7th Jul 2004, 18:23

For the difficult start:

This sounds like a problem I recently had with my Buick LeSabre. I had a short in the starter.

1st Aug 2004, 13:38

RE: Difficult start. You have a short in your automatic door locks - security. Use key to lock and unlock front doors. Rear doors lock and unlock manually.

1st Dec 2004, 20:18

I got my 1996 Cadillac Concours from my mother-in-law in Feb of 2004 (Yes, she was the stereotypical octogenerian in Florida who gave her car to her favorite son-in-law). I LOVE driving the car on the freeway to/from work (27 miles each way, average 25 mpg on freeway) with its outstanding ride here in the San Francisco Bay area. When I got the car, it had only 50,000 miles on it. I had to replace the wheel bearings and the plastic housing around the air conditioner (it was crumbling, due to the heat according to the mechanic) and replacing a leaking valve in the A/C. This cost me about $2500 getting it fixed up. Now, at 60,000 miles, I am getting a "service ride control" message. I am afraid to take it to the dealer. According to my mechanic, if I take it to a dealer, nothing can be done on this car for less than $1,000 (Bay area prices). I love the Northstar engine, great power for passing. Even though I got this car for free (I did pay $800 for transport), I am wondering when this car is REALLY going to start costing me big money to keep. Any suggestions, comments?

15th Jun 2005, 03:15

RE: difficult start.

This could be because of bad battery contact. I had the same problem on my 1996 Deville. It cost me 10$ at a car shop.

18th Aug 2005, 15:09

1996 Sedan De ville.

Water getting in, ran a water hose on drivers side windshield, after about 60 seconds water appears in the foot well, left rear passenger side.

Can enyone help.

31st Aug 2005, 12:24

I own a 1996 Cadillac Eldorado/SE. A fine vehicle until 3 months ago when the traction control light lit and the car started to stall at idle or when slowing down. So far I have spent $1500 at the GM dealership to find the cause and repair. After being in the shop for 4 weeks this time, I picked it up and decided to live with it. I am concerned as the stall occurs more frequently and could become a safety problem. Can anyone suggest further steps I can take to correct this problem?

9th Jun 2006, 23:02

My 96 Deville has 150,000kms on her and the only thing I have had to do is replace the thermostat. Other than that one minor repair this beast has treated me well. I would buy the DTS after my experience with my Deville. 10 years old and still great performance from the northstar too.

10th Jan 2007, 20:44

Man the Cadillac De Ville is a really GREAT SMOOTH ride. oh my god. today I test drove a 96 De Ville and fell in love! I'm going on Saturday to pick it up! I am getting kind of spooked after all these problems you all seem to have and the high cost $$$ to repair them, but I mean IT IS A CADILLAC =)

2nd Feb 2007, 22:54

1996 Deville with 100,650 miles. I purchased in 1999 with 23,000 miles on it. It did not give me any major problems until recently. It started it with air condition compressor and then the water pump, EGR valve, fuel pressure regulator. I had to replace them respectively. I am not mechanically inclined so all the repairs are done at the local garage or the dealership which the repair costs are very expensive. I enjoy driving this vehicle and expect the repairs as the vehicle gets older, but here are my problems.

1. The front end shakes when apply brake at 40 + mph – Brake discs and pads checked by certified mechanic.

2. Engine stalls when drive through a puddle. - The local mechanics say nothing wrong with vehicle.

3. Rough idle and hard to start when warm - OBDII Scanner does not show any error codes.

4. Sometimes check engine or service soon warning indicator comes on and goes off. - OBDII Scanner does not show any error codes.

31st Oct 2007, 00:47

I bought my 1996 Cadillac De Ville over a year ago for the sweet tune of $5000 cash from a used dealer and it had 105,000 miles on it. I have had no problems with it at all. I love the car. It had one owner before me; kept ALL the receipts for work done on the car. The problem I have now is that the "service engine soon" light comes on AND "theft system problem - car may not restart." I have ignored this for about 5 months now. I know that it's not the right thing to do, but I don't make all kinds of money. I guess I should have thought about that before buying a Cadillac, but it was a sweet car for an excellent price (the money was a gift to me anyway from my mom). So the car was free to me. However, after reading all these stories and pro's n con's. How do I deal with the above problems. Other than that, the car is still in mint condition, set aside the somewhat worn leather seats. This car has been amazing; driving it all over the United States. If anyone could give me information on how to deal with the above problems without paying out the wazoo!! Thanks!!!

26th Aug 2008, 22:17

I have a 1999 Cadillac Deville with 54k Miles on it. It tries to start, but can't. When I disconnect the battery for a min or so and then start the car starts, but starts and immediately dies within 1 sec. The display says " Security system problem car may not restart" Please assist me in this problem,. My name is Travis (214) 243-5649, if I don't answer please leave message with contact info.

19th Aug 2009, 20:27

Just wanted to say, if you drive 100 miles a day between work as I once did, then you drive at least 500 miles a week or 26000 a year. In all reality, you probably drive closer to 28k or 30k a year.

Considering replacing brakes every 30k is fairly standard, I'd say that's exceptional for a large car. I had a '84 Buick Park Ave for a while, and I got about 20k on a set of pads. Granted, it had a second mechanism that sounded like a squealer only when I do not hit the brakes that came on when I had 55-60% pads left, but to shut it up I had to replace my front pads every 20k or so.

More expensive brake pads, such as ceramics might last longer, but will cost more and may not stop as smooth. I'd be fairly content with a year.

10th Jul 2010, 02:45

Looking at buying a 96 Deville. The check came back clean, no accidents etc. The seller "private owner" is asking 1000. The car has 112k on it and he garaged it when the head gasket blew. I looked up head gasket prices ranging 20 bucks. I'm looking for a nice steady sailing family car that I can keep on the road without destroying myself. At this point the car is getting up there in years, but looks well maintained. Should I keep looking for something better, or jump on this?