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Comments
Make sure you coolant levels are adequate and try leaving the heat on its hottest setting (fan speed shouldn't matter). If there are any bubbles that can be flushed easily, this should do it. If the problem persists, you will need to flush it. It can be done by the owner if you're up to it but otherwise a coolant flush will suffice at your local mechanic's shop.
As for water pumps, it's a shame that I'm seeing so many issues with them. My nephew's Impala had that problem and it cost over $300 to repair. So far, the other 3 Impalas in our family haven't had water pump issues.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It is one of the best and most trouble-free cars I have ever owned. Super power, fabulous Bose audio, great engine burble at idle, excellent high-speed highway cruiser, the car is a sheer delight.
Sorry for your problems. Maybe you got a lemon . . . .
Mine had the cold weather power steering high pressure hose issue. At 7,500 miles the hose burst on a 10-degree morning requiring an unscheduled trip to the dealer. Sure it was fixed under warranty, but it should not have happened in the first place.
The driver's seat creaked constantly. Took it to the dealer and they couldn't fix it. I fixed it myself eventually...all that needed to be done was to loosen the seat rail bolts and re-tighten them. Creak eliminated.
Brake rotors were warped when the car only had 12,000 miles on it. Common Impala annoyance that I didn't get fixed until 32,000 miles. Dealer would not resurface them under warranty even though GM has a TSB (that I have a copy of) stating that brake rotors are covered under the 3/36 warranty. That was disappointing.
Exterior, glossy black pillar covers are delaminating. Again, a common problem that would be fixed under warranty if I want to have it done.
Front passenger seat back pops and creaks when people sit in it. Again, another problem that GM has issued a TSB for. Luckily, I don't regularly carry passengers so it is an infrequent annoyance. Nevertheless, it simply shouldn't be an issue.
Something is rolling around in the driver's door. Every now and then, when stopping or accelerating, you will hear something roll forward toward the front of the car or roll backwards toward the rear of the car. Nice.
The felt tape that GM puts on the underside of the front door panel pulls keeps creeping out from under them. I continually trim it away, but more keeps coming out. It even comes out of the passenger door, despite that door being used only once or twice a week. For example:
Dash creaks and rattles
Doors creak and rattle
Windows rattle, even when all the way up
When driving in the rain through a standard puddle on the road, there will be a sudden, loud vibration/noise. Sounds almost identical to a motor boat pulling away from a dock. Slight power loss during these episodes as well. The vibration and noise will go away 20-30 seconds after it starts. Almost sounds like water going into the exhaust system. I have read of this happening to other Impala owners as well, with dealers having no clue what it is or how to fix it.
Taillight bulb burned out at 29,000 miles. Easily replaced myself for $2 and 10 minutes of my time. None of the 10 vehicles I have previously owned ever needed a taillight bulb replaced the entire time I owned them. Possibly a fluke, but still a minor annoyance.
Water pump failed at 33,000 miles. Another unscheduled trip to the dealer and another day out of service. Fixed under warranty.
Original tires worn out at 26,000 miles. Again, previous vehicles owned went much longer on OEM tires. I would expect original tires to go 40,000 miles or so before needing to be replaced. Granted, the OEM Goodyear Integrity tires were terrible so perhaps it was for the better that they wore out early.
All-in-all, this vehicle has required the most maintenance and tweaking of any vehicle I have ever owned. After the recent water pump failure, my confidence in the vehicle was basically shattered. It will take several weeks before I am confident again that the car is somewhat reliable, but I will always have that "what next" thought in the back of my mind. I seriously doubt that I will keep the vehicle much past the 36,000 mile mark when it is out of warranty.
GM wonders why they aren't selling as many cars as they would like. I have owned more GM vehicles than any other brand, but this is by far the worst in terms of build quality and reliability. For the first time in over a decade I am looking to the Import brands for a new car.
The Impala will have 40,000 miles on it by the time Spring rolls around, at which point it will most likely get traded in for something else.
Ohio must have a lenient Lemon Law. Here in PA, it is basically during the first 12 months or 12,000 miles that you can put in a lemon claim. The car must have been out of service for 30 days during that period, or the same problem in for repair 3 or more times. After that in PA, you are on your own. I wouldn't have a lemon claim anyway. My car is always having issues with different stuff, and creaks, squeaks, and rattles are not considered problems that change the value, safety, or use of the vehicle. They are just "non-lemonable" annoyances.
I noticed that Consumer Reports recently added the '06 Impala to the "used cars to avoid list" and I see why. I usually take anything Consumer Reports says with a grain of salt, but in this case they are correct.
The popping seat can be fixed by the dealer if you are still under warranty. Chevy has issued a service bulletin addressing the problem. I'm not going to bother getting it fixed as I am not sure I want the dealer pulling out the seat and disassembling it...that just seems like asking for more trouble than it is worth.
@10k in 2006
==============
I had the coolant piped replaced for ticking, the dash retaped for snapping and popping, TPM replaced for errors, remote remote replaced for poor range, and was told my rough shifting transmission was normal and car jerking back and forth when coming off idle was normal and a random chime that comes through the radio and only turns off when the turn signal is activated cant be replicated. And parking brake not holding to be normal and heavy power steering is normal.
@ 34K in 2008
==============
ISS REPLACED: Knocking/clunk felt through steering wheel
#2 TRANS CLUTCH PISTON REPLACED: for rough 1-2 shift and shudders between 1-2 shift w/ with light throttle and then more things in transmission had to be replaced when they saw some worn items.
KEYFOB, ANTENNA, TRANSMITTER REPLACED: more remote start issues
TPM: yet another malfunctioning tire pressure sensor
PARKING BRAKE ADJUST: same issue that they considered normal the first time
Random chime and car jerking back and forth when going 1-2mph still cant be replicated.
And to make thing worse they didnt test the remote start, so when i got home i noticed that remote start now opens the trunk instead, even the dealer laughed when i told them about it.
NOW @35.5K
==========
Transmission is still a little rough for a 2006 car, so im assuming GM just made a bad transmission for 3.9L engines and the rear seats squeak since they have plastic behind them. Power steering is still very heavy at low speeds or parking. Not to mention the garbage goodyear tires that come on these cars.
I don't think ill ever buy another GM car unless its been out a year or 2 so they can fix all the initial bugs. I was considering a 08 V6 Malibu, G6 GXP, or G8 V6 but im just waiting to see what wrong with those cars also.
Calling GM can help somewhat, but most dealers are independently owned and operated. Ultimately, GM has very little influence over the dealers when it comes to resolving issues of this nature. Shoddy workmanship by the dealer caused the failure, the part itself did not fail on its own. GM may not agree to pay to fix a problem caused by incorrect installation by one of their independently owned dealers. GM can call the dealer and suggest for things to be handled a certain way, but that is about it. Some dealers are more responsive to calls directly from GM than others.
At this point, you should be calling the General Manager of the dealership and escalating the issue to him or her. He/she will have more influence over the service department than will GM.
Does your dealer know that you have contacted your attorney, or has your attorney ever contacted the dealer directly on your behalf? Once attorneys get involved in resolving car issues (Lemon claims, warranty issues, etc.) it becomes next to impossible to get timely service from a dealer. I would suggest your attorney not contact the dealer at all until such time that you actually file a lemon claim and start the arbitration process. Your attorney can certainly advise you behind the scenes in the meantime.
It sounds like you need to find a new dealer after this gets fixed. When/if you get a follow-up call or survey about the visit, give them all poor ratings. A poor survey rating will hurt them more than calling GM. You can take your Impala to any Chevrolet dealer for warranty and non-warranty service. You don't have to stay with the original selling dealer. I currently use 2 or 3 different dealers for warranty and routine service depending on when and where I need work done.
Keep in mind that the people who post here on this thread of problems are in the vast minority of individuals who've had problems with the car as the great majority of people who own the car have had no problems at all and do not post. Sometimes one gets a false and disproportionate impression of the total problems with the car by looking at the people here who have had less than optimal experiences with the Impala.
As far as I am concerned, the glass is definitely half full!
Keep in mind that the people who post here on this thread of problems are in the vast minority of individuals who've had problems with the car as the great majority of people who own the car have had no problems at all and do not post. Sometimes one gets a false and disproportionate impression of the total problems with the car by looking at the people here who have had less than optimal experiences with the Impala.
As far as I am concerned, the glass is definitely half full!
While I generally agree with such an assessment, in the case of the '06 Impala there are known issues that all owners will face at some point in their ownership of the vehicle. Whether it be the prematurely warped brake rotors, the Intermediate Steering Shaft issue, the popping seatbacks of the front seats, reduced range of the keyless entry system, failure of the high pressure power steering hose in low temperature climates, loss of heat at idle due to air bubbles in the heater hoses, etc. These are all problems that General Motors has acknowledged and for which they have issued Technical Service Bulletins.
In fact, Chevrolet has issued 66 Technical Service Bulletins for the 2006 Impala. In comparison, Dodge has only had to issue 39 TSB's for the 2006 Charger, Ford has issued 17 for the '06 Five Hundred, and Toyota has issued 14 for the '06 Avalon.
Consumer Reports is also reporting the '06 Impala as a used car to avoid. The V6 models have only average reliability, while the V8 models have worse than average reliability. I normally ignore CR's ratings, but after having lived with my '06 Impala for the past 28 months and 34,000 miles it is hard to argue with their survey results. If I am experiencing "average" reliability I would hate to see what "worse than average" is like.
The '07 Impalas are slightly better. Chevy has issued 39 TSB's for the '07 model year. However, there is a rather serious rear wheel alignment concern on the '07's that should be watched for.
Where there is smoke there is fire. If I go to a message board and see 500 postings about a model, then your assessment is most likely the case. When I go to a message board and see 3400 messages, many discussing "this problem" or "that anomaly" it gives me great pause.
I bought my '06 Impala because my parents had great service from their '03 Impala. Their '03 was as trouble free as a car gets and in 40,000 miles never went back for anything other than one recall and annual state inspections. Their replacement for the Impala, an '07 Mercury Montego, is just as reliable as their '03 Impala.
If you really want to see what the vast majority of owners are experiencing with their Impalas, check out online communities like naioa dot com and read the thousands upon thousands of postings (both good and bad). It can be a real eye-opener.
> I go to a message board and see 500 postings about a model, then your assessment is most likely the case. When I go to a message board and see 3400 messages, many discussing "this problem" or "that anomaly" it gives me great pause
The number of posts in a discussion is not relevant. I can probably go find lots of Honda and Toyota discussions with 10000+ posts. What is relevant is how many different posters actually have a problem. Notice I said different: in some discussions a single person keeps reposting about their problem and then evoking responses from some of the same people declaring there is no problem with the car or at least not with their car or their friend's car. Reading the flow of the discussion and comparing that with the number sold and the type of buyers to whom they are sold can help gauge the scope of the real or the imagined problem.
>, Chevrolet has issued 66 Technical Service Bulletins for the 2006 Impala. In comparison, Dodge has only had to issue 39 TSB's for the 2006 Charger, Ford has issued 17 for the '06 Five Hundred, and Toyota has issued 14 for the '06 Avalon.
The number of service TSBs that are PUBLIC knowledge is not relevant. In fact that means the company acknowledges something is there for some cars out of a group. Again I can search discussions and find where people said that certain popular cars with no problem reputations hid problems with their cars in the 90s and didn't issue fixes just to avoid the stigma of the TSBs or recalls at a greater depth of problem.
>Consumer Reports is also reporting the '06 Impala as a used car to avoid.
I take Consumer Reports with a big grain of salt. Remember their automatic love for anything Toyota or Honda. And then remember their having to say the Camry V6s aren't that great; they were "over-loving" the brand. And the Avalon came out with a rebuild based on the Camry and it was automatic love again. But months later there was a small picture and a statement that there were some problems with the car.
And I realize you said that you don't accept CR as the automatic authority that's always right.
CR relies on the same reporting mechanism that the forums do-voluntary participation by a specific group who happen to be internet savvy and have a problem with a car they don't love and are willing to complain about; as opposed to those who won't complain because they don't want to affect the car brand's image.
I would evaluate a car for purchase by driving it first and being alert for symptoms of any of the problems which might be in some cars. I can go to the TSBs list for my Buick and there are many, many problems but my car doesn't have them. It means they occured in a number of models with parts from a certain supplier's group or day's output; but not all cars will have them.
Notice that I have not said there are not cars with problems.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I understand that the number of posts in a discussion may not be a hard indicator of issues, but the more posts there are the more likely there will be a higher concentration of reported issues. Particularly in discussions related to "problems" or "issues". Granted, popular models will have more posts. At that point you just have to skim through them and see what they relate to. It's always fun and interesting to read through them
When purchasing a new car, it is next to impossible to check for symptoms of known problems. When I test drove my new '06 Impala 28 months ago the steering was fine, the exterior trim pieces weren't peeling, the dash didn't rattle, the doors didn't rattle, the windows didn't rattle, the brakes weren't warped, and the seatbacks didn't pop. By 7500 miles the power steering hose ruptured, by 12K miles the brakes were warped, by 32K miles the ISS was unacceptable, and at ~33K miles the water pump failed. Somewhere in there the seats started popping as well. Additionally, TSB's for these issues most likely didn't immediately exist back then.
If buying used, then a careful evaluation as well as awareness of a models known problems can be invaluable while shopping.
Honestly, I couldn't care less about a brand's image. Be it Chevy, KIA, Lexus, BMW...it doesn't matter. If someone asks me to complete a survey about my car I am honest and report everything realistically. I will report problems regardless if I love or hate the vehicle. You hear people all the time say "I love the car, but it seems to have a constant problem with blah, blah, blah." Too many companies are riding purely on their image/brand name and need to start becoming accountable for their actual products and services (good or bad).
I agree that there are no perfect vehicles. Some are better than others, even within the same model. Myself, along with numerous other different posters in this forum, seem to be experiencing very similar problems across various trim levels. We talk about them, share our solutions (and our frustration), and try to help. Many times it can be therapeutic to know we aren't alone
I owned a Ford several years ago. The dealer had to keep it for 17 days straight, including over a Thanksgiving holiday, to track down an abnormal noise. They eventually called out someone from the factory who tracked down the problem to a manufacturing defect with the frame. During the time they had it, they only contacted me twice. Otherwise I had to keep on top of them for updates. They did give me a free rental for the entire 17 days however...the only bright spot to an otherwise poor service stint. The dealer showed me the final warranty charges for all of the work that needed to be done, and Ford paid over $5,000 to fix the vehicle during that 17-day trip!
Honestly, I am ready to trade my Impala on something else. Unfortunately the trade-in value is very low. Since purchasing my '06 Impala new 28 months ago the car has dropped 67% in value. Despite a decent down payment, an additional $2,000 dealer discount, and 0% through GMAC, it has been impossible to keep up with the depreciation. I know that all cars depreciate significantly, but the Impala is one of the worst I have ever experienced personally.
My other issue is that nothing out there interests me all that much that I would want to buy. The Pontiac G8 is nice, but after Friday's news that GM may be killing the Pontiac line as part of their "recovery plan", I am a little gun shy about that. The Dodge Charger and Challenger are nice, but again not sure that Chrysler will be around in the next year or two. The Ford Taurus is a nice car as well, and Ford is in the best shape of the Big 3, so that is a small possibility. None of the aforementioned vehicles, though, provide that "I must buy this!" excitement that a new vehicle should give you.
I test drove a new Mazda CX-9 a few weeks ago, and did not care for it at all. How it has won so many media accolades and awards escapes me. There is nothing special at all about it. The dealer was even offering a $7,200 discount on the vehicle and that wasn't enough to entice me.
So, my Impala will most likely stay until the Spring. By then it will be out of warranty and have 40,000 miles on it. Hopefully nothing major will go wrong with it between the time the warranty ends and I find a suitable replacement.
Regardless, I can't imagine you'd need any special tool other than a filter wrench to break it loose. I don't know of any filter with a secondary attachment. As for the drain plug, I'm not sure what is hampering you from finding it. Look for a flat piece of metal with a bolt in it aimed slightly down toward the ground.
I've also noticed an excessive gurgling sound in the engine compartment, but it seems close to the firewall. It seems to happen more within the first 5 minutes of running, but I've heard it even after it's been running for an hour. I also notice the tell-tell odor of coolant when I'm standing next to the passenger door retrieving my briefcase after I've parked in the morning at work. I've never noticed (although that doesn't mean it's not there) any coolant leaks/puddles on the ground.
I've seen others mention the temp gauge. Mine usually hovers about halfway between cold (140 degrees?) and straight up (170 degrees?). When I have the lack of heat problem, the gauge is usually much closer to straight up and fluctuates a great deal.
Anyone have any ideas? I've had a friend tell me that it sounded like a heater core about to need replacing. Yikes!!
Thanks!
Julie
If you are still under warranty, or have a trusted mechanic, they should easily be able to pressure test the coolant system for leaks. After the pressure test on my car, the dealer said my water pump was "really gushing". They replaced it and all is well again.
Button everything back up and let the car idle. Turn the heat temp. all the way up and let the car run for several minutes. Gently rev the car in park (make sure the brake is set!) a couple of times as well. With the coolant topped off, the heat should blow hot even at idle. If this doesn't work, shut the car off and let it cool down for a couple of hours.
After it has cooled down, pop the hood and check the coolant levels again. The coolant level in the reservoir should be OK, but if there was air in the system you may need to add coolant again after checking under the radiator cap. Bring the coolant level back up, and button everything up again.
Start the car, set the heat temp. on high, and let the car idle/warm up one more time.
The whole goal with this process is to try to get as much air as possible out of the system and get the coolant flowing through again. You do not indicate which engine you have. If it is a V6, also make sure the radiator cap is an 18psi cap like what is installed at the factory. I briefly installed an aftermarket 15psi cap on my 3.5L V6 and had the no heat at idle problem. I put a factory 18psi cap back on and had no further issues.
If the radiator cap is 18psi, and the coolant system seems "full" after a couple of the aforementioned cycles, it may be something other than air in the lines. But the coolant check thing is something that can be done at home before paying a dealer/mechanic to check it out again.
Best of luck to you!
My parents had a '03 Impala with the 3.8L V6. The Dex-cool in their car also just disappeared. They also had to check it regularly and kept the Prestone pre-diluted Dex-cool handy as well.
From what I have read, mysterious coolant loss is not uncommon on Dex-cool vehicles.
thanks
josh
I have never seen a car take a $1700 hit of value in 1 month.
Even after having the clutch piston replaced for rough 1-2 shift/shuddering with light throttle and more work done for excessive wear on pinion gears, the car still doesnt shift as smooth as it should, so im just assuming the the 3.9L/4 Speed Auto is not a smooth shifting combo compared to the 3.8L. The dealer keeps telling me to give a good while for the transmission readjust. And it seems to get rougher over time.
Edmund's TMV values tend toward the optimistic side. They are supposedly based on real data from real people, but the used values are simply too high. Their new car TMV's tend toward the low side. As many cars as I have purchased, it has been near impossible to get a new car dealer to match the TMV value no matter how hard I push them.
For comparison, the KBB private party price of an '06 3LT with leather and sunroof is $10,500. If it doesn't have leather or sunroof, the private party price is even lower.
My '06 2LT with 36,000 miles currently has a Kelley Blue Book trade-in value of $7900. My experience has been that dealers in my area offer KBB minus $1000, so I figure I would maybe get $7000 on a trade. Last month the KBB value was about $8500. I know I could get more if I sold it myself, but I never do that. Not worth the hassle to me.
As far as the drop on your value, keep in mind that the car has over 36,000 miles on it and the original factory warranty has expired. That will have a slight impact on the value of the car. Quite frankly, most buyers are a little hesitant to purchase an off-warranty, domestic brand car "as-is" and with a spotty repair history (such as the '06+ Impala). Also remember that the auto market continues to struggle. No buyers means that there is diminished demand for vehicles. Diminished demand means diminished value.
Additionally, the used market is flooded with '06 Impalas. An Autotrader search shows 136 used '06 Impalas within 50 miles of my location, and 4,500 nationwide. A 2006 3LT with only 22,000 miles came up at $12,995 at a Chevy dealer. The more there are on the market, the less they are worth to buyers, dealers, and auctions.
Finally, huge incentives on new cars means that the value of used cars will decrease. When it becomes cheaper for people to buy a new car than a used one, the used ones have to decrease in price accordingly.
Selling any car right now is tough.
It's all a disaster.
All you can do if you want to get a new car is hope the new has dropped as much as the used.
I was looking into a 08 Malibu LTZ, but wondering if it will have the same problem since so many malibus are fleet/rentals.
I took it to the dealer in March 07 and told them about rough shifting and even printed out the tsb's and was told thats how impala's shift. Then i went back Sept 08 with the same tsb's printed and had the 2nd clutch piston housing and gaskets replaced for a 1-2 shift shudder and then one month later the dealer discover some worn gears in the trans. and replaced those. But the problem is when they drive it im sure there are aggressive and it performs fine, but when driving normal with light throttle, it still has either a rough 1-2 or 2-3 shift or a slight 1-2 shudder and thats when i hear the whole give it some time to adjust speech.
Im at 36,300 now, so if i take it back and show them all the tsb's on the transmission, hopefully the will repair it for free. To this day they still cant solve why the car will slightly jerk back and forth when easing off the gas if your going 1-2 mph. So i give up.
If you have a problem with the car that started while it was under warranty, and continues to be a problem after the warranty expires, it should continued to be covered under warranty provided there is ample documentation/evidence supporting the ongoing problem.
My '06 Impala 2LT 3.5 has a slight 1-2 shudder as well, but only in extreme cold (e.g. 0 - 20 degrees F). Otherwise it shifts fine.
Unfortunately domestic AND import automakers have become experts at telling customers that cars are "operating as intended" even though they may not be. It can be very frustrating, but that is how they keep warranty repairs low and "save" money. Basically, the car has to experience an actual component failure or breakdown before they will either admit to a problem or even be able to fix it. In the meantime, they are more than happy to sell you a XX,000 mile service for $400 that is nothing more than a $60 tire rotation, oil change, and visual inspection service.
Thanks
We were scheduled for trial March 9, but the judge ordered us to go through mediation first. Through this process we worked out a repurchase that I could live with. I still think I could have won case, but the deal is not too bad and I hated to cause so many of my family, friends and co-workers who had witnessed the problems have to take off work to appear in court over what the difference would have been. (Some of them don't get paid if they don't work and don't have vacation to take.)
I'm looking for another car now and need to get it as quickly as possible so I can turn this one over to them. I will not buy another Impala at this point, nor even a GM most likely. I wouldn't mind another GM, but there is no way I want to have to deal with the GM district manager again if anything came up. He has totally soured me on them.
I will caution you guys out there to watch your brakes. After a test drive by an inspector and him testing my ABS with a couple of sudden stops, there was smoke coming out of my passenger front wheel. I had been having brake trouble, but when the service departments checked them, they said they were fine and nothing was wrong.
Anyway, take care everyone and good luck with your Impalas.
TSB #070235005 -- EI07162 - STEERING CLUNK NOISE FELT, HEARD FROM STEERING COLUMN. (REPLACE I-SHAFT) *NJ UPDATED ON 09/24/07 *NJ UPDATED 10/5/07. *NJ (NHTSA ID #10022711, AUGUST 01 2007)
They replaced the I-Shaft and the clunk/noise went away.