[J.E.T.]

OK, I'm picking it up tomorrow. Tech claims the shop said the power drain was in fact the sub amp power cord. Told him I didn't buy it but he said that's all they could find. Said they disconnected the wire from the fuse box and shop guy drove it home overnight and back.....let it sit for three days and it still starts. Well we'll see. Anyone else have a guess? I'm thinking computer because I never had any start-up problem until the day after they messed with the transmission shift points etc. Amp was installed when car was new over four months ago, never a problem until the initial tranny problem happend on Aug. 26th.


JET

 

[PAW 47]

There could be trace voltage bleed from the amp could technically screw with the ECU and everything else. What most people do not understand is that the entire brain for that car is held with the radio. I'm not saying your Radio guy screwed anything up, but perhaps the ground has failed causing the amp to bleed voltage. Which would make total since of the whole situation. Grounds are very important in any situation.

 

[MontySkull]

Were you drawing power for the amp from your fuse box or was it just the remote line in the fuse box?

 

[J.E.T.]

Had nothing to do with the radio Pat. It was a direct power cord from the trunk to the fuse panel in the engine compartment. Drain, if any, was EXTREMELY minimal and fuse protected. It's just odd to me that the car's fine until they open it up and then one day later it won't start. They're saying it drained the battery down to 10 volts which is huge. Another question, if that WAS the problem, why didn't they catch it the first time around? Why have to come back again?


JET

 

[MontySkull]

Sounds like a bad install. Power should always be drawn directly from the battery.

 

[J.E.T.]

We'll find out later today........car is going directly back to the stereo guy again who completely checked the car right after the first incident happened and found everything was perfect. We'll get to the bottom of it, believe me.


JET

 

[MontySkull]

If it's just the remote on/off in the fuse box, that should be fine. It really doesn't draw much current. Just senses that there's 12v when your car or stereo is on and triggers the amp to turn on too.

 

[J.E.T.]

That's exactly what it is MS........NO WAY this connection could cause this problem. I still feel it has something to do with the CPU or the Theft Deterrent System. Both the mobile Caddy tech and the tow truck driver felt the same way.


JET

 

[tomm]

The AMP should be powered directly from the battery and a fuse block should be installed near the battery. Pull the fuse after you park the car for the night and see if you have any problem starting in the morning. If after a week everything is fine then leave the fuse in at the end of the day and see if there is any problem in the morning.

You need to remember that the CTS draws current constantly with onstar and such so any additional drain could cause the battery to drop that low. The amp itself could be defective in that it is not shutting down properly.

 

[MontySkull]

Good point. How old is the amp and what kind is it?

 

[J.E.T.]

Installed on July 9th, Memphis sub, Street Edge 250 watt amp and amp "kit", Sirius Sportster, total bill was $678.42. Been back a couple times for a custom box on the sub, other than that no problems whatsoever, until the tranny went last month, THEN it all started.

JET

 

[J.E.T.]

OK, picked it up yesterday. Service manager refused to give me any paperwork on this repair.........said all I would do is give it to an attorney for ammunition against them. So.........after hearing about twenty minutes of bullshit talk about stereo hook-ups, cell phone chargers, etc. I had to leave, it was getting just too bizarre for words. Mechanic who worked on it this time said that if you want to add any aftermarket electrical things you should bring another power source into play.........what?? Took it directly up to my stereo guy who showed me all the hook-ups (direct to battery on amp, with an in-line fuse). Sirius unit hooked to "spare" fuse site under back seat.......no problems there, so........nothing stereo involved here. THAT'S why they didn't want to put it in writing for me. Anyway, went to the local Caddy dealer and when I told them the story they all busted a gut laughing, that made me feel REAL good about the whole thing. Salesman then came into the service office and asked about the non-start problem. He described it perfectly.........said, "that's no problem, we just fixed two other CTS's with the same problem, just re-programmed the computer, simple fix." Now I was really pissed. All that time and effort for a simple fix solution.......what is wrong with these dealerships? Anyway, got a call from their general manager offering a solution, trade, whatever. Told him I didn't feel like it was his place since I bought four vehicles, including this CTS from another dealer (who happens to be a sister store, found THAT out yesterday as well.) He said he would call that store's general manager and have him call me. I said, "good luck, he hasn't returned ANY of my calls and my certified letter request hasn't received any attention either". Got an email last night from the Lemon Law firm, they want the case so I have to make a decision soon. Looked at a GTO last night, it was raining so I didn't want to test drive it. Did start it up though and it sounded so bad it was scary...........gonna make a deal by Friday.


JET