Cadillac CTS/CTS-V

v8lincolnguy

What the UAW(and GM) need to ensure is that Cadillac is building top quality cars with quality components and good build quality. As long as the car doesn't have many recalls, one or two isn't going to hurt the brand.

traverler

I purchased my 2004 CTS at the end of Oct. Have the Lux/Sport (1SC) Pkg, the one thing that I notice is at low speeds, around 20 mph, I hear a whining noise, is anyone else experiencing this?

Thanks

typeaman

I also noticed a whining noise. It also feels like a vibration. It started last week at about 13,000 miles. It seems to start when the tranny shifts into one of the gears when I hit 20 to 25. mph. Feedback anyone?

jhl4

Do these dusters ever need to be washed or just buy another? Any no-nos for using?

ottomatic99

Noticed low speed whining noise when wife's 03 CTS was new. Thought it might resolve itself with use. When it did not, took it back to the dealer at 4000 miles. At Cadillacs direction and one week in shop,dealer replaced Differential (Pumpkin). Seemed to be the answer but after a few hundred miles it is acting up again but not as noticable or frequent as before. Plan on waiting a few more miles to make sure I'm not imagining it. will keep y'all posted

traverler

I guess I am glad it is not my imagination?

theo2709

Deletions

 
  Exterior color (54U) Cashmere
  Exterior color (98U) White Diamond
  (LA3) Engine, 3.2L DOHC V6

New Features

 
  Exterior color 46U (WA-928L) Stealth Gray
  Exterior color 61U (WA-918L) Sand Storm
  Exterior color 93U (WA-961L) White LIghtning (available at extra cost)
  (LP1) Engine, 2.8L DOHC V6
  (MV1) Transmission, 6-speed manual, Getrag

wwhite2

Finally !! Now all we need is a six speed automated manual

bigdaddycoats

where did you get this information?? Six speed manual for the 3.6?

ctsgirl_2004

Theo2709

What does stealth gray look like? Is this replacing the silver smoke?

carnaught

Personally, I swear by these. There are some caveats however. When you first buy one, let it "cure" lying on newspaper for 48 hrs. or more. This covers the resin or oil on it with a type of film. Never use it on an extremely dirty car or one just driven. The latter is to avoid use on a hot car hood which will cause streaking. It's best when it is used more and on a dusty, otherwise clean car. Finally, when using it, apply minimal if any pressure. In other words, do not try to clean deep dirt with it.

I've used it on many cars over the last 6-7 years, and as used as above have never scratched or marred their finishes. It prolongs the "just washed look" starting from a day after washing.

BTW, best price is at Walmart.

theo2709

Don't ask me, I'm just the messenger.

thebug

I've been away for a while. It's good to see that this thread is still going strong. Read through some of the problems/issues that folks have experienced, and I'm happy to say that I haven't experienced any of these. Not one single problem @ 17.5K miles. The car has been awesome.

jhl4 - On the CA dusters, I've been using them for about ten years and I have tried to wash one, not such a good idea. They are completely useless afterwards. They only cost about $9.00, so I now pitch them (usually the handle breaks) and get a new one. One may last a couple two years. And I don't know who said it, but it's true, use on light dust only. "I" believe that otherwise you'll get somewhat of a sandpaper effect. I get my cars washed a couple of times a week and dust in between.

thebug...

rsteph

No more battery problems (so far) since they replaced the old one. About 9k miles on the car now.
However, the flashing in the lower LCD display (climate control) is still happening on a sporadic basis. Doesn't seem to hurt anything but it is the goofiest thing. Had a friend in the car the other day and he pointed it out to me after seeing it too...so I'm relatively comfortable it's not my imagination. Maybe it's just a bad LCD. If it keeps up I'll have to try to talk them into replacing it. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has experienced this.

b4z

45,000 CTS have been sold this year!
It would be great if they hit 50,000 for the year, but I don't think it will happen due to lack of inventory.
Sales are up 35% over last year.

v8lincolnguy

So how many CTSs would you say are on the roads now? BTW, how is the Lexus doing?

merc1

Lexus ain't doing squat in cars, only SUVs.

M

b4z

You mean Lexus in general or my Lexus?

tomcat630

Lexus is pretty much the seller of soft SUV's to mass suburbia. The RX series is as common as woody station wagons were in the 60's.

I think of Lexus vehicles as Toyotas with more features on them.

missouri2

k&n now has a air filter for the 2003 cts. part number is 63-1082. have not yet found out the price.

v8lincolnguy

Your Lexus, sorry.

wwhite2

Had the C pillar sail panels replaced looks good except the rust/dirt stains on the leather and their knees stretching the leather . Some day I know I will not find additional problems after letting dealer work on it . They also replaced the thermostat housing . They said it is a known problem causes the engine coolant temp sensor to set a code, which it did 3.2 engine

rob35cts

When it is time to replace my brakes I would like to replace them with pads that have less dust but keep the performance and still last a long time any suggestions?

When it comes time to get new tires I am thinking about changing to Michelin pilot sports. Supposedly they ride much better and quiet. What are you guys going to do?

akirby

You can't go wrong with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Many Lincoln LS owners (including me) have them and love them. Only downside is they're expensive. But you get what you pay for. Best wet weather tire available IMO. And the handling is 9/10 of a pure summer tire. Treadwear is 400 - better than average.

As for brake pads - I have the Porterfield R4S pads. Not only do they virtually eliminate dust they've reduced my stopping distance at least 10 feet if not more. Feels like someone threw out a boat anchor. Don't know if they have any for the CTS but it's worth a phone call. Only downside is they can squeal a bit. No problems with premature wear either.

b4z

Car drives really nicely.
Have a low idle that I need to deal with. I am guessing Throttle Position Sensor.
Found out that the timing belt has not been changed.
Guy at work says he will do it for $360.
Getting lots of compliments.

wwhite2

The brake dust on my CTS Lux sport is absolutely minimal compared to the dust build up on my Moms 2001 325I and all other BMW models they have a serious dust problem but there owners dont seem to care

sevenfeet0

...is par for the course on any car with high performance disc brakes. The only way around it is to get ceramic pads (at considerable expense and assuming they are available for your car). Otherwise, I just use Meguire's Hot Rims on a regular basis to keep the wheels clean.

calicadi

Missouri2... thanks for finding that, it's been a while since I checked the (K&N) site. At their site there's a link of where to buy. That link leads to on-line or brick and mortar directories. At least three of the on-line show they carry it; AJUSA.com, 4filters.com and TruckPartsEast.com. All show the same price, $247. According to AJPARTS the actual list is $310.

Note to anyone who buys one who is not familiar with these... oil them lightly. The typical rookie mistake is to over-oil. Doing so can cause problems with the Air Mass Sensor.

necros

I'm confused. Normally K&N filters cost $50. And when I look into the K&N catalog, I find that it is defined as an "AirCharger" which is an actual intake, not just a drop-in filter.

Could it be that someone is actually making a whole new intake for the CTS that doesn't cost $500? Pleasepleaseplease?

b4z

I think we just had a record week of production for the CTS.
1650 cars!
Without looking at the past data I feel pretty sure that is the most they have done in 1 week.
Also built 5500 CTSs in the month of November which included a break for Thanksgiving.
They will easily build over 60K cars and may touch 70K depending on how long the Christmas break is.
Cadillac has built 223,000 cars this year and is over 50,000 ahead of Lincoln.

v8lincolnguy

Any way to get production figures on the Lincoln LS? After being on sale for nearly 2 years, CTSs are starting to become a pretty common part of the automotive landscape. While still nowhere near as common as a 3 series(they are as common as "camccords" in this part of town) CTS sightings are no longer a rare occurence. The most common color I've seen by far is the white. And while the local Cadillac dealer still has more Devilles than anything on their lot, I do see more and more CTSs there and now am seeing some SRXs. Speaking of, the insurance institute gave the SRX a "good" rating and "best pick" in the 40 MPH offset barrier test. Last Sunday, Dateline showed the test. While most of the SUVs they tested rated well, the SRX just looked to have held together the best after the crash. Some of the cars literally had parts flying off in every direction when they hit the barrier. On one of them, the battery went flying in one direction.

bigdaddycoats

Does anyone have any info on this engine? Is the 6 speed manual going to be available on the 2.8 and the 3.6? Why in the world is GM putting the smaller displacement 2.8 in the CTS??? Is this even true? Anyone have any info or ideas??

cdnpinhead

for the LS vs. the CTS drive many "lively" discussions here and elsewhere. I, too, am interested in what they are, and won't be surprised if the LS's numbers are in the toilet.

When the LS first came out, the only competitors were the BMW 3 & 5 and the Lexus GS. We're talking RWD sedans. If you were willing to go with front-wheel drive, the Infiniti I30 came into the picture, along with the Lexus Camry clone.

Now the picture is much different. Cadillac has come out with the CTS, in a number of models, some of which still include manual transmissions. Besides which, Infiniti has introduced the G35.

Meanwhile, Lincoln has dropped the manual transmission and advertises the LS only on alternate months in which. . . The fact is that the LS's suspension and other features cost more than they can afford to sell the LS for. I think they wish to sell fewer, rather than more. The price is already sky-high, and even with huge rebates, they don't appear to be moving.

Point being, the Lincoln LS had a tremendous opportunity four years ago, which they appear to have totally pissed away. It's a great car -- I own one. It started out being a competitor to the BMW and appears to have ended up being the somewhat smaller Lincoln for those who have trouble parking the Town Car.

More's the pity.

b4z

Number aren't that bad.
37,603 vs. 39592 last year.
742 this week.
New numbers are posted every Friday afternoon for that week.
http://www.autonews.com/files/prod.pdf

cornellpremed

Is there any easily accessible auxiliary audio input in the CTS?

bingoman

Is there any auxiliary Video (TV camera) input to the navigation screen?

automole

...Well, after driving in the rain this weekend I returned to my car and found that it had developed the "dreaded license bezel leak" that others have reported on this forum. It was all fogged-up internally and had about 1/2" of water sloshing around in the bottom of the bezel.

Could anyone tell me what exactly the 'fix' for this problem is? I'm assuming there's a TSB of some sort for this problem since it's been well documented. I'm just wondering if the dealer is going to replace the bezel and/or seal or if they will just slop on a bunch of sealant and call it good??

Any info is greatly appreciated...and for those that might be concerned; YES I searched the archives and couldn't find anything specific.

mannytranny

Been away for awhile from this board and just was out enjoying the snow. We got 8 inches of the white stuff. Took out the CTS to have some fun. Great to just turn off the traction control and see what happens!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, but it's the only way to see what I can do with the CTS in fresh snow. Didn't get stuck yet. The car just loves to go and with the traction on it just went straight like an arrow. Must be the manual transmission and maybe even the driver! ha, ha.
     As far as the bezel goes, my dealer was told about the problem in MAY and I am still waiting for the part. First, I was told that Cadillac was having a new part made. Now, I am being told that the dealer is waiting for the older parts to be used up so that a later part won't have this problem . I know that I was told that a sealent could be applied but the dealer just wants to put on a new part ($600.00)and said that the TSB was to fix a leak inside the car. I'm getting so used to seeing the fogged up bezel that I'm now almost ignoring it. (not really)
     I must have an oil change shortly and I'm going to see what the service advisor has to say about the bezel. I can't believe that Cadillac or the dealership would just let go on for so long.
     I was going visiting this week to relatives and might get to stop into another Cadillac dealership and ask there what they are doing about this leak.
     Gotta go outside now and take the CTS for another trip to the grocery store and Home Depot.

calicadi

necros - I couldn't find any pictures of the "air charger" on the KN site or other sites. But the other air chargers shown appear to be complete filter and tubing assemblies. Too bad, huh? That means other than factory and out of the stock class.

bigdaddy - I think that 2.8 is for outside the US only. Don't quote me. I think I have seen it somewhere besides mentioned here.

And to reiterate for the umpteenth how cool my dealership is, they called to say they had ordered a bunch of replacement tires, know my tires are on list, and I can bring it now if I'd like. I did not ask them to call me when tires came in... they just did it.

cu95

I know someone a few weeks back was asking about snow performance, but can't recall exactly who (and too lazy to search). I had my first taste of snow driving with my CTS this Friday and would give it an adequate-to-good rating. The traction control did wonders keeping the CTS straight and taming the rear-end. But when it kicks in you of course lose a good deal of forward momentum, so the ride at times was slow going, especially uphill. It did tackle our driveway better than I had hoped (its long -- 300+ feet by my estimate --, steep incline and two bends), albeit with the benefit of recent plowing. This was with the base CTS ('03), so traction control but no stabilitrack, and stock tires. I'm debating getting snow tires or just avoiding snow driving as much as possible. It's no Jeep G'Cherokee (my wife's car and the best snow performer I've been in), but I've been in cars that have done worse under similiar conditions.

bingoman

Thanks for your input. I was the person who asked about snow traction devices. The California CHP can ban vehicles from snow covered routes unless the vehicle has required "traction devices". I was trying to find out if anyone had experience with such devices on the CTS.

I have purchased a set of Z cable devices that fit the wheels of my CTS, but there appears to be some interference with the rear anti-sway bars. The connecting cable on the inside of the wheel appears to contact the sway bar at points between the cross cable connectors as noted by some rubbed off dirt on the bar after I rolled the car a couple of feet on my driveway while testing the fit of the cables. The first set of cables I tried according to the mfg.'s chart for the 225/50 R17 wheel would not fit so the mfg recommended the next size up, which did fit.

If anyone has had any experience with snow traction devices on the CTS I would be glad to hear from them.

golfnut5

I had my sail panels replaced by dealer today on my 03 CTS. Panels look much better, nice tight fit. I would recommend anyone with poor fitting panels to get them replaced. My dealer only had one CTS on their lot, several weeks ago I was in for oil change and they had five on the lot.

I also for the first time experienced the snow in my CTS over this past weekend. The CTS did as well, if not better in the snow than any rear drive car I have ever owned. I drove most of the time without traction control turned on. I have the 16" tires and was surprised at how well they performed in the snow.

b4z

My dealer's inventory is down also.
Cadillac is makng a huge push this month in an attempt to beat Mercedes for the calendar year 2003.

biglev

HAs anyone tinted the rear window of their CTS? If so I was wondering how you dealt with the dot matrix problem. I had mine tinted a few months ago and the tint doesn't bond to the glass on the dot matrix. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Biglev

batmanscts

Biglev: My rear window tinting came out fine. Had it done through the dealer, but they took it down the street to a tinting shop. Mine is a 2003. There is a visible dot matrix effect if you look very closely, but there have been no problems with bonding to the glass. I was impressed with the job done around the OnStar antenna and the defrosting system. No bubbles or other problems so far.
Don't know if there is a difference between the rear windows of the 2003 and 2004. I assume that you have some sort of warranty on the tinting for at least a year. I'd take it back if it is not bonding. Good luck.

lesstl1

This is not a problem, rather it is an observation. When I first purchased my 03 CTS in May 03, I observed the low beam pattern on a white wall. These are the regular lights, not HID. It has a very crisp cutoff at the correct place with the left hand beam slightly lower than the right. Then there is a thin dark zone above to keep from blinding drivers ahead. However, above this rather narrow dark area, there is a second, lesser light area extending up quite high.

I asked my dealer if this was correct and got the expected answer "Never heard of it. But it must be correct." I accepted this at face value and never thought about it again. But I recently noticed that when driving on an interstate highway, the overhead signs are brightly lit by my low beams! I have been trying to see if other cars do the same thing, but my observations are that they do not do this, or at least, not as well.

Has anyone else had this observation? I have not seen any posting on this subject. If this is the reason for this design, Cadillac should inform their dealers as it is really quite neat and useful.

necros

Interesting observation! I had often noticed the strange light pattern, and though it was a bit odd, but you have found a practical use for it. Congrats!

cu95

lesstl1, I had noticed the light-dark-light pattern too and had just chalked it up to being a byproduct of the light's dramatic styling. Whether the highway sign illumination benefit you describe (I haven't done much highway driving at night, but will be on the look out for the next time I do) is accidental or deliberate, Cadillac should indeed boast about it.

calicadi

It's also a fabulous way to let the car in front of you know they're driving too slow without getting so close you can comb your hair in their mirror or flashing high-beams. Retribution when following SUVs with shoulder-high HID that give you a tan on the back of your neck. (Kidding of course!)

In other news, get the Jan. Car and Driver if you want to see a CTS-V in war paint. They have photos of the heavily modified factory SCCA car.

rctennis3811

Since Infiniti introduced an AWD G35 sedan (G35X), is Cadillac going to compete with a Cadillac CTS AWD?? Just wondering....