klutz1

Shift lock. Could not move shifter on my 09 to drive. Towed yesterday . TG it was till under warranty at 47900 because it is Certified. Cause : wiring under the shifter panel broke. Don't think that should be an issue after thousands of Impala have been built of the same model. Previously that was reported but fault was not found. In the AM only shift was difficult to move. Another issue with this car was about 2 years ago idiot lights lit and all instruments went to 0. Cause after 3 days searching was that a wire running under the passenger seat was frayed and had to be replaced. Again I thought " How long was GM building this car. Upon leaving the dealership I was handed a long list of to do's. Mostly flushing this and that. Only item that might be worth doing is to bleed brakes since water can accumulate although after 100M miles on my Malibu I had no issues and no flushes.

tech2

If this car is something your going to drive and not trade later do the trans and coolant when recommended.

trans fluid and filter service is due at 60 000miles. Do it. Fluid breaks down proportionally to the operating temp of the fluid. The hotter the fluid the shorter the life. You don't need crud circulating through the valve body and clogging passages or shift valves.

If they offer a machine flush make sure its not an old style machine that reverses fluid flow direction and pressure pulses the system.

If you don't tow or drive hard a simple pan drop and filter change is fine. This will remove about 1/2 of the old fluid which is ok.

klutz1

I would if the tranny fluid were the least bit dark. This was as pink as the day it went in. Those dealers have no intention of dropping the pan. They intend to suck it out and refill it hopefully with new fluid. In fact their service is for ' FLUID EXCHANGE'. Next. these jobs are done by the lowest paid and lowest skilled workers trying to inpress the boss. How do I know what they will do. Put in the wrong fluid, maybe? Sgn. certified Army mechanic 1955 from tanks to jeeps and Ordinance, Korea. Recommended tranny Impala service is 100M miles; 60 for severe service. If they do it at all. Look in the owners manual! The best service to save your tranny is to be sure the cooling system is A OK. You read recently about a certain chain of service stations that were cheating like mad. At 75 I still change my oil. + F250 Neverthe less it is the best car I ever owned. Love it.

kevinkpk

Well then drop the pan, change the screen, and refill. Done

klutz1

The only way Kevin. What is the point of exchanging fluids and leave in a dirty screen? The pan may have accumulation also. Best bet, if ain't broke don't fix it. I have dropped the pan on high mileage trannys to service and found them clean. If possible drain the converter too.

tech2

not sure of your year impala but most have a maintenace footnotes that severe conditons include driving in temps 90 degrees. Arizona gets that high in July and Aug.

I like to change it before it get brown and smelly, otherwise its kinda late. The Automotive trans rebuilders association says 80% of trans failures are due to lack of maintenance.

You are informed on the maintenance scedule; most people are not. At least your shop let you know.

kevinkpk

Yea, I've never had much luck with that.

klutz1

Yes tech two you are right. How about 115? Bin there this week. Owners I think rarely look at the owners manual. That's where they get in trouble. However the less people that stick their nose under the hood the better. Do you change the tranny fluid yourself?
Dealer tried to sell me an extended warranty then tells me to change the fluid ( his way) or the warranty is void!! Which leads me to believe that they will find some way to wiggle out of it when the tranny goes south. I had that experience with a Ford van. When I needed the warranty for an inoperative rv mirror I was told it isn't covered because it is attached to a part that wasn't covered. Everything in that van is attached to some part that isn't covered. This warranty was bought discounted to a third party that hoped it would never be used. That is why people are dealer shy.

kevinkpk

You can install an external cooler if you are concerned about over temp.

klutz1

I stated that these flushes were given to the lowest skilled and lowest paid workers. Here is an example:

This post was from the Chevy Cruize section ...."...On top of all the rest-sounds like I just missed having a fire when the "Goodwrench" expert spilled oil all over when oil changed! Had huge plumes of smoke coming from under hood-when I went back they didn't even check for damage.(Still wonder if it had something to do with next problem-spraying oil all over under hood) "