A Little-V Blog: The ATS-V purchase and ownership experience

[~tc~]

... And also have to go back in time about 50 years to when they used generators.

Modern cars use alternators, they work quite differently, specifically, the output is a lot more constant voltage with an alternator, which is critical with all the electronics in there.

Alternator and Generator Theory

 

[Hib Halverson]

An "alternator" is, indeed, a generator. It has three-phase generator with a "rectifier bridge" built in which produces a DC output.

GM terminology is "generator". Read factory service information, you'll see.

 

[~tc~]

Guess you didn't read the link above?

The two work in totally different manners, and one generates DC (and doesn't need rectification), the other AC (and requires rectifiers)

 

[Hib Halverson]

Guess you didn't read the link above?

I did not.

The two work in totally different manners, and one generates DC (and doesn't need rectification), the other AC (and requires rectifiers)

I'm just going to accept what GM states in the ATS-V Service Data: they're called "generators".

 

[Hib Halverson]

Next week, we're going to have the BMW Buster into Bunnin Cadillac, again, so they can finish up (I hope) diagnosing my vibration problem.

Also, I found out that last Thursday, Cadillac issued an update to the CUE. It's v2.5 and included Apple Car Play. Supposedly, this update requires parts of the car entertainment system be replaced, so Bunnin will be doing that, too.

 

[Tuna]

Also, I found out that last Thursday, Cadillac issued an update to the CUE. It's v2.5 and included Apple Car Play. Supposedly, this update requires parts of the car entertainment system be replaced, so Bunnin will be doing that, too.

Is this update applicable to 2014 ATS's as well our just the newer ones?

 

[Hib Halverson]

The bulletin I saw applied only to ATS-Vs built before a specific VIN. The regular ATS was not mentioned, however, there was an instruction in the bulletin about how to identify which version of CUE is installed. What you do is: check for the "Projection" icon on the CUE Home Screen. If that is displayed, then you have 2.5. If it's not, you don't.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Well....haven't done much with the BMW Buster of late. My Wife, the Fairest Sandra the Red, drives it to work every day along with driving it to her two-days-a-month weekend sidejob. We have near 7000 miles on the car at this point. While we are having a few rough spots in the ownership experience, we've had no major problems. Heck, I wish I could buy a second one–maybe a blue coupe with a six-speed, the HUD, the Recaros and the Carbon package. Damn, I wish the stock market wasn't in the toilet:frown:

At 7500 miles the Cadillac free maintenance is supposed to rotate the tires. Actually, that seems like not much mileage for a tire rotation. I wonder what the ATS-V development team knows about tire wear that prompted them to require tire rotations at 7500 miles.:dunno:

I tell you one thing, the engine in the BMW Buster must be pretty "tight". Since the first oil change at 1096 miles, it's only used 1/2-qt of oil. I'm impressed with the LF4 engine in that respect.:biggrin:

We got a nice letter from Cadillac today outlining the CUE upgrade which explained to dealers in a service bulletin several weeks ago. Only problem is, Cadillac seems to be having trouble providing enough parts for dealers to perform the update. The parts for our car's upgrade to CUE 2.5 are still not in.

The noise/vibration issue I've been talking about for the last month or so is still not solved. I took the Asst. Service Mgr. at Bunnin Chevrolet Cadillac for a ride several weeks ago and with him in the back seat and me driving at 85-mph, he said he could hear and feel the vibration. When the tech. who works on stuff like that drove it, he came back saying he really couldn't get a feel for it, but, admittedly, he wasn't anxious to drive the car that fast in traffic. The dealership told me they called GM about it and their only comment was "He (meaning me) shouldn't be driving that fast on the street, anyway."

Wait....what?
You mean no one at GM has ever driven I-15 from Barstow to Las Vegas? Hell, sometimes the flow of traffic is 85-mph along there.

After we get the CUE upgrade done, I'm going to start hitting the dealership a little harder on this because I don't think a car costing upwards of 70 large should have a buzzing/hum from the rear seat area when driving at 75-85 mph.

I still want to change the spark plugs to something a step colder. I have some Densos for it but so far, I haven't found the time to devote to the time consuming task which is changing plugs on an LF4.

I'd also like to change the transmission over to Joe Gibbs Driven Dexron 6 ATF. That actually looks like a pretty easy job as the service manual says the trans pan gasket can be reused. What Lake Speed Jr, who runs Joe Gibbs' oil operation, told me in an email:

The DEXRON HP is just a lighter version of the DEXRON VI. We have access to the factory fill additive package, so we just upgrade the base oil…

While Dexron HP might be worth a percentage point in fuel mileage, I'd rather use the slightly higher viscosity of Dexron 6.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Got a scare yesterday morning. I was out in the driveway talking to my Wife, the Fairest Sandra the Red, just as she was leaving to put half-a-day in at her sidejob of doing title work at a Harley dealer, when she started the car and puffs of oil smoke came out of the exhaust. I thought WTF?

This morning the same thing happened only not as much smoke. Don't know what to think about this other than maybe it's exhaust valve seals are leaking or, more likely, a compressor shaft seal in one of the turbos is leaking. I'm going to watch the situation for a while.

I'm still waiting or Cadillac to make parts available to my dealer so I can get the CUE upgraded from 2.0 to 2.5. Still got my vibration at 80-mph, too.

In other news, on Sunday, I finally got around to installing an Xpel Headlight Protection kit on the BMW Buster's headlights. I'm going to post a detailed product review/hot-to elsewhere in the V-net in the next few days but the executive summary is: Xpel Headlight Protection kits are great products. Unlike full-on paint protection film, applying Headlight Protection Film (HPF) is, generally, a DIY task. I'd give it a three on a scale of five for difficulty. The best news is the stuff is virtually invisible and protects one of an ATS-V $1300 headlight assemblies from yellowing or hazing over. At a mere 70 bucks, it's money well-spent.ocker:

 

[Hib Halverson]

Turns out the exhaust smoke I'm seeing on start up is normal. I found a GM service bulletin about just that issue on GDI engines, including the LF4.

The engine runs quite rich right after a cold start to help accelerate cat light off.

 

[Tuna]

I guess it was dark smoke you were seeing then?

 

[nbtx]

Turns out the exhaust smoke I'm seeing on start up is normal. I found a GM service bulletin about just that issue on GDI engines, including the LF4.

The engine runs quite rich right after a cold start to help accelerate cat light off.

My 2012 Buick Enclave 3.6 V-6 did that - ran rich for about 30 seconds on a cold start - smoked a little black and had a strange exhaust note too - cat light-off was the reason, as you have found.

 

[Hib Halverson]

A week or so ago, I had an email converstation with a combustion engineer at GM Global Propulsion Systems and he told me that, with direct-injected engines, be they 4, 6, or 8 cyls, rich on start-up is one strategy they use to get quick cat light off.

Last weekend was time to change the engine oil filter. I change filters more frequently than I change the oil because many oil filters begin to bypass long before the filter is considered "dirty". So I change filters about every 4000 miles.

The engine was about a ⅓-quart low on oil at the time I changed the filter. So far, the LF4 in our car has used very little oil.:smile:

And, that brings up what has turned into one of my big complaints about the LF4 engine in the ATS-V. For some reason, it's very hard to accurately check the oil. You can check it three times, one right after the other and the readings will be different or hard to read each time. I can't tell if it's the dip stick itself that is the problem or if there is something which rubs or scrapes the stick as it comes out, disturbing the reading, or if the bottom part of the stick where the oil level is read comes into the oil pan at too much of an angle. Whatever the problem is, it makes checking the oil level really difficult.

Recently, we had the Cadillac Dealer rotate the tires as part of the "free" maintenance program. It's interesting to me that the free maintenance reqires tire rotation every 7500 miles. This is the first car I've ever owned which needs the tires rotated that often. I wonder what the deal is with that?

 

[Hib Halverson]

I got word late last week that the parts for the CUE 2.5 upgrade arrived at my Cadillac dealer.
Finally!:biggrin:

Next week, I'll set up a time to get the car in there to have the work done. I'm also gong to take the dealer's ace noise and vibes tech for a ride to see what he says about that 80-85-mph, "buzz" I hear from the rear axle assembly.

In re: my problem covered in the last blog post about checking the engine oil level, I ordered a second dip stick. I'm going to take the original and see if I can modify it in some way to make the oil level more visible. One idea I had was to make the surface of the end of the stick more rough so it would tend to hold the oil better. That will be my first strategy.

We've had "Pearl" for about six months so it's time to reflect a bit on what a great car the ATS-V is to drive. The LF4 engine, other than the annoying problem with checking the oil, is superb. I like the way it's torque curve makes the car drive. Love the sound. The 8-spd automatic is the bomb. Handling is awesome. The ride is ok. The high-frequency stuff is maybe just a teensy bit harsh but certainly livable for those who enjoy a cutting-edge sports sedan.

The ATS-V exterior design is a home-run, IMO. I just like the car's profile. It like its rake. I like how the tires fit the wheel wells. I like how the front end is styled. The 3/4 front view is another look I enjoy.

I like our ATS-V sedan so much I've even considered buying a second one. It would be a Coupe, with the six-speed manual, the Recaro steats, an HUD and painted "Vector Blue".

Guess I'd better start saving.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Have the CUE 2.5 upgrade installed, however, my Wife drives the car every day and I haven't had a chance to take a look and see what's different. Interestingly (and perhaps unfortunately) where was no addendum issued to the CUE Owner's Manual to explain the update. Sheesh.

Cadillac is really taking hits on the whole CUE thing in the press. Everyone from Car and Driver to Consumer Reports says the system sucks. You'd think the Cadillac guys, knowing they already have an image problem with CUE, would do everything they could to help customers with the system. An update "manual" would have been nice.

Still haven't resolved my vibration problem, but that's mostly my fault for not getting the car into the dealer and making their noise and vibes tech go for a ride with me.

As for the engine oil checking issue I've talked about before, interestingly, GM just released a Service Bulletin for all ATSes with the V6 engine covering a problem with sticking or stuck dip sticks. The fix is replacement of the dip stick tube.

In the meantime, "Pearl" our Crystal White ATS-V Sedan continues to be a darn nice car for daily driving and a heck of a car to drive aggressively.

Another reason I like the car is psychological. I like the idea of driving a car, designed, developed and manufactured here in America, which can match and even exceed the performance of any of the German cars competing in the same market segment.

One thing I've started to notice when I watch BMW and Benz drivers as I pass them. They notice. They know what an ATS-V can do and...some of the bastards are getting nervous.

As I said in the last post, I'm thinking seriously about ordering a second one. I have one of my Corvettes for sale, now, and I might put my daily-driver Camaro up for sale, then use the proceeds from both, to make the down on a Vector Blue Coupe. I'm told the last day to order a '16 is April 15th. I asked told the guy at the dealer there had to be some message in the fact that GM made the last day for orders what is normally income tax day.:

 

[Hib Halverson]

A couple of weeks ago, my Wife's ATS-V Sedan, "Pearl", just turned over 10,000-miles. In honor of that, after 10K-mi and six months of enjoyment, it's time for some ownership impressions

Let's begin with the instrument panel. The ATS-V IP has gotten mixed reviews from the mainstream road test press, but, generally, I like what I see. I think a lot of the mainstream road testers base their impressions on a one- or two-week media loan. I base my impression on six-months of ownership. One of the common complaints is the ATS-V IP is not appropriate for a premium performance car and would be more at home in a Chevy. I think that's a subjective judgement. If you like fancy IPs, you're not going to appreciate the ATS-Vs. If you like less flash, you'll be happy. Personally, with one exception, I prefer the ATS-V IP's understatedness. What you need to know is there. Engine and vehicle speed are simply displayed with analog instruments. I think Cadillac would have been better off with the tach and the speedometer the same sizes, but that's a minor complaint. Other analog instruments are a gas gauge and an engine coolant temperature gauge. Additional information, such as engine oil or transmission temperature, tire pressure, oil life and so forth can be put up on the IP's digital displays. For me, what's not to like?

Well...there is one thing: the temp gauge. It has no numbers.:frown: You get a vague understanding of coolant temperature, ie: trending hot or trending cold, but you never know the actual temperature because, not only are there no markings on the temperature gauge, but ECT is, strangely, not available from the digital displays, either. That's the one piss-poor aspect of an otherwise informative, though basic, no-nonsense IP. I should add: testing with a scan tester installed in the car showed that the third mark up from "C" on the temp gauge is 185-190°F and is where the ECT seems to be most of the time in cool or warm weather.

As far as the "Cadillac User Experience, aka "CUE", like many in automotive media and the Cadillac owner community, I have mixed feelings about attempts to make vehicle "infotainment" functions look/feel as if you were using an iPad or an iPhone. I just don't think that works as well as the minions who think technology is a marketing nirvana which must influence interior design believe it does.

For one thing, when you use an iPad or an iPhone, you're looking at it. Sometimes, when you want to change the sound system in your car, you want to do it by feel while watching the road. If the steering wheel controls don't support what you want to do or their positions are not committed to memory, you become a distracted driver if you try and accomplish your goal by fussing with the CUE screen or touch bars while driving. Secondly, the geeks who created CUE, obviously, never drive fast–a shame since their company makes such a killer, compact sports sedan. If those folks did drive in a sporting manner, they'd see right away that trying to precisely touch the screen or one of the touch-bars (don't call me a "button") in a stiffly sprung car at speed is a fool's errand unless you do like I learned to do: brace your wrist on the shift knob as you try to touch the volume or climate control temperature bars.

Sometimes the CUE's navigation system works in an odd manner. People think of addresses as number, street, city and state but that's not how CUE wants data entered when you program the navi for a destination using an address. What's up with that?. Occasionally, I want the navi to plot the route and show my travel to my destination, but I don't need the turn-by-turn directions. When I try to use the navi that way, after I program it, I, first, see the destination. In my view, it's far more useful to see the starting point and the arrow icon which represents where you are, but, to do that, you have to touch the screen, the manually move the map such that the starting point appears. That's dumb especially when start and finish are far apart. Then, once you start traveling, your route is shown in purple and the little arrow-in-a-circle icon moves along the route as the car moves but, when it gets to the edge of the map, the arrow just disappears, the map does not update by moving such that the arrow can be seen–another CUE peculiarity or...is that a peCUEliarity?:

Bottom line on CUE: I just wish there were less functions which only can be accessed with the screen. An infotainment interface I like (actually, I don't really "like" many infotainment systems at all. I tolerate them) is what Chevrolet uses in the C7 Corvette. It's a good compromise between all old-fashioned knobs and button and a complete touchscreen interface.

As for the touch screen, itself–if we have to have one, the ATS-V's is positioned well. It's large enough the icons do remind me what I see in my Wife's iPad. I don't like its ability to show finger prints. It doesn't take long for the screen to look pretty gross, so regular cleaning the touch screen is a given but, per the Owner's Manual, you don't "wash" the screen, you just wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. Over time, though it's going to get groody stuff stuck in the corners and along the edges. Eventually, one will need to use some solution to clean it more thoroughly then just rubbing with cloth can do. I'm going to look into whatever computer service technicians use to clean laptop and tablet displays.

The car's interior trim has had shade thrown at it for a look/feel that is not commensurate with a luxury car. Frankly, I don't like interiors which are gussied up with lots of textured soft trim, woodgrain or chrome. I actually prefer ATS-V's "conservative" appearance. I especially like the carbon fiber look of some of the hard trim. It does have atendency collect dust, dirt, bad cooties and whatever, so I vacuum the hard trim every so often, using a brush attachment.

I think our shelling out an extra two grand for Cadillac's Recaro seats was a very wise choice. I totally like their adjustability, firmness and side support. What I don't like is the lap belt buckle. The sides of the Recaro cushions are higher than the base seats which puts the buckle too far down between the cushion and the tunnel. It makes buckling the belt difficult. Belt buckling bungling aside, if you drive aggressively, you need Cadillac's Recaros. Beside those errant belts, the other limitation of the ATS-V is the small back seat. Larger adults will have a tough time back there
About the ATS-V's exterior design, one word: awesome. I am totally sucked-in by how this car looks.ocker: I like its rake and how the proportions are. I like how the front end is low, and the back end is tall. I like how the wheel openings are tight around the wheels and how the wheels are pushed to the ends of the car. I like the modest V-emblems on the doors and on the deck lid. I like Cadillac's new front end emblem. The car's 3/4 front view is aggressive but not overdone. Some road tests have complained that the car's outward visibility is restricted by a high belt line which makes the view less attractive than the view out of a BMW 3-series. I have not found that to be a problem, although I agree that for viewing scenery, maybe the Bimmer's larger glass area is better-suited. Some reviews have slagged on the car's deck spoiler, especially the larger one which is part of the "Carbon Fiber Package". Frankly, I think they're full of it. While we did not order the CF Package on Pearl because we spent the extra money for the eight-speed, red calipers and CUE with navigation, I like the NASCARish rear spoiler. In fact, I like the rest of the Carbon Fiber Package, too, especially the larger front splitter.

The only significant downside to the car's exterior are the headlight assemblies, but it's not that they look bad. it's that, from the factory, they don't work very well. In evaluating this car in aggressive driving at night, I think they are not aimed well–the high-beams are aimed too, high. As the base headlight system on ATSes uses a single bulb, getting the high-beam headlight aim just right might not be possible without a compromise to low-beam patten. If this aiming issue is a defect, it could be easily repaired under warranty. If it's not a defect and is by-besign, well...a little DIY "adjustment" might be necessary.

Ride and Handling are the ATS-Vs strongest features, but that's to be expected. The last job ATS-V Chief Engineer, Tony Roma, had was managing the 2012 Camaro ZL-1 program, plus, some of the ATS-V's RH engineers are road racers.

With spring rates which are half-again as high as a those of a regular ATS, no doubt the Pearl is firmly spring, but making it livable on the street is GM's ride enhancement miracle, MagnaRide ("MR"). Nevertheless, ATS-V ride quality is typical of a well-developed, high-performance road car, so, if you want a "Cadillac ride", don't buy this Cadillac. Buy a freakin' Lexus :nono:, then enjoy the soft ride and a butt-ugly front end.

The ATS-V has a good dose of roll stiffness, from a combination of the bigger springs and some fairly substantial stabilizer bars. Complimenting the aggressive spring and bar rates are some additional stiffening to the GM Alpha platform's already pretty good structure. When you up the spring/bar rates and put on sticky tires, you usually find a structure's weaknesses and that suspension pivots might be too compliant. With the ATS-V, Roma's merry road racers stiffened the structure with a hefty pair of strut tower braces and a shear plate underneath, between the lower control arms. Some of the car's suspension bushings were replaced with spherical bearings, which is a pretty racy upgrade.

The ATS-V is fitted with some high-performance chassis systems GM originally developed for other of its driver-oriented cars. Its third-generation MR suspension dampers come from the Camaro ZL-1 by way of the C7 Vette. Its electronic limited slip differential (eLSD) comes from the C7 and its Performance Traction Management (PTM) system comes from the last of the C6 Vettes and several other GM performance cars.

MagnaRide's use of magnetorheological fluid allows the shocks to change damping in near real time at any one wheel, or combination of wheels, to not only enhance the car's ride in the system's "tour" mode, but, in all modes, to improve control of body motion and wheel movement when driving fast on road or on the track.

The eLSD is replaces a conventional limited-slip differential inside the rear drive unit (RDU) with a computer-controlled, hydraulic clutch in an external housing. One axle shaft connects to half the clutch plates and the other axle connects to the rest of the plats. The clutch applies varying levels of force such that the slip between the two axles can vary from full slip to full lock and numerous steps in between. The eLSD, with it's wide range of slip it offers, is a significant aid to the car's handling during corner entry, in turns and at corner exit.One of the few problems we've had with this 10,000 mile test of our ATS-V has been a buzzing noise coming from the rear of the car at 75-85-mph. My complaint about this has been covered in earlier posts and we're still working the situation with our Cadillac dealer.

The name, "Performance Traction Management," is sort of self-descriptive in that it is a system by which the driver can manage traction in a manner that enhances the car's handling performance. PTM has five modes, each offering different levels of stability enhancement and traction control or lack thereof. Also, each mode has an available sub-mode, called "launch control," which uses the engine's electronic throttle control to help the driver achieve flawless standing starts and does this with either the six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmissions.rnout:

The ATS-V's computer controlled, electrically-assisted steering has come a long way since GM switched from hydraulic to electric steering in the mid-'00s. The unit used by Cadillac on the littlest V is sourced from ZF who makes electric racks for a many European performance nameplates. Stiffly mounted, it offers not only variable ratio, but varying effort giving a steering appropriate for driving conditions and driver intent.

For tires, Cadillac once again went back to the Corvette "bin". Michelin developed a whole new tire, a follow-on to the fabled Pilot Sport 2, for the C7 Corvette called the Pilot Super Sport ZP. In short the PSS is the famed Pilot Sport 2, only more so. Seeing Corvette's success with the Super Sport, Tony Roma looked to the Michelin people for a specific version of the PSS for ATS-V. They came up with a 255/35ZR18 for the front and a 275/35ZR18 for the back on 18 x 9 and18 x 9.5 aluminum wheels. In a move commensurate with the ATS-V's tendency towards disruption, the tires are not run-flats. The development team chose a conventional tire casing for the somewhat more compliance that brings to the performance tire table. I think Roma and his people did this for two reasons: 1) the car feels better at the limit with a less-stiff "N-RFT" and 2) run flats, with their stiff sidewalls, tend to transmit harshness. Using a "normal" tire on ATS-V helps damp some of the high-frequency impact harshness one gets when suspension bushings are really stiff. Even with non-run-flat casings, when you pump the ATS-V's Pilot Super Sports up to 35-psi, the maximum pressure for the car's GVW, the ride becomes borderline annoying over harsh surfaces, such as rough asphalt or tar strips. In fact, when driving the car around town and with only the driver in the car, I set the tires at 27-psi cold which damps the harshness quite a bit.

Brakes–does this car have brakes! They were pulled out of the parts bin for the previous generation CTS-V, a noticeably heavier car. The littlest V uses massive, Brembo six piston calipers in front and four pot brembos in back. Rotors are 13.3-inch, two-piece, iron rotors in the front and single piece 13.3-inchers in back. Brake pads are appropriate for the kind of driving in which Cadillac hopes ATS-V owners will engage and that means brake dust. Waxers and the gold-chains type will not like that because they all hate brake dust. Guess you guys are just going to have to wash your wheels or–buy the aforementioned Lexus.

And how does all this good stuff on the car's chassis play out? The ATS-V is one awesome handling car. It's turn-in is a combination of right-now response, a high-level of predictability and just the right damping to control body roll and front-end dive. Plus you get better use of rear traction under deceleration from the eLSD. You're using a precisely honed scalpel, which looks like a car, to carve out just the line you want through a turn. Once you in the turn, the chassis and the PSS tires give consistently high lateral acceleration with excellent control and feel right at the limit, plus, perfect balance and like-on-rails cornering. Corner exit is more of the same with the eLSD helping you really get hard on the optimum line. If the road is not exactly smooth In all parts of a turn, MagnaRide does it's magnetorheological magic by controlling, wheel movement and allowing body motion, but not uncontrollably and without banging the compression bumpers, such that the car takes all the dips, undulations and swales with road manners BMW drivers envy.

While were on the subject of corner exit and getting the power down, with 464-hp@5850 rpm, there is, indeed, plenty of that power. The ATS-V's LF4, twin-turbo, 3.6L, four-cam V6 is the most responsive turbocharged engine of its size that I've ever driven. Responsible for that is a set of titanium connecting rods in the bottom end, an outstanding induction system design which has very short paths between the compressor outlets, through the charge air cooler and into the intake manifold along with low-mass, titanium-aluminide exhaust turbines which can accelerate very quickly. Also, nice about this engine that, even though it's turbocharged, it doesn't have a turbomotor's sometimes-stressful surge of power as high boost suddenly arrives.

That said, the most powerful of GMs "High-Feature" V6es is maybe a bit too modest in the mid-range with maximum torque not arriving until 3500 rpm. Combined with a curb weight a couple hundred pounds more than the BMW M3, while the ATS-V feels like it was shot out of a cannon when you floor the gas, it could feel like it was shot out of a really big howitzer if the ATS-V had more torque at 2500-3500-rpm. It's common knowledge that the LT1, Gen 5 V8 would have fit the ATS-V's underhood, but Cadillac's marketing minions decided with the revised, blown-V8-powered, CTS-V coming the following year and wanting to differentiate the two models with more than just a supercharger, the four cam V6 "biturbo" would get the nod for the little V. That said, this slight torque short-falling in the low half of the mid-range is not a big thing and maybe the aftermarket "tuners" can "fix" it with some calibration tweaks to turbo boost and spark along with, maybe, water-alcohol injection–provided that's worth having your warranty voided. If you're looking for more discussion of the LF4, you'll find it in this article elsewhere on the V-net.

So–what's my bottom line on six months owning an ATS-V Sedan? I like the car so much, I ordered a second one. This time, it's a Coupe with a six-speed, Recaros, the Carbon Package and that awesome Vector Blue Metallic paint.:biggrin:

 

[Hib Halverson]

I'm still working with the Cadillac dealer to solve the noise and vibration problem I have with "Pearl" our ATS-V 4-door. I'd kind getting a little frustrated with slow progress, but at least it's "progress".

A couple of weeks ago, I took the top driveline tech. at Bunnin Chevrolet-Cadillac for a ride. I drove and he sat in back and listened. Once I was driving 80-85-mph he could hear and feel the buzzing vibration. He moved from side-to-side in the back and decided the noise was louder when he was sitting in the right rear seat.

We got back to the dealership and he told me he believed there was some problem with tires. I mentioned to him that at about 7500 miles, I had the tires rotated, as part of Cadillac's maintenance schedule, and the noise/vibration did not change. I told him I felt that, if there were a tire problem, the noise would have moved with the bad tire.

I left the car with Bunnin for a few days. When I came back Diego Buenrostro, the Assistant Service Manager who's working with me on this, said that no problems with tires was found. He said the next step was to contact GM Technical Assistance. I reminded him that the first time Bunnin had contacted Tech. Assist, they were told GM was unaware of any problem like mine and that "He (the customer) shouldn't be driving that fast, anyway."

Tomorrow, I'm going to call Diego and see what GM Technical Assistance says this time.

In the meantime, the second ATS-V my Wife and I have ordered, a blue coupe with a six-speed, will be built on Tuesday 14 June, just three days before the plant shuts down for the two week model year change over. with luck, I'll have the car by the end of the month and it will be time to sell my trusty 2001 Camaro.

 

[Tuna]

Is it possible that the electronic diff is causing the noise/vibration?
Ask them to reprogram the ediff and see what happens.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Is it possible that the electronic diff is causing the noise/vibration?
Ask them to reprogram the ediff and see what happens.

Certainly possible, but IMO, unlikely because the noise occurs mainly when the car is going straight, not when there's any differentiation between axles in a turn. My gut feeling has been either something in the driveline out of balance or maybe a bearing in the RDU or the diff is bad.

My dealer, Bunnin Cadillac did hear back from GM Technical Assistance. They were told once again there have been no reports of such a noise. WTF kind of response is that? Does this mean that, since there are no reports, my car doesn't have a problem? They also said to keep driving it.

It tell you, Cadillac really has a problem with service, if the Tech Assistance line responds like that.

I'm not going to "keep driving it". I want the darn noise fixed.

I suggested to Bunnin that maybe a meeting between the GM area rep. and myself might help.

 

[Hib Halverson]

I'm still waiting for a solution to the noise/vibraton problem our ATS-V coupe has but I'm optimistic that soon the problem is going to be resolved.

I will argue with the GM Rep for my area or GM Technical Assistance if they even hint that, my dealer, Bunnin Cadillac has not done its best with this. It's those GM Technical Assistance people who are giving Cadillac customer support a bad name when they respond as if it were ok for a $70,000 car, marketed as track-ready and having a 180-mph top speed, to make a buzzing hum at 80-mph.


As I stated previously, telling a dealer to tell a customer he/she is driving too fast is an unacceptable response. There are highways in several states in the U.S. where speed limits are 75- or 80-mph. In those cases, vehicle speeds of 78-82-mph are clearly not "too fast." Additionally, there are other highways, Interstate 15 between Barstow, California and Las Vegas, Nevada, for example, on which, at certain times, no one is driving under 80-mph.


Repeatedly telling a dealer to tell a customer that there are no reports of such a problem is, also, an unacceptable response. Just because Technical Assistance hasn't received a report of a problem in the field doesn't mean such a problem cannot exist.

Turns out Cadillac has been reading this Blog and on other places on the Internet where I have posted about the noise and, as of today 3 July, things are looking up. While I was not satisfied with earlier responses from GM Technical Assistance, what they told my dealer 10 days ago was much more in line with my expectations. I appreciate them reconsidering this case.


I stopped at Bunnin Cadillac and spoke with Diego Buenrostro, my Service Consultant. He said that he and Chris Williams, Bunnin's Fixed-Ops Manager, discussed issues I raised with Diego two weeks ago in an email. Then, they contacted Technical Assistance, a third time. This time the Tech. Asst. folks were more receptive and assured Buenrostro and Williams that they'll get the problem solved.


To that end, on this coming Tuesday, Bunnin Cadillac's Fixed-Ops Manager, Chris Williams, their chassis service technician and I are going to take another test drive in the my ATS-V. Chris wants to hear the noise himself. I'll report back on this Blog as to the results.

Besides the noise problem, another issue which I first wrote about back in February in post #152 has returned and is much worse. On the last two cold starts, a lot of blue smoke has come out of the exhaust. I know the LF4 runs rich at start up to speed cat light-off, but this smoke is not from a rich mixture, it's oil smoke and it smells like burning oil. It's almost like when the engine shuts off the day before, something is leaking oil into the cylinders or into the exhaust manifold. On the next cold start, the accumulated oils burns.

I'm going to continue to research this problem.

On the good news side, my second ATS-V–this one is mine!–is supposed to be delivered late this coming week. I'm looking forward to having an ATS-V Coupe, six-speed w carbon package. My trusty old 2001 Camaro, goes up for sale shortly thereafter.