Project DD: 2008 Cadillac CTS 3.6 DI

[WRXtranceformed]

So the other thread can die I figured I would start this one so that I can chronicle my journey with this car. Because it has been an interesting one already. :lol:

Story: Traded in the keys to my TL-S, negotiated what I thought was a fair deal for my trade in and this car. Searched high and low to find a properly optioned, low-mileage, CPO example with a 100k warranty. It turns out it was in California.

Car ships in just over a week. Take delivery and immediately make the 400 mile round trip to Atlanta. Without going into all of my impressions and raves about how much I enjoyed the car on this trip, the one glaring thing I noticed was a wet rear interior rear passenger airbag panel after a hard rain that night. Dropped the car off at Cadillac of South Charlotte as soon as I returned and picked up a bawlin DTS loaner. Looks like the car will be in the shop for about a week, the entire sunroof needed to be taken out as there was a TSB on one of the drain lines and the auxiliary drainage line was clogged. Insert jokes about American vs. Jap engineering here <------------------

Option Packages:
Engine (optional, 3.6L DI): RPO code LLT 3.6L V6 VVT SIDI with 304 horsepower @ 6400 rpm and 273 lb.-ft. of torque @ 5200 rpm
UAV - Audio system with HDD-based Navigation, AM/FM stereo, XM Radio capable, CD/DVD/DVD-A/DVD-V player, MP3 playback, Bluetooth, Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround Sound 10-speaker system, Radio Data System (RDS), 40GB Hard Drive Device (HDD), USB connector, 3.5mm auxiliary input jack, 8" pop-up hi-def touch screen, Nav/Infotainment Voice Recognition, XM NavTraffic & XM NavWeather capable
Y40 - Luxury Level One Package (aka Sight & Sound Package in Canada) - Includes in-dash 6-disc CD changer, MP3 playback, theft-deterrent system with audible/visible alarm, Rainsense wipers, interior ambient accent lighting
Y41 - Luxury Level Two Package (aka Comfort & Convenience Package in Canada) - Includes heated and ventilated front seats, split-folding rear seatbacks, power tilt and telescopic steering column, universal home remote, ultrasonic rear parking assist and keyless access system with remote vehicle starter system
Y43 - 18" Summer Tire Performance Package - Includes performance handling suspension (FE3), automatic rear-level control, performance braking system, speed-sensitive steering, limited-slip differential, 18" x 8" high-polished aluminum wheels, P235/55ZR18 Y-rated summer performance tires, fog lights and Xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights with adaptive forward lighting system and headlight washers, performance cooling system included with automatic transmission



Immediate plans for the car upon its return:
- Hyperwhite LED license plate lights (like I had on the TL). This is such a frivolous, ricer thing to do but oddly I can't STAND the yellowish glow of OEM license plate lights now. Especially on this car, it looks awful
- Chrome grill inserts. This sounds ghetto but it is a really inexpensive upgrade and looks very OEM once installed:


- Hardwired install for the 9500ix. I did this myself in the TL but the interior panels never all lined up right when I finished. I know this is something only I would notice, but I didn't want to have to deal with it on this car, plus this installation and remote panel mounting is going to be more complex than the last car because there isn't an obvious place to put it. The kit should arrive shortly!

- Tint
- 4 bumper plugs for the holes the dang front license plate holder is going to leave. Why 4 mounting points (and rivets no less so that I have to have a body shop drill them out) were necessary I don't know.

From there I will probably leave the car mostly stock for once! There really isn't a huge aftermarket, and with the FE3 suspension the car handles extremely well. There is a slight chance I will paint the stock wheels black, but for once I like the car just the way it is

Some initial pictures, hopefully update this more whenever I actually get the car back and can drive it!

[ScottyB]

that car was made to be painted black. dig it!

i can definitely get on board with the chrome action. maybe hit the wheels with a dark grey or "hyperblack" kind of light coat instead of a full black out. i think that polished look adds some nice brightness to the side of the car personally.

[Apoc]

The best part was "Jap engineering."

[CaptainHenreh]

Rex Approved ™

[SlimKlim]

that car was made to be painted black. dig it!

i can definitely get on board with the chrome action. maybe hit the wheels with a dark grey or "hyperblack" kind of light coat instead of a full black out. i think that polished look adds some nice brightness to the side of the car personally.

Exactly what I was gonna say, please don't go full on black, it'll just disappear in with the rest of the car. Some form of gunmetal, hyperblack or black chrome would look Tits Mcgee though.

[JPolen01]

Immediate plans for the car upon its return:
- Hyperwhite LED license plate lights (like I had on the TL). This is such a frivolous, ricer thing to do but oddly I can't STAND the yellowish glow of OEM license plate lights now.

This. I am going to replace the bulb on my accord soon.

[WRXtranceformed]

Apparently the car is finally finished at Cadillac. It took their service techs like a week to replace all of the seals / gaskets and reinstall / readjust the sunroof so it didn't make highway road noise. Also got the front license plate removed :thumbup:

LEDs and hardwire kit are here, going to try to have the same shop knock out the tint and hardwire at the same time. Better pics to follow once I get the bumperplugs shipped and installed.

[WRXtranceformed]

MUCH better without the front plate!!



4 bumper plugs on order

[Jeff]

It is a damn pretty car. I always like them. The v6 one we had here was shit but it was an 04. It ran great and handled good but it was just a chunk of shit ya know? I have been wanting to get one of these for the lot for awhile but I just can't bring my self to do it after that last one...and how long it sat here.

[WRXtranceformed]

Yeah I hear you, I was not at all interested in the previous gen CTS's. GM definitely stepped up its game with this car.

Bumper plugs installed, tint and hardwire going on today. Chrome grill inserts weren't what I expected, so I'm ordering a different one.

[WRXtranceformed]

Hardwire turned out great, they did a killer job. I've got a completely stealth setup with a remote panel and custom kill switch that looks completely OEM for when I make my moonshiner runs through the communistwealth of VA.

Tint turned out HORRIBLE, making them fix it next Saturday. Pro detailer coming out next week to fix the 1526134613477 swirl marks and light scratches in the paint. Turns out black is a horrible color to buy pre-owned. Should look a billion times better when it's done though. Sunroof has not leaked one bit since they did the TSB recall.

Some impressions now that I've had a chance to drive it for a while.

- It's nice to have a car that runs on regular gas, for once. The manual says you can put higher octane fuel in it, and it runs noticeably better when you do (some of the V6 Camaro guys did some datalogging that shows that the ECU in these pulls timing on lower octane fuel). I've been running mid-grade as a compromise and it seems to run strong. Even with 22 more ponies and a lot more torques, it surprises me that most of the pull for this car is in the upper RPMs.

- The FE3 suspension is absolutely phenomenal from a performance standpoint for a car this big and heavy. It eats up the curves and has a healthy bit of oversteer. The car wants to go into turns much more than even the TL-S did with the upgraded sway bars. Probably a lot of it is the springs / shocks...it is downright bone-jarring to go over speed bumps in this car. But because of the weight and design it has that Cadillac feel of solidarity on the highway and local roads without the "I'm driving a land-bargeboat" feel of the DTS rental I had. I have a feeling once I get some proper performance low profile tires on this car like I had on the TL, it will be a smile-inducing experience on the urban off-ramps.

- The sound system is amazing. The ELS was no slouch in my old car but the Bose system in this one is light years better. The bass is insane for a stock system and you can adjust the acoustics to be optimized for the driver or for everywhere in the car. I haven't uploaded anything yet into the HDD, it's kind of a pain.

- The dang navigation database is from 2007. Suck. Really? Previous owner that cheap that it wasn't updated for over 3 years? At best this map data is from 2006. So that's on the top of my Christmas list this year!

- I love driving this car at night. The active headlights are frivolous but sweet, the LED interior lighting under the wood grain trim and door handles / feet wells makes you feel like you're in a spaceship. I still think analog clocks in cars are retarded, but at least the interior is classy enough to make it work. I like to drive with my knees bowed out slightly and the driver compartment doesn't allow for this much, it's my only complaint so far really. The LED tubes in the front and rear lights look so evil at night....GM engineers did a really great job overall with the design and aesthetics.

- Gas mileage isn't great, averaging about 18mpg city with a little highway driving. All highway it's about 25-26max. Those numbers aren't far off the TL, but the downgraded gas price softens that blow. The car is still new to me so I'm probably driving a little more heavy-footed than usual.

- I'm not crazy about the chrome anywhere other than the grill...and there is a LOT of it on this car. I may tint the chrome with a spray like my TL had to tone it down a little.

So far very pleased with the purchase. We'll see how this car holds up with the kind of miles I put on vehicles, but overall it seems pretty solid.

[ScottyB]

awesome to hear about the suspension setup...that's what i'd love to have in the scoob. kind of a Germanic feel, but not too overdamped.

[WRXtranceformed]

WTF another leak! In the trunk this time. Apparently this is also common...the third brake light leaks and causes water to soak up into the carpet panel attached to the trunk lid. I give American engineers one chance and they give me two leaks? Sigh. Eh, they're probably all outsourced from India anyway.

Was an easy fix at the Caddy dealer today. Was able to bond with the service guy who helped me last time and it looks like he might help me replace one of my broken key fobs and the cracked wood on the shift knob next time

[Mike]

Amurrican quality :thumbup:

[WRXtranceformed]

Makes me weep for the future. Depending on what else breaks, it will be interesting to see how long I hold on to this car :lol:

[Jake]

Depending on what else breaks, it will be interesting to see how long I hold on to this car :lol:

I'll trade you for a 21-year-old, 194k BMW. Then we can talk about what breaks.

[Mike]

like an old house, shouldn't the kinks already be worked out, jake?

[Apoc]

Cars depreciate and houses appreciate for a reason.

[Mike]

unless you bought in '07.

[Apoc]

...or when I bought. Whenever that was.