Well this weekend I upgraded from the ole Kia Sedona to a 2003 Chevy Impala 3.6 liter engine right at 100,000 miles. It was a one owner trade. The dealership put on four new goodyear tires, new brakes all around and from a quick check by a local mechanic everything seems to be pretty good on it. I was wondering going forward what things I might be looking at with this type of car and if anyone has had experience working on this car and such. I did get a 24 month/24,000 warrenty from the dealership with it so any major issues due to wear and tear will be covered.
Going forward?? It depends on preventative maintenance done in the past. Maintenance is key to keeping a vehicle a long time.
From what the mechanic said who I had looked at the car thought it had been very well taken care of. He said both the belts and hoses looked rather new and like the dealership said brakes/tries all brand new and engine was nearly spotless.
I would review the maintenance schedule and do everything I don’t have a record for, starting with all fluids and filters.
issues due to wear and tear will be covered.
Wear and tear items are rarely covered.
Don’t know? Is this a math question or philosophical question? You paid retail. You paid extra for a warranty. Maybe you will have zero issues so your warranty is a waste of money? Does it make you feel better? Can I predict the future?
Most extended warranties are worthless. You would have been far better off just keeping the money in the bank for future repairs.
My odo just hit 111,111…I’m just getting started.
But like all the others, That 100k could be just fine …or trouble…depending on its history.
Compression good ?
Didn’t have them check the compression…
I think just make sure the maintenance is up to date. New plugs, has the dexcool been changed out, battery, trans fluid, etc? Also take a good look underneath and see if there is any rust developing that needs to be stopped-particularly on the pinch welds where you jack it up.
I’d get rid of the Dexcool if it still has it and use a universal coolant. I’d also change the oil and transmission fluid if there’s no record of this being done.
Also, keep an eye on the coolant level. These engines are also known for failing intake manifold gaskets.
Tester
The oil looks really clean on the dip stick as if change recently. So does the transfluid, but may have it changed out. I am a watch hawk on cooling as I have had issues with over heating in previous cars so I am always watching that guage. Took it for a trip on Saturday evening/Sunday. I noticed when on the interstate the temp guage was at about a quarter of the way up and when I moved into city street stop and go it inched up a bit, but at no time ever went past the half way point on the guage.
Just drive it like you stole it. Sounds like a solid car.
I was actually shocked at how nice of condition it was in. the paint is almost like new which kinda concerned me that it had been in an accident and repained, but the guy looking over the car couldn’t see anything underneath to lead him to think any serious body damage had done, the engine is extremely clean and running well and he said even the muffulor looked in pretty good condition. From what I have read on line today it appears that this car was a pretty sound one put out by chevy and has a good history of reliability high into milage. I know buying any used car is a crap shoot but even though I only improved by a year the 75,000 few miles is nice.
Bertrand Do you really have a wear and tear warranty or is that what you are calling a driveline warranty?
That is how they “termed” it at the dealership…
Time to read all the fine print to see what you really have.
I’ve never heard of a “wear and tear” warranty!!! Warranties are for things that break when they should not. That’s why things like belts, and brake pads and shoes are usually excluded.
Read that fine print again!
One minor thing that’s a little concerning is that you mentioned that the temp gauge only goes up 1/4 of the way. You may have a stuck open thermostat. The ideal time to change it is when you change the coolant.
Did the dealer change the oil, transmission fluid and coolant before the sold it to you? If not, change them. Otherwise, drive on and enjoy your new ride.