2017 Cadillac ATS - Normal wear?

Own a 17 ATSV with 39,000 miles, at this mileage all four brake rotors had to be replaced do to warp age. Cadillac called this normal ware. Also at this mileage the rear shocks began to leak. I argued that these items were not normal for this kind of mileage. This car is supposed to be a performance road and track car that should be able to sustain this type of early wear. I never tracked the car, Is this concerned normal wear for this car???

Brakes: Yes
Shocks: No

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If you take issue with the shock leak evaluation, get a second opinion. As for the brakes, 39,000 miles is fine. You must do a lot of highway driving. The brakes are expensive because they are capable of stopping you during spirited driving. They are not meant to last a lot longer, just work better than lesser quality brakes, even when hotter than normal.

The brake wear is quite plausible, and within the realm of “to be expected” for a high performance car. BMW M cars have similar reputation for going through brakes relatively quickly. It’s not something that’s unique to your car. On the other hand, the rear shocks should not be leaking at this point, I would not consider that normal wear assuming you didn’t run over something sizeable at speed.

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And shock leakage needs to be quanitified. If there is a little wet oil with crud on it, ignore it, the shock is fine.

If there is oil running down the side and dripping off the end, yes, it needs replacement.

Anything in between can likely wait.

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+1 to Mustangman’s comments.

However, I am wondering if the OP’s Caddy has Magnetic Ride Control.
If it does, then the cost of shock absorber replacement could be… let’s just say… very pricey.

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Performance cars will require more and more frequent maintenance than a regular family sedan. That’s because performance parts are designed for, well, performance and not durability. The brakes on your sports sedan will (or should) work better than the brakes on a base Camry. But they also won’t last as long. That’s just the way they’re engineered.

I also don’t see anything abnormal about worn brakes at 40K, depending where you live and drive. I used to work in the Seattle area where many of my customers did lots of stop and go freeway driving and there were lots of hills. On those cars half of them needed brakes by 30K or so. Now I live in a small town in Oregon where there’s little traffic and few hills. Brakes can last 80K here.

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Thanks for the feedback on my issue regarding brakes and rear shock issues.
I wanted to clarify one issue regarding the brake rotors. I had vibration at 39K miles and the dealer said it was due to warped brake rotors. The front pads had 70% wear and the rears 30%. I’m referring to warped rotors in this case not brake wear. Additionally I was quoted a price by the stealership of $1835 for front rotors and$ 530 for the rear rotors! Incredible!?? I picked up new parts online for less than half the price quoted. If you refer to the brembo brake rotors, it states that they are made from lightweight aluminum alloy.

“ A 2-piece rotor design for superior heat resistance, performance and durability. Brake pads are twice as large as found in comparable cars. The rotors are made from a Ferritic Nitro Carburizing process, not found in other performance vehicles- greatly reduces corrosion on the rotors, helping maintain stopping power and prolong brake life”……. The definition of FNC states its a process to create a hardened superficial surface, enhancing wear and corrosion resistance of treated steel parts without distortion of shape or dimensional changes…… With that said would one still consider rotor warp as regular wear?? Thanks for your input.

It’s not that unusual at 30k+ miles, especially if the lug nuts were unevenly torqued when the tires were rotated.

Anyway… does your vehicle have Magnetic Ride Control?

ATS V comes with Magnetic Ride Control as standard

Another post from the owner of a high-performance luxury vehicle, lamenting that repair and maintenance costs are much higher than they’d be for a mainstream or economy car. If you want a car that’s as cheap to maintain as a Ford Escort, Chevrolet Cavalier, or Toyota Corolla, this isn’t it.

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yes it has magnetic ride control