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2009 CTS

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Comments

  • joey245joey245 Member Posts: 9
    i bought a 09 cts dec 29,2008 rear wheel drive 3.6 direct injection engine. now has 1300 miles on it.
    local stop and start driving i am getting 19 to 20 mpg. highway driving at 60 mph get 30 mph,75 mph highway driving drops to 26 mph.

    joey000245
  • ctsguy2ctsguy2 Member Posts: 19
    Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a try at the first opportunity when the weather warms up a bit. I was seriously starting to think I was nuts, because no one else seemed to have the creaky seat issue.
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,499
    I tried the 60 mph test. The average mpg did say 18 to 21 mpg traveling at aprx 60 mph on a flat road.

    Winter is really hard on gas mileage, mostly because engines rarely get a chance to warm up (and that means the oil, not the coolant) completely. I drove a car in Alberta for awhile that had an oil temperature gauge, and it can take an hour or more to get the oil to a stable temperature when it's cold out, and even at that, the oil temp is lower than when the air temp is higher, as in the summer. Add to that the fact that "winter-blend" fuels rarely do anything positive for MPG.

    I've done a fair amount of long-distance driving out here in the wide-open west and watching the average MPG number continue to go up for an hour or two on long flat stretches in Nevada, has be convinced that getting too worked up over poor gas mileage in the winter where it gets really cold is not a good plan.

    See what happens next summer on a long trip.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • ctsguy2ctsguy2 Member Posts: 19
    Hey Waffleman, I live on the Cape so we have similar weather and it sounds like similar cars too, though mine is AWD. I'm also disappointed with the gas mileage I've gotten so far, but am trying to follow previous advice on here and trying to enjoy the car while accumulating more break-in miles. Hopefully the mileage will increase over time, if not I'm thinking more and more of calling it a loss and checking out a VW CC.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    I also beleive regional refinery mixes of gas for winter blend also impacts mileage....wait till they switch to summer blends....last I check..there are 17 different blends of gasoline (not octane) that are blended in this country based on regions and EPA and state requirements
  • artmbgolfartmbgolf Member Posts: 57
    You said you did the 60mph test and talked about Avg MPG. I wanted you to also look at the Instant MPG display, while driving at steady MPH on a flat road, even using the cruise. There is nothing magic about 60, so you can go 65 or 70 also. The "instant" under those conditions, will give you a feel for what your best MPG could be.
    I have had 4 Eldorados and 2 CTSs and all got the EPA MPG with this Instant MPG test and they all would show 60-70 MPG after taking foot off the gas and coasting. More miles, summer gas, etc, will help, but it sounds like you are so far below the highway EPA, that something is wrong. After this test, you have some facts to discuss with the dealer. Talking with the dealer about average MPG and city MPG, isn't going to get much done.
    You could have something weird, like a brake rubbing, especially if it doesn't get good MPG on instant when coasting. Check your tire pressure.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    There are two things that come to mind. Are you using a gas/ethonol mix? Ethonol mix cuts your mileage and your power. When it says 10% ehtonol mix on the pump, I just keep driving. You can tell the difference in power. Also, you have a 6 speed transmission which may not be as efficient in stop and go. This is the first 6 speed automatic that I have had and I notice the difference in changes. I am not sure I like it better than the 5 speed auto '05 CTS that I had because it seems to hunt more for the right gear.
  • blackcadillacblackcadillac Member Posts: 13
    OK, I did actually use the Instant MPG and it read 18 to 21 driving at 60MPH.
    And,.. yes going down hill coasting it would shoot up to 70MPG on the instant read out.

    Tire pressure seems in line.

    I'm still getting the same mpg. Nothing I do seems to change. If I drive as conservative as possible, the best is 13 MPG. If I get on it and use the sport mode, I'm looking at 10 or 11 MPG.

    I'm going to take this baby back to the dealer again.
    I have notice other post regarding rough idle. I also have the same issue. For a 40k plus car, I am shocked how this thing sounds. I forget about it right up until I get out of the car while it's running. It always makes me double take and think something is wrong. I don't mean to whine.....
    I think the car is sharp and like a lot of the internal features, but I'm beginning to think I should have done more research before buying.

    I'll also try to find a gas station that isn't 10% ethonol. I haven't been paying attention to that.

    Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

    best,
    -s
  • artmbgolfartmbgolf Member Posts: 57
    The 18-21 mpg Instant is a clue to report to the service. I don't know if you have the DI engine, but some have reported rougher idle. Does your car perform/accelerate like other 08/09's?

    It does sound like something is not right with your car. Plenty of others have reported expected EPA MPG. Stop and go driving can be bad, but highway cruise should be better than you are getting.

    Sport mode would hurt gas mileage.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    Something is definitely wrong with your car with that kind of mileage. I have the 3.6 base engine and mine shows 19.8 in a lot of stop and go driving. If I were you, I would be very upset with that mileage. Is this what others are getting with the DI engine? I never buy a gm product in the first year of model production. They never have it right. This is the 2nd year of that model and I would think that they would have it right by now. I think they are going to be resistant to you in terms of really looking into this, but I would keep after them. They are going to think that it has something to do with where you are driving or your driving style. Obviously, that is not the case. You have the more expensive CTS and I have the base and I am getting that much better mileage; something is definitely wrong. I am very sorry that you are having to deal with this; it is very upsetting.
  • srushingsrushing Member Posts: 38
    Yeah, I think something's wrong too. I just completed a trip from NC to Tampa Fl and got an average of 25.1 MPG (calculated by hand) on the highway. And my 2009 still have less than 3000 miles on it, base engine.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    ask the dealership to check the timing chain...there have been some instances in the 08 model of the the timing belt/chain stretching slightly.....and causing loss of power and MPG......noted this on another cadillac forum.....it should be covered under warranty
  • richw5richw5 Member Posts: 152
    The EPA estimate is for average mileage under city or highway conditions.

    Instant mileage is only a picture of mileage at one instant in time and should not be used in any mileage calculations. It can be manipulated too easily.

    When I fill up my CTS, I zero the average mileage on the DIC and drive for at least a tankfull, before checking my average. If I'm taking a long highway trip I don't check the mileage until the entire trip is complete.

    Most of the time I will go at least a month and multiple fillups before checking mileage. It gives you the true picture of your cars performance over a period of time.

    As I've said before, engines need break in time before they give the best mileage. If you have under 10K miles, don't panic. Drive the car and enjoy it, you didn't buy it solely for the mileage did you?
  • blackcadillacblackcadillac Member Posts: 13
    OK, I plan to take the car back to the dealer.

    I do have a 3.6 DI engine.

    Performance?

    When I first took the car back, the dealer set me up with CTS 09 263HP RWD as loaner and I noticed that it seemed more responsive (peppier).
    Besides the MPG, this is also an issue for me.

    I'm basically following the dealers initial advice and adding more miles to see if any thing changes. I manually calculate my MPG after every tank of gas. It's pretty much a tank a week for me. It's great to hear what others are experiencing and thoughts on causes. This will all be helpful when I discuss my issues with the service dude in the future. Thanks all!
  • blackcadillacblackcadillac Member Posts: 13
    I calc my mileage manually after each tank, so that's how I'm getting my numbers.

    ".... you didn't buy it solely for the mileage did you?"

    No, actually the CTS seemed to get good reviews and I honestly thought it was a sharp car and wanted to go American. The sticker MPG seemed reasonable, so I did even think about it. My last two were German, and never thought about MPG, because they seemed to get what was noted right out of the gate.

    Oh, well I don't want to beat a dead horse, I'd be happy with MPG close to what's noted on the sticker. Thanks for your thoughts.
  • ctsguy2ctsguy2 Member Posts: 19
    I agree with you. I more or less bought mine for the same reasons too. I'm going to give mine time to accumulate more miles (currently 4300) and see if gas mileage improves. If not, I'm open to trading it off for something else, based on that, the several trips back to the dealer for warranty work and the incessant squeaking and creaking of various interior parts. I haev serious doubts about the cars longevity.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    non DI RWD and over 11K on mine within 6 months...not one problem....sound, quiet.....fully loaded with FE2 less AWD and DI engine......sorry to hear about your problems....my interior is solid with no creaking at all......so there are some out there that are doing grerat.....
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    I was just told by a dealer that, out of 100 cars produced, 33 of them have problems. That is considered a good rating in production. It does not sound good to me. He was a Honda dealer and you know how good they are supposed to be.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    who at the dealership?...salesman, service manager....wondering where he got his "fact" from....
  • wafflemanwaffleman Member Posts: 8
    I have owned a number of cars in my life - and I've never noticed a huge change in gas mileage over time. A fraction of an MPG, maybe - but not more.

    I did notice this past week that my MPG increased by 0.3 MPG - perhaps due to change gasoline (no more winter blend?).
  • wafflemanwaffleman Member Posts: 8
    33% cars have a defect?

    When - as the near the end of the assembly line or as they get on the truck to the dealer?
  • richw5richw5 Member Posts: 152
    The mileage gain I got (on the CTS) was at least 1 mpg as the engine "broke in", at about 10 K miles, not a time factor. The same was true of my Trailblazer. It got much better mileage as it approached 10K miles.

    An engine needs a break-in period for the rings and valves to set themselves. During that period, most drivers will notice an increase in the average MPG, optimizing at 8 to 10 K miles.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    Someone in the know at the dealership. I don't know where he got the info. He just said that when a manufacturer produces 100 cars and, no more than 33 have problems, they consider that good. At that point, we were just talking about problems coming off the line with production.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    I had 1,000 miles on my CTS with the 3.6 RWD. I drove from Nashville to Detroit over the weekend. Running from 85 to 90, I got 19.8 on roads that that are hilly. Driving a consistent 80 in Ohio, which is level highway for the most part, I got 24.8.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    I just read in our local paper, The Tennessean, this morning that the government will only back the warranties for GM from March 30 forward. There was a column with questions of what if's and one of the questions was: Will the government back warranties before March 30? The answer was no. This is, of course, if GM goes bankrupt. I bought my CTS in January, therefore I assume I will have no more warranty if GM goes bankrupt. If that is true, wow what a lousy buy on my part. That should make for happy Cadillac purchasers; a way to keep goodwill toward their flagship make.
  • srushingsrushing Member Posts: 38
    I've heard similar things but no dates like you saw. I screwed myself a little bit too in that I bought 12/31/2008 so I can't even benefit from Obama's new tax break that lets me deduct the sales tax. And now I'll probably also not qualify for the warranty either. That does truly suck that those of us that bought before all the sanctions get left out in the cold IF GM goes under.

    So what if we buy an extended warranty through a 3rd party? Would that cover it?
  • blackcadillacblackcadillac Member Posts: 13
    Thanks for the info.

    I have not had a chance to do a long highway trip with my CTS09 AWD 3.6 DI.

    My latest has been 120 miles Highway ( moderate hills), average 70MPH and then the rest city driving.

    254 miles to the tank 15.7 gals = 16.2 MPG.

    Oh well,.... perhaps the AWD 3.6DI combo is the real hog. ;(

    It still looks cool. I will not tell my green friends... ;)

    Anybody out there with my config seeing similar results?

    Thanks.
  • blackcadillacblackcadillac Member Posts: 13
    Hi.

    I'm with you. I love driving manual transmission. I received the same reply in the Boston area when I inquired about a manual trans. Same deal, one sales dude said to me no one would want one of those, right after I asked him about it. After that comment there was no chance I'd buy anything from him.

    OK, I did drive a base CTS 08 manual trans and found it to be a little clunky. I really wanted to love it. I ended up getting AWD 3.6DI automatic. I play with the Sports mode sometimes(watch out 10 MPG) , but I do miss the manual trans. I will turn back to the dark side on my next car.
    good luck.
  • rvothrvoth Member Posts: 147
    I inquired about this to a GM rep during the recent auto show about their mpg quoted on each vehicle. He told me the figures are done on a 12 km or 7.45 mile closed course track averaging 50 mph ,with very little wind allowed during the testing.
    Each manufacture uses the same test to get their mpg on all vehicles, nobody drives at 50 mph on the hwy.
  • twain809twain809 Member Posts: 7
    Don't know if you are still in the market for a manual tranny, but I just got one and I love it. I, too, got the same story from dealers that you got. I emailed faq@cadillac.com and asked them to do a search for dealers who had a manual in stock. They did the research and I found a dealer, test drove it, loved it, and bought it.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    I can't qualify for the tax credit either. The credit begins in February or March. If you purchased before then, no tax break. Wouldn't it make sense to let anyone deduct the tax on any 2009 purchase? I don't know about a third party warranty. If GM falls into bankruptcy, that might work. I actually did not think of that. I am not sure how good they are.
  • srushingsrushing Member Posts: 38
    Yeah, haven't used a 3rd party extended warranty for a while so I'm a little concerned how well they'll do. But I did talk/email with Warranty Direct and they have said they would cover the car een if GM goes out of business. So in theory, a $1000-$2000 extended warranty would at least bridge the gap with having no warranty. I will probably look into something like this just to hedge my bets. I've been told you want one that pays via credit card and you need to also look into the approval process to see what has to be done when you need work done. I've also emailed my sales guy and asked him to ask his service manager if any 3rd party warranty companies come to mind as being very good or very bad to work with. Hopefully that will lead to something. Edmunds advertises one company, maybe WarrantyDirect but I'm not sure.

    On the taxe, I head the date or the taxes write-off was 1/1/09. There had been talk of making it back to Nov/2008 but that got killed and the last I heard was if you bought in 2009, you would be able to deduct it.
  • blackcadillacblackcadillac Member Posts: 13
    cool. What's the config? ..... 263? 304? etc.

    -s
  • artmbgolfartmbgolf Member Posts: 57
    If GM goes into bankruptcy, maybe legally GM can drop warranties, but it makes more sense that GM or the Govt will back all warranties. Any current owners of GM cars that are under warranty now, are not going to be happy with their warrenty canceled, so most of them are likely to opt for another brand, when they buy their next car. Hopefully GM and/or the govt will not be dumb enough to drop warranties, unless maybe if GM were to fold entirely.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    The Tennessean said specifically that it would not apply before March 30. There was then a question in the article--what if you purchased a 2009 before that. The article said no tax deduction. I hope that changes. I assume it is correct because our paper is produced by Gannett, one of the large media publication businesses in the U.S.
  • gman1gman1 Member Posts: 1
    The '09 CTS with Nav System has two clocks, the standard analog clock built into dashboard and a digital clock which is set automatically by the GPS (subject to adjustments you can make by pressing the "Config" hard key and touching the time display on the Config screen at the upper right, which then displays the clock setting screen).
    Problem: The digital time does NOT display in any screen on the Nav System Radio display (not in Audio, not in Nav, etc.) except in the Config screen, a screen not in use except for configuration purposes.
    Is there a way to have the digital time display on the Audio and Nav screens (I tried every setting and can't get it to display). If not, then why have a digital time setting?

    On my '06 STS V-8 Nav Radio System the similar digital time function displayed on all screens in the upper right, a spot reserved for the outside temperature on the CTS Nav System Radio display.

    Thanks,

    Gman
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    A reporter is looking to speak to consumers who has purchased a GM vehicle over the past six months or interested in buying one shortly. Please send your daytime phone number to ctalati@edmunds.com by Monday, April 13, 2009.
    Thanks,
    Chintan
    Corporate Communications
    Edmunds.com

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • ctsguy2ctsguy2 Member Posts: 19
    "has purchased" ? sure, I'll include my social security number too.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    dont get your response about has purchased other than english 101 and should have been have purchased instead........I purchased back in Sept 08,so now working on 7 months...a bit out of the range requested..but would more than glad to speak about it...
  • 150mphclub150mphclub Member Posts: 316
    My 2009 CTS now has 10,300 on the odometer, and it has been trouble free. I just drove from Indy to Philly and back. I got 30.1 mpg on the trip east and 30.5 on the return trip. I always set the cruise control for the speed limit + 5 (actually I sometimes set it at + 6 or 7).
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    I'm not sure, but the GPS time might help the car determine whether the map should display in day or night mode.

    Hope this makes sense - that's how my Acura does it. I don't have a CTS. Just monitoring this board b/c I'm thinking of getting one.
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    Just sending a reply to myself because I think my prior post is wrong. After posting about using the time for day/night mode, I realized that this cannot be right - day/night mode is determined by whether the headlights are on, not on the time.

    Sorry. :blush:
  • richw5richw5 Member Posts: 152
    Most GM cars have a little light sensor (Bubble) on the dashboard, near the windshield. It controls the headlights/tailights (if on automatic mode) and NAV system (Day/Night). I have this on my CTS and Trailblazer.
  • 150mphclub150mphclub Member Posts: 316
    In a few weeks I will be staying in a hotel that only has valet parking. I have scoured the owners manual, and I can't find any way to keep the valet out of my glove box or trunk. Any one have an answer to this problem?
  • joey245joey245 Member Posts: 9
    I HAVE A 2009 CTS AND YOU CAN LOCK THE GLOVE BOX BY USING THE KEY THAT IS IN YOUR REMOTE.
    THE KEY WILL UNLOCK THE DRIVERS DOOR AND LOCK AND UNLOCK THE GLOVE BOX.
    JUST HOLD THE BLACK BUTTON IN THAT IS JUST UNDER THE KEY RING AND PULL ON THE KEY RING. THE KEY WILL COME OUT OF THE REMOTE. IF IT HAS NEVER BEEN OUT,IT MAY BE A LITTLE HARD THE FIRST FEW TIMES,THEN IT SHOULD GET EASIER. I RUBBED A LITTLE SILACONE SPRAY ON THE KEY. TAKE THE KEY WITH YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE THE REMOTE WITH THE VALET PARKING.
    AS FOR THE TRUNK,THAT IS A LOST CAUSE. MY CAR HAS DROP DOWN REAR SEATS,SO ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET IN THE TRUNK IS DROP THE SEATS DOWN. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE DROP DOWN SEATS ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO ACCESS THE TRUNK IS TO DROP THE REAR CENTER ARMREST. OPEN THE PASS THROUGH DOOR AND REACH IN AND PULL THE EMERGENCY TRUNK RELEASE,SO I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE IS ANY WAY TO SECURE THE TRUNK.
    JOEY
  • dmitribdmitrib Member Posts: 5
    trying to decide what to buy Cadillac CTS or Linkoln MKS , any advice ?
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    The MKS cannot be had with a manual tranny, last I checked
  • bhill2bhill2 Member Posts: 2,466
    Last I checked, neither could the CTS (except the V). It seems to be off the option list.

    2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])

  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,499
    Last I checked, neither could the CTS (except the V). It seems to be off the option list.

    Sad.

    Hopefully the CTS isn't starting down the path to oblivion that the Lincoln LS paved 6 or 7 years ago when they got rid of the manual transmission. Note: the Lincoln LS is no longer in production.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    I test drove an 09 with 6MT. It was a nonDI, so it's possible the MT option falls off when you go upscale, but the MT is available.
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