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2007 Chevrolet Impala Owner Experiences

167 messages,  Last post on Oct 06, 2009 at 6:55 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Impala, Sedan


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#83 of 167
Re: 2007 IMPALA SS HANDLING PROBLEM [zedo6] by ryster
Jan 28, 2008 (5:35 pm)
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Replying to: zedo6 (Jan 28, 2008 1:34 pm)

You misinterpreted my comments. I was trying to get the point across that the Impala (V6 or V8) is a cruiser that will perform best on the Interstate. As soon as it is asked to start shifting its weight around, whether on dry or wet roads, it is going to start to get grumpy.
 
The Car and Driver article I quoted actually supported your concern and merely pointed out that what you are noticing with your SS has been noticed by others. What you are noticing is not necessarily unique.
 
I suggested to you both a strut tower brace and new tires. The strut tower brace will minimize the body roll you are experiencing. The Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires that come on the SS are not the best tires. I have had them on cars I have owned and they are not the performance tires they pretend to be. They ride too much on the soft side, which will soften up your ride. A strut tower brace and some ultra high performance tires (with stiffer sidewalls than the RS-A's) will go a long way toward making your SS handle tighter.
#84 of 167
Three problems to report by tomc1965
Jan 29, 2008 (6:56 am)
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I have a 2007 Impala LS with the 3.5L V-6. Overall it has been a good car but still has its niggling problems. I bought it in April 07 as a fleet vehicle. It had 18000 miles on it with no Onstar and no folding rear bench... in other words no extras. I do have decent gas mileage though if I am on the highway. Straight city in winter 15 mpg, in summer 18 mpg, highway only as high as 39 mpg indicated on the computer (Not really that high at gas pump) when it used straight gas and not 10% alcohol. Right now with a mix plus some hillyness I am getting between 26 and 28 mpg. I do have the Integrity tires but hate them as the spin easy when starting off on wet or snowy roads. Once up to speed they work great. I keep mine at 32 psi though instead of the indicated 30 psi for each.
 
The number 1 problem I am most frustrated with is the tranny. When trying to start out slowly to keep its fuel mileage up and to keep from spinning the tires I find the tranny shifts into second gear too soon. This causes a drop of the rpms to idle speed as it shifts to second. This causes the engine to bog and me to get heated. I might as well just put it in second at every stop. According to my GM dealer its working as its supposed to. If you are on the gas it works fine but if you try to start out slowly forget it.
 
Number 2 on the list is there is no light in the trunk. This is so frustrating when you are unloading a deep trunk like in this car. Was a light offered in the normal cars??
 
Number 3 is a real annoyance that just started happening. When I plug in something to the accessory power ports and they are first charging up i.e. IPOD with a dead battery and then go to start the car I get nothing at all. The second time I turn the key it starts fine. But every time I plug in the accessory this happens unless there is very little draw on the accessory port. Like when it finally charges completely. If nothing is plugged in then all is fine.
 
Had it to the shop and all worked normal for them neither of us knew about the accessory drain. Going in today with a note for them to check the accessory port trick with my drained IPOD. We will see what happens. I wouldn't have thought an IPOD or bluetooth device would have enough of a drain to kill the electrical system of a battery with how many cca? I mean there isn't any clicks at all but the lights go dim and the fan shuts off and everything dies. Turn the key again and all is normal.
 
This is the last GM I buy. I have had an Olds that had a bad distributor from day one for years. Talk about torque steer. It was a fun car but not reliable at all. I had a Chevy Monte Carlo with a Carb and Choke problem, I have had a Jeep Cherokee Sport (rear diff was bad at 36000 miles), Grand Cherokee (Had every problem in book), Brother has a 96 Ford F150 (Front wheel bearing and axle bad at 30000 miles) and he doesn't off road it, had a Sonoma extended cab (Never had traction, front shock was bad, bad seat release lever, blew the valve cover gasket and burned oil like crazy all within 20000 miles), had an 01 Blazer 4X4 4-door (You name it it happened to this vehicle, Wheel bearings, upper and lower ball joints, oil cooler lines blew, shocks gone, springs shot, ate gas filters, brakes always smelled liked they were burning but the culprit never found, had a wild shake above 65 that no one could find, brake dust shields rusted out twice in less than 50000 miles, a bad battery), and now this one.
 
Oh I forgot to mention that this Impala also suffers from the dreaded paint chipping problem that almost all the reds cars and some other color cars have.
 
At least with Honda the workers seem to have pride in making their cars. I still have problems thinking of a high school graduate making $27 a hour or more just to turn one screw on every car taht goes by on the assembly line all day long. That job may not exist anymore but the price some of the union workers are getting paid are a little unreasonable. No wonder GM and Ford have to keep cutting costs, taking short cuts, and raising prices.
#85 of 167
Oops by tomc1965
Jan 29, 2008 (2:09 pm)
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I meant my brother has a 2006 Ford F150 with those front end problems and his tires are almost worn out to boot because of the severness of the wheel bearing and axle problem the front end was out of alignment.
#86 of 167
Re: Three problems to report [tomc1965] by lostwrench
Jan 30, 2008 (5:43 am)
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Replying to: tomc1965 (Jan 29, 2008 6:56 am)

I'm "only" a high school graduate, but I make $90.00 an hour in cars' engine compartments.
#87 of 167
Re: 2007 IMPALA SS HANDLING PROBLEM [ryster] by zedo6
Jan 31, 2008 (1:20 pm)
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Replying to: ryster (Jan 28, 2008 5:35 pm)

> I'm taking it in on Monday for Chevy to take a look. I was getting the impression from you that I HEAL and TOE my way to work. I don't but I do like V8's. Since I haven't driven a 6cyln, I don't know how it feels. Frontal traction is good in the snow but as it's pulling at safe speeds, the backend moves around when the road is not that bad as far as snow coverage. Ever seen a plane landing in a cross wind? You have to keep correcting the wheel to keep it straight. The torque that V8 produces seems like if it
needs another top gear at any speed wet or dry. I like that feeling but sometimes I think that the constant load it creates doesn't follow well to the back end. My Bonne SSEi which is a 6cyln doesn't exhibit any problems even after 140k. I will look into tires before next winter but I'll just ride these out this year. As far as Stabilitrac, in principle, should cure what ails the SS. That's why I was curious about the 2008. I understand that 2008 will be the last year for this body style with the 2009 going to rear wheel drive. I'll let you know what Mr. Goodwrench says.
#88 of 167
Re: 2007 IMPALA SS HANDLING PROBLEM [priggly] by quietpro
Feb 05, 2008 (5:07 am)
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Replying to: priggly (Jan 28, 2008 3:04 pm)

I have never been happy with the front suspension on my '06 SS. It has seemed under-dampened (if that's the correct term) since day one. Body roll has always been a concern as well. However, both times I've mentioned it to the service department, they tell me it's within specs.
 
Sadly, my sister's 3LT handles much better. Her car absorbs bumps whereas mine rebounds over them. I may try to get a favorable "opinion" one more time before my warranty expires but I'm not holding my breath.
#89 of 167
Re: 2007 IMPALA SS HANDLING PROBLEM [quietpro] by mymitties
Feb 05, 2008 (5:19 am)
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Replying to: quietpro (Feb 05, 2008 5:07 am)

Hey there Ron.. Still active I see...!!
 
      Well i found out that No body roll is spelled .....MUSTANG GT
 
           Frank
#90 of 167
Re: 2007 IMPALA SS HANDLING PROBLEM [mymitties] by quietpro
Feb 10, 2008 (4:40 pm)
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Replying to: mymitties (Feb 05, 2008 5:19 am)

Frank,
  Where the H*** have you been? Yep, I'm still active. Still lovin' the SS although I still have my same issues. How's your Impala holding out?
 
Ron
#91 of 167
Re: 2007 IMPALA SS HANDLING PROBLEM [ryster] by zedo6
Feb 14, 2008 (1:17 pm)
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Replying to: ryster (Jan 28, 2008 5:35 pm)

> The day before I was to take it to the dealer, I looked under the rear of the car to notice the inside tread on both tires was almost gone. HUH? I have rotated my tires
every 4000 miles and was never informed of any abnormal wear. The tires have 18 k on them. The fronts were showing some inner wear but not that bad. The following day, I took it to the Chevy dealer to have a look. Be advised that if there is a mechanical problem that causes the distruction of a tire, GM doesn't cover the tire. I said to the service guy that I tought that that was kind of odd. He said GM's position is that they doen't make the tires. They don't make a lot of things on that car. Anyway, the problem with my car is that the front end was out and 3 of the 4 tires are out camber and caster. Never had that happen to me before. The streets of Cleveland are full of holes but one becomes a master of dogging them. Well, had to get 4 tires and since they have been on, there is not problem in the snow. There is is.
#92 of 167
Re: 2007 IMPALA SS HANDLING PROBLEM [zedo6] by wbowl99
Feb 14, 2008 (1:31 pm)
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Replying to: zedo6 (Feb 14, 2008 1:17 pm)

I had the same problem. I complained of tire wear early and was told it was because it was due for rotation. Tires rotated but wear continued plus I was having a lot of vibration. I was told the vibration was the transmission, but that it was typical. I suggested another rotation and balance, but was told it didn't need it and service adviser wouldn't do it. I was in a number of times for other things, each time asking them to do whatever maintenance was needed. Didn't need anything they said. Then tires were really getting bad, so I asked for an alignment. Refused to do an alignment saying it didn't need it and all the wear was because I didn't rotate them when I was supposed to. (Duh, they were the ones that wouldn't do it again when I asked.) So, I had them rotated again, and they did agree to balance them. Surprise, part of the vibration was because all 4 were very much out of balance.
 
This was all in less than 15-20K. Finally when tires were totally gone, I took it somewhere else for new tires and alignment. Both front and back were "way out" according to tire shop and probably had been since manufacture.
 
Good Luck!

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