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126K views 480 replies 81 participants last post by  LisaCatera 
#1 · (Edited)
Anything wrong with your SRX out of the box ?????

I'm getting ready to take my 09' SRX to the shop to get those "little things" fixed.

These are the things I hope to have worked on!



NAV/RADIO WILL NOT TURN OFF:

When the Power Button is pressed, instead of the unit going off and “dark”, it goes quiet, and presents a very annoying bright blue screen. Should not be presenting blue screen. Screen should go off and dark when hitting power button off. Current work-a-round is to go Menu/Display/Display OFF then turn Volume Down. This gets annoying sometimes. I have no clue with the dealership will do with this one!


DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR:

Drivers side door mirror has reflection mirror flaws, which cause a ripple in the View. This is annoying and distracting, especially at night. I hope to get GM to replace glass! * NOTE: No – it is not the window tinting or glass, verified with window down.

Also: I'll have the dealer check heating system on Mirror – Drivers Side Mirror takes 3 Times as long to clear fog/mist/ice as passenger mirror, indicating a flaw in the heating system.


TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROGRAMMING:

Transmission down shifts from 5th to 4th way too easily and too often when in drive, especially on the highway with Cruise engaged. With slight acceleration or slight incline without acceleration the car will lurch and downshift. This is actually very dangerous when running with cruise control as it causes the car to lurch forward unexpectedly. Can’t run cruise on highway, if there is the slightest incline, unless you remember to put shifter into sport / manual mode – 5th.

Putting Shifter in M5 stops the annoying down shifting, but then you have to remember to put it back into drive for stops and town driving.

I am hoping the dealership will reprogram computerized transmission shifting parameters.


DRIVERS DOOR DROPS:

Drivers’ door “drops” when Opening. Please adjust so this won’t create problems in the future. The other doors seem to align fine.


WATER DRIPS:

AC drips cold water on Drivers Foot. My Wife expressed concern of damage to expensive shoes. I'm am concerned because drips turn into floods with cars!
 
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#320 ·
Wondered where you were. Good times just won't last.
 
#321 ·
I just had mine in. UltraView was reversing on express close at idle or with the engine off, and a wind noise at the front of the glass at speed when closed. Power sunshade jumped the track. Return of Lake Cadillac. Power windshield washer pump worked sporadically. All of this got squared away. One thing puzzles me about the SRX: the worst AM reception on any car I have owned. Nonetheless, when the stars align and everything works as it should, I really like all of the things that the SRX brings to the table. Oh yeah, just turned 90,000 miles. PJ
 
#322 ·
Hi PJ... I remember when the front of my shade popped off the track and popped me in the head! haha.

What did they do for Lake Cadillac - - blow out the roof drains?

I concur about lousy AM reception - mine is the same... good thing I don't listen to AM very much.

I do - - must love this thing, to put up with it! :)

Your baby will soon have it's centennial birthday!
 
#323 ·
Prof.......ESPN and WEEI are sports channels on AM I like to listen to. But as I said, I have never had a car with worse AM reception. And yes, the dealer blew out all of the roof drains for me. Spark plugs are next as my miles approach 91K. The fuel mileage has fallen off a tad and I see no sense in putting that off. I also put in a new battery rather than wait for the gremlins to visit. The wife and I have a trip to St. John New Brunswick Canada coming up. So I want the SRX ready to go. We are taking our Doberman to some competitive obedience trials and hope to get another title on him. I may also get the front fascia redone.....stone, cinder, and salt chips in the paint, courtesy of the road crews treating the snow this past Winter. May also break down and have that 3M protective sheeting applied to the fascia.....another $400? PJ
 
#324 ·
I gave up with all the issues car is getting paid off and gone gone gone......I actually gave up on GM the foreign cars may have issues but they know how to fix them unlike the techs at the 3rd dealership I have been to.It is so much easier to just say we can't reproduce the problem without the computer telling me whats wrong and how to fix it.
 
G
#327 ·
The SRX 1st generation was built to be used a couple of years, it was never meant to be used(or built) to last longer then the payments. If it brakes down after warranty it just a added plus for the parts department and the stealerships. GM has to make the money back from all the warranty repairs. Of course this is just MO. The 1st generation SRX will always be recycled and unwary new owners will continue to buy/resell second/+ hand 1st generation, keeping the parts supply chain open and stealerships busy and owners slapping their forehead. Unfortunately for me I like to tinker with cars, but even my tinkering has its limits. Living in a foreign country I am always being ribbed because my neighbors joke I am under a car(which is extremely expensive here) and my finger nails are constantly dirty, instead of flaunting the prestige. The best bet(I keep telling myself) is to fix it and sell/trade it, if you are lucky to have a reliable one, its probably a good truck to have.
 
#328 ·
Orandaberg, even in Norway there has to be a 1st Gen SRX in better shape than the one you have. Why not get rid of the one you are always complaining about and buy a 1st Gen SRX that has actually been taken care of and treated with civility? The SRX is not the crappy automobile you are describing it to be, either that or say "MY 1st gen SRX".
 
#329 ·
Quite a few ppl have had way too many issues new or used on these. Your right there has to be better examples of the srx and I believe their are. But its hard to find raves on a forum more rants. I think cone or glake said that awhile back lol good point too who comes on a forum or service department to say how well their vehicle is running. I'm basically just doing enough to keep it running and hoping some idiot driver hits it in traffic and totals it cause I wouldn't sell this particular one to anybody that would see me everyday ;).
 
#331 ·
I agree, that no vehicle is problem free, but I think too many people on this forum, have gotten unlucky and bought a vehicle that has been poorly cared for and abused and then make blanket statements about that model or even worse, about the Cadillac brand based on just one example of that brand. If we started having problems with ours, I would not tell anyone that the SRX was built as a disposable automobile and that all of them suck.
 
#333 ·
Hi gang... sorry for my absence...

Life decided to intervene and have me experience a heart attack. This slowed me down a bit for a few weeks. So they crammed an inkpen spring up my groin and we are as good as new.

Anyway.. I am late with this entry - sorry about that.

Humpty went into the shop AGAIN, with a cracked forward trim. (yea, the part they just replaced.)

Plus, the rubber trim at the rear of the sunroof decided to roll itself into a ball... so they replaced that too.

That was on the 15th..

Officially, these are items 61 and 62 respectively.

Yesterday, I noticed the trim above windshield is coming off! (oops)
Today, the right front blinker/running light stopped working.

That piece of trim is been real problematic for me.

and Back she goes....
 
#337 ·
Hello Professor Wizard,

I am sorry to hear of the health issues you had to deal with. I am glad you are doing well and back on the forum, as I see members are happy to have you back as well! I see your vehicle is going back to the dealership for issues that have reoccurred and I am sorry for these concerns coming back on your vehicle. If you would like to keep me involved throughout this process and if I can assist in anyway, please reach out to me via private message.

Sincerely,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#335 ·
And kept your sense of humor---------priceless :run:
 
#336 ·
"THE STANDARD OF THE WORLD"
if it wasn't for Cadillac Mercedes, bmws, Jaguars, Lexus, Acura, etc. This companies would not be where they're now.
We bought quality even if we are second or third owners, we must remember that we are driving a machine the has a lot of moving parts, with lots of electric & electronic circuits.
Like any machine if the required services were not dome according to schedule maintenance from the beginning it will show down the road by parts breaking down with expensive bill repairs attached to them.

----------

To avoid all the issues that are in this foru & many out there
We must change our attitudes towards maintenance schedules that they unnecessary & money grab for dealers, manufacturers build great quality products with high tolerances, there is a reason why srx use Mobil 5w30 full synthetic, it's to protect the high tolerance parts inside the engine & not to upset us because with have to twice or three times the price of conventional oil change, I bet if we investigate the arcs with timing chain issues most of them would be the recommended oil was not use because some thought that GM was making them spend unnecessary money. Just a thought.
D.
 
#338 ·
Thanks Laura, and welcome to the forums. - - I do appreciate that.. but I've done this round often enough, I have pretty much got the system down pat! :smile


Desmar: Mine is not a case of neglect or lack of maintenance... as I am almost OCD and very meticulous with the care of my cars. Mine is the case of that 1 in a hundred thousand that should have been scrapped by the maker and replaced.


Glake: My sense of humor is what keeps me going... and going... and going...


Whiplash: Thanks!


orandaberg: Are you offering to buy me dinner? Since my SRX probably would not float very well (but they do hold water!), I'd probably have to pass!


TimRSRS777: Let me assure you that THIS SRX gets the VERY utmost of care and love... But despite that, it insists on creating it's own problems... it is like being married to a hypochondriac.

As for no vehicle being problem free... ... my 1998 Ford Explorer made it 230k miles with NO Repair Service, outside of Oil, Brake Pads, Tires, 1 coolant flush, and 1 battery - - at which time I had an accident with it, repaired that and sold it to a friends teenager, who then drove it another 60k miles without performing ANY routine maintenance at all, before it finally kicked the bucket. Good, mechanically sound cars CAN Be made!



OK...

So they put the trim back on - - #63 fixed.

And they fixed the front blinker - - #64 fixed.


BUT :: I picked her up this AM, and drove to work - - on the highway, I hear air over my head... The Rubber seal at the leading edge of the sunroof is all screwed up where they worked on replacing the plastic trim... ... So I imagine, she will be going back to the shop.

I swear, this car is possessed with gremlins.

And my saga continues! :smile
 
#340 · (Edited)
Prof........did the Docs fix you under warranty? Seriously, I am glad you are ok and that the "repairs" on you went without a hitch. :D

As for the thread topic: absolutely nothing is wrong with my SRX.

Since August 15 my wife and I completed two road trips, the first to Grand Bay-Westfield New Brunswick and then the second to Chicago. About 3,700 total miles. Everything is working perfectly, and I just turned 97,000 miles.

We had Maximus the Doberman with us on the Canada trip (canine obedience competitions, he titled!!!) and our two grandchildren with us for the Chicago trip. The home theater option DVD player kept the little ones totally occupied, with the wireless headphones and remote control insuring peace and serenity for the two adults in the front seats. We got to use the third row seating quite a bit in Chicago, albeit with the grandchildren back there in the third row. And the second row fore and aft adjustment came in handy when we needed it, either for more luggage space or alternatively more leg room. Is the Cadillac SRX the only 3 row crossover vehicle with this second row adjustment feature?

On the Canada trip up and back, all highway, we averaged 22.5 mpg, and with the mixed driving up there we managed 19. On the Chicago trip, fuel mileage was virtually identical. Yes, I use the cruise control and stay within 5-7 mph of the posted speed limits. However, in Ohio and Indiana where the posted speed limit on Interstate 80 is 70 mph, the state troopers seemed far less liberal and enforced closer to the posted speed limits.

Overall, the SRX has been a pleasure to own and to drive. For me (5'9' and 180 pounds) this vehicle could have used a telescoping steering wheel......although I can adjust the seat and the pedals completely to my liking and comfort, I wish the steering wheel was a tad closer to the driver. The power lumbar does the trick for my back. The Nav has worked fine, even in Canada; but I have never liked the overly sensitive touch screen. To me the satellite radio is well worth the monthly subscription price to get exceptional variety with no commercials; and no matter where you go, you have clear and crisp reception, except where mountains get in the way. Even with 37 psi in the tires, the ride was still nice. We got a lot of use out of the UltraView on these trips because the weather cooperated on both trips.

Since we bought our SRX CPO at 26K miles with the GMPP, we have had an overall positive experience with a few problems taken care of by our dealer. During the first month, a battery replacement, lower control arms replaced, front swaybar insulators replaced, Lake Cadillac fixed, and the requisite UltraView adjustments. Over the next 3.5 years and 70K miles, a washer pump and washer fluid tank cap were replaced as was the high mount brake light bar due to some LCDs that quit. One front hvac vent fell apart, replaced. Lake cadillac returned and was fixed with the hatch weatherstripping replaced. More UltraView adjustments (guides replaced) and a sunshade replacement. Pre-emptively, I just did the tranny fluid change, coolant change, recently had the dealer blow out the roof drains, and swapped out the battery. Also had the brake fluid changed about 10K miles ago.

The Northstar rips......too bad it didn't sell after initial robust sales in 2004 and 2005 and is now history. Awd and heated seats come in handy here in snow country. Oil consumption is still negligible, only about a half quart between 8K mile oil changes. While the scheduled maintenance calls for new plugs at 100K miles, the engine is running so good and the mileage rock solid that I will forego that until something starts going South.

My belief is that vehicles today have become so complex, so feature, option, and electronics-laden, that one should expect the repair and maintenance frequency to follow suit.

My game plan is to get another 60K miles out of this one. My dilemma is what to replace it with. While there are a lot of fine choices in the marketplace, try finding a crossover with seating for 7 AND with the Northstar's performance. Add in the ease with which the very young and very old can get into and out of this vehicle.

PJ
 
G
#341 ·
"While the scheduled maintenance calls for new plugs at 100K miles, the engine is running so good and the mileage rock solid that I will forego that until something starts going South."
Do not wait till something goes south, keep to the schedule, its there for a reason
 
#342 ·
orandaberg said:
"While the scheduled maintenance calls for new plugs at 100K miles, the engine is running so good and the mileage rock solid that I will forego that until something starts going South."
Do not wait till something goes south, keep to the schedule, its there for a reason
hi, i'm new to the site but i have been reading, lurking around... may o bother you or anyone who may read this... i have a 2005 SRX 4.6 V8 and just broke the hole where the idler pulley bolts to. my question is is this mounting bolt parts of the front engine cover or the block? has anyone experienced is? just glad that this happened on my driveway and not while i was driving cause it took my steering out. please advice. thank you.

vic
 
#344 ·
hi repnatl. thanks for the immediate reply. i am hoping that it is same as a V6 and part of the cover and not of the block. to replace the timing cover is less expensive than to replace the block. if the latter, it would be cheaper to just replace the whole engine (OUCH!). i will keep you updated. Auto part Tire Automotive wheel system Automotive tire Rim
 
#346 ·
i can't. it's too tight. i had my mech put his iphone in that tight spot to take the photo. i had it towed to my garage this afternoon. my mech and i are going to see it monday afternoon. hopefully by then i would have a better perspective of the problem. and crossing my fingers and toes that it is on the front cover. i have the service manual but i cannot tell from the schematics. Drawing Circle Artwork
 
#349 ·
i greatly appreciate your input rep! i will suggest that to my mech. it's an aluminum cast block, i don't know how this will figure. if i ever visit your area it would be an honor to meet up with you and share a couple of brews. same here, if you get up far north, send me a note. i will keep you posted through this thread. keep on sending your ideas rep!
 
#350 ·
Forget "welding some metal over it", a GOOD welder MIGHT be able to reattach the piece that cracked off. It would have to be done VERY precisely to make sure the threads line up.

Some grinding would be necessary on both the piece and block before welding. It may not be possible with the engine installed.
 
G
#355 ·
There has to be a better alternative then replacing a engine in a 2005 model SRX, that will not be your only cost, parts need replacing sometimes when removed, or other things break, you could damage a harness, the list goes on. If you want the SRX that bad get another 05, cannot be that much more then replacing a entire engine and labor and extras. One or two small mistakes during installation and then trouble shooting later could mean $$$$$$.
 
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