Cadillac CTS/CTS-V

bingoman · February 2003

Actually it looks like that CTS-V is in a very deep tank of water. (A Cadillac submarine?)

calicadi · February 2003

I had a feeling 32# was high...

I contacted Goodyear directly. Excellent customer service. They got back to me in a couple of hours. The true weight of an Eagle F1 GS-D3 in the 245/35ZR19 size is 25.02#. Add in the 18# OZ Superleggera and you got 43.02 at each corner.

BTW Tirerack recommends that if you plan to add the Eibach springs, which drop the body about an inch, you drop the tire size to a 235/35ZR19.

I also wrote to Volant who make the Cold Air Induction unit as seen on the Lund Cadillac asking if they sell that unit directly or thru other retail outlets. I'll pass along any response. K&N and Accel still do not show an application for a CTS air filter replacement. Oddly enough, they both have the same error in their catalogs showing a Cavalier under the Cadillac make. Now that would be scary if true.

wwhite2 · February 2003

Is GM working on a six gear sequential manual gearbox a la Ferrari -BMW for the CTS and Corvette . Just think of a CTS -V with that set up . I would trade in my 5 spd CTS and pull some equity out of the house LOL

jemiller · February 2003

The new 'cheap' Aston Martin ($100K Porsche competitor) uses a Tremec T-56 gearbox with SMG controls added. This will also be used in the 2005 Cobra Mustang, there's various Cobra and Mustang GT test mules running around already.

I can't imagine GM using anything *but* a T-56 in the CTSv, so the parts will be in the Tremec bins to do it, at which point most of the work involved is software and tuning.

oedipus1608 · February 2003

Those arent stock wheels. If you compare the CTS with the photo of the CTS-V, you will notice that the tire rims are concave rather than convex like that of a stock CTS. The front lower fascia protrudes from the grill unlike the stock CTS and is lower to the ground. Before Bob Lutz revealed the Cadillac 16, he talked about the CTS-V and dim lighting shined on the car so that the press could barely see what the car looked like.

jemiller · February 2003

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_1676/article.html

I'm not sure if this article is available to non-subscribers; Autospeed is one subscription site I happen to think is worth the money.

thebug · February 2003

I was speaking it terms of if you were going to go to Germany (lets say on vacation), it would be worth looking into, and in that case, you wouldn't need a connection. This would also be a good time to (plan ahead) look into a duty free purchase.

Any person can inquire and purchase. The only thing is, it may be a slight inconvenience if you are unfamiliar with the German market, or don't have a point of contact in country (a place to live/wait while you investigate the auto market), but you can still make a purchase.

The exchange rate my also cause the price to change slightly if you are not familiar with the ins and outs (the best place to sell your dollar) of the system. The difference could go either way, depending on the rate for the day. The daily rate of change makes little difference on low dollar purchases, but when you get into the thousands, the difference can be very significant. And BTW, changing your money in the country of purchase will always yeild the best rates. I meet a lot of people that don't know that.

thebug...

regfootball · February 2003

"And doesn't it show the current horrible pushrod V6 for the dunger it is...."

had they left it up to the boys in michigan, it woulda had pushrods I bet!

shifty4 · February 2003

Has anyone found a source of high quality oil filters for the CTS? The aftermarket seems to be slow in developing. I would like to avoid the indignity of hanging around the Cadillac dealers shop for several hours for the privilege of paying $42 for a filter and oil change.

richw5 · February 2003

Check for service specials at your local Cadillac dealer. I paid $26.95 at my dealer without a coupon. Normally he has a $22.95 special and it includes a car wash.

It's actually cheaper than the local Jiffy Lube locations. I'm usually in and out within 45 minutes; they give the car a 21 point safety check and fill the washer fluid.

Of course I'm retired and can spend the 45 minutes for an oil change, but I get to talk to the sales staff during that time, so the few extra minutes don't matter to me.

Rich

jemiller · February 2003

Just to clarify, the 'horrible pushrod engine' they're talking about is the 3.8-liter Buick that's used in the base-model Holden models.

dindak · February 2003

The Jiffy Lube here has filters for all cars. If they can't get aftermarket they carry AC Delco ones at no extra charge.

regfootball · February 2003

right. horrible. well maybe that's a stretch. mediocre to average is a better term.

shifty4 · February 2003

The Cadillac dealer, Coleman Cadillac in Bethesda MD issued a coupon for $29.95 oil and filter change for everything but Northstar which was $32.95. They refused to accept the coupon by saying that the CTS was not covered by the offer. The CTS is in a special category, or so I was told by the "service consultant".

04ctsv · February 2003

was it ever confirmed that the 04 CTS-V will be getting 400hp? if so what do you guys think the 1/4mile and 0-60 times will be? Also does anyone know of any good cts related web sites?

wwhite2 · February 2003

so when I need to change my oil I wont be able to go to autozone and pickup a filter ?

sevenfeet0 · February 2003

I doubt we're going to see official specs for a while. Cadillac has already said that the CTS-v would not bow until late this year. Meanwhile, they have two other products which they want plenty of press time for. The SRX is already getting its first coming out with the media now. The XLR will likely follow in a couple of months. The CTS-v will be last...maybe September-ish or so to get people in line to order a car for a October/November rollout.

Just my speculation...

loyaltogm1 · February 2003

Just purchased my new White Diamond CTS 6 days ago. The "service air bag" symbol and notification in the driver info center has come on twice and gone off by itself. Anyone else having or had this problem? Kind of scary to think the driver airbag is having a problem. Otherwise, I LOVE THIS CAR!!!!!!!!!

wwhite2 · February 2003

I havent had that problem

shifty4 · February 2003

The airbag warning light came on as I was leaving dealership as I accepted delivery. Immediately went back into the dealer shop where the car was kept for about an hour. After 11 months I have not had a recurrence. Not sure what they did to clear it.

calicadi · February 2003

Congrats on your purchase loyaltogm1!

I haven't experienced that false warning. I used the Search Discussion function and found only one other reference. See message #75 from automole. I searched on both "airbag" and "air bag".

The only spurious error I've gotten is a "service stabilitrack". It occured on the first really rainy day that I drove it, after driving through a good sized puddle. I hit the CLR button and haven't seen it since, rain or shine.

Happy Driving!

cadillac1 · February 2003

You guys are aware that on some cars, the airbag warning comes on, when something is placed on the front passenger seat that is either not heavy enough, or is not sitting properly. My honda shows the light, SRS AIRBAG, when either the front passenger occupant is too light, or if i put a grocery bag or something like it on the seat. I think its for safety. However, since you warning says to service airbag, it may be something totally different.

wwhite2 · February 2003

The Navigation system along with all of the voice recognition operational commands take a while to get familiar with ....back to the books

adp3 · February 2003

what does the success of the CTS say about the coming SRX? I grew up with Caddies, but hyave yet to buy one - I'm not old enough, yet ;-)

but I think the SRX may be the right car at the right time - if they did it right with the CTS, then I have hope that they'll do it right with the SRX. I'm not sold on American-made durability, yet, as I'm driving two (pretty good, actually) Chrysler products, but they are cheaper to fix than my damned Acura Legend was.

typeaman · March 2003

My analog clock is now 5 minutes slower than my digital that is on the screen. Has anyone else had this problem? How was it fixed?

wwhite2 · March 2003

mine match

automole · March 2003

I've had the airbag light (as well as the 'lock' symbol) come on about 2 or 3 times just after starting the vehicle. My fix was to do a 'reboot' of my car by turning it off and starting it back up; in all instances the light went out as it should.

As for the clock, mine has been off by 2 minutes since day one...it seems like they should have allowed for some adjustment in order to calibrate it with the radio time??

I think a few posts back someone mentioned that they were experiencing squeaks and creaks. My advice would be that if you still have low miles on the car drive it for awhile and see if it goes away. There's a bunch of plastic in the CTS's interior and things tend to loosen up after a few miles. I had a door panel squeak that went away entirely at 5k miles. IMO every time you take your car in to be fixed at the dealer you run the risk of the 'fix' being worse than the original problem.

calicadi · March 2003

Check out Motorweek on PBS. This week's show announced they'll be checking out the SRX. The one they'll have will be equiped with the 315HP Northstar V8. They mentioned the 260HP V6 version will be available later.

You can check out their web site at http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/home.shtml

You'll find the mention under their show schedule.

trichard2 · March 2003

The analog/digital clock mismatch seems to be a common problem. Since I don't have the digital clock displayed continuously, I set it (digital) so that the analog clock displays the correct time. The differential between the clocks remains constant so, for me, the problem is solved.

bigdaddycoats · March 2003

Spoke to a friend last night who works on the CTS, he says these changes are coming for the 04 model -
-temp gauge replaces the clock
-autostick
-3.6 V6
-volume dial on steering wheel is being replaced with typical GM controls
-some decontenting being discussed but nothing solid yet.

gpz1 · March 2003

The CTS just turned 9,500 miles today and it's better than ever. I had originally posted some issues back in post #689. The following is a review of my experiences with those issues and some others.

1. 5 th gear whine - Cadillac replaced the transmission per TSB. The new transmission is far less notchy and works great. I can really enjoy the motor now and the sounds that it makes.

2. Dash Rattle - still there !!! Dealers cannot find it. I believe it is wind related, as it starts at about 60 mph only and it's constant any more. It comes from the center of the dash in front of the passenger. I took the wipers off and drove it,still did it. The dealer taped down the battery cover and washer tube under the hood. It's still there. We taped off the windshield molding, no fix. Any ideas !!! Anyone else experience this ?

3. Lifter type noise - I didn't report this before, but I had it. It totally went away around the 7,500 mile mark. Not a sound any more !

4. No signs of wear on the tires, rotate every 5,000 miles.

5. Oil changes are $35 at the dealer - they charge $14.00 for the filter alone.

6. Just a few, very small stone chips on the front and no door dings at all.(knock on wood) This tells me very good (hard) paint and door design. Wax jobs (Astroshield poly resin only) hold up for 3-4 months and dozens of washes.

7. Gas Mileage - I still average approximately 25-26 miles per gallon, per the DIC readout and it backs up with an actual math calculation. (miles / gallons) I drive a combination of 60% highway/back road and 40% city. I am very happy with the mileage.

8. I've been rotating in midgrade gas and it runs great. I really can't tell the difference between mid and premium. Premium is a little smoother running overall.

I am extremely happy with the car and I continue to get stranger after stranger coming up to me asking me all about it. It seems to be aging very well and actually getting better with the miles. Power is just right for the car although we always would like more horses. In my opinion the CTS compares to the BMW 530i in size, engine displacement - performance, transmission (the same). There is a comparo in the March 03' issue of C&D, titled "The Magnificent Not-Quites" where they compare the 530i, GS300, E320, A6 2.7t, Jag S 3.0, Lincoln LS V8 and M45. You read it and compare the CTS to the 6 cylinder cars in that test. (you really can't compare the CTS to the V8's) Note: I drove the new M45 and I was impressed. The CTS is relatively the same size as those cars and it's quicker (better performing) than 4 of the cars in the test. (per the published performance numbers in the article) I'll put the CTS build quality / structure and handling refinement in this class any day. The only possible drawback the CTS has in this group is engine refinement. However, the CTS is on average $13,000 less than any of the cars in that test. Obviously, I am biased and think highly of the CTS. I continue to highly recommend the car to anyone.

b4z · March 2003

Thanks for the update.

mannytranny · March 2003

I've just been invited to attend a focus group for owners of Cadillac CTS, Lexus and Mercedes cars. All I know so far is that I will be asked about the CTS and the local dealership where it was purchased. Some preliminary questions were asked on the phone to see if I qualified.
Anyone else ever been on a focus group before?

richw5 · March 2003

We have about the same mileage.

Got to drive in a decent snow last week and the CTS handled superbly. I'd almost forgotten what is was like to drive a RWD car in the snow. While some trucks were fishtailing at stop signs just ahead of us. The CTS stoped straight and true. Acceleration from the stop was no problem, even without hitting the snow button.

bigdaddycoats - Check the latest pictures of the SRX dash. I think the '04 CTS dash will be similar. The DVD Nav/info system looks less complex (easier to use) then ours. My biggest problem with our CTS is the difficulty of resetting the info system whenever I go for gas.

Other than a "gas filler cap" problem, our car has been trouble free. I'm surprised, because it was an early production model.

My wife's boss is getting a CTS. She's looking at a black car, with middle of the road options (about $35k list).

I still wave at other CTS drivers when we pass. They probably think I'm crazy, but it's fun anyway.

Rich

cu95 · March 2003

richw5,
Glad to hear that the CTS performed well in the snow (I'm leaning heavily towards buying a CTS but I'm concerned about winter driving). If I may ask, do you have Stabilitrack or only traction control? If you have Stabilitrack, did it seem that it was the major factor in the CTS's successful snow performance? (I'm thinking of getting a base model and so would not have the benefit of Stabilitrack.) Thanks.

mannytranny · March 2003

I cannot speak for anyone else but my CTS had no real trouble driving in the snow in PA. I only have traction control and it never really engaged. But then I drive a manual transmission CTS so the acceleration is probably the greatest factor that I can control. Can't speak for the auto trans.

sevenfeet0 · March 2003

With the wacky winter we've been having in Nashville, I've been able to do a little snow driving. So far, the traction control has kicked in a few times and stability control once. But otherwise the car is pretty easy to control in the bad stuff. Still, you have to treat snow and ice with respect, as with any car.

My car is now at 9700 miles after only 5.5 short months. So far, the only real problem is the rattle in the rear of the car that seems to be there when the car hasn't been warmed up yet. In fact, I think I've narrowed it to the right rear quarter of the vehicle. At some point, we're going to take it back to our dealership for a serious bughunt.

My gas mileage so far is about 20.7, but my wife and I are doing more city driving than highway driving these days. I still get compliments about the looks. Meguire's Gold Class Wax keeps the black finish absolutely gorgeous, which is necessary since keeping a black car clean is very tough.

It's nice to hear about the gauge improvements coming online, but the published pictures of the SRX dash still has the clock in the instrument cluster, so maybe it will just be the CTS getting that improvement. The volume dial is useful in everyday driving, but when you want to do some spirited driving, it's way too easy to bump and change the volume. I'm not surprised its getting replaced with a standard button. Also, the programmable buttons are interesting, but I find I don't use them that often.

gpz1 · March 2003

Sevenfeet0,

I believe there might be a TSB for your rattle in the rear of the car. See the link to the CTS, TSB's on the NHTSA site. Reference TSB # 631. I hope this helps.

http://www.nhtsa.com/cars/problems/tsb/central2.cfm

My CTS goes great in the snow. Traction is good for a rear drive car but I am most impressed with the handling/tracking confidence that I get. I get the feeling that the front end is going where I point it in the slop. More with the CTS that any other vehicle that I have driven in the snow, including my SUV. (the SUV gets better traction) Obviously there are limits to adhesion on ice, but the CTS really holds the line.

richw5 · March 2003

sevenfeet0 - you got me. I can't remember where I saw the SRX dash. It might have been at the Chicago auto show, where they had several pre-production cars.

It might have been in a brochure I pitched, I'll check the recycling bin before thursday.

It might have been a '04 CTS dash picture I saw elsewhere.

cu95 - We have a Sport-Lux model with stabilitrack

As for gas milage, we've been getting about 19 to 20 mpg in average driving. I got it up to 23 with some road driving last week.

Rich

wwhite2 · March 2003

I have put 500 mi on my garnet red lux spt 5 spd . What a great auto . no problems still learning all the capabilities especially the nav system need to keep reminding myself .....keep your eyes on the road

sevenfeet0 · March 2003

Thanks, gpz1. I looked at the service bulletin and saw the fix. It looks like the spare tire is rattling around the basin. I can easily test if this is the case.

More to come...

garnes · March 2003

Just a suggestion. With a black car - never go to an automatic car wash. Do it yourself only. "Soft cloth" means nothing. It filled with everyone else's grit and grime.

I hand wash and am careful to dunk the rag a lot. I've got a black Aurora. It you get a scratch, I swear you can rub it out with meguires No.7 glaze and a cotton applicator - or an orbital buffer. It takes some muscle but can be done. I've never hurt my black finish with the stuff.

frank295 · March 2003

Just got a CTS and was very happy with it until....the battery died with 980 miles on the car. Prognosis: something is drawing amperage while the car is shut down and after two weeks the dealer cannot resolve. The mechanics are working with "GM" to find the problem.
After 20 years of imports I wanted to buy American. Now what?

b4z · March 2003

Probably a wire touching the metal of the body somehwere.

sevenfeet0 · March 2003

That's weird. The CTS has safeguards to prevent the inadvertent drain of the battery. If you leave the lights on or other accessory, then the car is programmed to cut power to accessories after 20 minutes. If your car is still draining power while the car is off when no accessories on, then something else is draining it and finding it can be a nightmare in any modern vehicle. It could be anything from a major system component like the alternator to a bad computer system that is draining too much system power, like the OnStar system. Unfortunately, it's going to take a multimeter and a lot of time to solve.

b4z · March 2003

Never been to an automatic car wash and never will.
I don't use a bucket. I use a big sponge and pour the Car Wash soap directly on the sponge and keep water on the car as I rub. The dirt is kept in suspension and doesn't scratch the paint.

I never have problems with spider web scratching of the paint.

sevenfeet0 · March 2003

My black CTS has never seen the inside of an automatic wash, and probably never will. I am just as careful as you at the handwash bay. My car does have two wife-inflicted scratches, one of them I can probably deal with myself, and the other that will require dealer intervention. The moral of the story is not to let your wife handle the metal-tipped power wash :-)

By the way, I stripped my car of whatever wax it had after the first month and went through Meguire's 3 step Gold Class wax process. As a result, my car is shinier than it looked from the factory, and it still gets raves on sunny days from admirers. Now that winter is ending, it needs a new coat which will last until I strip the wax and reapply it this summer.

akirby · March 2003

Don't use a sponge! It traps any dirt on the surface which them becomes a big soft piece of sandpaper. Use a wool mitt or something similar that allows the trapped dirt to be held away from the surface of the car and rinse it out often.

cu95 · March 2003

My upcoming CTS purchase will probably be black, but all this talk about washing it has me a little spooked (I've never had a black vehicle before). Is it really that bad to go to an automatic car wash? Is it that a car wash leaves it looking a little dull or are we talking glaring, prominent scratches? What's the best color for masking dirt and/or surviving automatic car washes?

blckthree · March 2003

Black shows everything, dust, dirt, very fine scratches, etc. It is like a magnifying glass. It doesn't matter what the dirt or dust, it will stick out like a sore thumb on a black car. There is nothing that looks better than a clean black car, and nothing that takes more work than keeping a black car clean! Automatic carwashes with brushes or cloth brushes or anything other than high pressure water will leave you with small scratches over time. If you like a clean car and buy a black car, plan on washing it every 3rd day, if it doesnt rain!

I wouldnt put any car through a carwash with brushes, no matter what it's color. If you are looking for a color that will hide dirt, I would suggest silver, white, or a light tan color. They dont show dirt as much as any dark color, especially black.

Cadillac CTS/CTS-V

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