Cadillac Owners Forum banner

who has a high mileage DTS?

29K views 54 replies 29 participants last post by  ELDORADO2K 
#1 ·
My 2008 just turned hit 124,000 miles. I have replaced brakes, front wheel bearings, transmission rebuild (due to blown hose connection), water pump and headlights. I was wondering how long I can expect to keep the car and what kind of maintenance I can expect in the future.
 
#7 ·
I had a 07 with 154k and had routine maintenance. MRC front struts went out around 60k. Car had a slight oil leak around 90k that I never fixed. Heated seats went out and I never fixed those. Never had a problem with the trans but did change the fluid at 100k. Car had original water pump and still ran strong when I got rid of it. All in all a pretty reliable car. I replaced the 07 with a low mileage 08 base that I couldn't pass up for the price.

383 LT1 SS
 
#17 ·
I drive 63 miles each way to work. I can get 25 mpg if I stay at 65 mph, no idling or city driving.

However 40 miles each way is on an Interstate with a 75 mph speed limit so that 65 mph thing goes right out the window....:) But it will still give me 22 - 23 mpg in the summer and will drop to 20 - 21 mpg in the winter due to increased rolling resistance and using the remote start. Excessive idling and city driving will drop it to 17 - 18 in a hurry.

I currently have 148,000 miles on the car and could not be happier. Bought it with 93,000 showing 21 months ago. New struts, shocks, battery, tires, wheel bearings, brake pads, rotors, water pump and crossover gaskets. Also repaired the heated-cooled seat connector issue. That's it. I don't consider that bad at all and it was quite apparent that the previous owner did nothing to the poor thing other than drive it......I bought it right as a result and so could afford to put everything back up to standard.

Why would anyone want anything else for a long ride to work and back every day.....

So yes, I believe both of the statements made regarding fuel mileage and total miles on the vehicle.
 
#19 ·
'07 with 186K. Water pump, couple of electrical hiccups, routine stuff, and the timing chains(!) at 170K. I was going to get rid of the car when the chains were bad, but the repair person said not to, because it was running with broken chain guides (just rattling a little, and my mileage had dropped to 16 something) so it must be the Blues mobile or other magical car. So I had all three replaced. Glad I did.
 
#20 ·
06 with 405,000 miles, original engine. Replaced struts/shocks, water pump, wheel bearings, lots of brake pads and tires. Switched to cryo-treated race rotors which all but eliminated rotor warping. trans and timing chain stuff at 240k, alternator at 260k, belt tension pulleys. Belts every 150k. Steering rack leak 207k. I flush brake fluid and power steering fluid every 2 years, change trans oil every 30k, full synthetic engine oil with Camguard added every oil change (reduced wear and keeps seals supple). Usually when a part was needing replaced, the problem gradually became worse until I replaced it. Such a supremely comfy car (the traveling couch) and it never left me stranded. Changed coolant every 3 years (since you can only replace part of it). Sounds like a lot, but typically just a few repairs to do every couple years during the cars life. I consider these wear items, and think the car is very reliable. Mechanical devices wear out. Occasionally, and often during the winter, I believe you should spray out the fender wells with a high pressure hose. Toward the bottom of each one, debris builds up behind the plastic liner and the wheel well. You have to spray the water under the plastic liner, but it is surprising all the gunk, sand, and rust causing sludge that comes out.
 
#22 ·
I don't remember the brand. Price usually correlates to quality. You can also buy a good set of rotors, then fed-ex them for a cryogenic treatment at one of several shops. They submerge them in liquid nitrogen, and when the rotors approach absolute zero (still a ways off of course) the physical properties of the steel change, and the internal stresses of manufacturing relax. During thermal cycles (using the brakes), the ordinary rotors will warp in the direction of the built in stresses. As you know the factory rotors warp very quickly. It is also claimed that cryo treated rotors resist brake pad wear better, but I honestly don't know. They had over 225k miles on them and I turned them at 100k, then at 200k, just to smooth them out during a pad change. If you plan on keeping the car for a long time, I think it will save you a lot of money and aggravation. I use the factory pads because I think a car like the DTS feels right with smooth, quiet (read soft) pads. There are probably good or better alternatives, but I just played it safe and used OEM.
 
#23 ·
Quite a bit of misinformation they fed you. Good marketing department.

Rotors are cast iron. They cannot and do not "warp". Brake shimmy is caused by either excess lateral runnout, or thickness variation.

The price of rotors does not typically indicate the quality of the metal, it indicates the quality of machining. Some manufacturers even list the tolerances of each of their teirs of products. A rotor that's less accurately machined can rub very slightly on the pads with every rotation. That will eventually lead to thickness variation and shimmy. A rotor that doesn't spin perfectly true on the hub will do the same thing.

Want perfectly straight rotors for not too much money? Buy inexpensive rotors from an established company, go on Hunters website and find a local shop that has the correct equipment and training to do an on car rotor matching service.
 
#24 ·
Yes I mispoke, I meant iron instead of steel. I apologize for that. I am always open to new ideas and gaining accurate info. My statement was based on years of experience using cryo treated rotors after dealing with frequent shimmy. Once I switched, the rotors seem to last indefinitely, and the shimmy doesnt come back. Whether its relieving the stresses and micro structure, or whether its black magic, it makes no difference to me. I like the results.

I found this on my Google machine. You can no doubt find articles that support your opinions too. :elvis1:

http://www.tomorrowstechnician.com/undercover-putting-brake-rotors-under-the-microscope/
 
#25 ·
I replaced the engine January 2016 on my 2007 DTS(original owner) 210,000 miles. Just two months earlier I spent $1,500 to repair the two infamous nuisance oil leaks, $1,600 on headlights, and $600 new struts all around. My entire family adores this car more than any other car we've ever owned and this includes my college age kids. December 2015, while driving home after vacation 1,000 mile drive, I noticed that the car was driving perfect, suspension was FANTASTIC, 26 MPG, and great acceleration when punching it. It drove like it did when new. On a side note. I work in a field referred to as Reliability Engineering. I have always been a person to have ALL fluids thoroughly flushed and replaced in my vehicles by the dealer's service group every 3-4 years except oil changes which I did myself. This approach has served me well regarding car life. I went to do an oil change upon return from the long trip early Jan 2016. I was crushed to see signs of some sort of engine wear in the oil. I drove to the dealer and as I was pulling in I could hear / feel a lower bearing undergoing a catastrophic failure. They confirmed and we discussed a new GM engine replacement all total $7,500 (with 3 yr warranty I think). The dealer found two salvage engines one with 5,000 miles (two year warranty) and other 60,000 mile (one year warranty). I had them install the 60,000 engine $3,800 total ($2,500 engine with all misc gaskets and parts and $1,300 labor). This price also included replacing gaskets to prevent the oil leaks that I had just repaired on the original three months earlier. Obviously, I trusted my service people. I've been driving the car for 5 weeks now. So far, drives like new again. However, the highway mileage is not as good as original 23 vs 26MPG. BTW - It should not be lost how much of an improvement in handling and smoothness the new struts returned to this car - best money I've ever spent on suspension parts. I hope to have this car another 100,000+. I hope this helped.
 
#26 ·
Regarding your mileage, do you have any error codes? I think a factor may be partially clogged fuel injectors that have a compromised spray pattern. This might not throw a code, but can impact the gas mileage. A couple dirty ones require longer pulse times and this uses more fuel. Old weary O2 sensors can also be a factor. The engine needs fast accurate feedback on the exhaust gasses to maintain efficiency.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top