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Comments
Pouring 'gunk' into the radiator has absolutely no hope of fixing a Northstar blown headgasket. You've got combustion gases at what, 1,000 degrees, blowing into the water passages. Nothing you pour into the radiator is going to stop this.
Your mechanic is either incompetent, or he make a lot of money by replacing radiator, thermo, and water pump when the head gasket was the problem probably all along.
For $1,000, I sure would jump on a certified warranty. But I thought Cadillac would only go to about a 7 year total, or something like that. Which would take a 2002 until about 2009 - which is only 2 years in the future?
You need to know what you are getting....
I've been reading through some of the earlier posts looking for info on the 2002 Deville DHS fully loaded with sunroof.
Glad to find out that I need to put more than 5 quarts of oil in. And will be grateful for other tips...but am a bit concerned.
Bought car 4 days ago at 51,000 miles...1000 miles after mfr. warrantee expired so it's not certified. Dealer tried to sell me Magic Guard warrantee - 2 years, 200 deductible for about $2700, which I didn't buy. That's one problem. After reading some of the stuff here, and with all the electronics and modules on this thing, which I didnt have on my '93, I realize I better get a warrantee in a hurry.
But I didn't like the Magic Guard which really doesn't cover as much as I think it should..some of the independent warrantee's seem to cover more, such as the Platinum....
but reading about the companies that go belly up with your warrantee money is pretty scary.
I realize now from reading a bit here, that the dealer who I was servicing the 93 Deville with really took me for a ride.... said something was wrong with fuel pump but had to take off the fuel tank to get to it - so he might as well replace the fuel tank ----$1500 and I never got good gas mileage after that ! It probably was a pressure sensor and not the gas tank that needed to be replaced...other than that, at 130,000 miles the car still drove beautifully, smooth ride and what a turning ratio...much better ratio than the "new " 2002 DHS Deville....I loved that big 1993 boat, but not being mechanical myself it was time to give it up -
Anyway - reading about 2002's oil needs, fuel pumps, struts problems etc....I'm pretty sure that I need that warranty as quick as possible...dealer gave me absolutely no guarantee at all...
1)Any suggestions about what company to buy which will cover all the electronicss and sensors ??
2) Anybody here who has the 2002 DHS deville who can tell me what problems to watch out for?
Thanks,
Lady
Now if the entire tank was replaced..... Maybe it was rusted up and needed replacing?
The fuel pump/sender assembly (and if you are in there, you should replace both) is about $350 Cadillac list price. A new tank and labor could take this to $1,500..
I not going to recommend an after market warranty. Know nothing about them. There is, I think, a forum board about warranties you might should read thru.
ever mentioned the gas tank showing any rust...I also just checked the price of fuel pump - about $300.00 -not counting labor, therefore, after the fact I realize how much I was taken by the service at that particular dealer. Old story - they see a woman coming...and I did trust the serviceman. Dummy.
Unfortunately they are the closest Caddy service people to me, but not where I bought the "new" 2002. Got the DHS at a Caddy dealer about 25 miles away....and they had serviced the car, so probably know it.
Could have gotten a 2002 DHS at the closer dealer - FOR $7000 MORE - makes me think they're overpriced on everything.
Wondering whether I should make the trek 25 miles away ?
they didn't have the book that came with it and gave me a 2000 book. Not the same. It even talks about using high test when in fact the 2002's use regular.
Caught the advice of putting in 7.5 quarts of oil. But what kind? 10 W 30 is what I used in the 93. One time at oil change they put in 5W 30 synthetic and the car wasn't happy. Made them take it out and put in 10W30.
So, in 2002 DHS 10 W 30 ? or 5W30 synthetic?
Also have been reading about carbon problems - should I put fuel injector cleaner/additive in with every tank of gas? This "new" (for me) car has 51,000 miles on it.
I believe I did look up the guy you are talking about...I got quotes from 6 or 7 of them - and with the exception of "nation" they all were just as expensive (and I worry unreliable) as getting the warranty from the dealer - so I got GMPP warranty for 3 years, 36,000 miles, $200 deductible, for $2505.
that will bring me up to 87,000 miles and I figure after that I can pick up one of these after warranty things ( I keep a car for 8, 10 years or more) --my main concern is all these electronic sensor and module things - and I've been doing a lot of reading...apparently it has not been uncommon to have piston and ring problems, oil leaks, and coolant leaks with these models...so I thought it best to have the factory warrantee... Actually most of the after warrantee people were more expensive than GMPP - almost got suckered into 3 years for $3080 with $100 deductible because they let you pay it off over 18 months(from a company that seems to be connected to an insurance company and administrator that went bankrupt)
-called my own dealer last and found out they give you 12 months, no interest for pay off.....and I guess I'm lucky he's writing it, cause it is off the entire warranty already.
I called the discount caddy dealer in Pennsylvania....awfully nice people...and talked it over with that guy Allan...they give the warranty at discount...found the name here on this forum someplace...and he advised me to take the warrantee from the dealer I bought car from and told me to take the 3 year instead of the 2 year..because I wouldn't be able to get the GMPP Major Guard any other way.
I thought his taking the time to talk to me and advise me when he wasn't going to make a dime out of it was so decent and super nice of him.
On my way home from the dealer (bought the warrantee today) using my first tank of gas...with a 1/4 tank left - the strangest thing happened. It got down to a 1/4 tank and the display went off and "Check fuel gauge" came on only. Scared the hell out of me - what happened to the display? Why check fuel gauge when I have 1/4 tank left?
Is that normal?
Anyway, went and filled up half a tank, only then it showed I DID still have the 1/4 left in there.
Sounds like a pressure sensor ????
Anybody have any idea what's going on?
Thanks for any advice.
- Or, eBay always (or will within a few days) have an owners or service manual on sale for your car. Check the price for a new one on Helms, then bid approprately on eBay.
- Wild guess would be that a 2002 Cadillac needs 10W-30 oil. But, things change around some. If you are a quart or two low, add 10W-30 until you obtain an owner's manual. It will be ok until your next oil change. I would not use 10W-40 in a Northstar, but the newer ones may now recommend 5W-30 or even 5W-20.
If so, sounds like your new car needs a new fuel sender. (And, as I think I've said before, I would replace the fuel pump while they are doing it.) Another $300 + labor coming? Maybe another fuel tank? Going to get to use that new warranty? (You need to check the warranty - some will pay for NOTHING in the first 30 days or so. Keeps people from buying a warranty when something is already busted.)
Ok, one thing. I THINK, by 2002 Cadillac smartened up some and put an access panel in the bottom of the trunk so the top of the fuel tank (and fuel pump/sender) can be accessed thru the trunk without dropping the tank. Labor should be much less than on your older Cadillac.
I'm so glad to know that you have a 2002....now I know who to ask 100 questions :0
No. First the low fuel message came on
(which I thought unusual because there was still a 1/4 tank showing)
THEN the screen went dark and it said " CHECK FUEL GAUGE"
When I added what would have been 1/2 tank of gasoline,(about 8 gallons) and looked at the gauge, it showed me that I had 3/4 tank full.
So the gauge is wrong. Anyway, why would "low gas " come on when you still have a 1/4 tank ?
On my 93 it came on when you had two gallons left.
I believe this tank is 18 gallons...so I had to have at least 4 gallons left...no reason for light to come on???
Does your 2002 do that at 1/4 tank ?
BTW, Zim Zam gave me a good clue googling 2002 Cad Owner's Manual - 462 pages - and I've just spent about 3 hours reading it online (:
In adobe so I couldn't print individual pages -
but at least I found out what some of these knobs and buttons are.
Funny, in the 93 I could put the radio on in the back, in the front, or on both front and back. Apparently you can't do that with this new one.
And I agree with others who complained about the visor...very flimsy, positioning strange, and cheap.. should have taken my 93 visor and mirror with me
Thanks again you guys, all advice much appreciated.
I have a 2005 and it uses 5W30. You can call a Cadillac dealer and talk to service manager. Not service writer. He could confirm it for you.
I'm in florida so there are quite a lot of
Cadillacs down here, and I found the ones with low mileage 19000 to 30000 miles were (02,03,04) were about 19 thou to 24 thou - and that was for base devilles, not the DHS (DHS was very hard to find)- but if you have a trade and can bargain it should bring it down - it depends on the dealership -
If you want to take a trip to Florida, I'll tell you where I got mine
Also the 2008's are coming out in August (I think it is) so I think they would want to push out their cars in July - it also makes the 02 to 04 a year older. Also ask the dealer how long the car has been on their lot, cause if it's approaching 60 days they turn it over to the wholesaler to get it off their lot - the longer the car has been on their lot, the more anxious they would be to deal-
Since I'm originally from Connecticut, I can tell you there were a lot of Caddys up there closer to Rhode Island cause you are really driving long distances - so you might find a lot of high mileage there - I'd be careful of Caddys driven in New York if commuting to the city -
Also my thought is try that discount Cadillac place in Pennsylvania where they also discount
the warrantee (the one I found on this forum
and I called) www.gmoutlet.com
Ok, I've owned 2 Cadillacs. And read some about them.
Your fuel gauge ---- It might be working ok. And, it might not be working ok. I think you need to drive the car some more and get used to how the gauge 'displays'. Fill that sucker up. Watch how it goes down. Fuel displays vary significantly. After all, this is a mechanical float in a big tank, bouncing and sloshing around in a witches brew of gasoline and additives, tied to a cheap reostat (sp) and then pushed thru who knows how many connections and what kind of additional electronics and computer programming to give a display on a digital dash.
You're luck when you get anything at all!
P.S. Buy that owners manual from eBay. I know that radio has a 'fade' control, it's just tough to find, especially reading a pdf file.
(And, I've always been able to print selected pages out of a pdf. You need to carefully look at the print screen that comes up. There should be a place to list the page numbers you want to print. Not the number seen in the pdf image of the page, the number that Adobe is using to put the image on the screen.)
Ok, now. Both my Cadillacs gave digital fuel readouts. 'F' for full, then it started counting down in gallons. 17, 16, 15, etc. When this becomes erratic, you usually need a new fuel gauge sender unit, located inside the fuel tank. While you are in there, replace the fuel pump. The 'assembly' has been verified by you as costing about $300. The sender and pump can be bought separately, but the labor will be significant to replace either, so when an auto has 50,000 mile or more, my recommendation would be to replace both if you have to go in there after either one.
Fear of head gasket problems is exactly why I do not own a Cadillac. My wife loves them, I am terrified of a $3,000 head gasket repair on a car worth only $10,000 or so.
The problem is with the alumium engine and heads. Alumium is a soft metal. The heads basically will not stay screwed down to the engine, which allows a leak of compression gas (the gas produced when the gasoline explodes in the cylinder) into the cooling passages, which are in the engine and head. The gasket seals and separates the cylinder, coolant passages, and oil passages where the head bolts down to the engine. Northstars fail with the gasses blowing into the coolant passage. The oil passages seldom opens up. Northstars do not get oil into the coolant or coolant into the oil - you get hot gasses into the coolant and very quick and very high over-heating of the coolant.
If you test drive a Cadillac, you must get it out on the highway or drive it up a steep hill, to 'load' the motor. If it overheats - run away, run away, run away!!!
Repair involves removing the motor, removing the heads (do both, only and idiot would only repair one head), overdrilling all the head bolt holes, retreading the head bolt holes, screwing in a special steel insert with threads, then putting the whole thing back together and back in the car. The steel inserts will hold the head bolts screwed into them and will not fail again. Why Cadillac will not go ahead and build the engine with these steel inserts - No one knows.
Doing this repair is not something even some dealers will do. It will cost about $2,500 - $3,000, with most of the cost being labor.
Except for the head gasket problem, Northstars engines are about bulletproof. There are some transmission internal solonid problems (which can be rather cheap or very expensive to repair, depending on which ones break), otherwise the transmissions are bulletproof.
There is a known problem with crank position sensors in 2000 and 2001 years (sometimes, in other years). Crank sensors will cause a car to totally die while just going down the road - scary.
There have been expensive problems with the steering gear. The suspension struts, sway bar links, and the rear 'air' suspension are another area that will give problems.
Some Northstars use oil. Which causes absolutely no problem with the motor, and oil (compaired to the gas you put thru it), is cheap. Some Northstars leak oil, which is also very expensive to fix. Put a piece of cardboard under the car in the garage and forget about the leak.
The car has a huge amount of electronics all over the car that can give trouble.
A Cadillac is a very comfortable, very quiet, very powerful, very nice looking, car. The 'sport' versions will handle rather well. The 'sedan' versions ride like a cloud, and handle rather badly. The Northstar will give excellent gas milage on the highway, you should be able to get 25+mpg.
But, expect repairs. And, in my opinion, having the car 'religously serviced by a dealer' will not make much difference, except move money from your pocket to a dealers. If you keep oil in the Northstar, and change it ocassionally, it's going to keep running. Until one of the above areas break.
I just looked up the lawsuits that Chetj talked about with Dexcool.
It's not just the cadillac but many other GM makes using Dexcool!!!! 35 million cars affected !!! Lawyers trying for class action suit.
Meanwhile, what to use instead of Dexcool ??????
This guy, former owner of the car, (I have all the repair papers) had a piston,rod and rings replaced/blown at 17,000 miles...and "hose,engine coolant, lower replace" at 18000 miles(indicating he was another who has had this problem and I also see a mark on the back leather seat which inicates to me that the battery replacement was not "aired" properly and leaked into the back seat, just as they say it would.....!!!
Now I dont know what kind of coolant they have in there and if they ever flushed the radiator before I have this gaskeet problem too !!!!!
Anyone want to tell me what I should do and expecially what coolant to use????
Sounds to me like it would be cheaper to take it to local Firestone, have them flush the radiator and replace with another coolant...but which one?
what do you think?
Naaa, no way I am still going to take the chance. I love them so much and I had such good luck with my 98 Deville I dont think I will ever own any other car but a Deville. I guess you just have to watch yourself when choosing a Cadillac. Make sure its certified from a reputable dealer if its used, also do what bolivar says while you test drive the car and really open it up on the highway and get it good and hot while you watch the temperature gauge. And with a little luck, and a warranty, off you go with the most comfortable car that I have ever known. I also really like the whole digital dashboard on the Deville. That is one of my favorite things about these cars. I cant stand the and the digital speedometer on the dashboard. I really like the wood trim on the sreering wheels on the DTS and DHS but then they have to ruin it for me with the dial speedometer. But anyway hopefully by this time Wednesday night I will either have my new used 2002 Deville or my new used 2003 Deville. woohoo!
try them for both - maybe they have the caddy at a reasonable price you're looking for - they do say discount - and that they discount the warrantee.. read their whole site.
Meanwhile Bolivar is right about it's being a problem with plastic and aluminum radiator with little copper, and the GM coolant turning to sludge. Look what I found on the Consumer Affairs complaints:
"M L of San Rafael CA (08/26/06) *WE'VE FIXED THE PROBLEM(S)!!
And while it's irritating to look back and see how much $$ I've needlessly thrown at my '92 K1500 Chevy Blazer, several radiators, head gasket, heater core, trans cooler lines, uptake gaskets, pretty much everything that has come into contact with cooling fluids has either corroded or slowly disintigrated. All due to what turns out to be a basic electrical design flaw at GM.
radiator guy hates Dexcool, suspects that perhaps it's the electrolisis that causes the Dexcool to turn to a jelly goop.
Says the higher the amp reading in the radiator, the more goopy Dexcool seems to be.
My story: The original radiator in my '92 Chevy lasted a good while (hint: older radiators had A LOT more copper in them). The trouble really all started and in a big way, after replacing the original radiator. I did pay the $500.00 for the new GM radiator. (hint: the newer made radiators have little to no copper in them. They are mostly aluminum and steel) Within a couple months, I started having to dump money into my K1500 Blazer, LOTS of it!
When radiator #3 started leaking, I got fed up with my mechanic, who kept saying, it's a high milage vehicle. I should expect this. Not thinking it was even slightly odd that everything seemed to be connected to the cooling system or somehow come into contact with it, even though nearly every repair seemed to require draining the radiator?? So, I looked for the oldest, greasiest, busiest, radiator shop in my area. First thing the guy did, after hearing the list of repairs I'd made, was to drop a probe in the radiator to check for a charge, in other words, electrolysis. An acceptable reading is .03 amps. I was running at .38 amps!! Turning the engine off it would only drop it to .27 amps.
So, he replaced leaking radiator #3, and rechecked it,.. .58 amps!! It went up! He shrugged and said, new one must have even less copper than the last one. I've seen a lot of these GM's with this crap going on. I've been doing this thing that seems to fix this problem. Then an off-duty local cop pulled in with his Blazer, newer than mine. We got to talking, he'd had most of the same problems and this radiator guy fixed it for him 3 years ago, and hadn't had a problem since.
Here's what my guy did...
#1 - Attached three, braided ground cables, randomly to the radiator and the block, and grounded them.
#2 - Then took a piece of copper pipeing aprox 3 long, with the same hollow as the heater-core hose, soddered a copper ground wire to the side of it. Midpoint on the hose running from the radiator to the heatercore, he spliced this small copper pipe into the line using hose clamps. Then using the ground wire he had soddered to it, grounded it to the engine block.
#3 - Drained and refilled the cooling system with DISTILLED water and GREEN coolant. Dexcool in his experance is CRAP, and I quote him. He did all this very quickly, then dropped the probe into the radiator and poof .02 amps! It cost me $100. He has me come in to recheck the amps once a month. And still 6 months later, .02 amps, and no new problems. I was averaging 1 problem per month, a leak here, a suspicious gasket there. Now nothing. So, it seems to me that there are really two problems. One affecting the other. A cooling system grounding problem, electrolysis resulting in corrosion and dissintigration of parts and gaskets. And then Dexcool which is unstable in an electrically charged enviroment and turns to goop. Maybe I'm wrong but my '92 K1500 Blazer now has 212K miles on the original engine"
Look what I found among all the consumer complaints about the GM cars using Dexcool:
"M L of San Rafael CA (08/26/06) *WE'VE FIXED THE PROBLEM(S)!!
And while it's irritating to look back and see how much $$ I've needlessly thrown at my '92 K1500 Chevy Blazer, several radiators, head gasket, heater core, trans cooler lines, uptake gaskets, pretty much everything that has come into contact with cooling fluids has either corroded or slowly disintigrated. All due to what turns out to be a basic electrical design flaw at GM.
radiator guy hates Dexcool, suspects that perhaps it's the electrolisis that causes the Dexcool to turn to a jelly goop.
Says the higher the amp reading in the radiator, the more goopy Dexcool seems to be.
My story: The original radiator in my '92 Chevy lasted a good while (hint: older radiators had A LOT more copper in them). The trouble really all started and in a big way, after replacing the original radiator. I did pay the $500.00 for the new GM radiator. (hint: the newer made radiators have little to no copper in them. They are mostly aluminum and steel) Within a couple months, I started having to dump money into my K1500 Blazer, LOTS of it!
When radiator #3 started leaking, I got fed up with my mechanic, who kept saying, it's a high milage vehicle. I should expect this. Not thinking it was even slightly odd that everything seemed to be connected to the cooling system or somehow come into contact with it, even though nearly every repair seemed to require draining the radiator?? So, I looked for the oldest, greasiest, busiest, radiator shop in my area. First thing the guy did, after hearing the list of repairs I'd made, was to drop a probe in the radiator to check for a charge, in other words, electrolysis. An acceptable reading is .03 amps. I was running at .38 amps!! Turning the engine off it would only drop it to .27 amps.
So, he replaced leaking radiator #3, and rechecked it,.. .58 amps!! It went up! He shrugged and said, new one must have even less copper than the last one. I've seen a lot of these GM's with this crap going on. I've been doing this thing that seems to fix this problem. Then an off-duty local cop pulled in with his Blazer, newer than mine. We got to talking, he'd had most of the same problems and this radiator guy fixed it for him 3 years ago, and hadn't had a problem since.
Here's what my guy did...
#1 - Attached three, braided ground cables, randomly to the radiator and the block, and grounded them.
#2 - Then took a piece of copper pipeing aprox 3 long, with the same hollow as the heater-core hose, soddered a copper ground wire to the side of it. Midpoint on the hose running from the radiator to the heatercore, he spliced this small copper pipe into the line using hose clamps. Then using the ground wire he had soddered to it, grounded it to the engine block.
#3 - Drained and refilled the cooling system with DISTILLED water and GREEN coolant. Dexcool in his experance is CRAP, and I quote him. He did all this very quickly, then dropped the probe into the radiator and poof .02 amps! It cost me $100. He has me come in to recheck the amps once a month. And still 6 months later, .02 amps, and no new problems. I was averaging 1 problem per month, a leak here, a suspicious gasket there. Now nothing. So, it seems to me that there are really two problems. One affecting the other. A cooling system grounding problem, electrolysis resulting in corrosion and dissintigration of parts and gaskets. And then Dexcool which is unstable in an electrically charged enviroment and turns to goop. Maybe I'm wrong but my '92 K1500 Blazer now has 212K miles on the original engine"
Dexcool does not have a problem. Modern cooling systems are semi-closed systems and are supposed to have no air in them. Under these conditions Dexcool works fine. I say semi-closed because when coolant gets hot it expands into the expansion collector, and when it cool off, coolant is pulled back into the system.
If the system leaks and is allowed to run low on coolant and get air into the system, then Dexcool has had some problems in some vehicles. It's my understanding the problem comes from Dexcool interacting with cast iron and air, and then does sludge up.
If the system is maintained, with full charge of Dexcool and no air in the system, there are no problems.
Personally, I will not run my vehicles 7 years and/or 100,000 miles, or whatever the maintenance calls for, before changing my coolant. I would think 4 years and/or 50,000 would be a good time to drain the old coolant and refill with new. Serviced like this, and checking the system for leaks and is topped up - you should have no problems. After 5-7 years, you might develop leaks in the radiator and need a new one. Things wear out.
GM started using "Deathcool" in 1996 !!!!!
From found article: Dexcool is a formulated antifreeze/coolant used in over thirty-four million vehicles sold by General Motors. Used by GM since 1996 in most car and light truck models, Dexcool is manufactured and distributed by ChevronTexaco, Equilon and ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants.
More info: http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/dexcool-macs2001.htm
Bolivar, I only re-printed that fellow's solution for users of dexcool.
It doesnt matter whether people are using it in a 1992 car or a 2006 car. They are all ending up with leaking coolant, needing new gaskets, water pumps, and in many cases new engines as the coolant "corrodes" whatever it touches as it runs through the engine.
Not only are 28 "states suing GM for dexcool, but GM itself sued Dupont for dexcool. Missouri got class action status - other states have not. That says there is something seriously wrong with dexcool speaking from a legal point of view, because lawyers dont go before federal judges without the facts and a very good provable case for class actions.
My car already had the problem at 17000 miles with piston and rings blown and replaced as well as hoses. other cars have had it at 15,000 miles. That is not normal. If you go over and read consumer complaints you will see again and again, technicians saying that have piled up corroded head gaskets - that dexcool eats them up ----
since I'm over the 5 year warranty - I want that CRAP out of my car and to check how much damage has been done already.
I'd rather be safe than have to put in a new engine. This car has already had 35 visits and many replacements at the dealer before 35,000 miles !!! And I dont think that's normal.
the reports of people who took out the dexcool and went to regular green antifreeze after a good flushing - and thereafter had no problems is also very telling...and there are many of those.
Alhough I certainly respect your knowledge, The facts on dexcool are not agreeing with you, except to say that there is a problem with dexcool eating up the plastic parts and hoses in a car with an aluminum radiator.
I have never never ever seen anything like what was shown on those caps or in the overflow from dexcool !.
Class action lawsuits are gold mines for the lawyers. They make millions and millions and millions and a stupid judge gives a coupon to the consumer for reduced price to buy more of the service/item sued about.
The other poster quoted 34 million vehicles with Dexcool. Do you see the sides of the roads littered with dead GM (and many other vehicles use Dexcool or Dexcool type coolant) cars, all with blown head gaskets, rotted hose, and leaky radiators caused by Dexcool? I don't think so.
From my understanding, as I said, Dexcool has had some sludging problems when air is allowed into the system.
Rotting hoses, head gasket failure, radiator leaks - these all seem to me to be design problems in these items, not something caused by the coolant running in then.
In my new 1978 Chevy, I changed drained and refilled coolant after 2 years. In the 3rd year, the radiator leaked. The radiator repairman said "They just don't make radiators like they used to do." This would have been in about 1981. They've probably only gotten worse and worse since then....
And - this is important - if you dump Dexcool and go to regular green antifreeze - you CANNOT go back to Dexcool and get its EXTENDED USE CAPABILITIES (5 years/100,000 miles). The green antifreeze will leave a residual that will negate the extended properties of Dexcool.
Did you get a DHS?and the memory package and the back up buttons?
I have to say,although my 2002 is not as snazzy as your white with black, I do have the sun roof and I'm happy with my new car, but I do miss my old 93....I could drive it like a
sportscar, with this one, I'm more careful - and I do miss the turning ratio - if I wanted to make a tight turn, like a u-ey, no problem...the turning ratio on the 2002 seems wider...and am learning can't make tight u-eyes with it..I'm also going to try to find the front stand up insignia..find I'm missing that...cause it told me where the front of the car is ---now when I park in a space, I dont stop till my front wheels are hitting somethhing. LOL.
And no I didnt get the back up buttons. But there was a 2004 Deville I was looking at that I almost got but they wouldnt come down to the price I was willing to pay. But that one had the airconditioned seats. I really wanted that option, but maybe next time.
As for the turning ratio on my new 2002 Deville, it is actually a little better than my 98 Deville. On my 98 Deville the front end was actually a little longer than the 2002 I have now. It also seems not as wide as the 98, but Im pretty sure the wheel base is listed as the same. I just think it is an all around better ride. And that is saying alot because even though my 98 had 160,000 miles on it, it still drove awesome.
Im trying to think what your 93 Deville look liked. I will try to find one online so I can get an idea. But on your 2002 DHS your Cadillac insignia is right on the grill right? I am pretty sure on the DHS's and DTS's the insignia was put right in the front grill as opposed to the base Deville that has the insignia as a hood ornament. But just use the middle of your front end as where your insignia should be. Once you get the hang of your car I am sure you will do just fine parking it. Hopefully. hehe
Nope, no class action I know of.
Why don't you find a law firm and get one started?
Head gasket failures are a very well known failure for Northstar engines.
from Detroit Press/Aftermarket News:
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Ruling is Near on GM Engine Coolant: Class Action Sought over Dex-Cool
In Wednesday, May 24, 2006 Issue, Category:OE News
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Posted: May 24, 2006, 9 a.m., EST
From Detroit Free Press
A federal judge may soon rule whether General Motors Corp. will face a national class action suit accusing GM of selling millions of vehicles with a faulty coolant.
The suits stem from GM's use of Dex-Cool, a coolant it first introduced in its vehicles in 1995 and sold in more than 35 million cars and trucks between 1995 and 2004. According to GM, 14 federal and state lawsuits seeking class-action status have been filed against GM over a variety of engine problems linked to Dex-Cool.
Customers have complained of problems ranging from small coolant leaks to complete radiator and engine failure. Court documents show that GM has received tens of thousands of repair requests related to Dex-Cool and engine gaskets in the affected models and considered recalls for some models.
The company has issued several technical bulletins to its dealers about cooling-related problems in the engines, but says it prefers to handle customer complaints on a case-by-case basis.
When GM introduced the orange-colored Dex-Cool, it said in owners manuals that Dex-Cool could last up to five years or 100,000 miles without being replaced, and later extended Dex-Cool's life to 150,000 miles. Dex-Cool uses a different set of chemicals to protect engine parts than traditional green-colored coolant, which requires more frequent replacement, and GM was the first U.S. automaker to use it.
Attorneys for the owners say that clause means GM should repair any Dex-Cool-related problems, even if they crop up outside the engine's typical three-year or 36,000-mile engine warranty.
"What we're looking for is to have GM step up and honor its warranty obligation," said Eric Gibbs, a San Francisco attorney and one of the lead lawyers for the owners. "There's a significant public interest in this problem, no question about that."
GM claims that the owners manual clause was not a warranty, but a service interval. In its court filings, the automaker says Dex-Cool "has performed without problems in the vast majority of GM vehicles."
"The recent motion to certify a class action is unfortunate," said GM spokeswoman Geri Lama, "and the situation with our customers has been grossly overstated through unsubstantiated allegations in statements which have not been proven in court and will be vigorously defended."
Six of the federal lawsuits have been consolidated in a federal court in East St. Louis, IL, U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy could rule at any time whether the cases, which have about 100 named plaintiffs, should be granted class-action status, meaning they could represent millions of former and current GM owners.
Three similar lawsuits has been filed in Canada, while a state lawsuit in Missouri has already won class-action status, a decision GM is appealing.
The troubles blamed on Dex-Cool range from leaking coolant to blown engines, and often include failed intake manifold gaskets, pieces that rest between the engine block and the air intake to prevent coolant and oil from leaking. Replacing a gasket usually runs about $700, but a bad gasket can cause enough damage that the engine has to be replaced.
Mixing Dex-Cool with another coolant can cause other problems, and GM doesn't recommend using other coolants in Dex-Cool engines, although some mechanics do swap coolants.
About 110 complaints of coolant leaks in the GM vehicles targeted by the lawsuit have been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to a Free Press review. The agency rejected a call for a defect investigation in 2002, saying the problems weren't safety related and was therefore outside its purview.
Many of the complaints say the problems appear to begin around 60,000 miles, well beyond the engine's warranty but sooner than many customers believe they should have problems with their cooling systems. A few have been reported as early as 20,000 miles.
Mark Reynolds, a radiator repair shop owner in San Carlos, CA, says he sees one or two GM vehicles a week with Dex-Cool problems. A typical repair requires flushing the cooling system and in some cases taking the radiator apart.
"It's a shame -- vehicles in their fourth or fifth year with this awful, gooey mud attacking the top of the radiator cap and fouling up the radiator," he said.
GM has argued against certifying the lawsuit as a class action, noting that state courts in Michigan and California have already turned down similar lawsuits. It contends that the plaintiffs want to represent past and present owners who don't have any problems, and that they "complain of just about everything that can go wrong with a vehicle, attributing every bit of it to Dex-Cool."
Lama said if a GM customer has a problem beyond the warranty, GM has a process for dealing with it through its dealers.
"The first priority of General Motors and its dealers is helping our customers," Lama said.
MANY THANKS,
JIM