- #5 of 64
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Re: Please Reply [jfdcustom]
by cdnpinhead
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Dec 24, 2006 (4:30 pm)
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Replying to: jfdcustom (Dec 23, 2006 9:54 pm)
As you may or may not be aware, BMW has recently begun using an oil level sensor, to the extent that they've eliminated the dipstick.
Many BMW fans are beyond upset -- they check their oil weekly/monthly. Many of the enthusiasts among them change their own oil.
So. . .we have a car with the feature you're looking for driven by people who generally check their oil regularly vs. a car without it that comes with a perfectly good dipstick.
Everything is not idiotproof. . .yet.
Merry Christmas.
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- #6 of 64
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Re: 2004 CTS 3.6 Engine Failure [jfdcustom]
by pearl
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Dec 24, 2006 (6:36 pm)
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Replying to: jfdcustom (Dec 22, 2006 11:35 pm)
whatever my initial impressions were on your story, as soon as I read that your "friend" had not changed his oil in TWO YEARS, made me lose any and all sympathy for him. If this is true, then he should pay all the costs. Complete disregard and ignorance of the manufacturers recommendations for maintenance are not an excuse. If accurate, this is on him.
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- #7 of 64
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Re: 2004 CTS 3.6 Engine Failure [pearl]
by jfdcustom
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Dec 25, 2006 (9:15 am)
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Replying to: pearl (Dec 24, 2006 6:36 pm)
I understand where you are coming from. However, it is my opinion that the car should have displayed some type of low oil life or low oil indication prior to causing damage.
thanks for the reply though
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- #8 of 64
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2004 CTS Owner Failure
by richw5
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Dec 26, 2006 (8:27 am)
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My 2003 CTS, built in Feb of 2002, has an oil life indicator(OLI) that sends a message to the DIC (Driver Information Center) when the oil life or oil level is low. It also uses 10W30 oil, not 0W30 (which I don't believe exists).
Since your "friends" CTS is a 2004, it has the same sensor, which is extremely reliable. Apparently, your friend did not pay attention when the message came up.
While GM should be held responsible if the engine were defective, owners are responsible for routine maintenance and should accept the consequences for their negligence.
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- #9 of 64
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Re: 2004 CTS 3.6 Engine Failure [jfdcustom]
by serieshybrid
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Jan 03, 2007 (5:00 pm)
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Replying to: jfdcustom (Dec 22, 2006 11:35 pm)
Have you located a website or dealer who specializes in selling cars with blown or failed engines? Many hobbyists are looking for a "project car" and I would like to start converting these to series hybrid electric cars and see how successful an Electric Used Car Lot (mark-at-serieshybrid.com) might be. For now I can only consider manual transmission vehicles, so probably the CTS doesn't fit my need. But in general, especially in the Internet age, there must be enough of these cases to make a business out of selling cars with major engine failure.
Thanks, Mark (mark serieshybrid.com).
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- #10 of 64
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Re: 2004 CTS Owner Failure [richw5]
by sls002
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Jan 04, 2007 (9:48 am)
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Replying to: richw5 (Dec 26, 2006 8:27 am)
Mobil makes a synthetic (Mobil 1) which comes as a 0W30. I use the 5W30 in my SLS.
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- #11 of 64
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Re: 2004 CTS 3.6 Engine Failure [jfdcustom]
by sls002
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Jan 04, 2007 (9:52 am)
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Replying to: jfdcustom (Dec 25, 2006 9:15 am)
I think that the question here is:
Did the car display a low oil warning? or was this feature malfunctioning?
Did the car display a warning to change the oil? or was this feature malfunctioning?
I doubt that both features malfunctioned. In any case, the owners manual should have stated that the oil needed changed on an annual basis, which I think is the case. Failure to maintain the car properly is not GM's fault.
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- #12 of 64
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Re: 2004 CTS 3.6 Engine Failure [jfdcustom]
by panzer
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Jan 18, 2007 (12:10 pm)
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Replying to: jfdcustom (Dec 22, 2006 11:35 pm)
Assuming this is not a joke, your "friend" is paying his rightful penalty for being an idiot. Most of what is wrong with this country and the world for that matter is people that cannot and/ or will not take care of themselves, or take personal responsibility for their actions and expect the rest of us to do so. If Cadillac was to generously pay $8000 to fix this idiot's motor, that just means I'll have to pay incrementally more to buy my next one. Your friend needs a nanny. Most of the rest of us have grown out of them. Buck up and be an honest person. Quit trying to weasel a new motor.
By the way, synthetic oil is wonderful stuff, but it burns just as well as dino oil. My CTS burns about a quart in 3000 miles. At that rate I whould have junk in about 15,000 miles assuming it was not changed or topped off. I cannot imagine ignoring the change oil reminder for 2 years. Unbelievable. A good candidate for the 12 month lease.
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- #13 of 64
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Re: 2005 CTS 3.6 Engine burning/using oil.
by breaga01
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May 30, 2007 (7:51 am)
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Replying to: jfdcustom (Dec 22, 2006 11:35 pm)
There is no excuse for ignorance for going two years without an oil change but to his defense there may be more to it with this vehicle/engine. I have the same engine in my 2005 CTS with 30500 miles. At 26K I had an engine noise (a rattle just after starting for about 2-3 seconds) that started just after a LOF. I was told it was a bad starter (which I thought was weird at the time) but the dealer replaced it under warranty. The noise came back at 29K and I check the oil and it was not even on the stick. I added 3 quarts and immediately took it to the dealer for a LOF and checkup. It had about 3500 miles since the last LOF. I was shocked and somewhat naive that a 2005 Cadillac using Mobil 1 (BTW, Oil/filter change $65.00) would be burning oil at that rate with 29K on it. Now at 30500, 1500 miles since last change I am low almost 2 Qts again and I hear the noise again. I have never seen any warning lights or messages and I see no signs of leaks. My oil life is about 55-60% and between 3000-3600 miles between oil/filter changes. Seventy-five percent of my driving is highway with the rest is city getting on and off the highway. I am very fussy about my cars and watch and listen for anything abnormal. I bought the car new and for the first 8-12K I checked the oil on a regular basis because I did not have a history about this car/engine. I noticed that the oil does get dirty faster than my Chevy engines ever have and at 3000miles it was less than 1/2 qt low each time and I wrote that off as still engine break in time. After the first 12K miles I stopped checking it, the dealer never said it was low when it was in for service. So something happened between 12K and 26K that it is now using over a quart per 1000 miles. Something abnormal is going on with this engine. Definitely not acceptable in my book. It was my first Cadillac and I enjoy driving the car but I will not buy another. My 87 Monte Carlo SS 305 has 110000 miles on in and don’t burn 1 quart in over 3000 miles. That’s acceptable! Oil/filter change $18.00.
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- #14 of 64
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Engine Problems
by lora1985
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Dec 05, 2007 (2:56 pm)
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I loved my '03 CTS when I first bought it a little over a year ago. I bought it from a certified dealer and it still had a warranty, for about 2,000 miles, but I'll take what I can get. This past weekend I had gone away with a rental and on Monday when I went to take my car to work the engine was making a strange clicking sound and idling higher than normal. I had to take my more reliable 1993 Ford Explorer to work that morning. I had my mechanic come over and look at it, since I did not want to move it and he is saying the it is in the top of the engine. Now, I drive my car less than 12,000 miles per year, to work 15 minutes away 3 days a week and store it in the winter. I have done all my oil changes on time, get tune ups and have the entire vehicle checked over every few months. I cannot believe that there is an engine problem. Now I have to worry about whether this is even covered under the 8 yr warranty that is still on the car. Anyone else ever have this problem? You'd think when you pay so much for a vehicle, it would last a little longer than 40,000 miles....needless to say, after it is fixed, it will be gone. Cadillac is no longer on my list of reliable vehicles.
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