@db4690 AAA premier? How would I be able to take advantage of that? Also, my auto-insurance is USAA—might that assist me?
It’s certainly fine to have a mechanic look at it, as long as I do not tell them of course.
My hunch is that the problem is the thermostat not being replaced properly. I don’t want to give myself false hope, and I am not as knowledgeable as any of you, but based on the information given it seems a reasonable guess. I will find out what it really is tomorrow.
@ok4450, like @98caddy suggested, I’ll have to shame them through whatever means I can. Newspaper, television, online reviews. Hell, it’s possible no one will give a damn. But I understand their legal rights—they don’t have to do anything. But the right thing would be to help someone in my shoes out. If I can hurt their business reputation, they’ll be the ones losing out in the long run.
Regardless, I’m not here to get into an argument about agency or morality…I just want to get my car fixed and am soliciting advice.
The problem with helping someone out is that everyone that buys a car, new or used, wants to be helped out with everything and it’s simply not economically feasible. Someone posted on this forum a few years ago about a transmission dying on a roughly 10 year old, 170k miles Volvo I think it was and thought that Volvo should pay for a new transmission.
Just my 2 cents, but you’re not coming across well when you stated that you would withhold info to the dealer and now you want to shame them into doing something.
@LemonSqueezed unfortunately I’m not familiar with USAA. AAA is my insurer. And I also have AAA premier, just in case.
Call up USAA and ask what they can do for you . . .
You can always call up your local paper if you do hit that brick wall.
Again, thanks everyone for the input.
@ok4450. I rolled my 2004 Chevy Impala off the lot yesterday…within an hour, there were problems. I did not come here looking for a pity party or for anyone to cry for me, but I also did not come here asking for your moral judgments. I said what the problems with the car were, I asked what they might represent, and what I could potentially do in a worst-case scenario. Everyone’s done a fine job of answering so far, and I appreciate that.
There’s nothing wrong with having a mechanic look at it before I take it back to the dealer. Hell, if it checks out then it may even save me a trip to the dealer. But I’m a brokeass college kid who is out of $5,300 that I worked for. Is it my fault. Sure. I took a risk. But why you consider my sentiments impetuous or unreasonable is beyond me, and why you think I shouldn’t appeal to someone’s possible magnanimity is strange. If they say sure, cool. If they say no, not much I can do. Keep your 2 cents, ok4450, I’m getting my $5,300 back.
@ok4450 “The problem with helping someone out is that everyone that buys a car, new or used, wants to be helped out with everything and it’s simply not economically feasible.”
The Volvo comparison is way far-fetched. I don’t want to be “helped out with everything.” I’m not asking for a sound system, 22-inch rims, and a bobble-head to top it off. I want my damn car to work. It seems you think I should just shrug my shoulders sit down and sulk, and that’s fine you feel that way, but I ain’t doing it.
At some point, continuing to use the car could render it totally useless and $6k totally gone. Suggest you not use it till it is fixed if possible.
You purchased the car from a “reputable Subaru dealer”. I would bet that the dealer will try to make things right if you don’t do something to make it worse. I think it would be prudent to spend the money to have the car towed to the dealer. My guess is that your 9 year old Impala was given a quick inspection by the service department and pronounced o.k. It is very difficult to know what may happen an hour down the road. I remember being in the service department of our local Buick dealer back in the late 1950s and one mechanic was installing a used engine in a 1957 Dodge that the dealer had sold the week before. The engine had blown and the mechanic said that even though the dealer was under no obligation, the agency was making things right.
My dad bought a 1954 Buick in 1955 from a friend who was very fussy about how he maintained his cars. Yet, 2 days after my dad bought the car, the fuel pump failed. My brother and I were sworn to secrecy not to say anything that would get back to may dad’s friend as he didn’t want his friend to feel bad. That Buick, by the way, turned out to be a wonderful car.
I have USAA, and if you have ‘towing and labor’ on your insurance, they cover it. I just don’t know what the mileage limit is. All USAA policies include roadside assistance but may require you to pay up front if they don’t have a service partner in the area and send the reciept for reimbursement.
@Triedaq I believe that is why they are wanting a diagnostic (that they are also paying for). Yes, USAA towed it today. I have not been driving it around since I know that could cause some serious damage.
By the way, the diagnostic was done at a local Mas Chevy dealer, not back at the CT dealership from which I brought it. The CT dealership is paying for it, though.
It sounds as though the Subaru dealer where you bought the Impala is trying to do the right thing. If a new car dealer thinks a trade-in is shaky, it goes to the wholesaler rather than the lot. Apparently, the used car manager at the dealership thought the vehicle was o.k.
A Subaru dealer’s service department may not have a mechanic or the test equipment to diagnose your Impala. I once bought a used Corvair from a Rambler dealer that had a miss in the engine. Both the dealer and I thought there was a problem with the valves. He said is mechanics didn’t want to work on the car as they had no Corvair experience. I bought the car at a good price thinking it would need a valve job. About a week after I bought the Corvair, we had a real downpour and I didn’t think the car would make it home. As I thought about it, I realized moisture wouldn’t affect the valves. I put on new ignition wires and a distributor cap and I had a great running Corvair. I paid $450 for the Corvair and got almost 4 years of use before I traded it.
There’s good news…and there’s bad news…
The good news is that the issue with the overheating was almost certainly attributed solely to a pocket of air in the cooling system. It was flushed, antifreeze replaced, and restored. The thermostat was actually installed correctly on Saturday when I bought it, so it was just the pocket of air. The car idled for about 45 mins to 1 hour in the shop and it did not overheat. They rode it around for a bit. They offered to take it for a longer ride, 10 to 15 miles perhaps, to see what happens, and will be doing this tomorrow morning. They also want to let it sit overnight to see how it behaves.
The bad news is pretty bad…
In listening to the transmission and the engine, the mechanic expressed some concerns. He did not say exactly what the problems were and the diagnostic does not entail that apparently, but he was saying that the sounds coming from both the transmission and the engine are a bit unusual and seem to suggest that there will be further problems down the road (pardon the pun). Obviously I can’t afford a new transmission—and I definitely cannot afford a new engine. So this here, for me, might be the dealbreaker (but too bad I already made the deal).
The dealership has been very cordial and understanding to this point. They’re not coming out and saying they’ll offer a refund (and obviously they have no legal obligation to do so), but they’ve been saying, “let’s do this and let’s see what happens” basically. But the one big red flag in all of this is that if the vehicle passed inspection like they claimed, why is it that the wipers are not working and the CEL was on when I test drove it? Now of course they did correct the CEL before I rolled off the lot, but to have wipers that aren’t functioning is more than a bit concerning and seems to imply that the vehicle wasn’t actually inspection-quality. Either way, I’m exploring all options and avenues. We’ll see how it goes.
A 9 year old car with 123,000 miles is bound to have a few problems. It seems as though the overheating problem and the CEL problem has been solved. You do need working wipers to have a safe car and the dealer should make them work. In terms of repairs, this is not a big item, but as for safety, it is a major item.
The secret to keeping your Impala on the road is to keep up the maintenance and drive conservatively. My first car was a 1947 Pontiac that I bought in 1961 for $75. I cleaned it up, replaced the points and plugs and then had coolant getting into the oil. I stripped off the cylinder head and found that the engine block was cracked around one of the valves (the valves were in the block in this engine). I put the head back on, changed the oil, and put some K & W seal in the radiator. I ran the engine until it was hot, drained the coolant and oil, installed fresh coolant and oil and it worked. I drove the car 350 miles to graduate school. We didn’t have much interstate highway back then, so I drove the state highways at 55 to 60 mph. The transmission had a bad howl in first gear due to a worn cluster gear. I would start slowly from a stop sign and shift to second as quickly as possible. Your Impala is obviously in better shape than my 1947 Pontiac. The point is that with careful driving and maintenance, you should get good service from the car.
If you end up keeping the car you might check into seeing if your insurance folks offer an a policy to cover repairs on the car. If the tranny does have a problem then having a policy would be well worth the cost of it if they cover the repair or most of it anyways. One of the fellas I work with got a used car and insured it. The car broke down twice. The turbo was the first thing and then the engine had to be replaced the next time. He paid out some money but he saved many thousands by having this 700 dollar policy. If you do this you must do all required services on the car, especially oil changes. Keep all records and receipts if you do the oil changes yourself, or have it done by a shop. You must have all records for the maintenance if you make a claim. The money he spent on that policy was one of the best investments he made. I normally don’t care for those things but in his case it really paid off in spades. Since your funds are limited it may be worth your while to do that in case something does happen “down the road”…
@LemonSqueezed congratulations are “tentatively” in order!
If you do get them to fix the wipers (it might just be a blown fuse or a bad wiper switch), the next step should be the transmission.
Here’s a suggestion:
Do a transmission service, meaning drop the pan, replace the filter and fluid. A flush MIGHT be appropriate if they use the correct Dexron ATF to flush the trans, converter, lines and cooler. Do not let anyone talk you into a flush using a chemical. Also do not let anyone talk you into a flush without replacing the filter.
Those responding have rather strong opinions about trans flushes, when/if/under what circumstances, etc.
If they don’t fix the wipers, let us know.
Do you have an owner’s manual?
If you don’t, let us know and I’ll post you a link to your owner’s manual online.
@Triedaq, I myself wouldn’t expect a seasoned vehicle to be perfect either, but it does worry me that the mechanic told me, “I won’t sugarcoat anything…the engine and transmission don’t sound all that great.” Of course, the car could wind up running another 10 years…or it could run another 10 days, who knows.
You mention the necessity of driving conservatively. I attend school in Massachusetts, but my home state is South Carolina. If this car can’t make that trip, one-way twice a year, then I’m SOL. But I hear you—things might be fine. You just have to understand my being circumspect given what I just went through.
What all of this is teaching me is that I need to learn how to fix cars myself! What a useful skill I’m finding that to be.
@Cougar I will call USAA first thing in the morning to see what can be done in regards to that. They replaced his whole engine when he had problems? I think what you are saying could potentially be very helpful.
@db4690 So flush fluid (without a chemical) and replace filter? I got you. I do not believe I was given an owner’s manual, but I will check my glove compartment tomorrow. Rookie mistakes.
Thanks again, everyone!