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This discussion is about the Cadillac CTS not BMW.
The only halfway-reliable published information I'd seen on BMW's strategy (in this case as applied to the E36) was that distance traveled > 4500RPM is counted 2x, and distance traveled cold is counted at 1.5x.
I saw an ad from our local dealer who has 2 of them for C$32K each, which seems like a lot for a 10 year old Caddy. No mileage was given.
"The oil life monitor counts engine revolutions as a basis for establishing a deterioration rate and adds factors to take into account engine rpm, oil temperature (modeled), coolant temperature, air temperature, soak times, run times, engine load while operating, etc. It is a very complex algorithm in the computer that then models the predicted oil life. It can tell based on engine load and rpm whether the vehicle is towing and decrements the oil life accordingly."
Bill also stated that changing oil at 3000 mile intervals is fine for those who do so. The price of an oil change is relatively cheap compared to the price of a new engine.
I change the oil in our CTS based on the monitor, unless I'm planning a road trip. It's worked fine on our other Caddy and seems to be working well on the CTS.
Rich
pmdriver may want to comment on whether this is how GM/Cadillac is programming the gauges?
If you're going on a trip, change the oil.
Today I have the oil changed if the monitor indicates 20% or less oil life, before a road trip. I've had the tires rotated and balanced with each oil change (on either car). My dealer has been really good about checking wheels, tires, brakes and all the fluid levels while changing the oil.
I attended a Cadillac sponsored golf clinic on Monday. They promised to let us drive some "exciting breakthrough vehicles." Unfortunately, they only had '03 models available. Still I got to drive a base model CTS and a Sport Lux, both with the new "temp gauge" and white gauge lighting. I was really impressed, the base model was slightly softer riding than our Sport Lux, but handled very well.
The Cadillac representatives said that the SRX will be joining the golf clinic in the next city on the schedule. Darn, that's what I wanted to drive. Still, the CTS was the center piece of their presentation and got the most attention from the golfers.
Rich
PDX & 1SA & 1SB - PDX Sport Package
Availability = n/a
- Ray
Who test drove a PDX 1SC . . .
#3819 of 3995 Holds & Delays by b4z Jul 07, 2003 (1:53 pm)
PDX Sport package on hold right now.
Click on "Cadillac" icon.
Then to Holds & Delays.
http://www.us.leaseplan.com/fleet_resources/fr_pnews.htm
http://www.wheels.com
Go to assembly lines thread
1) I feel the steering is a tad too heavy.
2) Would like slightly more padding in the front seats. Seats begin to feel hard on a long trip. Maybe I just need more fat on my butt cheeks.
3) The lamp that surrounds my license plate is beginning to leak. Will probably have replaced. I know there have been comments posted here concerning the same problem.
4) Distant radio reception seems to be poor compared to other cars that I have owned. In other words radio stations (especially am) that are not local have poor reception. I also get a popping sound when tapping my brake pedal while listening to these same stations, this only happens while listening to distant stations.
5) On sharp curves and large bumps my key fob bangs against the steering wheel column. I believe my Dads Buick Park Ave has a rubber pad around ignition switch to prevent this from happening. GM must not always test under real driving conditions.
6) With the engine running and at a complete stop I can feel the engine idle. This feel to me is not one of refinement.
I hate to gripe, but there ain't no perfect car. If I had it to do over, I would still buy this car. I hope the CTS sales well for Cadillac. When I bought my CTS in May there were seven 2003's on the lot of my local dealer. The other six are still on the lot as of this writing, not a good sign.
1. I personally like the heavy feel. I think it keeps me in touch with the road a little more. But this is a subjective feeling.
2. I'm a large guy and I think the seats are pretty cool. It does need lumbar support, which didn't come until 2004. Pmdriver and his group listened to customer input by adding this.
3. The rear license plate leak is a common one. When was your car manufactured?
4. Did you set your radio up for distant reception bias? This is a configurable preference in the radio's settings.
5. I agree with you on this one. I solved this by using a heavy keychain which causes the keyfob to move around less.
6. The 54 degree V-6 will never have the smoothness of a 60 degree V-6 by design. The new V-6 in the 2004's doesn't have this problem I'm told. Having said that, the 220 HP V-6 in your car is still a pretty good engine and I've been generally happy by it's willingness to give what power it has.
Are you sure that your dealer hadn't moved his inventory of CTS's in 2 months? The CTS is one of Cadillac's hottest selling models, and this would be very atypical of the other dealers around the country.
Much heavier than the steering in my IROC.
Enough so that it drew attention to itself. Which is not a good thing.
Can't see how a 75 year old traditional Cadillac buyer would put up with it.
The '04 I drove has steering that is lighter.
Too light in my opinion.
I would guess that the '04 w Sport package has the same steering as the '03.
golfnut5, one thing overlooked on the CTS was the location of the ignition switch. On my Intrigue(and many other GM cars) the ignition switch is on the dash, just where MB and Lexus put theirs. Very easy to see and reach and I have little problem with the keyfod rattling against the dash. As for the engine vibration at idle, I think that has been resolved via the new 3.6 liter V6. I've pretty much decided that I will be waiting for the 04 as I want the new engine.
I was out today for a drive on a country road with the bose cranked, what a blast!
I think the CTS has an accelerator that requires you to push it down more because the power is delivered in a linear fashion.
Most American cars provide most of their power in the first few inches of travel. Makes the car seem more powerful.
The 2003 I drove wasn't slow at all.
The 2004 is just noticealby faster, especially off the line.
Although the link you posted didn't work (for whatever reason) I was able to go to ebaymotors and find a picture of the rollover CTS. Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't look THAT bad??? It appears the driver and probably all of the passengers most likely survived that accident. I don't mean to be morbid but I didn't see tons of blood splattered about the cars light tan interior...maybe they did a good job of cleaning it up?? My guess is the driver and/or passengers ducked down (as my first reaction would be during a rollover) and they only had minor injuries.
You have to put things in perspective...to address johnnycsk's post about CTS owners age; I'm 36. That means I've been driving for about 20 years without a rollover...hopefully I will NEVER experience one. The odds that you won't either are probably pretty good. Also, if you look at how the government crash tests are conducted they are only an INDICATION of how a car would hold up in a real-world crash...there are many variables that can affect your chances of surviving a crash.
If your only concern is safety my advice would be to buy a monster SUV and get rid of that "redGTconv"!
Oh, and stop trying to talk yourself out of buying the CTS...you KNOW you want one...resistance is futile!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item- - =2424259609&category=43903
That car may be rebuildable but it will never be the same.
Notice that the left rear suspension is damaged.
This car probably slid into a curb at speed, jumped up into the airand came down with the full force of the car's weight onto the side corner of the roof.
No roof could survive that.
You can sell a young man's car to an old man, but you can't sell an old man's car to a young man.
The CTS fits the first half of the saying.
As for SUVs and safety: there's much bigger and heavier stuff on the road to worry about than SUVs, even a Freightliner FL60 delivery truck who's late for his last drop of the day will easily trash a Suburban.
Fascinating to note IIRC that the single-vehicle fatality rates for SUVs just about make up for any advantages they may have in collisions with cars. Trucklets have their uses, but I have no interest in one as a daily-driver.
Average Age: As a 60-something driver, I'm probably gonna raise the average age of CTS owners. However, when I strap on my CTS, it feels to me that it lowers my age substantially.
Rollovers: I've been upside down once in an F15 jet fighter and twice in a Ford Explorer. It was fun in the F15, but it was far more exciting in the Explorer (if you consider terrifying a subset of exciting). The Explorer rolled after sliding sideways on black ice at a speed of under 45mph. As soon as the left front tire hit the grass on the shoulder, it flipped and rolled twice in a deep gully. (Hang on, I'm gonna try to make this relevant to the CTS discussion.)
The Explorer held up very well after rolling twice. My wife and I survived with injuries primarily limited to being banged around inside the vehicle. However, I can't imagine any normal sedan or coupe rolling in a similar situation.
Last Monday, I put my 03 CTS through much more violent maneuvers when a lady on a cell phone decided to change lanes without checking to see if there was anyone in the same county with her. I had to jerk the CTS hard one direction to miss her and then had to immediately jerk it back the other direction to return to the highway. The car and the stabiltrak handled exactly as advertised.
My point is that the CTS should help drivers avoid rollovers. Anyone can either cause a vehicle to roll or find yourself in a situation where you might roll one unexpectedly. Based on my personal experience, I'd prefer to take my chances in a vehicle that is less likely to roll.
Misc: The air conditioner condensor on my CTS went out at 3,500 miles. Anyone else have air conditioner problems? Dealer is going to fix it on Monday, but we had to wait several days for the part to become available.
Been driving an STS loaner while the dealer has my CTS. That experience has reminded me that while the STS is "nice" to drive, the CTS is "fun" to drive. IMO, that's a big difference.
Cheers!
"We're incredibly strong in the 55 and older category, and we're becoming incredibly attractive to the under 30 crowd. It's the boomers in the middle that we have to regain our footing with"...
"Once we gain credibility in the segments we're now in, we need to set the bar high with ultra-luxury models -possibly with V12 power- priced from $76,000 for the XLR to $400,000 for the ultra-luxury sedans, roadsters, supercars and convertibles."
From Krebs, "Unlike its European competition, Cadillac will not add a low-priced smaller car to its line. Instead, it will leave that territory to Saab and other GM brands. The CTS will remain Cadillac's entry model."
And finally again from LaNeve, "In five years, we'll have brought out the next generation CTS. Customers will be moving seemlessly from a Mercedes or Lexus to a Cadillac."
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Can Cadillac take back market share from European and Japanese marques on the up-scale side while not pricing themselves out of the range of younger buyers? What mix of models and prices will attract the most Baby Boomers? Say what you want about marketing people having only 23 chromosomes and fused frontal lobes, they have a tough job ahead.
Anyway, as a side note. When I see the car on the road, I always ask the person that I am with their opinion on the car. Seems to me that woman seem to like the car more than men. Its probably just a New York thing. New Yorkers can be weird. Regardless, I'm still gonna get it!!!