Thanks Jerel but this took place over a year ago last winter. Like two february's ago. I'm in Ellicott City. I'm sure you can figure out the dealer from that. I don't care to talk to them anymore, ever again for that matter. I won't even take my car in for a key ring recall they keep pestering me about. So I'm just letting the washer water heater sensor keep going off rather than take it to them to fix from what someone here said was a recall. It took me several months to figure out the steering YANK to the left or right whenever it felt like it, car steering had a wobble too. Kind of like tank slapping on a cafe racer bike on the road at 140 when it begins to wobble back and forth uncontrollably once you got it started and let go the steering wheel. It was crazy. Never have seen something like that on a car. Motorcycle yes, but not a car. Dealer actually said to me, "I think it's dangerous to drive," when discussing the wobble. Yet they tried fixing the problem and didn't. He said I needed new strut mounts. I got them put in at Merchant tire and it didnt fix the problem. So merchant then went for a drive in it and said, "That's all front end alignment." They said the camber was SO off it was causing it. They told me that there was NO WAY the dealer could have aligned the car with the original camber bolts from factory still in as they were splined and would not move. They had to buy me two new camber bolts that are adjustable at $60 plus labor and alignment fee.
So to take it back to that dealer? After spending over $5400 on the car in repairs since buying it from that dealer in 2010 and everything that continues to break on it, I'm going to be honest with you Jerel, this will be the last GM car I ever purchase in my life. I'm done. I blew $17K on a shiny sleek looking clunker with 72K miles on it. Thought I was getting a nice used cadillac but I should have known better when they had to pull the entire motor out to put a brand new engine seal on it from all the oil it was leaking and the power steering rack that was leaking day one. Thank GOD it was under warranty for five more days when I had it done. I wouldn't take the car till they put new tires on it. Car shook going down the road on test drive. I drove it a few days later for like 30 minutes as the sales guy said it was flat spots on the tire from sitting in the lot. Didn't fix the problem. After all that front end yanking ordeal, I no longer trust the dealer, the salesman that I knew as a friend seeing him for years in night clubs, we talk all the time but at this point, I realize, the car had problems, and he sold me the car to make his living. Hearing what Merchant said, after I blew another $100 or so on an alignment and two adjustable camber bolts at $60 bucks, I made the decision that I had enough. They never aligned it according to Merchant's mechanic and Manager and fact is the Dealer said I needed new shock mount/boots at the top to fix it as well. After Merchant put those in, two brand new moogs, it didn't stop. Thus why I went back to Merchant and told them it was still doing it. Basically I was just putting all new parts on per suggestion of the dealer as to what it was after they said they aligned it and it was still yanking off the road at random. When Merchant did the shock mounts, it didn't fix it at first. Thats' why they said upon driving it when I took it back, the guy said in a few seconds of driving it with me in the passenger seat, "That's all front end alignment!" When I told him I didn't believe him, and that I just came from the dealer a few weeks earlier, he swore it was. After they aligned it, the problem was gone. Two camber bolts. That's all it was. To think the dealer aligned it and their alignment guy did not align the camber! That said to me they didn't align it. As Merchant said, without adjusting the camber, there was no way they could have aligned it. But I got charged like $125 for it from the dealer for an alignment. So at this point, I no longer trust that dealer ever again and with constant problems with the car, I chalk it up to being a UAW GM. Sorry but that's how I feel about it now. I just put in two new bulbs, two new ballasts and now I'm finding it's probably the switch in the dash. Warning lights go on and then go away. Sometimes hitting a bump, the warning light for service traction control, service ABS, service brakes, mind you, right after I put all new brakes on it. Hit a bump again, light goes out for weeks.
I paid $125 two days after I got it to have it inspected at a place called Catonsville Auto Clinic. Turns out there was some minor stuff wrong with it. One was a rear passenger brake caliper was leaking brake fluid. Mechanic there said, "There was no way this car should have passed Maryland Dealer inspection with this caliper leaking the way it is. I took it back to them and had them fix it. That was when they took it in on the last day of the warranty to pull the motor. The good news is, I saw the interior of the motor and it was spotless clean inside. And a trans shop that looked at the front end shaking a few months back told me that the trans was in mint new condition when they opened it. So the engine and trans are fine.
Needless to say, once I can get it fixed and save the dough, I'm unloading it to an unsuspecting person. At a huge loss I'm sure. Hopefully the demon in it will leave once I let it go. 77 Olds Cutlass, 78 Delta 88, 85 Olds Delta 88, 90 Cadillac Deville, a 92 Corvette lemon, won a new 93 Corvette repaint, then won a new 94 corvette to fix the other two that was actually was what I paid for, still sitting in my garage with 23K miles on it, and now a 2006 DTS. My father born in 1926 swore by Olds and GM. He had over 30 in his lifetime selling them every two years and buying new. My olds ran like a watch. But my 90 Cadillac, broke a lot. Now the DTS, nothing but constant repairs. It's shoddy parts and equipment. Once the lights are fixed, I now have to tackle the Air Conditioning problem that just went up on me a week ago. Thank GOD I got heat for this winter.
P.S. You don't want me to post the list of broken parts I've had to replace with repair costs. I'm at $5400 before the ballasts went up and that's with me doing all the work, that's $5400 in just parts. It's a long list of big expensive parts. Radiator, power steering rack, control arms, fuel modules, high pressure hoses, engine mounts, you name it. Add my car payment that I use to pay before I paid it off in May and I'm was looking at $373/month plus an extra $100/month for all the repairs when I divided up the cost over six years. So I basically paid $473/month for a 4 year old Cadillac with 72K miles on it. For that kind of money I could have bought a new car from another company and had no problems.
It is what it is Jerel. When Merchant told me the dealer never aligned it a few weeks later, I asked them to put it in writing so I could go back to the dealer and ask for a refund. They said they would not get involved in customer's legal issues. Otherwise, I would have asked for the $125 alignment fee back. The main thing is, once Merchant did the camber alignment, the speed wobble and the yanking of the car off the road stopped. It was safe to drive after Merchant worked on it. And to save an argument between Merchant's word for it and the dealer, I ate the $125 they charged for the alignment and figured I got two new strut mounts.
If the motor goes or trans, I'm junking it. Wasn't worth the grand to fix the timing chain on the non interference motor in they 90 deville. That's why I bought this car. Now I'm thinking that grand would have prevented me from being out $23K in six years. It is what it is.
I know it's a rant, but if you see the repair list and the cost to me, you realize I'm fed up with GM. I'm just done. I'd never blow $45K on a new CTS. When I get rid of it, I'm switching brands.
P.S. I'm sure you'll see me on her in a few weeks asking for help with another serious cost repair.