Marika Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 I bought my caddy in August, 2003 and had new passive struts installed all around. The mechanic is not exactly sure but I suspect that the front struts have gone bad and he thinks I "MIGHT" be right. How is this possible? Struts came from the dealership. Anyone know the warranty on them? If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 Marika what are the symptoms that make you think they are bad? I know you said you had a high speed nose dive around mid December, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadillac_caddy_sts Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 How much are struts to replace? Defending Northstar perf a qtr mile at a time!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 How much are struts to replace? It depends if you go OEM which is very expensive, I have found my OEM struts ranging from $650 each up to $900 for the LR and $1,100 for my RF strut. I have a call into Boston Suspensions and I can buy all 4 for $525 which is their 'luxury' version. My car is all over the road now, it bottoms out badly and I need to replace them soon. Since I am doing all bushings (strut rod, lower control arm and stabilizer bar), ball joints, drilled rotors, brake hoses, and front springs, I think $525 sounds better than approximately $2,800, especially since I hope to sell this tanker by the summer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadillac_caddy_sts Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 WOW the suspension parts on these cars are so expensive to replace! Defending Northstar perf a qtr mile at a time!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 WOW the suspension parts on these cars are so expensive to replace! The computerized ride control shocks are very expensive, that is why I am going Boston Suspensions http://www.bostonsuspension.com/ If this was an STS, I would go OEM, as I would want the computer ride control.. with this car I want to be able to put my family in the car and not bottom out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 I bought my caddy in August, 2003 and had new passive struts installed all around. The mechanic is not exactly sure but I suspect that the front struts have gone bad and he thinks I "MIGHT" be right. How is this possible? Struts came from the dealership. Anyone know the warranty on them? If in fact the struts failed, I am sure that is a premature failure. Here is a description of bad struts from the Boston Suspension site: What are the symptoms that my struts are bad? Cadillac Struts/Shocks have all the same symptoms from 1992 to 1999 the most common is, your car will rattle in the front or rear when going over bumps, you can't go over a speed bump over 5 mph without bottoming out, your car floats unsafely on the highway, or more than 70,000 miles on the suspension system. Any of these symptoms indicate you need new struts. Currently I am bottoming out badly with family and suitcases in the car, its taking bumps really badly and its floating all over the highway at high speeds, hitting a bump at high speed really is scary, I can't wait to tighten this car up and put some good tires on the front end... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 How many miles are on your car scotty? A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 How many miles are on your car scotty? I have 65,000 miles but they have been bad since 10/2003 when I got the car and it had 46,000 at that point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 Marika what are the symptoms that make you think they are bad? I know you said you had a high speed nose dive around mid December, Mike Going over railroads tracks a bit too fast sometimes produces a "boom" sound. Riding over a low pitch in the road at high speeds causes the body to float up and then the body shifts from left to right or right to left as it floats back down into the resting position. This might be normal for a Cadillac, I don't know, but I find it annoying. Right side nose dive while braking under hard conditions (high speed). Those are the most obvious symtoms. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 I bought my caddy in August, 2003 and had new passive struts installed all around. The mechanic is not exactly sure but I suspect that the front struts have gone bad and he thinks I "MIGHT" be right. How is this possible? Struts came from the dealership. Anyone know the warranty on them? Marika, I think parts are usually warrantied for 1 year. I would certainly expect them to last longer than 1 1/2 years unless the roads you drive on litterally beat the hell out of them. My '97 with 94K on them are still fine, but then I do mostly rural & tollroad driving so they don't take much of a beating. My '92 had 125K when I traded it and they were original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 I bought my caddy in August, 2003 and had new passive struts installed all around. The mechanic is not exactly sure but I suspect that the front struts have gone bad and he thinks I "MIGHT" be right. How is this possible? Struts came from the dealership. Anyone know the warranty on them? Marika, I think parts are usually warrantied for 1 year. I would certainly expect them to last longer than 1 1/2 years unless the roads you drive on litterally beat the hell out of them. My '97 with 94K on them are still fine, but then I do mostly rural & tollroad driving so they don't take much of a beating. My '92 had 125K when I traded it and they were original. The highways are good around here. The local streets are hell. On the local streets, it's hard to keep your tires on the ground..LOL!!! But when the local DPW spends their entire budget on payroll, then there's no money left for repairs, so it's pretty obvious why the local streets are falling apart. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 It sound like that right front strut could have failed, if you rock the car at all four corners do you perceive a difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 It sound like that right front strut could have failed, if you rock the car at all four corners do you perceive a difference? Hidden threat - 14% of cars are death traps By Felix Rehwald Hamburg, Germany - When it comes to safety, most drivers focus on seat belts, crash bags or anti-lock brakes - but there's another system with deadly potential. The most important technical components of any car, its shock absorbers, are usually overlooked and a badly-worn shock absorber can make handling so bad in an emergency that a fatal crash could result. Even the most modern stability systems in a car would be useless with malfunctioning shocks because they have a decisive influence on handling. A routine check by Germany's technical monitoring authority in Berlin revealed that 14.4 percent of 12 000 vehicles tested had defective shocks. ZF Sachs, a large manufacturer of shock absorbers , warned that shock absorbers wore so gradually that drivers were usually unaware of the extent of their deterioration. Then, when a severe evasive manoeuvre was required, they would fail to do their job properly - and that job is keeping the tyres squarely on the road. ZF recommends they be thoroughly checked, especially at the end of winter, because cold and damp puts extra stress on them. Defective shocks extend by about eight percent the braking distance of a vehicle travelling at 80km/h - a significant risk. Even in normal weather a sudden movement of the steering wheel can cause the car to swing - even roll over. ABS and other electronic stability aids won't work because they need tyres in full contact with the road. Bert Korporal of Germany's TUV road vehicle testing authority, said the main problem was that drivers didn't recognise defective shocks. He added: "The change comes gradually with the dampers losing their effectiveness. One becomes used to certain aspects of the car." Symptoms of defective shock-absorbers: # Nose-diving when braking. # Swinging of the chassis on uneven surfaces. # The car generally feels like its driving on a sponge. # Uneven tyre wear. # Oil on the body of the shock-absorber. ZF Sachs says shocks are one of the most stressed chassis components but Korporal says much also depended on driving habits and load. Experts were thus cautious about pinpointing a certain distance or age of a car as a factor. Korporal says defective shocks are even found in new cars - he suggested drivers diarise regular tests at a reputable agency. Finally, he trashed the idea of leaning hard on a corner of a vehicle and watching how many times it bounced when released. "It's no good," he said. - Sapa-DPA Published on the web by Motoring on January 12, 2005. © Motoring 2005. All rights reserved. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 Oh I agree totally about how dangerous a spongy car can be. I know if I need to make an emergeny more right now I am in deep do do... Bumps on turns seriously disrupt the cars track and throw it off course. This problem of course is magnified in wet weather. My head is contantly bobbing side to side. I can not wait to rebuild this suspension and tighten her up. I am debating replacing the springs, as I believe the struts are just flopping in and out, and I will check the ride height. If the ride high is at spec I won't change the springs unless there is a performance spring that will render the front end tighter. Contributing to my problems is a bad ball joint in the RF. As soon as some cash comes it, I will buy all the parts at once. That story you posted sure does confirm that you may have strut problems.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted January 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 So what are the best struts to buy for my '92 Seville SLS? If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnydone Posted January 17, 2005 Report Share Posted January 17, 2005 do you know who Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stokes Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 Marika, Find out if he changed the stabilizer links when he did the strut replacement.I just had mine done (same year,model), my mechanic told me that if I didnt change them they would go bad very soon as they dont fare too well being removed.The cost was incidental, only about $30 per side added to the total. Mine was exhibiting the same symptoms you describe before I changed the struts.Now it is fine, no more swaying and bouncing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 Are any codes getting thrown for the suspension system? Also is it common for the PCM to throw a code/dic message if the struts are failing?. A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgamer Posted January 20, 2005 Report Share Posted January 20, 2005 ...The mechanic is not exactly sure but I suspect that the front struts have gone bad and he thinks I "MIGHT" be right... Marika, mechanic always will agree that part you mention is bad. Rule number one: ALWAYS tell them just a simptoms Rule number two: NEVER tell them a part you suspecious. "Going over railroads tracks a bit too fast sometimes produces a "boom" sound" May be there should not be too fast. Look: this is a luxury car, not a off road jeep. "Right side nose dive while braking under hard conditions (high speed)." Well, I beleive it's possible that under hard conditions nose still will dive and that sounds for me more like stability control system in charge for that more than struts. And anyway, you have passive struts installed, not active, so how stability control system can work? It's just not there anymore. (Am I completely wrong about that? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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