Last night I traded in my 2003 impala with 141,000 miles for a 2011 Cadillac CTS Sedan with 73,000 miles on it. Car is in beautiful condiation and ran great. I have never owned a Cadillac before so was wondering upkeep wise if those here could offer some advise to these questions:
I have been told I must use only Premium Gas, the dealership did not tell me this but a friend, is that true or will regular unleaded work for this car which has a 3.0L V6
How often should I have an oil change done on it? I know there are oils out there now that can make changes occur only say every 6-8 months over the 3,000 mile or 3 month one. I drive on average a little under 1000 miles a month.
Does the car need to have the transmission fluid changed out every few years or is it more based on milage and type of driving (city vs freeway)
What other normal maintance issues/items should I be aware of?
I switched over stuff into that car last night and believe I saw where the battery is located on the passenger side in the trunk, is that what I thought I saw behind a removable panel?
The car choice was two fold, it fit into my budget, and fit the size of car I was looking for. No I didn’t take it to a “independent” mechanic to look over, I have bought a number of cars from this dealership and never had any issues. Also what are people’s view on this brand/make of car. From what I have read so far on line they are rated pretty well and gotten positive reviews. I am thinking this may be my final car purchase ever if it doesn’t break down or Im in a wreck since it only has 73,000 miles on it and since I only do about 10,000 a year this car should last me easily 10-12 years.
Take the time to absorb the info in the owners manual (s). Type of gasoline, recommended services and time/mileage intervals are all in there.
I don’t know your car in particular, but I can tell you that more than a few people here will tell you that brake fluid and transmission fluid should be changed more often than carmakers recommend in their literature.
Oh it’s in the car in a nice leather case. Got home to late last night to go through it, plan on going through it this weekend when I can sit and review it.
Car maintenance should not be a mystery, in light of the fact that the OP’s questions can probably be answered by simply opening the glove box, taking out the Owner’s Manual, and reading it. And, thanks to modern technology, if the manual is missing from the OP’s glove box, it is available as a download from GM.
As JoeMario said, the OLM will work fine for telling you when to change the oil. We have a 2003 Oldsmobile with 180,000 miles and followed the OLM. We haven’t had problems by doing that. Don’t let it run to zero. Start planning the oil change when you have 20% oil life left so that you can get it done by the time there is 15% left.
I reviewed over the owners manual last night and found out that the battery is located in the trunk, I have never owned a car that placed the battery in the trunk. How common is this and why would this be done?
It is common on newer cars, and it is a good idea. The battery is protected from the environment better than if it is under the hood. Our 2009 and 2010 Cobalts have the battery in the trunk and they are OEM. We replace the batteries under the hood every 4or 5 years on our other cars. Another place is under the rear seat, as is the case with my FIL’s Buick LeSabre. I prefer the trunk location for ease of access.
Also when looking at my engine and confirming through the manual this car doesn’t have a dip stick for the transmission, my first car ever to not have one, is this also something newer cars do not have?
Couple more questions, I have been reading some reviews and through the manual and it appears I have the AWD version of this car, again a first for me. Can someone in terminology I can grasp explain what All Wheel drive is, what is it’s positive and negatives and if I should ever go into a slide on ice or fish tail how should I turn the steering wheel?
Also why does a car with AWD get lesser gas milage then say a front wheel drive car?
AWD means any or all of the 4 wheels can transmit power and propel the car. There are several different types of AWD. The benefit is the car has better traction than RWD or FWD or even 4WD in many varieties of road conditions; people say it feels more sure-footed. I don’t think it means you do anything different as far as your steering inputs, but you should not get over-confident because your traction is ultimately dependent upon your tires.
It gets less MPG because there is more hardware, so more weight, and more parts taking power from the engine and being turned, so more frictional losses, and sometimes more slippage in the mechanism.
I am at a loss to understand why someone who has complained about less that ideal financial conditions would even purchase a vehicle that might require Premium fuel.
There should be a small plaque on the back of car that has (AWD) on it.
@dn4192 If this dealer you use is as good as you think they should go over everything on this vehicle so that you know what you really have.
Car has a 3.0L V6 which only requires 87 grade. The dealership went over it but I was only half way listening as I was tired from a long day and wanting to get home. The owners manual is what told me this is a AWD type car. I purchased a car that met my budget structure, I don’t drive that much, back and forth to work and a trip over to cincy and back maybe 3-4 times a year. Overall around 10,000 miles a year tops.
Until you verify whether premium is required or not, suggest to use premium. On some engine designs using lower octane gas can result in engine-damaging pinging. I doubt this to be the case with your car but better safe than sorry until you know for sure what the manufacturer recommends. In my area premium only costs 20 cent more a gallon or so, compared to regular 87 octane.
The posts above have covered the oil and transmission servicing recommendations well already. I’ll add my ideas here about preserving the exterior finish and appearance. Suggest to once a week hose off the entire outside of the car. Run the hose all the way 'round the fender wells too to eliminate grit and road salt from that rust-prone area. Drying the exterior and windows off w/a clean cloth afterward will minimize water spots, but if you don’t have time for that, the hose treatment alone is much better than doing nothing. If it gets really grimy use a bucket of warm water, soap, and sponge. But only when necessary, as that tends to remove the wax. Finally, replenish wax job on your new beast twice a year, in the spring, and in the fall. The easy-on, easy-off type works fine for protecting the paint, but the 100% carnuba types produce the must lustrous appearance. It’s a compromise. But it is much better protection to use the easy-on, easy-off type now than to postpone waxing entirely. You can always use the carnuba type for the next wax job.
