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2005 and Earlier Chevrolet Impala

13620 messages,  Last post on Jun 02, 2013 at 7:08 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Impala, Sedan

    

Messages Page 1339 of 1363

#13377 of 13620 Re: warranty converter [jthoffman] by topper7

Jun 08, 2007 (10:32 am)

Replying to: jthoffman (Jun 02, 2007 1:24 pm)
I found my letter, dated September 2005 that I received from the central office of Chevrolet Motor Division. I hope this helps you out.
 
Dear Chevrolet Customer,
 
As the owner of a 2001 model year Chevrolet Impala, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, your satisfaction with our product is very important to us.
 
This letter is intended to make you aware that some 2001 model year Chevrolet Impala vehicles, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, may have a condition where the catalytic converter is replaced due to complaints of lack of power or illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL). This may be due to the front endcone insulation from the catalytic converter breaking away and blocking the front of the catalyst brick and preventing the free flow of exhaust gas through the converter.
 
THIS IS NOT A RECALL. Do not take your vehicle to your Chevrolet dealer as a result of this letter unless you believe that your vehicle has the condition as described above.
 
WHAT WE HAVE DONE: General Motors is providing owners with addtional protection for the Catalytic Converter. If this condition occurs on your 2001 Chevrolet Impala, equipped with a 3.4L or 3.8L V6 engine, within 10 years of the date your vehicle was originally placed in service or 120,000 miles (190,000 km), whichever occurs first, the condition will be repaired for you at no charge.
 
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: Repairs and adjustments qualifying under this special coverage must be performed by a General Motors dealer. You may want to call the service department at you dealer to find out how long they will need to have your vehicle so that you may schedule the appointment at a time that is convenient for you. This will allow your dealer to order parts if they are not already in stock. Keep this letter with your other important glove box literature for future reference.
 
REIMBURSEMENT: The enclosed form explains what reimbursement is available and how to request reimbursement if you have paid for repairs for the special policy condition.
 
If you have any questions or need any assistance, just contact your dealer or the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center between the hours of 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM, EST, Monday through Friday. They can be reached at 1.800.630.2438. The deaf, hearing impaired, or speech impaired should call Text Telephone (TTY), 1.800.833.2438.
 
We are sorry for any inconvenience you may experience; however we have taken this action in the interest of your continued satisfaction with our products.
 
General Motors Corporation

#13378 of 13620 Airbag light by ajcars

Jun 15, 2007 (3:29 pm)

I have a 2003 Impala with 36,000 miles on it. A couple of weeks ago my airbag light came on. I tried to take it to my regular mechanic but he didn't have the software to diagnose it - said GM generally didn't release the software until 5 years after the model year production. So, I took it to the dealer and they replaced the SIR Coil for $731. This seems awfully high to me. Has anyone else had this problem and had the coil replaced? How much does that normally cost? Thanks!

#13379 of 13620 Re: Airbag light [ajcars] by 2k_impala_ls

Jun 15, 2007 (9:31 pm)

Replying to: ajcars (Jun 15, 2007 3:29 pm)
my airbag light has come on 2 times over the years. On this forum I found an article about a person who had the same problem, took it to the dealer and it was the plug under the drivers seat so I unplugged the yellow connector, reconnected it and the light went out both times. I hope you didn't get taken by the dealer.

#13380 of 13620 Re: Airbag light [2k_impala_ls] by ajcars

Jun 16, 2007 (11:12 am)

Replying to: 2k_impala_ls (Jun 15, 2007 9:31 pm)
Thanks. I had seen those postings also, but couldn't see a yellow connector. I saw 2 black connectors - unplugged each of those and cleaned them but that didn't make any difference.
 
Judging by the grease they left on the steering wheel, door, and floor mats, the dealer must have done something. You'd think that after charging $700 they would at least clean that up. I don't have trust in this dealer - they're always trying to sell me something more than what I came in for (e.g., "it looks like you need a tire rotation" when I just finished rotating my tires myself).It seems that $700 for this work is high.

#13381 of 13620 2003 Impala-General history by ajcars

Jun 16, 2007 (12:21 pm)

For those of you looking for Impalahq.com, its content has been salvaged and is posted at http://impalahq.naioa.com/.
 
After reading the posts on this web site since before I bought my 2003 Impala, I feel it’s time to give something back based on my experiences in the past 4-1/2 years. I know some of this will be repetitive of other posts, but I have found tidbits of information in various posts that have helped me, so maybe this will help someone else.
 
December 2002 – Took delivery on 2003 Impala base model,upgraded to 3.8L, traction control, folding rear seat, etc.
 
October 2003 6,331 replace throttle body nuts/add coolant pellets (recall).
 
History of Repairs made due to steering wheel squeal and clunking noises (all under warranty):
March 2004 9,427 shaft, steering intermediate – replace.
August 2004 12,834 seal, intermediate steering shaft - replace and lubed.
December 2004 15,859 shaft, steering intermediate - replace, bearing and/or bushing, steering shaft lower – replace.
March 2005 17,670 shaft, steering column – replace.
December 2005 23,909 torqued front suspension bolts.
 
<< Result: It still clunks in June 2007 >>
December 2005 23,909 Brakes pulsed- Resurfaced front brake rotors (under warranty)
April 2006 29,410 Replaced fuel filter at dealer’s recommendation ($80 parts/labor)
June 2007 36,000 Airbag light on; Dealer replaced SIR coil ($731)
??? Radio occasionally jumps stations for no reason. Don’t recall when this started and don’t know what the solution is.
 
June 2003 – Installed Drawtite Class II trailer hitch. Although I don’t plan to tow Class II capacity, this hitch fits much better and securely than any Class I hitches I saw. Advice: hitch dealers and websites will try to steer you to Class I hitches due to Impala’s rated towing capacity. I suggest sticking to your guns and going with this hitch. Very easy to install – about 2 hours work taking your time-and is almost hidden. Somewhere on the web someone had posted a photo essay of the installation process that was very helpful. I use my hitch almost exclusively for my hitch-mounted bike carrier. Mechanic installed trailer wiring harness. I would have done it myself, but I don’t like messing with the electronics. It looks simple – just pull carpeting away from right sidewall in trunk and tap into tail light wiring there.
 
Other Advice:
-- Change the cabin air filter yourself. It’s about the simplest job anyone can do on this car and it will save you $$.
-- Engine air filter: why GM engineers would make one of the most simple routine maintenance items so hard is beyond me. Wear gloves to protect your hands from getting scraped up on the plastic filter housing.
-- buy a torque wrench if you don’t have one and rotate the tires yourself. The cost of the wrench will be recouped the first time you do your own rotation. Torque lugnuts to specification to avoid warped rotors.
 
I do routine maintenance myself and have my trusted mechanic change oil every 3k-4k miles.
 
Would I buy this car again? I’m not sure. It runs fine and gets good mileage for its size, but every time I hear that steering wheel clunk (each time I drive it) I get irritated. GM had 3 model years prior to mine to fix this known problem and didn’t do it. Even the repairs done under warranty take a chunk of time out of your life having to shuttle the car there and back. Also, tires are wearing out already at 36k. My friend has an 02 Saturn with 80k on it – her stock tires and brakes are in better shape than mine and she hasn’t had any problems with her car. Same with friends who have Toyota Camrys – and now that Camry is coming in a hybrid version that will be very tempting.

#13382 of 13620 Re: 2003 Impala-General history [ajcars] by the_big_al

Jun 27, 2008 (4:16 pm)

Replying to: ajcars (Jun 16, 2007 12:21 pm)
wow - then 04 must have been the golden year. My 04 with 25K miles on has only been to the shop once for a faulty horn. And the tires have never been rotated and they still have the same tread all the way around.... although they do and should have been rotated a long time ago, but I am still running at about 8/32's of tread.
 
But then again, it is also a base bare bones model. 3.4 motor, and all the basic options. All in all, been a great car. I do wish I had bought the used cream color LS one they had on the lot... it already had 25K on it, but it was an LS and even had a sun roof..... but financing was better on the new one so that's what we got.

#13383 of 13620 A rare piece of good news by uzbekbashi

Jun 19, 2007 (7:26 am)

I have an 04 Impala with 71,000 miles on it. So far, have had to replace warped rotors which I did myself at 41k and no other problems yet--until 4 days ago when I parked the car and noticed a smell like burning oil. I checked quickly under the hood and saw nothing obvious but did not look carefully. The next day I moved the car and noticed a fresh puddle of oil on the ground. Not good. However, the car was working fine otherwise. I then looked at the engine in more detail and noticed fresh oil everywhere. I suspected this would take more effort to fix than I had the time and skills to do (no professional mechanic, I), so I took it to the dealer, expecting the worst. I have had some bad experiences in the past with attempted rip off jobs and steeled myself for bad news. Several hours later I got a call and it turned out that the problem was a cracked oil filter which was replaced and nothing else found wrong. The dealer did not even try to sell me on any extra services or detailing, which I have also been offered nearly every time I have taken a car to be repaired at other dealers. Not sure if I can post the name of the dealer but would like to let others know in the southern New Jersey area where to take their vehicles.

#13384 of 13620 Re: A rare piece of good news [uzbekbashi] by cob

Jun 21, 2007 (7:32 pm)

Replying to: uzbekbashi (Jun 19, 2007 7:26 am)
My 2004 has 70,000 miles and only repair was I just had to replace all four rotors and pads. They were the originals front and rear. The steel on the rear rotors was peeling off causing the car to vibrate as if the rotors were warped. Turns out they were not warped just cheap castings. As a side note found out the other night that the back window will not withstand a foul pop fly from a softball. Fortunatly I have glass coverage and the $475 window was free. It cost twice as much as the front windshield due to the defront/radio antenna/ and onstar.

#13385 of 13620 Re: Outdoor Thermometer not working right [dcngo] by fnone

Jul 30, 2007 (6:47 am)

Replying to: dcngo (Jul 12, 2006 10:52 pm)
Hi, Did you fix this problem? My Impala starated reading the wrong temp recently. Thanks

#13386 of 13620 Jammed CD player by fixit4

Jul 31, 2007 (8:08 pm)

I have a 2004 Impala and my daughter tried to insert one CD while another was already inside. Now the player does not recognize the CD inside and will not eject the CD. I have removed the fuse and the player displays a message "Check CD" but that is it. Any solutions???

Messages Page 1339 of 1363

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