2008 Cadillac CTS: Squeak Squeak Squeak Senora

Newsflash! - Leather squeaks. Every car I've ever had with leather, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, made same noises. My leather jacket makes same noise everytime I move too. Maybe it's something else making the noise, but by this video, sounds like just the leather.

^^ No. ^^

Carter - That was a seat squeak, not a leather squeak. I'm not there, but it's not like it's rubbing the leather in the video.

wow, i thought my Subaru had some bad squeaks, but its nothing compared to this! its a cadillac, but it sounds like he's sitting on a bed in a cheap motel.

I just don't get it. THIS CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY. First you ran around town all day tracking down an unusual fuse. Now you are living with annoying noises. Why are you doing this? Go to the dealer and have them fix things free of charge... simple, no?

^^ not just sitting on the bed... That is no leather squeak, and even now leather does not squeak in most cars because then line the area where the leather rubs with plastic with cloth instead.

Wow, I mean my mom's Passat has some rattled, but it also 10 years old.

The point isn't that the car is under warranty or not. They don't want to just get it fixed and move on. They are testing these cars for us, to tell us the good and the bad, and their spending a day to track this down gives us more info and gives them more to learn about the car.

I've pretty much never had any luck with asking a dealership to fix a squeak, even when I've simulated it with a service advisor, tech, or service manager. At the best, it goes away for a few days/weeks and then comes back.

At worst, additional squeaks are obtained due to them having to take apart trim....or even occasionally scratching/breaking something in the process.

One of my favorites on that end was a friend who had a BMW with a squeak near his door speaker. The BMW guys did indeed fix it....about 1 year later, my friend went to upgrade the speakers. He found tons of missing screws and broken tabs inside the door from where they had "fixed it" with spray foam. He had to get some new parts to properly install his new, OEM-type replacement, speaker.

Joe

I've never had a car that didn't have any squeaks or rattles.

The closest I have come is my 2006 Acura TSX. Initially the passenger seat groaned and cracked, it sound like the Titanic was sinking. Acura released a service bulletin on the issue and it was fixed. Strangely the Acura seems to be getting quieter as it gets older.

My 2008 Miata with less than 5,000 miles on it makes so many crazy rattles and noises, but I just deal with them. I used to be obsessed with locating and fixing these noises, but I decided for my sanity, to just ignore them.

It's truly a rare vehicle that makes no strange noises what so ever, if the noise bothers you get it fixed... if it's to much trouble to get it fixed, then stop complaining about it, and live with it.

Carguy622 may I recommend a well cared for Mercedes from the late eighties and early nineties. Mine's coming up on 19 years old and is still as quiet as a tomb.

I know that sqeaking is typical of the CTS. The CTS blog on the Cadillac website featured a video of the Nurburgring run, and the interior was sqeaking like mad, over the din of the engine. I asked where the noise was coming from, thinking it to be the leather or heavy (springs?) seats, but I received no response.

Benson, nice simile: "quite as a tomb". Strangely not making the fine old Mercedes sound more attractive, though. My '97 Maxima has no sqeaks are rattles, but is probably helped by having no interior upgrades such as leather or moonroof. I may rather like the squeak of nice leather, I don't know!

My car's seat squeeks. Can't be fixed.

I thought it was the leather at first. Has this been mentioned at the dealer? If not, what are you all waiting for? I'm more interested in knowing whether it can be rectified than I am in hearing about the same issue over and over again. We got the message about the CTS not being as high quality as your C class and the now departed G35. Just get the seats fixed. I must saw those body movements seem to be very forced in order to get that level of sound. In normal driving it doesnt seem like you would be moving around like that.

I have that very same sweater you're wearing in the video. Also, my car is very squeaky. I think that sweater causes squeaky cars. =D

My 325i did the exact same thing when I bought it CPO this past year. With 12k miles on it everytime I moved, cornered, or stopped it would make that same irritating sound.

Take it to the dealership! Have it fixed under warranty. That's what I did and it fixed it right up.

Problem now my passenger seat is doing the same thing....

HI James!
Great post! Love that video.

Suggestion: next time you do a video post, could you dress in a sailor suit? With a fake flower pinned to your lapel? The flower could squirt water, but it doesn't have to.

I think it would add a lot to the post, and I bet a lot of people agree!
Thanks in advance!

sounds like it can happen to almost any brand. The dealer's response is the only question at this point. Until then, I suggest turning up the BOSE stereo.

No highs.
No lows.
It MUST be Bose...
In all fairness, their car equipment usually sounds OK; it's the home theater systems that are wretched.

"sounds like it can happen to almost any brand."

How did you come to this conclusion...-_-"

That squeaking sounds far worse than any car with leather seats I've been in.

My 2008 Chevy Impala passenger seat squeaks.

You should hear my 2006 Civic SI without any passenger bodily movement. It's squeaky and rattly like an old Pontiac Le Mans (you know, the 1990's version http://www.edmunds.com/pontiac/lemans/review.html)

It's so bad I'm actually going to do something about it.

After watching the middle section of that video I feel violated.

My 2008 Mini Cooper has 30,000kms and no squeaks or rattles at all, except for the loose aux cable in the glove box.

My leather seats made a similar sound when I first got the car. They don't anymore. I couldn't tell you when it stopped.

James, we really could have done without the pelvic thrusts.

Hey James, next time try driving the CTS with your pants on. Bare skin against leather always squeaks!

It's not leather squeak definitely the whole seat moves. Look at the head rest.

Dealers cannot fix squeaks without tsbs. Only squeaks with tsbs will be fixed. Otherwise you're just handing the dealership your car for a couple days, get some lube on it here and there, and handed back to you with the same squeak.

So do we still need more evidence that this heap is crap? typical GM though, even in the midst of death they still insist to produce crap. no wonder CR found it too low in reliability to recommend.

My 98' Acura Integra didn't squeak unless I was adjusting the seats and I was pretty harsh on the car. My current Ford squeaks all the time, especially the dash board and center console. Disappointing that this new CTS squeaks this much. How does it compare to the other cars in your line up?

Jriz - Who on the staff dared/wagered with you to make a justified video to post on insideline showing you doing pelvic thrusts?

I mean, c'mon, that had to be a discussion item prior to you posting it.

Squeaks are funny. My old stiff suspensioned 1995 Integra GS-R/Type R powered Honda Civic Ex sedan doesnt squeak and never has and it has nearly 300,000 miles on the chassis. Our S2000 doesnt squeak even though its a convertible.

However, my 03 Acura CL-S 6MT had a really bad sunroof rattle that appeared right after the initial purchase. Acura released a TSB and the dealer actually used 2 way tape to fix the rattle. Problem solved and after 52,000 miles it hasnt returned.

We bought the Odyssey Toruing in early 2005 and it didnt squeak or rattle right off the bat but after a few thousand miles it started rattling in the rear cargo area like crazy. My wife or I could never track it down and it greatfully dissappeared on its own. A few smaller rattles have surface since but they come and go.

Im not sure if the rattling thats present in a lot of the newer cars is from the new type of materials used, bad build quality or a combination of both.

I will say every Mercedes Ive driven or been a passenger in has never rattled or even thought about squeaking. My best friends 05 C230 Sport 4dr never squeaks no matter the temperature or road surface. Im curious as to what manufacturing techniques Mercedes uses to make their vehicles virtually rattle free?

"You should hear my 2006 Civic SI without any passenger bodily movement. It's squeaky and rattly like an old Pontiac Le Mans (you know, the 1990's version."

I know the early batch of 2006 Civics were very rattle prone and the fit n' finish was definately subpar as my friends 06 Civic LX coupe windshield and rear glass both creak (when cold) and the air bag covers on the C pillar dont line up. But from what Ive experienced, the newer 07+ Civics are much better in both areas. And for some reason the 07+ Si's feel much more substantial than the lower trims.

The last 03-07 Accord and 04-08 TSX were littered with complaints about rattles and the last TL was too but to much lower degree.

My Mazdaspeed is still pretty tight, as are the BMWs. The Wrangler has a squeak in the console, but it's a truck-fitted with Bilstein HDs-so I give it a pass.

"The Cadillac CTS has a visually arresting interior with excellent materials. It had a stitched dashtop long before the new $82,000 BMW 7 Series did."

The 1987 L7 had a stitched dashtop, as did the 1987 M6.

I can't say that I'm surprised that the CTS rattles and squeaks. The interior is made with a great many small pieces rather than large shaped pieces like the Germans favor. No matter the tolerances the daily grind of automotive interiors is grueling and the more small pieces that need to fit together the more likely they are to expand and contract over time causing squeaks and rattles. I agree the CTS has a beautiful interior to look at, but the C300's somewhat unattractive cabin will hold up better over time because it's made with fewer pieces.

It is for this reason I have always really respected Lexus engineers despite never wanting to own one of their cars. They learned so quickly not to use this kind of cost cutting.

I can't think of a single car that wouldn't make some kind of noise when subjected to that particular test. Who moves around like that when driving anyway?

"Until then, I suggest turning up the BOSE stereo."

Assuming the front speakers work properly...

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2009/02/2008-cadillac-cts-electronic-gremlins-persist.html#comments

That creaking seat would drive me absolutely nuts. I thought the backrest on my driver's seat was shifting ever so slightly when starting off from a stop. Luckily just adjusting the seat (and moving it back) cured the problem... whew!

"Assuming the front speakers work properly..."

LOL!. There is only one place this car belongs and thats on the deathbed with GM.

I think that its time for a trip to the dealer. Thats what they are there for, and if its under warranty, get the darn thing fixed.

Then again it has been well documented on this site that there are no automobile dealerships in the state of California(or is it the state of Confusion?) who have the ability,interest or technical skill to properly diagnose, repair and service late model vehicles.

"How did you come to this conclusion...-_-"

That squeaking sounds far worse than any car with leather seats I've been in."

I came to that conclusion based on the numerous people who have posted here about squeaking seats. did you not notice those comments?

Does the CTS ever go to the dealer to get anything fixed? There have been numerous posts about issues but no reports on corrective action. Are you guys just trying to tally up as long a list of problems as you can to make a point? Take the car in and get some of this stuff handled.

"My car's seat squeeks. Can't be fixed."

You have a Mazda3 right? I thought I remember reading that you do. I have a Mazda3 too and it developed a chronic seat squeak that drove me crazy. Every time I accelerated or pushed back in the seat it would go 'squeeeeeaaaak'. I know how to fix it if yours is similar. Try unzipping the back of the seat covering (if you have cloth...not sure on leather), move some of the foam and you'll see the seat support with a bolt. Spray a little silicone lube or wd40 around the bolt. Problem solved. It took me a while to find that bolt but it works!

My '99 328i with 157K miles didn't squeak through the day it was murdered last month. I've known others with E46 BMWs that didn't have the same luck though, and the old E36s definitely had a lot of interior issues generate over time, and 2 friends with '97 M3s had their headliners fall down.

My week old '09 Pontiac G8 GT seems very solid, so I'm hoping there are no rattles for a while. This car is definitely not old school GM. I took my car in to get the promised Motorola IHF1000 bluetooth installed and car detailed and had a GMC Envoy loaner. That is definitely old GM. The interior looks like it was designed by a 5th grader (I may be insulting 5th graders), horrible plastic, and steering that you could move a couple inches each way without changing the direction of the vehicle. So, so bad. If they could get rid of all the vehicles like that, they might not be in as much financial trouble.

I just asked a previous tester (Brian?) who had the CTS if there were any squeeks and rattles, and he said there weren't any. Now this is posted, saying something entirely different. What gives?

Anyway, let's put things in perspective here: that's ONE squeek coming from perhaps the seat base mounting points, correct? Not a whole bunch of different squeeks coming from all over the car.

I noticed some people here quickly posted remarks assuming the CTS was one big rattle trap with thousands of squeeks and rattles all over the place, when the reality is we're only looking at one squeek in the driver's seat. Big difference.

Also, if the squeek is as loud and persistent as the video suggests, how is it that none of the other editors/testers of the CTS mentioned it before?

"Also, if the squeek is as loud and persistent as the video suggests, how is it that none of the other editors/testers of the CTS mentioned it before?"

There has been at least one other post on this topic.

redwood:

The Envoy is done, they stopped making it several months back. That SUV came out in 2001 so its understandably behind the times by now.

I test-drove a 2008 CTS today (15,000 miles on it). Not one single squeak. The leather was very creaky, though.

I'm surprised by the people saying that this squeak is proof that the CTS is crud. First off, I thought it drove fantastically, and honestly is my favorite entry-level sport sedan right now (I've also driven the 2006 325i, 2008 IS250, and 2008 C300). A squeak does not make the rest of the car irrelevant. Second, was their this much indignation when the Fit's reverse gear failed? Not anything close. A little perspective here.

And for the record, my current car is a Volkswagen, my wife drives a Toyota, and my previous two cars were a Subaru and a Honda, so I'm not some GM die-hard here.

Oy, there's a lot to address here, but I could foresee just about everything here, except the fact...

...those aren't pelvic thrusts you nits. That's me moving my left leg side to side. I can only imagine what you'd think if I was attempting to engage a clutch. And no, I wasn't putting a stupid amount of pressure on the seat (I knew people would accuse me of that). I was simply moving my back from side to side, with actually less pressure than there would be in the middle of a corner taken at decent speed. Perhaps I should've suction cupped my camera to the car and gone through Topanga Canyon?

Second, those are squeaks coming from both sides of the seat BACK and from the seat BOTTOM. It is the sound of the leather rubbing against the plastic seat sides and supports.

Third, the seat squeaks are the worst in this car. There's a minor squeak coming from somewhere in the jumbo sunroof area, but beyond the seat, I wouldn't call the car a rattle trap as someone did.

Fourth, I did this to illustrate how the seat squeaked. We have previously complained about it, true, but I thought people might like to hear what we were talking about since people seem to think we're lying or something when we simply describe things through writing. I wasn't trying to harp on the car unnecessarily, I just wanted to provide further information.

Finally, I did mention that other CTS units I drove suffered from this problem, so it doesn't seem like an isolated incident.

-James Riswick

^ Sounds pretty specific to this car and not just "leather squeaks" like some of these other posters have suggested.

Thanks for clarifying!

Jriz:

will the car be taken to dealer about this issue?