Premature wear of timing chain 08 Cadillac CTS, 129,000 miles

[a.braggs]

Recently, I started noticing that my 2008 Cadillac CTS 3.6V was not running up to par. The check engine light came on and read P0346, P0442, P0087, P029D, P0089, P2601, P0024, and P0021. Previous to this my check engine light came on and read P0017 Crankshaft Position - Camshaft Position Correlation (Bank 1 Sensor and then It backfired when I filled my tank and would run extremely rough right after.
My car is in excellent condition and I do everything possible to keep it that way from the engine to the body and interior of the car. I am the second owner and some of the things that are brand new include crankshaft, camshaft bank 1 and bank 2, new tensioner, water pump, coil packs and spark plugs, alternator updated all within the last two years. The oil is changed regularly and is tuned up on a scheduled basis.

I came across the 1040C- Special Coverage Adjustment- Timing Chain Wear

“ General Motors is providing owners with additional protection for the timing chain. If premature wear of the timing chain occurs on your 2007 model year GMC Acadia or Saturn OUTLOOK; 2007-2009 model year Cadillac CTS, SRX, or STS; 2009 model year Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, or Saturn OUTLOOK vehicle, equipped with a 2.8L/3.6L V6 engine, within 10 years of the date your vehicle was originally placed in service or 120,000 miles (193,000 km), whichever occurs first, the condition will be repaired for you at no charge. Diagnosis or repair for conditions other than the condition described above is not covered under this special coverage program.”

I called GM and the Representative I spoke with looked this up and explained that it is expired for my vehicle. However, depending on the circumstances in some cases they can offer some assistance. He gave me a case number and offered a service voucher to use toward the diagnostics.

I scheduled a appointment and made them aware of this whole situation at my preferred Cadillac service center at Bob Moore Cadillac in Edmond, OK. My service adviser was Paul after two days went by, he called to inform me there where four problems one of witch the timing chain needed to be replaced. At that point I asked him what I can do for Cadillac to take care of the replacement cost. He said he would meet with an adviser that has the authority to approve this and that would be the next day. I didn’t hear back for three days. I called to see what was going on and he told me we are waiting to get a decision back from Cadillac for the pre-authorization. Almost a week later Paul calls me to tell me they did not approve any assistance that they base the decision on how many miles the vehicle has, service history, and other factors. The fact that Cadillac knows they made this mistake when the vehicle was made and even extended the warranty for the models effected has me furious that they expect me to pay to fix a problem I did not cause. I have never even heard of a timing chain needing to be replaced on any car at 130,00 miles.

To top this off when I went to pick up my car from the dealership, mind you I had a brand new paint job 3 months ago, they left scratches where they were leaning to look at the engine. My white interior had a dirty oil spots on the top by the driver side door. To be a high end luxury car maker I expected way more then what I am currently having to deal with.

“Special Coverage Adjustment Programs”

“Beyond the Warranty Period Cadillac is proud of the protection afforded by its warranty coverages. In order to achieve maximum customer satisfaction, there may be times when Cadillac will establish a special coverage adjustment program to pay all or part of the cost of certain repairs not covered by the warranty or to reimburse certain repair expenses you may have incurred. Check with your Cadillac dealer or call the Cadillac Customer Assistance Center to determine whether any special coverage adjustment program is applicable to your vehicle. When you make an inquiry, you will need to give the year, model, and mileage of your vehicle and your VIN.”

"Your Cadillac dealer is best equipped to provide all of your service needs. Should you ever encounter a problem that is not resolved during or after the limited warranty period, talk to a member of dealer management Under certain circumstances, GM and/or GM dealers may provide assistance after the limited warranty period has expired when the problem results from a defect in material or workmanship. These instances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis If your problem has not been resolved to your satisfaction follow the “Customer Satisfaction Procedure”

[BodybyFisher]

The warranty on your timing chain was extended to 120,000 miles and 10 years.   You seem to have exceeded both limits and the timing chain seems to have performed well giving you 120,000 miles.  While I hear your frustration, you can not expect them to extend it beyond those pre-established limits.  Keep in mind that my Dads 50s/60s Cadillacs were in the scrap yard at 120K miles.  

You need to look into what they meant by service history as a reason eliminating you from the warranty, did they elaborate on that?

As far as the scratches and dirty interior if they say it is your word against theirs, my wifes Audi dealer takes photos from every direction when they take a vehicle in for service and so should they.  If you have a receipt for the paint job, I would show it to the service manager

The job you are speaking of is not difficult, I would either do it myself or find a competent mechanic that has the ability to do this job, the dealer will be much too expensive. 

Good luck @a.braggs

[Bruce Nunnally]

What was the dealer estimate to repair it?

What were the other things wrong besides the timing chain issue?

 

[a.braggs]

$2,200 to replace the timing chain. And the fuel injector system needs flushed the only other thing that needs to be done.

[BodybyFisher]

30 minutes ago, a.braggs said:

$2,200 to replace the timing chain. And the fuel injector system needs flushed the only other thing that needs to be done.

That seems really excessive.  Its a FWD configuration.  Here is a video by Cloyes