Cadillac Non-Model Specific DiscussionThis section is for discussion regarding Cadillac automobiles in general. General resale value, general reliability, etcetera. Cadillac topics about specific Cadillac models go in their respected "specific model" section.
I have owned several Cadillacs over the years: a 90 Deville, 92 Fleetwood (FWD), a 96 Concours, and just recently an 00 DHS. Through all of this I have noticed one thing, a constant decline in quality. My 90&92 were both fairly decent cars. The ride was plush, the technology seemed to fit the status, and the engine provided substantial power. Aside from a few wear and tear issues, basic mantience kept them delivering.
Then I bought my 96 Concours, What was supposed to be the flag ship of the fleet seemed somewhat underwhelmig as the seat dye began to wear off the drivers seat bolster. Then the dash began to warp into something resembling a tortillia shell aroud the passenger airbag. A tempremental heated seats angered a frozen posteiror and the infamous "Service Ride Control" provided a seziure inducing flashing for night tim road trips. A mysterious oil evaporatoin problem almost made me question the point of even changing it. Then the suspension seized completely and I was blessed with a ride comperable to that of a Radio Flyer Wagon plumeting down the Alps. She was a beautiful car but an expensive whore in a prom dress is nothing to brag to your friends about.
Well, I held to my convictions after her sale and bought a 2000 DHS. If my last one was the whore this was the house she was raised in. It began with the failure of the rear sunshade and the heated seats. No biggie I was already numb. Then the dashboard warped and slid completely off, all of it! revaling a very beautiful sticky textured black base. Ok, new dash. Next my lumbar button found itself comfortable hiding deep into the confines of the seat pad somewhere, the cupholder cracked loose, and the telescoping wheel began to emit a wonderful screetch each time it moved. Needless to say I was becoming frustrated but she wasnt done yet, soon she began chosing what I could listen to by ejecting CDs at random, and deciding my passengers comfort level bt disabling their climate controls... permantly. Well I was fit to be tied the morning that I drove off into the summer sun and returned on a flatbed because my transmission had enough and melted. This was a 2000 model and I was dealing with issues most never do with an 80's!
I am disgusted with what Cadillac has become. They sell me a status symbol, a peace of mind, what I end up with is a peice of sh**. Here is a trusted company whose roots stem to the very beginnings of automotive history and yet the are destroying the very thing they strived to acheieve without so much as an afore thought. As they struggle to climb from the grave their current customer base dissapears into I hope they realize that the wounds they have left cannnot be cured by simply placing a fancy designed bandage over. Their infecton will stem from poor craftsmanship, fit and finish, and quality. Cadillac has a preamble entitled "The Penalty of Leadership" perhaps its time someone sat down and evaluated its meaning before more are plagued to endure "The Penalty of Ownership".
Anyway, I dont mean to offend any Cadillac fans, I was one for years, I've just finally had enough.
Cadillac. It was fun, but you have lost my trust and respect, it will be a long time before I can ever consider you the standard of my world.
Thanks for letting me vent - Slick Black Cadillac
Last edited by Slick Black Cadillac; 12-02-04 at 02:40 PM.
WOW, Im sorry your experience has been so bad. Certainly they arent all like this, and the new ones are getting better. I agree quality made a gradual decline throughout the late nineties, but then in about 01 things started to get better. Remember, all luxury cars have issues, though I agree a warping dashboard and failed ride control shouldnt be one of them.
In any case, where will your car journey take you next?
On and btw... I loved this line... "Then the suspension seized completely and I was blessed with a ride comperable to that of a Radio Flyer Wagon plumeting down the Alps. To steal a line from Wes, GOLDEN!
__________________ "You ough'ta go and find a brain sale... And find a cheap one, cause you ain't got no trade-in!" - Red Fox
Why did the waranty not cover theese things? A 2000 anything should still be under waranty! Was it used? Because the things you describe kinda sound like flood dammage.
Buy a new one and see how it fares. Buy a used one and you are always taking a chance.
Quality is supposed to be better right now than ever so I think it's a bit premature to judge the current models with absolution.
Do I really have to post links for MB, Toyota, Honda, showing terrible quality and MUCH WORSE problems that you describe here for Cadillac? Have you not seen the JD Power ratings index lately? Cadillac is number 2 after Lexus.
I think they have accomplished a remarkable feat in Quality and Sales, repeat customers seem to evidence this.
Cadillac has actually surpassed Toyota in long term quality. Toyota has maintained short term quality supremacy, for now. (I can post this link, I just have to dig for it, but I know where it is)
I don't know what list you are referring to, Ralph, (there are so many lists...) but the list recently published in our newspaper is like this:
#1. Infiniti
#2. Lexus
#3. Lincoln
#4. Cadillac
#5. Honda
BTW, he had to buy them all well used! He's 22. The 1st one he was 8 years old, the 2nd one he was 10 years when they were made. The 3rd one he was 14 years old and the 2000 he was just 18.
Buy a new one and see how it fares. Buy a used one and you are always taking a chance.
Quality is supposed to be better right now than ever so I think it's a bit premature to judge the current models with absolution.
Do I really have to post links for MB, Toyota, Honda, showing terrible quality and MUCH WORSE problems that you describe here for Cadillac? Have you not seen the JD Power ratings index lately? Cadillac is number 2 after Lexus.
I think they have accomplished a remarkable feat in Quality and Sales, repeat customers seem to evidence this.
Cadillac has actually surpassed Toyota in long term quality. Toyota has maintained short term quality supremacy, for now. (I can post this link, I just have to dig for it, but I know where it is)
I agree Ralph, but it doesnt matter what the reports say when YOUR individual experience ends up terrible. It really sours you on the brand for along time. I have to give it to him for sticking with it as long as he did. I considered getting a CTS-V the other day, and the one I rode in, made a nasty squeaking sound in the dash everytime the car was shifted, and it only had very little miles on it. Those kind of things are small, but they build up. The next 500 CTS-Vs off the line probably were perfectly fine, but that squeak may or may not be an easy fix for whoever ends up with that particular car.
that kid was bitten by the first year GM bug on that DHS ....plain and simple ...
our 2004 MAXX is falling apart now with a whopping 6700 miles on it .....as of right now :
1)Starter Continues to stay engaged 3-7 seconds after key is relesed and engine is running
2)Horrible suspension noise , sounds like a controll arm is coming off , very heavy very loud clunk.
3)A rattle under the dash GM wont fix but will gladly publish technical service bulletins about how to fix
4)XM radio , not only do we loose the subcription out of the radio daily (has to uplink and gets its info again) we loose all presets and the reception is equal listening to an FM radio station without the FM antenna !!!!
5)Engine is a very rare 2-4-6 3.5 , even the brocures dont mention this , but it runs on 2-6 cyalnders depending on what mood its in , this is the bipolar 3500 V6
6)The car also brake torqes itself at light and tires to move with the brake fully applied
7)There is no kickdown on the tranny , mom found this out trying to merge ont he interstate from 30 mph trying to get to 60 , took about 20 seconds as the tranny was locked in 4th gear with torque converter in full lock ....
8)If you use the "remote start" feature kiss listening to XM goodbye for that whole trip , your only going to be able to listen to 1010 AM radio
9)Power steering will loose all assist mid turn , Mom doesnt like this feature .....
10) they shoulda made a convertable model , then it would have an excuse to leak when it rains.....
Luckily the dealer has fixed 4 other problems we have had with the car ......
Recalled 3 times ,8 software updates, and had 4-5 shop visits .....6700 miles ....
My dad likes the toyota prius now ......So i think hes ready to lemmon law the MAXXident
EDIT: Also dad used to laugh when i said i was going to put a "Citation" emblem on it insated of "malibu" as thats what it looks like. Sad part is now when i make that joke he asks "Where can we get one ?"
I am disgusted with what Cadillac has become. They sell me a status symbol, a peace of mind, what I end up with is a peice of sh**.
As they struggle to climb from the grave their current customer base dissapears into I hope they realize that the wounds they have left cannnot be cured by simply placing a fancy designed bandage over.
Cadillac has a mantra entitled "The Penalty of Leadership" perhaps someone should sit down and think about its meaning before more are plagued to endure "The Penalty of Ownership".
Cadillac. It was fun, but you have lost my trust and respect, it will be a long time before I can ever consider you the standard of my world.
WOW!
That is an amazing post, and I loved the stuff at the end that I quoted.
It's a shame you had all of those problems. It sounds like some of the interior stuff is sun or external heat related. The CD and Transmission sound like an overheating problem as well, probably poor design or cost cutting.
Why did the waranty not cover theese things? A 2000 anything should still be under waranty! Was it used? Because the things you describe kinda sound like flood dammage.
3 year/36,000 is most common now on expensive GM vehicles. I've been dissappointed with our denali, for the most part its been great, but the engine and brakes are trash. Sure its fast, and is nice, but we've had headlight flickering,etc. GM is not what they used to be. My Blazer is extremely reliable, even after 284k miles. Sure somethings are breaking down, but overall, its never broken down. Drove it to the dealership on a dead transmission.
3 year/36,000 is most common now on expensive GM vehicles.
Cadillac warranty is 4 years or 50,000 miles. So if either the miles or the inservice date are past, he's out of luck going to the dealer!
I've had a whole list of at least 30 things that have gone wrong with my 2000 STS in the two years I've owned it. I did buy it used, but still it was only 3 years old and had 39k miles. Luckily for me everything was fixed under warranty. After the warranty went past, the fuel pump died, but that was covered by the aftermarket warranty I bought for it.
But since then, nothing else has gone wrong, it runs and drives great! I think it's because there's at least $15,000 in new parts in the car compliments of GM! Not bad for a car I paid $22,000 for to begin with! Thanks GM!
I'd sell it and buy something else, but I just can't part with the car! When everything is working right, the STS is an amazing car! Plus I still have 3 years left on my extended warranty, so I feel a little safer.
