I got my Blue Chip CTS in December. My first GM car, and it was definitely worth the wait. I absolutely loved driving it. And yes, that is the past tense. Three weeks ago, a 91-year-old ran a red light, and I ran into her (my first accident, and I was glad to have had so much car in front of me). Everyone was fine, and although most of the damage was to her car, my CTS suffered front end damage. Took it straight to the collision center at the dealer where I got the car. At first I was told it would be 10 days to 2 weeks. When I expressed my concern that it would take longer since it took so long to get my car in the first place, they said no problem. Well, now I've been told it is a problem, and they don't know when they can get some of the parts from Cadillac needed to repair it. "It could be tomorrow, it could be more than 2 months from now." So I'm paying for a car that I don't have, my initial period of XM Radio and OnStar phone minutes are expiring in a few days, and I'm driving a Nissan Maxima which my insurance company will cover for only few more days, and the other driver's insurance company doesn't want to spend the daily rental fee for. I am very frustrated, and honestly, kind of depressed. Any advice?

My wife wrecked her new 08 Infinity G37 coupe 5 weeks ago and the repair is still 2-3 weeks out. This is the first year for this car also. It sucks to be making a payment on a car you are without for 6-8 weeks..... but I dont know any options. Her accident was her fault (rear ended a car) 13K in damage on the Infinity. What reallly is bad the car only has 2000 miles on it. Good luck and maybe you will get it back quickly.

Well, you start with the dealer (Your entrance into the company). Not the service writer.....you need to get to at least the General Manager. If the owner is an active participant, you need to talk to him.
He needs to:
1- Try and get the parts. He will probably fail. ALL parts are going to the assembly line. Manufacturing has priority over support, every time.
2- Put you into an appropriate loaner for the duration.
3- Tell you how to proceed up the ladder in GM.

Now they will say it is not their fault......but that is a red herring. Of course it is their problem. But assuming that you get nowhere, then escalate it.
Cadillac Customer Assistance Center
P. O. Box 33169
Detroit, MI 48232-5169

Phone: 1-800-333-4CAD


And if you run into a roadblock there, 313-556-5000 and ask for Rick Wagoner. :lildevil:


Think about what it is that you want before you start talking to people.


Stay cool. But firm.


Your post here strikes the exact proper tone.

Well, you start with the dealer (Your entrance into the company). Not the service writer.....you need to get to at least the General Manager. If the owner is an active participant, you need to talk to him.
He needs to:
1- Try and get the parts. He will probably fail. ALL parts are going to the assembly line. Manufacturing has priority over support, every time.
2- Put you into an appropriate loaner for the duration.
3- Tell you how to proceed up the ladder in GM.

Now they will say it is not their fault......but that is a red herring. Of course it is their problem. But assuming that you get nowhere, then escalate it.
Cadillac Customer Assistance Center
P. O. Box 33169
Detroit, MI 48232-5169

Phone: 1-800-333-4CAD


And if you run into a roadblock there, 313-556-5000 and ask for Rick Wagoner. :lildevil:


Think about what it is that you want before you start talking to people.


Stay cool. But firm.


Your post here strikes the exact proper tone.

Excellent advice Southern couldnt said it better myself.

I would speak with an attorney.....the accident wasn't your fault, so you shouldn't have ANY consequences whatsoever. I know, in todays day and age, people are way too quick to threaten suit...but this situation seems like an honest opportunity to see if an attorney could help "smooth" the process for you.

I totally agree with 08CTS. You have rights, but you have certain time constraints on those rights. You really should have contacted a personal injury attorney from the get-go. The 91-year-old driver's insurance company should be picking up the tab for your rental until you are made whole again - at the very least.

I do not see how this can be turned around and blamed on the dealership or Cadillac??? I do not think they put the 91 year old lady on the road to hit you and have you be without your car. It is unfortunate that you are making payments on a car that is in the shop but that is the insurance companies problem of the party who was at fault for the accident.

Parts for these cars are going to take some time to get ahold of since they are a brand new car. There are no parts in stock for these at any dealership at the moment and it takes time to get them from the assembly line. You need to take this up with the insurance Co. and not turn it around and try to fault the dealership for this one. Maybe try to get the ins co. to rent you a CTS instead of the Nissan, I know enterprise is renting out CTS's now.

Good Luck, I am sorry to hear you got hit in your new CTS.

313-556-5000 and ask for Rick Wagoner. :lildevil:



for real?

for real?


I am a stockholder and can guarantee you two things.
1- This is the switchboard number. The operator can patch you through to Rick Wagoner. He is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of General Motors.
2- She won't.



but she still might be able to find a jr VP or someone to talk to you....


But probably not........

Years ago I guy I worked with had a bitch about his Mustang. He called Ford Motor Company and asked to talk to Lee Iacocca about it. He was put right through to him, they had a nice conversation which we all listened to on speaker phone, and the local dealer was kissing his feet by the next day. Before it was all over he got a check from Ford to reimburse him for all work previously done and he had a letter from Ford that said his Mustang would be under a full warranty as long as he owned it. The guys name is Bob Fox and he still lives in Fairbanks selling real estate. This is no bullshit. It really happened.

at the meantime, check other local dealers and see if they have extra supplies for the repair.

Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts. I am assuming the other driver's insurance company is going to assume liability sometime soon (the police officer at the scene requested that a citation be issued to her), and then I will have a better idea of exactly where I stand with the rental with her insurer (and I can get a lot more assertive with them). I certainly don't blame the dealership or Cadillac for the accident, but I agree that they are really the only ones with whom I can address the issue of not being able to get the parts to repair a new CTS for an unspecified period of time (perhaps months). And thanks for the tip....I'll have to check out Enterprise - renting a new CTS might make me a lot more patient!

aside from the repair part, hv your insurance company fight for what you can get from the other at fault party's insurance company.. bad insurance companies try their best not to pay for anything initially, but it you know the rules and you hit on it..and you hv done the best to mitigate the damage, they must compensate you. Thought, I wouldn't thing any company would pay for a CTS rental. After all, I wouldn't recommend you to go into small claim.. against a 90 years old lady..

argue for a total...based on the time it will take to repair

aside from the repair part, hv your insurance company fight for what you can get from the other at fault party's insurance company.. bad insurance companies try their best not to pay for anything initially, but it you know the rules and you hit on it..and you hv done the best to mitigate the damage, they must compensate you. Thought, I wouldn't thing any company would pay for a CTS rental. After all, I wouldn't recommend you to go into small claim.. against a 90 years old lady..

The age of the person that was at fault should have no bearing on your actions. Be sure to look out for your physical health. Sometimes it takes years for your back and or neck to start bothering you after an accvident. Your car will eventually get repaired. Don't sign anything until you consult an attorney.

Get a lawyer.

If the accident is moderate to serious (not minor), get money anytime someone else is at fault - reason being, you must be compensated for your medical expenses or potential future medical expenses as a result of this accident. The tradeoff for your compensation will be a release of liability for the other party. If you had any soreness or bruising at all, you were injured and should be compensated to some degree - maybe only a few hundred dollars - maybe thousands of dollars.

Is the problem serious enough that you need an attorney? no injury was mentioned.. i hope not too. The main issue is really the repair for the car, loan, and the rental. If there is any injury, you should check with your MD immediately. most likely the just gonna get you some pain killers, some check ups and if you bug him/her they might get you some xray or even mri is you insist. Unless, you did in fact have some major injuries.. and required medically assistant right after the incident. And if you elect to get an attorney, get a good one.. but beware that a lot of them over here wont take the case if they wont make enough $$ *hate to say that*

Ask your insurance company and hers, for a new car replacement After all it is a new car.

Make sure you go after her insurance company for diminished value.

I do not see how this can be turned around and blamed on the dealership or Cadillac??? I do not think they put the 91 year old lady on the road to hit you and have you be without your car. It is unfortunate that you are making payments on a car that is in the shop but that is the insurance companies problem of the party who was at fault for the accident.

Parts for these cars are going to take some time to get ahold of since they are a brand new car. There are no parts in stock for these at any dealership at the moment and it takes time to get them from the assembly line. You need to take this up with the insurance Co. and not turn it around and try to fault the dealership for this one. Maybe try to get the ins co. to rent you a CTS instead of the Nissan, I know enterprise is renting out CTS's now.

Good Luck, I am sorry to hear you got hit in your new CTS.

+1

This is why we pay so much for insurance.....so that they can step up and take care of issues in a situation like this. It's not the dealer's or Cadillac's fault..

dang man sorry to hear about your car! i am going through the same issue right now (see my thread "well this sucks") if you or your dealer is able to get in contact with anyone and get some parts moving any faster please PM me,IM me on AIM or send smoke signals if need be LOL! anyways best of luck with getting this resolved man...

I would consult a lawyer and file the claim, if you already haven't, with your insurance company who will then go after the other one for the money. In the short term you would be out your deductible. Your claim against your insurance company should include rental, car payments and as someone else suggested, diminished value. Have to pay out up front will light the fire under your insurance company to go after the other guys. Also, if a citation is written against the 91 year old, get a court date and show up to testify against her. Threaten to ask the court to take her license away because at her age she most likely should be driving since she is a danger to other drivers on the road. Retaining her driving priviledges I am sure is worth a lot of money to her so this could provide further leverage.

The reason I suggest consulting a lawyer is to file a suit directly against the woman and her insurance company. She probably has some bread if she still is driving and being sued will provide a strong incentive to get a quicker settlement to put some money in hands. I would ask for the difference between what a new CTS will cost and what your repaired car would get wholesaled with an accident on it's record.

I know this sounds like I am asking you to harrass an old lady but you stand to lose a sum of money here in rental car costs and diminished value of your brand new CTS. Have a lawyer write her and the insurance companies a letter will likely provide leverage. I would be shocked if this ever got to court but if it turns out you have some latent physical injuries as someone else pointed out, you may need to. Also have your lawyer find out if this woman has been in any other accidents in the past 5 or 10 years and you will have even more leverage.

I would consult a lawyer and file the claim, if you already haven't, with your insurance company who will then go after the other one for the money. In the short term you would be out your deductible. Your claim against your insurance company should include rental, car payments and as someone else suggested, diminished value. Have to pay out up front will light the fire under your insurance company to go after the other guys. Also, if a citation is written against the 91 year old, get a court date and show up to testify against her. Threaten to ask the court to take her license away because at her age she most likely should be driving since she is a danger to other drivers on the road. Retaining her driving priviledges I am sure is worth a lot of money to her so this could provide further leverage.

The reason I suggest consulting a lawyer is to file a suit directly against the woman and her insurance company. She probably has some bread if she still is driving and being sued will provide a strong incentive to get a quicker settlement to put some money in hands. I would ask for the difference between what a new CTS will cost and what your repaired car would get wholesaled with an accident on it's record.

I know this sounds like I am asking you to harrass an old lady but you stand to lose a sum of money here in rental car costs and diminished value of your brand new CTS. Have a lawyer write her and the insurance companies a letter will likely provide leverage. I would be shocked if this ever got to court but if it turns out you have some latent physical injuries as someone else pointed out, you may need to. Also have your lawyer find out if this woman has been in any other accidents in the past 5 or 10 years and you will have even more leverage.

This is excellent advice, and it's free. I think everyone on the forum should take heed. Thanks.

It's up to the insurance company of the "at fault" driver to cover your rental car costs, not Cadillac or your Dealer. If it were a warranty repair it would be their responsibility, but not in this case. Whether or not her insurance company "wants" to cover it is inconsequential.