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There's a rather complicated latching mechanism that's attached to the deck lid, which incorporates not only the latch itself and the servo that releases it, but also the emergency trunk escape handle and a switch that controls the trunk interior light. Mounted to the car is the hook that the latch latches onto. To the port side of the hook (port being left as you're facing forward, sometimes referred to as the driver's side), there's a spring loaded "pushing" mechanism that applies upward pressure on the latch. When the deck is closed, the pusher is depressed. The moment the latch unlatches, the pressure applied by the pusher forces the lid open. The pusher has a travel distance of about an inch, which results in the latch (and the deck lid) being pushed up about the same distance.
In my case, the lid opens about 3/4 of an inch, leaving the deck and latch resting on the pusher with the pusher still depressed a little. If the spring beneath the pusher were a bit stronger, it would lift the trunk the full inch, and possibly impart enough momentum to cause the lid to open.
I believe that the intent behind the design is to open the lid somewhere less than 1". (The Blues just scored! Yahoo! 1-1!) I don't see anything in the trunk that is adjustable, and I also don't see anything that would imply that it should be opening more than it is.
So, if YOUR trunk is opening 1/4 of the way, yours is probably malfunctioning. *BUT* since it's malfunctioning in a manner that you happen to prefer, count yourself fortunate!
Funny thing, out here, we pump our own gas. No such thing as "full service". Recently I was gasing up and couldn't put the pump on continuous flow...the "catcher" was missing. When I inquired about this the cashier said they were ALL removed. A notice was put up in the station. I believe this was always a hazard, but recently, news is, with newer cars, there appears to be more static, for whatever reason, and they do not want you putting the pump on "auto-pump" on a cold winters day, with the car running, and jumping back into a nice heated car, producing a nice little spark while the gas is pumping, and blowing the station up. At first it sounded like a bit much (seeing how I was freezing that day and did plan on jumping back in), but for those of you who noticed the powerful zap we get, it sure makes sense. Imagine Impalas at every pump, gas flowing, and all that static charge !
Switching cell phones off at a filling station is also a good idea.
I went flying with a friend, flew into the local county airport, and noticed he had to ground his plane before re fueling. He explained the static charge to me and the potential for a nasty explosion. The same goes for the gas pumps.
For the record, I typed in "static charge at the gas pumps" on google, my favorite search engine, and this is some of what I came up with.
http://kc.fhdev.com/pump safety/
http://www.esdjournal.com/static/explode/flames.htm
http://www.newstribune.com/stories/021401/doc_0214010064.asp
I'm even pleasantly surprised with the stereo. I had an Alpine system in my Lumina and the Impala system is much closer in sound quality to the Alpine than I anticipated. I still think I'll upgrade the speakers at some point, but I'm not worried about the head unit or amp any more. First song was Safety Dance by Men Without Hats.
We have named our new car "Hooloo". Short for "hooloovoo" (a superintelligent shade of the colour blue) from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This is our little tribute to Adams who died on Friday at 49 from a heart attack.
I think I'll just stand out front of my house for the rest of the week and soak up all the complements on my new wheels!
Brad
Another nice feature: You cant grind the starter if the car is already running and you try to start it up again (accidently of course)
I also like the leather for the absence of static that one gets when simply operating the car with cloth seats... the static electricity is just a fact of life. BUT, I had a souped up '84 Monte Carlo a while ago that shocked the hell out of me EVERY time I touched it. Turned out to be BAD GROUNDS from a stereo system.
The Impala LS' 3.8 is SMOOOTH. My girlfriend was commenting on that she would have a hard time noticing if it was running or not. Gotta love the anti-restart feature!
Take care!
RR
How does that work?
Thanks!
RR
http://luminasupercharged.com/
I imagine the same thing could be done with the new Impala (aftermarket), but you'd have to replace standard 4T65E tranny with the heavier-duty one. Chevy should take notice of this.
My lid only opens slightly - which is fine - and then I simply use the BIG handle to raise it up completely. The BIG handle is also helpful in closing.
use static discharge plates in front of elevators to discharge the static built up while walking on the carpets. Well how about you engineers and electricians?
Living in Southern CA, we get seasonal Santa Ana wind. Everything is so dry during this season.
When exiting the vehicle, I use my knuckles and forcefully tap the door frame. It's less painful then having your fingers get zapped.
The drier the weather, the better the shock.
This weekend I polished all the exterior lights and front grille with Meguier's #10 Plastic Polish. Looks fantastic!
Picked up my car yesterday. It had been in the shop for the "clunking" noise and front brakes pads repair. Anyway, it's running fine. Apparently, the service dept. found that the intermediate steering shaft was too tight and causing noise. Therefore, they removed old steering intermediate shaft and ordered a new one and replaced it. They also inspected and tightened the cradle bolts. When I drove the car, I got a much better feel in the steering wheel, especially when making turns. No more noise! They also discovered a loose track under the driver seat. The part was ordered and I'm waiting for it to come in. I'm very pleased with the service I'm getting. If any of you are in the Los Angeles airport area, the dealer name is Champion Chevrolet, in Manhattan Beach and the service manager name is Murray Mead.
Changing the topic...
When I was transferring a few items from my trade in to the LS, I noticed that there's no seatback pocket behind the driver's seat, even though the passenger seat has one. I wasn't expecting that. Is that the way *all* of the Impalas come, or only the LS model, or only vehicles with leather or buckets?
Build date: Jan 2000.
Apparently it's been changed to one pocket for 2001. Interesting change indeed, wonder why they did that.
Thanks everyone for the help I received on cars!
Dura, wonder what a wrecking yard might charge for an new style amp from a 2001 that might be on their lot? Just wondering in case we can't get anything from GM
That's my plan.
RR
re Back seat pockets: I have two in my Impala LS (built Jan. 2000). I've discovered that the back seat pockets really come in handy, especially when my granddaughter is in the car.
Car paints are typically two part systems, similar in nature to epoxy. You mix the paint and the catalyst together, then you add reducer to adjust the viscosity, and spray. The coating cures as the paint and catalyst react. The paint doesn't really dry. When we talk about paint "drying," that's usually referring to some sort of evaporation taking place. FYI, there is a "thinner" for car paint. However it is different from the "reducer" I mentioned above. You use reducer to "thin" the paint (make it more "watery" or less viscous) and you use thinner to clean the equipment. Once this type of paint cures, the only thing that will take it off is mechanical means (sanding) or paint stripper (VERY reactive).
Touch up paint is solvent based and it cures through evaporation so it does "dry." Touch up paint is usually a lacquer paint. Pretty much all consumer paint is solvent based (cans, bottles, spray cans). This type of paint can be removed by applying the solvent to the cured paint.
So if you apply a solvent based paint (touch-up paint) on top of a two part system (factory paint), you can remove that paint with the right solvent without affecting the one below. Langka takes advantage of this property. I am assuming it is a combination of a weak paint solvent and a light buffing compound. If you clean the surface first (removing dirt and grit which would scratch the factory paint), use a soft cotton cloth, and use a light touch, Langka will not damage the clear coat. Word of warning, some paint thinners WILL damage the factory clear coat!
By the way, this is how those infomercials for paint sealants and cleaners work. They apply the sealant then spray the car with can spray paint. Then they wipe the cleaner over the sprayed area and the paint is removed leaving the factory paint untouched while everyone ooh's and ahhh's
Congrats to you new 2001 owners - they are a gorgeous car and deserve every admiring glance that comes their way. Also reflects well on the wise purchase of the owner! May your many miles of ownership be as exciting as these first heady days!
Teo - welcome back buddy - glad to hear about the SLE highlight of your trip (lol)! My wife and I can vouch for your report on London - fantastic city - can't wait to go back - but remember to look left. Oh - and remember to "Mind the gap please!!"
I'm holed up in PA for a few days on business - usual monthly tip. Stopped by one of three local Chevy dealers yesterday to check out his Impala inventory - everything is marked down approx $2200. Impala LS sith cloth and CD lists $24K, marked to $21.8K - seems to be going rate. I saw similar mark downs on 2001 models at another Chevy dealer up the street last Nov. I should think further mark downs ought to be coming for end of model year. That Navy Blue with neutral leather caught my eye - it really is my favorite.
Best Impala wishes to all
Ken
Unfortunately I had no Impala sightings while in Europe but I did see some 'American' GM products with the 3800 V6 in them such as a Buick Regal GS and Pontiac Transport Minivan (In Switzerland) and a few other cars in Germany and the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, Chevy full size pickups seem to be somewhat popular.
Ken
Don't get me wrong. I love getting all the good informaton concerning Impalas. This is the absolute best resource for information, but enough is enough already.
There are a few problems, as with every car. For the Impala, the problems are relatively few and quite minor. Overall folks love their Impalas and recommend them to people they like.
I love mine like no other thing, and I love to show it to people, whether they want to see it or not. I'm sure most on this forum would concur.
Got a big lightning storm rolling in, so I'm gonna get off my machine and unplug it...
Highest volume is Chrysler 300M, follow by Impala, then Mercedes C class.
Lets be #1 again!!
On the trip to the river the Impala ran as smooth as cream on the interstate, and the blacktop was even smoother. Then we came to a construction zone of 8-10 miles where the top of the old surface of the road had been cut down a few inches by a machine that leaves a rough washboard surface in preperation for the new blacktop. You run into these places everywhere during the summer months. All of a sudden the tire noise was being magnified into the cabin to a level that was almost unbearable. You could not talk unless you yelled to each other. My buick didnt do that and my 01 tracker doesnt either. I cant remember the 98 MontyCarlo being that noisy. If I dropped the speed down to about 20-25 mph you could talk without yelling. I noticed a little of this when test driving the 01 Monty and 01 Impala at the dealers, but didnt think much of it at the time. I wonder whats causing the magnification?
Nick
The safety feature probably can be really useful when riding in wilderness. And it would be nice to have the premium service when renting a car in unfamiliar city.
Do not see, though, how the OnStar can be useful for the majority of drivers. The majority who live in densely populated suburbs, and are driving mostly on the same roads, where we know every manhole and every pothole...
Additionally, I feel uncomfortable to be bugged. To know that anybody, would it be GM or other, have all technical possibilities to monitor, without my consent, where I drive, and to listen to every sound in my car. I would prefer to limit this to law enforcement, and only if they received a warrant.
I believe than the OnStar will flop economically, and GM will stop bundling it in 2003-2004 or so. Just in time when I will buy my next car.
However, I can be wrong. I was skeptical concerning the auto-dimming mirror, and the heated seats. Now I like the mirror so much that am almost ready to buy an aftermarket one for my other car. And the seats are nice to have.
It is interesting, how many people did like the OnStar bundled with a new car so much that want to pay $200 for the basic service the next year? And what about paying $400 for the premium service?
You could always do like the former mayor of Scottsdale AZ....... she would call 911 when she was lost in the city that she was mayor of !!! Boy did that generate interesting print in the newspapers.
I must admit last year when I locked my keys in my 2k Silverado that OnStar would have been nice. But I would bet my bottom dallor that I would not have had the OnStar phone number on my person to call them to unlock the doors...
Tony
Also, if you get lost in an unfamiliar area (Specially at night)OnStar can provide accurate directions and bring the passengers to safety. In a way I much prefer the 'Oral' directions rather than the GPS Windows CE screens found on some Luxury sedans that certainly look cool but add an element of distraction when behind the wheel.
Also, the ability to store critical medical data is equally valuable and provides an added sense of safety.
The other two aspects of OnStar that I really like is the Satellite signal lockout protection and the ability to hook up to the car's computer for diagnostics while the car is still beign driven or 'On the Fly'.
Stolen vehicle tracking capabilities are another added plus in my book.
Think of Onstar as a very fancy interactive cellular phone device attached to your rearview mirror. The $199 a year or $16.95 per month premium for the basic 'Safety' package plan in my opinion is a bargain. On my cellular phone I can easily rack up monthly bills in the range of $60 to $80 per month just for outgoing and incoming calls...suddenly $16.95 doesn't seem that bad considering the added benefits of OnStar.
Privacy issues? Well unfortunately that's the price to pay in the age of information. Don't get me wrong, I am a privacy advocate myself, but reality is that the minute we accepted to connect to the world wide web, send messages, E-mails, purchase items, look up the news, etc, etc we have made our so precious privacy more vulnerable to others. Ditto with the use of credit cards. We are still at the infancy of the information age in terms of security of confidential data handling.
I personally don't feel like GM is 'spying' on me at all times. I actually feel quite comfortable knowing that help is just pressing a button away. That's my perception, that's all.
I doubt that GM will discontinue OnStar at all in the near future. For instance, Lexus will be offering it (Under a different trademark name than OnStar)on their upcoming luxury models. Toyota/Lexus has signed a contract with GM to get these OnStar units in their new models. Another player interested in offering OnStar will be Audi.
If OnStar gains popularity among GM vehicle owners and Lexus and Audi owners alike, I can say that GM has hit a homerun with the system.
I also believe that OnStar should be available on rental and fleet vehicles setup with special commercial accounts. Tourists driving around Miami could really benefit of having OnStar equipped vehicles, thus reducing their chances or entering bad neighboorhoods or receiving quick assistance when needed the most.
Anyway, I think OnStar is simply a natural progression with technology and automobiles. Features that OnStar offers have been around in one shape or form for some time, it is just that OnStar has bought it's way into the mainstream auto market. IMO all new autos should come with a system that at least 'beakons' when troule arises or say when the air bags deploy.
Granted, I haven't really read up on the OnStar feature yet. Too busy admiring the vehicle.
RR
RR
Anybody notice anything like that? The DIC reported a 88 MI range and that I was averaging 25.8 MPG.
I was not on any incline while stopped so what could this mean?
Thanks,
RR
It sure makes a big difference..or maybe it is just all in my head!
In regards to the amp in the trunk, how would you guys convince the service manager or GM to replace it free of charge??
I have the CD/Cassette combo, and maybe that is why my sound is not that good?
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2001/chevrolet/impala/ls4drsedan38l6cyl4a/overview.html?id=lin0006
Perhaps, Teo, Kenbuzz, Roadracer, and others who recently bought 2001 Impala LS, should provide their testimony on the quality of the Impala. This will give good "word of mouth" for those who aren't too sure about buying 2001 Impala.
This site was a BIG factor for me while I was shopping around a couple of months ago. The best resource is the test drive and other owners that "have been there and done that".
Ya know, I was really close to buying a GTP and what turned me away was the LACK of discussion and the blatent ignoring of my posts. I figured that if owners aren't willing to help prospective buyers, then the car really isn't (and I use this word loosely) great. And franky I didn't want to own a car that had a following like that of the GTP - no offense to Pontiac GP owners.
I think the owners' behavior reflect directly on the car.
Now I am an exrtemely happy Impala owner. It fits my style perfectly...
RR