2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

teo

I have heard that new US Built cars in Finland are one very expensive commodity. American cars are regarded as status mobiles in your country. How much truth is there to this???

I know that GM in Finland aside from selling Opels does have a separate sales channel for customers interested in GM's US Built models. I am not sure if the Impala is imported into Finland.

I am sure your Impala will be one heck of a beautiful looker in the streets of Helsinki!!!

Wife and I would love to visit the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) someday in the near future. We have traveled mostly throught Western Europe and a bit of Central Europe. I have seen pictures of Helsinki and have always been attracted to the architecture and history. Besides you guys are at the doorstep of Russia! Long days and short nights are another interesting aspect that we haven't been exposed to.

teo

I hope they offer a bulletproof and bombproof package along with the rock deflector for Israel bound Impalas!!!

Hope the peace process materializes this time around...

tpken

anyone actually buying a brand new car in an area that is prone to such violence - particularly aimed at vehicles. The insurance alone must be astronomical if in fact it is available. If I lived there I would not be driving an Impala or one of the many Mercedes Benzes you see everywhere - I'd get something old so as not to be so highly visible.

Glad I live here in the USA. It's nice to visit other parts of the globe - but this is the place to live!

Ken

sim3

Yep, US-built cars are quite a rare commodity in Finland and we owe that to the ridiculous taxing - they're not as much of a status symbol as they used to be, but you definately have to pay a premium if you want an American car in Finland (compared to a similarily equipped European car). Not many american cars are imported to Finland - Impalas definately aren't, and I'm pretty sure they never will be either.

It's funny how people in Europe seem to look up to the American cars and likewise Americans really view Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Saab, BMW and the likes as "luxury" cars. Always have to get what your neighbor has I suppose ;-) Part of it probably stems from what you're used to - in Finland, for example, every single taxi is a relatively high-end Mercedes or something similar, so even if they are wonderful cars, I could never imagine owning one myself. You just see too many.

When you and your wife get to the planning phase, drop me an e-mail and I'll give you some pointers and things to do while in Finland. Just one remark: be sure to travel in the summertime unless you have a weird obsession towards an Arctic climate :-) (And make sure you take a short trip to Russia while you're there, if you're interested. There's a daily train going from Helsinki to St. Petersburg which gets you there conveniently.)

pat

I thought you were working with Karen on this? Isn't she waiting for you to get back to her with a choice of times?

Let me know if you need me to do something else.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

00impala

Do you pick up at the Airport? ha ha Don

ludacris

i dont think ALL European countries look up to American cars. I've read quite a few reviews on American cars that just bash them.

sim3

The reviews also may have nothing to do with the "real life" - let's say you drive a Trans Am to Europe. Even if it's quality is somewhat questionable (from what I know), you're sure to get some very interested people looking at you wherever you drive in Europe.

Of course, on both continents, there are cars that aren't worth looking up to by anyone.

casl

Has anyone had any problems with the tires on the 2k?

I'm getting a vibration when I slow down on the highway or on other roads going 40mph or more - you can see the steering wheel shake if you let go. I had the dealer look at it when they installed the wheel well liners - thinking it may be the brakes. They told me it's caused by the tires since they are slightly cupping. I've got about 32k miles on them and have been faithful to the tire rotation schedule (every 7500 miles). The dealer told me I would have to contact the tire company if I wanted to pursue it.

Any thoughts?

nosirrahg

DIC - Sometimes my mileage hits dead on with my manual calculations, but generally my DIC reads about 1MPG higher than my figures. The outdoor temp guage generally reads higher than what I'll hear on the radio, but I figure since the sensor is hovering about a foot over hot asphalt, it's probably a little warmer there than at the "official" temp station.

Question 1 - My wiper blades now leave a number of lines across my windshield on both sides; looks sort of like you're peering through a clear record album, with lots of grooves arcing across the windshield (technically an album only have ONE groove, but I think you know what I mean). Is there anyway to repair this without replacing the wipers, and if not, is there a better wiper blade to use (or should I just expect this every 20k miles or so)?

Question 2 - I can tell my front rotors (especially the right one) are slightly warped; not that noticeable around town, but it became very apparent on the Orlando trip when hauling the Impala down from cruising speeds in a hurry. Assuming I can get the rotors turned, and assuming I can't be there to observe the reinstallation to be sure they're torqued to the right specs, how long does it take for over-torqued lug nuts to do their damage? Can I have the fix done, then go home that afternoon and remove all the nuts and retighten to the proper torque, or was the damage done as soon as they were overtightened?

nosirrahg

Ironic that I was typing my message about my brakes at the same time you mention your vibration problem; sounds like the same thing. I assumed my problem was with the brakes, since I don't notice the vibration in regular driving, only when applying the brakes from higher speeds. My tires have 23K miles on them.

teo

Have you performed a full 4-wheel aligment every 12,000 miles? Have the tires ever been balanced properly? Have you noticed any slight vibrations in the steering wheel at highway speeds??

If you answer 'NO' to the first two questions, then this could explain your current vibration problems. Tire rotation is essential on a FWD car; however proper balancing, tire inflation and aligment are equally vital. If you answer 'YES' to the last question but did not do a tire balancing, then the tires and possibly some suspension components have begun to wear prematurely. Tires off balance must be taken care of almost immediately to prevent damage to the tires and the suspension.

teo

If you are experiencing vibration whenever you begin to apply pressure to the brake pedal, without a shade of a doubt, you both have symptoms of warped rotors. Warped rotors typically come about under the following scenarios:

* The rotors are insufficient in providing enough braking power to the vehicle, thus a lot of heat builds up in them shortening their useful life.

* The brakes have not been checked/serviced accordingly.

* The most common cause of warped rotors is overtightening or overtorqueing of the wheel lug nuts. NEVER allow a dealer or independent tire shop to torque the nuts with an air wrench. Watch 'em like a HAWK. Request to tighten the nuts by hand with a manual hand wrench. The current specification for the Impala is 100 pounds of pressure.

Someone commented that his mechanic had advised him that the Impala was an 'underbraked' car and that the OEM rotors were insufficient. That's pure balooney. This car has HUGE rotors/pads therefore heat build up should not be an issue with the OEM parts. Proper servicing and care should minimize the chances of developing brake problems at higher miles.

Also, it is not a good idea to have the rotors turned. This only takes away the little useful life left on the rotors as they get weak by the cutting/resurfacing process. Many dealers do love to encourage owners to turn their rotors once or twice, that way, when the car is out of the basic warranty period the owner is forced to shell out money to pay for new replacements and can't claim the expense against the manufacturer's warranty. Don't fall for this trap!!!

If you believe your rotors have prematurely warped and the car is still under warranty, insist in having them replaced with brand new spanking ones under warranty. This is the only course of action that will ensure the less problems and expenses down the road in terms of brake maintenance.

teo

You need to replace the blades. Wiper rubber blades should be replaced at least every 6 months depending on use. Every 12 months should be the absolute limit for safety and wiper cleaning efficiency.

OEM blades should run you between $10 and $15 bucks. Aftermarket blades should be in the same ball park. I find the GM OEM blades to be excellent. But if anyone knows about a better aftermarket alternative I would be interested to know as well.

Changing the blades sometimes is a pain the rear end. But not a big deal.

If your car still has the original factory wiper blades and its is over a year old, you need to get a new pair as soon as possible.

Also, remember that you are scratching your windshield needlessly.

crosley4

I have yet to change our 2k impala wiper blades.

I did buy new tires..... Uniroyal AWP, like the standard impala comes with new. We are so much happier with the uniroyals. Quieter, smoother than the goodyears ever were.

I would have bought Michelin, but we plan on replacing the impala in 2002.

Tony

stnel

I went on and read most of the posts from April (up to post 2700) and couldn't find anything on "stuck acceleration". It could be I read it somewhere else.

duraflex

In my experience, tire cupping can occur when the tire rotation pattern shown in the owner's manual is not followed. Tires should be crossed per the book. Simply switching front to back does NOT even out the wear.

At 32,000 miles, you might try rebalancing but it may be too late if the damage (cupping) is too far advanced.

With 16,000 miles, I recently had vibration at speeds over 60 right after having the tires rotated - by the front to back method instead of crossing. I was ticked and out of time so I let it go just before a 1000 mile round trip. A big mistake.

The Chevy mechanic rebalanced the front wheels.
It also turned out that my top front strut mount nuts were loose as well as the horizontal brace!

IMHO, alignment is something you can usually feel.
If the steering wheel isn't centered or the car doesn't coast/roll as it should or seems to be going down the highway sideways, it's alignment time. Unless you drive abusively, do a lot hard cornering or hit a lot of potholes or 1 real bad one, re-alignment is rarely needed.
My wife's 1998 Camry with original Michelin tires has never been re-aligned and the tires have worn uniformly - no cupping, vibration or other problems.

Last thing - UNIFORM lug nut tightening to prescribed torque is essential.

Hope this helps.

teo

Regardless of your driving habits, wheel aligment should be done at least every 12K miles. It is cheap insurance to prevent tire/suspension problems. A car that is left out without regular aligment sessions perhaps might feel right and tire wear might be even but later with more miles problems will show up.

For peace of mind I like to get the car aligned as this gives the mechanic an opportunity to detect potential problems with the tires/suspension.

Some of my old Accords I neglected the aligment and I end up buying tires sooner than anticipated. I learned my lesson. Sometimes saving a buck or two in maintenance can lead to costlier problems down the road.

Just IMO.

bdime

I think folks are waiting to see what happens (like the rest of the country- everyone is afraid of commitment) Any time is okay with me. I start work early and I'm usually home by 4 (Central Time)
The kid wanted the car again last night (waiting for a master cylinder on his brakes) and this time I denied him. It's not fear or whim it's just annoying to think of the payments and maintance and he can't give me 2 minutes to discuss grades/school/plans etc. Hoping that will change with age.

casl

I had my first full alignment a couple of weeks ago at 30k miles (not on purpose though - they were supposed to install the wheel liners, but typed in alignment on the work order instead - it took an extra hour to get my car back, but I live close, had the day off and got a free alignment out of it). I also had the dealer check out the vibrations and that's when they told me about the cupping tires. The tires have been rotated 4 times so far, but if they don't do balancing with rotations, then they haven't been balanced. There is no pulling to the side - and hasn't been since I got the car in Oct. 99.

I'm not sure how they are rotating the tires, but I've had the dealer do it everytime. I'd like to believe they are doing it correctly.

So, now I'm heading to the dealer again to have them check for warped rotors. Assuming everything is fine and it's all because of the tires, do I go after the tire company for new pro-rated tires or is this still a dealer warranty issue (they seemed to want nothing to do with it).

Other problems:
-- I am still waiting on a fix for the hesitation problem. The dealer still has not been able to duplicate it. I think I'm going to leave my car there so they can try it a couple of times during the course of the day.
-- I have also noticed a lack of A/C performance on really humid days. It never gets really cold - just cool (it's still better than my '89 Cavalier was with no A/C). I have the TSB on that though and will have them check into it.
-- I also have the problem with the key fobs only working when they want to. I'll see if they can work on that too. It will only open the driver's door in my driveway. I can never get it to open the rest of the doors and sometimes (especially in the market's parking lot) it won't open the trunk.
-- The back door on the driver's side occasionally sticks. Not really a big deal, but it has resulted in some broken nails.

We're taking the car to Myrtle Beach in a couple of weeks, so I'm sure to hit the 36k mark by the end of July. I'd like to get all my warranty work done before we go.

Also, does anyone know - if a TSB comes out on a car and it's past the warranty period, is it still warranty work?

Thanks for all your great input. I have to go call my dealer now.

teo

Easily fixed by spraying Silicone in the rear weatherstrip rubber around the door opening frame. The dealer can do this for you during your service visit.

bdime

Got a nice little surprise in the mail today- dealership sent some coupons for accessories and service and--- a little bottle of touch up paint(correct color!) A nice touch(pun intended) don't you think?

hogboy

I agree with Duraflex. Unless the vehicle is pulling to 1 side or the other I wouldn't spend the $$$ for realignment. You could get stuck with someone who doesn't know what they are doing & wind up worse then when you went in to the shop (speaking from previous experience.) Assuming your state has at least a thorough annual inspection(i.e. pulling the wheels) and again, assuming you have a competent mechanic, that should address any potential front end problems. Also very critical is checking your tire pressure at least once a month. Fluctuating hemps can easily throw off your tire pressure.

yurakm

in my experience, are Trico Exact Fit. They look so simular to the original GM blades, that I believe GM buys them from Trico.

The blades are available at Pep Boys, and cost about $7 ($14 for pair), plus tax. The replacement inserts cost about $3, $6 for pair.

It takes about 30 seconds to replace one blade, or 2-3 minutes to remove the blade, replace insert, and put the blade back. This time is with the second blade: assign 5-10 minutes to learn how to do it the first time. No tool needed for blade replacement, while for the inserts requre pliers. A good idea is to put a paper towel sheet on windsheld while replacing, to avoid scratches.

Alternatively, you can make an appointment with dealer: he will be happy to replace the inserts for about $40.

All prices are for CT.

(http://www.tricoproducts.com/new/)

teo

The car does not necessarily have to be severely pulling on either direction or the steering be off-center to take into aligment. Any reputable shop with computerized aligment equipment can do an extremely precise job. The cost $45 or $50 per year. No terribly expensive, but to each his own.

bbrowne74

Man, up here in Wisconsin, I counted over THIRTY IMpala's today on the Highway going from Milwaukee to Green Bay. In fact, a co-worker I met in Green Bay for a customer visit somehow rented FROM HERTZ a TORCH RED IMPALA LS! Man it was a sweet looking car - I really like that color -the rental was an LS, minus CD player (had cassette), no Onstar, but that's about it. Had the DIC, Buckets, etc.

I am hoping to keep this car around 5 years. I know I COULD go longer, but I get this feeling I'll get the itch again for a new car by 2005 or so.

How long do you PLAN to keep yours?

teo

For about 5 to 7 years. I financed the new '01 LS for 36 months and plan to pay it off in about 18 to 24 months. That would give me a good 3 to 4 years without monthly car payments. This car, properly maintained and taken care off should last with minimum problems for 5 years even more.

I am planning on getting the 100K mile GM Major Guard warranty with no deductible.

After I finish paying off the car, I will continue making the same exact monthly payments, but to myself, thus earning interest on that money and building up enough cash for the next vehicle purchase, which I hope to do in cash.

I am getting off the bandwagon of trading cars every couple of years. It is an expensive hobby and one can never fully enjoy the car when thinking of trading up after a couple of years. Just an opinion.

My wife's car, a '97 Tracer, was paid off last year so we are 'milking' the car before we sell it sometime next year. She is thinking of getting a new 2003 Pontiac Vibe. Her Tracer has been very reliable and only has 40K miles but we are thinking of *expanding* the family so having a sportswagon along side the Impala would more than satisfy our transportation needs in terms of space.

night_owl1

I'm never selling my car. My previous car is 32 year old, it was my daily driver for 15 years and I still have that car. As long as they make parts for it, I'll keep repairing it.

9899olds

Alignment will not cause cupped tires and rotation every 6 to 9k miles should combat the cupping. The biggest bugaboo would be the struts and low air pressure.

The std Impala has the soft suspension and the LS has a sport-tuned suspension..

High speed, soft suspension, and low air pressure are the most common causes.. If you have the LS and the struts were loose that could cause the cupping..The factory normally looks at cupped tires and acts puzzled.

I have 45k miles on a 99 Intrigue that is driven 90% interstate at 75++mph and tires are rotated every 6k, air pressure is 34/35 cold. Tires are wearing beautifully if fact are near finished.. Cupping is quite prevelant in the Buick mode for any hi-speed driving a std Regal or LeSabre; at 50k the struts are totally gone..

Once a tire is balanced correctly and the weights don't fall off, that balance is good until the tire wears out.. To get 4 round and well balanced tires today from the factory is certainly getting better..

morphius909

Our Impala had to get aligned at: 600km.

Yes, 600kms.

Didn't notice it when we bought it, but when we went on a short trip out of time, geesh, the steering wheel was quite misaligned.

Guess they boobooed at the factory huh?

Jas

bbrowne74

I saw that folks like Night_owl like to keep their cars...very cool! Any secrets of success in making them last? Driving habits, etc, included besides maintainance?

bdime

I've kept my last 2 for 7 and 9 yr respectively. Regular maintance, oil changes,brakes, service and keeping up with the problems as they occur are all factors in keeping it running longer. Washing it is also not just for looks- keeps the dirt from getting ground in and maintains the finish. Driving habits are good to think about but not always easy to control (stop and go traffic is unavoidable) but I believe the try to keep your speed steady and conserve brakes and fuel is good practice as well as better for the car. Any other advice out there?

mediumfry

My favorite wiper blades are Tripledge. The only "as seen on TV" product I have ever bought twice. They last a long time, and are actually warranted for life though they will wear out and you have to send them in to get new ones. They're about $7 a pair for inserts and they do a great job on my windshield.

As for tires, everyone brings up good points. Bad/loose struts, however, can/will affect alignment and cause uneven wear. I'm typically not a Goodyear fan but I am loving the Eagle GA tires that came from the factory. I'm a Michelin man, though (working on looking like him, too, doggone it), so I will likely get Michelins when the Eagles are done flying. They way they're wearing (I never use the last half of the tread), I'll still get around 60,000 miles off them. Not bad for such a soft tire.

On making the car last, I have some fairly strong opinions. Until now I've always bought cars with 100,000+ miles on them and put the next 100k on myself, then sell or scrap. I polish often, lube the hinges, hood latch, and similar areas, keep the engine clean on the inside and outside, keep the fluids topped off religiously, tires inflated and rotated correctly, interior clean and dusted, windows clean, etc. I LISTEN to the car each time I drive and note unusual noises or feels. I investigate them immediately and track them down before they become a bigger problem. I always buy the factory shop manual and read about the systems that seem to be failing. I use the diagnostic charts, nail down problems, replace parts, and move on.
My '86 Grand Am had 266,000 miles on it when I got my '01 LS, and I sold it cheap to a friend who needed reliable transportation. He still uses it daily.
Good ol' TLC goes a long way. Machinery does respond to love and care. Cars are mostly built to last. Neglect (and some bad service departments/mechanics) is what kills them.

That's what I do.

impalanator

I agree with 9899olds. Cupping is not caused by alignment or tire rotation. As far rotation combating the problem its actually only hiding it. By the time the tire starts to show cupping you move to another location and it starts wearing properly again. The problem is almost always a bad strut or shock absorber, especially if its only one tire. If the vehicle has excessive mileage (and I don't really know what that is where these new struts are concerned, but it should be in excess of 40k miles) then I would expect you would see either both fronts or rears at the same time start to cup (due to the struts being worn out). The strut or shock is not keeping the tire in 100% contact with the road at speed basically causing it to "skip". This is well documented and very prominent on front wheel drives. Also a big problem on early '90s ford F150's frontends due to the type of suspension. As soon as the shocks wear out the tires start cupping.

I also agree with Teo 100% on the rotor issue. Don't let them turn them!! By the way, they don't use genuine GM parts for replacement of rotors. The didn't even stock any when I had mine done. The dealer sent someone out for aftermarket ones. The service writer said they have the warping problem on all of the factory originals and not with the replacements. I don't know about this but I could see the factory using the thinnest rotors they can get away with and this would contribute to the warping problem. Like I said, I haven't miked a pair of originals and compared to standard aftermarkets. Also just like Teo said, watchout for the overtorqueing of the lug nuts. This is a proven rotor warper.

00impala

On My Previous '96 Monte Carlo that I sold to get my LS, I had replaced the Wiper Blades only once in 3 years, I read somewhere that it is Smart to retain the OEM Metal part of the Blades, since it is designed to fit the contour of the Windshield that they are on, I know.... the right one never really swipes the bottom right of the windshield, But I always abided by that and have had no problems, I found that if you go for the Cheaper plastic frame parts they are Inferior, I purchased the GM replacement Rubber Squeegee part for the Monte, I think they were around $20.00 for a set of them, Maybe cheaper from Hutton, But I would never put some $3.99 Blades on my car, Also,As a Maintenance thing I regularly take some of the Blue Window Washer Fluid and soak a paper towel, And wipe down the Rubber part of the Blades, usually when I wash the car, You would not believe the Black residue that comes off the Rubber, They then are Clean and are ready for some work,No Squeaks or Chatters and they work Great all of the time! On Another Note.. Get this... Unleaded 87 Octane Gasoline in CINCINNATI, OHIO today? $1.11 per Gallon and 89 Octane $1.16 and 93 Octane $1.21 Wow is that Unbelievable? Almost As Unreal as $1.89 a few weeks ago, but on the other end of the spectrum! Don

00impala

On My Previous '96 Monte Carlo that I sold to get my LS, I had replaced the Wiper Blades only once in 3 years, I read somewhere that it is Smart to retain the OEM Metal part of the Blades, since it is designed to fit the contour of the Windshield that they are on, I know.... the right one never really swipes the bottom right of the windshield, But I always abided by that and have had no problems, I found that if you go for the Cheaper plastic frame parts they are Inferior, I purchased the GM replacement Rubber Squeegee part for the Monte, I think they were around $20.00 for a set of them, Maybe cheaper from Hutton, But I would never put some $3.99 Blades on my car, Also,As a Maitenance thing I regularly take some of the Blue Window Washer Fluid and soak a paper towel, And wipe down the Rubber part of the Blades, usually when I wash the car, You would not believe the Black residue that comes off the Rubber, They then Clean are ready for some work,No Squeaks or Chatters and they work Great all of the time! On Another Note.. Get this... Unleaded 87 Octane Gasoline in CINCINNATI, OHIO today? $1.11 per Gallon and 89 Octane $1.16 and 93 Octane $1.21 Wow is that Unbelievable? Almost As Unreal as $1.89 a few weeks ago, but on the other end of the spectrum! Don

nosirrahg

Thanks for the responses. I've had my Impala for 15 months, so I guess it is time to replace the blades.

As for the rotors, the only person who has removed any of the wheels on my car has been myself when rotating the tires, which I do using a torque wrench, tightning in the proper sequence and to the proper torque setting. Granted, I've been rotating front-to-rear, but that shouldn't have any impact on the rotors, if that's the problem.

Now that vacation is behind us, I'm planning to take mine in in a few weeks for a general going-over (cradle, wheel liners, ISS, etc.) at @ 24,000 miles; I'll add the rotors to the list and see what happens.

b4z

Garage it if you can. Wax 3-4 times a year (not the cheap stuff). Oil changes every 3000 miles and no flooring it from a dead stop. Car should last you at least 200,000 miles.

teo

Very intresting info...could you provide with a direct link to the article?

bbrowne74

Took my car thru a touchless carwash today. On the way home I noticed my wipers moved a bit. I set it to "mist" and then went up and down, and then a bit up and down and up and down again. I then set them to HIGH and they ran 2x and stopped midway on my windshield.

After about 10 mins. of leaving them alone it seemed to have corrected itself and all was FINE. I called my dealer but he said I'd have to leave my car there on Monday all day! Or I could schedule an appt. for Thursday. Too look at wipers, NO WAY am I going to leave my car there or wait until Thursday!

carleton1

327 V8 with Turbohydramatic. Great performance with good economy. The saddest part is that we traded it in on a NEW 1972 Volvo 145S. After owning a couple of Impalas, the Volvo was a real let down.
Would probably still have 1980 Impala if some careless young girl had not run a stop sign and totalled it while our daughter was driving. Got a used 1978 Impala for her in 1991 that gave excellent service even after her husband wrecked it twice. He got a used 1984 Honda Accord in January 1999 instead of getting new grille and associated parts "because the Impala used too much gas".
Since the Accord is too expensive to keep replacing parts (after a rebuilt engine and transmission at 150,000 miles), he has decided to junk the Honda that has 178,000 miles and get the older 1978 Impala into service again at 187,600 miles. Meanwhile, we gave our 1987 Chevy R-10 pickup to our daughter so she will have reliable transportation...with instructions that she NOT let him drive it.

[Deleted User]

LOL. You must have an old German-English dictionary.

00impala

I can hear my ECHO in here lately..........2 Days with NO POSTS on any of the Topics? Am I missing something here?, Did everyone Move to another Forum? Awfully Quiet! Gas in Cincinnati Today? $1.09 $1.14 and $1.19. Have a Nice Holiday Everyone! Don

fathertyricius

ITS AWFULLY QUIET IN HERE.....
Happy Impala Fourth to all ....

hunter39

And I was happy that gas prices had fallen to 1.49 for regular! It's their plan though, get us used to paying high prices and then just lower it enough to make us glad the price came down, well I see the conspiracy in most everything...

b4z

Did my first wax on the impala today. Used meguiar's cleaner wax this time, i usually use mother's.

Slit my middle finger open while washing the wheels. Cut it on the backside of one of the spokes. Probably should get stitches, but i'll live. Lots of sharp edges on the impala.

Took forever to wax it. About 4 hours. Big car. The impala logos get lots of wax in them.
Grille is a major pain. Spoiler is a major pain too. I can wax my camaro in two hours. I imagine the mother's three step process will take 6-7 hours. more time than i want to devote.

The grey mouldings now have wax on them. They should really be body color. I really want to take those things off.

duraflex

If the metal cut is bad - how about a tetanus shot?

bdime

Maybe everyone is out there happily driving their Impalas! Had to work this weekend and came up with a temporary solutions to sticking to my leather seats (seems to be less of a problem for the guys than for the ladies). I bought a cheap chair cushion and threw it in the seat. This is better than a towel- doesn't bunch up- and no static which would probably be a problem with the seat covers. Seat covers also cover up that beautiful leather and I can't do that yet. We'll see how this works for now. Also got my first small driver induced scratch-turned a corner too sharp to clear a truck and scraped a high curb in a parking lot. Good thing the dealer sent that touch-up paint:{ Have a good 4th and be safe!

morphius909

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Happy Canada Day!

Paul

morphius909

I think all Impalas should come with a Cd in the CD Player, and the first time the new owner turns on the car, the O Canada anthem plays, courtesy of your Canadian Impala Manufacturing plant!

hehe.

Paul