gdwriter
05-17-08, 08:23 PM
The automatic parking brake release on my '91 Sedan de Ville has been only working when it feels like it for the past year and finally quit working all together. Checking in here with some of the resident experts led me to believe the vacuum diaphragm actuator had finally given out.
Given this is a rather obscure part on a 17-year-old car, I knew I wouldn't find it at NAPA. I filled out an online parts request form for the two Cadillac dealers in my area. I also figured I'd support one of the forum sponsors, and so I did the same with a couple of supporting dealers here.
Plaza Cadillac in Leesburg, FL was the only one that responded (http://www.plazacadillac.com/PartsOrderForm). Not only did I get a prompt e-mail, but Mark in the parts department followed up with a phone call. Mark's a former technician, which is a huge help when it comes to parts. Since I wasn't sure if this was the part that had failed, he told me a simple test (remove the vacuum line, plug the hole with my finger and see if the actuator moves) to see if it still held vacuum. It didn't.
I had a different part number than the one Mark quoted in his e-mail, so to be sure, I took a picture of the part and e-mailed it to him. I had said I was concerned about having to remove the parking brake mechanism, even though I have a factory service manual. After seeing the picture, Mark confirmed that was the part I needed, and told me the bolt right above it in the picture was all I needed to remove to swap it out. That saved me a ton of time and headaches.
The part arrived in Oregon within a week, and I just finished changing it out. It was still a pain to get to because there's a big electrical connector bundle right by the bolt that has to be taken out, but I managed to get the actuator swapped out, and most importantly, my automatic parking brake works like new again. I don't need it, but it's one of those old-school Cadillac features (like the trunk pull-down--mine still works perfectly) that's kind of fun to use.
I'm sure I could have saved the $11 in shipping and found the part at a local dealer, but I'd rather buy from somebody who follows up and genuinely wants my business -- especially when it's just a measly $30 part.
This is a rare time when I've had to go to a dealer for a part, but should I need to again, I will go to Plaza first. If you need a part and can afford to wait for shipping from Florida, I highly recommend Mark at Plaza Cadillac.
http://www.gdwriter.q45.org/DSC02242.jpg
Given this is a rather obscure part on a 17-year-old car, I knew I wouldn't find it at NAPA. I filled out an online parts request form for the two Cadillac dealers in my area. I also figured I'd support one of the forum sponsors, and so I did the same with a couple of supporting dealers here.
Plaza Cadillac in Leesburg, FL was the only one that responded (http://www.plazacadillac.com/PartsOrderForm). Not only did I get a prompt e-mail, but Mark in the parts department followed up with a phone call. Mark's a former technician, which is a huge help when it comes to parts. Since I wasn't sure if this was the part that had failed, he told me a simple test (remove the vacuum line, plug the hole with my finger and see if the actuator moves) to see if it still held vacuum. It didn't.
I had a different part number than the one Mark quoted in his e-mail, so to be sure, I took a picture of the part and e-mailed it to him. I had said I was concerned about having to remove the parking brake mechanism, even though I have a factory service manual. After seeing the picture, Mark confirmed that was the part I needed, and told me the bolt right above it in the picture was all I needed to remove to swap it out. That saved me a ton of time and headaches.
The part arrived in Oregon within a week, and I just finished changing it out. It was still a pain to get to because there's a big electrical connector bundle right by the bolt that has to be taken out, but I managed to get the actuator swapped out, and most importantly, my automatic parking brake works like new again. I don't need it, but it's one of those old-school Cadillac features (like the trunk pull-down--mine still works perfectly) that's kind of fun to use.
I'm sure I could have saved the $11 in shipping and found the part at a local dealer, but I'd rather buy from somebody who follows up and genuinely wants my business -- especially when it's just a measly $30 part.
This is a rare time when I've had to go to a dealer for a part, but should I need to again, I will go to Plaza first. If you need a part and can afford to wait for shipping from Florida, I highly recommend Mark at Plaza Cadillac.
http://www.gdwriter.q45.org/DSC02242.jpg