I am sick to death of car problems. I am trying to sell my 2003 Impala, but cannot get it to stop leaking coolant, etc!!! I have been told by three different mechanics that it is the intake manifold gasket, which commonly deteriorates in this year of Impala. The cost was quoted at approximately $700 to fix, but I do not want to put another penny into this car!

I have read so many articles on the problems with intake manifold gaskets deteriorating that I cannot believe there is not some kind of recall and/or lawsuit in place. Just because it is not a life-threatening problem, does not mean that it is not an inferior part. Cars are so expensive these days, they should come with good, working parts, not inferior parts that ultimately cause the car-owner problems down the road only a few years into its lifetime. No wonder we are all shifting away from GM cars! Sad, because I have always been a fan of GM. Not anymore.

Okay, Lets begin. This story is kinda long but trust me, if you’re intending on purchasing a 2000 to 2005 Impala, it’s worth reading. What drove me to this website is I can see the potential in it to help warn people about vehicles that will eat up every bit of your savings. My experience with my 2003 3.4L Chevy Impala is awful and ongoing. A total of more than $7000.00 to keep my $4000.00 car going. How I suffered from all 5 symptoms of of the Kubler Ross Model. Buying a car should be a happy experience. The feeling that you saved up a large sum of money and purchased a device that will assist you in your day to day tasks. Not be the start of a 2 year ongoing financial burden. In my professional opinion, these cars are a one owner car. If you’re not buying them new, you’re buying someone else's problems. The 3.4L’s suffer from every known problem in the book, from wireing enigmas to coolant appearing in your oil during a routine service. Lights flickering like they are possessed by an angry spirit or bouts of alzheimers where your car temporarily forgets who you are. Everything I am about to tell you is dictation of the true and real events that have happened to me from that fateful day blanketed in the heat of the september sun.

My wife had just given birth to our new baby girl, and we were quickly realizing that a 1989 Firebird was not designed with a growing family in mind. We had considered purchasing a new car and come tax season we began looking. We searched for cars online, read reviews, asked people of their personal experiences. Price was a determining factor, but we were certain we could get a good family car for under our $5000.00 budget. So, that fateful thursday, we set out towards Kansas City to an Auto Dealer we have seen numerous times on the internet. A place called, and forever a sinking pit in my stomach, Best Buy Car Company, that I shall refer to from this point on as BBCC.

We called ahead because we had been eyeing this white Chevy Impala for awhile online, and we wanted to make sure it was still there. We spoke with a representative on the phone and he informed us it was still in their inventory. Around 10:00 we arrived anxious to test drive cars and make the purchase. They assisted us and the salesman assisted us with everything. It was these four vehicles that caught our eye. My wife fell for a 2002 Lincoln for $5500.00 and I was interested in a bronze Chevy Impala 3.8L for 3500 that had a small dent on the front right quarter panel. We also test drove a Ford Focus hatchback but I was not impressed with the way it felt behind the wheel. Well, after road tests we sat down for a heart to heart. We decided the Lincoln was out of the budget so we scratched it off the list. I scratched the Ford Focus off the list because of the way it felt while driving. We drove the 2003 3.4L and it seemed to have the best of both worlds. It had a very nice ride, and did not feel so “hollow” as the Focus.

This is where I believe we had been taken by the salesman. Either he knew that the 2003 Impala had engine issues, or he honestly thought it was the best vehicle for us. He never directly told us he would recommend the Impala over the other two styles of vehicles, but every vehicle we test drove, and looked at was not “as good” as the Impala. He told us how he was considering buying the Impala and he turned us away from cars he called “problem cars” with issues. So, we fell for it, that’s the mark of a good salesman. He convinced a brand new family into a 2 year financial nightmare. Nearly caused us a divorce, and therefore almost caused a child to grow up in a divided family.

When we did start looking at the Impala, we asked about a Carfax like all inexperienced buyers do. I never thought to myself that, in the event something serious was wrong with the car, maybe that’s the reason they traded it in, and therefore the reason the car ends up at a resale lot such as BBCC. He offered the services of their “Mechanic” who did look like a mechanic should look. Kinda hairy, kinda dirty, overalls, you know, how a mechanic is supposed to look. He looked the car over for about 10 minutes, he would idle the engine up to around 4000 RPM, then Idle it back down and listen for noises. He looked under the engine for something, like he lost his keys. Felt around in the engine compartment, checked the oil and hooked that little diagnostic machine up to the computer. He made a few grunting noises but after he concluded his brief inspection he said in no to few words that it was a strong car. Happy we had a mechanic look at the vehicle, we followed the salesman into BBCC and proceeded to sign away $4000.00 for the car. If I had known that car would have costed me $12000.00+ I would have walked away right then.

Once the paperwork was concluded “about 3 pages” we got the keys and drove off the lot. It was around 4:40 and we decided that we needed to head directly home. A 3 month old gets very cranky when packed around during a hot late summer day. I am following my wife southbound on HW69 when she pulls into Louisburg. She stops at a gas station and tells me that she smells something burning. I pop the hood and look inside like a typical husband would. You know, looking for something obvious. I made the typical man grunts and rubbed my chin awhile. After not seeing anything apparent, I decided to make a call to BBCC to ask them what they would make of the situation. My wife shut off the engine while I told him that I noticed a pale white haze rising from the engine. He told me “that’s baby oil” and that it’s common for them to have it on the engines because it makes them look newer. It seemed plausible, a typical sales tactic so why not. I thanked him for his time and said good bye. I had my wife start the engine, I wanted to look some more just to be sure. She turned it back on so I started to idle the engine up to about 4000rpm, however instead of idling it back down slowly like the mechanic did, I let it drop off quickly. My heart sank when I heard the metallic ping of a piston chattering against the wall of my 3.4L engine. I did it about 10 more times to be sure it wasn’t my imagination. We shut the engine off once again, and I made the call to BBCC once again. I remember looking at my phone. It was 5:30 and I remember thinking to myself, “God, I hope they didn’t close at 5:00” The salesman picked up the phone. It was on this phone call I began to see their true colors. I told him about the “sound” the engine made, and how I got it to make it. He stopped me mid sentence and told me in no uncertain terms that the car was mine. “Once you drive it off the lot, it’s your car.” he told me. I told him that I had only bought the car 63 miles ago. He corrected me by saying “6 or 600, it doesn’t matter, once you drive it off the lot, it’s your car”. I was dumbfounded by his smart assed response. Was this really happening to me? Did the fact that I had a 3 month old not deter him in the slightest from selling me a funk car? So many questions. He continued by saying “We sell all of our cars AS IS without any warranties”. I told him, surely there has to be some type of exception to this, we had just bought the car not even 3 hours ago. Surely they had to know about this issue and to this day, I believe that was there tactic. He told me that they sell 50 cars a week on average, and that it was my responsibility to make sure nothing is wrong with the car before we purchase it. He finished with a very sarcastic “Are we done here?” there was an awkward silence. I started to ask him if there is anything that they could do for us. Before I had a chance to finish my sentence he hung up the phone on me. It was then I felt a heavy weight in the pit of my stomach. Wife was in the car and my daughter had fallen asleep. It was about then, to break the silence a man on an obscenely loud motorcycle pulled up to the gas station popping blasting his bike. It was only when he seen my very angry wife screaming at the top of her lungs and walking across the parking lot at him did he drive off. It was my wife's actions that inspired me to call BBCC back and, if anything, plead for an exchange credit towards another car from their lot. I called back with high aspirations for this phone call. The salesman picked up the phone and I reintroduced myself as the family that just bought the Chevy Impala. I had barely had a chance to say hello when he blurted “AS IS NO WARRANTIES” and hung up the phone. It was then, I knew I was stuck with it. If I would have known then what I known now, we would have drove it off a bridge right then.

The first symptom of the Kubler Ross Model is denial. I did a little bit of due diligence however that “as is no warranties either spoken or implied” is a killer. For lack of a better word, you sign it, it’s your car. My first warning to anyone reading this is buyer beware of anything “as is no warranties”. Denial had began to set in. This wasn’t my fault, but it was. The car can’t be as bad is I think it was, but it was. Surely it won’t cost much to get fixed, but it will. Denial slowly turned into anger as each mechanic I went to told me the same thing. “I bought a lemon” that “It’s a Piston Slap, no doubt” and “Needs a new engine”. At least we had my 1988 Pontiac Firebird, but again fate has a way of casting new shadows in the dimness of a bleak situation.

Shortly after purchasing the Impala, while I was stopped at a stop sign getting ready to enter the highway I was rear ended by a woman who was “adjusting her seat” and lucky me, she didn’t have insurance. I had already had a $2200.00 sign in my firebird which was about how much more money I needed to repair the engine in the Impala. All this with the Impala, now the hatch on my Firebird won’t close, and it’s our reliable vehicle we use for my now 6 month old daughter. Bad way to finish out 2010, trust me. Well, the woman proved to be difficult to get ahold of, and even more difficult to get money out of. We had 3 people estimate damage and repairs. The lowest of which was $1500.00 from a body shop north of town. However the $1500.00 would not be for replacement parts like the automatic hatch lock or break lights. We went to her with the information and she said that the most she could do was $500.00. She didn’t believe that it would cost that much to fix my Firebird. I could go into this whole debacle however I will summarize that we found someone to purchase the car for $1500.00 and she ended up paying $700.00 for repairs. Left us with $2200 for the engine. Since we paid $4000.00 for the car, we had about $6000.00, which left us $2000 left minus taxes and tags which left us $1400.00. Yeah lots of numbers, but all I was happy about is that we had a mechanic that was able to put a new engine in my car for $2900.00 Parts and Labor. I felt like this was the first lucky break I had on this car. Okay, I would love to tell everyone who this mechanic is, however I am good to my word. It was because of the altercations that occurred and the fact that I paid for the repair in October 4th 2010 and my car wasn’t done until January 11th 2011 the mechanic and I did not see Eye to Eye. However in light of suing each other he agreed to finish his project and we would go our separate ways. I do say this, because it is a foreboding shadow of doubt in my mind on a future repair.

Key point: The piston slap was caused by a faulty manifold gasket on the 3.4L engines. There’s not enough space for the gasket to provide adequate sealing over a long period of time. Eventually almost all 3.4L will have a leaking head gasket, which leaks coolant into the oil. Result, friction in the cylinder wall and a piston slap. GM knows about this issue however has refused to take action since “most occurrences of the issue occurs outside the scope of the manufacturer warranty” so they don’t cover it. Basically it occurs on average around 150,000 to 200,000 miles, but has been reported to occur in vehicles under 30,000 miles.

So the drama of my 2003 Impala continues. The mechanic that replaced the engine informed me that the front struts were “shot” and since I already paid for them they were put on at the same time the engine was replaced. I don’t have the receipt however I do remember it costing around $600 to $800 to replace and he charged me labor twice, once for putting them on, and once when the engine was replaced. The next thing that had an issue was the starter. At first we thought it was the transmission. Every time we would turn to the right, there would be a loud chirping from the engine area. We checked everything, each time it sounded like it was coming mid portion of the engine. It only happened when the vehicle was moving though. Turns out it was a starter. There’s a magnet that holds the sprocket back and keeps it from engaging the flywheel. When we would turn to the right, the sprocket would bounce off the engaged flywheel and make a chirping sound. This is where I brag on one of the best mechanic shops in my area. Findley Automotive, the mechanic’s father (I think his name is John) took one ride in my car. Where everyone else told me it’s the transmission, he said it was the starter. He explained why, and it made perfect sense. Swapped the starter out and the chirping stopped.

Key point: Most of these parts, though supposedly held to the highest standard, had a high fail rating in these years. The reasons were that the company was losing profits which is why they started investing money in foreign parts in an effort to cut costs. Allot of peripherals like starters, alternators, fuel pumps, the two computers, water pumps were all sourced overseas, however because the cars were assembled in the united states they could be called “Made in the USA” which is not entirely fair. Sourcing still occurs even today, and many of our american made cars components are entirely made overseas. GM knows about the issues with these parts but has refused to accept blame for the overall high fail rate of many of their components on the 2000-2005 Impalas. Just ask any mechanic what they think of Ford's cost saving “Plastic Intake Manifold” idea, and how hard they fought it in 2005. Ultimately they did admit fault, which is something I wish GM would do on many issues, ESPECIALLY this next one.

My car’s issue with Alzheimers. Late 2011 my car started having issues that I attributed to a faulty starter. Remember, Findley put that new starter in my car, and it worked fine, except, shortly after that, my car started suffering from periods where you would try to start the car, the security light would flash and the car would not start for 15 minutes. Turns out that it was the all too common issue with the passlock system. If you want to see a defunct attempt at cheap auto security, this is it. It works though, so well it keeps you out of your own car. At around 130,000 miles these cars, after countless starts, become prone for issues with the passlock system. The passlock system is a cheap anti theft deterrent. While other manufacturers were taking advantage of the onstar anti theft system of being able to remotely shut down your car. (I found it humorous how everyone was worried about this) GM installed a little variable resistor in the key assembly that the ECM verifies during startup. It has a saved measure of the amount of resistance and if it differs than the passlock security system activates which locks your injectors for 15 wonderful minutes. As the system gets age, the resistor can and will fail causing irregular voltage readings which in turn blocks you from starting your vehicle. If this is not an apparent recall issue, I don’t know what is. I read a study that there is a greater than 50% chance that your 2000 to 2005 Chevy Impala equipped with the passlock system will suffer a failure between 125,000 and 175,000 miles. I honestly believe that’s true. Start looking at all the issues with passlock and you will see a unanimous receipt for recall if I have ever seen one. Turns out this is also a dealer item, and has to be done at a dealer, or service station that has the ability to program your computer to the new rotor key assembly. This one cost me around $320.00 so yeah, a lot more pleasant however that was quickly overshadowed by the next occurrence.

This is an issue I had with my Impala, however I do not attribute it to a manufacturer issue. I have heard nothing good or bad about the 4 speed automatics and there’s numerous stories of them lasting 200,000 or more miles. Seems to be the only thing on the impalas that doesn’t have a problem. I personally attribute this issue to the mechanic that replaced the engine. I was driving in a nearby town when all the sudden, while accelerating from stop, my car hesitated. It felt the same as you were walking through a store with a shopping cart and one of your wheels got caught up on a pebble. All the sudden, the pit in my stomach I had in October of 2010 came back with fury. The transmission did go out, no more than 10,000 miles after the mechanic I had altercations with gave me that foreboding warning “Normally the transmissions go out when you get a new engine because of the difference in torque”. At this point, I was a, one mechanic, guy. I immediately took it to Findley and we took it for a test drive. It acted up right on cue around a corner. Just as I feared, it was indeed the transmission. They took it down, and just under $1700.00 and 4 days later, I had a rebuilt transmission in and DONE. no 4 months of waiting. No arguments, no excuses, and he didn’t charge me upfront for a service he hadn’t yet supplied. He did say that it seemed strange once inside the transmission the filter had been removed or torn and there was a silt or something inside it that didn’t look like normal transmission wear. I was very angry but decided that what’s done is done. Lesson learned. Again, I don’t think that’s a GM issue, however it did go wrong.

Finally the most recent thing to go wrong with my car. If you’re ever in your car, shifting into reverse, or trying to start or drive in 90+ degree weather and it has issues to include, flashing lights, honking or chirping horn noises, windows that only work sometimes, periodic shutting off while driving down the highway, or lights that turn off in the middle of a hot summer night. You may be suffering from possessed car syndrome. It means your car is possessed by the angry spirit of William C. Durant. Maddened by his once great empire reduced to foreign made and imported one piece at a time so they can be assembled and called “made in the USA”. (Just kidding) It’s actually probably your BCM or body control module. At least that’s what it was in my case, I hope. I just spent $445.00 on diagnostics, installation and programming of this little dandy of ignorance. Okay, your 2000-2005 Chevy Impala has two computers that are both prone for issues with heat and glitches. So instead of spending the extra money fixing a known issue, they just moved the ECM into the “get this” intake assembly. Good spot right, nice breeze, stays cool. Fine and well, but the BCM also has the same issues with heat, and it’s tucked up and away under your dash, just above the parking brake lever. Stays nice and warm there. In 90 degree weather it can be 120 in the cab of your car. Inside this computer, even hotter. And they were nice enough to design it without fans so all that heat has nowhere to go. I can’t help but think this is all about cost. These series of BCM on all the different models of vehicles have issues and it’s convenient that the amount of issues directly correlates with the vehicle's position on the map. In Texas you’re much more likely to have issues with your BCM than if you lived in Montana. This should be a recall to. It’s sad that AC delco says that there’s no correlation between heat combined with the intractability of fixing an issue such as this, they won’t touch it.

That’s the list of how I came to own, in my opinion, one of the worst cars in recent era. I hope that I can stop at least one person from being in a situation such as mine. In my opinion GM designed the 3.4L Chevy Impala as a cheap, one owner car. Meaning, once that car comes out of warranty, because everything was designed to the minimum. When one thing starts to fail, everything starts to fail. If you’re lucky enough to found yourself with an Impala that has no issues, read about some of the bullets you dodged. Go buy yourself a lottery ticket, because in a few days you will be a millionaire. Just an example of minimum engineering. I miss the days where people had no idea how long something would last, or how thick something had to be, so they would overcompensate a part to make sure it wouldn’t break. Not any more, instead they have computer simulation programs that can accurately predict when parts will stress out and fail, so they can design everything to fail together.

Thanks for your time. Here is a list of the stuff I need to fix. AC Leak $150 + Labor, Fuel gauge stopped working $375.00 + Labor, Oil pressure circuit keeps coding $ no idea Noise in left front end, may be an axle bearing $ no idea Power Steering Leak in the “Rack & Pinion” $ no idea ABS system keeps faulting $600.00 maybe more.

Stay away from Impalas!

After receiving a Used Chevy Impala from my Grandfather, I decided to go about getting it checked out.Unfortunately a few days after a mechanic at the place I get my oil changed tells me I have a leak. I take it to my Normal Mechanic to get an oil leak fixed only to be told that My intake manifold gaskets are leaking and that it would be a 1200 dollar fix, I decided to look into the issue and have found I am certainly not the only one complaining about this. Absolute disappointment just got rid of my old 95 dodge stratus only to realize this car is at the same level of offering me no confidence on the road that my vehicle will get me to my destination. I am hoping this repair will not be a repeated again. If there is a class action suit that starts sign me up, owners should not be held responsible for cheaply constructed design flaws that could potentially cost lives as peoples engines fail while driving down the road.

OMG!!! I have replaced almost everything on this vehicle. The purchase price was $10,999 I have spent well over $11,000 on repairs for this piece of crap! I keep telling myself "it's almost a brand new car" I have replaced transmission, Manifold gasket, sensors, you name it I have fixed it. Why have these vehicles not been recalled? Just would like to know WHY? I will NEVER buy another Chevrolet. I have owned a Honda in the past and I had over 350,000 miles on it before it needed any major repairs. Looks like Honda will be getting another customer!

I am the second owner, I bought my car from a dealers auction and now I am having this problem. It popped up right after an oil change about two weeks ago, and now my mechanic says that my car needs either a new motor or a rebuilt engine, which is 1,000 minimum, Why should I put 1,000 into a car I bought for 3300? I read that this problem keeps popping up after it is fixed so, why even bother to fix it? I posted this to let everyone know that I am having this problem too and that this car is very cheap quality. No more American cars for me.

Just to let everyone know that the Attorney General should be called by eveyone that has had problems like this... Does anyone remember, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more?! If we flood the Attorney Generals' office with enough complaints we may get some results. (Just wishing of course) Lets stand up and give them an ear full that they won't soon forget!!! I remember a time ( not that I'm old or maybe I am) when quality, integrity and standing behind products meant something, obviously somethings have changed which is a very sad situation.

I had to replace my intake gasket. Jim Ellis in Chamblee, GA offered me a solution. They told me to contact GMC and tell them to contact them. They told GMC that they were seeing this problem in a lot of IMPALA'S; therefore I was given 50% of the cost to repair this malfunction.

I now have 87,000 miles on this car and I'm having to replace a head that has gone bad, because my rocker bolts stripped out. I don't see why or how I could strip out some screws that are in the motor.

This is the first and last GMC I will ever purchase...