Cadillac DeVille

nvbanker · March 2005

I am at a loss as to why one would consider a 300C on par with a Cadillac of any level except for possibly the CTS - V-6. Certainly not the DeVille or STS. It's just not the same in my mind...

bremertong · March 2005

Really glad to see this conference has come back to life again, seemed somewhat dormant for a while. I like the idea of a lease return vs a fleet car. Are there some good strategies for finding the fleet returns at competitive prices?
My 2004 was a fleet return and carries only the basics. I added a Pioneer 12 disc CD stacker. Never used the heated seats in my 98 De Ville so not a problem in the 2004 which doesn't have them. I like the looks, power and price of the Chrysler 300C, nice package. Chrysler has had a reliability problem for many years but must say that I had no problems with the 97 LHS that I owned for three years. Since my next car purchase is two years off much can and may happen to sway my decision on a next car in 2007. Thanks all, for the interesting, helpful
and informative posts.

boomer1b · March 2005

In todays newspaper at my local Caddy dealer in Syracuse NY !
8400 miles.......$69,990........No color listed.

1st used one I have ever seen for sale.

cadidadi · March 2005

Trying to get some information on wheels for a 99 Deville. I have been told to be cautious and not go above 17" or risk my suspension. I wanted to get some 19"s for my car. Also, I do not know the technical words, but I wanted to get a wider wheel/tire as well. By wide I mean if you look at the rear end, you see the tire, I want a nice wide tire. I have heard mixed reviews all over the place, so that is how I have ended up here!

raibeaux · March 2005

Fact: ANY vehicle is engineered better than ANY Chrysler product. End.

sin1972 · March 2005

Hey I have a 97 Deville and it some times stalls. I had the fuel rail replaced(recall) and it still does it can someone give me a clue what else to check

boomer1b · March 2005

Is it a premium fuel N-star? My 96 would buck, stall and ping on anything less than premium.
Even with colder range plugs.

Sure glad my 03 uses regular !

I would check all rubber vaccuum hoses/fittings first....Esp. if you live in a hot climate !

dispencer1 · March 2005

What's the matter with the wheels and tires that come on the car? Do you get something different with wider and larger tires like a better ride, better handling, etc? I'm curious.

dispencer1 · March 2005

I'll drink to that. Perhaps a Hyundai Excel from the mid 80's is worse though or a Yugo. The Chrysler forums are pretty interesting. Amazing about all the problems that seem to be designed in since the dealer says that they are normal and not covered under warranty.

sin1972 · March 2005

Thank you I will check all the vacuum lines and fittings I live in Las Vegas. And I sure do use preuim tried lessr gas when got it and you would have thought I was riding a bull LOL any more info I will be glad.

boomer1b · March 2005

AH VEGAS.........I LOVE that town ! I am off to Atlantic City tomorrow...........

Your car being almost 10 yrs old. and a dry and hot climate I see vacuum hoses can and will deteriorate like crazy.

If your handy you can pull off the Caddy plastic cover over the top of the engine and check all the hoses and look, listen for air leaks.
Also check the power brake booster hose closely for cracks and leaks.
Cheaper than having the dealer looksee at $80 bucks a hour.

Another thing that comes to mind is the fuel pressure regulator but you would need a pressure guage for that.

Did it buck and stall BEFORE the fuel rail was replaced?

tom34 · March 2005

In March of 2004 my father bought a 2004 Deville rental return with 11K miles from a cadillac dealer. It is the base model in every way except that it has a sunroof. He paid $42,000 for it in March of 2004. I get the feeling he got ripped off. Does anyone know how much 2004 Deville rental returns like his were selling for in March of last year? Thanks.

boomer1b · March 2005

Heck...04 base Deville rental returns at the Caddy dealer here in Syracuse NY with 20-34k miles are adverised in todays paper $24,000.

Its a tough call what the price would be last March.

You could ask/post over in the Smart Shopper thread in the Real World trade in values.

bolivar · March 2005

My fading memory seems to recall that late in the 2004 model year the Cadillac dealer in town was selling the base model Deville, new, after their discounts and manufactor rebates for about $36,000 or $37,000 dollars. This would be about $6,000 below 'invoice'. In this $6,000 was the rebates and 'cash to dealers'.

I would bet they made about $15,000 on the sale of a 1 year old rental car for $42,000. At least $12,000.

sin1972 · March 2005

It would just stall out while I am driving down the road. Do today I will go through the vacuum hoses

dispencer1 · March 2005

Actually he could have gotten a new one for $42,000 or less. I don't know what they were selling for in March but ex-rentals were going for about $25k in the fall of 2004. Most had between 20 and 28k miles on them. The Cadillac dealer saw him coming. He definately got ripped off. I assume the dealer was in a small town with no competition.

cappy4103 · March 2005

Need feedback. I have a 2002 DeVille (base model) with a brake pulsation problem. I replaced all four rotors and installed new ceramic brake pads. Within a day, pulsation returned and was isolated to rear passenger wheel. Caliper was hanging up. Replaced caliper and rotor (again). Two months later, pulsation is back. It was suggested to me that ceramic pads might be the culprit - heating up the rotors and warping them. I am considering buying low end pads that wear out instead of eating the rotors. Anyone have any suggestions?

boomer1b · March 2005

Since Tom has not responded.......Hmmmmm

Maybe $42k Canadian cash. That sounds right!

surrfurtom · April 2005

Anyone have experience adding wired XM radio to their Deville DTS with navigation? Factory doesn't currently offer an upgrade kit. Discussion with a local aftermarket shop was unsuccessful too, unless I wanted a wireless unit. (i.e. the XM receiver broadcasts on an unused FM frequency which I set my factory radio to receive). It works but definitely not CD quality. Thanks in advance.

trainiac1 · April 2005

It is a 1998 Sedan De Ville with 58,000 miles on it, and suddenly the blower for the climate control system shuts down. Thought I smelled something burning, but not sure. All the fuses seem to be OK., that is, the ones in the trunk. The fuses in the engine compartment haven't been checked yet. Could it be just a fuse, if so, which one, or the resistor to the blower? Possibly one of the modules? Everything else seems to be OK. The AC compressor works fine. I just hate to take it to the dealer to find out it was a fuse. Thanks in advance. Very nice car in all respects.

trainiac1 · April 2005

Me again!! All the fuses are good. It has to be a module that controls the blower or the blower itself. Not sure?????

04cad · April 2005

Hi we have a 2004 deville with 26,000 miles on it and it has had a pulsation problem since we bought it at 16,000 miles. The dealer had already worked on the brakes once to try and correct it. We have had it worked on once and just today had it worked on again. Each time we are told it is warped rotors. We haven't picked it up yet this last time so I don't know if it is fixed or not. The dealer is trying to fix the problem but it is surprising that a 50,000 dollar caddy has brake issues and my 34,000 dollar Chevy ext cab brakes are excellent. I will post again to let everyone know if the brakes are fixed or not. By the way, the passenger tilting mirror has quit tilting when you put it in reverse, they have ordered a new mirror.

bolivar · April 2005

Blower - I don't think there is a simple 'resistor' any more. There is a control module, the brain that keeps the temperature you set, and a blower. It could be either one. If you smelled it, possibly the blower. Blowers are tough to replace, cutting the 'box' under the hood, and even having to loosen motor mounts to get it out. The control module is under the dash.

Cadillac brakes are weak. Lot of cars' brakes are weak any more. People even complain about Honda Accord brakes wearing out at 25,000 miles.

Manufactors are saving money on brake components, mainly rotor configurations. Since a car can go 100,000 miles without tuneup, seldom needs a muffler, 7,500 mile on oil changes - what are you going to do with those mechanics laying around the garage? You build crappy brakes and let them do $900 brake jobs at 25,000 miles.

A story - I drove a Cadillac Seville just off a 3 year lease. It had LESS THAN 5,000 miles on it! Why did those people even need a car! Anyway, at 4,800 miles or so, the brake shimmy from warped rotors was very significant.

boomer1b · April 2005

Ya know you have to "set" the mirror to tilt when in reverse using the DIC?
It won't do anything unless its programmed.

Have you checked?

cappy4103 · April 2005

I got 32,000 miles on the car before incurring any brake problems. I'm not please by this, especially considering it's a top of the line GM product, but sounds like I did better than alot of others out there. I replaced all four rotors and pads with Bendix parts last week. I went with semi-metalic pads this time which is what came with the car when new. I had previously installer higher end ceramic pads thinking I was buying the best since I don't want to do another brake job for awhile. Parts guy told me that ceramic pads don't absorb heat so you get minimal brake fad. Unfortunately, they cause the rotors to heat up more in the process. Since I had used ceramic pads and the rotors warped, I tried going with semi metalic this time. Hopefully this combination will work. We'll see!

lava229 · April 2005

Recently had my 96 DeVille in for fuel rail replacement (recall) also. Also had Fuel Pressure Regulator replaced. Try Fuel Pressure Regulator.

Also ... currently tracking codes on OBD I System in my car. Cannot understand what code AC1347 is indicating. Do you know? Is part of Air Conditioning System, however cannot track down correct codes from other web sites. :confuse:

bremertong · April 2005

I drove two Chrysler products, a 1993 and 1997 and never had any significant problem with either car when trading in at about 60,000 miles. Am currently driving a 2004 De Ville with an unresolved cruise problem, Previously owned a 1998 De Ville traded at 40,000 miles and yes it was developing warped rotors. My experience with Chrysler reliability was clearly better than it has been with Cadillac.
The part that is of most concern is the attitude taken by the folks at Cadillac, basically that if they can't find the problem than it must be the customers fault. I think GM is making a mistake. Just take a look at GM earnings outlook for year 2005, looks like increasingly, car owners agree.

boomer1b · April 2005

fUNNY.......... I think its the driver ! My dad has never ending brake problems with his 00 and current 03 S-10s. Dealer replaced rotors and pads with no problem under warranty. His 03 has 5000 miles and its been back twice !

He does use the 2 foot ride the brake pedal driving method tho !

justgreat47 · April 2005

any time brake rotors are replaced or turned and/or the pads are replaced, the brakes must be bedded in. the dealers do a bedding in process in the shop but for diy's look up bedding in brakes on google for the complete process. if the rotors/pads are not bedded in, it's just a matter of time before the pulsation returns. jackg 90seville 96k

robertireton · April 2005

I have a 2000 DHS with 73,000 miles on it. The water pump was replaced about 30,000 miles ago. The car has now developed another coolant leak. The leak is coming from behind the transmission/engine mounting bracket. The dealer says it is a casting flaw in the engine and the only fix is to replace the engine. I have read that the 2000's engine block is made from 2 castings (it was changes to a single casting in 2001). Has anyone ever heard of this problem?

bolivar · April 2005

Casting problems have been known. It is an alimunm (sp) block.

But many of these can be fixed with epoxy. Just smear a patch over the place where coolant is oozing out. Call some other dealer and see if they would consider looking at it and doing such a repair.

The earlier alimunm (sp) Cadillacs motors had this problem, to a larger extent. You dealer should be aware of such a patch job, it has been done for years.

bolivar · April 2005

You said "Also ... currently tracking codes on OBD I System in my car. Cannot understand what code AC1347 is indicating."

You have in a 1996 vehicle the ODB II system, not I.

I find DTC B1347 code. It's Very Low A/C Refigerant Warning.
You probably have a leak in the Air Conditioning system. The AC compressor will not even turn on when you have this error. To charge the system, you will have to get into the diagnostic system and reset this error code. Pulling the battery cable for a while will also do this. You must hook up the charging hoses and supply, have it open into the system, then start the car, turn air conditioner on, and let it pull the recharge into the system. If you restart the car without a recharge, the error will reset, the compressor will not start, and you are back where you are at now.

Of course, an AC system check to find the leak, by a professional, and repairing the leak, is probably the way to go for this problem. Especially if you have never handled AC refrigerant before. It can be dangerous.

sls002 · April 2005

Aluminum! Ah, for the days of cast iron.

nvbanker · April 2005

Regarding your experiences with dealer's service attitudes - I have to agree. Back in the 80's & 90's when I was driving GM and Cadillacs, I found the dominance of GM to reflect in the service manager's attitudes to a pitiable degree, and received comments that ranged from "With GM, you don't have a choice" to "Sorry, Jesus doesn't work here". One more reason I mostly drive Ford/Toyota these days. I keep hoping Cadillac may be reflecting the return of American Greatness in cars - since Lincoln is just about on their butt as far as new product is concerned these days.....but their service is still better evidently......

imidazol97 · April 2005

I thought bad service was a Ford characteristic and that's why I changed.
As for the Toyota, from what coworkers have told me through the years, I wouldn't have liked Toyo and Honda either...

04cad · April 2005

Yes the mirror tilted when we first got the car and I do not drive it regularly so I did not notice it had quit working until my wife finally noticed it. I checked the programming and it still shows the tilt is on but alas it does not tilt. Happily though the last brake job seems to have done the trick. I wonder if an improper torque job on the wheels after the brake job could be warping the rotors. We had this problem after having the tires rotated by an independent tire store on my wifes ninety four caddy. They made it good and we did not have pulsation when we traded it for the o four deville.

04cad · April 2005

Sadly I think poor service departments are an industry standard. Our local GM dealer has improved one hundred percent since the old owner lost the dealership and Hubler has taken over. I have a lot of respect for the new dealer and their service department. They have been very up front with us on our ninety four caddy extended warranty issues and taking care of our o four caddy service work. I would recommend them to anyone.

bremertong · April 2005

Thanks for the responses to my earlier post regarding service and quality issues.
Main reason I did so well with Chrysler products is that the local Chrysler dealership has a reputation for being affordable and honest. Over the years I formed a good working relationship with their sales and service departments. Unless I start feeling better about GM service I may switch to a Chrysler 300 SRT
for my next car. That decision is about two years off so we will see if the 300 series works out alignment problems and other issues related to the new generation of Chrysler 300 cars.

The local GM dealership is rather impersonal and expensive. My Cadillac's have been fine and fun cars to drive but I have not received the level of service I would expect from a luxury car builder. GM will have to address the service issue or begin to lose market share to other companies. If Ford were to boost the engine power in the towncar it would with a few other improvements be a formidable challenger to Cadillac in the luxury market. Of course each of us has our own personal preferences.

nvbanker · April 2005

I have locally found my Lincoln dealer service to be 10x better than the local Cadillac store. The Lexus dealer beats them both though. YMMV, of course

imidazol97 · April 2005

Service is a key reason I've stayed with my GM dealer. I can talk to the service manager who used to be the alignment tech when I first started going there. He has 2 other writers and he will help with any problem or question. If I can do it myself, he tells me how. When I did have things done, I couldn't complain about the cost because I had my money's worth in extra help, even though some things could have been done by an independent. The independent wouldn't have given me a loaner off the used car lot at no charge other than the service cost. This is on a 7 year old car. The service manager even dug out wiring diagrams for the Scout Troop van so I could figure out the power window wiring.

I could have bought lease return, GM employee's cars, company cars at a used car dealer who has a full service department that's 3 miles from them. The used car dealer has been in business 30 + years with a ~~good~~ great reputation.

My dealer has earned my business with sharp deals and good backend service.

trainiac1 · April 2005

Thanks for the information, Bolivar. You were right on, it was the blower. I had it serviced at Colonial Cadillac in Danvers, MA., and I must admit the experience was very good. Parts and labor was $671. A little steep, but the job is done right. Car wash included!!!! I am one of those who would rather spend months trying to figure a way to fix things myself, rather than go to a dealer, but in this case it worked out well. BRAKES! 60K and they were just done at Midas. No problems ever! Lucky, I guess. With all of the complaints in this forum about Cadillacs, it makes me hesitant about getting another one. I got a line on a 2003 Seville STS, loaded for under $20K, with 17,000 miles on it. Private owner. See what happens. Thanks, again.

04cad · April 2005

Hi I have a 2004 deville and would be interested in the names of the dealers who offer the discounted extended warranties online. Thanks

04cad · April 2005

According to the dealership on a 2004 deville you should use the lowest available grade of gas that meets the requirement listed in your manual. That is what the engine was designed to run on and any higher grade is a waste of money and may harm your engine.

pat · April 2005

Zapper1, please drop me an email at your earliest convenience - pat AT edmunds.com - thanks!

sls002 · April 2005

My owners manual, for a 2002 Seville LS, clearly states that I should use a grade of gasoline with at least 87 octane. Here that is a mid-grade since we have high altitude gasoline. The owners manual goes on to state that higher octane fuel, premium, will provide better performance.

cappy4103 · April 2005

Traded in a 2000 Lincoln for my 2002 DeVille. Compared the the Lincoln, my DeVille sounded as though it had a wind noise coming through the moonroof. Since it didn't leak, I lived with it. About three months ago I developed the pulsating brake problems caused by a caliper hanging up, and observed a coolant leak in the driveway. Brought the car in for service for all three issues. Dealership fixed the coolant leak and said that they replaced a water pump cover seal under warranty. Now I wonder...maybe they just put JB Weld on it?

They claimed caliper was functioning as designed and didn't replace it, which I subseqently had to do on my own. Lastly, they claimed that the wind noise from the moonroof was normal as there was no deterioration to gasket present. As of last week, brake problem still unresolved. From the posts on this forum, looks like I had more problems forthcoming with this car, so I didn't plan to keep this car beynd the warranty period. That and the lack of dealer support while the car was under warranty facilitated my next purchase. Traded in the Deville for a new 2005 Avalon yesterday. I'd consider a Caddy in the future but not until quality control and dealer attitude improves.

trainiac1 · April 2005

Yeah! My sentiments.The 98 De Ville I have has 60,000 miles on it and I was considering another Cadillac, a Seville STS. However, with the issues posted here I'm wondering if it is worth it. The 98 has been good so far except for a few minor problems. Since the value has deteriorated to the point where I won't lose much by keeping it I'll probably run it to 100K+. That new Toyota Avalon is one that I have looked at and it appears as though it is a copy of the Lexus 330. Very nice car with very low risk of problems. I don't know why GM can't do the same? They get cheaper as time goes on. You would think for $55,000 you'd get something of value, but it doesn't look that way. In any event, good luck with your choice of a new car.

sls002 · April 2005

The new Avalon is actually a bigger car than the Lexus ES. The Avalon is probably a very good choice.

zapper1 · April 2005

Aside from being $pendy...... its still a 6 banger camry with leather. Even if it says lexus.................

IMO: The new STS is no bigger than a CTS for less $$$.

A current year used 04 DeVille base can be had for $24k in my area.

I can't live without a large fullsize FWD V-8 car and the DeVille works for me here in snowland.

xkss · April 2005

The new STS has more passenger and cargo room than the CTS.

Cadillac DeVille

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