Is There Such A Thing As A Good Cadillac Service Department?

[Chili Palmer]

I recently purchased a CPO Cadillac CTS-V and noticed that the trans acts up every now and then, it has the problem plagued 8-speed trans that there is now a class action lawsuit against GM. Anyways, there were a couple of broken plastic items that needed to be replaced also. So I took it to Mark Christopher - they have a huge service area and must know what they are doing......no, not really. They had my car for a week and put 20 miles on the car couldn't recreate the trans issues, BS. They needed to order the plastic parts and those should be in a couple of weeks. Ok, I'll bring it back and then drive it with a trans tech. We go to pick the car up and they say they'll bring it up in a few minutes......It's been 20 minutes still no car, I go and ask where's the car? It's in the parking structure across the street, it'll be here in few minutes.......30 minutes goes by. Where's my car? Uh, well.......we can't find it. What? Uh, we can't find it. I'm starting to fume.......10 minutes later, we found the car, but the keys have been misplaced. GGGRRRRR! I can feel myself bleeding heat. We can give you another loaner and we'll get another key and fob and have it programmed for you when you come back. Come back? No, program the fob and cut the key now. 10 minutes later they find the keys, the lot porter still had the keys in his pocket.

I get the call last Wednesday that the parts are in, but now I'm working in Coachella so I have my wife drive the car and let her know how to make the trans act up when she takes the car in. I set up an appointment for today. She took the car in this morning and she drives up in the service drive and waits for about 7-8 minutes and then goes into the building and 2 guys are engrossed in their laptop screens and don't acknowledge her. Finally she says that she has an appointment at 10:00. Already with attitude the guy asks, Who's your service advisor? She says Nobu. He's not here now. So, no one can help me? What do you need? She tells them that parts for the car are in and need to be installed and she wants to take the trans tech for a drive to show him how it acts up. Right away the guy says the trans tech isn't available. So she says can you come for a drive with me so I can show you and you can show the trans tech? No, I can't leave here. Now she's getting really pissed. He asks what the trans is doing, so she describes what it does and he says that's common with that trans. She tells him to document that so we have it in writing that this concern has been brought and addressed by Cadillac. The he says if you want us to diagnose it, we'll need it for a few days to sort it out.

She called me and told me what happened after she got the loaner car. I was so pissed as she was telling me what happened. I called the service guy Nobu and told him what happened and he gave me the BS that he can't be responsible for what another service writer does. I told him to put the parts on the car and don't do anything else. Let me know when you're done and I'll pick up the car.

Maybe I'm spoiled from having BMW's and Lexuses the last 10 years, but this was some really shitty service. The car is warrantied for 100,000 miles and another 3 years, but this dealership doesn't give a crap about customer service. I bought the car from a Cadillac dealer in Temecula, but damn, it's so far, but they gave the illusion that they are a caring dealership. I might just end up going out there for service. Are there any Cadillac dealers around in the San Gabriel Valley that actually act like they care?

Sorry for the long rant, but jeez, they just pissed me off.

 

[DWC]

I had good luck at Mark CHRISTOPHER in Ontario. They took care of my rattling supercharger and rear end with no questions or issues.

 

[ChevelleSB406]

I worked in sales for Renick and Allen, Renick is no longer and wasn't what it used to be when I was there, Allen seemed to have really good tenured guys in their service dept with very loyal customers, one main writer would have a line of people willing to wait for him. I know Laguna Niguel is not very close for you, but that is the one I have personal experience with as a reference. On CPO, you can take to any brand of course, Chevy (not mark christopher in this case , but the only thing will be all cadillac specific parts are guaranteed to be ordered in and a longer wait. I am not sure if this helps but let me know if I can do anything.

 

[76 Hondo]

I know it’s not close, but Allen Cadillac/GMC is great, both on the Wife’s SRX, and my Sierra.
Dan Vega is the man.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I had good luck at Mark CHRISTOPHER in Ontario. They took care of my rattling supercharger and rear end with no questions or issues.

FWIW, those were both TSBs..


Allen Cadillac in Laguna Niguel was pretty good replacing the rocking chair Recaro seats in my CTS-V

I worked with Dan Vega as well.


@Chili Palmer

You might do some research and see if there are any TSBs or trans programming changes for your car. The issue could have been fixed in a newer model year. In the V2 CTS-V the 2012 trans programming was a vast improvement over the 09-11 cars.

 

[havasujeeper]

I also had an issue with Mark Christopher Cadillac. On my new Cadi's first oil change, I pointed out a blem in the factory paint job. The first customer service rep said it wasn't a big deal but I don't think a $55k SUV should have painted over a horse fly, and not expect a buyer to bitch about it. Nobu stepped in, along with the service manager, and they both agreed this was unacceptable.

Two weeks later, my car was ready and saw that Caliber Paints, their paint shop, dropped a lid of silver paint on the hood on the hood of my white car. I also noticed the change in my center console had been stolen, along with my magnetic "thin blue line" flag from my back hatch. I was accused of making this up, so they ran the security tape and saw that sure enough, the flag was present when Caliber took it for paint work.

Another week later. I got the car back, and they buffed the hood so much that the primer was now visible in the paint. Well, back to Caliber AGAIN, for 2 more weeks, and now I have 3 different paint jobs on a new car with 3000 miles. I was provided with 5 different loaners, the shop had my car for 6 weeks, and I now have a Cadi that I no longer want. I'm going back to Lexus for good!

 

[BONER]

High End Laziness. Sounds like these Writers (not Advisors, Writers) need a reality check at a Nissan Store down in The Hood.

FYI, if you blast them on the survey, it will hit them in the pockets. Almost all Dealership Service Drive Pay Plans weigh heavily on the CSI. If you don't hit CSI, you don't get your Tier Bumps on your check. These Surveys were the biggest thorn in my side while living the Dealership Life, but these lazy Fuckers should be slammed and hit in the pockets, if you ask me.

Also, if you bark loud enough to the Service Director or GM, you might get some free shit, including your Diag. Justa thought.

If you took this story to the GM, he'd probably personally fuck those Clowns up that treated your Wife like shit. Those bi-polar, egotistical Assholes live for that shit.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I worked in sales for Renick and Allen, Renick is no longer and wasn't what it used to be when I was there, Allen seemed to have really good tenured guys in their service dept with very loyal customers, one main writer would have a line of people willing to wait for him. I know Laguna Niguel is not very close for you, but that is the one I have personal experience with as a reference. On CPO, you can take to any brand of course, Chevy (not mark christopher in this case , but the only thing will be all cadillac specific parts are guaranteed to be ordered in and a longer wait. I am not sure if this helps but let me know if I can do anything.

Thanks I appreciate it, Laguna Niguel is much closer than Temecula. I'll probably be in touch.

FWIW, those were both TSBs..

Allen Cadillac in Laguna Niguel was pretty good replacing the rocking chair Recaro seats in my CTS-V

I worked with Dan Vega as well.

@Chili Palmer

You might do some research and see if there are any TSBs or trans programming changes for your car. The issue could have been fixed in a newer model year. In the V2 CTS-V the 2012 trans programming was a vast improvement over the 09-11 cars.

I'm aware of the TSB's and mentioned them to Nobu, he said there have to be codes stored to justify the TSB's to be performed. The latest is a reformulated trans fluid which I asked about also. Again, a code needs to be present to trigger a TSB to be performed.

I also had an issue with Mark Christopher Cadillac. On my new Cadi's first oil change, I pointed out a blem in the factory paint job. The first customer service rep said it wasn't a big deal but I don't think a $55k SUV should have painted over a horse fly, and not expect a buyer to bitch about it. Nobu stepped in, along with the service manager, and they both agreed this was unacceptable.

Two weeks later, my car was ready and saw that Caliber Paints, their paint shop, dropped a lid of silver paint on the hood on the hood of my white car. I also noticed the change in my center console had been stolen, along with my magnetic "thin blue line" flag from my back hatch. I was accused of making this up, so they ran the security tape and saw that sure enough, the flag was present when Caliber took it for paint work.

Another week later. I got the car back, and they buffed the hood so much that the primer was now visible in the paint. Well, back to Caliber AGAIN, for 2 more weeks, and now I have 3 different paint jobs on a new car with 3000 miles. I was provided with 5 different loaners, the shop had my car for 6 weeks, and I now have a Cadi that I no longer want. I'm going back to Lexus for good!

I had my reservations about Mark Christopher as they had hit (or should I say ground) the corner of the bumper on my truck on a concrete light post base and tried to polish out the plastic chrome, and I had an iPod stolen from being buried in my console.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Thanks I appreciate it, Laguna Niguel is much closer than Temecula. I'll probably be in touch.


I'm aware of the TSB's and mentioned them to Nobu, he said there have to be codes stored to justify the TSB's to be performed. The latest is a reformulated trans fluid which I asked about also. Again, a code needs to be present to trigger a TSB to be performed.




I had my reservations about Mark Christopher as they had hit (or should I say ground) the corner of the bumper on my truck on a concrete light post base and tried to polish out the plastic chrome, and I had an iPod stolen from being buried in my console.

Yea you need a different dealer. That is BS. If there is a TSB, you can usually get the work done if you request it.

 

[Chili Palmer]

Yea you need a different dealer. That is BS. If there is a TSB, you can usually get the work done if you request it.

That’s what I thought. I’ll give Allen a shot next time out.

 

[PVHCA]

Unfortunately MC Caddy has the worst service writer known to mankind, Dario and he was my service writer. I could go on and on about the liar that he is and backpeddler, and piece of shit but you get the idea. My car is finally fixed after 2.5 months. Oh and BTW Mark n Chris are family, LOL

 

[Riverbound]

I have aid great luck with Desiree at suburban caddillac In Costa Mesa. She has been great for us and we drove past two other dealers to take our escalde to her.

 

[havasujeeper]

You know the Leggio's have their own street named after them in the Colonies Project in Upland?

 

[Your ad here]

Blast them on the review like said above. There is more pressure to meet the CSI score than actually doing anything to the car or giving a shit about fixing anything, seriously. The score thing goes up the chain all the way to the owner. If scores aren't met then the dealership or anyone won't make bonus. When that happens they have a meeting on how to pursue the customer on giving better scores rather than trying to do a better job at fixing the vehicles.

 

[SBMech]

Don't ever take that kind of shitty service. Immediately get in touch with the service manager and LIGHT THEIR ASS UP!

SA's are a dime a dozen, Caddy only wants the best, so make sure you demand superior service, and if you do not feel it, make sure to tell the service manager in person how you feel about how you were treated, it's not like there are endless people walking around blowing 75k on a used hot rod caddy....

Or potentially 110k on a new one.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I got a call that the car is done and can be picked up. They did about 10 miles and the clunking the trans is doing is normal. What? There should be no clunking at all in the trans. This is normal with this trans.

F these guys! What an incompetent dealership! Looks like I’ll be heading to Allen for my next service.

 

[Ziggy]

My dealings with Allen were all back when they were a Saab dealer too. I always got the feeling there was more care in the management team than most stores. This is from my dealer perspective and not as a client.
.
.
I always preached to my service writers to put themselves in the customers shoes and what their expectations might be......how would you(or your wives) want to be handled if in their shoes?

 

[stephenkatsea]

Curious if others have good things to say about Suburban Cadillac in Costa Mesa?

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

My dealings with Allen were all back when they were a Saab dealer too. I always got the feeling there was more care in the management team than most stores. This is from my dealer perspective and not as a client.
.
.
I always preached to my service writers to put themselves in the customers shoes and what their expectations might be......how would you(or your wives) want to be handled if in their shoes?

Did you have a Saab store too?

I feel like you are fond of the Saab.

 

[Ziggy]

Did you have a Saab store too?

I feel like you are fond of the Saab.

Yes, we were the oldest Saab dealer west of the Mississippi. 4 Saab's in our stable.
6th oldest BMW dealer in the nation, this I sold in 2007.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Yes, we were the oldest Saab dealer west of the Mississippi. 4 Saab's in our stable.
6th oldest BMW dealer in the nation, this I sold in 2007.

After I posed this I realized you must have because I remember you saying you sold 4 of the Saablazer SS.

 

[rivermobster]

I recently purchased a CPO Cadillac CTS-V and noticed that the trans acts up every now and then, it has the problem plagued 8-speed trans that there is now a class action lawsuit against GM. Anyways, there were a couple of broken plastic items that needed to be replaced also. So I took it to Mark Christopher - they have a huge service area and must know what they are doing......no, not really. They had my car for a week and put 20 miles on the car couldn't recreate the trans issues, BS. They needed to order the plastic parts and those should be in a couple of weeks. Ok, I'll bring it back and then drive it with a trans tech. We go to pick the car up and they say they'll bring it up in a few minutes......It's been 20 minutes still no car, I go and ask where's the car? It's in the parking structure across the street, it'll be here in few minutes.......30 minutes goes by. Where's my car? Uh, well.......we can't find it. What? Uh, we can't find it. I'm starting to fume.......10 minutes later, we found the car, but the keys have been misplaced. GGGRRRRR! I can feel myself bleeding heat. We can give you another loaner and we'll get another key and fob and have it programmed for you when you come back. Come back? No, program the fob and cut the key now. 10 minutes later they find the keys, the lot porter still had the keys in his pocket.

I get the call last Wednesday that the parts are in, but now I'm working in Coachella so I have my wife drive the car and let her know how to make the trans act up when she takes the car in. I set up an appointment for today. She took the car in this morning and she drives up in the service drive and waits for about 7-8 minutes and then goes into the building and 2 guys are engrossed in their laptop screens and don't acknowledge her. Finally she says that she has an appointment at 10:00. Already with attitude the guy asks, Who's your service advisor? She says Nobu. He's not here now. So, no one can help me? What do you need? She tells them that parts for the car are in and need to be installed and she wants to take the trans tech for a drive to show him how it acts up. Right away the guy says the trans tech isn't available. So she says can you come for a drive with me so I can show you and you can show the trans tech? No, I can't leave here. Now she's getting really pissed. He asks what the trans is doing, so she describes what it does and he says that's common with that trans. She tells him to document that so we have it in writing that this concern has been brought and addressed by Cadillac. The he says if you want us to diagnose it, we'll need it for a few days to sort it out.

She called me and told me what happened after she got the loaner car. I was so pissed as she was telling me what happened. I called the service guy Nobu and told him what happened and he gave me the BS that he can't be responsible for what another service writer does. I told him to put the parts on the car and don't do anything else. Let me know when you're done and I'll pick up the car.

Maybe I'm spoiled from having BMW's and Lexuses the last 10 years, but this was some really shitty service. The car is warrantied for 100,000 miles and another 3 years, but this dealership doesn't give a crap about customer service. I bought the car from a Cadillac dealer in Temecula, but damn, it's so far, but they gave the illusion that they are a caring dealership. I might just end up going out there for service. Are there any Cadillac dealers around in the San Gabriel Valley that actually act like they care?

Sorry for the long rant, but jeez, they just pissed me off.

You're not spoiled bro, you're just used to being treated properly.

I've worked for American car dealerships, and both BMW and Lexus.

The difference in service is night and day (not to mention the actual cars), and always will be. You either have to change your expectations, or go back to the Luxury cars you had before. Anything else is a waste of your time.

 

[Chili Palmer]

The only reason it went to the dealership is because of the warranty, I want my concerns documented in case something in the drivetrain goes kaput during or shortly after the warranty expires. All maintenance will be done at private mechanic’s shop.

This weekend I will compose a scathing letter addressed to GM, Cadillac, and the Mark Christopher general manager letting them know that their Cadillac service department is worthy of the Steaming Wet Dung Award and they’ve lost this customer, not to mention all the other past customers who won’t return or even bothered to have filled out their satisfaction surveys, because this dealership obviously doesn’t give a crap due to the fact these people still work there and their method of operation and customer service is very flawed.

 

[DB / HAV]

I recently bought my wife a new Escalade at Crestview Cadillac in West Covina, I have only owned BMW’s and love that type of service. I’ve got to say, I am so impressed with the complete team at Crestview. It sounds like you’ve got it figured out, if you need another option, give them a try.

I hate poor service- too many options out there!

 

[Nailhead]

Parkway Cadillac in Valencia sucks ass, had a CTSV coupe that we purschased there. Service manager a total dick, lies and more lies about what we need. Went to turn the caddy in on a new 1Le camaro and carfax shows the caddy was in a wreck but didn't show that when we bought it.

 

[Singleton]

My wife’s Escalade was serviced @ Hoehn in Carlsbad. Always had great service.

 

[3queens]

Try Crest View
and share your story with them ---they will most likely be very kind to you and yours