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2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

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Comments

  • rbb2rbb2 Member Posts: 70
    Perhaps this was mentioned but all the problems getting the air filter in is realted to the 3.4 or 3.8? I have the 3.4 in my Montana and it was a major pain to get it in. I ended up taking things apart. No way is it easy to do. The manual makes it sound that way but it's incorrect. Why would they engineer it to be so hard?

    If these discussions are centered around the 3.4 then how hard is the 3.8?
  • discgolferdiscgolfer Member Posts: 72
    (2000LS 41K mi) Several times in the past few weeks, when I go to turn my turn signals on, they don't work !?!? No noise, no blinking light on the instrument cluster, no blinking lights outside the car either. Pretty weird. The last 2 times it happened, I turned on the emergency flashers for a second or 2, then turned them off, and the blinkers were working after that...
  • drivinisfundrivinisfun Member Posts: 372
    It sounds like your turn signal relay module is about to go south. The relay is located under the dashboard.
  • rbb2rbb2 Member Posts: 70
    Is it me or is RDS just a big waste? I live in metro. Detroit and of the 18 or so radio stations we have ony 4 offer information and those are just self promoting messages such as "This station rocks". None of them give the song names as they play.

    What's worse is they add a seek type button on the radio controls which is basically useless. First you need to select the seek type at the radio. Then you seek for something and no radio stations return because no radio stations use it. Why did the manufacturers add the seek type button when you have to manually change the seek type at the radio and worse yet they took away the ability to switch to cd from the steering wheel controls. It makes no sense to me.

    Does anyone know if you can reprogram the seek type button to switch to cd instead?
  • drivinisfundrivinisfun Member Posts: 372
    RDS by itself is not a waste. Actually this system was developed in Europe in the 1990's (To replace their previous alternate radio broadcast channel standard, ARI) and it is widely used there because motorists heavely rely on it when driving on dense European city traffic or in highway jaunts accross the continent. Also, radio stations there have justified the extra cost and expense of purchasing and supporting RDS broadcast equipment. If you go to London, RDS support is fantastic because the way the have it setup allows you to receive instant up to the minute traffic/weather bulletins that apply to your current location as you go...it is amazing.

    RDS has been embraced very slowly in North America and few radio stations seem to have a hard time making a case to purchase and maintain RDS equipment. Very few if any have alternate channels that support traffic/weather reports. RDS (Radio Data System) differs from the old ARI system in that ARI was strictly alternate radio broadcasts, while RDS in addition to alternate radio channels allows to transmit text based messages over the standard FM radio frequencies.

    My 2002 MINI Cooper's standard 6 speaker BMW/Alpine stereo CD system is RDS enabled as well. Most new cars today already offer RDS as standard equipment in their factory car stereos.

    With the ever growing satellite Radio (Sirius, XM, etc) I am not sure if RDS will ever be popular in North America. It seems to me that Satellite radio can do everything RDS does and much better with more reliable signal and digital sound quality.

    On the subject of the steering wheel mounted controls, the "Mode" button allows you to cycle from CD to AM or FM but not viceversa. You still need to press the "CD" button on the radio to go from either AM/FM to CD or Tape. The "Seek Type" button can not be re-programmed as you suggest. All the steering wheel audio buttons have hard coded function assignments.
  • otto42otto42 Member Posts: 33
    RDS is a cool idea, but radio stations need to implement it more. The only one I've found that includes song names is a station I ran across in Savannah, GA. But I've noticed more stations in my area at least starting to include their call letters to be displayed for their channel. So it is gaining some acceptance, to some extent. Just hope that acceptance lasts.

    It may be a dead issue, as I predict that FM stations will probably start switching to digital broadcasting as soon as there's a good standard for that. The reaosn being that they'll think they have to try something to compete with satellite radio (which I think will inevitably fail for several reasons, although it may take some time for it to happen).
  • bh0001bh0001 Member Posts: 340
    CHUM-FM in Toronto includes song title and artist, brief weather updates, and brief news updates. It's pretty cool, but they don't have very many different news items.
    Brad
  • reeferreefer Member Posts: 37
    The same thing happened once to my 2002 Impala LS. At about 3000 miles I pulled out of the garage one day and the instrument cluster failed to light up or activate. I drove for about 10 miles with no speedo or tach or any other guages working. The turn signals worked however. Then suddenly they all came on as I was driving. I took it into the dealer and they checked the computer. They said the computer registered an "event" on that date but they could not find the cause of the problem and therefore could not do a repair. I have 10000 miles on the Impala now and the event has never repeated itself. Go figure.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but mine did that as well...burped if you will. Two or three times, then went about 10,000 more miles, then the switch failed to light the interior lights on the instrument panel or radio any more. Turned out the headlight switch had shorted out. Make sure you have a record of the first occurrence. Then, if it happens again later, it should be a warranty repair.
  • 2k_impala_ls2k_impala_ls Member Posts: 311
    The LS is going to be 3 next month and I am thinking about getting the GM major guard extended warranty. We have 8,000 miles on the LS and I was looking at the 6 year / 50,000 mile for about $950 and peace of mind. We plan on keeping the car awhile.
  • etcarrolletcarroll Member Posts: 87
    Had the repair, $688 to replace the upper plenum. Bit more than I expected, but no antifreeze smell since. So far this service center has treated me right. Manager thought a recall was in works for this, but he couldn't swear to it.

    Next day, a nail in tire. Went to Goodyear dealer for repair, I have the Eagle LS tires, was surprised to see the LS as rated as most quiet tire they make. Hate to see what they think a noisey tire sounds like.

    Had to take care of these as now commuting from CT to PA to MA and back to CT for next 6 months. A 2001 LS with 44k miles, first time I made this loop I remembered why I liked it so much.
  • mrsheean1mrsheean1 Member Posts: 1
    I had the same service performed on my 2001 LS with 26,800 miles. I was driving on the turnpike doing 70mph when I heard chimes and a message on the message center saying... "Low Coolent Level". I kept my eye on the temp guage, and never did it ever get near mid point on the scale. When I arrived at my destination, I checked the coolent level in the container, and it was empty, and I smelled anti freeze. I took it into the dealer the following morning where they showed me the anti freeze leaking from the upper plenum. They had the replacement part in stock, and was done replacing it within two hours under warranty. Other then this, I really have had good luck with my car, and love driving it all the time.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    I guess that makes 4000 of us who have had the thermoplastic manifold warp and leak.
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    Also had mine replaced a week or so ago; my concern is if this is obviously a faulty part, how it replacing it with an exact replica of the bad part going to "install confidence" down the road? Much like my intermediate steering shaft which was replaced under warranty; 30k miles later, it's starting to do the same thing again. Granted, the "grease fitting" fix to the steering might actually cure the problem, but I see replacing the upper manifold with the same part as just delaying the problem.
  • txguytxguy Member Posts: 57
    If you have had the upper manifold replaced on your GM 3800, I urge you to file a complaint with the NHTSA via their website at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
                                     or by phone at 888-DASH-2-DOT

      Only by reporting the thousands of these repairs can we hope to get it fixed. It may have been covered by warranty the first time... what about the second and third?
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    I just submitted my complaint and I urge everyone else who has had a problem to do the same.

    You will need your VIN#.
    I put the complaint down as an "ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING" problem.
    Since their drop down box did not have an "INTAKE" section.
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    I posted my complaint with NHSTA a couple of days ago; I think there was a pull-down for "ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE"; which was the closest match I could find.

    Was just reading an article in C&D from a few months ago about a souped-up VW, and they mentioned it had a plastic intake manifold, which was supposed to be a positive thing - if other auto makers are using these, are they having problems as well, or is it just a GM (or 3.8l) issue?
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    I posted this before, but here it goes again: could be an assembly problem, i.e., Hal is overtightening the fasteners. If it was the thermoplastic the frequency of failure would likely be much higher, and you would see Lumina and Rendevous owners posting all over the place.
  • ghostwolfghostwolf Member Posts: 91
    I had a coolant leak, my dealer replaced the throttlebody gasket. It stopped the leak. But before he changed the gasket, my low coolant level warning light came on when it was suppose to (when it leaked out the coolant and caused a low level). Now it is comming on maybe 1-2 times a week at start up, the chimes go off and it lights up for a second or two then goes back off. Its more annoying than anything else, but I'm sure its going to end up costing 200 bucks to change out the sensor.. does anyone know if its something I can get to and do myself? I think the part is 40 bucks. Sure would be nice if I could do it. Thanks.
  • frankf3frankf3 Member Posts: 96
    Well, I got my '01 Impala LS back from the dealer today. They did a real nice job - even washed the car when done. When we first brought it in for them to check out the coolant leak and order necessary parts, we got the car back full of cigarette smoke odors and cigarette ashes on the door pull. We confronted the dealer and told them this was one of the triggers for my son's asthma and this was totally unacceptable. They were totally apologetic and detailed the inside of the car. Now getting back to the coolant leak, they did not change the plastic plenum. It looks like they just changed the gaskets, antifreeze then changed the oil and filter. The parts they used were as follows:

    12480830 Gasket Kit
    17113137 Gasket Kit
    12345382 Compound
    12346290 Coolant
    25010792 Filter

    I also had them perform the repair for the flickering lights and headlights per TSB 01-06-03-005. This involved installing a regulator bolt number 10316686.

    Finally, I asked them to take care of the clunking in the ISS and they greased it per TSB 01-02-32-001A. They used lubricant # 26098237 to take care of this.

    As I drove the car home, I swear I can still fell a little bit of clunking from the ISS. Have any other owners had this repair done and found it may still remain? Does it get better or worse with time? What's the next step?
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    You have 8,000 miles on a three year old car?

    I have just started looking into a extended warranty plan. The online price for a 60 month, 50K miles is $715 for 0 deductible and $615 for $100 deductible. Does anyone have recommendations for sources for the GM Major Guard warranty?
  • frankf3frankf3 Member Posts: 96
    night_owl1, We just clicked over 20,000 on our 2001 Impala LS. When we bought the Impala, we thought about what our future usage would realistically be. We opted for the Major Guard Warranty for 72 month, 75,000 mile and $0 deductible. I have bought major guard for the last 4 new cars I had purchased. I have never "lost" any money on it, and always seem to get my purchase price back. It's just like buying a fire extinguisher - you're glad to have it but hope you never have to use it.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Thanks for comment. A lot of sources say that extended warranties are a waste of money. My Impala is the first new car I have owned and I was initially swayed by those opinions. However, I have been reconsidering that position as of late. While the leaking manifold issue is a concern, I have seen the replacement instructions and I can do that easily. The Impala just has so many gadgets, dodads, and computer controlled widgets, that I am afraid that one will go belly-up and I will have to foot the bill for the replacement unit. Then there is the whole issue of trying to find out what is wrong in the first place. A used Tech-II is $5000 (I priced it once) and a good OBDII reader is around $500 (they are cheaper, but based on past experience, the $500 is well worth it.)

    Based on my mileage history, I know which plan I need to get. 72 month/100,000 miles/0 deductible is $2475 which is too steep for my blood. 60 month/75,000 miles/0 deductible is still high at $1180, but manageable.

    I'm hoping that someone here knows of a better source.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    Well, to those who want one, extended warranties are fine, I suppose. Just be sure to get the one backed by GM, not by an insurance company who you may find goes out of business or denies virtually every claim.

    Also remember there is no Santa Claus. Companies sell these warranties because, like the gambling house, at the end of the day they take in much more money than they pay out, and that is even after paying the dealership and salesperson commission.

    As for me, looking back after 3 years and 112,000 miles, I would have collected only the cost of a headlight switch, minus any deductible, and that at 90 some thousand miles. In my case, there would have been major profit for the warranty company.

    Of course I could have had the engine blow up. I could have had an automatic transmission failure. I didn't.

    Then again, I have owned probably a dozen cars in the last thirty years, and the extended warranty would not have paid off for me in even one instance.

    Your mileage may, of course, differ. I would never presume to tell anyone else what to do on this issue. As soon as I did, they would go without one and incur a major repair. Each must do according to one's best judgment! I just wanted to throw in another perspective here.
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    I would take exception to your statement about insurance companies going belly up. I would buy mechanical breakdown insurance from my auto insurer before I would buy any 3rd party warranty including GM's (why have a warranty that's only good at a dealership?). The MBI has a $250 deductible but you only pay about $60 per year for it, and you have up to 11 months after you buy the car to decide if you want it.
  • danzigdandanzigdan Member Posts: 50
    Hello all,

    I'm considering a used 2000-2001 Impala. I've done a lot of research and I like what I see so far. I need some opinions:

    1) Is the 3.4 engine more reliable than the 3.8?? I've also seen some of the comments on the leaking manifold issue and the ISS/clunking steering problem, and that makes me a bit nervous.
    I probably can't rely on the dealer to tell me if this has already been addressed on a particular car.

    2) I was looking at a 2000 with the faux convertible roof. Looks kinda cool (silver car/black roof.) HOW DO YOU CLEAN IT?! I live in Upstate NY so I'm thinking with the snow, salt, and mud that I might avoid that option.

    Thanks to all!
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Heh, I didn't make the comment about insurance companies going belly-up, but johnclineii's concerns are valid. Some third party warranty are issued by insurance companies that specialize in extended car warranties. My auto insurance carrier does not offer an extended warranty so I would have to find one of these companes. The comments about those companes denying claims are one issue, another is that the service department might not want to deal with a third party insurance company. Purchasing a GM backed warranty does mean I have to go to the dealer, but so far, I really like my dealer's service department.

    Some of the local dealers sell extended warranties. What they don't tell you is that it isn't a GM warranty. In addition, the fine print in the contract states that you have to get the service done at the dealer you purchase the contract from. So my options would have been even more limited.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    The ISS clunk is an issue with a number of GM cars and isn't limited to just the 3.8L Impala. I believe it should be one of those things that should be a regular maintance. item. Namely, rotate tires, change oil, lube the ISS, etc...

    The jury is still out on the manifold issue. Again, the mainfold is used on many of GMs 3.8L engines. You get a lot of goodies with the 3.8 that you won't get with the 3.4. Traction control, tach, and let's not forget more POWER (ar ar ar).

    As far as I know, the Impala did not come with a faux convertible roof as an option from the factory. I have seen it on a few Impalas, but that was added by the owners. I am guessing that you would need to clean it the same way as if you have a cloth convertable top. Anyone have any suggestions?
  • pluto5pluto5 Member Posts: 618
    I would pop for a new base sedan for about $17K with rebates and dealer discount (less if you have lots of GM earnings, factory order. My understanding is that you do get the traction control if you order the anti-lock brakes--I would skip the other options and the car would not be much more than a good used one. As far as the engines GM makes the best powertrains so I would not lose a lot of sleep over the manifold issue (I have two GM V-6's).
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    As the owner of a 2000 Impala (ordered; took delivery in Marcy 2000), I'd recommend looking at the 2001 model. There were a number of changes made after the initial year - nothing super critical, but things that could make a difference. The front cup holders are better for 2001+ (at least on the bench seat models), the amp on the "premium" stereo system was changed at some point (possibly late in the 2001 production run; I can't remember exactly when). There was also an initial noise ("clicking") problem with the early aluminum engine cradles, which I think was remedied in the 2001 and later models. If you do get a 2000 model, try to get one made late in the run (there should be a sticker on the door that indicates the build month/year - shoot for something made after April or May of 2000 if possible).

    Benefits to the 2000 model?
    1) the rear bumper doesn't have the black plastic filling the license plate area.
    2) there's a pocket on the back side of the driver's AND front passenger seat (I think it's only on the passenger side now).
    3) you can get molded mud guards for the REAR of a 2000 model; they put a liner in the rear wheel well of 2001 and later models, and the mud gards won't fit without modification.
    4) you might find a rare "Auburn Nightmist" model - color was only available for 2000, and few were produced/sold (as far as I know, we've never had anyone that owned one this color post here).
    5) Oh yeah, you'll also get a locking glove box, and a coin holder!! ;-)
  • drivinisfundrivinisfun Member Posts: 372
    Please send me an E-mail, I would like to talk to you offline:

    Andrew71@aemail4u.com

    Thanks.
  • 2k_impala_ls2k_impala_ls Member Posts: 311
    You have 8,000 miles on a three year old car?
    My wife stays home with the kids and I drive my new 2002 Trailblazer (3900k and getting about 14mpg but great in the snow). I am going to start driving the LS more in the spring and leaving the TB at home.

    I found this Chevy dealer in Iowa that sells the majorgard GM warranties at a discount. I am going to check my dealer and compare. They will give you a free quote and they have a toll free #
    http://www.capperautocenter.com/

    check out my TB http://www.trailblazer.homestead.com/
  • danzigdandanzigdan Member Posts: 50
    "nosirrahg"

    I may have sat in a 2000 Autumn Nightmist.

    The only way I can describe the color of the car I saw is maybe bronze or like a dull copper penny. The dealers printed sheet just said "brown".

    The car was HUGE inside compared to my 97 Camry. But who comes up with the interior color schemes? The only thing that comes to mind is "peanut butter" for the color!
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    I've seen one or two; I remember when I bought mine, the salesman said he'd had a guy buy one that color on the showroom floor, and at that point it looked somewhat copper-colored. But when the guy came to pick it up, it was parked outside, and it had taken on that sort of eggplant-look out in the sunlight. The guy didn't recognize the car when he came to pick it up, and I think he may have even canceled the sale.

    I think there was also a light blue that was available in 2000 only, but by far the auburn nightmist is the rarest.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    The 2000 model year cars do not have the extra rear wheel well liners. The 2001 and latr cars are noticeable quieter on the highway and on corse pavement.

    the 2000 cars do not have the new amplifier. 2001's built after November 2000 do. Better bass response and sound quality.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    My 20 month old 2001 Imp with 35k miles has trim that is wearing through on the window sill right wear I reaast my arm and elbow.
    Anybody else have this?
  • bluechevy2bluechevy2 Member Posts: 2
    http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?
    port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&loc_code=index&co- ntent_code=013744
    83

    http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/featu...303GMH_homerun/

    Got confirmation from a GM source stating the Impala and Monte Carlo will get the turbo V6, 250hp for 2004 on sale in 2003.
  • bluechevy2bluechevy2 Member Posts: 2
    http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?
    port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&loc_code=index&co- ntent_code=013744
    83

    http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/featu...303GMH_homerun/

    Got confirmation from a GM source stating the Impala and Monte Carlo will get the turbo V6, 250hp for 2004 on sale in 2003.
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    Before you hit 36,000 I would go your dealer and have that item replaced under warranty....not your fault....poor quality item....
  • frankf3frankf3 Member Posts: 96
    Good luck in trying to get GM to foot the bill. I have a spot around the diameter of a quarter flake off of the interior side of the rear driverside door. The spot where it came off was dab right square in the middle of the leather panel. My dealer and his rep stated that this was wear and tear. The only wear and tear to this spot was me wiping it down with a damp cloth to remove the dust. When this happened, the car only had about 15,000 miles on it. I think bumper to bumper should mean bumper to bumper.
  • garywgaryw Member Posts: 116
    Anyone know how the new cat-exhaust system from GM will fit/look under the rear bumper. Meaning, there is no cutouts for the duel exhaust. Will it just sit under the bumper or will the installer cut out the bumper to make it look factory.

    Also, can you purchase it from the dealer and have them install it?
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    ...can you purchase it from the dealer and have them install it?

    Yes you can

    I sits under the bumper and it has 2 polished chrome tims so it will look very cool.
  • garywgaryw Member Posts: 116
    ...is supposed to be at the Chicago show next week. Supercharged with blackout trim is all I heard. Anyone have a sneek peek or more info?
  • kimpala1962kimpala1962 Member Posts: 45
    Does anyone know a part number for this system,
    and what the dealer will charge for it. is there any information/pics of the system avaiable
  • kimpala1962kimpala1962 Member Posts: 45
    It would be nice to form a club of this new Generation Impala. Where are all the NJ Impala's
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    In New Jersey?

    (running and ducking!)
  • 3871338713 Member Posts: 26
    I sure hope the SS is a lot more than a 240-250 hp V6 and blackout trim. A LOT more.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    Well, unless your hope extends forward about two years, I suppose you had best just keep on a hopin...
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