2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

tpken

Haven't heard anything about a 2001 Impala yet - unless I've missed it here - is it in your driveway?

Ken

jons01

My wife also has a 2001 Impala LS (sand drift) and we feel the same as you do about the geat features and quality of this car. One day, on her way to work she stopped at at an intersection and the tire monitor alarm sounded and message appeared on the dash. Fortunately, there was a service station right there and she was able to pull in before the tire went completly flat. Some how she picked up a nail.

Without the monitor , she most likely would have had the tire go flat miles from any help and ruined the tire by driving it flat. This is a very practical feature and worked just as intended.

Our impala now has 3,746 miles on it and has been absolutely flawless. Great gas mileage, too!

Good luck with yours.

impalaboy2001

Since I installed the K&N filter for my 2001 Impala LS I've noticed a difference of about 3mpg less then usual. Has anyone else notice the same thing? Also, on the dual exhaust, which company do u recommend, I dont want it to be very loud, just right :-)

hvan3

K&N Filters are made to "whistle" This is the sound of air sucking into the filter. If you have k&N filter with new headers and new exhaust system, you can literally hear the air flow from front to end.

bdime

I took in my kids SUV today for some work and I couldn't believe how fast I've been accustomed to my Impala! Her's needs brakes but the Impala is easier to turn, park, accelerates better, brakes better (even after the new brakes), and the height difference no longer makes me feel I have a better view (from the SUV) It's amazing how fast you adapt and how great this car is for me! Just thought I'd rant a bit- read my dealer comments on the dealer and service string.

platour

The Middle East enjoys them: a Caprice with a Corvette engine. Imagine 325hp in a four-door sedan......Check the SS version.

http://www.gmme.com/chevrolet_cars/caprice/CAPRICE.HTM

rmartin3

Teo, I have a 3.8 LS Carmine Red, built 2/00. In my disgust, I may have overracted. The popping is there, but I would guess only 25% as bad as previously. Instead of a rapid succession of pops while turning at a slow speed, there is one or two. I believe the TSB called for a huge smathering of grease to be applied...I wonder if re-greasing will be a fact of life, or one or two shims have worked themselves loose, or if the fix is just a band-aid that will never do the trick. Oh well....I can live with the one pop...I have been reading this forum since I bought the car in 8/00...I may be going out on a limb, but if the shims prevent the flexing of the cradle where the "missing" welds are, I wonder if over time, the flexing of a soft metal like aluminum will matter anyway (structurally speaking)

teo

That "Middle Eastern" V8 Caprice was not developed at all in North America as it was sourced straight from GM's European division Adam Opel AG. If you look closely, that Caprice is a stretch wheelbase version of the Cadillac Catera (A.k.a. Opel Omega). The Opel Omega platform has been used in a wide selection of overseas variants such as the Holden Commodore SS the Holden and Chevy Caprice/Statesman (Australia/Middle East) the Opel Omega and the South African market Chevy Lumina SS V8 RWD, 6-speed manual, etc (Which is a rebadged Holden Commodore SS).

The Opel Omega has been an excellent car in other global markets. Unfortunately, due to the hefty mistakes GM North America made when they brought the Opel Omega to "Americanize it" and turn it into the Cadillac Catera. The Catera exhibited dismal relibility during the '97 and '98 model years not because it was a bad car in principle, rather GM cut a lot of corners in the process of tuning the car to regular Cadillac customer tastes and these backedfired greatly, diminishing the reputation and value of the Catera as a worthy European GM alternative in the marketplace.

My service manager (Which worked for cadillac for 35 years) tells me that GM in north America only invested less than 1 YEAR to bring the Omega based Catera to market and most components were not TESTED PROPERLY, hence all the reliability problems the guinea pig owners of the first cateras had. The '00 and '01 cateras are excellent machines but already tarnished in the reputation dept in the minds of customers. The 2003 CTS will replace the German built Catera next year.

The Opel Omega/Holden Commodore are sold with a choice of V6 and V8 engines, RWD and auto and manual 6-speed transmissions overseas. The other big mistake GM made was to fit the current Catera with an underpowered V6 when it should have had a V8 powerplant to begin with.`

GM North America is a strong case of misguided management, that's for sure....

mediumfry

I took my car to another local dealer's service center on Monday. I had 4 issues: Roof trim peeling, click/pop/looseness up front, brakes fading when wet, and radio amp.

I found my future service center. Very courteous, careful, and timely. I'll try to keep it short:

Radio: They found the new part number to be "not available" as expected. They did say, however, that if it became available they'd put one in for me. Complete diagnostic of existing system came out OK as expected.

Front end problems: I got the shim kit. ISS didn't end up being the problem so far. Shim kit worked great for a day and now it's back on its way to the clicking/rattling. I wasn't satisfied with the fix but they referred to the TSB and everything. All I can really expect for round one.

Roof trim: Peeled back, repositioned, and glued down. Looks better now.

Brakes: found them to be 'heavily glazed'. They resurfaced the brakes and they work MUCH better. Don't know what caused the glazing though and have asked how to prevent it.

All in all a good service call. I'll probably take it in next week for a new engine cradle and see if that tightens things up more permanently up front. Don't know on the ISS...it was good for a day without a new one...

cookie01

I called to make the appointment for my 15,000 checkup and requested they order the liners for TBS 00-08-111-004 .... Of course, the guy had NO IDEA what I was talking about. If this town hall is good for nothing else, it's an excellent way to make oneself a more informed consumer.

The guy even said...."uh... did you get that off the internet?" I have to wonder if shop guys hate the internet. Here we have a resource that in effect makes us SMARTER than themany of the folks that work on our cars. It has to tick them off a bit... how many people would be going around with ticks, and pops and rocks in their rotting wheel wells and totally clueless? Probably many... but we are lucky, we're INFORMED!

Thanks everyone, and especially Jason whose web site is so helpful...You guys rock!

platour

That was very informative. Thank you. I am not a Cadillac person and did not know the Catera had reliability problems. I do know the Saturn LS Series has been a real bust for them and the same 3.0L V6 (detuned) as in the Catera appears in their upscale model. But again I am not aware of problems with that engine. Saturn just designed an ugly car. That is why I now drive an Impala after six years with Saturn.

But back to the V8. I do not see any reliability concerns there. The V8 is the 5.7L LS1 (detuned to 325hp) which sits in the Corvette. It may be a CAFE thing but I suspect that GM is missing an enormous opportunity here. That is an automobile that North Americans would line up to buy.

platour

LOL! When I purchased my Impala last December, I had done my homework on the GM Canada web site (build your own Impala), added all the bells-and-whistles to the Base model that I wanted, had the electronic window sticker printed out with MRSP, located the unit with the specs (and VIN) and went to the dealer. A very reputable local dealer my Family has dealt with before. I simply said to the Saleperson that I wished to see that unit, which you have in stock. He was taken aback but verified that the unit was on the lot. Only Base with buckets and console among about 40 Impalas. After trudging through knee-deep snow in 0 degree F for several minutes we found it. It was what I wanted and after some dickering I bought it. I had dealer margins from the internet to work with during that process. Those are not perfect but they do give you an idea of the % mark-up. I still had to go through the "Let me check with the Manager on your offer" routine but as I get older that has become less annoying. The Sales person was not terribly internet savvy so he was somewhat overwhelmed by the whole process. I was happy with my deal. And that is what counts ultimately. A little knowledge can be a formidable weapon.

kenbuzz

I want to thank everybody on the boards here. Your enthusiasm for the Impala, plus your honesty about some of the (few) things that people aren't that jazzed about, had convinced me that this was the right car for me.

So I just placed my factory order today. It'll be one of the last 2001s made before Oshawa shuts down to retool for 2K2. For those keeping score, the car I ordered was optioned-out to the gills. I got EVERYTHING except for the Engine Block heater. The break out is as follows:

Impala LS
1SB Option Package
UP0 Radio/CD Upgrade
__3 Leather Buckets
W01 Seating Convenience Pkg
CF5 Power Sunroof

Exterior: Sandrift Metallic Interior: Natural

This beauty tipped the scales at $26,419 (MSRP), which I scored for $23,039 using my step-brother's discount (he works at a GM plant in Dayton). We negotiated a fair trade-in price for my '95 Grand Prix (100K+ miles), so I didn't need to go shopping around at other Chevy dealers.

I am psyched, and I owe this all to all of you. Thanks!

-Ken of the Antarctic

mediumfry

Gee whiz, only 6 posts today. I'll get another thread started.

How do y'all like the armrests on the doors? Mine are way too hard. Any ideas how to tastefully attach a "mousepad" type something to soften it up a litte?

I still love that car. After fixing the B pillar buzz I'm back to my full blown fever pitch. Best car I've ever driven.

kenbuzz

I don't know if the formulae that GM use to calculate MSRP-to-Invoice pricing is the same in Canada as down here, but here's how it works in the states:

Base Invoice = Base MSRP x 0.915
Options Invoice = Options MSRP x 0.89
Destination is Destination
Holdback = 3% of MSRP Total
Co-op Advertisement Fee = 1.5% of Base MSRP (this can vary by region, but GM caps it at 2.5%)

The total Invoice price is the sum of the Base and Options Invoice prices, plus Destination, plus Co-op Advert Fee. For example, if one were to order a base model Impala with Option Group 1 (1SB) and a Sunroof (CF5), the pricing might look like this: (all prices in US$)

MSRP:
Impala: 19149
1SB: 776
CF5: 795
Options: 1571
Total: 20720
Destination: 610
Sticker Price: 21330

INVOICE:
Impala: 17521.34
1SB: 690.64
CF5: 707.55
Options: 1398.19
Total: 18919.53
Destination: 610
Co-op Advert Fee: 287.24
Invoice Total: 19816.77

The "holdback" (in this case, 621.60) is an amount priced into the car that the dealer makes on the deal, not counting any other incentives or volume "attaboys" they may get for moving certain units in a certain month. Most dealers will tell you that holdback is non-negotiable, but experience should tell you that EVERYTHING is negotiable. Generally, I deduct holdback from the Invoice total and start from there when negotiating. For this car, that price is $19,195.17

Hope this helps somewhat.

stnel

I guess you could try driving with both hands on the steering wheel. (Just kidding - you said it was a slow night!)

yurakm

Holdback is for compensate dealer for car sitting at his lot. With special-order from factory, it have to be negotiable.

Engine block heater, while useless in MD, would be very nice in Antarctic :-)

cookie01

My former vehicle... (Dodge Stratus) has NO CENTER ARM REST... only the one on the door, which was fine I guess... I don't really remember. But I do remember that NO rest to your right is terrible. Ugg, that car...

In my Impala (with 60/40seats) the center rest is a dream. Moves out of the way if someone needs to sit there... is WAY wide enough for both my hubby and I to use at the same time. Between a nice wide center rest and dual climate control, this car is virtually impossible to argue in...(the radio, however, is MINE! unless the 6-year-old objects...hehehehe)

cookie01

just for laughs, I want to see how many flags they've got!

cookie01

teo

If you get an Impala LS with the AM/FM Stereo RDS radio and CD player ONLY (No Tape deck), are you still stuck with that useless trunk mounted amp?

bh0001

I ordered my LS without the "premium" speakers, therefore I won't have the doorstop in the trunk. I'll upgrade the speakers on their own.

However, I'm in Canada, and I don't think you have the option to do this in the U.S. On the U.S. GM page it lists the "premium speakers" as part of the bundle with the UNO radio, so I think you have to take the amp.

Very strange.

teo

Yes, it says that you get the 8-speaker system with the AM/FM CD player system. It appears to be that the only way you don't get the 'premium' speakers is to get the basic stereo/cassette combo, which gives much better sound quality but get stuck with the cuaternary era tape deck (I don't use tapes in the car any longer).

This sucks, GM forces the buyer to make compromises...good sound outdated media (tapes) or current media (CD's) but poor sound...

Yeah I know, Bypass here we go again..

mediumfry

Doh! Got me on that one.

Actually I can have both hands on the wheel and both elbows on the armrests at the same time (and rub my belly and tap my head too!) but not exactly at the "10:00 and 2:00" positions like they recommend in driver's ed. I am more cognizant of my hand placement, though, because I like to put one hand at the top of the wheel by itself (and the other one on the shifter since I'm used to driving a stick). Problem is, if the airbag goes off and I have my arm(s) in the way, I figure I'll cold cock myself when the bag blows. That couldn't turn out pretty. SO, I try to keep a better posture.

Anyway, at least I didn't complain that there aren't footrests on the dash for when the cruise is on...

duraflex

They disappeared!

duraflex

Is this a safety issue?

If I think I have it - does it need to be checked/repaired immediately?

How far/long has anyone driven knowing they need the TSB "fix".

teo

The intermediate shaft problem, unfortunately, is a serious safety issue. This part is a critical component of the steering system that if left unattended could lead to other unwanted issues beyond the annoying clunks that can be felt traveling upwards the steering wheel column assembly and downwards the brake pedal.

There are no TSB's or Recall notices to date on this problem. Some dealers are already very familiar with this common 2000 Impala malady and others will be mislead to think that this is another problem related to the engine cradle which obviously is not.

Once the part is ordered and installed (It takes about 2 hours to replace at the dealer) the car regain that nice steering tightness that is known for.

If the service advisor gives you a hard time about making the shaft replacement, get a hold of the 1-800 Chevy customer service number, get a file case number and ask to have your problem referred directly to the dealer's Service Manager for quick and efficient resolution.

Are you experiencing this problem? Take care of it as soon as possible and good luck!

Ken: The whole issue with my trade buyback has been a royal mess and not because of GM but rather due to the incompetence of my dealer's Sales Manager (My Service Manager has been extremely helpful and accomodating throught the whole ordeal).

The whole thing has been delayed beyond reason just because I have had a hard time locating a new '01 Impala LS configured the exact way I like it. These cars are essentially flying out the lots with no incentives whatsoever, so basically it is difficult to get a hold of a particular car or pursue other local dealers to do trades among dealers as they don't want to give up their stock of cars configured (and also colors) that proved to be popular.

About a month ago, more or less, my dealer had a '01 LS Sandrift/Neutral leather with spoiler and premium sound (CD/Tape). It was the only car they had that I really liked. Well, the paper work for the trade buyback was still awating someone to be assigned up in Detroit, so I couldn't take that car right away until GM in detroit had the paper work assigned to a repurchase representative. In the mean time, the inept sales manager went ahead and sold the car that I had picked! (He knew the car was in hold and no longer for sale). After that the guy showed no concern or remorse for having made that mistake and offered to personally try to get me another Impala LS in the same color and with the same options as the one I had originally picked. However, if he had been unsuccessful about getting a dealer trade what made him think that this time around he would be successful in getting the car from another dealer when they are so protective about their own inventory?

Anyway, for about a month, this was the back and forth game. But finally, on tuesday, the GM repurchase representative called me from Detroit (She was very nice by the way) and requested from me a bunch of information regarding my current 2000 Impala including copies of the sales purcahse order, tag, registration, bank lien info, etc. The funny thing (Thank you Lord!) is that that same day I went into www.gmbuypower.com and checked the new inventory of Impala LS cars that my dealer had just received the day before (monday) and there it was...a brand spanking new '01 Impala LS sandrift/Neutral sport cloth seats, AM/FM CD, trip computer and spoiler waiting for me! (Yeah no leather after all but I am happy!)

I immediately got in the phone with my service manager and he confirmed having that car in his lot (GMBuypower is awesome!) and he then sent the new VIN number to GM in Detroit to have them process the paper work with the correct car. I told my service manager to take the keys of that car away from the inept sales manager and to hide it or put a big sign on it reading: 'CAR SOLD!'

So I am happy to report that the Buyback/trade deal is going very well and as per GM Detroit I should be receiving the final settlement check on April 18!. Next Thursday we will be the proud owners of a new 2001 Impala LS with the last six digits of the VIN number 317,xxx probably with a build date of 03/01 or 04/01...yes this car is still hot and fresh from the oven!

Thanks for asking Ken...I'll make sure to post some pics of our new ride in the Club area of the forum!

Can't wait for thursday...what a long wait!.

platour

Does anyone know of a source in Canada (and in $CDN) for embroidered (Impala logo) floor mats?

cookie01

Karen said a bunch of posts from yesterday were lost. Yours are probably among them.

stnel

Actually, I don't drive with both hands on steering wheel either. I usually drive with one hand on top of the steering wheel as well. I don't have airbags in my current car but will watch it when I get a new car. Never thought about hitting myself!

tpken

I'm so glad for you Frank. It's been a long haul for sure. Hope everything works out OK on this deal over the next week.

To Frank and all others - It's Good Friday - God Bless you all on this Easter weekend.

Ken

teo

And of course, happy Impala motoring as well...:)

night_owl1

Has anyone noticed how easy it is for the Impala to move? When I load the trunk, if I move against the car, it seems to want to move forward. I've recently started setting the foot brake whenever I open the trunk. Do you all notice this? Have any of your cars actually moved away from you, enough to really alarm you?

Oh yes, may you all have a Blessed Easter!

sweetpolly

Has anyone noticed how easy it is for the Impala to move? When I load the trunk, if I move against the car, it seems to want to move forward. I've recently started setting the foot brake whenever I open the trunk. Do you all notice this? Have any of your cars actually moved away from you, enough to really alarm you?

teo

Most GM cars seem to have this problem of "rocking" back and forth whenever the emergency brake is left disengaged. I think is got to do with the way the transmission locks the front wheels (Drive wheels) when the shifter is put in 'Park'. I don't know what's the reasoning behind this as the car seems to have more 'slack' than it should when the wheels are locked in Park.

I always apply the emergency foot brake, even on the flattest of surfaces.

This subject has been talked about ad naseum in other GM vehicle owner forums..

hunter39

Yes they are available at Hutton and I believe they were 84.00 american, don't know if she'll ship to Canada but you can call her or drop her an email and find out. I ordered the blue floormats with silver Impala Logo and word for my grey leather interior, I really liked the contrast of color between the two plus they don't show dirt as much.

BTW I'm the test case on the 12 Disc CD changer which has been ordered from Hutton this past week We'll see if it "plugs and Plays"...

pat

Folks, Town Hall had a severe problem last night, and posts made after sometime yesterday morning disappeared in the process of getting TH up and running again. The technical folks have been working all night - and are still working - trying to get them back.

I understand some have already been restored, and more may be coming, but there are no promises at this point.

Please accept our sincerest apologies for this situation and trust that every effort is being made to rectify the problem. Thank you for your patience.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

wyoimp

1. A real full size glove box! At least big enough to handle the Owners manual and the On Star
Book.
2. The same supercharger V-6 as offered in the Regal AS and Bonneville. Someone posted earlier about Oldsmobile having a 260(?)HI V-6. Offer that as an option too.
3. Automatic (with more aggressive shift points) or 6 speed manual
4. Beefier suspension - something closer to the Police Package or similar
5. Complete the "Wood grain" dash and offer an alternate choice of carbon graphics
6. Dual exhausts finished in chrome oval tips, with Flow master mufflers
7. Option for the "Impala" name in brushed chrome or gold, or red
8. Offer Corvette Yellow or Medium Blue Metallic with Black vinyl seats

Did I forget anything?

Dreams are free!

bdime

Hoping the Easter Bunny leaves all us Impalapiles something good in our
baskets (like accessories for the Impala)- or at least something to spiff it up!

fathertyricius

in Arizona. We're pushing 90 in South Louisiana. Didn't seem to have a spring this year. Went straight from winter weather to summer weather. I hope we don't have the same summer we had last year. It seems like the whole country broke record highs!

To all - have a nice Easter weekend!

stnel

in Arizona. We're pushing 90 in South Louisiana. Didn't seem to have a spring this year. Went straight from winter weather to summer weather. I hope we don't have the same summer we had last year. I think the whole country was suffering.

To all - have a nice Easter weekend!

hunter39

Actually many parts of the country were warmer than us last week, we had highs in the mid 60's but that's over now. Today was 86. We are almost 3 inches over our annual rainfall so the wildflowers looked very nice this year ( we only get a bit over 7" a season so that is almost a 50% increase) but we expect the 90's by Easter, steady 100's should follow soon after. We did have a spring this year and it was nice while it lasted.

Since it looked like the rain was done I washed and waxed the Impala in preparation for the hot weather and steam cleaned the above mentioned Impala logo floor mats. I'm also going to order the Impala logo wheel caps for the LS wheels next week. Might be a small addition but I think it will look cool.

Happy Easter Everyone!

00impala

I take it you live in Cincinnati. I've been hearing about that in this news. Hope things smooth over soon.

hunter39 - guess your weather is quickly reaching higher temps than ours. The last few days have been miserable and it's only going to get hotter!

stnel

I take it you live in Cincinnati. I've been hearing about that in this news. Hope things smooth over soon.

hunter39 - guess your weather quickly reaching higher temps than ours.

platour

Yes, they have them for $177.00. Not with Impala embroidered (:. Too much for me. I was looking for a quality aftermarket set. In any case, have a nice Easter Weekend! I have been working on my income tax preparation all day but that that will not spoil the family get-togethers!

indecisive4

Drove my Honda Accord 160,000 miles. Now driving my Prism 85,000 miles. Thinking of buying a 2001 Impala LS...is it reliable for this length of ownership?

hunter39

Did you try Hutton 's website to see if they'd ship there. They do have the logo mats there, I realize the exchange rate is bad. Gee if I lived closer to Canada I'd be happy to bring a set to you ( I have family there, well in Ontario anyway Hamilton) Can't think of another option that would save you the kind of money we get here in the States, even the exchange rate should be cheaper than 177.00 for the logo mats if you want we can set something up and try to get them to you. Let me know, I'd be happy to help.

platour

Thanks for the kind offer! I am not familiar with Hutton. Is that the Chevrolet Dealer in TN or a floor mat manufacturer?

hunter39

The www.GMGoodwrench.com site has a list of accessories along with the part numbers for the different mats you can get for the Impala. You just need to follow the links and select "Impala" from the menus they have the site. Under custom Imprinted vinyl mats are where you will find the Logo mats. They come with three colors, blue, pewter (grey) and oak (neutral now?) BTW you get all four mats too, not just the fronts for that 84.00 price which I believe was 102.00 retail then the discount they offer. I have it bookmarked but the link is so long I don't know if I can list it here. If you have a problem let me know and I'll try to link it. I thought Don or Night Owl had a link already no? It should show all the accessories available for your Impala some that you didn't even know were available. Hope that helps, again let me know if I can help.

shamino

Has anyone tried those HID look alike replacement bulbs on their impala yet? I've seen those imitation lights on Hondas..and other imports and they look pretty cool. Do you guys think it will look good on the impala?
And to those of you in the Ontario region near Toronto..watch out for undercover Green, and Navy Blue cop cars!! I saw some unexpecting speeders being chased down by a impala the other day! lol..geez, I should've joined the chase!

by the way.. to all you Maple Leafs Fans.. GO LEAFS GO!!!!!!!