Chevy starting an investigation???

Well, i finally contacted someone from chevy and i told them everything that has happened to my car. I just wondered if anyone else has have success with chevy or not...i'm just wondering if it's worth a try, or a waste of time....

here is the letter that i sent them. It's long but detailed.....

2000 Chevrolet Impala 4dr FWD
3.4 Liter V-6
VIN: 2G1WF52E2Y9XXXXXX

I bought the car on 8/7/2003 with 41,674 miles.
When I bought it, dealership agrees to put new front pads and rotors on it because they where warped.
This was done at Great Lakes Ford in Ludington.

8/12/04 42,000 miles
Took car back to the ford garage to have them recheck to front brakes. They said that they replaced the rotors in which they didn't, they simply resurfaced them. Have problem fixed, no problems.

9/15/04
Front End Alignment done at Master Muffler and Brakes in Ludington for a pull, vibration in the front end. 43.00.

9/15/03 45,103 Miles
Wal-Mart oil change-Everything checked out fine.

11/17/03 50,164 miles
Took my car in to Great Lakes Ford in Ludington. I complained of a clunking in the front end, over bumps, acceleration, and turning. They test drove it and verified problem. Sold me shaft needed to be lubed. I told them it was already lubed once and i wasn't going to pay over a hundred dollars to have them lube it again, only to have it fail again down the road. Also complained about a constant vibration/shimmy in the front, they said they didn't notice it. A few months prior i have it aligned and the guy there said that he noticed it. I also complained that the fuel pressure regulator was leaking and they replaced it after i encountered a small fire which extinguish rather quickly. Almost like a quick flash, sustained 2nd degree burns from incident. Also complained about the blower motor relay, only worked on high. Replaced blower motor resistor. 134.09

12/08/03 52,906 miles
Walmart Oil change, tire balance and rotate. Everything checked out fine.

1/02/2004 55,306
Bought front and rear brakes. Replaced rotors because they where warped. Did this myself since its a common thing for a car owner to do. Rotors warped prematurly. 120.00

1/06/04 56156 miles
Walmart Oil change. Everything checked out fine.

1/15/04 56,811 miles
Took car to walmart to have the tires balanced and rotated again because of the shimmy in the front end. Didn't change anything. Problem still there.

1/20/04 57,201 miles
Driving down the road coming to an intersection, light turned red and started to apply brakes, i heard a loud clunk type sound in the engine compartment and the pedal went right to the floor, NO BRAKES!!!! I started to apply emergency brake and at the same time put the car in neutral and went through the intersection at about 40 mph. Thank god I didn't get hit!!!! or killed.
Luckly the ford dealership was only a few miles away so i drove down back roads to the dealership. They then replaced the master cylinder. At this point I was starting to get worried about the car because i have only had the car about 4-5 months and already had these problems.

2/4/04 unknown miles(walmart was slacking :))
I have a tired balance and rotate done again, the shimmy was still there. Still didn't fix the problem.

2/4/04 58,469
Took car to Midas and had a transmission flush done. I was told that they replace the filter at 90.000 miles. I had this done hoping it would solve the weird shifting and undesired effects from the tranmission, and also because it was required at part of the maintanece schedule. $87.00

2/17/04 59,629
Another wonderful Walmart Oil change. No noted problem.

4/28/04
Took car to Marvels. I kept taking it to the ford garage because they told me the warranty was only good if i went to them to have the work done. A few times they had to take it to a chevy dealership to have it looked at because they didn't know or they couldn't do the work. I called the warranty company and complained about why they won't pay for the intermitted steering shaft, they told me about some type of a TSB out for it. They then told me that I could take my car anywhere that would accept mastercard. So after that i called every few days and complained about it. I didn't want to have to pay for a lube job because it was done by a friend who works for a dealership. I bought the lube kit but I don't remmeber how much i paid for it.

4/28/04 66,008 miles
I took the car to Marvels Chevrolet in Reed City, MI to see if they could fix problems. I took it in with a transmission concern, the erratic undesired operation, steering for the shimmy, and the car was all over the road at highway speeds. I think this is when they replaced the pressure soleniod and the valves in the transmission and FINALLY replaced the intermitted steering shaft. After loosing my car for another day, I got the car back and noticed no change in the transmission. Also, after they replaced the intermitted steering shaft, i notice ALOT of play in the steering, I took it back, complained about how the transmission performance hasn't improved, they then told me that what it was doing was normal and that it wouldn't effect the "longivity" of the transmission. They also stated that the play in the steering was normal. About a week later I again took the car back and complained about the play in the steering, they insisted that it was normal, i told them it didn't do that before, so alot of complaining to them, it took them 10 minutes to correct the problem with the play in the steering.

5/13/04 67,208 miles
I took the car in and had the A/C checked. I has the lines checked because the A/C wasn't getting cold. They checked it and said it was fine. I then took it to a friend who is a HVAC technician and he discharged the system and recharged it. Marvels told me that with the new A/C systems. Whatever the temperature is outside, the car will only make it 20 degrees colder inside. I don't know if this is true but i didn't buy it. 35.00

06/01/04 68,209
Was coming home one day, went in the house for five minutes, came back out to start my car, it wouldn't start. I did EVERYTHING I could think of and nothing. I then had it towed to Marvels. They said the battery had a dead cell in it. They quoted me some 70 bucks for a new one, went to walmart and bought one recommened for the car for a little over $40. They said some wire somewhere broke and they repaired it. 22.50

6/05/04 68,554
The car has been performing very poorly and started to guzzle gas. I pulled the spark plugs and put in new ones. Also replaced the wires. Oh, I also put in a new fuel filter because the guy at the parts store recommened it, at this point, i'm open to anything. After I did all this, and 60 dollars later, a bit of improvement in gas milage and engine idleing. Owners manual said that the plugs shouldn't have to be replaced until 100,000.

THIS IS STUFF I KNOW WAS DONE, BUT I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER BECAUSE OF SO MUCH WORK DONE TO IT AND DIDN'T HAVE A RECIEPT FROM DEALERSHIP.

I don't remember when this happened but it was around this point in time. After the car was at normal operating temperature. I would shut it off and walk away and I could notice the smell of antifreeze. I check all the hoses and the radiator and I couldn't find anything. At the same time, i took it in because there was a loud clanking noise in the front end when i went over bumps. They looked at it and wanted to replace the caliper. On that trip, i remembered the antifreeze smell and told them about it. I also stated that there was a loss of power in it. They looked at it and said I needed an intake manifold gasket. So again, I lost my car for a day and replaced it, just to avoid problems, i have them put a new PVC valve, a thermostat, and a coolant flush. So they replaced all the above and I believed i paid around 200 bucks on my half.

I had problems with the blinkers in it (which got me a ticket). Sometimes they would work, and sometimes not. I took it to Marvels and they replaced the hazard switch in it. 78 bucks.

Now, when i'm driving on the expressway at about 70mph. At that point if i want to increase speed, the only way to do it is to put it into passing gear. ANY type of an incline requires passing gear to get over it, yes, some hills do require it, but not all of them.

Most of my tranny complaints consist of, when i put the car in reverse, it hesitates, RPM's go up, and nothing, car won't move, if i wait five-seven seconds, it will jump into gear, same thing going forward. When i try to merge into fast moving traffic, I can push the pedal to get a little lurch and then nothing(this poses as a huge saftey issue, could cause an accident.) Then about 5-7 seconds later it will go and it will be fine. I'm so tired of how many times i have complained about the transmission and get nothing to fix it other then an excuse.

I also notice that after the car is warm, if i where to shut it off, then try to start it, it takes anywhere from 5-10 seconds to start it. I tried plug wires again, nothing, changed the plugs again, nothing changes the performance.

Now, the cooling problem. I noticed that if the car is sitting idleing, with no heat or a/c running. it will from a little under 200 to 230-240. If i turn the heat on, it will go down to about 220, if the a/c is on, it will go down to the temp as if it was running down the road. The cooling fans kick on for like 10 seconds and then shut-off. It doesn't overheat, i'm just concerned about it because 250-260 is in the red and considered overheating. It's done this since i have owned it. I have looked at impalas that my friends own and it doesn't budge. I'm just concerned because i don't want to damage the motor. Why can't it maintain the same or close to the same temp as when it's going down the road?

Now there is a clunking type sound, feels and sounds like either some front end parts are going out, or the intermitted sterring shaft is going out AGAIN!!! I attempted to get this checked out at Marvels, they told me nothing was wrong, i also complained about the transmission, which they stated nothing wrong with it either. The transmission now, shifts hard, has a nasty upshift, and does what ever it wants. It seems to me Marvels can't fix anything so I'm taking it elsewhere to get work done.

All in all, I'm EXTREMELY dissapointed in this car. I have put a whole hell of a lot of time and days without a car and a considerable amount of money into it to keep it operational and i can't keep ahead like I would like. I now have to put new brakes on it again, and most of the miles are highway miles!

There are a few things i'm sure i have done that aren't included in this report. I put the oil changes in it just as a consistency to how often i attend to my car to make sure that everything is up and operational.

*If there is anything you guys can do to help me out i would greatly appreciate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm tired of it, i'm buried in it and i want something i can depend on. This is the first GM car i have had problems with.

Thanks,
Mike

I am very sorry for your troubles. That sucks. I do have to say one thing (at the risk of pi$$ing off a lot of people) one of your first mistakes was taking it to dealers for the service. Many of the problems you describe are very universal and often more accurately diagnosed by a general repair shop. I've worked in a GM repair facility and I say that with full disclosure. I shant say any more on that :)

Dumb question. Did you have the wheels checked for runout? If a wheel is bent it can be balanced perfectly on the spinner but still make a nasty shimmy.

As far as loose steering, check the steering box itself. Static alignments are great and you can check all the ball joints and tie rod ends you want, but a steering box/rack that is out of spec is a very frustrating thing. A good way to narrow it down (other than the obvious) is to have your alignment tech give you max caster and an extra 1/16" of toe in. If it seems to solve the problem, but gives you fits on rutted lanes, look to excessive play somewhere in the steering.

Also, rotors don't warp. After almost 20 years, I just learned this. http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/warped_rotors_myth.htm . I only tell you this to help you avoid the unnecessary cost of replacing or resurfacing rotors if its not required.

Your front end clunking is another reason why the dealer is not necessarily the wisest choice. Did you have the struts replaced or checked? When you say GM front end clunking noise, I instantly say struts or strut mounts. Its also possible (however unlikely) that its the bushings associated with the front suspension. You should also check the front calipers. If they aren't properly lubed or if the pad tensioner springs are fatigued, they will rattle like an SOB. The fact that your master cylinder was bad is also an indicator. Usually there is residual pressure creating slight amounts of drag on the rotor. With a bad master cylinder, that pressure can easily bleed off, or actually get pulled off allowing the pads and calipers to rattle and clunk.

For the gas guzzling, check the O2 sensors. Once you've checked them, check the catalytic converters. Gas guzzling is often an O2 sensor causing a rich condition. Once that happens, the extra HC in the cats clogs them up pretty quickly. My cats clogged about 6000 miles after I noticed my mileage was dropping. The clogged cats would explain your loss of power. Listen for abnormal puffing coming from the exhaust and have a friend listen from the sidewalk while you accelerate away full throttle. If it makes a hissing sound in the exhaust there is a serious restriction somewhere and chances are its the catalyst.

On the long cranking to start, check three things in this order; ignition coil, fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump. Then you can check peripherals to these systems like vacuum lines and electronic sensors.

My guess is your brake woes will go away now that you have a new master cylinder. If they don't, try a new/different proportioning valve. They rarely fail, but if the brake fluid was allowed to get really old it would have drawn a lot of moisture. It can allow springs and stuff in the prop valve to rust/corrode. The good news is you can buy them really cheap in the junkyard and try them to see if things are different.

It sounds like this car has had an interesting history. Look it up on Carfax and check it out. A clean record is about 90% accurate, and a fouled record does not necessarily indicate a bad car, but it might teach you something.

Best of luck with that tranny. Its a 4T60E and if you do anything to it, chances are you'll spend more fixing it that you would rebuilding it. If its not shifting well, look to pump pressure (like someone already said) or a sticking ball/spring in the valve body. Chasing these tranny problems down can be very difficult since many times one symptom can be caused by nearly anything not functioning properly.

My honest opinion is to try the letter. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. You might get a better incentive to buy another GM, or you might get some corporate cooperation with the dealer. That basically means GM will contact the dealer of your choice and say, "this guy got screwed so take care of him." They won't lose any money on a car but it will basically get you a car at darn near rock bottom profit to the dealer. Its a customer service move that works for all parties. If you don't get any satisfaction, ditch it. Get it operating safely and trade it into another dealer. Dealers are in the business of maximizing profits on cars and some (unfortunately) take any old used cheapy, slap a coat of wax on it and make $2000 profit. They often have no idea if its a lemon or not, but sometimes they do and sell it anyway to make some cash. The bottom line is that they buy cars knowing full well that it may be bad and they have to fix it. I'm not saying lie to them on your trade, but there were several times I picked up a vehicle at the auction, took it in to detail it, and delivered it later that day. We checked all the safety stuff, but there is no way for the dealer to know. It is then their job to either fix it or put the customer off to save their dollar. Then its a dance of damage control vs customer satisfaction. 90% of the time (as you've experienced) the default is, "its normal." That shifts the blame from the car to the designers.

I love GMs, but reliability is not their strong suit. Don't get me wrong, I have four and love them all, but I didn't buy them for their quality construction. I'm sure I'll get tons of opinions on how somebody's pontiac lasted 120k trouble-free miles. I say to them, when they reach 300k trouble free miles like my 87 BMW, or 550k trouble-free miles like my neighbor's Mercedes diesel, then we'll talk. If you want something you can depend on, get a japanese vehicle. Inexpensive, last darn near forever, and cheap/easy to fix.

I know you've lost an unfortunate amount on this car already and you don't want to lose any more, but take a serious look at your future costs vs. what it would cost you to get out of while you're buried.

I truly wish you the best, and I can sympathize. I have a 73 Impala Station wagon with 58k original miles. The 454 died on me so I put another one in it. The new one was built very poorly and it lasted exactly 94 miles; just down the road and back. Now I have more money in the engines than I do the purchase price of the car. Grrr.

Unfortunately, you almost have to take a newer car to the dealer. They have access to TSBs and have worked on more of these cars than anyone else. Some garages have these too, but have to pay for each one and almost never have them up to date. There are bad service departments at the dealers also, but generally, they are better, faster and in the case of Fargo, cheaper. For instance, check out the TSBs released at this web site and see how many pertain to your problems, including rotor runnout.http://www.alldata.com/TSB/10/001019FE.html
Take it to a company that services 100,000 of these in a year, or someone that services 3.