2006 Chevrolet Impala

robs6wagon

Hi Topcop1, yes I agree with you. However, I bought the car used last month, with almost 13,000 miles on it. A former GM employee owned it (whatever that might mean as far as proper break-in is concerned!), and forced GM to take the car back, all because of the fob transmitter malfunctioning several times. I have had no problems with the keyless entry or the remote starter functions! Well, anyways, you are right........I need to lay down a patch or two and let that small block scream! -Rob

topcop1

Colchester,
Mine is metallic silver with grey heated leather seats, flip n fold back seat. Bose 6 disk CD w/XM, 8 Bose speakers, sunroof, fog lights, deck spoiler, metallic dash trim. I'd say she's pretty well loaded up, option wise.

Since I've owned it I put in the 4 piece Billit Grilles, K&N air filter, chrome exhaust tips. I have an SS stripe kit in dark grey on order.

colchester47

I guess I have the stripped down version..a real sleeper!! Topcop?..yours didn't come with chrome exhaust tips? I have the beige SS stripping , to match my interior..

wbowl99

Just got back to the forum. Yeah, I've been complaining about the road noise and tires since I got the car. I put a lot of miles on the car and I really hate the noise. I also get a lot of windnoise, but was told by the techs that there are no wind leaks and mine was typical of other Impalas. I'm not sure which bothers me most, the tires noise or the wind.

topcop1

No, No chrome tips on the LTZ, they are an option. I asked the salesman to install them on my car, as they are shown as an available option in the brochure. When I took delivery, the salesman told me the car was too new and no part number had been assigned. I thought, GM would never advertise something that was not available. When I got home, I went to GM Accessories.com and found not only the part number, but also the $75.00 price. I looked around my shop and found an new pair from some project car,and with some modification, tack welded the "new" tips on.

quietpro

I wouldn't take their word for the wind noise. It seems that a few out there have that problem for one reason or another. I test drove one that was noisy but the one I bought is pretty quiet. Test drive another Impala and judge for yourself. Take into account crosswinds that may make wind noise louder than normal.

As for a preference, I'll take road/tire noise because I can replace them.

quietpro

Top,
It may be a difference with the 3.9L's air box and the 5.3L's. I got mine in just fine although they may have changed something since I bought mine over a year ago. I agree that the clamps aren't heavy duty.

topcop1

Anybody know how to post a picture? Where is my Photo Album? Can't post pictures if I can't find the place to do it, lol. Have pictures of my prized Tahoe before I traded it. Dodge Hemi police cars we use, 06/07 Impala patrol cars we use,My car, etc. Thanks in advance. Now, off to the Yacht Club with friends for a few cold ones.

robs6wagon

Hi Bryan, may I ask you where you purchased your SS striping for your car?? I havent seen any yet, although I really havent looked all that much, either. Thanks Bryan! -Rob

quietpro

This is my car. In order to post an image, you have to upload your image to your Edmunds profile and put the link in here. Don't worry, it isn't that hard. Once you post the image, it gives you the link to post in your message to get the picture. You get there by clicking on "My CarSpace" at the top left on the menu bar.

">See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

colchester47

it was on it when I purchased the car, Rob...looks great...not sure who, where or when it was done. My car sat on the lot for almost a year be fore I bought it.....no one wanted the lite colored interior...i wouldn't either if I had kids. Thats why I got a good deal on it!

nosirrahg

All this talk about SS performance has me doing "find a vehicle" searches at chevrolet.com, but realistically I also know speed is one of my vices. One thing I actually like about my 2000 Impala is the fuel cut-off that kicks in @ 108 MPH. Not that this is amazingly fast, but to quote Dirty Harry "a man's got to know his limitations." Now that I know the car will do 108 and no more, I don't have any temptation to push the car to "see what it will do." With my previous car ('89 Celica) I would often find myself alone on a deserted stretch of highway, and I would be tempted to push it to see where it would max out (as I recall 115 was the best I ever did, but I always ran out of road before I hit the redline).

Knowing my reflexes & vision aren't what they were 15 years ago, I'm wondering if anyone knows the upper limits of a 3.9l Impala (and if it's artifically limited or not). I'm sure it's something saner than 154, but I'm also hoping it's better than 108.

quietpro

I'm not affraid of my own limitations although at 154, it wouldn't take much to ruin your day (or those of others). My biggest limitation is a badge with a god complex. I've encountered one and having someone like that exercise complete control over you is not something anyone should have to endure...at least not for a minor infraction.

Let's all be safe out there...but a little fun isn't so bad.

colchester47

Obviously , no one here is going to top out at 154 mph...but the extra power,just knowing it's there,makes for good conversation and pride! The 5.3 V-8 is one of only a few cars that are not governed @104-110 mph....they do that for the police ,because police cars do not have governs on them. Ok, still love my Impala, no problems yet...talk later......where's Frank?

quietpro

I'm pretty sure the speed governing is due to the speed rating of the tires sold with the vehicle...safety issue. As for topping out, I would if I was sure I could get away with it. I can handle the speed, just not the jackass I might encounter along the way.

Frank must've gotten snowed in or something. Either that or you broke his heart by not participating for a while.

colchester47

I couldn't participate for awhile because...my wrist was broken... ...by you know who......and I did have computer probs....my impala is running great, no problems...actually , knock on wood, of all the problems I've read about on here....I havn't had any one of them! My mileage stinks, but thats my fault....key fob works great....no squeaks anywhere, radio sounds great,to me anyway..btw, I just bought my wife a new car....2007 Honda Accord, anyone want to know my reviews, Impala vs. Accord...ask away....probably have to shift that conversation somewhere else.....don't want my wrist to get broken again!

colchester47

please see my question in the radio forum..

nosirrahg

Funny...I've got a 2000 Impala 3.8l and my wife has a 2003 Accord 4-cylinder. I can deal with the reduced power in the Accord, but I can never get comfortable in the car, and the alignment has never been right on the car. I also like the fact that the Impala has a number of features the 4-cylinder Accord EX doesn't have (dual climate control, auto-on lights, etc.). Fortunately I don't have to drive the Accord that often, and I guess I could live with it if I had to, but I much prefer the Impala.

colchester47

my wifes Accord has more options than my Impala,,I have the big V-8 and Onstar...her Accord has XM, heated seats, heated mirrors ,sunroof, leather seats, 6 station CD player, The 2007 Accord is a nice car...I love my Impala, but her Accord is great to...and the black on black is beautiful!!

topcop1

Beware, there is a rat in your vehicle. It's called the ECM (Engine Control Module). It acts similar to the black box on airplanes. There is data that is collected by the ECM and stored there. If you over rev the engine by going too fast, and you have a sudden engine failure..... "Mr Jones, we will not be covering the replacement of your engine under warranty. According to data retreived from the the ECM, you were going over 150 MPH at the time you launched number 4 piston through the block". It's nice to know your car could and would to that speed, but I would'nt advise it too often.

topcop1

I used my old Webshots album and updated it. I hope you like them. http://community.webshots.com/user/tahoe981

topcop1

Anybody using Sylvania Silverstars or PIIA bulbs in their Impala?

garsarno

Had used both in the past. Just a little whiter. If you want the closest to blue HID type, check out www.hoenusa.com. You will need upgraded wiring harnesses or pigtails. Minimal cost for the harnesses (available on ebay motors). Had the Hoen bulbs in my 2004 Lincoln LS. Nice bluish white color / lighting versus the PIIA but shy of the real thing in our Lexus ES350

quietpro

I've been looking for the Silverstars but haven't found them in our size. I checked out your pictures but only saw one side shot of the Impala. Everthing else was the Tahoe. What gives?

colchester47

Why is it when I inadvertantly asked a fellow Impala owner who lived in Canada if he liked the Toronto Blue Jays I was told about it..., but....When some one starts a topic in the Honda forum about Ford Mustangs....nothing is said or done??????...ok, horses are aloud ...birds aren't....gotcha!!...how foolish of me..Horses= Horsepower....Birds=???... :confuse:.............ps, My Impala is doing fine, no problems...

topcop1

Birds equal doo-doo which will stain your clear coat if not removed quickly. I just heard something a bit weird today. It's very cold here, expecting 2-4 inches of snow. This morning while driving the mile and a half to work, the brake light switch seemed to "ratchet" when stepping on the brake pedal. Makes a clicking sound when pressed. Just the cold weather, or a switch adjustment/replacement? :confuse:

topcop1

Ron, I re-charged the digital camera and got the Impala washed on Sunday morning and was going to shoot some photos,I got sidetracked and ended up at the bar Sunday afternoon. Now it's going to snow, so it's back to square one after the snow melts and I get the car washed again.

nosirrahg

Could there have been ice/snow on the road, and that noise was your ABS kicking in?

colchester47

Cold weather wreaks havoc with these cars...what you hear and feel today won't be there in a couple of days!! I never pay attention to anything in this cold weather, as far as squeaks etc.........you can even get ice built up in your muffler and pipes from condensation , then when it stats to melt , you have a rattle from the ice in the exhaust system! ice builds up around the outside vents etc....

quietpro

Ice in the pipes must be a cop thing from the extended idling. I've never heard of it but I don't doubt it. Another good piece of info to have.

As for the talk about Mustangs, keep in mind that different moderators are on different boards.

I wonder what happened to Frank? Should we start crackin' Canadian jokes to get him to come back? Just so I'm not sounding biggoted, you are welcome to crack as many WV jokes as Canada jokes to keep me honest.

robs6wagon

Hi everyone! Well, just when I thought my car problems were behind me, another much more potentially damaging problem has arisen! The engine light came on yesterday, and after thumbing through the owner's manual, determined that it probably was just the gas cap either not tight enough or defective. It was replaced today at the dealership! Anyways, while I was checking under the hood for any other problems, I found my coolant reservoir mostly empty of fluid, and loads and loads of brown [non-permissible content removed] spread all along the inside of the bottle! It looks like as if someone poured some Bars-Leak into the reservoir. I did hear from my local family garage that GM did indeed add some additives at the factory! I just cant believe it! Then again, its GM we are talking about! In any event, I had the bottle filled with Dex-Cool and we will monitor it for a little while. My question to all of you is have you noticed any of this brown sugary-like substance in your coolant tanks?? It also underneath the radiator cap, so its all inside the block, radiator, heater core, etc! I am not pleased at all. The radio and TPMS bugs I can live with (they will be finally addressed on Thursday), but potential coolant leaks, including the dreaded possible head gasket problem (3.1, 3.4, and 3.8 engines), wow! Thanks again for your input! Still going, but for how much longer?! :mad: .... -Rob

imidazol97

I don't know about the other mmotor sizes but head gasket problems on a 3800 are almost unheard of. How many mles are on your car and which motor?

If it's over 24-30K miles has the Dexcool been drained, rinsed, and refilled? The other factor that they found in the Ford products early was that DexCool, which is a superb coolant, doesn't like to be mixed with air when hot. I.e., if the radiator is actually low because of an air seep keeping it from pulling coolant from the reservoir when the motor cools, then the hot coolant mixing with the air as it circulates through tends to form more brown gunk. Since your reservoir was empty, you may have had a low level in the radiator.

If someone added a noncompatible coolant it may cause a gunk also.

The sealer that's added at the factory by GM is an organic material (ground finely) and a couple of tablets should be added after draining and refilling DexCool like I do on my cars at home. This seals any seeps at gaskets. I suspect most manufacturers add something to the coolant for sealing. The tables are cheap and can be bought at your GM dealer in packs of 5 IIRC. Crush and add to radiator itself before a good long drive to mix it throughout the system.

topcop1

Nope, sunny and dry. Just very cold and windy. :confuse:

topcop1

A cop thing.... good one. I never got ice in the pipes, but I did set the grass on fire once. Idled just a bit too long, reading the Sunday paper,lol.

topcop1

I believe it's the Dex-Cool. I had the same symptoms with my Tahoe. It never hurt the cooling, just looks like crap. In the summer, when I changed the Dex-Cool, I put the bottle and radiator cap in the dishwasher. Just don't let the wife find out.

colchester47

Rob, you sure have had your problems with that car. I'll admit your more patient than me!!.I've dumped cars with 9k on them!!..Seems that every time you get one thing fixed another pops up!..Maybe they knew more about that car than what they told you......sorry your having all those problems....so far, knock on wood....I've been problem free , except for the red lite on my Onstar, which still works fine.....I like red better anyway....matches my car....

robs6wagon

Hi Imidazol, I have the 5.3 V8 and the dealer filled the bottle all the way to the top. After 50 plus miles from there to my house, not a drop of coolant has left the bottle! All this with only 15800 miles on the car! I dont think anyone changed the coolant, or used a different coolant. However, it must have leaked out from somewhere. No odor at all, no radiator leaks, heater core leaks, etc. I would love to flush the system and replace the coolant with Prestone, but the car is still under warranty. After checking out other people's complaints on Consumer Affairs. Com (one example), it seems like not only is this a wide spread problem with GM cars, but there was a class-action lawsuit filed last year. I am very much concerned. Thanks for your input! -Rob

robs6wagon

Hi Bryan, yeah, go figure. Hey, I thought all my anquish about changing from Honda to Chevrolet was for naught!! LOL! Well, after Thursday at the dealer to fix the "minor issues", I just might make a switch after all. I am very much concerned about the coolant destroying head gaskets, water pumps, heater cores, and all of the above within no time!!! I just cannot afford that to happen. Sadly, Bryan, it figures that this car is the most comfortable, quietest, good looking car I have ever driven! Oh well, stay tuned for further developments! -
Rob

quietpro

Rob,
I had a similar experience as you...low coolant and brown gunk.
Maybe I should worry more but I'm "hoping" that the gunk only appears where the antifreeze dries and since the internals remain wet, no gunk should be forming.
When I flush and fill, I'll move on to Prestone like you but I try not to let things like that bother me anymore.

Just my opinion...
Ron

colchester47

well, I'll tell ya,,,after Buying my wife the '07 Accord and myself the '06 Imp, Id have a hard time deciding which is best. Of course , I Love American muscle, but then again , whats American anymore? The only thing on my Honda thats made in Japan is the Trans....The Accords are built in Maryville, Ohio, and all the other components are manufactured in Tennessee, so, whats American? If it weren't for the awesome V-8 in this SS, it would be a close call........

robs6wagon

Bryan, I wish my car was just a weekend-only car! Unfortunately, I am using it as a daily 100 mile commuter! That V8 sounds so darn good every single day.....if indeed I make a switch back to Honda, I will sorely miss that music! -Rob ps: yes, the Accord is a great car!

610looper

Just wanted to stop in and say a piece or two about my Impala.... I didn't think I would like it at first, narrowing my list of vehicles of interest, my faith may just be restored in American vehicles. The only change I would make is to allow the trunk to be locked, because when shopping at the mall, parking at school, or traveling, all someone has to do is smash the window and hit the trunk button. :confuse:

colchester47

Looper, thanks for stopping in...they are awesome cars...is yours the SS?..Ltz? or?

wbowl99

I've mentioned some of the problems before, but my 06 has developed quite a rattle. Took it to the dealer and they said they weren't sure what was rattling but tightened several things under the hood. It seemed better for just a little while, but then began getting worse. I hadn't really been under the hood much, but wanted to check the steering fluid last night. When I went to lifted the hood it was really loose and, what do you know, when I pushed it up and down there was the rattle. I suppose the vibration that I have that they can't seem to find either has loosened the brackets or something. When I had it in service a couple weeks ago, they discovered that the driver door had become misaligned. A walk around the car and I saw another panel looks misaligned now and isn't even with its matching piece. I'm beginning to think it is falling apart.

Also, in lifting the hood I noticed bad paint chips. I felt one rock from a truck hit it right after I got it and knew there was a chip there, but haven't had anything of any size hit is since, but it is chipped in numerous places on the hood and even the fender. Also, if you open the doors and look at the top of the opening, the paint there looks to be rubbing off.

Anyone else with the rattles and paint problems?

colchester47

What color is your car?

wbowl99

maroon or sport red as gm calls it

colchester47

same as mine...I'll have to keep a look at mine...so far no problems......

mymitties

Hi Ron.. Many Thanks for your sense of humour.... Ya, I can handle a good Canadian joke or two ...!!

Well, some time has passed now and I am happy to say that my wrist has mended very nicely, thank you. Ya, ok, I'll get more on topic here..!! Well, it's been awhile Bryan, Ron & Rob and I thought I would let you all know that I took my baby into my local Chevy Dealership this morning and FINALLY had the last part of the remote fix done. Yep, I actually got one of those new Coax Antennas in my area. For your info, it's really just a replacement cable about 10 inches long . They said that they are as precious as Hen's teeth around here. Hummmm....I wonder..!! Well, guess what after about 30 minutes I was on my way , and to my surprise...it Worked..!!This antenna cable fix with 2 new fobs and an additional system re-program seems to have fixed all my problems. This is asolutely unbeilievable..!!!After waiting almost 5 months and 3 fob re-programs (make that 4 now) ,2 sets of replacement batteries, my dash ripped out and reciever replaced, I finally have better range (ya, only better, and I will take it). The doors and trunk now opens every time and the infamous " Serice Tire Pressure Monitoring System" message is finally.... Gone ! Gone ! Gone !.....Hallelujah..!!!

That's all for now..
Frank

wbowl99

There was a black one in our parking lot this morning and I took a quick look at it this morning when I came in and noticed some chips on it as well, but not as bad as mine. I'm not sure whose it is but I'm going to try to find out and talk with them and see if they've had any of the other problems I have. In the chips on both cars it looks like the paint is really thin and that might be why it is chipping easyily.

610looper

LT 3900 V6 white, I traded in my Mazda6 and have not one regret thus far. I am able to drive in comfort, without my legs being cramped, I can move the seat far back and stretch them out..I'll never buy a small car again, I dont care how roomy it may be inside compared to the outside :shades: