I had always been told to get a new car Rust Checked every year.I bought my Impala new in December 2002 and it has been Rust Checked every year since.In March 2010 the front high beam lights and rear back up lights started flickering even when the car was parked and turned off.Took it to my mechanic and he replaced first the alternator and then the battery. The alternator was the original so no surprise there. The battery was less than a year old.Worked for three weeks.Then driving, the message centre lit up showing the battery was discharging,the said lights were flickering, and the relays clicking from the dashboard was heard.Even the radio-clock display was flickering.I dis-connected the battery on the negative side and that seem to re-set everything for that moment.But it starts all over again particularly if the car sits parked in the sun.The place I work for has it's own garage and mechanics.These guys have experience running from 5 to 30 years.Put all the problems and symptoms to them and it was a split vote. A periodic short somewhere or a computer chip problem. What they did suggest that while the car was acting up and the message centre showing a battery discharge that I jump out with a volt/ohm meter and check what the battery was punching out.Another suggestion was ground the battery additionally to the fender. Never had these problems with my 1977 Impala.I am not going to have my mechanic look at this until the car won't start period.Oh the guys at work said this stuff would not even show up as an error code.

They have worked my model of the Impala but being a work car these cars are auctioned off after 5 years.Mine is now seven and half years old.Outside of this current problem it hasn't been a bad car.

It seems related to the security/starting problem.On a warm day where the engine has been off I fire it up and suddenly the charging system light comes ,the relays click and the hi-beams and back-up lights flicker even after the engine is turned off.I pull the battery at the negative side to re-set it.My mechanic who has yet to see this problem in an active mode says it is the Body Control Module.This is a computer board that may have a crack in it.That maybe accounts for it doing it only when the engine is warm.Outside of the tie-rod ends going pre-maturely I have been very satisfied with this car.The other problems with it the ABS/Traction Control and Coolant Seals were done under warranty and have never re-occurred.

Update from May 22, 2010: An additional problem cropped up. If I used the inside trunk release the retainer would not return to its original position and the trunk lid would be insecure until I physically moved it with an "ice pick". My personal mechanic reported that he could not program the new BCM so a trip to the dealership was needed. At a cost of $690.00 CDN, the new BCM seems to have fixed the light flickering, the security light coming on plus the trunk lid release problem. Also the car has started all the time since. Maybe the BCM controlled the anti-grinding program in the starting motor too. Well we'll see.