't see why anyone would want to buy one.
I did see a lot of Impalas during my trip. And it seems that the 2001 LS without the spoiler is a popular option in Atlanta. Then again, it could be rentals (base Impalas with OnStar). I had considered renting an Impala, but they wanted too much $$. Saw a Impala cab, but it drove off by the time I got my camera out.
I went to every electronics store, car stereo shop, and car parts store looking for a plug that would fit the amp in the trunk. No luck. SOMEONE has got to have this plug...
My name is Tim.
I'm the current owner of an 89 Ford Crown Vic which I've had for 10 years. I like the car a lot(ride, comfort, etc.) but its due to be replaced. Since I live in the snow belt I've all but ruled out another rear wheel drive car. I narrowed my choices down to the Buck LeSabre or the Impala. The problem is that I cannot afford more than 25000----& a fully loaded Buck would cost close to 28000. SO--I decided to order a loaded 2001 Impala---but then I logged onto this forum & started reading the messages & by the time I got 1/2 the way through I was beginning to think to I'd be nuts to ask for trouble(engine mounts, steering shaft, radio, compressor, etc.) Especially since I haven't had any major problems with the Ford in 10 years. Maybe I was just lucky!!!!!!! I've driven all three of my possible choices & like the feel, visibility, & performance of the Impala the best.
Well---I don't want to start rambling but would appreciate any thoughts because this is an extremely important decision for me since I'm 55 yr old & this will be only 2nd new car.
Thanks
Nearly anywhere I go on the net I see folks discussing problems with their possessions. Many are just trying to get them fixed right. Thus you don't see many satisfied owners writing that thier purchases are perfect. I have watched this site closely because I own a '01 Impala LS and want it to be a great car forever. I have not experienced any problems with mine so far that are what I consider serious. The radio isn't great and I have a light rattle inside that I intend to locate and eliminate. Performance of the engine/transmission/driveline/suspension/etc has been absolutely brilliant.
The vast majority of problems seem to be with 2000 models and are noted to have been fixed for '01. Mine certainly is right.
I also believe that ANY new car purchase is a crap shoot, so to speak. In fact, one could say that a well-kept car with 100,000 miles on it is nothing less than a new one with every problem finally fixed. And a lot cheaper.
So if a new car is what you want, I don't think you can find a better value than the Impala. I'm so proud of mine I'm about to burst.
Comfort. One of the "joys" of hitting the half-century mark is lower back pain. I am fortunate in not having it to any great extent and do not need it. But it does afflict a very significant percentage of the population. I chose the Base model for cost reasons but insisted on bucket seats with power on the driver's side. It is infinitely adjustable and very comfortable. No problem with leg room at all. Not to harp on the Saturn SL2 but it is confining.
Styling. The Impala is a wee bit bizarre but it has a certain aggressive look to it. It appeals to me. It is a deceiving design as it is listed as a mid-size. And it looks that way to a certain extent. But my neighbour has a Pontiac Bonneville SSE and the Impala seems to be much larger. Could be simply that large rump and huge trunk.
Safety. Crash-testing on the Impala shows very strong results. I do not know how effective the driver's side airbag might be but it seems like good insurance. The body appears very well put together and solid on the road. Inspires confidence in the integrity of the vehicle. Others hace noted tire noise and rattles from the shifter console, etc but that is really trivial in my opinion. I do not have traction-assist but even with the terrible winter that we have just experienced, the Impala was just fine. No problem with snow and ice and the heater and defrosting systems were impeccable. The 16" wheels and four-wheel disc brakes are nice features and the brakes are very robust.
Performance. The Base 3.4L is more than adequate for my purposes of getting to work and hauling two passengers. On the few occasions I have had to hit the throttle hard, the vehicle moves very nicely. I should say that I did not view the Impala as a "performance" car when I purchased it. That was not a criterion. I have a Corvette for making time down the road quickly. I was looking for dependable, daily transportation. For performance, you may wish to go with the 3.8L.
Reliability. The 3.4 and 3.8L engines are dinosaurs in a sense as they retain a push-rod configuration with two valves per cylinder. That, of course, in contrast to other cars producing very much more HP with four valves per cylinder and DOHCs and the like. That to me is a lot of metal flying around looking for a place to break. The GM engines have been around a long time but I like to think that GM has had that time to make them bullet-proof for many trouble-free miles on the road.
Quality control. I have gone through my car from stem-to-stern and all seems well. The galaxy silver metallic paint looks very nice. Interior styling is not fancy but very functional and fit-and-finish looks good.
Problems. You have read of them as you noted. The engine cradle, some runnability matters, etc. Does not surprise me: every manufacturer has their bad moments. But first-year jitters are out of the way. As an aside, most posters in Fora such as this are those with problems. Those who are content with their purchase tend to lurk.
Caveat. I do not work for GM and do not even own shares. But I do truly like my 2001 Impala. I look forward to at least five years of pleasureable motoring in comfort and safety.
Just a few thoughts.....
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/
http://store.yahoo.com/electronman/delwirschem.html
do not know, though, if they are good for your Impala. The Impala/MC harness for CD changer costs $75:
http://store.yahoo.com/electronman/par25del12di.html
Bottom line - no car is perfect. Read any forum on here and you'll find problems. They are a distinct minority of the millions of cars out there.
My experience with the 2000 LS has been very satisfactory. The car is the best long distance runner I've ever owned. Good seats, good visibility, good handling.
Sound insulation could be better and road noise varies by surface with the high traction Eagle GAs. LeSabre is quieter and cushier but visibility is not as good. Also a lot more $$$ - as you know.
My 2000 LS model is 13 months old with 13,000 miles.
No repairs to date other than a new fog light - covered under warranty.
I was the second to try the amp bypass. Sounds fine now at at all volume levels.
Well over 400,000 Impalas and Montes are out there now.
Rent an Impala for a weekend and see what you think for yourself.
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/
I'll look around and see if there are any third-party tests.
Amazing idea?!
I haven't noticed any increase in fuel mileage or other benefits from the switch to synthetic, but cutting my number of oil changes in half is worth the extra cost.
Are you saying theat if we have the AM/FM/CD/CASSETTE Radio, the factory CD Changer will work by pressing the CD button twice, or only the AM/FM/CD deck w/o the tape player?
Also, if we locate the plug/wiring harness to add an aftermarket amp, like the Rockford Fosgate one I already have, what about the speaker levels outs from the deck? They should have made the radio with both line/preamp and speaker level outs like some aftermarket radios.
Is there any good line level converters out there? I was looking at some pro audio line level converter/hum eliminator boxes from EB-tech, pair of 1/4" in/outs, will need two, and kind of expensive, at about $60-80 each. I'm sure there are car audio ones that work as good and are more affordable.
Also, if the front speakers are odd sized, how about removing the whole assembly and keeping them to restore to stock if needed, and having a custom one made to house your choice of 6 1/2" woofers, tweeters, and crossovers?
Again thanks for your awesome work and research on your site.
Also, when I bought my car in April, one of my lady friends gave me a Matchbox Emergency Collection Police Impala(NYPD) for my birthday. I misplaced it, but I know I have it somewhere.
JACOB
I don't know too many factory head units that have line level outputs. If the trunk amp was truly an amplifier, then the signal coming from the radio should have been line level. I imagine that the signal going to the "premium" amp is speaker level. They sell auto speaker level to line level converters. Crutchfield (my favorite on-line electronics source) sells one for $29.99 and it does left/right so you only need one. Some amps have them built in. I don't know how good the converters are, but I agree it would have been better if we had line level to work with.
I don't know about the speakers being odd sized. I pulled the grill off one a while ago and took a photo of it. I didn't think it was too off sized. Crutchfield has added the 2000 Impala to their on-line database and the 2001 is in their catalogue. According to the on-line database, there are a couple of speakers that will install into the 2000 door panels with no modification and quite a few that require only minor tweeking.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=567224029&r=0&t=0
I agree that buying a new car is one of the most
important and costly purchases that a person can make, usually second only to buying a home. Recently, I had to do it TWICE within a month and a half in order to replace my old '88 and '89 Taurus' with safer cars (air bags, etc.)
After much research and test driving, I ended up buying a 2001 Camry LE for myself and an Impala LS for my wife. I have driven them both enough to draw some good comparisons and the Impala leaves the "best selling car in America" in the dust in every category. Although it cost a couple of thousand $ more, the Impala is a much better value. It is far superior in power (Camry is a 4 cylinder), ride, handling, standard equipment, brakes (terrific), comfort, smoothness of transmission, and style.
Believe it or not, The Impala gets better gas mileage than the Camry, even though it is a more powerful and heavier car.
So far there have been absolutely no problems with either vehicle with 2900 miles on the Impala and 1250 on the Camry.
So why didn't I just buy two Impalas? The Camry has a legeondary reputation for reliability and I had a lot of problems with the Taurus'. The Impala Is only in its second model year and there are the problems that we all know about,so I did not want to chance having TWO troublesome cars gain.
If you do buy an Impala, you might want to do as I did and buy an extended warranty to give you some peace of mind. I got a 7 year, 84,000 mile warranty with no deductable for $899 (1source).
It is their best Bumper to bumper plan.
So far, I am extremely pleased with our Impala and hope that reliability will be another of its great qualities.
Good Luck on whatever decision that you make.
In reality, this is a multi-faceted overall question that involves personal preferences, philosophies, and financial situations. Personally, I handle it this way:
1. If I think the car will require more maintenance cost than the warranty costs, I don't think I would buy the car because I'm not confident enough in it.
2. If I like the car but simply can't afford to have more than a fixed amount of maintenance cost, I might consider buying the plan to put a cap on my losses if something unfortunate should happen. However, in this case I ask myself if I can afford a new car in the first place.
3. Overall, extended warranties are a money-making business for those who sell them. So, odds are it's not a good deal for me.
4. I do 90% of the work that gets done on my cars, so my monetary cost for maintenance items is the retail price of parts. Due to this issue, I'd actually rather have them knock a couple grand off the initial price and give me NO warranty. I'd usually make money on that deal. I also realize that I'm fairly unusual in this aspect so this is often not a valid point.
5. With proper care and maintenance, MOST cars don't have major problems soon after 36,000 miles if they've had no problems during the first 36,000. That is, folks usually know if they have a lemon before the standard warranty is over with. In that case, I'd probably dump the heap soon after 36,000 miles, get a decent trade-in value, and chalk it up to experience.
That's my two cents worth...
I wonder why GM didn't offer a cd changer in their option list!! I would've bought it directly from them, and save myself the hassle from going to shop around for the changer!
I agree that Chevy should have offered that as an option. I would have had them install it right off the bat. Because the harness was not available on the LS with the cd/tape head unit, I just assumed that a changer was not possible with that configuration. =P
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/