Glad that it got resolved, 10 mins into your video I thought I wasted my time but then things kept getting interesting. Definitely worth watching entire video, shows service manuals and standard procedures cannot account for every single scenario.
@@sstressfl that means I need to watch all your videos to get up to speed :). I am considering getting a 2.0T myself, I'm anticipating get info about common issues/resolutions before I face them.
The problem wasn't you nor the dealer. The problem is that trade schools aren't producing mechanics anymore, they are producing computer technicians who work on cars. My old plow truck did the same thing every day of every winter because my truck tires would flat spot overnight until they were warmed up by driving. A true northern mechanic probably would have properly diagnosed this.
The schools teach the basics real skills are learned on the job, the manufactures send techs out for training and probably 50 percent of job requires computer. You just have to hope you get the expierenced tech. And once you find them always request the same one.
And here I was impressed with the newer Cadillacs. I work at a Lexus dealer and all our cars in storage is stored with tires overinflated on purpose to around 40~45 PSI to avoid having flat spots on tires. When the car is brought and PPI, washing & cleaning is done, the tires are then deflated back to their regular 32~36 PSI before being delivered. The fact nobody caught this is both amusing and disappointing in the eyes of the Cadillac dealer.
Gm dealerships really do not care about you once you leave the lot. I had a dealership charge me for an alignment that I never received. The markings under the car weren't changed and I had horrid camber in the rear. When I confronted them on their mistake they got super pissy with me. The final straw was them trying to charge me for a Bluetooth upgrade to my steering rack bolts. Bluetooth upgrade.... on bolts..... and they were serious.
Michael I had that same awkwardness feeling when I purchased my grand caravan from a dealership 4 years ago. All smiles, they pretended to be my friend, I even told the person in sales I loved the service department that is why I am buying another van, once the paperwork got signed a complete 180° happen in sales. Luckily I have a good service advisor where I live, helped us a ton through the process I would never wish that awkwardness feeling upon anyone. Glad you found some resolution with this.
Glad you soled the mystery! I would have never thought about flat spots. Too bad about spending that money but look at it this way... through sharing this video you may end up helping tons of people facing a similar issue.
I experience the same thing with my Mustang GT. It sits for weeks on end and I drive it rarely. The last time I got it out I found "what the heck is that vibration??". Flat spots! Glad you figured it out in the end.
I knew you were a believer before you ever said "you prayed to Jesus". I've learned sometimes it's test to try us in the fire. It makes us better than before. Gold goes through intense heat and refinement to become "purer". Good story thanks for sharing. FYI keep looking up, we going home soon, and all these material things and issues will be gone. PTL
My wife wanted a 2013 Cadillac ATS. I recommended she don't get it and she still got it and it's the biggest piece of junk I've ever seen. Beautiful and fun car but non-stop problems. It was bought from one owner at 100,000 miles and all maintenance and everything was always kept up to date. Hopefully others are having a better luck lol
Its so easy to fall in love with the ATS. But living with it is another story. I have heard of some having fewer problems for many miles. I'm sorry your wife is dealing with the issues. Sadly that seems to be the norm.
I know it has been three years since you posted this, but I just watched it today. I too love my 2013 ATS 2.0T Performance and have had it through four Maine winters heading into my fifth this year. I don't do like most as I run the same tires all year. I love the AWD on mine as it is great in the snow. I enjoyed your video because you went all the way with the story. Not just a complaint video but an actual story with a resolution and cause of the problem. I understand how frustrating that must have been waiting for a diagnosis that never came. At least you have the experience and an inquisitive mind to figure out what it was. This is an awesome story and shows that sometimes a problem that can't be diagnosed is caused by the least expected thing. I mean, who would have thought about flat spots causing your problem, I mean, it's easy to say, "oh yeah that's obvious" AFTER hearing your story, but before knowing what it was, I bet no one was out there thinking, "It's flat spots on the tires." Ok, maybe somebody was. I didn't think of that, and I've been working on cars off and on for like 45 years. I was trade school trained back in the day and consider myself pretty good at troubleshooting and figuring out problems but yeah, never would have thought of that. Anyway, thank you for sharing as this is one more thing to put in my "toolbox" that may come in handy someday. Hope you are still enjoying your ATS.😉
As it turned out, this was the end of a specific tire problem, but continued an on-going rear differential problem. Poor quality component combined with improper installation by the dealer lead to failure after failure. I drive a truck now 👍
@@sstressfl Sorry to hear that but glad you are rid of the problem. I love my 2013 ATS so much I bought a 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe last summer. Didn't get to drive it much during the winter but there were enough times where the roads were clear of snow and dry that I could go out once in a while. But it is great during the summer and fun to drive. Good luck with your truck and thanks again for your videos!
Hey after hearing about the shaking from you and the comments here I wanted to share what I found out. As an owner of a 2017 Cadillac CTS 2.0 turbo I got with 88k km on it, I noticed the same shaking when I drove it between 50 - 60 mph or 75 - 80 km going upwill on cruise control. After a lot of discussion around the issue I found out it to be called a “torque shudder”. I found out it’s common will these cars that don’t get transmission flushes done on them on time. In fact this cars transmission wasn’t changed at all! The fix for this torque shudder is to pour roughly 10 litres of trans fluid through it as a super flush. It cost around $1300 but it was recommended by GM. Once it got done the problem completely went away forever. Never had the issue come up. In fact I got it done on my second 2016 Cadillac CTS 3.6 as well as that car also had that shuddering. (Though not as bad ). If you need a mechanic from gm to talk to I can hook you up.
Michael. I have been contemplating purchasing a used 2017 ats awd good price, low miles good dealer, but I’m moving on looking for something else. Thank you
Its a great looking and great driving car when it works... but based on my experience and feedback from many many ats owners, I think that's a wise decision. Hope you find a great vehicle.
WOW!! The dang flat spots lol!! That is so hilarious. I hope your laughing at that frustrating situation. Well at least it’s sorted out. What a great video.
I thoroughly enjoyed your telling of these events in your relentless pursuit of the answer to your vibration problem. You are a terrific storyteller. I was delighted as you were to hear that the answer was dreaded "flat spots". I am looking to purchase a 2017 ATS in the near future, so I was very invested in your happy outcome.
I appreciate the kind words. I absolutely adored that car. Sadly, not long after this video the rear diff went bad again :/ and again. I was just about to put about $2k into building a custom stronger rear diff, but traded it instead for a truck! :)
@@jordansteele7799 There's a lot to like about either one, but I love the 2.0 because it has the low-end torque that's usable in the city. The 3.6 needs to rev high to get the most from it.
Michael, may I suggest in the future to always follow the customer satisfaction protocol as shown in the owner's' manual. from the beginning of a repair. Doing this should put you on a path to be more effective and staying effective with any repair. Taking the control early one is a very important first step. I have always followed the protocol and have been successful. One time the car was bough back and the other time the car was fixed to my satisfaction. I too have and love my Cadillac ATS as for the same reason as you. The ATS is a great car, but Moore Cadillac is even greater with their customer satisfaction. I look forward to the future for a CT5. Congratulation for succeeding with your challenge and crossing the repair finish line. Best regards, John
Thank God I haven't had these issues with mine (I've been following from when you first got it). It's a great car. I've had some pretty cool cars in the past, but I haven't loved any of them as much as this one. It's truly a phenomenal car. I saw a friend deal with the same thing you did with a Honda Civic-R. Flat spots. I drove it and felt it. It was jarring, to say the least. Really feels like something is terribly wrong with the vehicle. Also, don't feel bad, he's a mechanic and didn't catch it either.
If they on the rear you might not feel them but nowadays with this magnetic ride control are so sensitive you have all wheel alignment on the car i have a silver one same year and a ats-v i love them both
That’s awesome. The awd seems to have a higher incident of issues esp with the rear diff. And of course the 8 speed has it’s oiling issue/shudder inherent in its design.
that's why you always check on your car when it's being serviced. They really don't spend that much time working on your car. Don't ever leave it for weeks at a time. Because the actual work can and will be done in a day, or even hours. That's why I always wait or come back in a couple of hours.
You have to be the most level headed man on earth, and humble as well. Glad that you got it ironed out. I've had my Ats for a little over 2 years now and literally every time I drive my Ats I get that "wow" experience!!!! Mine is a premium with performance pkg rwd and the 3.6. Also has the magna ride with an electronic limited slip rear end. Pretty quick but the handling is impressive!! Not like hellcat or Z06 fast but just such a well balanced super awesome handling suspension. These cars are underrated and hardly marketed cause most people never heard of an ATS! I'm super happy you got yours back👍. Take a couple deep breaths! Lol
I had an all wheel drive problem in my 2014 ats and spent thousands trying to fix it. I ended up finding a fuse that shuts off the all wheel drive and now it drives perfect. Thousands down the drain and a fuse solved my issue lol
I did read about others doing the same. For me, living in mountainous terrain in rural Vermont with long long snowy/icy winters, I needed the awd system.
Oh you’re welcome! I have a 2014 ATS… 2.0 AWD… and I’m changing all my diff fluid… front, rear and transfer case… your videos really show what to do, so I really appreciate them!
I’m glad I found your videos! ❤ I have the same issues now just trying to see what to do about the transmission flush or change and change again 2 months later what would you recommend Brother? I’m at 88,000 miles and the dealer recommended flush but it’s not there car or money and they can’t guarantee it will fix the problem.
The flush is def the best way to make sure its pumped out clean. it usually works and is the recommended solution by GM. But its expensive! And on the 8 speed it has to be done as an on-going maintenance thing. But if you have the 6-speed like mine, it should be fluid change and done. I think if you changed the fluid yourself with new filter and noticed a real improvement, then you can feel more confident that the fluid was the problem. If you change it and its not better then it will indicate another issue is causing the shudder. And yes it might need it again, and maybe a third time to get it to be 100%. I hope you get it sorted to your satisfaction 🙏
@@sstressflthat’s exactly what my dealership did. The vibration disappears completely from the torque shudder! It required 10 litres of back to back flushes $1200 but it fixed the problem completely!
I love your videos! I've been following you for a few months since I purchased a used 2013 ATS Luxury 3.6 with 40K miles back in Feb. I freakin' love this car. It's so powerful and an absolute joy to drive. I find myself making up any excuse to get in it and go. You are such a patient man. I would have lost it long ago. I was almost afraid to watch this video today without knowing the outcome, but I am so happy for you that the issue is resolved. Flat spots? Wow, who knew? Take time to enjoy your ride man, you deserve it. BTW, zero problems so far with mine. Purchased a 3 yr full warranty with it, so I have peace of mind.
Thank you!! And I pray yours continues to ride smooth and problem free 🙏 I have always felt that the ATS is a tie with my motorcycle. Both are crazy fun. Enjoy!!
I feel your pain my friend, I had to deal with GM directly to have the transmission replaced on my ATS. This car is amazing, drives great tons of power. It really had allot of issues since I got it in 2018 but been good for the last 40000k and couldn’t be happier. Changed front and rear diff fluids and it’s smooth as silk. Hope she treats you good from now on.
@WhyMan While I agree I haven’t had so many issues with a car before. Couple weeks ago my rear end seal blew out on my ATS on its second rear end, just got that replaced under powertrain. Now having issues with my airbag light coming on again, it’s been in 8 times for this “Service safety restraint system” code with no fix. Third time dealing with GM corporate, I ended up tweeting to the CEO. It’s done nothing I’m sure but GM is dealing with it again. Now having some weird clunking in the front end but I’m attributing that to normal wear, will have to check what it is when I throw on my winter tires on it. It’s unfortunate, I love my car but will be going a different direction in a year or so.
I think the intent... the actual design... was a thing of beauty. Not just the exterior! The whole thing. Its weakness is in the quality of some of its components and that makes it an unreliable vehicle. Some make it through 100k+ miles with minimal issues. But wayyy too many suffer the same problems. I truly enjoyed the car. And I truly hated the car.
Happy hunting! If it shudders on the test drive ask them to flush the transmission and to call you when it’s smooth 👍 the awd with snow tires is unbeatable. Gorgeous car.
@@sstressfl thank you! I found 1 in NH w 75k miles & a 90 day warranty so I'm considering that 1 over buying it privately because of the warranty your videos are very helpful
@@sstressfl I've also had several Cadillacs. I currently have a 2015 Escalade that's been great,it has 155k but the engine lost compression so I'm just thinking I'm going to sell it cheap and buy something w less mileage
I have a 2017 ATS 2.0T and it’s such a blissful experience every time I drive it. I found it at a Hyundai dealership, of all places. Shortly after taking it off the lot, the mysterious, notorious shudder started happening. After a few weeks, decided to change ATF and filter myself. (Your video on that project inspired me to do it 👍). Totally fixed the problem. Shudder gone. Absolutely wonderful car! I’m hoping for the best going forward. 🔥🔥
Same thing I have a 17 ats the dealer changed my transmission fluid and filter with their special mobile 1 and it’s blue for some reason but my transmission has been working like I drove it off the lot
@MichaelByrne Dude you have an amazing ability to express patience and not give in to frustration. I have a 2013 ATS Luxury 2.0 Turbo. I’ve had it right at one year now and already had to replace the transmission, and at the moment I have a bad Catalytic converter, coolant leaking from I believe the O ring on the oil cooler hose by the firewall and oil pressure solenoid code popping up and I’m only a humble civil servant for the city that doesn’t make much money and financing this car at a 22% interest rate. I have no more patience. God bless you though , I’m happy things are working out for you and your family. 🙏🏼
Thank you for the kind words! I’m sorry to hear about your on going issues with the car :( like I’ve said before, it’s the best and worst car I’ve ever owned! I hope you can find a way out and get into something more reliable. Appreciate that you took time to comment and share your experience. God bless you too 🙏
Bought a 14 ATS in 2019. Car had 20k miles but had sat at the dealer for almost a year. On test drive I knew the tires were shit, especially considering they were run flats. Tires smoothed themselves out after awhile and the ride was good. Perfect ride once I put normal tires on the car lol.
I have heard nothing but complaints about run flats on the ATS! Summer UHP tires are the worst when parked too long in cold winter weather. The new Lexani's I bought are silky smooth. Sounds like you're doing well with your new tires too ;)
@@sstressfl, run flats are terrible. Rather be stuck on the side of the road with a flat and surrounded by coyotes then drive with run flats. Also have a 20 CT5 with 18in "self sealing" Michelins. They're pretty good but prefer the Yokohama's on my ATS. Definitely letting a car sit too long is bad on the tires. Was surprised how bad the ATS rode when I test drove it. Luckily my wife worked at the dealership so I knew the history of the car and they weren't bs-ing us. Caught a great deal.
High end stainless steel thats .012"! No one makes them that thin. They work great. I take the, off and put them back on all the time. A little grease helps too ;)
I’ve had both Cadillacs and Lincolns. When I want to get another Cadillac, I want to feel that luxurious Cadillac floating and silence. The DTS was the real last true Cadillac… possibly the XTS, but when I want a Cadillac… I just don’t think of ATS or XLR or any of those. I like something you can show up to the ball in. To each his own I suppose 🤷♂️
I understand that completely. My fav Caddy is a 1960 Coupe DeVille. My fav Lincoln is a 67 Continental. But I have to admit, I fell in love with the new CT5-V, twin turbo v6 with paddle shifters. Power and modern luxury.
@@sstressfl Gotcha. We’re going to finally give up our black raven DTS Premium and go for something else probably in a couple of months. There’s just nothing out there anymore in our taste so we’re looking at preowned MKZ’s and Continentals. That’s the only sort of thing we have the mood for, maybe a preowned XTS. We’re going to need some luck tho.
I remembered you and this video since the class action lawsuit now. Everything the owners describe and the notorious “Chevy Shake” sounds like the problem you had. If I buy a new Cadillac and got these problems… I would certainly be upset, especially given the price tag. They knew all along they had these problems but kept on the same course anyways.
My ATS has been sitting due to my medical, my wife took the car out and said it shook violently. I told her the tires could of been flat spots, need to drive the car and make sure the right air pressure. She drove it solid for a week, finally stopped and now smooth. But with your situation was unknown variables. But great job figuring it out.
mike...im happy you're happy. two things... 1 my intuition tells me someone at the dealership watches your channel and they discuss among themselves that you are a tinkerer (and they dont like that). 2 their patience with you reached its top dollar amount...regardless of customer satisfaction....as i said several videos ago...they were blowing smoke.
They do watch my videos. They have told me. Regardless, I love all of 'em and I know there are business pressures at work. I leave it up to each business to show their colors. There is always a line. And I could be wrong too. I am going to tinker and see if I can fix the final drivetrain vibration on my own.
They’re all different but from what I’ve learned summer tires suffer the most in cold weather, sometimes permanent damage if they sit too long in the cold. But mostly in my experience you can drive out a flat spot and the tire will be smooth again.
Listen...I have a 2013 CTS Coupe still to this day. It takes me back and forth to work. No car is perfect. You have to stop knit picking. The car is not going to be perfect. As long as your engine and trans is strong/good you should be ok. You can't turn a 2015 into a 2024. Stop spending unnecessary money on the car for mods. Just drive it and enjoy it. Cadillacs are good cars.
Is that what they told you? Those dealerships are so good! Doing anything to to get out of fixing it properly especially if its directed by corporate. I get messages all day long from Cadillac owners facing the same issues. I worked on a Cadillac Brand Team in the 90s. I know how things work. I was raised in a Michigan garage by a family of drag racers. I'm not new. I know how to diagnose a car and I know what a proper vehicle is supposed to feel like. A vibrating car is not acceptable especially a Cadillac. GM as a whole has been cost cutting to the extreme. It has forced their vendors into an impossible situation, cutting quality to meet a price point. I had hoped things changed when I bought the ATS. Things have not changed. The old ways still dominate at GM.
I had a sticky DS rear caliper on my ATS give me the same intermittent symptoms you described. Whenever it stuck it would cause a vibration. At higher speeds it would suddenly feel like one of the wheels was about to fall off. I ended up replacing the caliper and wheel bearing. The heat from the sticky caliper got the bearing hot enough to puke out the grease from it's seal.
Thats terrible! I had a frozen caliper on the back of my ATS... I put in all new stuff. That is not the issue with this car. Its a long established history. Transmission is fixed now (they did a flush) but the rear diff is an on-going problem.
@@sstressfl My wife has 2.0 T AWD like yours and it was pushing diff fluid out the pinion seal a couple weeks ago because the vent got plugged with debris. That's a common issue. But just one of the reasons they fail.
@@BAMFCarDude Definitely aware of that! I'm on my 3rd rear diff.... the failures are not related to the valve. But instead build/quality/installation issues. Failing bearings. Improper installation. I have an entire Cadillac ATS playlist of you'd like to follow along :)
I had a similar issue with an F30 328i, similar 2 liter 8 speed. On the initial test drive, buttery smooth. Dealership wanted to install new tires, to which I said NO because I like to tire shop myself. Go to pick up the car and sure enough they put on rft tires and a slight vibration began. I just didn’t have your level of patience, called automation corporate, filed a new ticket for 12 days, had an attorney send a letter out. Fast forward 2 weeks in after purchase. GM calls me at 7:30 in the evening. Show up the next day. Shop Forman and gm take the 3 for a spin. Replaced all 4 control arms and tires of my choice. Told them to flatbed it to my preferred Indy shop because their techs won’t do an alignment if the wheels are “pointing straight”
Happy to report, no vibrations at all. I’ve learned that when buying a car, a test drive is not needed. Just feel tires with your hand, and that should tell all.
@@reddstool1023 mine were new tires and perfect until it started getting parked at the dealership in the winter for a month at a time. And while flat spots were a temporary issue, the recurring failed rear end was the primary problem with this car. Vibration was tied to poor install by the dealership and a low quality diff. Ugly stuff. I am happy to be rid of it.
I brought a lemon 1.7.23 and in shop 2.15.23 had $1,780.00 worth of work done now shaking like rivers of water again help what must I do? Thank you and now I call the dealership with no response at all, never return any of my calls and the car was priced at $24,000 can I use them
If your issue is like mine... if the replaced the rear differential... they probably did not use new bolts (the bolts are one time use only) and/or they probably did not torque the bolts to spec. The rear differential will loosen and start to vibrate again. If your issue was transmission shudder, then they probably did not do a complete transmission flush but instead dropped the pan, replaced the filter and refilled the fluid. But if you have the 8 speed, it needs a true 100% power flush to remove all of the metal and clutch material that is clogging it up or it will start shuddering again soon. In regards to suing them, I have no idea.... I dont usually have good experiences at auto shops. I hope you can get it remedied 🙏
@@sstressflyou got it! The metal parts in the transmission require a full flush to be done. It’s expensive and requires 10 litres of fluid to be done properly , so it’s not an easy one time fix from a single flush. So many people have this problem sadly. Just want to get the word out to the fix 😊
Michael, may I suggest in the future to take control of the repair process by following the customer satisfaction instruction in the owner's manual. I have learn the most import thing about auto repairs is to be effective with the process. I have used the lemon law to command the attention of the auto manufacturer to fix it or buy it back. It has worked each time. I love GM products and how they stand behind their product. Currently I have a 2017 ATS and I love the car as for the same reasons you love your ATS. I look to the future for a Cadillac CT5. In closing, follow the customer satisfaction protocol in the owner's manual and always stay effective. Best regards, John
Michael, you're super sensitive to how your car should feel. Unfortunately, it can be a pain in the neck trying to get it sorted out. But your persistence paid off. Too bad the dealership didn't absorb the balancing charge or at least split it with you. But you're the bigger person for not arguing with them and having it get ugly. Dealership's are never happy if you don't have everything on the car the way it came from the factory (wheels). I understand it to a point but if they sense how meticulous you are with your vehicle they should have believed that you wouldn't have bent wheels on your ats. But I do get why you're so fond of your car. Everytime I get behind the wheel of my 2019 ats v coupe I'm impressed beyond words with this car. Best of luck going forward!
I had a similar poor diagnosis with a dealer on my wheels. When I was driving close to a wall, I would hear a weird noise coming from the tires. It was definitely the tires as I would still hear it when coasting, and would change in sound level with speed. When the car was stationary and running, I would not hear the noise. The computer pressure indicated they were all bang on where they should be for pressure. I had an appointment for an warranty oil change, so I asked them to take a look at the tire noise. They gave me back the car saying there was nothing wrong with the wheels, on the way home I heard the noise... I then did my own investigation. First thing I did is check the pressure at the wheels with a known good analog gauge. Found the tires were 6 to 8 psi under inflated. What the hell!!! On the dashboard, all tires read normal pressure. It looks like on my previous oil change visit, a tech calibrated an offset into the computer pressure indicators. Moreover, they didn't check the pressure when I made a complaint at the next visit. What horrible service...never taking it there unless its warranty related, which has now expired, so never taking it there again, period. So lazy!!
Hey bro everything you're doing is right it's their responsibility to check and see if anything is wrong they're supposed to diagnostic vehicle safety reasons so 1 it's not right 2 it's not professional I've been in the same situation and I don't care if I warn my welcome like I said you know how your car drives right well supposed to drive bro it is their responsibility to fix whatever is wrong with your car so I agree with you 100% man. And I also own a Cadillac ATS.V
You show a great picture of the "process" and possible influences. I have a 2016 3.6AWD ATS coup. Same trans shudder seen on ramps and low gears, since
@@sstressfl Ill let you know how the dealer is and how it settles out. generally I like this Cadi dealer. I know at times there are no winners.. hopefully this will at least keep the trans on the road over 70k.
@@my3sons50 hello, what was the outcome if you don't mind sharing? I just purchased a used 2017 @ 48K miles. And it shudders in between 50-60 while in touring mode mainly. Slight to almost unnoticeable shudders while in sport mode.
@@mbritt38 Thanks for asking--- 52000 miles now. I would say it was fairly good for 4 months this time, but I wont pay for a flush yearly. They charged me the $300+ dollars since it was just out of warranty for the blue stuff. Yep. It is gradually getting worse again but I don't yet feel it on higher gears or highway's yet. I hope it stops degrading, but I am more likely going to disappoint me next year (just an opinion). I MAY try an additive next, but I'll never be sure the parts inside weren't damaged by all the past shuddering. I would like to know the success of additives, over the long term. Still like the car, and want to keep it 5 more years. However, ill dump it if the transmission will eventually fail.
Hey after hearing about the shaking from you and the comments here I wanted to share what I found out. As an owner of a 2017 Cadillac CTS 2.0 turbo I got with 88k km on it, I noticed the same shaking when I drove it between 50 - 60 mph or 75 - 80 km going upwill on cruise control. After a lot of discussion around the issue I found out it to be called a “torque shudder”. I found out it’s common will these cars that don’t get transmission flushes done on them on time. In fact this cars transmission wasn’t changed at all! The fix for this torque shudder is to pour roughly 10 litres of trans fluid through it as a super flush. It cost around $1300 but it was recommended by GM. Once it got done the problem completely went away forever. Never had the issue come up. In fact I got it done on my second 2016 Cadillac CTS 3.6 as well as that car also had that shuddering. (Though not as bad ). If you need a mechanic from gm to talk to I can hook you up.
Well I started to follow because we do own the same motorcycle GSX-S750. After awhile I found out you own an ATS , I do own CTS, Bigger is better lol. Joking. I worked for LEXUS, saw previous comments someone here does work for LEXUS, and they are the same, after you leave the lot Dealerships don't care about you, that the truth. You are better human being than I, you are smart and wise to find out the origin of this issue. Glad you did. Kind Regards mate.
I do... there is whole playlist dedicated to my ownership experience with this gorgeous wonderful amazing yet horrible car ua-cam.com/video/4MG0H76-dCQ/v-deo.html
@@crypto_creep8222 Its an amazing car. It truly is... the awd traction is incredible. Right now mine is pretty stable but the car is vulnerable to certain fails. The transmission, especially the 8 speed, likes to shudder. A power flush works but has to be done again about every 30,000 miles to keep it clean. The rear diff is vulnerable to failures and is very expensive and hard to find and has no rebuild kit/parts. Changing fluids on a regular basis is critical for longevity. Keeping it in a high state of tune necessary for long engine life. There are other things... its a senstive car... but oh man its the most fun street car I've ever owned. I like it so much. If you get one, I welcome you to the addiction. She's an abuser, but you learn to like it lol
I think you summarized your comment perfectly! I own a 2016 ATS performance and it’s def a love/hate relationship with the car. I have a regular mechanic since the dealership isn’t very helpful, and pricey to boot. But after one year of ownership I had weird things happening. The tail pipe came off, my rear differential needed love (thank goodness it was still covered with warranty), my stability track needed fixing, I also had that annoying transmission shudder, something was happening with my engine boost, and now my low beam headlight is out. The headlight I can understand. But the dealership is quoting $1k to fix and replace. Mechanic is charging half of that. Trying to really hang on to the car, but each weirdo problem minus the headlight is strongly making me consider other options 😢.
Oh reading your issues brought back my ptsd! When I traded mine in and drove off the lot with a new vehicle I felt a massive weight lift from me. Caddy was close to perfection with the engineering but the quality of components helped it fall short. Too bad. Loved it when it was perfect. Hope you get yours sorted or find a way out 🙏 Thanks for sharing!
Buddy I learned this on a Ford Econline Van 30 years ago after 5 minutes kerploke kerloke It was used in the Summer only. Took you 25 mins To explain. You do have an entertaining way of telling a story though, Bought a CADILLAC ATS 2.0 turbocharged today and I was tripping boo.
My 3rd rear diff is now making clunking sounds. I'm quite sure the bushings are the original bushings and the dealer did not replace them as the manual says "never re-use differential bushings". Oh well.... never a dull moment with this car.
@@sstressfl take it in a positive way you are not a dull man. Ah please do not drag race the Caddy. After all it is just a GM not a real European sports car.
@@tonyabrego1 I asked my previous cadillac dealership if drag racing would null my warranty. He said "I would never void a warranty for drag racing... a lot of my customers take their cars to the track. But if you modify the car, you're on your own." So I went to the track to get some et slips. By the way, part of my diagnostic research on my Caddy brought me to BMW forums. Its definitely not isolated to GM :)
Hi, can you tell me what kind of floor jack you are using? I, have the same kind of car as you. 2015 ats my car is acting up also. What, a headache ,with this car. It, stays at the dealership more than i drive it.. love it, but queeze nothing but darn issues one after the after.. do, you use any kind of certain ramps to drive your car up on for oil changes. My, husband says he cant do any maintance on it, because it sits to low to ground. Until, we find out what floor jack , and ramps we need.. my, car only has 54, 397 miles and no warranty on it, because we bought it used from a dealership with only 90 day warranty work. So, we paying out of pocket for repair work.. hope, they fixed all your car issues. We, live in louisiana
I can relate to the love hate relationship with this car. For lifting it…. I never liked driving onto the ramps. One time a rhino ramp slid backward under the wheel of my minivan and could have caused serious damage. So I stayed away from driving onto the ramps with the caddy. But I was able to use a standard floor jack with a pinch weld adapter. This is the adapter amzn.to/4ca32Lj I already had an old 3 ton floor jack so I bought one more from harbor freight for $50. It’s small and light with a 1500 lb rating. I would lift one side of the car using the pinch weld location behind the front wheel. Then lift the other side using the other jack, keeping it as even as possible into the air until I could fit rhino ramps under the front wheels. I would chock the rear wheels to make sure it didn’t roll backward. Then lower it onto the rhino ramps. There is a jack point in the center front but it was far under the car and difficult to reach. So I used the side pinch weld locations. You could use jack stands instead of rhino ramps but where? The pinch welds and the center pad are the only approved lift points. So where would the jack stands go? You could put one on the center pad but it gets in the way of the oil pan. So the ramps were my only solution. Or, you could buy a good low profile full size hydraulic jack that can reach under the middle of the car to that center pad and use two jack stands with pinch weld adapters… however I never found affordable pinch weld adapters that worked with jack stands. So I simply used my rhino ramps. It’s was very safe. There is also a very expensive home auto lift option that I believe starts at $1500. It’s nice but I was not willing to spend that much :) I know that was a long answer. I hope it was helpful!
@@sstressfl thank you, every little bit advice I get helps us out. appreciate, you texting back. Today, I'm going to get my husband to try to tighten down that bolt , I think you called it , in other video. Gotta, go back and find your video and relate to him. My, steering wheel is very loose to me, makes that same noise you referred to in your video , where your son was turning the steering wheel , while you listened with your scoop.. this, car is a big headache, but love it enough to keep on putting up with the issues, sunk over $ 15,000 just buying it used from dealership used. It,was pd. Cash money I got when my dad passed away. Thinking, he is haunting me from buying a Cadillac instead of a ford. He, liked ford. My , husband want even touch a ford. Found on road dead we call it. Husband , is a dodge guy. Sorry,for the long message. But, your video is a big help to us. Have a good day .. take care .. PSs, hope you are still enjoying your car..
The issues eventually wore me out. I was just about to drop $2g in parts into upgrading the rear differential when my wife said “go get your truck”. It was unexpected but I felt huge relief when I drove away from the ATS and left it behind. I adore our new truck 😎
@@sstressfl if, it keeps on giving me issues, i think im going to go back and buy another chrysler 300 newer model.. wish, i woulda just kept my 300 before selling it.. had no problems with it at all.. good luck with your new ride, truck.. Thanks, again for replying back.. take care
Have you checked if your car is not slightly bent from an undisclosed accident? It sounds like your driveline components are out of alignment. Did you buy the car from that dealership?
excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by flat spots I have the same vibration problem, what should I do to repair that problem I have an ats 2016 2.0T
Flat spots usually happen when your car is parked for too long. They usually come out after driving a short distance. But summer tires can get damaged permanently if they stay parked too long in very cold weather. Hard to say what’s causing your vibration. Does it ever go away or does it get worse at certain speeds? Is it an acceleration thing? Or sometimes a deceleration thing? Or when coasting?
Think you may have learned a few things here, the tires kind of makes sense, and the manufacturer and dealership are only your friends as long as it benefits them to be
It's the battle of two worlds... my goal is the perfection of my vehicle. The company has only one goal... make money. On my side I'll do whatever if takes to make it right. On their side they will do what makes the most financial sense. Those two worlds can be (and usually are) far apart.
Sir, my experience was the same. Idk if it was the weird change with the 15 models. But mine was just fine, then one random day, went to pass a car. Pooof, cylinder 2 shit the bed. Car is now gone, I’ll wait till they are stupid cheap, and I’ll 4.8 ls swap it
I own a 2017 Cadillac ATS 3.6 ‘ and that’s why I rather do my own maintenance on it. I don’t trust the dealer and no other mechanic. But thank you for charging your experience. 🤘😎
But wait a second....why did you bring in the car in the 1st place? If you were feeling a vibration that you thought was the rear diff, what caused that vibration the first time? If it's the flat spots, how did your car get them in the first place?
It was winter. But the dealer makes me install my summer tires when they do work on it. It sits in their parking lot for weeks. Basically the awd ATS has something in its design or a defect that vibrates under load... it’s made worse by resistance. Or sometimes it’s just a failing part, like a bad rear diff or transmission shudder. Still trying to figure it out. Sooooo.... after having a new rear diff installed I drove it like a baby with my winter wheels. It growled a little bit, but after I installed new amsoil svg fluid it was better. And it was getting warmer outside so I installed my summer wheels. I experienced vibration during acceleration and bounce during deceleration. It was similar to the failing rear end vibration but like I told the mechanic it felt different. Higher speeds. And the bounce was new. I thought it was a failing uv joint. Never occurred to me that my summer tires had flat spots from sitting so long at the dealership from the previous visit. So I took it in for them to fix the vibration. But they refused to do any further work until I fixed my messed up wheels. And charged me for the visit.
@@ericolsen67vw I have a 2023 Honda civic. I love it. No problems. No GM headaches. My Cadillac I had so many problems. If I could make a video I would. Very bad experience. Yet my friend who drives a Honda who has had it for 15 years no problems.
@@yourpurpose5548 try Lexus next. My folks have black is250. It's pretty bomb. 💣 My kid starts driving this year probably get him a Honda. I have a Benz tried to explain to him it's a car you can't just drive around, and not fix and do the maintenance. Seems to get it. Good luck my guy 👍
No problems with my 13 Cadillac ATS premium 3.6 AWD ,I hear lots of problems with them 4 cylinder turbos no matter what car there on small engine trying to produce same power as a V6 just buy the v6 in the first place and people won’t have problems with turbos burning out that’s the only problems I’m hearing from 4 cylinder owners .
The only time I hear about problems is with a tune. If you leave the 2.0t in its stock config, its unusual to have any problems. So far so good with mine at 55k miles :)
Its perfect and smoother, quiter than any car Ive ever owned. The old tires were damaged. The new tires are simply elegance.... Im very happy now. Cept that rear diff is still giving me an indication of future failure. Again.
The ATS does have a drivetrain vibration issue (even the regional GM rep said so), but the reason the dealer was suffering such horrible picoscope noise (at least from my perspective, they wouldn't talk to me) was from the massive flat spots these tires developed from being parked in their lot for months at a time. A few days of driving and it was a totally different car. I still have minor drivetrain vibration, but not as severe as it was before (they did good road force wheel balancing).
So here are my take aways from your experience. You will always be a better mechanic for your on vehicle because you are capable and most importantly, it's your car. The second is you should have consulted with a different dealer or repair shop. Your dealership should have suggested you drive the car for a while to rule out flat spots. Finally, the other comments about you getting different treatment since you do have this channel. Good lesson learned. Thanks for sharing so we all can know. Keep us posted on the front diff and t case service. Cheers!
We live in mountainous rural VT (11 years for me, my wife is a Vermonter). I needed a vehicle that could handle the harsh long winters but I did not want a truck or an SUV. I looked at Subaru and Audi.... and then found this. I had no idea Caddy made an awd. It's incredible in the snow. I put some cheap studded snow tires on it and its a stinkin' tank in the snow! The steepest snow covered inclines are effortless. It's only vulnerability is ground clearance. About 5.5". I removed the downforce flaps in front of the front wheels to keep them from scraping during the winter. Other than that, I drive careful on the dirt roads where the snow accumulates and I've had so much fun with this car. The most amazing "winter beater" I've ever owned :D Here are some snow-driving-test-videos I made: ua-cam.com/video/vQn8V6SV7mQ/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/yrxLgBgy8-I/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/47yuxqbQjlI/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/DLnW8B7flCs/v-deo.html and most recent ua-cam.com/video/dy3LpfS7b9w/v-deo.html
Never go to dealerships. They're there to rob you, not fix your car. The ones that do, they won't last long in that shop and most likely going to a more local/private shop. Those are the shops you go to. OR, you just do things yourself.
@@RC51Legend if it's under factory warranty, it can go to any dealership under that brand. It's the company that pays for the repairs anyways. You shouldn't be paying anyone anything. That's like the only time to go into a dealership. So IDK what you're trying to get at here? That 1 time in which almost never happens and that basically has 0 requirements other than "is it a brand dealership?" Trying to justify a retail markup + dealership "warrantees" with that silly little thing is absurd. "hey, get ripped off for tens of thousands for this one situational thing that doesn't really require anything" classic con artist move.
@@sstressfl yea i saw that was a cleaver move on your end. i cant belive the flat spots lol i had very simular issue on 1991 2100 pound car , it turned out that i needed new tires as well + wheel bearing. drove me nuts for weeks. Dealers were no help nether were the mechanic shops in the area. very unfortunate that dealers now a days are so quick to dismiss paying customers.
@@egork519 I think dealers pay attention to paying customers... but warranty work is another story. GM pays less than what a dealer can charge a customer. And the dealer has to work to justify/prove the repair is worthy of warranty. All of my work has been warranty and regardless of my own efforts.... the quality of work is what it is and it became clear they wanted me to go away.
@@sstressfl its very true Michael, As a service manager at a moto dealer my self i can tell you are 100% correct. I really hope you resolve this issue soon , I'm still following up with all your vids to see what the out come of all this will be. this car sits close to my heart for now and possible will be the next daily. 🤞
We have the same car but 2017, we changed everything, underneath, and finally when we changed the shocks, the car stopped shaking..we spent over 2000.00 on parts...we changed all the motor mounts, differental, all front end parts, rack & pinion parts...anyway, a very expensive fix, but fixed.
I truly appreciate the sharing! I was thinking the other day the car feels like it could use new shocks! :) Mine is smoother than it has been at cruising speeed but growling in the rear when under a load, low acceleration or weight in the car.
Flat spots in the tires appear as bent rims. I can nearly guarantee that if you would of told them that the car pretty much sat for months it would of helped them narrow down the problem. Either way, dealerships don't give two craps about a car after it's gone. Had a mustang that did the same thing, it sat in their show room for about 6-8 months. Only reason they didn't drag me through the mud is because I was a Ford employee that worked at their north stamping plant. They tend not to talk back to a 6'4" Marine Corp vet metal fabricator. They don't like to miss teeth. Sorry you had the experience, but unless it's a small dealership, chances are they wrote you off the moment that car made it off the lot.
It sat for months in their lot! It’s like I always say, being certified does not make a person a mechanic. Oh well it has been sorted out… I bought new wheels new tires….accept that rear diff is still leaking and grumbling.
Following. I have a 2014 ats. Been chasing a shimmy, flutter thing. Changed spark plugs, PVC hoses, transmission fluid, camshaft position sensors. I think all thos things needed to be done and little by little its getting less, but still there. Looking forward to the diff change video. You going to change the whole gasket or just pull the fluid out and change it?? Love your vids man.
@@illmavic247 I agree! IMO, opening up a 4 cylinder on a car usually sounds horrible. I prefer the almost-electric-car quiet of the stock ATS. It feels like Cadillac :)
I went through the same thing awhile back with my ats lol. I have the same set of tires as you the general as o5 and I had a bad vibration in the front come to find out I had a busted belt in the tire.
@@sstressfl no but they don’t have to lie to you. Tell you the person you want to speak to isn’t there when they clearly were. That’s pretty shady. Would definitely put a bad taste in my mouth.
WoW I'm not alone and neither are you . My caddy ats rear rims went out of round with the car not being driven enough ..... !?!?? Now Think about that ....! The rears ??? So thats about $175. For the guys in the rim fixing trunk who stop at my Caddy Dealership once a week .... plus break down, reinstall, re - road force balance .... $$$$$$ Same thing, I love the driving experience of the car, my wife hates it ....lol..... But she loved it when it got her to and from work in a blizzard a few years ago, and didn't even flinch once in more that a foot of snow .... Had snows on all four wheels and its AWD.... The AWD on that little Caddy is more sure-footed in snow than some SUV's I've driven !!! Back to the wheels, ..... I'm just baffled at just the rears going out of round, not the front which I assumed had more weight ???? The only advice I can give you is once it's out of warranty, find a REAL mechanic that does diagnostics and brute force when needed, a guy who thinks outside the repair manual.. Also , once you start touching any of it when it's in warranty the dealerships get quirky. They could blame the fluids you substituted ..... or the performance wheels ..... I know they shouldn't, the OEM wheels can't be that good if they bend when the car just sits..... God .... Give us steel wheels back, I don't care how much they weigh ....lol.. Also, I've given up with performance touring runflats that I can feel every stone in the cement .... 2 winters ago I bought 4 Pirelli Soterozzo 3 snows ..... And it's smooth, soft, quiet, lots of rubber, handles well .... maybe 85 and 90 mph aren't a good idea, but for the bulk of the driving.... I'm leaving them on all the time and just rotating and adding 2 at a time. Best part ..... $150. Per tire ..... thats the 17" Runflat ...!!! A Win, Win, for me .. As my father used to say when his 65 Delta 88 would act up ..... " Turn the Radio Up ......LOUDER ...." !!! Lol ...😁
Man, I feel your love for the alpha platform and the ats. I adore mine, such a sexy small little car. Cadillacs own jdm/euro fighter! (2.0t) I love the phantom metallic gray paint. It looks like a dark silver green in some light and the led door handles!!! OMG!!! Looks so amazing at night. Cadillac knocked this car out of the park looks and styling wise. Im gonna try and find a LSD for my car. I’ve researched and it will 100% work. Gotta find me a wrecked ats g80 rpo code car! I will say im scared to really put the car through it’s paces, im afraid it’s fragile. I can hammer on my 05 STS4 1sg f55 car all day long. 151k on odometer and the car is still amazing. I hope my ats is as reliable as my previous Cadillacs have been. My 05 deville has needed literally nothing other then maintenance. It has 165k on odometer. The STS has needed a few parts like the rack went bad, PS pump went bad, wheel bearing went bad, trunk won’t open anymore and proximity drivers door doesn’t work anymore. But the car is almost 20 years old.
Boy, you are way more patient than I. I would have opened a lemon law case after the 3rd dealer visit. Notice once you mentioned lemon law to GM, they cut the conversation immediately. That's what they have to do. I know you love the car, so I hope you have no other reasons to use the warranty, because they won't help you at all.
I can’t stand it. I got the same treatment when I bought a new 94 Mustang. Brakes warped every 10k miles. Manual transmission would not engage into 1st when it got warmed up. I kept bringing it in, they kept failing to resolve the issue. I’ve had horrible dealership warranty experiences with every brand.
Any luck, on the shaking issue, we changed everything underneath, I mean EVERYTHING.. it didn't change anything.... Love & Hate relationship with this car.. I'm, thinking GM Specs on this car somehow ?????
Currently I suspect the dealer never installed the rear diff correctly. It loosened and starting leaking. After taking it back… again… it’s smoother but still not fixed. Under load it still grumbles in the back. I suspect the rear diff is bad again. It’s a poor quality part. Not sure I’ll ever see this car properly smooth.
@@patriziapinard4517 Thats great! the dealer has installed 2 new rear differentials which which come with new buhings installed. But now I know they never torqued them properly. Nor did they install new bolts. The bolts are single torque use then toss. Ever since they tightened it it has been better. I plan to replace the bolts and retorque them properly when the snow melts ;) I hope it makes it even better. Its possible this has been the problem with the rear diff all along.
Omg I love your video man …I have the ats 2018 and the first day I got my car had a bubble on one the left side tire and I couldn’t open my drunk than than a month later Left side back tire I had to wait 3 months for that tire to come and today right front tire had a slash but that flat
That’s why they was so upset. Guess they knew nothing was wrong, but they should have tested for that, even Tommy with a 3rd grade education will put his hand on it on it to test, but man I hope this don’t happen, but watch your engine, mine was well maintained, but granted I did have some aftermarket parts, but knowing they had so many issues with weak pistons, I may have got that last engine that just happened to be a 15 model with the old pistons in it. I got rid of the car, as I will never own anything again without 8 cylinders
God man any tire shop will tell you that, just by rubbing you hand you can fell it. I got the same car. I’m a aircraft mechanic, I do not take my car to any idiot from dealership. They are crooks. No one touch my car.
Glad that it got resolved, 10 mins into your video I thought I wasted my time but then things kept getting interesting. Definitely worth watching entire video, shows service manuals and standard procedures cannot account for every single scenario.
It went bad again... was a true trail of tears.
@@sstressfl that means I need to watch all your videos to get up to speed :). I am considering getting a 2.0T myself, I'm anticipating get info about common issues/resolutions before I face them.
@arslanazhar9403 IMO one of the best things of UA-cam. Sharing so we can all make better decisions.
The problem wasn't you nor the dealer. The problem is that trade schools aren't producing mechanics anymore, they are producing computer technicians who work on cars. My old plow truck did the same thing every day of every winter because my truck tires would flat spot overnight until they were warmed up by driving. A true northern mechanic probably would have properly diagnosed this.
I agree with you. Its a job for most but many are missing the mechanic dna!
The schools teach the basics real skills are learned on the job, the manufactures send techs out for training and probably 50 percent of job requires computer. You just have to hope you get the expierenced tech. And once you find them always request the same one.
Love my ATS too and glad you got closure! That's a lesson the "pros" aren't always experts.
And here I was impressed with the newer Cadillacs.
I work at a Lexus dealer and all our cars in storage is stored with tires overinflated on purpose to around 40~45 PSI to avoid having flat spots on tires. When the car is brought and PPI, washing & cleaning is done, the tires are then deflated back to their regular 32~36 PSI before being delivered.
The fact nobody caught this is both amusing and disappointing in the eyes of the Cadillac dealer.
Gm dealerships really do not care about you once you leave the lot. I had a dealership charge me for an alignment that I never received. The markings under the car weren't changed and I had horrid camber in the rear. When I confronted them on their mistake they got super pissy with me. The final straw was them trying to charge me for a Bluetooth upgrade to my steering rack bolts. Bluetooth upgrade.... on bolts..... and they were serious.
Thats really messed up. But I have heard bizarre stories before!!
Michael I had that same awkwardness feeling when I purchased my grand caravan from a dealership 4 years ago. All smiles, they pretended to be my friend, I even told the person in sales I loved the service department that is why I am buying another van, once the paperwork got signed a complete 180° happen in sales. Luckily I have a good service advisor where I live, helped us a ton through the process I would never wish that awkwardness feeling upon anyone.
Glad you found some resolution with this.
Glad you soled the mystery! I would have never thought about flat spots. Too bad about spending that money but look at it this way... through sharing this video you may end up helping tons of people facing a similar issue.
It’s still not 100% but that was a HUGE reason why there was such violent vibration 👍 I hope it helps someone 🙏 Thank you my friend.
@@sstressfl Happy you got it figured out! As a former tire & lube tech i would've found this in 10mins
I experience the same thing with my Mustang GT. It sits for weeks on end and I drive it rarely. The last time I got it out I found "what the heck is that vibration??". Flat spots! Glad you figured it out in the end.
Well if you watch the series, it continued to spiral downhill again 🫤
I knew you were a believer before you ever said "you prayed to Jesus". I've learned sometimes it's test to try us in the fire. It makes us better than before. Gold goes through intense heat and refinement to become "purer". Good story thanks for sharing. FYI keep looking up, we going home soon, and all these material things and issues will be gone. PTL
Amen 🙏 Thank you for the encouragement ❤️
My wife wanted a 2013 Cadillac ATS. I recommended she don't get it and she still got it and it's the biggest piece of junk I've ever seen. Beautiful and fun car but non-stop problems. It was bought from one owner at 100,000 miles and all maintenance and everything was always kept up to date. Hopefully others are having a better luck lol
Its so easy to fall in love with the ATS. But living with it is another story. I have heard of some having fewer problems for many miles. I'm sorry your wife is dealing with the issues. Sadly that seems to be the norm.
I know it has been three years since you posted this, but I just watched it today. I too love my 2013 ATS 2.0T Performance and have had it through four Maine winters heading into my fifth this year. I don't do like most as I run the same tires all year. I love the AWD on mine as it is great in the snow. I enjoyed your video because you went all the way with the story. Not just a complaint video but an actual story with a resolution and cause of the problem. I understand how frustrating that must have been waiting for a diagnosis that never came. At least you have the experience and an inquisitive mind to figure out what it was. This is an awesome story and shows that sometimes a problem that can't be diagnosed is caused by the least expected thing. I mean, who would have thought about flat spots causing your problem, I mean, it's easy to say, "oh yeah that's obvious" AFTER hearing your story, but before knowing what it was, I bet no one was out there thinking, "It's flat spots on the tires." Ok, maybe somebody was. I didn't think of that, and I've been working on cars off and on for like 45 years. I was trade school trained back in the day and consider myself pretty good at troubleshooting and figuring out problems but yeah, never would have thought of that. Anyway, thank you for sharing as this is one more thing to put in my "toolbox" that may come in handy someday. Hope you are still enjoying your ATS.😉
As it turned out, this was the end of a specific tire problem, but continued an on-going rear differential problem. Poor quality component combined with improper installation by the dealer lead to failure after failure. I drive a truck now 👍
@@sstressfl Sorry to hear that but glad you are rid of the problem. I love my 2013 ATS so much I bought a 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe last summer. Didn't get to drive it much during the winter but there were enough times where the roads were clear of snow and dry that I could go out once in a while. But it is great during the summer and fun to drive. Good luck with your truck and thanks again for your videos!
I appreciate it! Shame it didn’t work out for me. Was excited to be in a caddy and proud of their engineering. Best to you! Enjoy that V!! 🤗🙌
Hey after hearing about the shaking from you and the comments here I wanted to share what I found out. As an owner of a 2017 Cadillac CTS 2.0 turbo I got with 88k km on it, I noticed the same shaking when I drove it between 50 - 60 mph or 75 - 80 km going upwill on cruise control. After a lot of discussion around the issue I found out it to be called a “torque shudder”. I found out it’s common will these cars that don’t get transmission flushes done on them on time. In fact this cars transmission wasn’t changed at all! The fix for this torque shudder is to pour roughly 10 litres of trans fluid through it as a super flush. It cost around $1300 but it was recommended by GM. Once it got done the problem completely went away forever. Never had the issue come up. In fact I got it done on my second 2016 Cadillac CTS 3.6 as well as that car also had that shuddering. (Though not as bad ). If you need a mechanic from gm to talk to I can hook you up.
Michael. I have been contemplating purchasing a used 2017 ats awd good price, low miles good dealer, but I’m moving on looking for something else. Thank you
Its a great looking and great driving car when it works... but based on my experience and feedback from many many ats owners, I think that's a wise decision. Hope you find a great vehicle.
WOW!! The dang flat spots lol!! That is so hilarious. I hope your laughing at that frustrating situation. Well at least it’s sorted out. What a great video.
I thoroughly enjoyed your telling of these events in your relentless pursuit of the answer to your vibration problem. You are a terrific storyteller. I was delighted as you were to hear that the answer was dreaded "flat spots". I am looking to purchase a 2017 ATS in the near future, so I was very invested in your happy outcome.
I appreciate the kind words. I absolutely adored that car. Sadly, not long after this video the rear diff went bad again :/ and again. I was just about to put about $2k into building a custom stronger rear diff, but traded it instead for a truck! :)
At least you got it figured out after all that mess! I'm happy for you. The ATS 2.0T really is a great car.
Would u recommend the 2.0 , or the v6 . That 320ish horsepower callin my name , but hear good things about the 2.0 too 🤦♂️
@@jordansteele7799 There's a lot to like about either one, but I love the 2.0 because it has the low-end torque that's usable in the city. The 3.6 needs to rev high to get the most from it.
@@jordansteele7799 do you know how easy it is to make 320 with the 2.0t?
@@courtneyjagoda6368 like what besides the zzp
@@courtneyjagoda6368 Like what besides the zzp ?
I am so glad for you. I also own one, theses are fantastic vehicles. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Michael, may I suggest in the future to always follow the customer satisfaction protocol as shown in the owner's' manual. from the beginning of a repair. Doing this should put you on a path to be more effective and staying effective with any repair. Taking the control early one is a very important first step. I have always followed the protocol and have been successful. One time the car was bough back and the other time the car was fixed to my satisfaction. I too have and love my Cadillac ATS as for the same reason as you. The ATS is a great car, but Moore Cadillac is even greater with their customer satisfaction. I look forward to the future for a CT5. Congratulation for succeeding with your challenge and crossing the repair finish line. Best regards, John
The fact that something so small/simple was your issue is funny and sad. Glad you got it fixed man!
Thank God I haven't had these issues with mine (I've been following from when you first got it). It's a great car. I've had some pretty cool cars in the past, but I haven't loved any of them as much as this one. It's truly a phenomenal car. I saw a friend deal with the same thing you did with a Honda Civic-R. Flat spots. I drove it and felt it. It was jarring, to say the least. Really feels like something is terribly wrong with the vehicle. Also, don't feel bad, he's a mechanic and didn't catch it either.
If they on the rear you might not feel them but nowadays with this magnetic ride control are so sensitive you have all wheel alignment on the car i have a silver one same year and a ats-v i love them both
I gave up! Traded mine for a 22 RAM 1500 ... truly enjoying the new ride.
@@sstressfl I've had no issues out of either one of mine
That’s awesome. The awd seems to have a higher incident of issues esp with the rear diff. And of course the 8 speed has it’s oiling issue/shudder inherent in its design.
that's why you always check on your car when it's being serviced. They really don't spend that much
time working on your car. Don't ever leave it for weeks at a time. Because the actual work can and will be
done in a day, or even hours. That's why I always wait or come back in a couple of hours.
You have to be the most level headed man on earth, and humble as well. Glad that you got it ironed out. I've had my Ats for a little over 2 years now and literally every time I drive my Ats I get that "wow" experience!!!! Mine is a premium with performance pkg rwd and the 3.6. Also has the magna ride with an electronic limited slip rear end. Pretty quick but the handling is impressive!! Not like hellcat or Z06 fast but just such a well balanced super awesome handling suspension. These cars are underrated and hardly marketed cause most people never heard of an ATS! I'm super happy you got yours back👍. Take a couple deep breaths! Lol
Wow this dude made me choose another brand I'm not buying a cadillac thanks for your story
I had an all wheel drive problem in my 2014 ats and spent thousands trying to fix it. I ended up finding a fuse that shuts off the all wheel drive and now it drives perfect. Thousands down the drain and a fuse solved my issue lol
I did read about others doing the same. For me, living in mountainous terrain in rural Vermont with long long snowy/icy winters, I needed the awd system.
You’re a great story teller. Definitely enjoy listening to you.
Thank you so much :) Super nice thing to say! I appreciate it.
Oh you’re welcome! I have a 2014 ATS… 2.0 AWD… and I’m changing all my diff fluid… front, rear and transfer case… your videos really show what to do, so I really appreciate them!
I’m glad I found your videos! ❤ I have the same issues now just trying to see what to do about the transmission flush or change and change again 2 months later what would you recommend Brother? I’m at 88,000 miles and the dealer recommended flush but it’s not there car or money and they can’t guarantee it will fix the problem.
The flush is def the best way to make sure its pumped out clean. it usually works and is the recommended solution by GM. But its expensive! And on the 8 speed it has to be done as an on-going maintenance thing. But if you have the 6-speed like mine, it should be fluid change and done. I think if you changed the fluid yourself with new filter and noticed a real improvement, then you can feel more confident that the fluid was the problem. If you change it and its not better then it will indicate another issue is causing the shudder. And yes it might need it again, and maybe a third time to get it to be 100%. I hope you get it sorted to your satisfaction 🙏
@@sstressflthat’s exactly what my dealership did. The vibration disappears completely from the torque shudder! It required 10 litres of back to back flushes $1200 but it fixed the problem completely!
I had a 2014 ATS 2.5L! Most fun car i have had in a long time! Hard to keep under 70 or 100mph!! Smooth, quiet and lots of get up and Go!
Wow! Excellent explanation! Thank you 🙏
Appreciate the feedback 🙏
I love your videos! I've been following you for a few months since I purchased a used 2013 ATS Luxury 3.6 with 40K miles back in Feb. I freakin' love this car. It's so powerful and an absolute joy to drive. I find myself making up any excuse to get in it and go. You are such a patient man. I would have lost it long ago. I was almost afraid to watch this video today without knowing the outcome, but I am so happy for you that the issue is resolved. Flat spots? Wow, who knew? Take time to enjoy your ride man, you deserve it. BTW, zero problems so far with mine. Purchased a 3 yr full warranty with it, so I have peace of mind.
Thank you!! And I pray yours continues to ride smooth and problem free 🙏 I have always felt that the ATS is a tie with my motorcycle. Both are crazy fun. Enjoy!!
Yes ditto the 3 year warranty is a must. I have piece of mind with my 2016 ATS.
I feel your pain my friend, I had to deal with GM directly to have the transmission replaced on my ATS. This car is amazing, drives great tons of power. It really had allot of issues since I got it in 2018 but been good for the last 40000k and couldn’t be happier. Changed front and rear diff fluids and it’s smooth as silk. Hope she treats you good from now on.
@WhyMan While I agree I haven’t had so many issues with a car before. Couple weeks ago my rear end seal blew out on my ATS on its second rear end, just got that replaced under powertrain. Now having issues with my airbag light coming on again, it’s been in 8 times for this “Service safety restraint system” code with no fix. Third time dealing with GM corporate, I ended up tweeting to the CEO. It’s done nothing I’m sure but GM is dealing with it again. Now having some weird clunking in the front end but I’m attributing that to normal wear, will have to check what it is when I throw on my winter tires on it. It’s unfortunate, I love my car but will be going a different direction in a year or so.
@WhyMan That’s some sound advice honestly, you’re completely right haha
I have a 2014 ats and I believe the ATS is a lemon design
I think the intent... the actual design... was a thing of beauty. Not just the exterior! The whole thing. Its weakness is in the quality of some of its components and that makes it an unreliable vehicle. Some make it through 100k+ miles with minimal issues. But wayyy too many suffer the same problems. I truly enjoyed the car. And I truly hated the car.
I live in Vermont as well & I'm considering buying a used ATS 2015 so these videos are helpful
Happy hunting! If it shudders on the test drive ask them to flush the transmission and to call you when it’s smooth 👍 the awd with snow tires is unbeatable. Gorgeous car.
@@sstressfl thank you! I found 1 in NH w 75k miles & a 90 day warranty so I'm considering that 1 over buying it privately because of the warranty your videos are very helpful
@@sstressfl I've also had several Cadillacs. I currently have a 2015 Escalade that's been great,it has 155k but the engine lost compression so I'm just thinking I'm going to sell it cheap and buy something w less mileage
@@kolaking80 I want Cadillac to be on top again. Such an amazing hisotry, brand, and gorgeous cars.
I have a 2017 ATS 2.0T and it’s such a blissful experience every time I drive it. I found it at a Hyundai dealership, of all places. Shortly after taking it off the lot, the mysterious, notorious shudder started happening. After a few weeks, decided to change ATF and filter myself. (Your video on that project inspired me to do it 👍). Totally fixed the problem. Shudder gone. Absolutely wonderful car! I’m hoping for the best going forward. 🔥🔥
Same thing I have a 17 ats the dealer changed my transmission fluid and filter with their special mobile 1 and it’s blue for some reason but my transmission has been working like I drove it off the lot
So awesome 👏👏👏😎
@MichaelByrne Dude you have an amazing ability to express patience and not give in to frustration. I have a 2013 ATS Luxury 2.0 Turbo. I’ve had it right at one year now and already had to replace the transmission, and at the moment I have a bad Catalytic converter, coolant leaking from I believe the O ring on the oil cooler hose by the firewall and oil pressure solenoid code popping up and I’m only a humble civil servant for the city that doesn’t make much money and financing this car at a 22% interest rate. I have no more patience. God bless you though , I’m happy things are working out for you and your family. 🙏🏼
Thank you for the kind words! I’m sorry to hear about your on going issues with the car :( like I’ve said before, it’s the best and worst car I’ve ever owned! I hope you can find a way out and get into something more reliable. Appreciate that you took time to comment and share your experience. God bless you too 🙏
Brother, i I own red manual 2015 ATS coupe. Thanks to ZZP, it's close to 300 HP right now. Inshallah it will be close to 400 HP one day!
Bought a 14 ATS in 2019. Car had 20k miles but had sat at the dealer for almost a year. On test drive I knew the tires were shit, especially considering they were run flats. Tires smoothed themselves out after awhile and the ride was good. Perfect ride once I put normal tires on the car lol.
I have heard nothing but complaints about run flats on the ATS! Summer UHP tires are the worst when parked too long in cold winter weather. The new Lexani's I bought are silky smooth. Sounds like you're doing well with your new tires too ;)
@@sstressfl, run flats are terrible. Rather be stuck on the side of the road with a flat and surrounded by coyotes then drive with run flats. Also have a 20 CT5 with 18in "self sealing" Michelins. They're pretty good but prefer the Yokohama's on my ATS.
Definitely letting a car sit too long is bad on the tires. Was surprised how bad the ATS rode when I test drove it. Luckily my wife worked at the dealership so I knew the history of the car and they weren't bs-ing us. Caught a great deal.
@@sclancy79 I like the ct5! Enjoy 😎💪
Metal hub centric rings is gonna make it incredibly hard to get the rims off better to used the drifter material ones
High end stainless steel thats .012"! No one makes them that thin. They work great. I take the, off and put them back on all the time. A little grease helps too ;)
Oh okay I went through an annoying experience with the metal ones I had. But the workers only ever told me to look for ones that match 70.3 diameter
@@sstressfl and yea the grease thing I didn’t know on my first rodeo lol
@@GeneralDravus00 lol yes! Especially in Vermont! Everything corrodes. 😄
I’ve had both Cadillacs and Lincolns. When I want to get another Cadillac, I want to feel that luxurious Cadillac floating and silence. The DTS was the real last true Cadillac… possibly the XTS, but when I want a Cadillac… I just don’t think of ATS or XLR or any of those. I like something you can show up to the ball in. To each his own I suppose 🤷♂️
I understand that completely. My fav Caddy is a 1960 Coupe DeVille. My fav Lincoln is a 67 Continental. But I have to admit, I fell in love with the new CT5-V, twin turbo v6 with paddle shifters. Power and modern luxury.
@@sstressfl Gotcha. We’re going to finally give up our black raven DTS Premium and go for something else probably in a couple of months. There’s just nothing out there anymore in our taste so we’re looking at preowned MKZ’s and Continentals. That’s the only sort of thing we have the mood for, maybe a preowned XTS. We’re going to need some luck tho.
I remembered you and this video since the class action lawsuit now. Everything the owners describe and the notorious “Chevy Shake” sounds like the problem you had. If I buy a new Cadillac and got these problems… I would certainly be upset, especially given the price tag. They knew all along they had these problems but kept on the same course anyways.
That floaty luxury truly is a different kind of experience. I have to say the ATS was very quiet. They did a good job.
My ATS has been sitting due to my medical, my wife took the car out and said it shook violently. I told her the tires could of been flat spots, need to drive the car and make sure the right air pressure. She drove it solid for a week, finally stopped and now smooth. But with your situation was unknown variables. But great job figuring it out.
That's awesome. It never occurred to me :)
mike...im happy you're happy.
two things...
1 my intuition tells me someone at the dealership watches your channel and they discuss among themselves that you are a tinkerer (and they dont like that).
2 their patience with you reached its top dollar amount...regardless of customer satisfaction....as i said several videos ago...they were blowing smoke.
They do watch my videos. They have told me. Regardless, I love all of 'em and I know there are business pressures at work. I leave it up to each business to show their colors. There is always a line. And I could be wrong too. I am going to tinker and see if I can fix the final drivetrain vibration on my own.
How quickly can a stationary tire develop flat spots? And would cold weather or low inflation quicken the flat spot process?
They’re all different but from what I’ve learned summer tires suffer the most in cold weather, sometimes permanent damage if they sit too long in the cold. But mostly in my experience you can drive out a flat spot and the tire will be smooth again.
Listen...I have a 2013 CTS Coupe still to this day. It takes me back and forth to work. No car is perfect. You have to stop knit picking. The car is not going to be perfect. As long as your engine and trans is strong/good you should be ok. You can't turn a 2015 into a 2024. Stop spending unnecessary money on the car for mods. Just drive it and enjoy it. Cadillacs are good cars.
Is that what they told you? Those dealerships are so good! Doing anything to to get out of fixing it properly especially if its directed by corporate. I get messages all day long from Cadillac owners facing the same issues. I worked on a Cadillac Brand Team in the 90s. I know how things work. I was raised in a Michigan garage by a family of drag racers. I'm not new. I know how to diagnose a car and I know what a proper vehicle is supposed to feel like. A vibrating car is not acceptable especially a Cadillac. GM as a whole has been cost cutting to the extreme. It has forced their vendors into an impossible situation, cutting quality to meet a price point. I had hoped things changed when I bought the ATS. Things have not changed. The old ways still dominate at GM.
I had a sticky DS rear caliper on my ATS give me the same intermittent symptoms you described. Whenever it stuck it would cause a vibration. At higher speeds it would suddenly feel like one of the wheels was about to fall off. I ended up replacing the caliper and wheel bearing. The heat from the sticky caliper got the bearing hot enough to puke out the grease from it's seal.
Thats terrible! I had a frozen caliper on the back of my ATS... I put in all new stuff. That is not the issue with this car. Its a long established history. Transmission is fixed now (they did a flush) but the rear diff is an on-going problem.
@@sstressfl My wife has 2.0 T AWD like yours and it was pushing diff fluid out the pinion seal a couple weeks ago because the vent got plugged with debris. That's a common issue. But just one of the reasons they fail.
@@BAMFCarDude Definitely aware of that! I'm on my 3rd rear diff.... the failures are not related to the valve. But instead build/quality/installation issues. Failing bearings. Improper installation. I have an entire Cadillac ATS playlist of you'd like to follow along :)
I had a similar issue with an F30 328i, similar 2 liter 8 speed. On the initial test drive, buttery smooth. Dealership wanted to install new tires, to which I said NO because I like to tire shop myself.
Go to pick up the car and sure enough they put on rft tires and a slight vibration began. I just didn’t have your level of patience, called automation corporate, filed a new ticket for 12 days, had an attorney send a letter out. Fast forward 2 weeks in after purchase. GM calls me at 7:30 in the evening.
Show up the next day. Shop Forman and gm take the 3 for a spin. Replaced all 4 control arms and tires of my choice. Told them to flatbed it to my preferred Indy shop because their techs won’t do an alignment if the wheels are “pointing straight”
Wow! And all is well I assume??
Happy to report, no vibrations at all. I’ve learned that when buying a car, a test drive is not needed. Just feel tires with your hand, and that should tell all.
@@reddstool1023 mine were new tires and perfect until it started getting parked at the dealership in the winter for a month at a time. And while flat spots were a temporary issue, the recurring failed rear end was the primary problem with this car. Vibration was tied to poor install by the dealership and a low quality diff. Ugly stuff. I am happy to be rid of it.
I brought a lemon 1.7.23 and in shop 2.15.23 had $1,780.00 worth of work done now shaking like rivers of water again help what must I do? Thank you and now I call the dealership with no response at all, never return any of my calls and the car was priced at $24,000 can I use them
If your issue is like mine... if the replaced the rear differential... they probably did not use new bolts (the bolts are one time use only) and/or they probably did not torque the bolts to spec. The rear differential will loosen and start to vibrate again. If your issue was transmission shudder, then they probably did not do a complete transmission flush but instead dropped the pan, replaced the filter and refilled the fluid. But if you have the 8 speed, it needs a true 100% power flush to remove all of the metal and clutch material that is clogging it up or it will start shuddering again soon. In regards to suing them, I have no idea.... I dont usually have good experiences at auto shops. I hope you can get it remedied
🙏
@@sstressflyou got it! The metal parts in the transmission require a full flush to be done. It’s expensive and requires 10 litres of fluid to be done properly , so it’s not an easy one time fix from a single flush. So many people have this problem sadly. Just want to get the word out to the fix 😊
Michael, may I suggest in the future to take control of the repair process by following the customer satisfaction instruction in the owner's manual. I have learn the most import thing about auto repairs is to be effective with the process. I have used the lemon law to command the attention of the auto manufacturer to fix it or buy it back. It has worked each time. I love GM products and how they stand behind their product. Currently I have a 2017 ATS and I love the car as for the same reasons you love your ATS. I look to the future for a Cadillac CT5. In closing, follow the customer satisfaction protocol in the owner's manual and always stay effective. Best regards, John
I've never had to engage with a dealership at this level before. Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts on the subject.
Curb rash was mentioned nonchalant, cause it was done by family. I wonder if there is more to the story.
It was minor and I didn’t want to make my wife feel any worse than she already did. There’s no controversy.
Michael, you're super sensitive to how your car should feel. Unfortunately, it can be a pain in the neck trying to get it sorted out. But your persistence paid off. Too bad the dealership didn't absorb the balancing charge or at least split it with you. But you're the bigger person for not arguing with them and having it get ugly. Dealership's are never happy if you don't have everything on the car the way it came from the factory (wheels). I understand it to a point but if they sense how meticulous you are with your vehicle they should have believed that you wouldn't have bent wheels on your ats. But I do get why you're so fond of your car. Everytime I get behind the wheel of my 2019 ats v coupe I'm impressed beyond words with this car. Best of luck going forward!
Enjoying having my car back and I’m going to pursue perfection on my own. Thank you for the encouragement!
I had a similar poor diagnosis with a dealer on my wheels. When I was driving close to a wall, I would hear a weird noise coming from the tires. It was definitely the tires as I would still hear it when coasting, and would change in sound level with speed. When the car was stationary and running, I would not hear the noise.
The computer pressure indicated they were all bang on where they should be for pressure. I had an appointment for an warranty oil change, so I asked them to take a look at the tire noise. They gave me back the car saying there was nothing wrong with the wheels, on the way home I heard the noise...
I then did my own investigation. First thing I did is check the pressure at the wheels with a known good analog gauge. Found the tires were 6 to 8 psi under inflated. What the hell!!! On the dashboard, all tires read normal pressure. It looks like on my previous oil change visit, a tech calibrated an offset into the computer pressure indicators. Moreover, they didn't check the pressure when I made a complaint at the next visit. What horrible service...never taking it there unless its warranty related, which has now expired, so never taking it there again, period. So lazy!!
Thats pretty poor service indeed :(
Hey bro everything you're doing is right it's their responsibility to check and see if anything is wrong they're supposed to diagnostic vehicle safety reasons so 1 it's not right 2 it's not professional I've been in the same situation and I don't care if I warn my welcome like I said you know how your car drives right well supposed to drive bro it is their responsibility to fix whatever is wrong with your car so I agree with you 100% man. And I also own a Cadillac ATS.V
You show a great picture of the "process" and possible influences. I have a 2016 3.6AWD ATS coup. Same trans shudder seen on ramps and low gears, since
Youre welcome! It can be a battle. Hope ypu have a really great experience at the dealership.
@@sstressfl Ill let you know how the dealer is and how it settles out. generally I like this Cadi dealer. I know at times there are no winners.. hopefully this will at least keep the trans on the road over 70k.
@@my3sons50 hello, what was the outcome if you don't mind sharing? I just purchased a used 2017 @ 48K miles. And it shudders in between 50-60 while in touring mode mainly. Slight to almost unnoticeable shudders while in sport mode.
@@mbritt38 Thanks for asking--- 52000 miles now. I would say it was fairly good for 4 months this time, but I wont pay for a flush yearly. They charged me the $300+ dollars since it was just out of warranty for the blue stuff. Yep. It is gradually getting worse again but I don't yet feel it on higher gears or highway's yet. I hope it stops degrading, but I am more likely going to disappoint me next year (just an opinion). I MAY try an additive next, but I'll never be sure the parts inside weren't damaged by all the past shuddering. I would like to know the success of additives, over the long term. Still like the car, and want to keep it 5 more years. However, ill dump it if the transmission will eventually fail.
Hey after hearing about the shaking from you and the comments here I wanted to share what I found out. As an owner of a 2017 Cadillac CTS 2.0 turbo I got with 88k km on it, I noticed the same shaking when I drove it between 50 - 60 mph or 75 - 80 km going upwill on cruise control. After a lot of discussion around the issue I found out it to be called a “torque shudder”. I found out it’s common will these cars that don’t get transmission flushes done on them on time. In fact this cars transmission wasn’t changed at all! The fix for this torque shudder is to pour roughly 10 litres of trans fluid through it as a super flush. It cost around $1300 but it was recommended by GM. Once it got done the problem completely went away forever. Never had the issue come up. In fact I got it done on my second 2016 Cadillac CTS 3.6 as well as that car also had that shuddering. (Though not as bad ). If you need a mechanic from gm to talk to I can hook you up.
Well I started to follow because we do own the same motorcycle GSX-S750. After awhile I found out you own an ATS , I do own CTS, Bigger is better lol. Joking. I worked for LEXUS, saw previous comments someone here does work for LEXUS, and they are the same, after you leave the lot Dealerships don't care about you, that the truth. You are better human being than I, you are smart and wise to find out the origin of this issue. Glad you did. Kind Regards mate.
Do you still have this car?
I do... there is whole playlist dedicated to my ownership experience with this gorgeous wonderful amazing yet horrible car ua-cam.com/video/4MG0H76-dCQ/v-deo.html
@@sstressfl i also live in Vermont and im looking at a ATS4 awd 2.0T so ive been watching videos all week just found yours this morning
@@crypto_creep8222 Its an amazing car. It truly is... the awd traction is incredible. Right now mine is pretty stable but the car is vulnerable to certain fails. The transmission, especially the 8 speed, likes to shudder. A power flush works but has to be done again about every 30,000 miles to keep it clean. The rear diff is vulnerable to failures and is very expensive and hard to find and has no rebuild kit/parts. Changing fluids on a regular basis is critical for longevity. Keeping it in a high state of tune necessary for long engine life. There are other things... its a senstive car... but oh man its the most fun street car I've ever owned. I like it so much. If you get one, I welcome you to the addiction. She's an abuser, but you learn to like it lol
I think you summarized your comment perfectly! I own a 2016 ATS performance and it’s def a love/hate relationship with the car. I have a regular mechanic since the dealership isn’t very helpful, and pricey to boot. But after one year of ownership I had weird things happening. The tail pipe came off, my rear differential needed love (thank goodness it was still covered with warranty), my stability track needed fixing, I also had that annoying transmission shudder, something was happening with my engine boost, and now my low beam headlight is out. The headlight I can understand. But the dealership is quoting $1k to fix and replace. Mechanic is charging half of that. Trying to really hang on to the car, but each weirdo problem minus the headlight is strongly making me consider other options 😢.
Oh reading your issues brought back my ptsd! When I traded mine in and drove off the lot with a new vehicle I felt a massive weight lift from me. Caddy was close to perfection with the engineering but the quality of components helped it fall short. Too bad. Loved it when it was perfect. Hope you get yours sorted or find a way out 🙏 Thanks for sharing!
I am sorry about your frustrating experience, but what a great storytelling! I had a really enjoyable listening.
Thank you for the feedback. Very appreciated, my friend :)
Buddy I learned this on a Ford Econline Van 30 years ago after 5 minutes kerploke kerloke It was used in the Summer only. Took you 25 mins To explain. You do have an entertaining way of telling a story though, Bought a CADILLAC ATS 2.0 turbocharged today and I was tripping boo.
My 3rd rear diff is now making clunking sounds. I'm quite sure the bushings are the original bushings and the dealer did not replace them as the manual says "never re-use differential bushings". Oh well.... never a dull moment with this car.
@@sstressfl take it in a positive way you are not a dull man. Ah please do not drag race the Caddy. After all it is just a GM not a real European sports car.
@@tonyabrego1 I asked my previous cadillac dealership if drag racing would null my warranty. He said "I would never void a warranty for drag racing... a lot of my customers take their cars to the track. But if you modify the car, you're on your own." So I went to the track to get some et slips. By the way, part of my diagnostic research on my Caddy brought me to BMW forums. Its definitely not isolated to GM :)
Hi, can you tell me what kind of floor jack you are using? I, have the same kind of car as you. 2015 ats my car is acting up also. What, a headache ,with this car. It, stays at the dealership more than i drive it.. love it, but queeze nothing but darn issues one after the after.. do, you use any kind of certain ramps to drive your car up on for oil changes. My, husband says he cant do any maintance on it, because it sits to low to ground. Until, we find out what floor jack , and ramps we need.. my, car only has 54, 397 miles and no warranty on it, because we bought it used from a dealership with only 90 day warranty work. So, we paying out of pocket for repair work.. hope, they fixed all your car issues. We, live in louisiana
I can relate to the love hate relationship with this car. For lifting it…. I never liked driving onto the ramps. One time a rhino ramp slid backward under the wheel of my minivan and could have caused serious damage. So I stayed away from driving onto the ramps with the caddy. But I was able to use a standard floor jack with a pinch weld adapter. This is the adapter amzn.to/4ca32Lj I already had an old 3 ton floor jack so I bought one more from harbor freight for $50. It’s small and light with a 1500 lb rating. I would lift one side of the car using the pinch weld location behind the front wheel. Then lift the other side using the other jack, keeping it as even as possible into the air until I could fit rhino ramps under the front wheels. I would chock the rear wheels to make sure it didn’t roll backward. Then lower it onto the rhino ramps. There is a jack point in the center front but it was far under the car and difficult to reach. So I used the side pinch weld locations. You could use jack stands instead of rhino ramps but where? The pinch welds and the center pad are the only approved lift points. So where would the jack stands go? You could put one on the center pad but it gets in the way of the oil pan. So the ramps were my only solution. Or, you could buy a good low profile full size hydraulic jack that can reach under the middle of the car to that center pad and use two jack stands with pinch weld adapters… however I never found affordable pinch weld adapters that worked with jack stands. So I simply used my rhino ramps. It’s was very safe. There is also a very expensive home auto lift option that I believe starts at $1500. It’s nice but I was not willing to spend that much :) I know that was a long answer. I hope it was helpful!
@@sstressfl thank you, every little bit advice I get helps us out. appreciate, you texting back. Today, I'm going to get my husband to try to tighten down that bolt , I think you called it , in other video. Gotta, go back and find your video and relate to him. My, steering wheel is very loose to me, makes that same noise you referred to in your video , where your son was turning the steering wheel , while you listened with your scoop.. this, car is a big headache, but love it enough to keep on putting up with the issues, sunk over $ 15,000 just buying it used from dealership used. It,was pd. Cash money I got when my dad passed away. Thinking, he is haunting me from buying a Cadillac instead of a ford. He, liked ford. My , husband want even touch a ford. Found on road dead we call it. Husband , is a dodge guy. Sorry,for the long message. But, your video is a big help to us. Have a good day .. take care .. PSs, hope you are still enjoying your car..
The issues eventually wore me out. I was just about to drop $2g in parts into upgrading the rear differential when my wife said “go get your truck”. It was unexpected but I felt huge relief when I drove away from the ATS and left it behind. I adore our new truck 😎
@@sstressfl if, it keeps on giving me issues, i think im going to go back and buy another chrysler 300 newer model.. wish, i woulda just kept my 300 before selling it.. had no problems with it at all.. good luck with your new ride, truck.. Thanks, again for replying back.. take care
God bless you. Thank you brother for sharing the whole story this was definitely good stuff
I appreciate the feedback. God bless you 🙏
Have you checked if your car is not slightly bent from an undisclosed accident? It sounds like your driveline components are out of alignment. Did you buy the car from that dealership?
No its fine. Did you watch the whole video?
excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by flat spots I have the same vibration problem, what should I do to repair that problem I have an ats 2016 2.0T
Flat spots usually happen when your car is parked for too long. They usually come out after driving a short distance. But summer tires can get damaged permanently if they stay parked too long in very cold weather. Hard to say what’s causing your vibration. Does it ever go away or does it get worse at certain speeds? Is it an acceleration thing? Or sometimes a deceleration thing? Or when coasting?
Think you may have learned a few things here, the tires kind of makes sense, and the manufacturer and dealership are only your friends as long as it benefits them to be
It's the battle of two worlds... my goal is the perfection of my vehicle. The company has only one goal... make money. On my side I'll do whatever if takes to make it right. On their side they will do what makes the most financial sense. Those two worlds can be (and usually are) far apart.
tune your tcu`s shift speed tune ecu`s vve and change oil of transmission it will fix the shudder
if the shudder is violent you must change the torque converter than do it above
and the leak of diff the stoke part can not fix this problem
Sir, my experience was the same. Idk if it was the weird change with the 15 models. But mine was just fine, then one random day, went to pass a car. Pooof, cylinder 2 shit the bed. Car is now gone, I’ll wait till they are stupid cheap, and I’ll 4.8 ls swap it
Nooooooooo!!!!! I hate to hear that 😭 The car is so fun to drive it makes you want to work through the pain!!
I own a 2017 Cadillac ATS 3.6 ‘ and that’s why I rather do my own maintenance on it. I don’t trust the dealer and no other mechanic. But thank you for charging your experience. 🤘😎
But wait a second....why did you bring in the car in the 1st place? If you were feeling a vibration that you thought was the rear diff, what caused that vibration the first time? If it's the flat spots, how did your car get them in the first place?
It was winter. But the dealer makes me install my summer tires when they do work on it. It sits in their parking lot for weeks. Basically the awd ATS has something in its design or a defect that vibrates under load... it’s made worse by resistance. Or sometimes it’s just a failing part, like a bad rear diff or transmission shudder. Still trying to figure it out. Sooooo.... after having a new rear diff installed I drove it like a baby with my winter wheels. It growled a little bit, but after I installed new amsoil svg fluid it was better. And it was getting warmer outside so I installed my summer wheels. I experienced vibration during acceleration and bounce during deceleration. It was similar to the failing rear end vibration but like I told the mechanic it felt different. Higher speeds. And the bounce was new. I thought it was a failing uv joint. Never occurred to me that my summer tires had flat spots from sitting so long at the dealership from the previous visit. So I took it in for them to fix the vibration. But they refused to do any further work until I fixed my messed up wheels. And charged me for the visit.
Trade it in bro
Best thing I ever did.
@@yourpurpose5548 Lucky. I had an STI, and I lost 12k on that mug. Wish I would of got out of it.
@@ericolsen67vw I have a 2023 Honda civic. I love it. No problems. No GM headaches. My Cadillac I had so many problems. If I could make a video I would. Very bad experience. Yet my friend who drives a Honda who has had it for 15 years no problems.
@@yourpurpose5548 try Lexus next. My folks have black is250. It's pretty bomb. 💣 My kid starts driving this year probably get him a Honda. I have a Benz tried to explain to him it's a car you can't just drive around, and not fix and do the maintenance. Seems to get it. Good luck my guy 👍
No problems with my 13 Cadillac ATS premium 3.6 AWD ,I hear lots of problems with them 4 cylinder turbos no matter what car there on small engine trying to produce same power as a V6 just buy the v6 in the first place and people won’t have problems with turbos burning out that’s the only problems I’m hearing from 4 cylinder owners .
The only time I hear about problems is with a tune. If you leave the 2.0t in its stock config, its unusual to have any problems. So far so good with mine at 55k miles :)
Reason why I will never have low profile wheels again. That vibration felt on the highway wears the tires a lot of faster.
Its perfect and smoother, quiter than any car Ive ever owned. The old tires were damaged. The new tires are simply elegance.... Im very happy now. Cept that rear diff is still giving me an indication of future failure. Again.
I thought this was normal for ats and cts...its due to flat spots??
The ATS does have a drivetrain vibration issue (even the regional GM rep said so), but the reason the dealer was suffering such horrible picoscope noise (at least from my perspective, they wouldn't talk to me) was from the massive flat spots these tires developed from being parked in their lot for months at a time. A few days of driving and it was a totally different car. I still have minor drivetrain vibration, but not as severe as it was before (they did good road force wheel balancing).
So here are my take aways from your experience. You will always be a better mechanic for your on vehicle because you are capable and most importantly, it's your car. The second is you should have consulted with a different dealer or repair shop. Your dealership should have suggested you drive the car for a while to rule out flat spots. Finally, the other comments about you getting different treatment since you do have this channel. Good lesson learned. Thanks for sharing so we all can know. Keep us posted on the front diff and t case service. Cheers!
I’ll keep the channel updated as I proceed. Thanks for your feedback 👍🙏
Sooo am planing on buying a 2015 ats luxury awd.. does the car handle good on blizzard snow weather.. can u give me more info plz
We live in mountainous rural VT (11 years for me, my wife is a Vermonter). I needed a vehicle that could handle the harsh long winters but I did not want a truck or an SUV. I looked at Subaru and Audi.... and then found this. I had no idea Caddy made an awd. It's incredible in the snow. I put some cheap studded snow tires on it and its a stinkin' tank in the snow! The steepest snow covered inclines are effortless. It's only vulnerability is ground clearance. About 5.5". I removed the downforce flaps in front of the front wheels to keep them from scraping during the winter. Other than that, I drive careful on the dirt roads where the snow accumulates and I've had so much fun with this car. The most amazing "winter beater" I've ever owned :D Here are some snow-driving-test-videos I made: ua-cam.com/video/vQn8V6SV7mQ/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/yrxLgBgy8-I/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/47yuxqbQjlI/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/DLnW8B7flCs/v-deo.html and most recent ua-cam.com/video/dy3LpfS7b9w/v-deo.html
If I've learned anything from working for dealerships is do not trust service advisors
Never go to dealerships. They're there to rob you, not fix your car. The ones that do, they won't last long in that shop and most likely going to a more local/private shop. Those are the shops you go to. OR, you just do things yourself.
Why would you take a car under factory warranty to anywhere other than the dealership you bought it from??
@@RC51Legend if it's under factory warranty, it can go to any dealership under that brand. It's the company that pays for the repairs anyways. You shouldn't be paying anyone anything. That's like the only time to go into a dealership.
So IDK what you're trying to get at here? That 1 time in which almost never happens and that basically has 0 requirements other than "is it a brand dealership?"
Trying to justify a retail markup + dealership "warrantees" with that silly little thing is absurd.
"hey, get ripped off for tens of thousands for this one situational thing that doesn't really require anything" classic con artist move.
Do your wheels have centric rings ?
Yes!
By the way… they are .012” thick high grade stainless reel that I made myself 👍
@@sstressfl yea i saw that was a cleaver move on your end. i cant belive the flat spots lol i had very simular issue on 1991 2100 pound car , it turned out that i needed new tires as well + wheel bearing. drove me nuts for weeks. Dealers were no help nether were the mechanic shops in the area. very unfortunate that dealers now a days are so quick to dismiss paying customers.
@@egork519 I think dealers pay attention to paying customers... but warranty work is another story. GM pays less than what a dealer can charge a customer. And the dealer has to work to justify/prove the repair is worthy of warranty. All of my work has been warranty and regardless of my own efforts.... the quality of work is what it is and it became clear they wanted me to go away.
@@sstressfl its very true Michael, As a service manager at a moto dealer my self i can tell you are 100% correct. I really hope you resolve this issue soon , I'm still following up with all your vids to see what the out come of all this will be.
this car sits close to my heart for now and possible will be the next daily. 🤞
We have the same car but 2017, we changed everything, underneath, and finally when we changed the shocks, the car stopped shaking..we spent over 2000.00 on parts...we changed all the motor mounts, differental, all front end parts, rack & pinion parts...anyway, a very expensive fix, but fixed.
I truly appreciate the sharing! I was thinking the other day the car feels like it could use new shocks! :) Mine is smoother than it has been at cruising speeed but growling in the rear when under a load, low acceleration or weight in the car.
The the shocks he installed this weekend or awesome made the car much tighter and a faster drive and stopped quite a bit of shaking
@@patriziapinard4517 Thats great news!!
Flat spots in the tires appear as bent rims. I can nearly guarantee that if you would of told them that the car pretty much sat for months it would of helped them narrow down the problem.
Either way, dealerships don't give two craps about a car after it's gone. Had a mustang that did the same thing, it sat in their show room for about 6-8 months. Only reason they didn't drag me through the mud is because I was a Ford employee that worked at their north stamping plant.
They tend not to talk back to a 6'4" Marine Corp vet metal fabricator. They don't like to miss teeth.
Sorry you had the experience, but unless it's a small dealership, chances are they wrote you off the moment that car made it off the lot.
It sat for months in their lot! It’s like I always say, being certified does not make a person a mechanic. Oh well it has been sorted out… I bought new wheels new tires….accept that rear diff is still leaking and grumbling.
You’d think you would’ve been able to feel the flat spots while driving. I can tell when my car has flat spots from sitting.
Following. I have a 2014 ats. Been chasing a shimmy, flutter thing. Changed spark plugs, PVC hoses, transmission fluid, camshaft position sensors. I think all thos things needed to be done and little by little its getting less, but still there. Looking forward to the diff change video. You going to change the whole gasket or just pull the fluid out and change it?? Love your vids man.
It’s a labor of love lol I plan to dump and replace the fluid. Thanks for the feedback 🙏👍
Nice car, I am bias when it comes to cars. I own a 2018 Cadillac ATS and they are fun to drive.
Absolutely agree.
Did you buy it brand new
Yup
Would anyone know what performance exshaust I can purchase for my 2014 ats 2.0t awd?looking for that rich rumble bass
Ive seen people remove the mufflers entirely.... ua-cam.com/video/IcFsfuB1tqE/v-deo.html
one more ua-cam.com/video/DEweeONmjEI/v-deo.html
To be honest not fan of removing a muffler prefer replacing it
@@illmavic247 I agree! IMO, opening up a 4 cylinder on a car usually sounds horrible. I prefer the almost-electric-car quiet of the stock ATS. It feels like Cadillac :)
I hate dealing with dealerships. Especially if the car is out of warranty.
I went through the same thing awhile back with my ats lol. I have the same set of tires as you the general as o5 and I had a bad vibration in the front come to find out I had a busted belt in the tire.
Underrated comment here
If mine wasnt smooooooth now it would have to be on the list. That's a great discovery. And it can even happen with very new tires!
There is a huge recall on General Tires right now. I received it two weeks ago . There were five pages of Continental and General. Check it out.
@@jimperry4420 my tires are not listed 👍
Yes did you not know that you have to drive it a wh
Please find a new dealership.
I suspect the dealership is not at work here. Someone else is pulling the strings.
@@sstressfl no but they don’t have to lie to you. Tell you the person you want to speak to isn’t there when they clearly were. That’s pretty shady. Would definitely put a bad taste in my mouth.
@@bha5475 that is the moment I felt very uncomfortable and did not want them touching my car anymore.
@@sstressfl I would have taken my car right then. But I do tend to over react 😂
@@bha5475 :D
Dude I have the 2014 ats v6 and it’s running smooth since I own it now it’s over 150k and still take me a to b
That’s so great!! Rwd??
WoW I'm not alone and neither are you . My caddy ats rear rims went out of round with the car not being driven enough ..... !?!?? Now Think about that ....! The rears ???
So thats about $175. For the guys in the rim fixing trunk who stop at my Caddy Dealership once a week .... plus break down, reinstall, re - road force balance .... $$$$$$
Same thing, I love the driving experience of the car, my wife hates it ....lol.....
But she loved it when it got her to and from work in a blizzard a few years ago, and didn't even flinch once in more that a foot of snow .... Had snows on all four wheels and its AWD....
The AWD on that little Caddy is more sure-footed in snow than some SUV's I've driven !!!
Back to the wheels, ..... I'm just baffled at just the rears going out of round, not the front which I assumed had more weight ????
The only advice I can give you is once it's out of warranty, find a REAL mechanic that does diagnostics and brute force when needed, a guy who thinks outside the repair manual..
Also , once you start touching any of it when it's in warranty the dealerships get quirky.
They could blame the fluids you substituted ..... or the performance wheels .....
I know they shouldn't, the OEM wheels can't be that good if they bend when the car just sits.....
God .... Give us steel wheels back, I don't care how much they weigh ....lol..
Also, I've given up with performance touring runflats that I can feel every stone in the cement ....
2 winters ago I bought 4 Pirelli Soterozzo 3 snows .....
And it's smooth, soft, quiet, lots of rubber, handles well .... maybe 85 and 90 mph aren't a good idea, but for the bulk of the driving.... I'm leaving them on all the time and just rotating and adding 2 at a time.
Best part ..... $150. Per tire ..... thats the 17" Runflat ...!!! A Win, Win, for me ..
As my father used to say when his 65 Delta 88 would act up .....
" Turn the Radio Up ......LOUDER ...." !!! Lol ...😁
Man, I feel your love for the alpha platform and the ats. I adore mine, such a sexy small little car. Cadillacs own jdm/euro fighter! (2.0t) I love the phantom metallic gray paint. It looks like a dark silver green in some light and the led door handles!!! OMG!!! Looks so amazing at night. Cadillac knocked this car out of the park looks and styling wise. Im gonna try and find a LSD for my car. I’ve researched and it will 100% work. Gotta find me a wrecked ats g80 rpo code car! I will say im scared to really put the car through it’s paces, im afraid it’s fragile. I can hammer on my 05 STS4 1sg f55 car all day long. 151k on odometer and the car is still amazing. I hope my ats is as reliable as my previous Cadillacs have been. My 05 deville has needed literally nothing other then maintenance. It has 165k on odometer. The STS has needed a few parts like the rack went bad, PS pump went bad, wheel bearing went bad, trunk won’t open anymore and proximity drivers door doesn’t work anymore. But the car is almost 20 years old.
Boy, you are way more patient than I. I would have opened a lemon law case after the 3rd dealer visit. Notice once you mentioned lemon law to GM, they cut the conversation immediately. That's what they have to do.
I know you love the car, so I hope you have no other reasons to use the warranty, because they won't help you at all.
Yes I felt the door close. Someone told me GM will fight violently to keep from paying for a lemon.
wow .....u made me feel soo much better about my ATS...MANN HOLD UP
It never got better. It just kept failing. I traded it in >>> I Finally Traded-In My Cadillac ATS...
ua-cam.com/video/DDU6ua_i74Q/v-deo.html
Welcome to the dealership world..I took my ford into the dealership paid 4000 and it came out still not working
I can’t stand it. I got the same treatment when I bought a new 94 Mustang. Brakes warped every 10k miles. Manual transmission would not engage into 1st when it got warmed up. I kept bringing it in, they kept failing to resolve the issue. I’ve had horrible dealership warranty experiences with every brand.
I'm glad you found your peace with your car. Give your Facebook message request a quick check man!
Eric.... I don't see anything on FB?
Never, ever, tell them not to rush. You are automatically put on the back burner.
Warranty is already on the back burner because the rate is lower.
Good prayer and good perspective!
Thank you brother 🙏
Loved at Ats turbo with red leather but got a nice ram due to growing family
Ha! Check this out 😁 ua-cam.com/video/DDU6ua_i74Q/v-deo.html
Any luck, on the shaking issue, we changed everything underneath, I mean EVERYTHING..
it didn't change anything....
Love & Hate relationship with this car..
I'm, thinking GM Specs on this car somehow ?????
Been there done that, all you talked about...
Currently I suspect the dealer never installed the rear diff correctly. It loosened and starting leaking. After taking it back… again… it’s smoother but still not fixed. Under load it still grumbles in the back. I suspect the rear diff is bad again. It’s a poor quality part. Not sure I’ll ever see this car properly smooth.
@@sstressfl Unbelievable......
@@sstressfl we changed the rubber piece where you mount it, it helped...
@@patriziapinard4517 Thats great! the dealer has installed 2 new rear differentials which which come with new buhings installed. But now I know they never torqued them properly. Nor did they install new bolts. The bolts are single torque use then toss. Ever since they tightened it it has been better. I plan to replace the bolts and retorque them properly when the snow melts ;) I hope it makes it even better. Its possible this has been the problem with the rear diff all along.
Omg I love your video man …I have the ats 2018 and the first day I got my car had a bubble on one the left side tire and I couldn’t open my drunk than than a month later Left side back tire I had to wait 3 months for that tire to come and today right front tire had a slash but that flat
Listen to Scottyyyy haha. Glad the car is good now!
That’s why they was so upset. Guess they knew nothing was wrong, but they should have tested for that, even Tommy with a 3rd grade education will put his hand on it on it to test, but man I hope this don’t happen, but watch your engine, mine was well maintained, but granted I did have some aftermarket parts, but knowing they had so many issues with weak pistons, I may have got that last engine that just happened to be a 15 model with the old pistons in it. I got rid of the car, as I will never own anything again without 8 cylinders
God man any tire shop will tell you that, just by rubbing you hand you can fell it. I got the same car. I’m a aircraft mechanic, I do not take my car to any idiot from dealership. They are crooks. No one touch my car.
I have worked my whole life to avoid others touching my vehicles. But warranty!! So frustrating.