I really like the new CTS but at this point I may be straying from GM for the first time in a number of years. My order for a Black Cherry PDQ was put into the system in early February and I still don't have a TPW. My salesperson, who has kept me informed during the entire process, just emailed me the new constraints and now PDQ and PDW are off constraint but both the high polish and multi-coat 18" aluminum wheels have been added to the constraint list and are on "greater than 4 week constraint". So basically, you cannot get either tire package without an unknown wait. The dealership has allocations and received a TPW on a base model unit within 2 weeks of placing the order but no happiness on better equipped models. The spare tire (ZAA) is also on constraint but I would settle for a car with the necessary four tires at this point.

To add to the fun it appears the strike may spread to a transmission plant next so I am becoming less optimistic about ownership in the near future. This is a tough decision but I am planning some serious road travel in early summer and I would like to replace my 2002 Aurora before then. The dealership is trying to do what they can with Cadillac and I will spend a bit of time calling tomorrow but it is probably futile. I perhaps could find something close the dealer could trade for but having waited this long for exactly what I want I really don't want to get a CTS that is almost what I ordered. The only possible silver lining is one of my teaching and research interests is supply chain management so at least I have some fresh material for classes.

Wish me luck or otherwise I guess I will have to see what the European makers have to tempt me.

That really stinks, but before you give up hope of ever getting that car...have them do a search on their system, even if it's nationwide. Put in your model, colors, options, etc. and see what matches there already ARE and then see what they can do to swap. Dealers tend to stick within a few hundred miles when doing this, but in a situation like this, if the dealer can find the right car already at somewhere else (never know, there could be a few exact matches) and the other dealer will swap...you'll have your car.

We've initially gone to order the past 2 vehicles and because of time constraints, focused on dealer swaps each time (which our dealer was happy to ablige with...even if an order had been placed, in case the same thing or close to it popped up beforehand and was available), and both situations have been great. Just like ordering what we wanted, but with the only wait being the cars switched from dealer to dealer.

No guarantees...but absolutely no reason to keep wondering. Head into the dealer, tell them to search for the same car--yes, even nationwide--and see what hits are in the system. Even if they won't or can't get one that matches, you'll know where they are and can travel yourself if so inclined. But most should be able to swap.

It's terrible that there are any order issues, but if you can get the same car or even give up one option or so, and not wait, that's better than letting yourself be swayed to a completely different car.

It would be nice if Cadillac would build it, but just put on the 17" wheels. There are plenty of CTSs sitting on dealer lots that you could swap the wheels with. My dealer was willing to do that to get me the polished wheels, but Cadillac screwed me with delaying bluetooth.

Caddycruiser,

Thank you for your thoughts. I spoke with Cadillac this morning and they are extremely polite but their system is down so they cannot provide any information on my order until Monday afternoon. I spoke with my salesperson and made the offer that I will continue to wait for this car IF GM/dealership is willing to "goodwill" any repairs that my 2002 Aurora may need during this extended wait. It is 4 months out of the extended warranty but well under the 60,000 mile portion and although the car is running great I would be furious if I end up paying for repairs on a vehicle that should have been traded in by now. This should be a very low risk proposition for GM given that the car has been meticulously maintained and given the number of GM vehicles I have purchased if they are not willing to do this I am going to take a very close look at a BMW 335I that a nearby dealer has available.

Your proposal seems reasonable (and low risk to GM). If they do agree, and I'm sure you have already thought of this, get it in writing. I'm sure they don't want to loose a sale; especially if it's their error/fault.

C&C,

Thanks and I will get it in writing if they agree. We will see how GM stands on customer loyalty and hopefully I will hear something soon. The first new vehicle I bought (back in 1985 shortly after my undergrad degree) was a Chevrolet and if things work out the CTS will be new GM vehicle number 13 and the 6'th since 2001. Perhaps 13 really is unlucky!

I am trying to take an optimistic view that at least I am learning something interesting even if things go sour. I am a marketing professor and a general point of view in the discipline is that customer service provides an excellent opportunity to recover from a problem so hopefully this will happen. I have faith in the dealership as they have been great over the years. In fact the first front wheel drive car I purchased was an 89 Olds Trofeo and I purchased it in Mississippi shortly before moving to Illinois. The handling seemed absolutely horrible in the rain and I found that the rear tires were misaligned from the factory and were riding pretty much on the outer edge of the tires which had already worn them down to the belts in 2,000 miles. I was concerned since I was now 800 miles from the selling dealer and the tires (under their own warranty in those days) needed replacing due to a car problem. That was my first experience with the local Cadillac/GMC/Olds dealer and they took care of the problem quickly with no problems for me, found and fixed a couple of loose fasteners I hadn't even noticed, and washed and waxed the car. This first experience is why I have been a loyal customer of this dealer and I hope that GM/Cadillac don't do anything to destroy this relationship.

You are confusing GM and the dealership.
The Dealership is an independent business.
You are asking them to cover an Aurora that they didn't make, nor did they warrantee it, until another company, GM, gets their act together,
They may do it, but If I was the owner, I wouldn't do it.
It's not my fault that the plant is having problems, and I have to run my business for a profit. If I don't, that other business won't help me........
That doesn't include warranteeing 6 years old cars of a brand that are not even made any more.
You would be furious? Think how I would feel if I had to replace the transmission on that Aurora?

As to GM doing it.........sometimes we don't understand the logistical nightmare of a HUGE corporation making individual deals with individual owners to cover the warrantee on a 2002 Oldsmobile.

It is NOT you that is being squeezed the worst.
It is the Dealer.
I think your best shot (At my imagined dealership) would be a deal on the wheels.........

:yeah:

It will be difficult to talk a Dealer into warranting a car they have no history with.

Current constraints shouldn't affect your car if the order was indeed placed in February- I've received at least 10 CTSs with polished wheels in the last 60 days, so they've been shipping them during your time frame. I hate to help a Dealer lose a sale, but it appears they either don't have the allocation or messed up something on your order.

According to my locator there are 19 Direct Injection models in Black Cherry with PDQ and 18" polished wheels nationwide, and only 1 PFI version. If you can PM me with your location, I'll tell you who has one in stock near you.

Southern,

I agree somewhat with your point but GM does provide service managers a fair amount of leeway in providing goodwill repairs for vehicles that are a bit out of warranty and this was done for me on another vehicle. However, the franchised dealership has a lot closer contact with GM corporate and their various divisions to negotiate approval than I do and there is a limit as to what a customer should have to do and I have just about crossed that point. Quite frankly if the dealership and GM jointly are willing to lose a long-term customer over what will most likely be zero cost to them then as a customer I should be looking elsewhere anyway.

It is really no different than when you purchase an item from a retail store and it fails a few days later. In most cases the retailer can rightfully force the customer to deal with the problem of getting a warranty repair but smart retailers understand that the cost of customer acquisition is far greater than that of retention and they will take care of the problem for the customer.

If the market were not competitive, a company can do whatever they damn well please but with a deepening recession and very talented and entrenched competition it isn't a smart course of action.

As always, everyone has their opinion and I that is mine.

:yeah:

It will be difficult to talk a Dealer into warranting a car they have no history with.

Ah, but they are the selling and servicing dealer so they have the entire history. Basically the car has had one front hub assembly replaced shortly before the 5 year warranty was up and the radio assembly was replaced when it refused to turn off. The Aurora has been a reliable car and the only annoyance with it was a vibration since new not unlike some are experiencing on the CTS. After the front hub assembly was replaced (bearing noise) the vibration is also gone.

Rodger

I ordered my Lt. Platinum CTS on Feb 21st. I found out last night that GM tagged my order "Built through" and my dealer feels that I will not be getting an '08. This tag included the color code. I decided to wait for an '09 given that maybe three months after I would get my '08, if I did, it would be a year old. I wonder if GM will do anything for those of us that wanted a car, yet couldn't get one. Sure would have liked to go through the summer with a new car.

Bob,

The Lt. Plat is gone, that is constraint number 1490 with 0% available to build.

My salesperson did mention that he had someone who would like to buy my car now but that would mean my 2500HD Sierra crewcab would be my commuting vehicle (with a 60 mile round trip each day) until the CTS arrived and given the price of diesel, the relatively low MPG for a full size 4X4 pickup, and the nuisance of parking in a deck largely designed for economy cars it really isn't a great option.

I thought Cadillac just stopped taking orders for the Platinum. I assumed they would honor orders already taken ,or at the very least bother to inform the customer that wanted to buy a car from them.

The HD truck sounds like a risky option especially given that you don't know whether GM will even build your '08. It sounds like they weren't going to build mine.

Bob,

I agree with you and I won't know until Monday what is going on with my order. The Sierra is an example of the great things that GM can and does accomplish. It is one of the most comfortable vehicles I have ever owned and is extremely comfortable for long trips. I drove out to AZ last spring to pick up some large old radio gear and I drove over 1200 miles the first day stopping only for fuel and I still felt great when I stopped for the night in New Mexico. The cab of the truck is roomy and quiet and the seat heaters work very well and running at a reasonable highway speed (mid 70's) it will average just over 20 mpg and considerably better at lower speeds since it has all of the aerodynamics of a brick. But it is one of the last years of diesel pickups before a lot of new emission equipment was added so I plan to keep it for a long time and I don't want to use it a lot for shuttling back and forth to the office. It does need the steering shaft replaced to get rid of rattle (common in the pickups) before the 3 year warranty is up but other than that it is a pleasure to drive-especially for a vehicle that weighs over 7,000 pounds empty. I live out in the country and this pickup has converted three neighboring farmers from Ford to GM and they are all happy with the switch.

PM sent- hopefully that helps you get the car you want now. :)

I thought Cadillac just stopped taking orders for the Platinum. I assumed they would honor orders already taken ,or at the very least bother to inform the customer that wanted to buy a car from them.

I had 2 orders for light platinum, was trying to get bluetooth. The first one was built last week, but Cadillac pushed back bluetooth. The other was kicked out, because of Light Platinum. It just baffles me there is a gap where now silver cars will be built??? We are talking about Silver, one of the most popular colors:rant2:

Haven't there been times that a trade in has been accepted (before the new car has been delivered) and a loaner has actually been offered (just to certify the deal and make all party's happy). I think I'm correct on this.

Haven't there been times that a trade in has been accepted (before the new car has been delivered) and a loaner has actually been offered (just to certify the deal and make all party's happy). I think I'm correct on this.

They are willing to do that when there is a VIN but at this point there isn't even an estimated TPW; hopefully I will know more when Cadillac customer service calls back on Monday and hopefully they can explain what has happened. I am also willing to listen to anything reasonable from the local dealership but unless they have something positive to offer in the next few hours I am going to take a break from my next consulting project and have some fun shopping at the BMW dealer tomorrow; who knows I may decide I really like the 335I although I didn't even consider it until this situation started to deteriorate.

Perhaps I will have a better outlook tomorrow since I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. finishing up one consulting project and was then rudely awakened by the earthquake a couple of hours later. High octane lattes only go so far in warding off fatigue! I really like pretty much everything I have seen about the new CTS but I am buying it as a fun and enjoyable product and the aggravation factor is starting to detract from the fun.

PM sent- hopefully that helps you get the car you want now. :)

Hopefully this was results of matching cars already built?

If not...again, again, and again...the dealer should get on Dealerworld and see what's already out there, regardless of distance, that matches.

I really like the new CTS but at this point I may be straying from GM for the first time in a number of years. My order for a Black Cherry PDQ was put into the system in early February and I still don't have a TPW. My salesperson, who has kept me informed during the entire process, just emailed me the new constraints and now PDQ and PDW are off constraint but both the high polish and multi-coat 18" aluminum wheels have been added to the constraint list .

Mine was delivered on 4/9, it was ordered on 2/27. It is an exact duplicate of your options right down to the Black Cherry exterior.

Tony T,

Thanks for your information! Mine was ordered 2 weeks prior to yours as a sold retail order and seems to be in the twilight zone at this point.

I spoke with Cadillac customer service Friday morning and I was transferred to a person who deals with issues like my order. He stated that something is wrong given the timing but since their system was down they will research this and let me know what is up on Monday. My dealer also attempted to check for updates Friday and the dealer available side of the system is also down.

If I wanted AWD there are some possibilities nearby but I really don't want AWD. So at this point I will wait for word from Cadillac as to what the problem is and how they plan to resolve it. I took a black/black leather BMW 335i for a spin yesterday and it is plan B if this isn't resolved satisfactorily. The CTS and 335i are very different and each has advantages over the other; I still slightly prefer the CTS but that could certainly change depending upon what I learn on Monday.

Thanks again for your order/receipt information and wish me luck!

I Loved the 335!
But in the end I found it too small to live with as the primary family car.

The thing is, if you can stand bland styling, there are some really good cars out there.
I reco the G35, and surprisingly perhaps, the ES350. For more money, the M35 is cool with an interior that rivals the CTS IMO.
I drove them all. And the MB C class, which I cannot reco.......

But in the end, given all I know about these cars, the CTS is still numero uno......if you can get it!

It REALLY sounds like your dealer has been moving the pea around under the walnut shell.

That is to say, it looks like that he may not have had an allocation back in February......

Seems like by this time you should on here asking what status code 2500 means, or something similar.............

Southern,

Thanks for your comments and the biggest drawback for me is the smaller size of the 335i but it is certainly very appealing. I looked at Lexus and Infiniti but the styling just doesn't do it for me; especially compared to the CTS. I have owned a lot of new GM vehicles and I have been happy with all of them but up until now the 1989 Olds Trofeo has been my personal favorite out of all of the cars I have owned-based mostly upon the styling.

I looked at the C class also but it just isn't what I want.

I should get to the bottom of this tomorrow and I will post the outcome. I still hope that I end up with the CTS I want but it is time for the Cadillac and the dealer to sort this out.

You have had a lot of great posts Southern and I appreciate your help. I particularly remember some comments you made concerning car audio systems and it is very nice to read rational comments about audio. If you haven't come across this story yet I think you may get a chuckle out of it, especially if you are not a fan of monster cable: http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/blue-jeans-strikes-back

LOL! Great stuff!
No, i don't think you can "hear" speaker cable once you have somewhere near the right gauge.
So, I am not a Monster fan.......

Can you imagine what a cherry, restored Trofeo would be worth today?
Although i didn't care for the typical GM dashboard, the exterior styling was classic.


It will be interesting to see what happens vis a vis you and Cadillac.
I DO hope you come out of this with a Cadillac of your liking as you are the kind of owner Cadillac needs........

I only drove the 335 and the CTS. My opinion is that the Bimmer is much more light and agile feeling. The Caddy, for its size, felt great. Unfortunately for BMW, though, they don't have anything for the CTS in looks. Not to sound too American, or anything, but the CTS also feels like a more "substantial" car.

Well, it looks like BMW for me...

The CSR from Cadillac did call back today but to summarize the conversation: We cannot explain why your car has not been built nor can we provide a date at this point when it will be built. It is not a problem of dealer allocation. Maybe there is a problem with the order??? but we cannot identify one. After I calmly explained to the CSR how unsatisfactory this entire response was he consulted with someone else and suggested that I could have the dealer cancel the current order and re-order and perhaps that would make it work.

I am stunned to put it mildly. The car has been on order since the second week of February and it doesn't get much simpler than Black Cherry/Ebony leather with PDQ, Y42, and ZAA. Had the rep been able to point to a dealer issue, allocation issue, or anything more definite than the current phase of the moon to explain the situation that would have been reasonable. I understand mistakes and problems happen but to tell a customer to continue waiting for an order with no explanation and no time parameters is more than a little ridiculous. I really liked the CTS and I have a lot of good memories of GM cars but they have definitely lost a customer.

Thanks to all of the people who have helped me on this board and enjoy your CTS. It is a beautiful and beautifully designed car!

Well, it looks like BMW for me...

The CSR from Cadillac did call back today but to summarize the conversation: We cannot explain why your car has not been built nor can we provide a date at this point when it will be built. It is not a problem of dealer allocation. Maybe there is a problem with the order??? but we cannot identify one. After I calmly explained to the CSR how unsatisfactory this entire response was he consulted with someone else and suggested that I could have the dealer cancel the current order and re-order and perhaps that would make it work.

I am stunned to put it mildly. The car has been on order since the second week of February and it doesn't get much simpler than Black Cherry/Ebony leather with PDQ, Y42, and ZAA. Had the rep been able to point to a dealer issue, allocation issue, or anything more definite than the current phase of the moon to explain the situation that would have been reasonable. I understand mistakes and problems happen but to tell a customer to continue waiting for an order with no explanation and no time parameters is more than a little ridiculous. I really liked the CTS and I have a lot of good memories of GM cars but they have definitely lost a customer.

Thanks to all of the people who have helped me on this board and enjoy your CTS. It is a beautiful and beautifully designed car!

I am not someone who will tell you to wait for the Caddy, take the Bimmer. Although I HATE to hear someone with a somewhat similar configuration than mine have problems, I am enthused to hear that there is one less person in front of me on the list! Not being rude, just honest. Best of luck with your new 335!

This ALMOST happened to me too. I placed a deposit on an 08 order a week ago. My sister-in-law, who has been working for GM for over 30 years (and trying too talk me out of my imports for about as long), decided to check on it. Turns out the dealer who took my deposit had no more allocation left of 08's to order. I am flabbergasted that they did this. Someone involved in accepting my deposit had to know this - perhaps the salesman didn't, but I find it difficult to believe the sales manager didn't have knowledge of it. My sis-in-law is now calling in some favors with some people she knows in Detroit to get my car built. If it wasn't for her I'd be S.O.L. And not only that, I'd be S.O.L. without even knowing it because I'd be thinking my car was being built while it wasn't. And this is from a dealer who is pretty well regarded in my area. Had it not been for my connection, I'd have walked and bought my very close second choice, the Infiniti G35x.

Sorry to ear that rsingl.
You are not only doing the right thing, you are doing the only thing.

Thanks Southern,

I really wish it had worked out and I am still shocked that the Cadillac rep was unable/unwilling to provide any assistance or additional information. Only once in the past have I needed GM customer service to get involved and they quickly and professionally handled the situation so I was hoping for the same this time.

I drive a lot both for business and pleasure and I purchase new vehicles quite regularly; I still prefer driving to flying when possible. For fun after the conversation with Cadillac today I pulled the numbers up from my records and since 2001 I have spent a little over $154,000 for new GM vehicles and the CTS would have pushed the number pretty close to $200,000 so they have made a fair amount of profit from me over the years. We have been a 3 GM car family for quite a while (since I keep both a pickup and a car for my use) and would have become a four GM vehicle family when daughter Anna is old enough to drive but not after this experience.

I admit it is tough for me to buy my first "foreign" car as it doesn't matter even if final assembly takes place here in the U.S. most of the high value work (design, power train assembly, etc.) does not occur in our economy. Certainly GM, like everyone else, has a lot of global content but for most of their vehicles the majority of "value added" stays in the U.S. or at least on the N. American continent.

Well, I have made a long enough post and I really think and hope this is an isolated incident. I think my salesperson is trying to make a last ditch effort to salvage things but miracles are in very short supply these days.

I should probably start a new thread called GOOD NEWS! After coming within inches of buying a new black/black BMW 335i I received a call from within GM and production has been scheduled for my new CTS.

I am glad that the 335i is only available with run flat tires which was a sticking point for me and if this had not been a problem I would have taken delivery this afternoon. It is a very fun car to drive and probably would have led to some serious speeding tickets but I have a colleague who has been waiting 2 weeks for replacement tires for his 325i because the run flats are in short supply in many sizes. There also seem to be problems with ride, wear, and wheel damage from potholes and traveling with my 4 year old daughter I don't want to get stuck in Moose Slobber, Nebraska waiting for a special order replacement tire.

This sale (and long-term customer) was salvaged by the intervention of a GM employee who reads this board and made the proper individuals aware of the issue. He has my undying gratitude (and that of my 4 year old daughter who REALLY wants "her" new black cherry CTS). I would also state that the people from GM I have been in contact with today were everything you would expect from a great company.

I have to wonder if this is the work of Mreilland.........? or GMeng? Both really good guys.

Don't knock Moose Slobber, Nebraska. If you ever do get there, try the Road Kill Cafe (Just past the traffic light)......their daily special is usually quite fresh.......

This is GREAT news!

Cadillac comes through again, and does the right thing.

Hapy for you, sad for me!!! Best of luck with your new baby!

Southern,

If the responsible person wants to identify himself I will let him but I don't want to set him up to be flooded with requests. I am very thankful for his help.

In another good sign daughter Anna's portable DVD player showed up today and with Diesel now over $4 a gallon a lot of our long trips this summer will be in the CTS instead of the GMC Sierra I ordered with the built in DVD player. Although it is tempting to get one of the lockpicks to unlock the player in the CTS it would be far too easy to be distracted by it.