Hey all; I'm new to this forum. I have been researching the S4 for some time now. I haven't found any reliability discussions that are current and up to date, and I would really like to hear from the community about their 3L SC S4's after they now have some mileage on them.

I'll give you a backround on why I am so concerned. I currently own a 2004 CTS with only 52k on it. Here is my service list on mechanical issues:

Front suspension overhaul including replacing struts, control arms, panard (sp?) rods. @ 25k due to loose feeling in the front end, along with quite a bit noise on bumps.

Radiator replacement, as the trans cooler is part of the radiator, and that rusted through @30k. Had to drop trans and a flush both the cooling system, and the trans system.

Thermostat replacement @ 35k.

ECU re-Flash due to the car losing it's baseline throttle response for no reason what-so-ever @ 40k

ECU re-Flash AGAIN @ 45k for the same reason.

Throttle body replacement @ 50k.

Torque converter solenoid replacement @ 52k.

Along with my mechanical issues, I've also had to replace the radio, the LED 3rd brake light, one of the shocks for the trunk lid, the left rear window regulator, and a track in the drivers side seat (and at 6'1" 185, I'm not a big man by any means).

SOME of the work was covered under warranty, but most of the expensive repairs have decided to rear their ugly head AFTER my extended had expired. What's worse, is that I called Cadillac about getting some reimbursement for some of these repairs, because I was planning on buying another Caddy, and they didn't even try and take care of me. They said that these were "wear and tear items". Which I agree with, but don't insult my intelligence. NO car should have these wear and tear items go out on them with such low mileage. I will never buy another GM again, especially after the way I was treated. What's even better is that they pulled up a half dozen GM's that I've owned in the past. Talk about NOT taking care of a LOYAL customer!

So, with that being said, is YOUR S4 at least more reliable than this POS? If so, I'm sold...

 

Wow, that's quite a list. Don't know if you got a lemon or if that is indicative of Caddy quality.

B8's are proving to be quite reliable. Early (2010) cars had water pump and thermostat issues that were covered through TSB's. 2011's and later have no systemic issues. I think you'll be quite pleased.

MY car had a faulty trunk latch sensor that would intermittently report the trunk was open when it was closed. Also had one subframe mounting bolt that came loose and caused a clunk over speed bumps. Simple fixes under warranty. Other than that, no issues.

 

Check out this site: http://www.truedelta.com/car-reliability really good stats here

 

Yeah, the more information that I've found out about the Cadillac brand, the more I've noticed that the brand is not as solid as one may think. Apparently, the earlier model year CTS's per generation were problematic. That means '03 and '04, and even the '08 and '09s as well. What has completely soured me on these cars is that you would assume that when a person walks into a dealership looking to purchase a new CTS-V, that Cadillac (GM) would take care of their customer to say "Hey, sorry for selling you such a garbage product in the past, but due to your loyalty and your next purchase, we will go ahead and show our appreciation for your loyalty." I don't think it's asking too much.