On January 15, I purchased a brand new, 2014 ATS with the 2-liter turbo motor. The car had all-wheel drive, the Premium package and every option box was ticked when the car was ordered by the dealer.
This was my first Cadillac and, based on all of the reviews that I had read, I was excited about this car. I've owned 3 Lexus', 2 BMW M3s and a host of other luxury cars over the years. I was really attracted to the lines of the car and I found the build quality of the interior to be remarkable.
I brought my car into the shop on February 6, complaining of a slight rough idle, a defective windshield (see my other posts) and a flickering nav system. The dealer installed new firmware that was supposed to mitigate the flickering nav system (it did not). They also reported that the technician could not recreate the rough idle, so they couldn't fix it.
On March 13, my car began idling rough all of the time. The next day the rough idle increased and the CEL began blinking. I limped my car home, garaged it for the weekend and had it towed to the dealership on Monday, March 16.
It took them a few days, but after they tore the motor down, the noticed that the #4 piston was cracked, so much so that it broke off the top ring land. The car was going to need another long block. Luckily, my windshield had also arrived (finally) and they were going to do that at the same time.
I left for Miami on March 25. My car was finished the day I returned (March 30) and I picked my car up on March 31. We are talking 18 days out of commission already.
On April 2, the rear crossmember brace fell off as I was turning out of my neighborhood. I was thankfully able to retrieve the part. I took it into the dealership and asked them to tighten the part with tools rather than by hand this time. They were extremely embarrassed, and I was mildly pissed off to say the least.
I was confident that a new motor (which was an updated design according to the service advisor) would have averted any future problems. I was wrong. On April 9, I noticed my car was starting to have a rough idle. It was also spewing carbon out the exhaust and onto the rear decklid, rear quarter panels and bumper cover. Performance was diminished and the car even stalled at a red light. No check engine lights were present.
I brought my car into a different Cadillac dealer this time to have them check it out (and to confirm whether or not I was crazy and just making this stuff up in my head). Two days later I received a call from the service advisor telling me that I had another broken piston and that the car would need a new motor. At this point I called GM Customer Service and began complaining about the build quality of this car. Two motors in 3900 miles, with the second one lasting only 400 miles, is largely unacceptable.
Here it stands at 37 days out of commission and my car is still in the shop. I do not blame the servicing dealer this time. This would not have happened had Cadillac focused as much on engine design as it did the interior and exterior of this car. At this point I've contacted Cadillac customer service and informed them that they can keep this car. I'm not sure how difficult or how long the buyback process will take, but I am finished. The value of the car is now diminished because a future buyer can see that it had a defective windshield and 3 motors within the first 4,000 miles. In addition, the car qualifies as a lemon by the state of Missouri as it has been in the shop for over 30 days during the warranty period. This car has to go.
I really wanted this car to work. I loved the look, the interior, the performance and the handling of the car. I don't love owning a brand new car for 3 months and having it be inoperable for over 1/3 of that time. Cadillac needs to stand behind their products.
I won't be buying a Cadillac again, let alone another GM product. I hate to say it, but this car was a huge letdown.
This was my first Cadillac and, based on all of the reviews that I had read, I was excited about this car. I've owned 3 Lexus', 2 BMW M3s and a host of other luxury cars over the years. I was really attracted to the lines of the car and I found the build quality of the interior to be remarkable.
I brought my car into the shop on February 6, complaining of a slight rough idle, a defective windshield (see my other posts) and a flickering nav system. The dealer installed new firmware that was supposed to mitigate the flickering nav system (it did not). They also reported that the technician could not recreate the rough idle, so they couldn't fix it.
On March 13, my car began idling rough all of the time. The next day the rough idle increased and the CEL began blinking. I limped my car home, garaged it for the weekend and had it towed to the dealership on Monday, March 16.
It took them a few days, but after they tore the motor down, the noticed that the #4 piston was cracked, so much so that it broke off the top ring land. The car was going to need another long block. Luckily, my windshield had also arrived (finally) and they were going to do that at the same time.
I left for Miami on March 25. My car was finished the day I returned (March 30) and I picked my car up on March 31. We are talking 18 days out of commission already.
On April 2, the rear crossmember brace fell off as I was turning out of my neighborhood. I was thankfully able to retrieve the part. I took it into the dealership and asked them to tighten the part with tools rather than by hand this time. They were extremely embarrassed, and I was mildly pissed off to say the least.
I was confident that a new motor (which was an updated design according to the service advisor) would have averted any future problems. I was wrong. On April 9, I noticed my car was starting to have a rough idle. It was also spewing carbon out the exhaust and onto the rear decklid, rear quarter panels and bumper cover. Performance was diminished and the car even stalled at a red light. No check engine lights were present.
I brought my car into a different Cadillac dealer this time to have them check it out (and to confirm whether or not I was crazy and just making this stuff up in my head). Two days later I received a call from the service advisor telling me that I had another broken piston and that the car would need a new motor. At this point I called GM Customer Service and began complaining about the build quality of this car. Two motors in 3900 miles, with the second one lasting only 400 miles, is largely unacceptable.
Here it stands at 37 days out of commission and my car is still in the shop. I do not blame the servicing dealer this time. This would not have happened had Cadillac focused as much on engine design as it did the interior and exterior of this car. At this point I've contacted Cadillac customer service and informed them that they can keep this car. I'm not sure how difficult or how long the buyback process will take, but I am finished. The value of the car is now diminished because a future buyer can see that it had a defective windshield and 3 motors within the first 4,000 miles. In addition, the car qualifies as a lemon by the state of Missouri as it has been in the shop for over 30 days during the warranty period. This car has to go.
I really wanted this car to work. I loved the look, the interior, the performance and the handling of the car. I don't love owning a brand new car for 3 months and having it be inoperable for over 1/3 of that time. Cadillac needs to stand behind their products.
I won't be buying a Cadillac again, let alone another GM product. I hate to say it, but this car was a huge letdown.
