What can I do? Car/Warranty problems (car loan, auto, manual transmission)

[kevinm_03]

First I have a 2005 Chevrolet Impala Base with 48k miles on it. My pay off balance is $17,909 and the trade in value is $9,000.

Being that it was manufactured in March of 2005 it's fairly new. But, it's not acting new.

The transmission is jerking horribly when I'm driving it. The dealer says it would cost nothing (warranty) to open up the trans if they find something wrong. But if they don't find anything wrong it's $1,100.00 to get the car back. I'm not willing to take that risk.

Starting last week the car started overheating. When I am in line at the bank, pharmacy, or a light the temp goes from normal all the way 260 (and a little past). Once I start driving it cools back down to normal. So to protect the engine I have to turn off the car when i'm waiting because it will overheat to 260 very fast.

And I calculated it's getting about 8 miles per gallon in the city. I don't know why? The tires are properly inflated, oil has been changed, spark plugs have been changed, there isn't any extra weight in the back. So I don't know what is causing it to waste so much gas.

Now the turn signal doesn't work correctly either. You have to keep switching it on and off for it to work.

The CD player keeps CDs and you have to pull them out with tweezers. The CD gets stuck half way out.

The horn sounds like it has laryngitis.

Come on!!! This car is only a little over 2 years old.

As you can see I have had so many problems with this car. My problem is that I don't have the best credit right now but I'd like to trade in this car so I can get something that is more reliable and doesn't waste so much gas. I don't want to be wasting money on this car after it goes out of warranty in a few months. As you saw from above my balances makes it a little more difficult for me to get a new car, but I do need one. My work requires me to have reliable transportation.

What can I do to get another car?

[miu]

The problem is, if you buy another new car, you will become more backwards in your car loan debt. Never buy a brand new car, let alone a brand new American car. How are you will meeting your current car payment obligations?

My boyfriend had friends that bought a new car and also traded in a perfectly fine used car as their down payment. So immediately, they were backwards on their loan from the usual new car depreciation. And stuff would break on the car that wasn't covered under the warranty. Finally, the car got repo'd. I think that they declared personal bankruptcy after that. We found them a cheap $975 Honda Civic sedan with manual transmission and about 140k miles on the odometer and drove it down to FL for them. That was two years ago and that car is still running fine.

Well I don't know what to say about your Impala. And is the car really worth $9000 in the mechanical condition it's in? I'd want to dump the car with CarMax and just buy a cheap beater Civic or Corolla until you have paid off the remainder of your debt on the car. And stick with owning a good used Honda or Toyota for a while until you get yourself more financially sound. A manual transmission car will last longer than one with an automatic tranny. Stay away from owning a car with too many bells and whistle extra gadgets and electronics on it. It's just more stuff to break.

[WestcoastBrit]

They can easily pull your tranny, replace a $300 part, tell you it's fine and charge you $1100 to get it back. Firstly, I'd write a list of all the problems and present it to them. If they don't agree to fix all under warranty then I'd talk to an attorney( consumer rights ). If still no joy then go to the local news station, they might be interested. As a last resort, just leave it in a bad part of town with spare key in ignition!

[miu]

Do you have gap insurance on your car?

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by kevinm_03

First I have a 2005 Chevrolet Impala Base with 48k miles on it. My pay off balance is $17,909 and the trade in value is $9,000.

Being that it was manufactured in March of 2005 it's fairly new. But, it's not acting new.

What can I do to get another car?

Sad predicament, Kevinm.

Concerning the transmission problems . . . NO WAY. Talk to the Service Manager or find another Chevy Dealer. Any competant mechanic should be able to trouble shoot the problem prior to opening it up. If they choose to do otherwise, that should not be at your expense. Although your mileage is a little on the high side, no properly maintained and/or unabused GM transmission should croak so soon.

The overheating issue sounds like nothing more than a electric fan problem which should be fully covered by the warranty. The next time it overheats, check to verify that it is running properly.

The Turn Signal problem sounds like either a burned out bulb (cheap fix) or a defective flasher which should be a warranty item but it is also a cheap fix either way.

Horns are fairly simple to replace and if the dealer won't help, drop by a junk yard and replace the "sick" one yourself.

Not much help on the Radio / CD issue but it sure doesn't sound too major.

Now, as far as your loan is concerned . . . my suggestion would be to keep the vehicle maintained and have it fixed before the warranty runs out, add at least a hundred bucks to your payment each month (more if possible) and enjoy it for the time being. Sorry but selling it and becoming even more "upside-down" on a new vehicle would be a major mistake.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH and Good Luck!

[Steve Bagu]

Let me see, a 2005 would have fuel injection. A check of the plugs would show which cyl is to rich (fuel injecter). If they are all black/sooty, could be a sensor enrichment problem. Air filter may needing replacement. Assuming you had a factory warranty, the DLR should have done all the required checks to cover the warranty during the mileage periods. If still under warranty, ENGINE /RUNNING GEAR (trans), the DLR (mechanic) has to evaluate the problem and repair accordingly. They are supposed to be FACTORY trained. I am a retired mechanic but am not familiar with your car but do know the ins and outs of the AUTO TRADE. If reasonable talks do not get any results, try the NEWSPAPER HOT LINE/TV STATION route. One sure way is to park your car out front at the curb in front of the showroom with a sign on the windshield and a picket sign in hand and march out front on the sidewalk explaining your problem. GM will not want the bad publicty and they will fix your problem (assuming the car is still under WARRANTY. I had a problem with a large auto parts store refusing me a legitimate rebate due me after a purchase. I ended giving them a choice (LETTER) with the choice of newspaper/tv or my REBATE. 1 HR 15 min later, of picketing out front, they gave me a letter of apoligy and a $100.00 BILL REBATE in a envelope. Hope this info helps. Steve

[yo vanilla]

is the check engine light on? if you are getting such bad mileage the first thing that comes to mind is the car is running really rich, and a likely culprit is the O2 sensor(s) is bad (which if so, should trigger a fault code and light the check engine light). second thought is a plugged fuel filter, i dont know that that would cause quite this significant drop in mileage though.

the turn signal is probably the switch which, at least in 80's GM cars and they havent changed all that much in 20 years, is a small yellow switch found under the dashboard and takes 2 minutes to replace.

[B. Wing]

The fuel economy issue cannot possibly be as low as 8 MPG on a 2005 vehicle sold in the U.S. unless it is accompanied by a check engine light. Any problem causing engine computer to add that much fuel is required by law to illuminate check engine light. If there is no check engine light on, I question how the 8 MPG figure was arrived at. But the dealer you have visited should be avoided. Pulling out and tearing down a transmission without knowing why you're doing it is a sure sign of incompetence in this field. If I ever did this to my customers, I'd lose them pretty quickly. Finally, stop buying American crap. Here's a good rule of thumb: If a white man built it, you don't want it. Goes for European too, unless you have lots of disposable income. Stick with Japanese, avoid Korean. Honda or Toyota will, on average, be the more reliable and less expensive option.

[B. Wing]

Originally Posted by yo vanilla

is the check engine light on? if you are getting such bad mileage the first thing that comes to mind is the car is running really rich, and a likely culprit is the O2 sensor(s) is bad (which if so, should trigger a fault code and light the check engine light). second thought is a plugged fuel filter, i dont know that that would cause quite this significant drop in mileage though.

the turn signal is probably the switch which, at least in 80's GM cars and they havent changed all that much in 20 years, is a small yellow switch found under the dashboard and takes 2 minutes to replace.

O2 sensors and fuel filters are not going to cause these problems. More likely is the possibility of "false air" entering engine or problems with the mass airflow sensor. The only way to tell is to check codes and begin testing.
As far as the turn signal thing, I think you're mistaking the switch with the relay.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by B. Wing

The fuel economy issue cannot possibly be as low as 8 MPG on a 2005 vehicle sold in the U.S. unless it is accompanied by a check engine light. Any problem causing engine computer to add that much fuel is required by law to illuminate check engine light. If there is no check engine light on, I question how the 8 MPG figure was arrived at. But the dealer you have visited should be avoided. Pulling out and tearing down a transmission without knowing why you're doing it is a sure sign of incompetence in this field. If I ever did this to my customers, I'd lose them pretty quickly. Finally, stop buying American crap. Here's a good rule of thumb: If a white man built it, you don't want it. Goes for European too, unless you have lots of disposable income. Stick with Japanese, avoid Korean. Honda or Toyota will, on average, be the more reliable and less expensive option.

Nice racist and otherwise generally ill-informed post.

Now, how did the OP get so upside down in this car to start with?