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Apparently not too loyal, since he went out and bought an Acura.
If GM were to do these tests on the engines before assembly, the price of your car would GO UP in price because these procedures are very time and money consuming. Usually these type of tests are done on race car engines and Aircraft parts ,sheet metal and engine turbine components . Parts like this if they fail will have disastrous results.
So some types of defects are OK and some reject able defects will get by GM . They can't and won't do these NDT's tests as they are too costly and time consuming so we as consumers get a mass produced product.
What is your source for stating that GM does nothing beyond visual inspection of their castings?
I've only been working aerospace castings for 27 years, so there's always more to learn.
GM probable uses other tests than visual inspections to find internal casting defects. They probably don't use any of these NDT test as they are very time consuming. Just think how many vehicles GM uses this 3.6 liter engine in.... Cadallic SRX,CTS, DTS, Malibu , Acadia ,Saturn Vue maybe one or two other vehicles.That's a very high demand for this engine so an educated guess is ther will be a few defects arising from such a high production.
Agreed. a few, not a third! Plus, that post said defective...not "few defects"--two completely different ideas. I can easily see how gm would permit the sale of cars with defects if they didn't manifest in like 12 years or something, but I doubt they'd sell something that would have a 30-something percentage of failure in the first "couple" years of ownership. That was just misinformation, plain and simple.
Have the DI engine, performance collection, luxury level one, sunroof, spare tire, high polished wheels and wood trim packages. I had the dealer install the side molding and tint the windows. A great looking car inside and out.
You've got to realize that people come to these boards, mostly, before the acquisition to get information and after only if they're having trouble. The vast majority get the car they want & we never hear another word because they're out enjoying it & not hanging around on these boards.
They (unlike people like me, it appears) actually have a life.
White Diamond W/ spare tire. I have been watching this forum since before my
purchase. I would like to respond to some of the postings by saying after 50 +
years of auto purchasing it is not uncommon to have some minor or major
problems with a first year production. However after looking at the competition
I do not find any other vehicle that can compare to the CTS '08 the ergonomics
are far superior to its closet competitor,performance is on par with the best. It
remains Cadillac all the way. It most certinaly is not a European Sports car it is
however one of the most adept at finding the middle of the performance road to
Sport and Luxury. I have 1200 miles no problems other than a heated seat function
problem that is being taken care of by the dealer who is replacing my fuel used to
come in for service. The only other thing I can say is WOW Great
car!!!!
Usually manufacturers have policies about how to handle the most serious issues that try to balance customer satisfaction with cost effectiveness. After all, drop shipping a 3.6L DI engine for your car isn't exactly a walk in the park. What helps in the process is not just being persistant (and not a jerk at the same time), but also having a dealership willing to go to bat for you. There are two Caddy dealerships in my town. The one I go to treats me like gold, regardless of why I'm there. They all my name (and all their regular customers names), from the receptionist to the owner, who always makes it a point to stop what he's doing and say hi to me. They remember what's going on in my life and ask about my family. They never try to spend their time selling me a car....they know when I'm ready, I'll come to them. And their service managers are all the same people for the last fifteen+ years I've been there. If there is an issue with my car, I know they will tell me the truth and not just try to do what's profitable. I have no doubt that they would go to bat for me with GM if something like what you're going through happened to me.
Bottom line is that if you feel your dealership isn't serving you well, let them know and look for others. If it's GM, make sure the dealership is pulling every string they can. The last thing they want is the loss of a customer, much less to a competitor. When that happens, odds are the customer is gone for good.
First, the dealer ordered touch up paint and the paint color on the touch up lists: Code 30 WA-417P Kelava Gray Met.
The color looks like the correct color but I can find no cross reference to Cadillac's name of Thunder Gray. Can anyone verify this is the correct color. I believe the option code is 30U but I can't find the paint code on the car.
Second, so far (760 miles) we absolutely love this car. We did have a strange hiccup with the transmission, but my wife is not really sure what the sequence of events was and it hasn't happened again. It is taking getting used to having a car with no body side moldings (it looks beautiful, but those lazy people who don't put away shopping carts and think doors are for dinging are giving me nightmares!)
After three new Volvos over the past ten years, it is nice so far to have a rattle free car that is absolutely gorgeous and comfortable INSIDE and OUT!!!!
Last Friday I went to start the vehicle and it didn't turn over (no crank).
I used Onstar which forwarded me to Cadillac Roadside Assistance (CRA). CRA asked me for a phone number, to which I said "I've got Onstar". They said "We don't have access to that, do you have a cell phone?" It seems that GM doesn't quite have the whole thing planned out perfectly yet.
Anyway, after I finished with CRA, I gave the CTS yet another try, and this time it fired up. I drove home with the groceries, and as I walked in the door, the home phone rang. It was CRA telling me about the tow vehicle that was en route. I explained that after unloading the perishables I intended on dropping off the car, but thanks.
The dealer gave me an '08 CTS loaner, which was nice. It was pretty basic in terms of equipment, as expected. I hadn't driven the base suspension in awhile, and there is a marked difference between it and the FE3. Surprising, even. Pretty Soft. Also, since it was a rental, I didn't feel the need to spare the RPM. The base engine (non DI) really does have pretty decent push.
I picked up my car today. It was all tied to an insufficiently grounded cable.
Here's the good news: There was a service bulletin on it. This alone speaks volumes about Quality.
It wasn't where the Dealer Tech's said "Well, we looked at it and it turns out that the assembler must've been drunk".
It was evidence of statiscal based, process-controlled manufactured environment. Their manufacturing engineers knew (unfortunately, after the fact) that a subset of their vehicles didn't pass mustard due to a process in their manufacturing flow. But they've updated their manufacturing process to address shortfalls.
I've accepted that purchaseing a vehicle very early in the manufacturing flow means you're more suspect to some problems. But after 6 weeks, and 1K miles, this was it. Some would not accept this, but I loved the car and had to have one.
Hats off to GM. Even with the slight inconvenience, it's been worth it, and I love the ride.
From their on line article.
*******************************************************************
Upscale sports sedans: American dream--
Cadillac gives its German rivals a wake-up call
BMW 328i
Cadillac CTS
Mercedes-Benz C300
Saab 9-3
BMW and Mercedes-Benz have long been considered by many to set the standard in the sport-sedan category. But this month a newly redesigned Cadillac outscored cars from both of the German automakers in our 2008 upscale sport sedan review, earning high marks for agility, powertrain, and refinement.
The 2008 Cadillac CTS beat out the BMW 328i and the redesigned Mercedes-Benz C300 in our upscale sport-sedan group. It also outscored the freshened Saab 9-3 (all available to subscribers).
While the CTS vaults past most competitors, the Infiniti G35 and Acura TL still outscore it and lead the 2008 upscale sport sedan class in our Ratings
My Fuel pump went on my car with 200 miles on it.
I held a big sign that said...The real question is"when you turn your car on. DOES IT START????
They gave me oil changes and wheel alignments for the life of my lease.
Give them Hell
Now for the good new, on Jan 29th I did receive my build date of 2-11-2008. I just can't wait..... Good Luck with yours :shades:
It comes down to the pride and competence of the mechanics who are replacing the engine, and it sounds like they are on the right track. They work for a Cadillac dealership and probably have seen that the CTS is the flagship for all of GM at the moment. You need to know that, while an engine swap looks like a Mongolian cluster event to the uninitiated, it's business as usual for those who do it for a living.
In my industry, gas turbine engines are torn down in a few hours & put back together with different instrumentation on a regular basis. Over and over (& over again). It's all about the person doing the hands-on work. We have some excellent mechanics where I work, and I'll bet this dealership does too.
Try to look at the upside, given that you've had a couple of weeks to absorb all this. This dealership and the service department knows you well by now (for better or worse) and, if you work it right, you could be treated very very well over the next years. If I were you, I'd try to have some quality one-on-one time with the mechanic (or mechanics) after they're finished to thank them for doing what GM should have done in the first place.
Companies make money (hopefully), but people make (& fix) cars. I wish I had a mechanic I knew well at my dealership.
I've got an '06 CTS, 3.6, black on black, luxury package(heated seats, leather, home link, etc), sunroof, standard tires, 22,500 miles, exellent condition with an original sticker of $37,445. The '08 that I will order has a sticker of $40,635.
So far, I have two dealer quotes....one dealer wants $19,500 to trade and a second dealer wants a trade differece of $20,400. Although I am strictly a novice, both of these quotes seem to be way to much of a trade difference.
I would appreciate any of your thoughts on what a reasonable trade differnce might be. I would really like to have an '08 but this may not be the right time to get it?
Holy chit man. Any reasonable person feels for you and your situation. You are a minority for sure. Cadillac is not pumping out lemons. These new cars are awesome. Sorry about yours. Hopefully when you buy that Toyota that you dream of, yours isn't one that has an oil sludge problem in the engine that happens to more than a few.
Please take your tax rebate/loan and go go buy that Toyota, support their economy, deal with their customer service and be sure to let us know then that there is no safe car buying option in the world.
Later
Willy
So far, the car has been good out of the gate. All the time I spent in the dealership in this car allowed me to get a good seating position in a short time (not easy when you're my size). The leg room is killer in this car for people who are vertically challenged...like Shaq. The wheel tilts and telescopes nicely although I wouldn't have minded another half inch of travel outward. Instrumentation is a leap above my last CTS and the '05 SRX I currently own. The tri-cluster readouts are all focused toward the same point in space...a nice touch.
Without the hard drive, the pause button on the radio just functions as a mute switch. And although there is a visiable EQ setting for the radio, you can't get to it with the base model. Otherwise the radio performs as advertised with XM radio standard (and working in my rental).
Power from the base engine is adequate..much like my original '03 car except the engine seems to make a lot less fuss to do anything versus that old Catera engine. One thing for sure...this car is a lot quieter than the old model, and it seems to be just as solid as that car too, if not more so. No weird squeeks or rattles, even going over the rutted streets of suburban Boston. And speaking of suspension, this car has the base package and wheels so I'm not going to try anything interesting, especially in Boston streets that still have ice patches around. But everything seems to be well damped and controlled. Very reassuring....
More later...
I am spending a weekend in San Diego next month -
and may try to rent a new CTS.
What is Avis charging?
Did you reserve a 'Premium Collection' car?
A CTS, specifically?
Thanks!
- Ray
Averse to tiny rent-a-cars...