2006 Chevrolet Impala SS

[ryannel2003]

My grandfather purchased brand new his current 2006 Chevrolet Impala SS in August of 2006. At first the car was great, powerful and ran wonderfully. However since it hit 40k miles, the car has started having major issues that have really soured his ownership. I drive the car just as much as he does, and I too am disappointed with the issues this car has at it's current mileage of 47,580. As it follows, these are the issues:

-Car uses 1 qt of oil every 1200 miles. It never used a drop of oil until it hit 40k miles, and like clockwork every 2500 miles he has to add 2 quarts of oil. This is a well documented issue on the internet with the 5.3L motor and two dealerships I've spoken to about the issue have said that 1 qt every 2k miles is acceptable. The local Chevrolet dealership, Joe Alcoke Chevrolet, has him keeping an oil usage log on the car at the moment. I have spoken to another GM dealership, Phelps Chevrolet in Greenville, NC today and they are going to have him change the oil again at 50k miles (he does 5k mile oil changes with synthetic 5W-30) and will have me bring the car back at 51k miles to check the level again. I am not impressed at all with Joe Alcoke's service and neither is my grandfather, but Phelps Chevrolet is more than helpful.

-The intermediate steering shaft clunks horribly. I haven't driven the car in 2 months but it has gotten worse than the last time I drove it, and it's very obvious and annoying. This is a common W-Body issue and I'm surprised GM still hasn't gotten a fix for it yet. The dealership said today that to fix this would be $200. I don't think my grandfather should have to pay for this on a car that doesn't have 50k miles.

-The A/C vent inside the dashboard that switches the car from hot to cold makes the worst racket on the coldest setting. As a matter of fact half of time he can't even use the coldest setting because of how bad the noise it. It sounds like the car has rod-knock, but it's definitely inside the car. Very annoying.

-The B and C pillar trim is peeling off again. This was already replaced under warranty back in 2007 or 2008, but it looks just as bad again. I noticed Chevrolet has switched to a different material for the current Impala. Both of the Chevrolet bow-tie emblems are faded and look terrible. This car is always parked under a car port and is always detailed by me, and this is just another blow to the poor assembly of the car.

-Both front shocks are completely blown. The car rides like a 1970's Cadillac and the handling has suffered due to this. I understand shock absorbers have a certain shelf-life, but this started happening with less than 45k miles on the car.

We both love the car very much, but am disappointed by the quality of this vehicle. His biggest concern is the oil consumption, but I feel everything on this list would be normal for a car with 100k-150k miles and not 47k miles. My grandfather has been buying GM cars almost his entire life. He has owned Buick's, 2 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme's, a '98 Monte Carlo and still owns a '57 Bel-Air Hardtop. I have told him to get rid of the car and purchase another brand because GM no longer makes a V8 car with 4 doors that he can afford. This is very disappointing quality for this car.

[V-Car]

Could he afford one of these?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2011-Capr...-/221156294198

[F14CRAZY]

I thought the oil consumption was a carbon problem...floor it and hold it for a while, once in a while

[ryannel2003]

Apparently with these cars, the oil consumption is a lot more than that. He doesn't exactly go easy on the car, and neither do I and the oil consumption continues to get worse. With my old STS, the harder I drove the car the less oil it used. There is a TSB somewhere on the internet about it being an issue with the DoD system or something similar.

As for another car, I don't think he wants another one. He really enjoys this one and I just wish GM would step up to the plate and fix the issues the car has now and he could continue to drive this one happily.

[All Star]

Complaints about an LS4 car and not one mention of the transmission? Wow.

[ryannel2003]

Nothing happening there.

Yet.

[GM Customer Service]

Ryannel2003, I'm very sorry to read about your grandfather's Impala concerns! I can definitely understand your perspective, and if he would like further assistance at any point while he works towards a resolution with his dealership, I recommend he get in touch with our Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center's phone hotline. Agents are available at 800-222-1020, Mon to Sat, 8am to 9pm ET. I'm also available via direct message if you would like me to investigate anything further on your behalf!

Best,

Katie
GM Customer Service

[MrCritical]

Haven't personally seen the oil useage problem except in AFM 5.3 engines. Not saying you don't have a problem though.

I would switch to conventional oil, and try another brand. If not using it already, we've had the most luck reducing oil consumption with Castrol. No, I can't tell you why, and I don't work for or get a kickback from Castrol. Be sure the air filter is nice and clean.

Is the a/c vent broken (what we call the deflector) or is it the actuator that switches the temp from hot to cold/changes mode from top/middle/bottom? It has to be replaced in either case to stop the noise. Sorry about your shocks/struts being weak.

I've seen stranger things, but it's a pretty safe bet that GM's not going to pay for repairs on a 7 model year old car, even if it had 5 miles on it. Sorry but they consider time as well as mileage.

FYI-Synthetic oil's probably the biggest waste of money for someone who drive's like your gradfather that was ever invented. If there is no financial help from anyone on the engine's oil consumption, with the way the car is driven a quart of conventional oil as it's now consumed is cheap, cheap maintenance.

[Neanderthal]

He should've bought a LaCrosse Super. Buicks don't have these sorts of problems!

[big swede]

The LS4 is awesome but they do eat oil. You can have the DOD turned off and that will cure your oil consumption problems but you might be giving up a mpg or so to cure it.

Since you only put 7000 miles or so per year on this car a quart of oil every other month doesn't seem worth turning off DOD. I would just keep an eye on the oil level and add as needed.

[vanshmack]

I know I'm dredging up an old thread, but our 06 Impala SS uses almost as much oil as it does gasoline...Basically, a quart every 1800-2000 miles. It also smokes under cruise, but oddly, not much on decel. I experimented by turning off DoD, which lessened the smoke problem significantly, but the oil consumption only improved marginally. I know it's not losing it through the rings, as it has good compression and the oil doesn't smell of gasoline, but I do think it's the DoD cylinder oil-trap problem. This all started around 80,000 miles and his persisted for the last 90,000, though it hasn't worsened much.

On the flip side, we just turned 100K miles on the modified 4T65-HD trans, and it's still going strong!

[NHRATA01]

How about through the PCV system? LS1s tended to have issues, enough that I put a catch can in mine years ago to keep the intake from filling up with oil.

[PHAT-JAY]

5.3's are POS's, I had the same problem with my Avy, its a issue with the AFM/Oil consumption. It finally got fixed at Penske here in Indy, so good luck with it...My truck has been overhauled like 7 times. I will never buy a GM truck with less then a 6.0-6.2 ever.

[GM Customer Service]

Vanshmack, have you had the opportunity to bring your concerns to your dealership's attention? If you would like me to ever check for recalls or follow up on your behalf with your dealer, please let me know. I'm available via private message on this forum for further assistance.

Best,

Katie
GM Customer Service