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2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Buick was the strongest of the GM brands, posting a 24% improvement over May 2011 as the “affordable luxury brand” moved 15,579 cars and SUVs.
The three models that returned from last year (Enclave, LaCrosse, Lucerne) all posted negative growth in May but the sporty new Buick Regal helped the brand show the big growth numbers with 4,247 sedans sold.
The LaCrosse was the top seller with 4,774 units sold (although it was a decline in growth of 12%) followed by the Enclave with 4,323 SUVs sold
General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant
Fairfax Produced Sales for May 2011
LaCrosse
May 2011= 4,744 // May 2010=5,452
% Change=Down -12.4% (May 2011 vs. May 2010)
Jan-May-2011=23,362 vs. Jan-May 2010=25,033
...% Change Jan-May 2011 vs 2010= Down -6.7%
http://www.torquenews.com/106/gm-struggles-may-2011-still-leads-industry-sales
I would sample oil and make sure you did not get a bad filter like I did.
There are a lot of recommendations for Blackstone Labratories.
Perhaps it is marketing strategy.
High gas prices and high unemployment certainly effect buying choices.
I suspect many might find the I4 not quite enough for this vehicle, and the upcharge for the 3.6L might be a turnoff.
If prospects are learning that premium is recommended for 3.6L, that could certainly hurt since most will avoid the additional 30+ cents per gallon.
I had an I4 in Malibu and it was peppy enough in it. I did try premium a few times but it did not give the boost I see in 3.6L.
Also, what is on lots? What I've seen is that most that have just a few options always add a pricey sunroof.
And incentives may be poor at this time.
Just guesses.
Was your trouble easily located thru electronic diagnosis?
Are the sensors under the the rear side panels? And the electronics accessed thru trunk or are they under front hood squeezed in with other stuff?
I wonder how prevalent this problem is. Beings it's a SAFETY item I'm surprised there's not more notoriety.
Could you please email me your case number? I would like to look further into your situation.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Please keep us posted on any information from the dealership.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Hope their technicians can diagnois the trouble even so. I wonder if there's a Tech Bulletin out on this?
Dealership took my CXS out for test drive and fortunately SBZA flunked. Remember it worked fine driving to dealer. So I may not be crazy[yet].
They had to order up a 'module' which was listed on invoice as a 'sensor.' Either way I have no idea exactly what it is but probably a circuit board?
When queried, asst serv mgr said he thot the center consol had to be removed to get at the part.
Expectation is that replacement part arrives in several days when I will need to make a second visit to dealer to install. I am hopeful new module is an improvement over old so I don t have to keep trekking back to dealer. My fingers are crossed.
Thank you for the update! Sounds like things are going in the right direction. Please keep me updated when you make the trip to dealership to have the new module installed. I will also keep my fingers crossed!
Thank you and have a great day!
Caron, GM Customer Service
Mine is in right now and been there for a few days. So I'm in a new Regal. Certainly not near my Lacrosse. Someone posted that Malibu would be getting Lacrosse body, but I suspect they meant Regal.
Anyone looking at Malibu, I'd suggest comparing to Regal. Pluses and minuses have shown themselves quickly in the few days I've had it.
Note that the Malibu I had was dangerous for handling reasons and something in electric power steering, which they could not fix. Regal has hydraulic power steering and handles totally different. I'm sure the 17" Firestones, Malibu, compared to 18" Michelins, Regal, have something to do with that. But I don't see the quiet and somewhat cushy ride they give on Lacrosse. I may be wrong but suspect that the weight rating of 97V on Regal is a bit high and may make the tire a bit stiff. And it would seem that Buick would have a different suspension than Chevrolet even if only strut changes. But the Regal seems to be noisier all around than Malibu. I sometimes turned the key a second time because the I-4 was so quiet. Not so with Regal. It is as if they tuned it so you would hear it to give the sound of power. But that is not all you hear. It seems like the back half of car is lacking sound deadening. It might be the thinner feeling carpet and lack of it in trunk. On the positive side, the armrest on the door is actually useful, not hard like a rock, and the center one shows some thought, but still a little hard.
I like that when you pull up MPG screen it gives both instantaneous and average simultaneously.
The seats are hard to compare. Malibu were suede, very firm, and mechanical lumbar. Quite comfortable on long rides and you did not have to readjust for an hour as your body settled in. All three failed miserably on headrest issues.
Anyone shopping? I can give a lot more detail.
On a related note, yesterday a severe weather warning alert came on my Nav screen. Was that an OnStar alert or was that from Sirius/XM? The reason I ask this question is because I was not under navigation and this alert is different from the one that appears in the DIC.
Good to hear things are going well for you. If you need anything feel free to email me. Have a great weekend!
Christina
GM Customer Service
Good luck and good news. Enjoy the car.
Crankee
THANK YOU BOB LUTZ and Semper Fi.
Crankee
However I too find the Malibu more appealing in other ways. Car felt zippier than the Regal despite identical engine/transmission. Seemed quieter too, as you noted. Liked the leather Regal seats better than the suede in the Malibu and it also had more gizmos, but I liked the room in the 'Bu. Also didn't care for the all-black interior in the Regal.
Will be interesting to see if GM addresses the sound deadening issue when production moves to Oshawa. But if I am paying with my own $$$, it is hard to justify the extra $ for the Regal despite the nice styling. If the redesigned 2013 Malibu keeps anything close to the current price gap between the two models it will not be a hard choice as the new car is very nice.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I'm at same decision point and can t convince myself the OnStar is worth the cost. i think I used it only 1-2 times since MArch.
One advantage may be that if you are in an accident OnStar can send help. I think air bags have to be deployed and you fail to answer their inquiry on status.
Another item is map downloading from Goggle. Twice I used my office computer to create a route and then had it sent to my 2011 LaX CXS. However, I did not find it waiting conveniently for me. I recall the first time I called OnStar and they downloaded to car. The second try I didn t bother. Now I admit this may be pilot error on my part becuz I am still not up to snuff using both the Nav and OnStar.
I too am confused by Traffic Alerts. I don t know if Nav, OnStar & Sirius work together or separate to produce the same result or are independent. I ran into an ugly traffic snarl on US 1 Interstate and wud have loved help and info. None came unsolicitied. Maybe I don t know how to ask??
I was riding merrily along with my A/C on and windows closed when all of a sudden the back window powered down. I thot oh brother wot's going wrong now. I raised window from my door only to have the incident occur a second time. Now I am really getting worried if I am controlling car or vice versa.
Then it hit me. My yellow lab in back seat who loves to hang her head out had figured out how to lower the window. I activated Lock Out. Problem solved.
Biggest advantage is the backup if you or wife do not have cell, the system defaults to Onstar. That and the safety factor make it worth the cost for us with the skinny safe and sound package. We do not need or use the nav option so do not need the deluxe package.
Just some thoughts.
• The OnStar phone works better than any consumer cell phone. OnStar uses the 4 watt transmitter, where hand held cell phones are limited to 3/10 of a watt. After the hurricane in New Orleans, OnStar was the only cell service that would work because of it's increased range.
• I just did an online renewal of my OnStar coverage for a year. I paid $149 for 1 year of the Safe & Sound plan. It's $14.95 if you pay monthly.
The Directions & Connections plan is $249 for 1 year or $24.90 paid monthly.
• I very much appreciated getting a call when I went straight into the side of a
stop sign blowing pickup last may. My airbags had gone off and I was unconscious
for several moments. Had something really bad happened I would have wanted
it for sure. Thankfully nothing really bad happened but they certainly helped in
getting the police their faster and just nice to know someone was alerted to
my misfortune incase I needed help
• Also, the remote location door unlock feature.. I've used it 2 or 3 times.. Once just because I could.
It's a nice service, and I like having the peace of mind knowing that I am safe.
PLUS, yesterday when my Aura wouldn't start (starter went.) it was nice to call a tow truck, the service was impressive.
• I firmly believe OnStar is worth the cost of having. First off, it's a theft-deterrent system that can track your car if it is stolen. Second, OnStar can remotely unlock your car should you lock your keys in your car or lose your keys. Third, the emergency assistance you can activate or is automatically activated should you have a medical emergency or an accident. These things are about your PROTECTION rather than simply the convenience of having hands-free phone service and turn-by-turn directions. It's about keeping you and your vehicle as safe as possible. IMO, many people often focus way too much on "convenience" features.
The VALUE of anything / system is knowing what it can do and needing the features it provides. It's kind of like homeowner's insurance. The day you need it and don't have it is the day you'll curse yourself for not having renewed the policy / service.
I'm guessing the VAST MAJORITY of automobile insurance companies provide a discount for having OnStar as a theft-deterrent and tracking system. Why in the heck wouldn't they? I KNOW you won't receive a discount from them for having hands-free calling or TBT directions
• I have never renewed Onstar in any of my previous vehicles, but since I now have the 2011 that allows remote start from my cell phone, I now can't live without it! I love being able to remote start my car from my office while it is parked in the lot across the street and not visible to me! Makes Iowa winters a little easier.
http://www.enclaveforum.net/index.php?topic=7447.0
I did not renew because
1. In 45 years of driving, I have never lockled myself out of my car
2. My CXL has a theft alarm
3. My CXL has a NAV system
4. I no longer work and drive just 8800 miles per year.
5. Cell reception is fine with my Blackberry connected by Bluetooth
6. Cost
There are some good points as to having it.
The cost is a big issue, especially for whole package.
And the same is true for XM with the weather and traffic.
I assume they use same antenna and if I'm getting dropouts all over this city, I'd assume the same for GM/OnStar. Many vehicles have this problem with XM and many do not.
The extra power thing sounds bogus. It might transmit with extra power, but reception depends on the power from the other end. Have you ever gotten a "no transmit"? It is "no reception".
On the whole, I think the business model for GM/OnStar and XM is defunct. That is they will be going the way of Blockbuster, unless they make big changes.
GM/OnStar needs to add SATCOM back into its system so that if you are somewhere where cell service is not working, you can drop back to the other, and viceversa.
GM, OnStar, XM (and/or) needs to figure a way to keep navigation, weather, traffic, etc., all current. And the quality of music stream, along with the audio system in many cases, needs improving. XM does not seem to be CD quality and with the improved quality of other sources, via lossless compression such as ALAC (Apple lossless audio codec), XM will need to step up. I'd guess the issue is satelite bandwidth and being able to modify what exists.
But if they don't, they will be very minor players.
Example, how long will it be before cell phones integrate inertial accelerators or some other method of detecting a collision? You can already stream music through the cell service or download high quality.
The obvious answer is that they need to improve services and cut cost to discourage any competition.
I just finished a trip up into hilly and mountain areas and it continues to give me problem - in two cases it could of caused an accident. I am having to change my driving style to not get into trouble.
What happens is when I am going up a hill I can push down gently on the petal and nothing happens. I continue to push and nothing happens and the car keeps slowing down. Finally it will spurt ahead as if I hit the passing gear.
The dealers will simply not give the car a long enough test drive up and down similar hills or will they invite me along to show them the problem. I really am at a place where I am afraid to drive the car in any area where this might occur. It is simply dangerous at this point.
The reason I keep mentioning it here is two fold. One is to see if anyone else has a similar problem and the second is to develop a history of complaints of what is happeneing.
It is supposed to shift down, however when the speed/RPM's drop off too much due to a hill or other slowing factor. The dealer's tech can surely make it NOT SHIFT DOWN if something is wrong with the transmission or the programming. We had a similar problem with an older car and it took multiple trips and the right tech to make it demonstrate the condition.
good luck.
I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Has the dealership involved Technical Assistance? Do you currently have a case with GM Customer Assistance? If so, could you please email me the case number?
Click on member name to get email address.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Reason for this test was to see if the mechanics performed differently with the operator (human) out of the loop. Also noted that the MPG was averaging 28 with 76 MPH and some hills on route.
The cruse is very consistent and smooth IMO- worked flawlessly.
If yours does not work right in cruse mode it may be mechanical problem- try it out for yourself.
great cars - enjoy
Car seems to be working fine again[knock wood] and I am glad to be back enjoying it.
Warranted covered all expense.
The Service Dept of Union Park. Wilm., DE, ran car thru their washer gratis before turning it back which I thot was a very nice touch.
Bluetooth Blues
The cellular industry really needs to work on consistency in its application of technology. Right now everything is like a shell game as to whether it actually works as advertised.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Thank you for the update! Glad to hear everything has been fixed and you are able to enjoy the vehicle! If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us directly.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Since this was the first high speed driving since they did a bit of work, some things did not show until we were hitting highway.
Car packed and family rolling, before we got away from city, I got a "service suppension system" message. Straight to dealer, and they would not put me in one of there vehicles because of miles I would have driven. So they called Enterprise, and unless you use the airport division, which no local dealers do, it should be named rent a wreck. So that did not go well. They hurried my vehicle through and reset computer saying it was nothing to be concerned over.
Car had heat soaked before we got to leave dealer. The first I notice is that is does not seem to be cooling as well as previously. Remember they were going to change the expansion valve which would have lost freon. I wonder if they weighed the new charge in? It cooled down eventually and about 60 miles out I notice a vibration from front that was coming and going in a rythmic pattern. At first only in steering wheel, and then it became constant at highway speeds and started to show up in seat. And my first contact with roads that were not glass smooth, it feels like there is some play in steering. They had just replaced the steering column. Enough play that if a front tire contacts some irregularities that the steering will change with holding wheel steady. And then you must initiate corrective action. I have not been happy with the handling of the vehicle in that respect, but at least it had razor tight steering before.
For most of the trip, the lumbar did not lose air. But I have decided this is some Chinese logic of how this is too function. There is no way to adjust upper and lower independently. If you think you have either lower or upper adjusted but need to alter the opposite, it is impossible to do. And the location of the bags seems to be for only very short people. I have previously commented about the firmness of suede seating in Malibu which gives very good support. Support is definitely lacking in these seats. Often feeling pressure points it reminds me of an old poor quality chair where the stuffing has shifted and you feel the springs, on long drives.
But we pushed on, taking an unfamiliar route because of someones info, but relying on navigation.
I complained constantly about the lousy XM reception on this vehicle. It is satelite, and so is the GPS. In rain, rather heavy, near midnight, and having chosen shortest route from my current location, which shortened the remaining 100 miles by about 80 miles when not sticking to interstate. Yep, in unfamiliar territory with no towns to mention, Nav started giving me "no signal" message. So, when I really needed it, it craps out too.
And the CAF, well I needed it more than ever and it is still not working. Barely half way into trip, something in the air was a real sinus killer. Only a couple brief periods of a few hours did the air clear enough for the headache to go away. And there was some really ugly smells entering vehicle as well. It sure don't filter skunk or dairy liquid maure. If you get a dose of the later and know the decomposing body smell, you choose the rotting body smell.
I decide I've got to have a minimum of relief, if just when I'm driving, because allergy pills are not working. So I take to local dealer for the CAF, the imbalance, and blindspot.
They said the front were only minor, but one of the rear they had to dismount and rotate. They believed the outside air door was not fully closing and said there was an update as well as recalibrated the doors. Nothing in system about blindspot or suspension.
BTW, I discovered that in bug country, the vehicle would get a lot of them inside if sitting tightly closed. A darned mosquito don't care if they land on your eye which is a real driving hazard.
So, ugly smells and bugs still enter vehicle. The front still has vibration which I now think may be the drive shafts. And the tire they rotated on wheel now leaks down after a few hours. I had to put air in several times on return trip. I noted it was three pounds lower than others when I left their shop and filled appropriately. The next day after about 60 miles of driving I got the low pressure message.
REal idiots when it comes to seat design. Almost anyone who sits in car should have their tail bone in the same location relative to seat. Yet the design puts pressure on tail bone. BTW, this is not the first vehicle to have that terrible seat support design. But at this level of vehicle it should not be.
I will rest my aching, painful back today, and maybe call dealer. Afterall, maybe the new exhaust came in and I can add to the list.
PS, manager mentioned lemon law the last time I was there.
I am so disappointed in this vehicle. I thought it would be the last I'd buy for a very long time.
This alone brings up a number of safety issues including some the EPA could be involved with. They dang sure don't want lead-acid being spewed all over the environment. And they don't want us breathing those fumes either, especially with bad CAF or whatever the leak is.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Fortunately it was not an emergency or short stop. When I applied brake it veered to the left as if a caliper stuck. I let off brake, corrected, and cautiously applied brake again. It did not stick the second time. It makes me wonder if GM has lowered the standards in that area thinking the other systems will take over. If the road had been slippery, it could have thrown me into a skid or oncoming traffic. Those backup systems can only do so much and in the 09 Malibu I found they did not work very well.
The only times I ever had such happening before these two new vehicles was in high mileage/time vehicles where the brakes and fluid had not been serviced in a very long time. Never in a new vehicle before these two.
And though I've mentioned the sun hitting the screen before, it was particularly bad on this trip. For hours each day the sun would make it hard to see.
As to cellular, they apparently use some proprietary profiles, that is they don't follow the profile according to the official bluetooth specification, which should work for everyone unless there is a mistake found post release.
Intel seems to be quite bad in the USB area. They totally mucked up USB 1 and it was at USB 1.1 they finally got it straight. And when USB 2.0 came out, many hardware makers messed it up. In the spec was a new specific about shielding connections and almost everyone got it wrong when making the hardware. Just by luck most of it worked anyway. But now that USB 3.0 is out, although greatly delayed, some have it right. Latest word is Intel is again having trouble and if it is an Intel system it only works with the very latest chipsets because earlier ones that were supposed to, don't!
And such is the trouble with Bluetooth. Some trying to jump out ahead of the specification or even trying to force the committee to change to their proprietary methods.
In my opinion, Apple is terrible about implementing bluetooth and other compatibilities, even their iPod software to PC usage has had problems.
I'm not familiar with Sync other than it is a MS product. Hopefully it is done on widely accepted standards, nothing proprietary.
In part the article makes this cautionary statement: "Further, GM says that if a customer has an engine failure that is traced to oil or lubrication issues, and if the customer does not use dexos 1 oil in their gasoline-powered GM vehicle, that act alone could void the warranty."
Since I am a novice at this I am hoping that readers will share their experiences with dexos oil and why the dealer also added a "solvent w/w cleaner"?
I think that is related to the yacht payment the dealership owner has coming due. It's an unneeded extra. In fact, if you look in your GM owners manual, it most likely says that no additional additives are needed nor recommended.
The dexos requirement is available in most brands now. Read the label on the bottles at Walmart. Look for the dexos rating on the info on the back or front. The rating for GM in the for synthetic oil quality was GM 4718 IIRC. Now oils have improved a step.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Perhaps your dealer found a source for dexos oil that is cheaper than GM?
Supposition was that dexos was created because of the high gasoline content showing up in used oil analysis from direct injection motors.
I agree on boat to some degree.
That is not an oil additive. That is for filling your windshield washer tank.
Sorry to hear. BTW we all appreciate ur many notes on this site.
A few points I learned may help.
When I took my LaX CXS '11 in, the service dept asked questions such as when, how often, which side... the icons (dis)appeared. I wasn t really able to answer as specific as I wanted to. I thot they wud hav a diagnostic to run down the trouble. Sounds like u have some good ground data to help.
I'm surmising this is a generic flaw and Buick shud by now ack and have a solution and maybe a recall as this is definitely a SAFETY RISK.
When I drove mine in for fix naturally it worked fine. SO it s an on again/Off problem - the worst kind. Fortunately my dealer took it out for a test drive and found I was of sound mind. You may need to press for a test.
My recall is that the signals seemed to be random and misplaced ie inconsistent and either seeing ghost cars or missing the real ones.
So far the fix seems OK but u kno how it is once something like this goes wrong there a drop in confidence while we expect a revisit of problem. I'd like to hear form someone who had a fix months ago and problem was permanently corrected.
Good luck.
I found that when I had my cellphone plugged, laying on passenger seat and charging in consol of my LaX CXS '11 I cudn t put the arm rest all the way down for fear I wud damage the cord. If I kept the fone in consol with rest down the fone seemed to get hot not surprisingly.
A second outlet in the rear consol is not easy to get to from drivers seat and leaves an unanswered question where to set the fone during charge.
Any suggestions?
About Buick
Buick is a modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors with thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning models, including the Enclave crossover, LaCrosse sedan, Regal sport sedan and highly anticipated all-new 2012 Buick Verano compact luxury sedan. Buick is one of the fastest growing majors in the U.S. and remains a best-selling brand in China, with continuing record growth. "
http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/buick/news.detail.html/content/Pages/new- - s/us/en/2011/Jul/buicksales