So as some of you know my car was rolled over around the beginning of febuary. well they told me that parts would be slow coming because the car is so new (08 CTS) well after a few calls to the dealership to hear that parts are on backorder (witch i was told up front so i was expecting) thats the "siderail" or somthing like that is what they are waiting on and that they are at a standstill untill it arrive's. so i get a call from a caseworker for GM ( i was asking that GM provide a rental or ETA for the part or a pause of a payment,SOMETHING on the basis that the repair's estimated wait time is so long because of a SUPPLY problem) witch i missed. so i call her up and she basically she tells me this:If the car had a failure the rental would be provided no question's asked. however since the car was in an accident there would be no way the DEALER could provide one. number 1. i didn't ask the DEALER to do that,it's not there fault and they have been great. number 2. now the body shop man thinks i want him to give me a rental at HIS exspense because GM's part is on backorder. now normally i would not have even asked this of cadillac but here is how i feel tell me if it's reasonable or not

1. with a wait time that is going to exceed 2 or even 3 months because of ONE part because of GM i feel that is just as much GM's fault as if the car were to break down and THEY should either pay for the rental AFTER my insurance stops. OR offer SOME sort of help (offer to go 50/50 with me on the rental bill)

2. with her calling the dealer and asking them if they would be willing to provide the rental i now have a body shop manager who thinks i am calling cadillac complaing about his slow work!

3. I stated to her that even if the part had been delayed by a week or 2. MAYBE 3 there would be no issue. but since i called the dealer last time (about a week ago) and the wait time was 30 days,and she called today and the wait time is STILL 30 days out MINIMUM i felt GM should either rapid ship the part or provide a rental for the time difference from my insuraqnce etc, SOMTHING


there's more i could go on about but you get my basic points. but in all seriousness maybe i am looking at this through a frustrated car owner's eye's and not using reason. so do i sound unreasonable too you guys?

sounds pretty reasonable to me. make sure all parties know that you want GM/Insurance to pay this and not the body shop or dealer


If you had comp/coll (which im sure you did, seeing as its an 08 CTS) then rental should have been covered in there one way or another, if another insurance company is responsible then they should offer the rental no questions asked. The part is taking forever to get there and that is neither your fault nor the body shops so i would think the insurance would
a)pay for the extra days
b)sue GM for what they think is reasonable for failing to deliver the part in a timely manner

(sue is such a strong word i mean they should ask GM to compensate them for at least part of the excess fees)

I think you are being very reasonable and fair, and I was IN the car business for many mnay years.
I only wish 50% of the people were as fair as you are. You might want to ask the dealer principle if he/she could write to Comsumer relations Dept. of Cadillac in your behalf, to assist your dealer principle financially speaking in providing you with transportation on a par with whatyou purchased. It might help.

If rolling the car was your fault you need to just take your lumps. If rolling the car was somebody elses fault they need to provide you with transportation.

And if you're really only 20 you most likely can't legally rent a car yet. Some policies will provide for "loss of use" while your vehicle is out of commision...I'd check with your insurance company about that. If it was somebody else's fault they are most definitely legally responsible to provide you with transportation. Again, it's most likely they won't let you rent (25 is the legal age most places) but sometimes they'll let somebody else rent while you use the other person's car.

If rolling the car was your fault you need to just take your lumps. If rolling the car was somebody elses fault they need to provide you with transportation.

dude, how'd you roll your brand new CTS?

You are being totally reasonable. Even if it was his fault, he has insurance. The job of insurance is to provide him with a rental. His insurance should provide it and then go after GM if they want them to pay. PERIOD.

Your right that i am not able to rent a car but i could borrow my mom's car or my sister's and let one of them take the rental... either way what would make me the happiest is to have my car back within a reasonable amount of time. i mainly was just wondering if i was being an @$$ for thinking along these lines. i just don't see how a part supply issue is any less of a reason for rental payment as a breakdown would be. because the parts taking 2 or 3 months 2 aqquire is just as much GM's fault as the car failing as i see it. but maybe i am just frustrated and am lashing out. thats the main reason for my post to get opinion's on where it looks like i am coming from...

Coming from a body shop , a cadillac body shop ....I can say a few things

Im not going to say however if your being reasonable or not , becuse really , you are the owner of the car. You gotta decide whats reasonable and what isnt.

As far as a new caddy with structure damage , its a headache for anyone involved.

I was promoted to body shop when i worked for a particular caddy dealer. a laison between the customer and us. This was a month after the rear drive STS became available to the public. A week before i got there a owner of one of these new STSs had a bad front end hit , which required the entire nose , from the a pillar forward be cut off and replaced. Parts were ordered , word came back that the structure wasnt avaialble yet as everything was still tied up in production of cars. So we did what GM dealers call a "spat case". This is a parts order that through the permission of GM gives us priority to get the part over others waiting , and GM also on our behalf searches every GM dealer parts dept for the part requested. Of coarse there was zero balance anywhere in the world. This ment the car became a resident at our shop, and trust me , we dont like having it hang around without being able to fix it.

2 Months later the owner was still without his STS , and GM , our dealer and the insureance company worked out a deal to put the owner in a replacement STS , and we kept the wrecked one till we could get the parts. At which time we fixed it and sold it on our used lot. We had the car for four months ...

so do i sound unreasonable too you guys?
Yeah :D

Coming from a body shop , a cadillac body shop ....I can say a few things

Im not going to say however if your being reasonable or not , becuse really , you are the owner of the car. You gotta decide whats reasonable and what isnt.

As far as a new caddy with structure damage , its a headache for anyone involved.

I was promoted to body shop when i worked for a particular caddy dealer. a laison between the customer and us. This was a month after the rear drive STS became available to the public. A week before i got there a owner of one of these new STSs had a bad front end hit , which required the entire nose , from the a pillar forward be cut off and replaced. Parts were ordered , word came back that the structure wasnt avaialble yet as everything was still tied up in production of cars. So we did what GM dealers call a "spat case". This is a parts order that through the permission of GM gives us priority to get the part over others waiting , and GM also on our behalf searches every GM dealer parts dept for the part requested. Of coarse there was zero balance anywhere in the world. This ment the car became a resident at our shop, and trust me , we dont like having it hang around without being able to fix it.

2 Months later the owner was still without his STS , and GM , our dealer and the insureance company worked out a deal to put the owner in a replacement STS , and we kept the wrecked one till we could get the parts. At which time we fixed it and sold it on our used lot. We had the car for four months ...

thanks for the post. i guess i have a couple things 2 do. 1 i wanna call my body shop and let them know i did not intend for GM to call them and ask them to cover a rental.

and 2 talk with my insurance company and see what there willing to do.


and finally just hold tight and wait a hwile. see if it starts to look promising or not and go from there...

I wanna hear how this happened......

I wanna hear how this happened......

yeah how do you roll a CTS? there's got to be a story that can explain this.

yeah how do you roll a CTS? there's got to be a story that can explain this.

Oh there is...(courtesy of Mr. Forum U. Search)...

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-cts-forum-2008-beyond/130778-well-sucks.html

Oh there is...(courtesy of Mr. Forum U. Search)...

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-cts-forum-2008-beyond/130778-well-sucks.html

Now I remember. This is the old dirt road, bare feet and dueling banjos thread. If I was this guy I'd be keeping my mouth shut and doing as little as possible to attract attention.

If you expect Cadillac, the Dealer or the Body Shop to pay for your rental car, then yes you're being unreasonable. There's only two people that should pay for the Rental: You or your Insurance company.

Somehow I'm reminded of the guy that murdered his mother and father and threw himself on the mercy of the court on the grounds he was an orphan.

yeah how do you roll a CTS? there's got to be a story that can explain this.


Like this:

I used to have an 03 White Diamond CTS. Back in March I was driving down the interstate at about 75mph. I look up and see a cone in the road directly in front of me. Like an idiot, I instinctively jerk the wheel to the right. The stabilitrack tried to steady it but in the end it was just too much. I spun out and hit the embankment. The left whell caught the thick grass and sent the car rolling. The car rolled twice down this huge embankment. I immediately said to myself "oh shit, Im not wearing a seatbelt!". Once the car stopped rolling I looked up and thanked god I wasnt dead. At first I thought I was perfectly fine. I calmly called 911 and told them of my calimity. They told me to get out of the car in case there was a fire. At this point, I realized I had broken my left leg. So, I hopped away and sat down in the grass to have a smoke. Once the law and the medics arrived they could not beleive that the car did in fact roll because the damage was so minor. The car held up incredibly well for a rollover at that speed. I was quite impressed to walk (hop) away after an accident like that with no seatbelt. The car saved my life, plain and simple. The car held up so well that there was only one window broken out! The sunroof didnt even break!

In the end the car was totaled, mostly because of engine and suspension damage. Apparently when an engine is running upside down it can really mess things up! Heres the pics! let me know if you have any questions!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b230/nickc50310/Picture012.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b230/nickc50310/Picture009.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b230/nickc50310/Picture007.jpg

Now I remember. This is the old dirt road, bare feet and dueling banjos thread. If I was this guy I'd be keeping my mouth shut and doing as little as possible to attract attention.

.... dirt road ... bare feet ... and Dueling Banjos playing in the back ground ...:musical::musical: :rimshot:

lol at this...

damn shame about that car...it 'twas a beut

Like this:

I used to have an 03 White Diamond CTS. Back in March I was driving down the interstate at about 75mph. I look up and see a cone in the road directly in front of me. Like an idiot, I instinctively jerk the wheel to the right. The stabilitrack tried to steady it but in the end it was just too much. I spun out and hit the embankment. The left whell caught the thick grass and sent the car rolling. The car rolled twice down this huge embankment. I immediately said to myself "oh shit, Im not wearing a seatbelt!". Once the car stopped rolling I looked up and thanked god I wasnt dead. At first I thought I was perfectly fine. I calmly called 911 and told them of my calimity. They told me to get out of the car in case there was a fire. At this point, I realized I had broken my left leg. So, I hopped away and sat down in the grass to have a smoke. Once the law and the medics arrived they could not beleive that the car did in fact roll because the damage was so minor. The car held up incredibly well for a rollover at that speed. I was quite impressed to walk (hop) away after an accident like that with no seatbelt. The car saved my life, plain and simple. The car held up so well that there was only one window broken out! The sunroof didnt even break!

In the end the car was totaled, mostly because of engine and suspension damage. Apparently when an engine is running upside down it can really mess things up! Heres the pics! let me know if you have any questions!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b230/nickc50310/Picture012.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b230/nickc50310/Picture009.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b230/nickc50310/Picture007.jpg

glad you were OK. I've rolled a car before too. now i'm wondering how a sports car like yours rolled just from swerving for a cone. bad conditions? ridiculously hard swerve? sports should be built to swerve. hmmph. don't know what to think.

If you expect Cadillac, the Dealer or the Body Shop to pay for your rental car, then yes you're being unreasonable. There's only two people that should pay for the Rental: You or your Insurance company.I actually agree with this. Just another problem with getting a first year car, especially one as popular as the CTS. Sorry people, you can't hold GM responsible for making cars and enough replacement parts to satisfy needed repairs. It's a business and they need to sell all the CTS they can. It's like buying an older car or a classic. You have to expect a dearth of parts.

It's just the way it is.

As for renting cars, there's no law that you have to be 25. It's all insurance requirements. If you look, you can find rentals that allow younger drivers...

yeah how do you roll a CTS? there's got to be a story that can explain this.

glad you were OK. I've rolled a car before too. now i'm wondering how a sports car like yours rolled just from swerving for a cone. bad conditions? ridiculously hard swerve? sports should be built to swerve. hmmph. don't know what to think.

Road was covered with bromine for an approaching storm. It was a pretty hard swerve. This occurred in march 06 btw.

Kind of sad that I never went and said goodbye to her now that i think about it. :( Last time I saw her I was being loaded into the ambulance.

I should look up the VIN.....

yeah the main reason i posted this WAS to know if i was or not. i knew it could just be frustration over being without a car for so long. hence why i was nice to the GM lady and not a prick. also ANY vehicle can roll. o and BTW just because it happened while i was driving to my sisters house out in the country is no reason to give me hell. its way better than the guy next door who TOTALED his car while getting a "favor" while driving through an intersection.....:)

I didn't read this all, I got here kind of late on this one, here is what I suggest.

Don't call Cadillac anymore unless your dealer can't, or won't help you. When you call Cadi and they call the dealer, you just automatically pissed everyone off.

To resolve this issue call the body shop manager, explain your situation, tell him you need transportation and it isn't your fault GM doesn't have the parts. I can almost guarantee they have seen this situation before and know how to handle it. Let them call GM and go to bat for you about a loaner or rental. Maybe they have an alternative already.

I see a problem though, they aren't going to give you a car to let your mom drive while you drive her car.

If the car has your name on the title, and the work is being done under your name, you'd be the one to get the car. No rental car company in the world that I know of will give you a car for someone else to drive.
Work closely with your insurance agent also. Maybe even get the body shop manager talking to your agent so they can brainstorm a solution together.
Let them know what your needs are and let them figure out how to solve the problem. If you go in with YOUR solutions, I can almost guarantee they won't work the way you expect them to.
Give them a problem to solve on their own and they will do it, tell them what to do and you'll be disappointed.

My advice, take it for what it is worth.

I didn't read this all, I got here kind of late on this one, here is what I suggest.

Don't call Cadillac anymore unless your dealer can't, or won't help you. When you call Cadi and they call the dealer, you just automatically pissed everyone off.

To resolve this issue call the body shop manager, explain your situation, tell him you need transportation and it isn't your fault GM doesn't have the parts. I can almost guarantee they have seen this situation before and know how to handle it. Let them call GM and go to bat for you about a loaner or rental. Maybe they have an alternative already.

I see a problem though, they aren't going to give you a car to let your mom drive while you drive her car.

If the car has your name on the title, and the work is being done under your name, you'd be the one to get the car. No rental car company in the world that I know of will give you a car for someone else to drive.
Work closely with your insurance agent also. Maybe even get the body shop manager talking to your agent so they can brainstorm a solution together.
Let them know what your needs are and let them figure out how to solve the problem. If you go in with YOUR solutions, I can almost guarantee they won't work the way you expect them to.
Give them a problem to solve on their own and they will do it, tell them what to do and you'll be disappointed.

My advice, take it for what it is worth.

Bingo:thumbsup: And that also goes for the name on the rental...even at 21 (wasn't sure what the actual limit was), while my Fleetwood was being reconstructed over a month, I had an Enterprise rental in my name in 5 minutes.

Cadillac directly is not the one to contact in this yourself, but more explain to the body shop manager (as said, they more often than not have seen EVERY kind of situation and know what to do) AND the insurance (this is a biggie, and who I'd actually call first) and see if they can work something out.

It's just going to be a mess either way. I honestly think something like the situation Stoney had would be best, where your car is simply replaced and when or if they ever get parts...the wrecked one fixed and sold, etc.

Bingo:thumbsup: And that also goes for the name on the rental...even at 21 (wasn't sure what the actual limit was), while my Fleetwood was being reconstructed over a month, I had an Enterprise rental in my name in 5 minutes.

Cadillac directly is not the one to contact in this yourself, but more explain to the body shop manager (as said, they more often than not have seen EVERY kind of situation and know what to do) AND the insurance (this is a biggie, and who I'd actually call first) and see if they can work something out.

It's just going to be a mess either way. I honestly think something like the situation Stoney had would be best, where your car is simply replaced and when or if they ever get parts...the wrecked one fixed and sold, etc.

thanks for the posts guys. this is the main reason i made this thread. to see how i SHOULD go about this. i am not one of those "@$$hole customers" who simply want to make unreasonable demands and be a jerk when there not met. in my line of work (retail) i see those all 2 often. these kind of outside views are what really help and agin thanks!:thumbsup: