just found that Cadillac is the first!

[eldoman95]

the first fully automatic air conditioning system was Cadillac's "Climate Control," introduced in 1964

something else i read, man i love my new book!

"The Handy Answer Science Book" in the Cars section

[bigfoo]

EVERY car should have automatic climate control.. Riding in any car that doesn't now seems bothersome.. ehehe.

[JasonA]

Our Cadillac has completely spoiled us for anything less. My wife doesn't like riding around in the truck because it doesn't have dual zone climate control, or butt warmers, something she won't do without anymore after having them in our Seville.

[Scotty]

Cadillac has had a lot of firsts over the years, six way seats, electric antenna, magic bar on radio including foot actuated control, power vent windows, fender 'guide' lights, power trunk

1949 The one-millionth Cadillac is produced on November 25, 1949. Cadillac introduces the high-compression, overhead valve, lightweight V8 engine

1953 Autronic-Eye headlight dimmer

1965 Tilt and telescoping steering wheels were available, for the first time, on Cadillac cars

1970 Cadillac equips the Eldorado with th largest car engine in the world, a 500-cubic-inch (8.2-liter) V8 (400 hp), mounted in front-wheel-drive

1985 Cadillac is the first to introduce the transverse-mounted V8 engine (front wheel drive) on the De ville and the Fleetwood series

[chuckgann]

Maybe "fully automatic" is the key word here. Packard had the first air conditioner in 1940.

[STS Scott]

1963 Cadillacs had electrically heated seats too.

I am not sure how long that option carried on, or if Cadillac was the first to do it, but for the time, I was suprised.

[Scotty]

Maybe "fully automatic" is the key word here. Packard had the first air conditioner in 1940.

Packard is my favorite car. Very innovative. We had a 54 Packard Carabean Convertible with wire wheels. It had hydralic brakes, windows and top. The Clippers had an auto-level control in the rear in the 50s... I was sad when they went out of business and I was only a kid. To me they competed with Cadillac.

[adallak]

not to mention the electrical starter first used on Cadillacs.

[phillydude]

To add to the climate control system information...

The original automotive air conditioning system was invented by two brothers, Jewish guys named Norman and Maxwell Allen-Coleman. They took their invention to Henry Ford and offered it to him, free of charge, for his cars... on one condition. They insisted that their name appear on every unit he installed. Of course, with Ford being an anti-Semite, he told them to go to hell and kicked them out of his office, declaring that a Jewish name would never appear on the dashboard of his automobiles. So they took it to GM, where the Cadillac division promptly jumped at the chance. And to this day, almost every car with climate control has this subtle reference to the Goldberg brothers on the air conditioning controls: Norm A-C and Max A-C.

[Poobah]

Cadillac's major "first" was the manufacture of high-precision interchangeable parts. This was accomplished in the early 1900's. Before this time, automobile parts had to be filed, lapped, honed, and otherwise fitted during manufacture. Cadillac demonstrated this new concept during a major exposition when they took, I think it was, three Cadillacs, completely disassembled them, scrambled the pieces, then reassembled three Cadillacs from the parts. This feat was so incredible that it earned Cadillac a very prestigious engineering award. (Unfortunately, my books are packed away so I am unable to look up some of the specifics.) This ability to make interchangeable parts was a key ingredient that made Henry Ford's assembly line possible a few years later.

Cadillac won the same engineering award a second time when it demonstrated its electric self starter. I believe Cadillac is the only automobile manufacturer to have won this award twice.

I think Cadillac was the first automobile manufacturer to offer a mass produced V8 engine in its cars 'round about 1914.

Maybe some of our members can help me with the secifics, here.

Since its inception in 1902, Cadillac has been in the forefront of automotive technical development. There is a lot of heritage and a long list of "firsts" behind your Cadillac's crest!

[Marika]

To add to the climate control system information...

The original automotive air conditioning system was invented by two brothers, Jewish guys named Norman and Maxwell Allen-Coleman. They took their invention to Henry Ford and offered it to him, free of charge, for his cars... on one condition. They insisted that their name appear on every unit he installed. Of course, with Ford being an anti-Semite, he told them to go to hell and kicked them out of his office, declaring that a Jewish name would never appear on the dashboard of his automobiles. So they took it to GM, where the Cadillac division promptly jumped at the chance. And to this day, almost every car with climate control has this subtle reference to the Goldberg brothers on the air conditioning controls: Norm A-C and Max A-C.

LOLOLOLOL!!!!!

That's funny!!

[JasonA]

Oldsmobile and Cadillac, two premier General Motors brands, have walked hand-in-hand through history, constantly pushing the envelope. Noteables of Oldsmobile:

1938/9: the first fully automatic transmission, the Hydramatic

1948/9: Olds came out with their own high compression OHV V8, coincidentally, at the same time as Cadillac

1966: first popular modern day FWD vehicle (the Toronado)

[STS Scott]

It is unfortunate that the domestic makes are struggling to play catch-up now a days though. GM had such a monopolizing grip on the whole world it seemed, back in before 1970-ish. Now they struggle to make a product that will even make any one raise an eyebrow. It is sad, really. I think they began to rest on their laurels after all the wonderful things the had achieved in the 50's and 60's.

[Poobah]

GM had such a monopolizing grip on the whole world it seemed, back in before 1970-ish. Now they struggle to make a product that will even make any one raise an eyebrow.

I hear you, but I also note that every time there is a news item concerning GM, they are refered to as "General Motors, the world's largest automobile manufacturer."

[up2ng]

To add to the climate control system information...

The original automotive air conditioning system was invented by two brothers, Jewish guys named Norman and Maxwell Allen-Coleman. They took their invention to Henry Ford and offered it to him, free of charge, for his cars... on one condition. They insisted that their name appear on every unit he installed. Of course, with Ford being an anti-Semite, he told them to go to hell and kicked them out of his office, declaring that a Jewish name would never appear on the dashboard of his automobiles. So they took it to GM, where the Cadillac division promptly jumped at the chance. And to this day, almost every car with climate control has this subtle reference to the Goldberg brothers on the air conditioning controls: Norm A-C and Max A-C.

Close but no Cigar

This is the REAL story, you missed one brother The Full Story is Here

[Logan]

Be careful of what you want from the electronics....Mercedes Benz just pulled 600 pretty high tech electronic option issues from their systems. The MB systems have been causing some warranty issues.....

[Scotty]

It is unfortunate that the domestic makes are struggling to play catch-up now a days though. GM had such a monopolizing grip on the whole world it seemed, back in before 1970-ish. Now they struggle to make a product that will even make any one raise an eyebrow. It is sad, really. I think they began to rest on their laurels after all the wonderful things the had achieved in the 50's and 60's.

Sort of like the US during the 90's! Its called complacency. A company or country gets big and powerful and forgets how it got there and gets lazy.

To be honest however, most US car makers were caught with their pants down when the oil crisis hit in the 70s and we were still driving gas sucking tanks (think 1974 Eldorado with its 10 MPG 500 cu in engine). Detroits answer in the 70's was low compression engines and EGR valves, lighter weight body panels that could't hold paint and rusted easily and performance and quality suffered. At the same time leaded gas was outlawed. It was very difficult for US car manufacturers to 'catch up' to the light, fuel efficient cars in Europe and Japan, they had a head start. Personally I think we have caught up, its just that foreign makes are considered more prestigious in the US. There is a mystique with owning a Mercedes or BMW in the US. US car manufacturers are trying to change that mystique and its hard, Cadillac's whole advertising campaign has been directed at changing its image. A Mercedes in Europe is ho-hum common, and a Cadillac in Europe is considered very special, odd huh?

The only make that I consider head and shoulders above the rest in my humble opinion is the Audi, its in a league of its own.

[sprucegoose]

This thread reminded me of a friend who once bought a vintage caddy (40's?) that he said had the 1st ever power windows. Each window was sping loaded, and the system used a hydraulic pump and cylinders to lower the windows!

The problem with this old barn-kept vehicle is all the seals were tired and leaking, and when they would leak down sending the windows slowly upward. The worst thing was one day when a rusty line finally rotted through and sent the windows slamming up like guillotines! Fortunately he wasn't sticking his head out the window at the drive-up-window at a fast food joint!

[Scotty]

This thread reminded me of a friend who once bought a vintage caddy (40's?) that he said had the 1st ever power windows. Each window was sping loaded, and the system used a hydraulic pump and cylinders to lower the windows!

The problem with this old barn-kept vehicle is all the seals were tired and leaking, and when they would leak down sending the windows slowly upward. The worst thing was one day when a rusty line finally rotted through and sent the windows slamming up like guillotines! Fortunately he wasn't sticking his head out the window at the drive-up-window at a fast food joint!

I have a funny story like that, our 54 Packard had hydralic brakes, windows and top. The hydralic unit went bad when we were out breezing along with the top and windows down and we lost our brakes slammed into a building and it started raining and we couldnt put up the top or the windows

[JasonA]

My daily driver is a '95 Nissan 4x4 truck with close to 190,000 miles now. It's my first Japanese vehicle, and I've noticed a few things as I compare it to domestic vehicles I'm familiar with. It seems to be screwed together better than my '97 Seville. There's not a single rattle or creak in it, even after all this time, and rough-ridden miles. Not that the Cadillac is falling apart, but some pieces in the interior I'm just not that impressed with. The outer door panel material (the vinyl that makes up the arm rest and rest of the door panel) has started to separate from its hard plastic backing, requiring some well-placed super glue on both rear doors. You can't tell I did anything now, but I'm surprised I had to do anything at all. The car's only a '97. Same thing happened to my brother's '96 Grand Cherokee by the way. The upper dash pad on the Seville has "warped" ever so slightly -- even though the thing is garage-kept and always covered with a sun shade when parked outside. It's warped just enough so that the defroster grille doesn't seat properly unless I keep pressing it back down (it tries to keep popping back up). The tape that runs along the chrome accent has developed bubbles in it...not enough that you can really see from afar, but definitely noticeable when you're washing the car. Just small things like this that I always just assumed would be the norm for a semi-older car.

But after I got the truck, I thought twice. I got this truck for a deal ($3900), and got it just to have something with 4wd. It turns out that it's the most reliable vehicle I've had so far, in terms of money spent on repairs over time. And in just about 2 years now, that would be exactly $0. The brand-spankin' new 2004 F-250 we just got at work is a comparative rattle trap. If you bang on the steering wheel, the whole dash shakes up and down. The Nissan's dash is rock solid. I'm very impressed with this lil' truck...and was quite surprised at how impressed that I was, given my general preference for American cars.

[Poobah]

I had a 1986 Nissan "Hardbody" for a while. I bought it new. It was the base model 2WD short bed and it was awful!. It had a very bouncy ride and a horrible case of understeer. The body sheet metal was so soft and/or thin that if you did more that gently touch it, you'd dent it. The cab was so small that with the seat all the way back a 6 ft. tall guy such as myself could not have his foot on the gas pedal and his thigh resting on the seat cushion at the same time. I was doing light construction work at the time and my partner and I had a standing joke that if we needed to carry something big or heavy we had to put it in (or on) his '79 Chevy station wagon. I suffered in that thing for 50,000 miles then got rid of it.

[newbold1]

I had a 1993 Mazda Protege' that I bought new and kept for almost 7 years and 90K miles. Aside from oil changes, tires, brakes, battery... etc. etc. The total I spent on actual repairs during the entire time I owned the car was just under $500. That little car was to-date the most reliable car I've ever owned. In fact my wife and I nick-named the car "Old Reliable".

JASON --- Until I traded for my 2004 CTS, I had a 1996 SLS and I had all of the same problems with mine that you listed with the exception of the door panels. BUT... I knew that those were problematic so I had always been very careful not to put any pressure on them with my arm or when pulling the door closed. So, it may just be because I was so vigilant about it that they didn't wear out. The defrost vent used to drive me nuts because it was in my line of sight all the time and I hated that I couldn't get it to stay down.

I hope the CTS will do better. However, I have already noticed some interior noises that have been bothersome. One is a squeak in the center console area. It sounds similar to two stryofoam coolers rubbing against each other but more muted. The other is that when the sunroof shade is opened up with the sunroof itself closed, you can hear the shade rattle when the car is in motion. This happens even on smooth driving surfaces. Neither noise is all that intrusive but I notice them and they do occasionally get on my nerves. Playing the radio, even at a low volume, usually drowns out those noises.

[caddydaddy46]

Before anybody get upset I want to say I love my 92 Seville wit 113,000 miles on the dial. I have to voice an observation on the build quality of American cars. I own in addition to the Caddy a 1986 Mercedes 300E with 201000 miles and a 1987 Nissan 300ZX with 137000 miles. The Mercedes actually rides quieter than my Caddy. It just is not as tight. I also had a 1993 Ford Probe that I had to chose between it and the Nissan, again I had to keep the 87 Nissan because it had a better fit and finish than the Probe and was more dependable. Again it is just my opinion nothing more nothing less.

[JasonA]

I think the domestic vs. foreign debate is pretty simple when you break it down. It seems that in general, domestic makers sell cars based on value. Make them "more affordable" than the competition (obviously skimping in some areas) and they will come, is their theory. Other auto makers seem to sell their cars based on quality, and the costs are usually higher. Make them high quality and they will come, is their theory. Nowhere is this more apparent to me than in the small car market. A Saturn (owned one) or a Cavalier (ridden in too many) don't even compare to something like a Civic (brother-in-law has one). His previous car (which was my wife's first car) was a '96 Nissan 200SX. Again, so much more refined than many American small cars.

I don't consider the brand of something when I'm considering a purchase. I look at the features and the price and decide from there. I love my Seville...but not because it's a Cadillac. I love it for the Northstar engine, I love it for the soft ride, I love it for the styling. It could say Peugot on the front and that would make no difference to me; it's still the car I love, and not the brand per se. I mentioned the new Nissan Titan to my dad and he said something like, "if you're gonna buy a full size truck, you should buy a 'real' one" {meaning Ford/Chevy/Dodge}. He doesn't know that the Titan has at least as high a tow rating as the other guys. He doesn't know that a Titan makes quick work of any of them in acceleration, even a Hemi Dodge. So what makes an American truck "real", even though they fall short of a Japanese truck? I don't know...