Cadillac would replace my rear bezel...

choop145 said:

i was really bumbed, all i wanted was the black rear bezal on my 04 cts. So i went to parts and asked how much to purchase a black one to match my car and he said over $500 and when it arrives, it has to be painted. So i'll be looking at over $600 for a black rear bezel.
Do you guys have any other opinions on a way to get a matching piece?

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Get it so that it fills with water and have it replaced for free under warranty. The parts guy was BSing you. The bezel comes pre-painted. GM no longer makes the clear gray bezel.

lmao, what a bitch (the part counter guy), like mbai2 mentioned just go, claim your rear bezel has a lot of water condensation in it etc, i dont even think they check, they just order the new part which is painted and your good to go. PLEASE dont pay 500 or 600 or whatever for that part when you can have it for free!

should i go dealership to dealership until i find somebody that will replace it?

choop145 said:

should i go dealership to dealership until i find somebody that will replace it?

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You should not have to go dealership to dealership. Get the hose and spray it directly into the bezel to get water in (Trust me water will get in) Then go to the dealer and tell them you want the rear bezel replaced under warranty. Don't even mention you want the body colored one because they will order it using your vin number and you will automatically get a colored one (they dont make the gray one anymore). Let us know how it goes.

it worked for me thanks to my fellow cts members...

I had mine replaced under warranty four months after buying the car (thanks to this forum), well over a year ago. Mine had water sloshing around and was fogged inside. They haven't made the smoked ones for over a year, so you'll be relatively safe that a painted one will arrive color matched to you car, if you let them replace it under warranty.

FYI, If you get the "CTS Parts List" in the Document Library over at CadillacFAQ, it has different part numbers listed for each of the colors. I don't think it even has a part number for the smoked one.

If you have difficulties getting water into the bezel you will find it is easily removed from the trunk lid and you can then fill the sucker with water. By the way they are screwing you on the price to. It is prepainted and is half that cost at www.gmpartsdirect.com They have to give you the new style as the old one is no long manufactured.

hey Robert, i couldnt find the rear bezel in the gmc website. do you know the part # for the black rear bezel. nice car by the way. Thats similar to what i was looking to do to my black CTS

choop145 said:

hey Robert, i couldnt find the rear bezel in the gmc website. do you know the part # for the black rear bezel. nice car by the way. Thats similar to what i was looking to do to my black CTS

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It's been some time since I ordered mine. There is a part number for each color of the CTSs. It has been posted before. I'll see if I can find it.
Edit: I posted the question in the FAQ section. Hopefully they will get back to me.

I was behind a black CTS (not sure what year looked brand new)yesterday and it had a black matching rear bezel I thought how cool that looks. I too own a black 03 CTS but with grey bezel my car is still under warranty and I had made an appointment for the very thing that it fills with water and gets fogged. Especially sucks after I have the car sparkling clean then the rear end bezel leaks the water and leaves a water stain on my back bumper. I hope they have a black color replacement for 2003 models as well this would be cool to have.

choop145 said:

i was really bumbed, all i wanted was the black rear bezal on my 04 cts. So i went to parts and asked how much to purchase a black one to match my car and he said over $500 and when it arrives, it has to be painted. So i'll be looking at over $600 for a black rear bezel.
Do you guys have any other opinions on a way to get a matching piece?

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Yeah, get a louvered bezel...comes painted, it is an overlay though..but sticks right on and you can't even tell....if the dealers won't replace your, it is a cheaper alternative...

pjohnesq said:

Yeah, get a louvered bezel...comes painted, it is an overlay though..but sticks right on and you can't even tell....if the dealers won't replace your, it is a cheaper alternative...

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PJ's grill is HOT! PJ, bezel held on by what?
Keep in mind guys this does not correct the dribbling water at all. After you dry the car it will still dribble water. Yep, a pain in the butt. But hey it looks so much better!

RobertCTS said:

PJ's grill is HOT! PJ, bezel held on by what?
Keep in mind guys this does not correct the dribbling water at all. After you dry the car it will still dribble water. Yep, a pain in the butt. But hey it looks so much better!

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Thanks Rob...Bezel is held on by adhesive..backing tape peels right off, you line it up and stick it on, just like the CTS scripts...The color matching rear bezels weren't available when I purchased so the accessory guys at my dealership did the louvered bezel thing....I have thought about going to the regular bezel, but I kinda like the loubered look...sets me apart from the othe CTS's down here in southern Cali..

pjohnesq said:

Thanks Rob...Bezel is held on by adhesive..backing tape peels right off, you line it up and stick it on, just like the CTS scripts...The color matching rear bezels weren't available when I purchased so the accessory guys at my dealership did the louvered bezel thing....I have thought about going to the regular bezel, but I kinda like the loubered look...sets me apart from the othe CTS's down here in southern Cali..

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From a pure styling point I think the louvers may look better. I wonder if that would work with the new bezel? I think the new lights are bigger.

RobertCTS said:

From a pure styling point I think the louvers may look better. I wonder if that would work with the new bezel? I think the new lights are bigger.

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The lights are the same size I think...If you look at the louvered section of the bezel, only the top portion appears to be covering the actual light. I always thought that once you remove the old gray plastic bezel, the lights appear bigger because that gray bezel is no longer there...I may be incorrect...For all those who replaced the old gray bezel with the body colored, do you know if there was any change of lights involved??

pjohnesq said:

The lights are the same size I think...If you look at the louvered section of the bezel, only the top portion appears to be covering the actual light. I always thought that once you remove the old gray plastic bezel, the lights appear bigger because that gray bezel is no longer there...I may be incorrect...For all those who replaced the old gray bezel with the body colored, do you know if there was any change of lights involved??

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The bezel includes the back up lights and license plate bracket. So yea, the lights were replaced with larger ones that fill that whole area. However, the louvered bezel seems to be made to also expose the entire backup light on the new bezels. One thing to remember is that the new design is shaped slightly different than the clear grey bezels. The older bezels were totally flat and the transition to the license plate area was sudden so you could stick on a cover. The redesigned bezels curve into the license plate area so the louvered bezel may not be able to stick properly or fit over the rounder lights.

Don't waste your money get it for free from Cadillac.

worked for me

Does anyone get water dribbling from around the new painted bezel? I noticed water kept running out from behind mine the other day after I had it washed, and I can see condensation in the lenses of the little lights that illuminate the license plate. I had my smoked bezel replaced under waranty, and am still covered, maybe I'll have to mention it next time I'm in for an oil change...