2004 impala problems...

i'm new here so please forgive me if this has already been discussed.

i bought an 04 impala last june with 9 miles on it. in november it had 4,000 miles on it and i noticed the coolant reservoir had black sludge in it as well as in the radiator. both were low/empty on coolant. took it in to dealer. they flushed the radiator and replaced the lower intake manifold (said it was warped) gasket and such.

i checked the reservoir yesterday and it is almost empty, coolant (the red stuff) still looks pretty good. my husband checked the radiator this morning and said there is some sludge in it again and it's low on fluid.

also, i noticed that the car is starting to guzzle gas. (1/8 tank on a 15-20 mile trip with very conservative driving)

anyone else have this problem. i'm taking the car back to the dealer this morning but i don't want to get the run around. (car has just over 6,000 miles on it now)

if im not mistaken that "sudge" is caused by the coolant GM uses in their new cars...its supposed to last longer and u have to use it to keep the warranty going...the sludge however is due to the erosion of the metal in your cooling system...my mom's '01 impala had the same problem...and as soon as the warranty was up we flushed it ourselves and filled it with standard coolant.


all that^ might not be true for the newer car but im assuming its the same general idea

there is a post on the imapla board that i think you will find very usefull....the title is "Lawsuit against GM.....DEXCOOL"

2002 Impala, 3.4L
3/9/05 @ 55k miles
9 registered trips to 4 dealers in Central PA - still looking for a good one!!

1. Intake gasket @ 52k - thanks dexcool, $800+
2. Brakes @ ~10k, 15k, 25k, 40k, 50k - warping rotors - $250-350/each time.
3. Rear Doors hard to open - still an issue
4. Steering shaft - $220 (twice)
5. I had to replace some steering boots - clunking when turning at low speed (driveways, stop and turns)
6. Ignition switch @ 11k
7. And other parts I am sure I missed.

Pros
- I do like the ride, very comfortable
- Cool styling

Cons
- Repairs, Repairs and more repairs.

well i heard back from the dealership yesterday evening. he said the radiator was full of coolant, the sludge was from the last time they serviced it. it must have been some left over (even though they supposedly flushed it) i'm not sure i believe that one...
he said the reservoir was the overflow and it always fluctuates. i pointed out to him that it was practically empty and it shouldn't be like that. he then got off the phone to run a pressure test. called back and said it is holding pressure and has no leaks and has no answers for me.
i mentioned to him again about the fuel and how much it is using now when just a couple of months ago when i was working i was driving 30 miles a day, 5 days a week and had to fill up every other friday. he said he'll check on the fuel usage and get back with me monday.

i know i'm a woman but i'm not stupid. i know coolant doesn't just disappear into thin air and i know that gas mileage isn't supposed to fluctuate that much in such a short period of time...

we'll see. i'm told i have 3 times within one year to take the car in for the same problem and then the car (is supposed) to get replaced.

if i would have known that impalas had so many problems and such as i've read here i never would have bought it. i was under the impression that this was the safest, pretty much most reliable car on the road...

well i heard back from the dealership yesterday evening. he said the radiator was full of coolant, the sludge was from the last time they serviced it. it must have been some left over (even though they supposedly flushed it) i'm not sure i believe that one...
he said the reservoir was the overflow and it always fluctuates. i pointed out to him that it was practically empty and it shouldn't be like that. he then got off the phone to run a pressure test. called back and said it is holding pressure and has no leaks and has no answers for me.
i mentioned to him again about the fuel and how much it is using now when just a couple of months ago when i was working i was driving 30 miles a day, 5 days a week and had to fill up every other friday. he said he'll check on the fuel usage and get back with me monday.

i know i'm a woman but i'm not stupid. i know coolant doesn't just disappear into thin air and i know that gas mileage isn't supposed to fluctuate that much in such a short period of time...

we'll see. i'm told i have 3 times within one year to take the car in for the same problem and then the car (is supposed) to get replaced.

if i would have known that impalas had so many problems and such as i've read here i never would have bought it. i was under the impression that this was the safest, pretty much most reliable car on the road...

I didn't think the 2004 Impalas were affected by this but -

I wouldn't be surprised if this was an intake gasket problem. If the coolant gets into the oil it can affect your MPG and damage your engine. Or the oil can get into your coolant and damage your cooling parts (or both) - this is where you might find the sludge. You stated they pressure tested it without leaks but something is def. wrong.

My guess is either your coolant is running out on the ground or into the oil which would explain the missing coolant. Hopefully your car is still under warranty because this could get expensive otherwise.

To replace the intake gasket should cost about $800, if other damage happens (engine, cooling or transmission) it could be much more.

If you suspect a leak and they are not helpful, you might want to take the car to a radiator shop to have it tested, it might cost you some money to have it checked out but it will arm you with paperwork to go back to the dealer and tell them to fix it right. Based on my experiences, especially under warranty, I am not sure we can trust GM all the time.

i checked the oil before i took it in thursday. it's almost time for an oil change and the oil still looked very clean and it was full.

when i get the car back i'll be sure to park it ontop of something to see if anything is dripping.

GM sort of pulled through on my Intake problem. After a few letters, faxes and a couple phone calls. I received a telephone call the other day from the GM customer assistance center and they are willing to reimburse 50% of the repair (or about $400), which is better than nothing and puts some form of renewed faith in me. The rep I talked to was very calm and polite, she explained even though the vehicle was out of warranty (50k) they were going to help out in the interest of providing customer service. I am sure this forgoes my claim for any class action lawsuit but at least GM is doing something for me.

2002 Impala, 3.4L
3/18/05 @ 56k miles
9 registered trips to 4 dealers in Central PA - still looking for a good one!!

1. Intake gasket @ 52k - thanks Dexcool, $800+
2. Brakes @ ~10k, 15k, 25k, 40k, 50k - warping rotors - $250-350/each time. - had problems all the time, finally the rears were done this last time seems to have fixed the shimmy/vibration when braking lightly at high speeds, I am sure it will return. Front rotors have been turned 3 times now, replacement next.
3. Rear Doors hard to open - still an issue, someone suggested lubing the door seals. Seems the handles are hard to grab.
4. Intermediate Steering Shaft (ISS) - $220 (twice)
5. I had to replace some steering boots - had clunking in wheel when turning at low speed (driveways, stop and turns). Felt like loose brake caliper or popping cv joint.
6. Ignition switch @ 11k
7. And other parts I am sure I missed.

I have not had the “transmission” issues yet and the car seems to have enough power for me, which will be about the time I start looking for a new car. I don’t think it will be a GM.

Pros
- I do like the ride, very comfortable
- Cool styling

Cons
- Repairs, Repairs and more repairs.

I did not think lightning would strike twice in the same spot but now I wonder. After driving my leased 2001 Impala for two years coolant had been going into the engine and the dealer had to rebuild the engine. I said I would not get another Impala but after searching and test driving other cars when my lease was up I could not find a car with the comfort and smooth ride of the Impala for the price of an Impala. I thought it was just a fluke and a newer model would be ok.

I have leased a 2004 Impala and after a year I found brown sludge in the overflow reservoir and under the cap and in the neck of the radiator. I do not know if it was related but what got my looking was a trickling,"suction" noise made by the coolant circulation when I would press the accelarator. I took it to the dealer today so I am carless and wondering what the verdict will be.The car has less than 15,000 miles. Stay tuned.

for one thing, he is right, the resivore will change, it will go up and down with the pressure in the system (mainly the hotter it is, the higher the resivore will be)\

Also, driving 30 miles a day, and filling up once every 14 days is VERY good gas useage, that is 420 miles, which is good.

The dealer did a pressure test and determined no leaks and assured me that coolant was not getting into the engine. They did not flush out the system but said they tested the coolant and it was ok. Is sludge suppose to be normal ? What is the advantage of Dex Cool over the standard green coolant ? I really have no choice on the coolant as long as it is under warranty but my desire to own another Impala is becoming extremely remote since I am having problems with the cooling system with my 2004 and had big time problems with my 2001 Impala.

We bought a new Blazer in 01 that started leaking internally at 12,000 miles. Took it back to the selling/servicing dealer and they refused to even check it , told us to try another dealer. Took it to another dealer and they kept it for two days, put some of their magic sawdust pills in the radiator and said it was "all fixed, no charge." Have to assume the warranty coverage for this repair is a losing proposition for the dealers. Good luck to all of you, looks like GM has an epidemic in their cooling system failures and they sure are reluctant to fix them. For sure I'm "steamed." To the original poster, it is certainly not normal for that coolant tank to go empty, that coolant does not evaporate, it's leaking somewhere and if you don't see it on the concrete floor, it's going into the engine. Lemon laws some times are only good for the first year, get this ironed out.

I replaced my dexcool with the green stuff... Then again I never had a problem with it and it went 150k miles without being changed.

It has been known to cause problems though (obviously by peoples responses already), i'd kindly ask the dealer to put in green stuff if I had the chance... if they say they can't its BS ;)

Last car I had that lost coolant alot had a bad head-gasket (5 times in a row, thank you dealer that coun't fix it right 5 times in a row, local shop did it once and it held until the car died.)

I havn't heard of as many problem with head gaskets in Impalas though.

my impala just had the head gasket replaced at 61000 miles $1200 bucks :/ anyway from what i was told you need to keep your coolant filled up or it becomes contaminated and looses its chemical properties, and thats why it begins to sludge up. You can't keep driving with the sludge in your resevoir so tell your dealer to flush it out and do it right this time. Don't let em give you some bullshit "ohhh, thats just normal cause it isn't" plus you being a woman doesn't help out any, which is sad.

On January 4, 1975, President Ford signed into law the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, Title 1, 101-112, 15 U.S.C. 2301 et seq. This act, effective July 4, 1975, is designed to "improve the adequacy of information available to consumers, prevent deception, and improve competition in the marketing of consumer products. . . ."

"Tie-In Sales" Provisions

Generally, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty. The following are examples of prohibited tie-in sales provisions.

In order to keep your new Plenum Brand Vacuum Cleaner warranty in effect, you must use genuine Plenum Brand Filter Bags. Failure to have scheduled maintenance performed, at your expense, by the Great American Maintenance Company, Inc., voids this warranty.

While you cannot use a tie-in sales provision, your warranty need not cover use of replacement parts, repairs, or maintenance that is inappropriate for your product. The following is an example of a permissible provision that excludes coverage of such things.

While necessary maintenance or repairs on your AudioMundo Stereo System can be performed by any company, we recommend that you use only authorized AudioMundo dealers. Improper or incorrectly performed maintenance or repair voids this warranty.

Although tie-in sales provisions generally are not allowed, you can include such a provision in your warranty if you can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FTC that your product will not work properly without a specified item or service. If you believe that this is the case, you should contact the warranty staff of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection for information on how to apply for a waiver of the tie-in sales prohibition.


This is concerning the thing about having to get GM coolant or your warranty is cancelled.

I did not think lightning would strike twice in the same spot but now I wonder. After driving my leased 2001 Impala for two years coolant had been going into the engine and the dealer had to rebuild the engine. I said I would not get another Impala but after searching and test driving other cars when my lease was up I could not find a car with the comfort and smooth ride of the Impala for the price of an Impala. I thought it was just a fluke and a newer model would be ok.

I have leased a 2004 Impala and after a year I found brown sludge in the overflow reservoir and under the cap and in the neck of the radiator. I do not know if it was related but what got my looking was a trickling,"suction" noise made by the coolant circulation when I would press the accelarator. I took it to the dealer today so I am carless and wondering what the verdict will be.The car has less than 15,000 miles. Stay tuned.
My 04 has the waterfall in the dash too...chevy dealership says techs are working on it.....8 months ago...still waiting....glad i have 100000 warranty It probably will go south at 10100 Jayman31

I have the same problem with my 04...sound like a brook in the dash...chevy says techs are working on it....no clue where it comes from!

After what we went through with our Blazer and what I read and hear, I've come to the conclusion that the warranty repair does not make money for the dealer. I'd guess the company has cut and delayed payment for this particular repair to the point the techs don't want to fool with it. Wait and let the engine chew itself up so they can replace the whole engine, or wait until the warranty is out and make the customer pay what it's worth. Stands to reason that any internal engine coolant leak would be a major concern, but the attitude we're seeing seems to be just the opposite. I'm a long time GM owner that's pretty disgusted with what I've seen. Hope you guys have better luck.