Thank the Lord for Warranties......

[The O.C.]

Well, I still love my car.....but damn if this isn't like ole' Murphy's Law......

I've written on here how very trouble free my CTS has been over 50K miles.....and it has with the exception of just a few minor items......my car has been a true testimonial for GM's recent reliability and durability strides.....

BUT.....so my car has exactly 49,500 miles on it....and I had a couple minor issues I wanted to get taken care of before the 50K mile warranty expired....

(rear window wouldn't operate, bad, unusual static with AM stations....think there's a short in the system somewhere from the shark-fin antenna to the radio.....and a very minor exhaust noise that I've just recently noticed....)

SO....the advisor calls me this afternoon.....as a courtesy to me, they did a complete, full inspection of the vehicle to see if ANYTHING else needs attention under warranty that I haven't noticed......

.....my car needs a complete NEW driveshaft....!!!! OMG...!!!! AND, it also needs a complete new muffler.....(that was the exhaust noise.)

Can you imagine if that driveshaft took a crap on me just AFTER I was out of warranty? (Yeah, they might have goodwilled it for me 'cause I'm in warranty still on time) It seems you hear stories of this kinda stuff happening all around the time the warranty expires.

So, thankfully I made that trip into the dealer while just still under warranty. Hopefully the worst part will be having to drive the Grand Prix Rental Queen for three more days until they get the driveshaft...which is coming from Michigan.....

[Bimmer325]

I had an '07 Grand Prix rental when my car was getting minor bodywork done last year. What a piece of $h!.

[Intrepidation]

Why did it need a new driveshaft?

[The O.C.]

Why did it need a new driveshaft?

He just said they found a small leak in the driveshaft......and when they looked into it, it needs a whole new one. I'll probably get more to the story when I pick up the car and everything is done.

I just think it's odd that a car would need a new driveshaft after only 50K miles.....

I don't drive the car hard.....and I don't recall that I've ever even popped the clutch during it's entire life.....other than that, I drive it, shift it, with baby gloves.....I don't powershift, or shift fast, or anything I can think of that would have caused the driveshaft to wear quickly or break.....

[The O.C.]

I had an '07 Grand Prix rental when my car was getting minor bodywork done last year. What a piece of $h!.

I could go on-and-on about the 'Prix....but it would bore everyone. Needless to say, I'd forgotten how bad the W-cars really are these days.....the fit-n-finish, the rattles (the door squeaks when I open it), the hoary 3800 engine, the numb steering and brakes, the floaty chassis that jiggles you down the road over every bump.....ugh.....the console you can wiggle back and forth with your HAND...it's so loosely attached.....

[balthazar]

>>"said they found a small leak in the driveshaft"<<

Good thing they caught this- you don't want to run out of driveshaft fluid at speed! :OMG:

Seriously- would like to hear the official repair ticket-listed reason on this one...

[Camino LS6]

x2, Balthazar.

I'm perplexed about this, driveshafts are not a wear part.

Makes no sense to me.

[Camino LS6]

Rear diff?

[regfootball]

I could go on-and-on about the 'Prix....but it would bore everyone. Needless to say, I'd forgotten how bad the W-cars really are these days.....the fit-n-finish, the rattles (the door squeaks when I open it), the hoary 3800 engine, the numb steering and brakes, the floaty chassis that jiggles you down the road over every bump.....ugh.....the console you can wiggle back and forth with your HAND...it's so loosely attached.....

i spent most of last sunday slumming around piloting his 08 grand prix.

i must say there is no way i would take one if given to me for free.

there are some good things about it tho.

[caddycruiser]

Rear diff?

Yes, that would be it--driveshafts can't leak. And the V1 CTS tends to go through a lot of rear diffs, whether a base V6 or a V. Many start as noise, leaking, or any combination, and dealers are used to replacing them. If you've gone 49k without having such an issue, that's great, and it shouldn't be too bad of a fix. Perfect timing to have them check it out, it seems.

But yes, too, thank god for warranties...although, this is coming from someone who's so into modifying anything and everything on his 6 month old G8, at least one thing is now lacking some warranty coverage, at least without a fight--the suspension.

[daves87rs]

Crazy....

[pow]

Maybe the bushings in the driveshaft were leaking oil, causing the joints to wear and disintegrate?

[2005 EquinoxLS]

I could go on-and-on about the 'Prix....but it would bore everyone. Needless to say, I'd forgotten how bad the W-cars really are these days.....the fit-n-finish, the rattles (the door squeaks when I open it), the hoary 3800 engine, the numb steering and brakes, the floaty chassis that jiggles you down the road over every bump.....ugh.....the console you can wiggle back and forth with your HAND...it's so loosely attached.....

I cant really say too much bad about the Impala. It doesnt jiggle you doen the road or rattle and squeak when you open the door. If a door squeaks when you open it and close it you lubricate it and that makes it stop. My console is nice and tight. Some might find the ride a little soft but I like it that way.

[Justin Bimmer]

Our 06 STS had to have a diff repair because it was leaking. I think there was either a TSB or something out on that. Maybe even a recall.

[The O.C.]

>>"said they found a small leak in the driveshaft"<<

Good thing they caught this- you don't want to run out of driveshaft fluid at speed! :OMG:

Seriously- would like to hear the official repair ticket-listed reason on this one...

Yeah, I'll keep you kids all up to date when I get the car back (and the repair ticket.)

To clarify, the leak was noticed around the rear diff.......and I guess somehow as a result the whole driveshaft had to be replaced.

The shaft isn't supposed to hit until Monday or Tuesday so it will be prolly mid-to-late week before I can let you guys know.

The leak was small enough that I never noted anything on my garage floor, but they found it when they put the car up on the lift.

[SAmadei]

To clarify, the leak was noticed around the rear diff.......and I guess somehow as a result the whole driveshaft had to be replaced.

Perhaps a weight has fallen off the driveshaft and the resulting vibration, even slight, did in the diff bearing/seal.

[The O.C.]

Perhaps a weight has fallen off the driveshaft and the resulting vibration, even slight, did in the diff bearing/seal.

Yes....according to my ticket, it was the diff bearing/seal....or whatever that is.

I still have to go back because the new exhaust hadn't yet arrived.....

[Justin Bimmer]

Yes....according to my ticket, it was the diff bearing/seal....or whatever that is.

I still have to go back because the new exhaust hadn't yet arrived.....

thats what it was on the STS, infact, i think GM recalled it.

[The O.C.]

thats what it was on the STS, infact, i think GM recalled it.

The only driveline problem I ever noticed......was a slight "clunk" when shifting back down into first gear as I was coming up to a stop....if I was shifting while the car was still moving....

After the new driveshaft, this car drives as smooth as pudding......maybe that slight "clunk" was an indication? I don't know......

[balthazar]

Seems more & more, repair shops / service departments fix things less & less, instead; they replace things.

Amazing that they couldn't replace the seal alone (I have no idea how it's configured on a CTS)- because replacing the driveshaft sounds like overkill, generally speaking.

Wife's GP needs new trailing arms on one side, because the bushings are bad. Replace the bushings?? -no way- they're not even sold individually; you have to replace both trailing arms entirely instead. And people wonder why everything is so amazingly expensive...

[SAmadei]

The only driveline problem I ever noticed......was a slight "clunk" when shifting back down into first gear as I was coming up to a stop....if I was shifting while the car was still moving....

After the new driveshaft, this car drives as smooth as pudding......maybe that slight "clunk" was an indication? I don't know......

Could be. A bad u-joint could definitely cause quite a bit of vibration at speed... and I imagine the CTS is isolated from sounds so much that it would be very hard to hear.

My Bonneville is like that... so sound suppressed that I miss a lot of the sounds that something is thinking of failing. I'm getting a chirp from my serp belt I need to check out... I would have never heard it from inside the car... only because I started it and got out did I hear it. Since the car usually has the AC on and the windows up, I would never hear a failing bearing until it was REALLY bad.