Cadillac STS-V Series ForumForum specifically for Cadillac STS-V series discussions. With 469 horsepower, this is the most powerful production Cadillac ever made.
Cadillac Forums: What is it about the rear ends, in these ?
I'd agree the Getrag units are far from perfect.
The point I was trying to make, that you seemed to understand, is that a leaking pinion seal isn't the reason the diffs are sub-par nor do they make the whole car junk.
(as so many people have tried to attest recently)
__________________ Views expressed by the author of this post do not necessarily represent those of the Lindsay Automotive Group.
Not near as many rears defunk in the STS-V as the 1st Gen CTS-V. The pinion seal issue sounds specific to a bad supplier and I seriously doubt GM will just eat this whole thing for them without making them pay in one form or another. As far as doing something new for the rears in the 1st gen CTS-V I just don't see that happening. GM is better off biding their time and replacing those that fail under warranty until each car no longer has a warranty to cover it vs the cost of a complete redesign and recall on a limited production vehicle. Certainly a wink link in the 1st gen design, but hopefully a lesson learned and solved in the 2nd generation that's coming. We'll see.
Remember the STSv has the frame connectors underneath it that keep torsion to a minimum, thus, keeping our drivelines straight and tight (ie, no blown rears). I too dumped my CTSv as a result of living on pins and needles wondering what would grenade next...it was a great idea of a car - implemented poorly. I feel boatloads more confidence in the STSv in regards to driveline issues since there are so many inherent NANNIES on or slushies...GM has limited our ability to thrash the rears via electronics....You just wont get as many failures. You can remove the nannies with available software...BUT then youre back in CTSv country regarding problems, and who wants that?
At 6500 Miles My STS-V rear end was whining at about 30MPH...Service Manager took it for a ride and they replaced the complete rear end carrier as they call it and all is quiet now, never did show any leaking!
H
I am getting so tired of people bashing GM because of something a subcontractor did I can't even describe what I am feeling at this point.
that is absolute nonsense. GM is responsible for its subcontractors' work when it puts those subcontracted products into its cars and sells them to customers under the GM badge. this wouldn't be tolerated in any other trade or industry
i've owned a few cadillacs and had good luck with them. i'm currently jonesing big-time for an XLR-V. i grew up in Windsor, and i want to support the domestic auto industry, not make excuses for it.
edit: the few times i've had the cars in for service, Cadillac dealers always went way beyond the call of duty. specifically, Patrick in Schaumburg IL, and Martin in West L.A. have exceptionally diligent service departments.
is anyone reading the xlr-v forum here anymore? it's gotta be the deadest beat on the map...
Although I can agree with the premise of your response, the fact that I worked for GM car assembly division for 15 years, coupled with the two 'whole' rear ends I went through on the 2004 CTS-V, must be what has me frustrated. I know a little more about cars than most, and I loved the CTS-V in spite of the wheel hop and run around I got for 2 rear ends. With
all that I bought the STS-V.
For some reason, I just assumed Cadillac would have figured out by now, the 'weak link' in these cars IS the rear end. Both rear ends come from the same supplier (I believe).
How long do you rub coal hoping their is a diamond in there somewhere. If I were Cadillac, I would have either switch suppliers by now, or re-engineered an obvious POS, but what do I know.
I understand that you know a little more about cars than most. The other side of the question is: What is the escape clause for the manufacturing contract on the rears?
Can GM actually prove that the original factory has produced bad rears?
If they can prove it, how long will it take to document such?
Does GM need to get attorneys involved in escaping from a contract, or can GM just walk away from a contract without ending up in court?
How long would it take to line up another manufacturer?
How long will it take for the new manufacturer to get the dies made?
How long to get staff hired and trained?
etc
etc.
They don't build the cars "knowing" about the issues.
When something like the diff leak comes up they do an investigation to find the cause. They found it a couple months ago, re-engineered a new design part and found a supplier to manufacture them, had some made, added them to their parts catalog and made orders to get stock in the distribution centers and got some to fill the shelves then released a bulletin, now they are preparing for a recall. I am not sure where that makes them negligent, by doing everything they can to rectify this problem. You can't make 300,000 seal kits overnight.
I am getting so tired of people bashing GM because of something a subcontractor did I can't even describe what I am feeling at this point.
Yes I have heard of converters needing early replacement, probably due to a manufacturing issue as well.
Also, GM does have plenty of these parts "on the shelves" but GM dealers have to pay big money to keep
GM parts sitting around waiting for you to need one. Most of this is controlled by computers that keep track of items that are actually sold. Since these new parts have never been sold... because they are a NEW design, your dealer may not have any on hand. They can overnight them or get them within a couple of days from their parts distribution centers. I am sure within the next few weeks they will have plenty.
Just because you don't know the answers doesn't mean everyone that works for GM or a dealership is a slacker.
Relax and let your dealer handle it the best they can, I am sure they are making every effort to resolve your issues. If not, then find another dealer that will.
Thanks for speaking up. Considering how much help you provide us here, it must be painful to read some of the posts.
You explained the situation very clearly. Hopefully, our forum members will realize what you tried to explain to us. Keep hanging in there, guy. Many of us rely very heavily on your advice.
Re: What is it about the rear ends, in these ? 
