2008 Impala LS - OnStar dies when it rains.

[Marika]

I absolutely love my 2008 Impala LS. The car has been without a doubt, flawless. I've maintained it, changed the oil, etc. A few bulbs replaced, wipers....etc. Easy

HOWEVER.....

This Impala, and I have discovered, other Impalas as well, have an apparent inherent problem: When it rains, the front, in-the-door speakers die. Once they dry out, several days later, they begin to work again, at least one of them works again. The passenger side is pretty much dead. I have read on Impala forums this is a common problem, apparently some believe that rain enters the door through the mirror mount??? Others have no idea where the water is getting in. No one seems to know the solution. Hence, I am here a midst the genius group.

Since OnStar relies upon the front speakers to work, rain basically renders OnStar pretty much useless. This includes the built-in telephone, if you use it. These two functions are routed through the car's front speakers and when they go out, OnStar become useless. You can still hear very slightly, OnStar, but it's coming through a very tiny speaker, but I have no idea where. Even the turn signal "click" ends up sounding lighter and smaller, if that makes sense. You can barely hear it.

Does anyone know if there's a way to re-route OnStar and the telephone system through the rear speakers? Or better yet, does anyone have an idea as to how to fix the leak before it rots my doors?

[KHE]

If this is as common as the forums indicate, I would think there's a service bulletin on the problem. Have you checked with the Chevy dealer?

[Marika]

I found two TSB's for 2008 Impala regarding the interior of the car getting wet in various areas. Apparently it's a structural problem with the roof causing water to leak into the car.

My carpets are dry. The interior is not getting wet so I doubt I can go to a dealership and cry foul using this TSB.

[Marika]

I'll have to keep searching the TSB's. I also found one complaint at carcomplaints.com about someone whose front speakers stopped working and the dealership told him he needed a new radio. Mine stop working when it rains but once they dry, they start working again. Go figure....

[Texas Jim]

I don't know hos much trouble it would be to take one of the door panels off and reinstall it... but if one could be taken off just before the next big rain...

You could SEE where the water is coming in.

Also place pieces of paper at various likely locations of the water intrusion...

[KHE]

I may be wrong but I don't think all GM bulletis are online. The dealer always seems to come up with bulletins that I can't find online. It might be worth a call or a trip to the dealer and ask the service advisor.

[Cadillac Jim]

GM has closed channels for the TSBs because competitors exploit them for FUD. But if it's a common problem for in-warranty cars you can bet that GM has a handle on it. If the problem is of any duration, meaning in lots of cars that had the problem several months ago or more, they *will* have a fix or a work-around. That doesn't mean that any particular dealer will have a clue, of course. Try a large dealer that moves tons of cars to be sure that they have had some cases fixed there so you don't have to be the one that "trains" the dealer.

But if it's water coming in the doors, there are just a few places, with the window seals being the best bet. Those should have drainage built into the design, but some of the water that gets under the window seal may be splattered around inside the door on a rough road. The real answer is to seal the speaker. So, I think it's a speaker problem.

[Göran W]

?????? If they die out simultaneiously the problem is not to find in the doors! Maybe a common vire? At the radio? At any multicontact/connection?

Please correct me if I´m wrong!

[Cadillac Jim]

If they die at the same time every time, then it's a wiring problem, not in the speakers themselves, as you say. If these are powered speakers, it could be the power or the ground. If they are powered by the radio, the power amplifier can be behind the back seat or in the dashboard, depending on the radio. If you are having a water problem, I would bet on a wiring harness problem between the back seat and the door speakers.

Anyone with a 2000 model year FSM that can look up the wiring diagram?

[Bruce Nunnally]

I found this issue write-up for Malibu, but doesn't list Impala.

Model Year 2006-2009

Vehicle Line / Condition AURA, G6, Malibu - Water leak in trunk, no audio from radio

Do This Apply seam sealer

Don't Do This Do not replace the audio components without repairing the leak

Reference Information / Bulletin Number 09-08-57-004B

Condition
Some customers may comment on finding either of the conditions noted below:
• Water in the right rear area of the trunk and/or in the spare tire well.
• No audio coming from the radio.

Cause
This condition may be caused by body seams in the body rear end panel (including one under the right tail lamp and behind the rear fascia) that may have a void in the sealer. This may allow water to leak into the trunk, and on some models equipped with a rear compartment radio speaker amplifier, water may leak onto the amplifier rendering it inoperative.

Correction
Apply seam sealer to the right side of the body rear end panel seams following these steps:

Remove the right tail lamp and rear bumper fascia. Refer to Rear Bumper Fascia Replacement in SI.

Inspect the body rear end panel to tail lamp pocket seams, noted above, for any voids in the sealer.
Clean the affected area and seal the void with Kent High Tech™ Clear Seam Sealer*, P/N 10200 (5 oz tube), or the equivalent.
Install the right tail lamp and rear bumper fascia. Refer to Rear Bumper Fascia Replacement in SI.
If equipped, diagnose and repair/replace the radio speaker amplifier following the information in SI.