My First Service with V, Mahwah Cadillac for Warranty/Maintenance Stuff

[FactoryFast]

Hey guys, bought my 2005 V in October and took it in for its first service today. I had a hard time finding the service area, and then getting an attendant. Twenty minutes into waiting a tech asked me if I was being helped and answered rather impolitely. My voice carries extrememly well and I use the F word generously when im agitated. Im a pretty laid back guy but I hate to wait and Ive never had good luck with the dealerships...only battles. Anyway as soon as I went from patient to Brooklyn attitude Thats when i got the grease and it all turned around...sorta.

Jim, the Service Manager came out of his office and began to help me until the other Jim (writer) could take over. In fairness it looks like I came in when they had some stuff going on. The service manager put the blame on himself and expalined how i should come in the next time. Done.

Sitting down with Jim the service writer was all right. Very cool dude with a good knowledge set. I had a plethora of issues which Ill list righy now.


FactoryFasts List of Issues:
*denotes acceptance of financial liability

1. Whine between 57-59mph in rear while going up hill is now audible to passengers without a tuned ear to the car.

2. Whine from front of car while free revving or turning.

3. After spriited driving smoke is comming from motor behind firewall. Smells like oil.

4. Nav Buttons Faded
5. 1-2 Driver selector button on driver door is faded.
6. Ring around shifter is faded*

7. Rear bumper appears unsecured.

8. Front lower rubber strip is hanging from my dumb ass in the snow.*

9. 30K Service*

10. Brakes*

11. Vibration when shutting down the vehicle.

12. Car hates going into reverse

13. Car sound like 3 stooges on decel at low speed (woob woob woob woob woob)

So after making sure he had it all on the list, Jim grabs the "new tech" Mike to go out with me for a diagnostic drive. Mike is a seasoned Cadillac Tech with over 20 years experience....and he knows all about the V. I explained to him that I know cars and what I do for a living so im haring all these damn noises and want to make sure they are normal or not. Attempting to reproduce the mushroom cloud of smoke i witnessed over a month ago, I drove it over 4K RPMS and held out all the gears. Damn I was missing out on alot.

According to Mike the follwing is apparent from the test drive:

#2 and #13 on my list are normal operational noises.

#1 is the differential....which he will replace.

#3 was great. I was holding out the gears on our drive to heat her up. When we pulled into the bay the car was smoking the perfect amount for everyone to have that WTF?!?! look on thier faces. Hes gonna look into that one...but he smelled the oil like I did.

From his perspective at that point it was looking like ill need Rotors and pads...boooo!

All the rest is not as important but I made it clear i want the above issues resolved before I take the car back. I really needed that ride with Mike to set my mind at ease. His knowledge set was staggering which makes me very comfortable leaving it in his hands.

Expecting a Cadillac loaner and getting a Chevy Cobalt definitely sucked but I understand them being a new dealership and all things like that will be ironed out once Enterprise begins to stock more Cadillacs for them. Ill be upgraded to either a Caddy or a Hummer when they get one. In the mean time that Cobalt is in for a world of hurt....theres already enough lettuce to feed a platoon of rabbits on the floor....and some cheese sauce as well...

Ill keep everyone updated but today I can honestly say that I will NEVER EVER AGAIN buy a Volkswagen or and Audi product. My first impression at Cadillac Service has been amazing and I really feel like they are doing thier best to cater to me as individual. Now lets see how much those damn brakes are gonna cost me

[CTSV_510]

Good to hear that you had a good experience so far, I have always been treated extremely well when bringin my car in for service.

4,5,6,7,11,12 - The buttons wear over time, my rear bumper feels loose if I push it up, and reverse gets pissy at times.

All fairly common issues without real long-term solutions. Welcome to the club.

[FactoryFast]

Im glad to be a part of this car and the community.

After lurking around foir the last few months im gonna go for Platinum Supporter status after the dust clears from the holidays. I have recived great info on this forum and I feel that the car is a keeper despite its shortcommings.

Im considering all kinds of power mods at this time. Nitrous intrigues me because Ive never done it or experienced it. I have done big turbos and two centrifugal superchargers. Given the transmission on this car, turbo looks to be a bad deal for a DD. Im not even sure the S/C is a good idea...then again how the heck can I justify nitrous as a good idea??? No way im paying full price for the Maggie...bottom line is that I need a ride in a maggied V.

[rand49er]

FF, as a midwesterner who's as GM-biased as they come, I'm gonna enjoy your fresh viewpoint on this forum. Love how you retold your encounter with the dealer. This is gonna be fun.

[c4ss]

I've heard good things about the Cadillac Dealer in Mahwah from a few guys on here. Might have to check it out. I currently go to Clairmont over in West Caldwell simply for convenience. They really are ball busters over at Clairmont and told me my whining rear end was "totally normal". Luckily a trip to Lindsay over the holiday took care of all that. We really all need a NJ meet though, that's for sure. Good luck.


-Matt

[shadybx7]

Originally Posted by c4ss

We really all need a NJ meet though

+1

Don't mean to but has anyone heard any good things about Brogan Cadillac in Totowa on Rt46E.. I have Searched the FAQ but haven't found any reliable reviews..

FF, let us know how your visit turns out because i have to get some warranty work done before March.

[Claimslngr]

Welcome! As for #3 have them check your rear main seal.

[axnjxn]

from one new member to another, welcome aboard! hope your enjoying the new ride like i am. i'm gonna bring mine in soon for the 30K maintenance check... do u remember how much that ran you?

[spedaleden]

Expecting a Cadillac loaner and getting a Chevy Cobalt definitely sucked but I understand them being a new dealership and all things like that will be ironed out once Enterprise begins to stock more Cadillacs for them. Ill be upgraded to either a Caddy or a Hummer when they get one. In the mean time that Cobalt is in for a world of hurt....theres already enough lettuce to feed a platoon of rabbits on the floor....and some cheese sauce as well...




I love the cheese sauce

[the cadillac kid]

I swear by Brogan Cadillac on 46-E.

[FactoryFast]

Gotta love the KFC Ultimate Cheese snacker...messy and delicious.

So, I got the call from Jim today...and i was expecting the ludacris pricing. So ill throw out the bad news first. Im going off memory, ill update to exact pricing when i get home:

30K svc = $799
-synthetic oil change
-engine douche
-Trans fluid douche and fill
- Air Intake Filter
- check all systems
- Tire Rotation
- Coolant Flush and Fill

I need new rotors and pads. Quoted just short of $1000 for resurfacing and pads with brake flush. Im not a fan of resurfacing and inquired about the cross drilled rotor option. Im pretty sure he told me $1400 for JUST THE ROTORS!!! LMFAO. Ill get the brakes done somwhere else...maybe ill have em do the fluid and have a friend bang out the rotors and pads. I found rotors on ebay for pretty cheap but they arent OEM so ill have to do some research in the next few weeks before I bite the bullet.

Power steering Flush 165
repair clips in rear bumper 165
cabin filter $125

The source of the burning oil is actually fluid comming from the transmission and hitting the exhaust. They will make the repair and im getting the fluid completely changed out.

They will replace all plastics under warranty. So i gets the new Nav.

Confirmed that im getting the new differential.

The Power Steering flush may help with my free revving noise....so will a Corsa...

They are looking into the vibration upon shutdown.

The front of my car apparently needs a body shop. I got a good place by me that ill use after this hit.


So im letting them do everything but the brakes and the front bumper. IMO the prices are ludacris but ill have the piece of mind that my car had a thorough run through of all its parts and systems by Cadillac. Also ill be developing a good relationship with them as I eagerly await the release of the CTS Coupe. I should get top trade in for a dealer serviced vehicle.

[axnjxn]

dang man your scaring me! i'm thinking of doing the 30K mile check somewhere else and anything they find wrong w/ it i'll take to the dealer to have fixed under warranty. $800 for a 30K check?? are these average prices?? i wonder what the 60K and 90K checks are. So your getting a new navi? or new buttons? how did you manage to get a new navi out of worn out buttons lol. congrats anyhow. and congrats on the rear diff too. hopefully i can get mine replaced under warranty as well.

[FactoryFast]

It all comes down to the name: Cadillac.

Im paying for the name and so far the treatment is almost worth the premium cost of the service. Personally, Ill spare no expense when it comes to the proper operation of my vehicle. I dont wanna get robbed either but being im not the original owner so IMO it makes sense to bring it in to Caddy for a solid once over. Hell, if they quoted me $1400 for the whole cross drilled brake job I would go ahead with that. Saving a few hundred dollars is not worth the potential aggrivation of a hack mechanic doing a hack job. I cant imagine too many people know all about the systems in this car and could give it a fair shakedown. So far these guys are knocking out my issues without any aggrivation except banging me for a few hundred more than the local repair shop.

axnjxn, it looks like the service im recieving is a 30,000 mile incremental service, meaning every 30K is gonna run $800 to keep up the car to the Cadillac maintenance standard. Whatever that means...ill let you know when it get it back. As far as the Navi goes ive seen people just replacing the buttons but it looks like the dealer just swaps out the whole unit with this complaint. The bottom line is that im easily getting $5000 in maintenance and repairs for just over a thousand dollars.

Ill take it.

[OzarksHillbilly]

I don't understand why you gleefully boast of trashing the dealer's loaner car, even if it is a lowly Cobalt. Shouldn't respectful treatment be a two-way deal?

[darkman]

Originally Posted by FactoryFast

It all comes down to the name: Cadillac.

Im paying for the name and so far the treatment is almost worth the premium cost of the service. Personally, Ill spare no expense when it comes to the proper operation of my vehicle. I dont wanna get robbed either but being im not the original owner so IMO it makes sense to bring it in to Caddy for a solid once over. Hell, if they quoted me $1400 for the whole cross drilled brake job I would go ahead with that. Saving a few hundred dollars is not worth the potential aggrivation of a hack mechanic doing a hack job. I cant imagine too many people know all about the systems in this car and could give it a fair shakedown. So far these guys are knocking out my issues without any aggrivation except banging me for a few hundred more than the local repair shop.

axnjxn, it looks like the service im recieving is a 30,000 mile incremental service, meaning every 30K is gonna run $800 to keep up the car to the Cadillac maintenance standard. Whatever that means...ill let you know when it get it back. As far as the Navi goes ive seen people just replacing the buttons but it looks like the dealer just swaps out the whole unit with this complaint. The bottom line is that im easily getting $5000 in maintenance and repairs for just over a thousand dollars.

Ill take it.

I agree with your approach to maintaining a good relatiohship with the dealer. I let my dealer do almost all of my wrench work including the installation of aftermarket parts. In return I get better treatment when it comes to warranty issues and no hassle about the mods that the dealer has pre-approved and installed. Incidentally, the $1,400 figure for brakes is roughly equal to the MRSP for the parts including 4 factory rotors and 4 sets of pads.