I got a new to me 2011 Impala, advice?

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3.5L V6 under the hood of the 2011 Impala LT. The mileage is high at 145K, but the car is in seemingly excellent condition. Its set of new tires and recently rebuilt trans along with its low price made the deal to me.

Looking for general commentary from the collective wisdom here. I drive 80 miles/day on the interstate in the TX heat. Is "dexos" certified oils really a necessity? I doubt the owner used them. He was using regular Castrol 10w-30. Thanks.
 
I think the biggest weak point with those is the trans. So good that's been taken care of. Do a little preventative maintenance every now and then and you should be fine. Maybe do a UOA to see if any issues are going on with it. Replace pcv valve since that gets overlooked. Keep fluids topped off. Run some Chevron Techron or similar fuel system cleaner in it. Little by little get it dialed in.
 
As long as you have the pushrod version you are good. Most are pushrod as it cost less and works well. The Overhead cam version (high feature) suffers from bad cam chain and is the reason for Dexos oil. If it has that one I would walk.

Rod
 
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
...I drive 80 miles/day on the interstate in the TX heat. Is "dexos" certified oils really a necessity? I doubt the owner used them. He was using regular Castrol 10w-30. Thanks.


A good 10W-30 is fine in the Texas heat. But if you're driving 80 miles a day, running a syn or syn blend might be a good idea for fuel economy...
 
Wouldnt worry about oil but trans is big weak point. Dont think oil flavor will matter.. Put some cash aside in case trans fails again...
 
I heard that frequent trans fluid change is more important in the cars with trans issue.
OCI for trans fluid of at least 1 per year or 1 every 30K miles whichever comes first.

You may even want to use Synthetic Trans Fluid.
 
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I have a 2010 3.5 Impala. about 62k on the clock.

I'll make a quick no order list of observations.

There isn't much to look out for beyond the transmission really that you can do something about. Mine did suffer a leaking head gasket on the backside of the motor. It was an external leak and didn't notice until my coolant ran low. No damage but very annoying. Extended warranty ate that one.

Front rotors don't have a long life expectancy on these cars.

The PCV I don't think is servacable on these cars and part of the valve cover.

Beware the fitting on the trans cooler lines, one of mine leaked. Warranty ate this one too.

Driver seat is flimsy, don't beat on it, if its cloth.

Dash pulls away on the driver side a bit around the vent.

Car may eat rear tires, there is a TSB about this but only for police and taxi I think. It's a camber issue. Mine doesn't exhibit this.

Found mine to be quietest on Mobil 1 5w 30. This motor was Dexos 1 for you just because everything that year was. I'd still run a good oil.

Beware the oil filter adapter gasket, they leak.

Don't pull on the door handles too hard in freezing conditions, they are flimsy.

Make sure your air filter box is really shut. It's easy to leave the bottom of the gasket sticking out

There is a TSB about the magnets in the trans fluid pan. Not sure of number.

Some complaints with throttle body assembly and related sensors.

The console shiftier cars can have an issue with wiring to the shiftier being too short and ripping out when put in the bottom of the range. I have a column shift car so I can't confirm. This can immobilize the car obviously.

Watch your coolant crossover for leaks, its a dry manifold car but this gasket does tend to fail.


You could have bought the Malibu in my signature that destroyed a valve seat along with the rest of the carnage at 70k miles. No more GM for us after these two.
 
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Dexos started in 2011, so you need it.

The good news is that dexos-rated oil isn't expensive. Pennzoil Gold synthetic blend is probably the cheapest dexos you'll find. Most full synthetic 5w30 will be dexos. Napa Synthetic often goes on sale a few times a year for $3-4/qt and is dexos licensed.

Smitty's 5w30 appears on the dexos approval list, but doesn't say dexos on the bottle. Kmart has it on sale $8 for a 5qt jug.

For cars with an OLM, I like to use the cheapest synthetic on sale and use the OCI suggested by it.

Also, if your transmission doesn't have a drain plug, you should consider an aftermarket transmission pan that has one.
 
I have a 2010 Impala with the 3.5 engine and I've been using Mobil 1 5W-30 oil in the engine and Amsoil ATF in the transmission with good results. Since your car is out of warranty, you can use whatever oil you want, but I recommend staying with a Dexos rated oil. Since you live in Texas, I would use a full synthetic oil due to the high temperatures during the summer. The difference in price is only a few bucks.
 
Originally Posted By: PolarisX
I have a 2010 3.5 Impala. about 62k on the clock.

I'll make a quick no order list of observations.

There isn't much to look out for beyond the transmission really that you can do something about. Mine did suffer a leaking head gasket on the backside of the motor. It was an external leak and didn't notice until my coolant ran low. No damage but very annoying. Extended warranty ate that one.

Front rotors don't have a long life expectancy on these cars.

The PCV I don't think is servacable on these cars and part of the valve cover.

Beware the fitting on the trans cooler lines, one of mine leaked. Warranty ate this one too.

Driver seat is flimsy, don't beat on it, if its cloth.

Dash pulls away on the driver side a bit around the vent.

Car may eat rear tires, there is a TSB about this but only for police and taxi I think. It's a camber issue. Mine doesn't exhibit this.

Found mine to be quietest on Mobil 1 5w 30. This motor was Dexos 1 for you just because everything that year was. I'd still run a good oil.

Beware the oil filter adapter gasket, they leak.

Don't pull on the door handles too hard in freezing conditions, they are flimsy.

Make sure your air filter box is really shut. It's easy to leave the bottom of the gasket sticking out

There is a TSB about the magnets in the trans fluid pan. Not sure of number.

Some complaints with throttle body assembly and related sensors.

The console shiftier cars can have an issue with wiring to the shiftier being too short and ripping out when put in the bottom of the range. I have a column shift car so I can't confirm. This can immobilize the car obviously.

Watch your coolant crossover for leaks, its a dry manifold car but this gasket does tend to fail.


You could have bought the Malibu in my signature that destroyed a valve seat along with the rest of the carnage at 70k miles. No more GM for us after these two.



I think I'll go find one and buy it next week.
Sounds like top notch GM quality.
 
Originally Posted By: PolarisX
Don't get me wrong when the car is right its a nice drive.

But I've lost faith in both.


I learned the hard way with cars.
See my signature.
All Asian forever.
 
Originally Posted By: marine65
Originally Posted By: PolarisX
Don't get me wrong when the car is right its a nice drive.

But I've lost faith in both.


I learned the hard way with cars.
See my signature.
All Asian forever.


There is a big mechanic's workshop near me, it does a lot of business, all makes all models. I asked the lady who settles the bills what was a good brand of car to buy to minimize visits to her and repair costs. She said "anything from Asia, nothing from Europe".
 
Originally Posted By: PolarisX

Don't pull on the door handles too hard in freezing conditions, they are flimsy.


That, I can promise, won't be an issue! LOL
 
Originally Posted By: marine65
Originally Posted By: PolarisX
Don't get me wrong when the car is right its a nice drive.

But I've lost faith in both.


I learned the hard way with cars.
See my signature.
All Asian forever.


Pretty much every car is global. Engineered in Japan, parts manufactured in Europe, assembled in Mexico, corporate offices in the USA, etc. Nameplates don't really matter much anymore.
 
I'll say it since no one else has: do the LIM gaskets if you start losing coolant. I did a 2010 and 2011 both this week. Being a "mechanic" they are otherwise a solid car as I like the older body style. I would go with whatever 5w30 that's DEXOS approved. Co worker just bought one from my company with 30k on it and he's using MaxLife 10w30, but he's in South Carolina too
 
I believe these cars are dry intake manifold cars unlike 3100 /3400 and the unrelated 3800 cars.
 
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In relation to where a car is made I personally could care less. I just need something reliable, I don't care if it was made in China if it was done correctly.

Thinking Corolla S next.
 
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