Gee - where have we heard this before? Caddy dealers are not much different than Lincoln dealers regarding manuals. I hope it doesn't get dropped (in the regular CTS) like the LS.
I can see the 5-speed being an option for ordering only. People say they want them but then buy automatics. Dealers get stuck with them. If I got one I would lease for sure. Resale would be tuff also.
My 2003 CTS had over 50,000 miles on it and I started to experience a vibration when the automatic shifted between 4th and 5th gear. I had the rear end whine and numerous other reliability issues so I traded it in on a 2005 Acura TL. The only thing the CTS has on the TL is rear wheel drive. The TL is much more refined than the CTS, the TL's engine is smoother, quieter and more powerful. The TL is much less expensive also. I bet there will be few repeat buyers of the CTS.
Please read up on your car history. That's part of the "Twilight Sentinel" functionality that my 1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible also has! bmw is NOT the leader in this sort of thing as some might think. Not only that, but the whole cornerning light system is wired so that the white light ONLY lights up with the turn signal if the headlights or parking lights are on, not like those half a$$ed wiring jobs on lincolns, etc which light up all the time, headlights on or off!
Cadillac lead the auto industry in the sixties and early seventies with many technical advancements that too many pepope admire bmw mercedes or lexus for "inventing". The world's first (admittedly primitive by today's standards) ABS system was on 1970 Cadillacs; in 1964 the first automatic climate control system was introduced by Cadillac. There's a long list...
Now, I wish the CTS would also have the auto parking brake pull off that my 1968 also has, It's going to be annoying getting into 3 cars that have the brake pull off and then one that doesn't, oh well, you can't have everything can you.
Have 7000 miles in 16 months. From the beginning I notice that at idol the engine sometimes shakes, maybe every 30 seconds, especially when hot. The shake is not violent, but it disturbs me. Also it shakes when you start it and shakes when you shut it off.
Is this normal?
Otherwise it is normal on the road, but MUCH noisier than my 1995 Rivera, probally 5 db worse. When you go up a hill with radio off, it is noisy in the rear end. Not a whine, just noisy, no grinding.
I have never had it to a dealer, except for a cell phone problem and a CD problem. Where the six cd's would hunt for several minutes and cause several items to reset the dash to zero, like miles per gallon. Dealer never found this problem, but it still does this.
richerry what grade of gasoline are you using? 91 as suggested by Cadillac, or a lower grade? However I will say that my '03 LuxSport does have an occasional engine shake at idle even though I always use 91 octane.
You say that going uphill the rear end is noisy but not a whine or a grind. Is it a clunking noise? Do you have anything loose in the trunk, such as loose tools in the spare tire well? I had what I thought was a rear end clunk which turned out to be bad front shocks which Cadillac replaced.
As to your CD problems, I would insist the dealer find the problem or replace the CD unit or the entire radio, or take it to another dealer. I know that my dealer would pursue the problem until it was fixed as they have done so on a previous car purchased from them.
I just traded in my 2003 CTS for a 2005 CTS with the 255 hp engine.The manual says that 87 fuel can be used but with loss of performance.On my old car I only used 93 fuel because the engine was underpowered and I needed every last horse avaiable.I am now so happy with the incresed horsepower that I can't judge loss of power with 87 fuel.Has anybody out there tried the diferent fuels and see any diference in power?Thanks.
Thanks for the response. I use 87 as that is what is called for on the 2004 CTS.
No the rear end does not clunk, just noisy when going up hill, relative to my Rivera 1995 front wheel drive. Sounds ok on a flat road at 70, but still noisy and hard to hear the radio.The Rivera was quiter at 70mph
Never tested it.The refinement of the 3.6 over the 3.2 is like night and day.With the 3.2 engine, it always sounded underpowered and felt underpowered.Now it is smooth.
I never did test drive a CTS with the 3.6, I had several reliability issues with my 03 CTS and was ready to trade. There is no way the 3.6 is more refined than the 3.2 Acura TL. If you don't believe me test drive one. As for power, below are the run times posted in the most recent issue of Motor Trends New Car Buyer's Guide: Automatic Transmissions
Golfnut I find your logic most interesting. You suggest that the reader test drive the the Acura TL to prove that it is more refined (or at least as refined) as the CTS 3.6, although you have not driven the CTS 3.6 yourself. So please tell me how you know that there is 'no way' that the CTS 3.6 is more refined than the Acura TL 3.2.
And by the way how do you define 'refined'. And what does acceleration times have to do with refined, as they are as much a product of horespower, weight, gearing and aerodynamics, as they are of 'refinement'.
Bingoman, I have a business client with a 2004 CTS 3.6 and I have ridden in his CTS. The 3.6 sounded only slightly more refined than my 3.2 CTS. Engine refinement to me means silky smooth (quiet). After having driven over 50,000 miles in my 2003 CTS I can't believe how much more refined the engine in the TL is when compared to the CTS. The TL does not shake at idle either.
The TL is a very nice car, but to me it being a FWD car puts it in a very different category than the CTS.
I have driven a 6-spd TL on several occasions and was very impressed. Great interior and very fast. My only complain is that I found it difficult to shift smoothly.
I am still looking forward to driving a CTS 3.6 with a manual.
The Honda, Cadillac and BMW sixes... there ain't a nickel's difference between them.
Once the TL has been owned for awhile (assuming it's used as sports sedan), the torque steer will become irritating. I'm not buying any more FWD cars for sporting purposes.... in the future all of those type vehicles will have proper RWD or RWD based AWD powertrains.
You do understand that your 2003 CTS had an Opel V6 with a 54 degree angle between the cylinder banks? The 3.6 liter V6 is an all new design with 60 degrees between the banks.
I agree that RWD is best for a true sporty driving experience. I am not posting here to slam the CTS I enjoyed driving mine for the two years that I owned it. I put about 35,000 miles on a car per year and normally trade every two years. I did have several reliability issues with my CTS and thought I would try something different. I am just very impressed with the TL and the value for the dollar.
You most certainly were slamming the CTS.The TL most likely is more refined but the bottom line is that as a FRD car ,it will not handle like a RWD car. Consumer Reports rated it better than the CTS and Bimmer and G35.The following month ,though, I think either Motor Trend or Car and Driver rated it behind them because of the FRD configuration.Also, the CTS is larger than all of the others and won't be as nimble, which is always the tradeoff when you have a larger car.
eaton53: I've been trying to think of a response as funny as your posting, but I can't. Just want to let you know that someone appreciates you humor and your point about comparisons.
BTW for others: I'm still perfectly happy with my 03 CTS Lux Sport 3.2 V6.
One of the A&S Caddys is definitely in my future. Which one depends on what my wife's next vehicle ends up being.... there are many candidates.
Having driven several CTS (both 3.2 & 3.6), V6 & loaded V8 SRX (the latter is an astounding ride) and V6 STS, only one thing's for sure at this point - they're all great and it's really tough to choose.
CTS Sales for December:6258. For all of 2004:57211
It seems that the $1750 rebate GM put on the CTS for Dec. really helped move more units. I think the 6258 has to be a single month record. November was barely above 4000
GM's media website has sales data back to 1999. The Eldorado sales were: 1999-15,255; 2000-13,289; 2001-9859; 2002-5661; 2003-193; 2004-7. Note that these are calendar years. They do not sort out the model years.
Although I love the STS, my budget wouldn't allow me to take it home. As for the CTS, the interior is PITIFUL!! The only way I will buy a CTS is if GM redesign the interior. Does anyone know when they will redo CTS?
CTS is due for a full refresh inside and out for 2007 model year (release early 2006)according to R&T Jan/05 issue. There's a "spy photo" that looks pretty convincing with a redesigned rear end. I couldn't post a link here, but if you Google "2007 CTS Road & Track spy shot" and you'll find a couple of links that show the picture. The official R&T website doesn't have it, but I saw it in the newsstand earlier this month. Based on the net chatter on the subject, it seems like the new design direction will be as controversial as the original CTS!
FWIW, I love the interior in my '03 LuxSport, and have had nothing but positive comments from passengers on the "futuristic" look and feel. It's a bit of a shock for those used to the standard American or Japanese "luxury" interiors, but IMHO, it suits the character of the vehicle perfectly.
I have a base 2003 CTS assembled in early 04 with 28,000 trouble free miles. I am very well pleased with its quality, interior, performance, and handling. I love the exterior, contrary to some other posts. I will probably dislike the resale value (I will not it trade in, but sell it outright).
My question is: The Transmission Fluid Life never moves off 100,000 mi. During the first few thousand miles, I thought it was just not moving due to roundoff error. But now with the mileage approaching 30k, it should be registering something. Has anyone else found a similar condition? My Oil Life indicator works fine as does all other instrumentation.
If I take it to a dealer for correction, will the instrumentation take into consideration the prior miles or will it take off from 28k (i.e. reset the counter)?
My 2003 CTS is at 72000 km (45000 mi) and is also still registering 100% on the Trans Fluid Life indicator. Seems like it doesn't work the same way as the Oil Life monitor, which I understand ticks down based on an algorithm that counts engine revolutions, adjusted for operating temperature, cold starts, etc.
FYI, the official GM "Severe Service" recommendation for changing the A/T fluid in the CTS is 50,000 miles, extended to 100,000 mi for "Normal" service (IMO this means highway driving in 70-degree weather on flat ground).So I'm going to ignore the indicator and go in around the 50k mile mark.
I am buying a Cadillac SRX I need advise, but the SRX forum is almost dead in comparison to this one. I am sorry in advance but I really need help.
I am considering a V8 SRX with AWD. Do you think an AWD on Cadillac would be as reliable as a RWD. We all know how bad the reliability of FWD gets as the vehicle age (At least I had lots of bad experience with FWD american carsm they just did not age well). I am so concerned that the AWD may not age well too, and may become a reliabilty night mare and a source of technical problems on the long run. Any ideas or experiences. For soome reason GM decided to only export AWD V8s; RWD V8 SRX are simply not available. V6 models are the only RWD option available, and only for 2005.
One interesting note, I drove tested both the V6 RWD and the V8 AWD. Surprisingly, the V6 felt more responsive and fun, is this due to the AWD being just heavier? (both cars had the magna ride option, and were similarly equiped).
Another surprise, I noted the instant fuel consumption at a cruise speed of 62 MPH, some how the V8 showed a good 8L/100 km, while the V6 showed 10L/100!!! This I did not expect.
Sorry again for the offtopic, please save your flames and just ignore this if you can't help ( I did post on the SRX forum, but it is practically dead).
On my 2003 CTS the transmission fluid life span never changed.I assumed that since it was good for 100k miles that it didn't have to.On my 2005 CTS ,the transmision left 100 to 99 at 1000k miles.My advice to you is ignore it.
tmacguy - congrats on your purchase. I was also originally looking at getting a V6 SRX but ended up buying a V8 AWD model instead. Now 14K miles later, it still runs great exactly like the day we got it. A smile on my face every time I drive it. Enjoy -
I took delivery of the SRX V8 AWD yesterday. WOOOOOOOwwwww is all that I can say. I am 43 years old and never felt that impressed with a car as this one in my life, not even my '03 CTS I bought some 2 years ago. Maybe because it is a SUV I expected a SUV ride, but the SRX ride is not what I expected, nothing prepared me to the buity and feel of this car. I can't stop driving this car, so smooth, so quite and so solid. Even my CTS had some plastic squeeks since day 1, but not this SRX. And the bigest surprise of all.... the door slams so simply and so quitly. My brother had to reclose 3 times thinking that the door did not shut, but it did, not a single US car ever acheived this.
My brother drives '03 MB ML5.5 AMG (yes for sure) and while he did not step on the gas (not with under 30 Mi on the odo) he told me it drove smoother and quiter than the MB and it felt as responsive (at partial throtles).
Do you think the SRX will ever have a chance against the 340HP AMG. MT shows the SRX AWD blowing the doors off all SUV that came its way in a recent online comparo. But MT pitted an ML 5, not ML 5.5 AMG.
Nonotheless, I am having a big smile while driving and I am turning heads where ever I go, THeSRX is still a pretty rare seen on Saudi streets, so peeople do look on it.
Thanks pbeers, I see why you are having this smile after 14k. And so glad I bought the V8, i would have been wishing i did every second I would have been behind the v6.
Sorry guys for such long non CTS topic, but the forum is too slow now and I do own a CTS, so I am a club member too.
I have an 04 CTS with the gray colored bezel. I want to have it replaced with the body colored bezel. Is it mandatory that they replace it or does it vary by dealership because my local dealership refuses to replace it? Suggestions?? Comments???? Thanks!!!
My selling dealer wouldnt swap it . I went to another dealer (closer) . Took the service manager 2 seconds to see it had interior moisture and said it needed to be replaced . Needless to say I have found my new Cadillac dealer .
Glad to hear it tmacguy - what you said is EXACTLY how I felt after driving the V8. It's just a great vehicle, with a very solid feel about it (the doors do have a bank vault feel, don't they?). The new Northstar DOHC V8 is a great engine, extremely smooth at any RPM. Cadillac did a great job with the SRX.
p.s. apologies to the regular forum for the non-CTS post - it is still the Sigma chassis, right?
Just to follow up on my post at the start of winter, I wanted to say that the snow tires (Blizzak WS50s) made a *big* difference this winter over last year using the original all-weathers. It's not a perfect comparison, since this winter has been milder than last, but I've only had two instances where I had material loss of traction (and one of those was during that intense snow storm a few weekends back) compared to numerous traction problems last year.
A reporter would like to interview someone who recently bought a large sedan such as a Mercedes E-Class, Lexus LS 430, Mercury Crown Victoria or any large Cadillac or Lincoln.
Please send your daytime contact info to jfallon@edmunds.com by Friday, February 11, 2005.
Haven't been back here for more than a year, about six months left on a three year lease of an '03 CTS LuxSport, with about 44k miles. Really have enjoyed the car, very little trouble, everything works. But I want to swap cars with my wife off and on for a few months to keep the CTS within the 50K warranty before I turn it in, and had trouble getting her to drive the CTS because of what she considers excessively heavy steering, especially at slow speeds. I've complained about to my dealer a few times to no avail, once being told it was due to low tire pressure. A search here reveals a number of you agree that the steering is "artificially" heavy, especially on the '03, and a Caddy service writer once admitted that I was not alone in my complaint, that he had heard the same thing from other CTS owners.
Now for the interesting part.
The other day I started getting a message (on the radio message center) whenever I would start up the car, "Service Steering Sys." I took the car in and again complained about the heavy steering, in addition to the message. The fix on the service message was to replace a solenoid in the power steering. I don't know if there is more than one, or what it does, but, lo and behold, the steering is much, much improved, so much so that I now have no trouble getting my wife to swap cars. I suspect the solenoid activates the variable PS at slow speeds, and perhaps the specs on newer cars, and on replacement solenoids, are different. I don't know, just a guess.
In any event, I thought I would mention it for what it may be worth, in case anyone else is having a similar problem.
Comments
Gee - where have we heard this before? Caddy dealers are not much different than Lincoln dealers regarding manuals. I hope it doesn't get dropped (in the regular CTS) like the LS.
Cadillac lead the auto industry in the sixties and early seventies with many technical advancements that too many pepope admire bmw mercedes or lexus for "inventing". The world's first (admittedly primitive by today's standards) ABS system was on 1970 Cadillacs; in 1964 the first automatic climate control system was introduced by Cadillac. There's a long list...
Now, I wish the CTS would also have the auto parking brake pull off that my 1968 also has, It's going to be annoying getting into 3 cars that have the brake pull off and then one that doesn't, oh well, you can't have everything can you.
Is this normal?
Otherwise it is normal on the road, but MUCH noisier than my 1995 Rivera, probally 5 db worse. When you go up a hill with radio off, it is noisy in the rear end. Not a whine, just noisy, no grinding.
I have never had it to a dealer, except for a cell phone problem and a CD problem. Where the six cd's would hunt for several minutes and cause several items to reset the dash to zero, like miles per gallon. Dealer never found this problem, but it still does this.
Ray
You say that going uphill the rear end is noisy but not a whine or a grind. Is it a clunking noise? Do you have anything loose in the trunk, such as loose tools in the spare tire well? I had what I thought was a rear end clunk which turned out to be bad front shocks which Cadillac replaced.
As to your CD problems, I would insist the dealer find the problem or replace the CD unit or the entire radio, or take it to another dealer. I know that my dealer would pursue the problem until it was fixed as they have done so on a previous car purchased from them.
P.S. An idol is an effigy or a statue of a god.
No the rear end does not clunk, just noisy when going up hill, relative to my Rivera 1995 front wheel drive. Sounds ok on a flat road at 70, but still noisy and hard to hear the radio.The Rivera was quiter at 70mph
Ray
Acceleration, sec to mph
0-30 (TL 2.3 sec) (CTS 2.3 sec)
0-60 (TL 6.3 sec) (CTS 6.6 sec)
0-100 (TL 17.3 sec) (CTS 19.4 sec)
And by the way how do you define 'refined'. And what does acceleration times have to do with refined, as they are as much a product of horespower, weight, gearing and aerodynamics, as they are of 'refinement'.
I have driven a 6-spd TL on several occasions and was very impressed. Great interior and very fast. My only complain is that I found it difficult to shift smoothly.
I am still looking forward to driving a CTS 3.6 with a manual.
Once the TL has been owned for awhile (assuming it's used as sports sedan), the torque steer will become irritating. I'm not buying any more FWD cars for sporting purposes.... in the future all of those type vehicles will have proper RWD or RWD based AWD powertrains.
Yes, but they rated the Proctor-Silex Toaster Oven higher than all of them....
BTW for others: I'm still perfectly happy with my 03 CTS Lux Sport 3.2 V6.
One of the A&S Caddys is definitely in my future. Which one depends on what my wife's next vehicle ends up being.... there are many candidates.
Having driven several CTS (both 3.2 & 3.6), V6 & loaded V8 SRX (the latter is an astounding ride) and V6 STS, only one thing's for sure at this point - they're all great and it's really tough to choose.
It seems that the $1750 rebate GM put on the CTS for Dec. really helped move more units. I think the 6258 has to be a single month record. November was barely above 4000
Just bought a 2005 CTS with the 1SC "kitchen sink" option package and NAV system. so far, so good.
<hunts on ebay>
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1- &item=7947545246&category=33640
FWIW, I love the interior in my '03 LuxSport, and have had nothing but positive comments from passengers on the "futuristic" look and feel. It's a bit of a shock for those used to the standard American or Japanese "luxury" interiors, but IMHO, it suits the character of the vehicle perfectly.
My question is: The Transmission Fluid Life never moves off 100,000 mi. During the first few thousand miles, I thought it was just not moving due to roundoff error. But now with the mileage approaching 30k, it should be registering something. Has anyone else found a similar condition? My Oil Life indicator works fine as does all other instrumentation.
If I take it to a dealer for correction, will the instrumentation take into consideration the prior miles or will it take off from 28k (i.e. reset the counter)?
FYI, the official GM "Severe Service" recommendation for changing the A/T fluid in the CTS is 50,000 miles, extended to 100,000 mi for "Normal" service (IMO this means highway driving in 70-degree weather on flat ground).So I'm going to ignore the indicator and go in around the 50k mile mark.
I am considering a V8 SRX with AWD. Do you think an AWD on Cadillac would be as reliable as a RWD. We all know how bad the reliability of FWD gets as the vehicle age (At least I had lots of bad experience with FWD american carsm they just did not age well). I am so concerned that the AWD may not age well too, and may become a reliabilty night mare and a source of technical problems on the long run. Any ideas or experiences. For soome reason GM decided to only export AWD V8s; RWD V8 SRX are simply not available. V6 models are the only RWD option available, and only for 2005.
One interesting note, I drove tested both the V6 RWD and the V8 AWD. Surprisingly, the V6 felt more responsive and fun, is this due to the AWD being just heavier? (both cars had the magna ride option, and were similarly equiped).
Another surprise, I noted the instant fuel consumption at a cruise speed of 62 MPH, some how the V8 showed a good 8L/100 km, while the V6 showed 10L/100!!! This I did not expect.
Sorry again for the offtopic, please save your flames and just ignore this if you can't help ( I did post on the SRX forum, but it is practically dead).
Thanks
My brother drives '03 MB ML5.5 AMG (yes for sure) and while he did not step on the gas (not with under 30 Mi on the odo) he told me it drove smoother and quiter than the MB and it felt as responsive (at partial throtles).
Do you think the SRX will ever have a chance against the 340HP AMG. MT shows the SRX AWD blowing the doors off all SUV that came its way in a recent online comparo. But MT pitted an ML 5, not ML 5.5 AMG.
Nonotheless, I am having a big smile while driving and I am turning heads where ever I go, THeSRX is still a pretty rare seen on Saudi streets, so peeople do look on it.
Thanks pbeers, I see why you are having this smile after 14k. And so glad I bought the V8, i would have been wishing i did every second I would have been behind the v6.
Sorry guys for such long non CTS topic, but the forum is too slow now and I do own a CTS, so I am a club member too.
Cheers
p.s. apologies to the regular forum for the non-CTS post - it is still the Sigma chassis, right?
Please send your daytime contact info to jfallon@edmunds.com by Friday, February 11, 2005.
Now for the interesting part.
The other day I started getting a message (on the radio message center) whenever I would start up the car, "Service Steering Sys." I took the car in and again complained about the heavy steering, in addition to the message. The fix on the service message was to replace a solenoid in the power steering. I don't know if there is more than one, or what it does, but, lo and behold, the steering is much, much improved, so much so that I now have no trouble getting my wife to swap cars. I suspect the solenoid activates the variable PS at slow speeds, and perhaps the specs on newer cars, and on replacement solenoids, are different. I don't know, just a guess.
In any event, I thought I would mention it for what it may be worth, in case anyone else is having a similar problem.