1995 Cadillac Eldorado ETC 4.6L Northstar

Summary:

So far, so good..

Faults:

Tuneup with new plugs, K&N air filter, & scan check.

Changed oil at indicated end of cycle with Castrol Edge & Mobil 1 oil filter. Noticed a 2 degree reduction in coolant temperature as indicated on the DIC monitor.

General Comments:

Well, I've had this car for about a year now (Bought used 3/09) and so far no breakdown issues. The car is the proverbial old ladies car with it being bought new by a doctor for his wife. The service records show all scheduled routine maintenance were done, and moreover, the engine overheated @ 72K miles and was removed and rebuilt. As a result, the connector to the transmission speed sensor has a spurious fault throwing a P056 code and SES light. The light clears almost immediately and only happens rarely. The dealer refuses to fix it since getting to the connector requires a lot of work and swears it isn't a problem. I haven't noticed any problem.

This is my first U.S. built luxury car (I also own a 91 Lexus LS and 91 Volvo 780 Bertone) that I've owned in 30 years, and I have noticed that the car appears to 'wallow'; wobbles back & forth sometimes when steering, but steering seems precise, and again, both the dealer and an independent specialty shop say there is no problem in the suspension. The specialty shop says it's the Big O tires that have a soft sidewall and excessive flex.

Overall I like the car; my wife however does not like the custom chrome/gold grill and fake convertible with gold screw heads. Quote, "too much bling..." :)

I am disappointed with 14 mpg round-town driving, but got 26.5 on a 1200 mile round trip between the SF bay area and Portland OR.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th February, 2010

28th Feb 2010, 17:04

These Cadillacs are pretty much hit or miss.. when buying used you get either a gem or an absolute lemon. Glad you got one of the better ones. Keep putting Castrol in 'er, me and my mechanic friends swear by it. I had an older Honda with the bottom end of engine badly worn and got 10k extra miles out of it with Lucas oil additive and Castrol GTX. Keep the cooling system serviced and take it in right away if it even HINTS of overheating. The head gaskets are the weak link on those Northstar engines.

1995 Cadillac Eldorado ETC 4.6 Northstar

Summary:

High performance luxury car that is rather easy to maintain

Faults:

Passenger side windshield wiper became in-operational after heavy ice storm with lots of snow and ice on the windshield. It was an easy and inexpensive do it yourself (DIY) ix. I have added 3 bottles of refrigerant to the A/C. The "service ride control" message has been on for quite a while, but the ride appears to be good still.

General Comments:

An easy and high quality car that is easy and rather inexpensive to maintain. I did oil, filters, plugs, wires, and brakes on all four wheels just recently. The dual platinum plugs are supposed to be good for 100,000 miles. Mine were pretty worn after approximately 75.000 and replaced as a consequence. I also cleaned the throttle body, this is apparently a problem on all Northstar engines. Again it was an easy and inexpensive DIY fix.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th April, 2004

1995 Cadillac Eldorado ETC 4.1L

Summary:

A stylish beauty that needs lots of TLC

Faults:

A/C Compressor died after 125K miles. ($2500 repair)

Heater died after 160K miles.

Face Plate fell off of Ashtray (non smoking car)

Trunk liner fell down (plastic knobs holding liner wore out) after 130K miles.

CD player goes in and out of working.

General Comments:

I love this car, but cannot afford to keep it. I'll be trading it in for a Lexus, much lower cost of maintenance.

This is a driving car that I have taken from DC to Florida on numerous trips, downtown, & all over.

She rides like a dream and handles well too!

Back seats are comfortable.

Trunk is very large.

Again, I love this car, but cannot afford to keep her.

Chilton's does not make a manual for the Nor Star engine. Not good for a do it your self type person. The dealers are great about fixing problems when they say, but I know them on a first name basis.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th March, 2004

9th Apr 2004, 01:04

You think that Eldorado you have is expensive to repair? Wait till you get that Lexus not only is it not more reliable, but it is even more expensive to repair. I own both a Cadillac Eldorado and a Lexus es 300.

27th May 2006, 23:15

Things going wrong at 125k-150k isn't that bad. and like the other guy said, you will be paying the same in repairs, parts for import V6's and 8's are off the hook.

14th Dec 2007, 06:38

Umm, if you paid $2500 for a A\C compressor repair, then you are just ignorant. I have 2 of these cars (a 1994 and a 1997), I have replace one A/C compressor. Paid $340 for the part and installed it myself. Which was a pain in the a$$. I recommend taking this to a dealer if you're not mechanically inclined. I would be reluctant to do the rapair again. But, I still only got quoted at about $550 for the entire repair from the dealer. $2500 is an outrageous figure, and I don't know why anyone would pay that amount.

On a side note, like I said, I own 2 Eldorados, and both of them have been great. My '94 has 62,000 miles, and I love it to death. My '97 is my driver, and I have racked up 185,000 miles after buying it with 70,000 miles. It has been great. Its just now coming up on the suspension issues, but find me another set of shocks that last almost 200,000 miles. You won't.

In reply to 9th Apr 2004, 01:04

8th Jul 2019, 17:37

What year Lexus ES model are you referring to that is less reliable? I know plenty of people that owned the pre 2K Lexus ES models and had no issues with them; in fact, some even said they were the best damn vehicle they ever owned.

1995 Cadillac Eldorado

Faults:

A computer chip, that makes the transmission shift, the Dealership had it for less than a day, it has not been in for anything else, except General maintainance.

Moritz, Cadillac in Arlington TX, is our Dealership, they have been excellent, always doing above and beyond what they say, or what is expected.

General Comments:

We will never own any other make of car. We have enjoyed this car more than any we have ever owned.

The statement, "Drive a Cadillac and you will never go back", is 100% true.

Thank you for your time and ENJOY.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th June, 1998

21st May 2002, 13:05

This sounds more like an advertisement for the dealer than the car! Should be deleted.

13th Dec 2013, 08:04

Yes. First of all, thank you for your time and help. I was just reading where you had a computer that controlled your transmission. I have a 1995 SLS. The other day I drove it for the hours straight, and it shifted fine; ran good with no slipping at all. I come home, parked the car, woke up and it would not move. Do you think that is the same problem as you had? And where is the chip at?

THANK YOU SO MUCH. smokeing1tenn@yahoo.com