Yesterday, Cadillac President Steve Carlisle dropped major news: Cadillac is packing up its New York City headquarters and returning to Michigan. Is the move back to Michigan in Cadillac’s best interest?
The NYC experiment lasted four years, of which former Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen oversaw the division. Under Carlisle, a lifetime GM employee, he decided taking Cadillac’s talents back to Warren, Michigan, was the best move. In his explanation for the decision, he told the Wall Street Journal, “We’ve got to think about how we take inefficiencies out of the communication process between the Cadillac team and the GM partners.”
He referenced the sheer volume of new vehicles Cadillac plans to launch between now and 2021 with a new car scheduled to bow every six months.
Clearly, the cohesiveness between the GM mothership in Detroit and Cadillac’s SoHo headquarters wasn’t as smooth as the company led on. However, it’s unclear if this move is Carlisle’s first major act as Cadillac President, or if higher-ups were finally able to stranglehold the brand and bring it back home for greater supervision.
GM has a lot to lose if Cadillac doesn’t exit its umpteenth rebirth as a success. The automaker previously earmarked $12 billion (billion with a “b”) for its transformation. Certainly, flip-flopping the headquarters between Warren, Michigan, and New York City, New York, can’t be good for the budget.
While some proponents will applaud the move as Cadillac has a homecoming moment of sorts, analysts began to believe the NYC move was paying off. According to former executives, Cadillac attracted talent that otherwise wouldn’t relocate to the Detroit area. Further, the NYC image played very well with an important market: China. The country has surpassed the United States as the brand’s largest market, which boomed under de Nysschen. Unfortunately, the U.S. market never did under his watch.
With that said, we’ll give readers the floor. Vote in our poll and strike up a conversation in the comment section below.
Comments
It’s not like they are moving back into the Ren Cen. At least all of Cadillac from Marketing to engineering could all be set up in one building in Warren.
The whole idea of NYC was to protect Cadillac from a puppet GM lifer.
Well so much got that now.
With technology today Cadillsc could efficiency operate world wide but GM can control them much more when they are close to Detroit.
This is not a really good thing.
In today’s connected world why on Earth anyone would think being in NY, Warren or Detroit makes a difference is beyond me. They are there to toe the company line and it wouldn’t matter if the HQ was in Outer Mongolia for that to happen.
Ed what you do not understand is what goes on in the design studio and product planning in NYC did not suffer the drop by of board members or staff that could oppose things Cadillac wants and needs to do.
Some of the best projects GM has had in the last 60 years was hidden from leadership. Cars designed in the tech center basement and others built off site have pushed limits and broken rules but gave us the best products.
The GTO was built in the test garage. It broke rules.
The Trans Am and 455 SD were both covert cars built in hiding.
The Sting Ray was built by Bill Mitchell in hiding with parts that should have been scrapped. He then paid out of his own pocket to race the car that led to the 63 Corvette.
There are more. The Fiero was sent to Entech engineering to be completed. It finally won approval but then corporate underfunded it to failure.
You want more?
GM needs to let their division be more divisions than just GM models.
There away from these ren cen, they have there own place, own staff, own people, just like there were in New York.
They can be headquartered on mars for all I care… the products should speak for itself. While I do think it’s part of history that Cadillac has been a Detroit luxury brand for the last 100 years so it makes sense to keep the brand where it has been.
The last four years New York was home for the high execs and for marketing/branding. The cars were still being engineered in Michigan… they were still communicating back and fourth so this makes sense it cleans up the process.
What difference did it make being HQred in New York? Fashion week? Oscars? I could care less. No uptick in sales. Everyone with a pulse knew only way to increase sales was make a solid product and add 3 suvs.
Also for all saying it’s the point of Cadillac was away from the REN CEN, c’on there are things called email phones planes. If the top dogs wanted something done over at Cadillac being in New York wasn’t going to stop them. I’m sure there was communication between NY and DET daily as if they were in the same building.
Look! I understand, for the most part, the move to New York. Cadillac’s purpose wasn’t to sell cars to New Yorkers, who rarely buy cars! They wanted to further separate Cadillac from the parent company and better appeal to potentially younger, more skilled talent; although they could’ve, and still could, achieve this from Detroit! What I’m concerned about is how this brand is going to undo the stigma, lack of appeal, and brand damage caused by 40+ years of mediocre products! Now I wasn’t the biggest fan of Johan de Nysschen’s lofty ideas, some of which included this whole move to New York and opening up a fashion store and what not! All of that could come AFTER the Cadillac brand name, products and image are repaired! But what I was onboard with with Mr. de Nysschen was his overall vision to make Cadillac more competitive with the best in the luxury business! He saw how BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc are run and wanted to emulate their drive, passion and approach, NOT their products! The fact that it was known in the GM culture that they needed to invest in exclusive power trains, platforms, suspensions, chassis, technology and engineering shows what’s needed to make Cadillac a more desirable and appealing brand! de Nysschen was a good leader in trying to achieve these things! I suppose his greatest error was timing!
Now with this news, it’s only highlighting GM’s failure to properly maintain this brand! I’m not even looking forward to this so-called product offensive to come! The XT4 is pretty much a good indicator of what to expect from this brand! Anything remotely interesting may not come for years, or maybe never! Honestly, I’d rather GM invest more in Buick and GMC! These two brands are better carrying the luxury image GM has achieved! Let the Cadillac brand die! Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but I just don’t see this once storied brand returning to greatness anytime soon! The CT4\5 cars will most likely be more of the same as the ATS\CTS, the Escalade is already reported to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, the XT4 reviews are rather lukewarm, and every crossover to come will be based on current GM architecture! Why should I care about this brand?!…
“He saw how BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc are run and wanted to emulate their drive, passion and approach, NOT their products!”
I’ve pulled out the line that carries the most weight, and because I agree 100% with it.
If Mercedes can have consumers ‘live inside the brand’ by creating a universe where their car becomes an luxury experience rather than just a badge, then the consumer is more likely to enjoy the qualities that the brand represents. Concierge services, exclusive offers to current leaseholders, reserved parking at special events, and airline travel arrangements that forgo lines and grants access to departure lounges. Details like these and others that when done properly are highly addictive to the consumer who would gladly pay for them.
Its part of the totality of the experience of owing a Mercedes that keeps people coming back to the brand.
Fro Cadillac to rise to a level that Mercedes is at would require a level of physical, managerial separation from corporate, and a complete immersion in the world’s largest luxury market that is Manhattan. That’s what JDN set out to do, and while noble in his attempts, it wasn’t given a enough exercise, time, or even support from Detroit.
In a small way, the RenCentre is telling Cadillac to ‘know it’s place’, and that it should have never reached out into the world of designer luxury; that it’s no place for a Cadillac.
It’s an admission of defeat; that Cadillac cannot find any place for itself in the luxury world.
I don’t think that level of understanding of the ‘experience of luxury’ can be had if Cadillac is fully entrenched in Detroit and fully subservient to the heads of the RenCentre.
Did they really ever move, that was more of a pop up shop for marketing and to display products to people who have little or no interest in the brand. The only way Cadillac will ever be a significant player in the luxury car market in the USA again is to stop copying so many manufacturers and become the trendsetter it was decadrs ago. There are too many stiffs and milenials who don’t understand the brand or the market. And hurry up and get rid of the CT and XT nonsense, (MK’s are fading away at Lincoln). They are coming out wirh a lot of products, and some will be very nice, The CT6 V-SPORT with is V8 engine is one of them, I just wish it had a different name. You can’t turn a American brand European, and quit hiring executives who formerly worked for your competitors. A Cadillac badge and being spld at a Cadillac dealership, does not make it a Cadillac, (see Cimarron).
“There are too many stiffs and milenials who don’t understand the brand or the market.”
There’s also far too many old people with little to no disposable income who also don’t understand the Cadillac brand or the luxury consumer market.
The products you say are very nice are the ones JDN was trying to build, A Detroit controlled Cadillac would have never invested in a all new Cadillac exclusive V8, it would be nothing but more shit box Rebadged FWD Buicks, corporate engines, and cut corners.
keep em in NYC
No, it’s a bad move.
It shows that Cadillac doesn’t have a word & can’t stick to or follow through with this anything. It also shows that this CEO is just another spineless GM shell, the beancounters still running the show & GM never changed.
The move to New York was necessary to get away from the infomus toxic GM culture, attract new talents & change Cadillac’s image. Now look, I don’t care where Steve runs the company from, he could run it from a garage or a hangar for all I care …. The late Sergio ran FCA from the back of a private jet for God sake.
He could’ve set up shop in Detriot, somewhere in one of Cadillac’s studios & kept the marketing department doing their thing in New York … No fuss no muss.
Typical shortsighted GM decision, they never learn & sooner or later their incompetence will catch up to them.
It doesn’t matter what city their headquarters are in Cadillac is going to be on top of the luxury car market when their turn around is complete!
Cadillac outsells all luxury brands worldwide except for Audi, Benz, BMW! Cadillac is coming and they will not be stopped!
Cadillac will be strong, but to be competitive worldwide, It should at least top 3, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes probably sell 1.7 to 2 million plus units, Cadillac sales worldwide sales are rising but they probably only moving 4 hundred thousand units. There’s a big gap from 3 to 4. Needless to say they will have very nice and some not so very nice products.
Here is the simple truth, Cadillac needs to be run as Cadillac and not as a GM Division.
To be honest Cadillac needs more autonomy of their brand from GM than they need it in their cars.
In fact all their divisions could use a little more localized control.
That, right there, is exactly what is needed and exactly what a move to anywhere outside of Detroit is about.
Autonomy from GM is what is needed to manage the brand and to develop proper vehicles unriddled by GM’s notoriously-extreme penchant for pinching pennies and slashing costs, which result in an inferior product, sub-par sales, and catastrophic brand image.
Until C-level GM execs realize that this is what is needed for all brands, the only viable solution for Cadillac is to have its own autonomy in a separate workplace. But for GM to make this realization, execs will need to concede that there is something wrong with the current way of doing things… and that’s asking a lot.
Are we only talking about the parts and pieces that the public can see? Because I dont have a problem with sharing parts with GMC, Chevrolet, Buick.
Cadillac can’t share engines but transmissions are ok? What about rear differentials? What about brakes do those need to be Cadillac only? What about air compressors? How about airbags? How about seat motors? Are all of these suppose to be Cadillac only parts?
The public doesn’t mind the use other parts from with in GM they just dont want to see it on a Cadillac!
So let me ask you is every car that GM makes suppose to have a one off steering wheel designed just for that car?
This seems to be a only Cadillac/GM problem! The customers hold Cadillac to this hi standard they expect them to live by but turn a blind eye to other manufacturers that do exactly the same thing.
So why is Cadillac the only company has is pressured to do something other manufacturers dont have to?
Its more complicated than that.
Yes, everything the customer can see, touch & feel in the cabin should be exclusive to Cadillac. That includes the little things like Switches, Buttons & Knobs, Stalks, Shifters, Gauges, Floor mats … Etc. Audi spent millions of Euros developing & making sure every button in their cars make a distinct clicking sound & have a different techtile feel from other cars … Including VAG’s own Porsche & Bentley.
Some under the skin parts can be shared, like oil pans, electrical systems, sensors such as TPS & whatnot, actuators, maybe even air compressors, but there are rules of course: 1) You don’t share stuff from a Chevy Sparks with an Escalade or a CT6. & 2) You don’t brand said parts CHEVYROLET.
Transmissions are a special case because unlike most other companies, GM develop & build them inhouse. Personally, If was running Cadillac, I’d give the transmission department an ultimatum, if still they can’t their act together and calibrate them properly I’d ditch them & go ZF.
Engines are mostly a No because GM sticks their 2.x & 3.6 corporate engines into almost everything. Can’t have a $90k Cadillac share the same engine with a Traverse.
Yes, every division within GM should have its own Steering Wheel designs. If VAG can give VW, Audi, Bentley, Porsche, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Skoda & Seat their own steering wheels, why can’t GM do the same? Audi & BMW have multiple designs depending on the vehicle’s configuration.
Cadillac is far from being the only one who gets pressured about this. Lincoln used to be the poster child for part sharing for decades, same with pre-Tata era Jaguar. Genesis still don’t get this & Maserati is heading towards that path.
If Cadillac wants to play with the big dogs, there are rules they have to play by & expectations they have meet & excede to be taken seriously. You can’t claim to be “Standard of the world” & take shortcuts … That $#_& doesn’t fly anymore.
Ice you get it.
As JDN said it is the details. When he got replaced I envisioned the cars being changed from their own door handles and latches to parts bin parts that no longer had a distinct sound or feel.
A Benz door may not shut better but it feels and sounds better. What better way to make an impression with a customer than to make the part they touch first in their greeting with the car.
Little things like this make a difference.
Yessir, it’s all in the details. The details are what separates proper luxury cars from appliances on wheels.
I sincerely hope JDN ordered these parts in advance, in bulk and paid for it in full to leave the beancounters no wiggle room at all.
I can’t believe I forgot to mention the door handles lol (& speaker grilles). Anyway, that doesn’t take away from the point.
Speaking of door handles, all new BMWs starting with the new 8er have an aluminum Hoffmeister kink shaped door handles (M850i, X5, Z4, the upcoming 3er) & the new Audi Q3 have an aluminum door handles shaped like they were mounted upside-down. Even Volvo put effort into designing door handles! Why can’t Cadillac come up with neat little details like that?! & Don’t get me started on Speaker Grilles.
There are executives on both sides of this argument.
As Bob Lutz stated in his Bean counters book covers that if engineers run a company they will bankrupt it. But he counters too that if accountants run it the product suffers then you go bankrupt that way. The key is to balance great design and engineering with leaders that spend wisely.
They need the engineers to do what they do best and get The accountants to help find ways to pay for it. The long term rewards are better products, higher sales volumes that drive better profits.
Lutz pointed out how a designer was going to cut the chrome around the Impala windows. Lutz said why doesn’t it look better with it? The designer said yes but it would put them over budget.
Lutz said would you rather get over budget and sell more cars or fail with poor sales and stay in budget.
Someone at GM needs to stand up and do what is right not what is required.
Yes and no.
IMO the move to NYC did absolutely nothing for Cadillac except make them more “hip” in order to attract more millennial’s. Didn’t work! most millennial’s dont have the money to spend on high end cars, most dont care about cars, and if they do splurge, its either going to be something practical, cheap and “boring” like a Lexus, or something in your face like Mercedes or BMW. Yeah sure, they had a few drag shows, maybe a film festival for “African American directed only” films….but did sales really increase? No. Maybe in China.
On the flip side, I do think that if Caddy were to move outside of Detroit, it should be somewhere like Philadelphia, or Atlantic city, or Nashville. Cadillac was (and still is) an American Icon; whats more American then the birthplace of our current government? Cadillac was also a very big part of the whole “mob” scene (think early 1900, Atlantic city, Italians, speak-easy’s), Atlantic city would be a great town for Caddy. Cadillac is also a very big part of the whole “country music” atmosphere (as is Chevrolet). Much of the hardcore “American” Midwest has a great appreciation for Cadillac.
NYC, LA, Miami…..all bad fits for Cadillac.
I would very much welcome a Cadillac museum in Detroit. think all glass, ultra modern, yet still cozy building with every current Cadillac model and a bunch of classics.
It makes sense to bring Cadillac back to Detroit. Cadillac is a Motown luxury vehicle plain and simple. American-made American Automobile American vehicle. Take pride in where we are made and where we are headquartered.
“Cadillac is a Motown luxury vehicle plain and simple. American-made American Automobile American vehicle”
1. Is that what Cadillac wants to be?
2. Is that what Cadillac needs to be?
The answer to both questions is a resounding ‘no’.
If it were ‘yes’, I’d fold and divest everything I have of GM. Afterwards, I’d expect to see habitually vaping Cadillac dealers wearing flame shirts trying desperately to up-sell a customer, with bad credit, dealer-installed landau roofs and ugly over-sized chrome rims for their 2019 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham-V.
A bit melodramatic, but Cadillac has the legacy of an unfortunate public impression that their cars are obtainable by the working class near or at the point of retirement, rather than serving as a object of desire and display for conspicuous consumption. Compounding this was the unfortunate decision to put its pricing out of step with the market for the sake of higher unit sales at the end of each quarter.
The conspicuous consumer saw the Cadillac as ordinary because anyone could get one, and the conspicuous consumer took their money elsewhere; notably to the Germans and later the Japanese.
The rest is well documented history.
What the ‘Motown luxury vehicle’ phrase means today depends on who you ask and, sadly, what social class they belong to. Cadillac is celebrated by some, but is completely alienated by others.
I could imagine just what Cadillac is going to save in business taxes. Beside, Detroit needs all the tax base it can get. When Cadillac relocated to NYC it signalled to me, and they may have stated it, was to try to look like a new company. New ways, new products and new customer base to get away from the ‘my daddies caddie” image.
Cost-wise, it makes sense to move back to Michigan.
But knowing how large companies function, I wouldn’t expect the cost savings to be funneled into sorely needed development dollars for the division. Just as I never expected moving to NYC would result in any autonomy.
So even though I never cared for the move to NYC, I suspect moving back will be of neutral impact.
The bigger problem is the XT4 is not getting too many accolades from reviewers. Even the Ford Edge ST seems more exciting for less $$.
I don’t think it matters where Cadillac is or was. If GM can’t figure out that Cadillac can’t be treated like Chevrolet they mite as well cut there losses right now and just kill Cadillac, GM is great at the cut and run. GM might need that capital to prop up 2019 trucks sales. I think most average consumers don’t really know or care if Cadillac is a GM brand X. However it will take years of reliable, customer service backed, vehicles, and GM is not good at that. GM and for sure Cadillac currently has the reputation of terrible reliability and customer service. If GM has trouble with a component you are screwed. You simply can not treat the customer of luxury brand like that, they don’t have the time or patience. Look at any media sight, follow Cadillac, there reputation SUCKS, and it was all preventable if GM would have stood behind the product. Even not that far back if you bought a great all new ATS like our 2014 you got screwed. However it didn’t take GM or Cadillac long to figure that out and change the transmission to an 8 speed but if you owned a POS 2014 you still got screwed. Look at the CUE you got screwed. Maybe GM should work with there customer to try to make them happy, maybe then the customer would want to buy another Cadillac and not an Audi. This is not opinion LOOK, READ. SAD.
Why did customers who got the ATS with a 6L45 get screwed? My 2015 ATS4 3.6 Coupe has been awesome (except for Cue and the tacky interior styling).
OK Lithium-V I agree with you that not EVERY ATS owner got screwed by the drivetrain. I personally have not driven the 3.6 with a 6 speed. However we own a 2014 and I can tell you a 2.0T with a 6 speed you got screwed. Also I love that even you can’t get out of a comment on a car you like without ( except for CUE ) So lets just say we agree not ALL got screwed by the drivetrain, I’m sure the ATS-V drivetrain is great. Here is what we will never know, how many ATS owners from 2013 to 2015 will never buy a Cadillac again, or at least a new one, or for sure a new model. Let someone else buy the junk then after GM-Cadillac figures out how to fix it, if they don’t kill it, then buy one. Maybe that’s a good thing for GM-Cadillac that way not so many dissatisfied owners.
But why did they get screwed? I know the 2.0T LTG engines from 2013-14 had pre-ignition issues that led to cracked pistons, but I haven’t heard of the tranny problems and am curious.
First we will establish peoples definition of getting screwed is differing. I am 50, I have owned a 1996 Deville NorthStar, 2004 CTS 3.6, 2005 STS AWD NorthStar, 2005 SRX AWD NorthStar, My mom has a 1999 Deville NorthStar, and this 2014 ATS AWD 2.0T. Also saying we got screwed is partially my own fault, I bought the car. This is also why all the spec numbers of torque and HP don’t matter at all anymore. If you are going from 0 to whatever this ATS is ok even better than ok. BUT if you let it shift up at all in traffic and then try to go WTF, it has no idea how to get the torque to the road. Downshift, scream RPM , and go nowhere. Then shift and go. By then the traffic is gone. I know I should get it tuned like my 2015 GMC Canyon with the 3.6. However you go drive an Audi A4 with the 2.0T AWD. The Audi is FWD/AWD which I don’t like, but that car is like driving a bullet. I did call the local Cadillac dealer and talk to them about when they were going to get the XT4 so we could go drive that and he was saying how much better the 2016 ATS with the 8 speed drove than the 2014 and the XT4 with a 9 speed should be better yet. However the list of consumers and loyal Cadillac customers that have had an ENDLESS amount of COMPLAINTS and ACTUAL WELL KNOWN PROBLEMS TO NUMEROUS TO MENTION is unbelievable. Meanwhile Cadillac says ” Its the dealers job to keep you happy” and the dealer says ” What do you want us to do that’s a GM problem” LIES and BLAME, and the competitor just keep selling cars, and FIXING them. And then there is CUE.
Just because the car doesn’t shift like you want it to or how you think it should shift doesn’t mean the transmission is not working properly!
When are people going to learn GM doesn’t make cars for you and only you!
I love to hear words of wisdom from Brian, I really liked your opinion on the rolling coal tuning it was great. I agree the transmission is working properly. There is nothing wrong with the transmission. The gearing of the transmission, differentials, diameter of the wheels, and engine torque combined is the trouble. However we don’t even have to debate this do to the FACT GM-Cadillac has once again figured it out at the expense of there customer, and changed or fixed it. Once again though through this process of trial and error with Cadillac products in the year 2014 GM-Cadillac has lost a few more tens of thousands of customers, and once again cut and ran as there is no more 2.0T with 6 speed, there is no more old CUE, and there is no more ATS being built. It is my belief that if GM-Cadillac would have spent part of the billions spent on the Cadillac turn around project, part of the money to hire and fire the top ” Great people “, part of the money moving headquarters, part of the money to for CEO bonus, and fixed the product of the people who bought them then Cadillac would not have to try to turn the business around. Those people would be happy with the product they purchased and would have felt or would feel that GM-Cadillac cared one bit that they were or are a happy returning customer. However once again CUT and RUN.
You never answered the question? Do you expect GM to build cars with you and only you in mind?
I hear people like you complain about things that are very personal. CUE is to confusing for me, transmission doesn’t shift the way I like, seats dont feel like i would like, brake pedal is to soft or hard! I could go on but what you dont get is that you dont get to make these decisions, the company does! Your not a engineer or automotive designer. They get to make those choices, and the hard part is that they have to land somewhere in the middle so GM can make most of the customers happy. GM understands there will always be a % of people who dont like their products no matter what they do.
So you dont Like The CUE why? I’ve used it, I’ve never had a problem with it. I’ve driven plenty of Cadillac cars over the last decade or so. I have never had a problem with the way they shift.
The real question is why do you expect GM to build cars to your specifications?
I’m sorry Brian but I don’t see a question above. Again I’m sorry. Now I see you question after you asked me why I didn’t see a question you never asked me. Read your comments there is no question before you asked me why I didn’t answer it. I don’t mind the operation of our CUE and I love the interior design of our ATS, heck I love the exterior design and look even better than the interior. The CUE screens delaminate from each other in the summer and you cant see or use them, Happens to thousands of them, so that has nothing to do with designing a car just for me. I would be willing to bet ALL Cadillac owners think you should be able to see there screens. Also are you sure I’m not an automotive engineer or designer? That would be great if the engineer and designer could make the choices to make the largest amount of people happy but finance makes a lot of those decisions and engineering is told to make it work. I am not talking about all the Cadillacs made in the last decade in fact that’s why I have bought 6 of them the other 5 drove and shifted great. I’m also glad all the Cadillacs you have owned in the last decade drove and shifted fine, how many is that you owned again I forgot? And one last time, well probably not knowing you, but Cadillac has fixed the shifting trouble by installing a 8 speed so it turns out even GM engineering figured out the trouble thousands of customers figured out a few months after owning. However MOST of us will not buy another ATS, but that doesn’t matter either do to the fact that GM-Cadillac discontinued the ATS altogether.
You want to talk CUE screens! I dont understand why people complain about this. Either the screen fails under warranty and it’s fixed or it fails after the warranty and the customer is responsible unless they purchased a extended warranty.
So why are people blaming GM? Buyers have got to start taking responsibility for their purchases. If you refuse to buy a extended warranty then you should not complain when the cost has to come out of your pocket.
So people argue that a part should last longer than the warranty period. Some parts do some parts dont no matter what product you purchase. But this idea that GM should make everyone of their parts to last for 15 years with zero problems is a joke!
As for you being a employee in the automotive industry, I think you would of told us this already.
Some of the pilots I deal with have this same issue with the way a component or system is supposed to work. They say something is not working properly, I test that component or system verify it works as normal and tell them there’s nothing to worry about.
So when a person takes a car into the dealer and says the transmission doesn’t shift right. The dealer inspects the car and finds no problems with the transmission. The customer gets mad and I always wanted to know. Why? If a expert looks at it and says it’s working per the manufacturer’s specifications. Why are you going to doubt them? Are you or the Mechanic or the customer?
This is why I love your comments Brian. I am both the mechanic and customer. I wasn’t complaining about the CUE system. However the CUE screen is improperly designed. The ( glue ) to laminate the poly exterior screen to the glass digitizer fails. The reason it fails is do to the slight flexing of the plastic when tightened to the CUE main stack system. As the ambient temperature is elevated to a temperature high enough to soften the ( glue ) the plastic flex pulls away from the glass. This is exactly the same as your cell phone screen if you own a tough screen except cell phones use glass on both ( no flex ), however if you drop your cell phone your outer screen cracks. I have also replaced cell phone digitizers although they break do to dropping etc. they just don’t break or delaminate sitting in the heat. It is also the same as the solar cell to the face glass as I have made solar panels also. I fixed my CUE screen in 20 minuets and a $93.00 screen, however the average customer will pay $1200.00 to $1800.00 at a dealer.
Also WHY would I have told anyone what I do or have done, and why would it matter. So currently and the last 12 years I have owned my own business. 15 years before that I was in the automotive industry. While I was in the engineering department I worked in R&D, new product design, new product testing, data acquisition, DOE engineering design of experiments, ( DOE is a process used to test and determine success and failure rates of a certain product ) I have flown all over the USA in our companies jet to test products. I have been to test tracks in Phoenix, Arizona, test facilities in Ottawa, Canada, test roads in Death Valley California. My name is on a product patent. From there I moved to the engineering department of plant operations where I designed, drew cad drawing, oversaw the machining, built, wired, PLC programmed, and computer programmed, automation and assembly equipment, to assist in the production of that product and other products our company produced. I have restored numerous vehicles, and tractors, some collectible, others brand new but damaged. I have built from start to finish 15 houses some I have owned some for others. I install GEO thermal heat, solar and wind power, and have been a licensed electrician and plumber. I spray foam insulation, do tile work, hardwood flooring, sheet rock, taping, texturing, painting, the house we live in know I built all the woodwork out of rough sawn oak lumber. I build all my own wind and solar towers out of steel. I MIG weld, TIG weld, and ARK weld.
I have rebuilt vehicle engines, tractor engines, standard and automatic vehicle transmissions electronic shifting and mechanical valve body shifting, tractor transmissions, hydraulic pumps, hydrostatic drives, electric over hydraulic actuators, electric over air actuators, and linear actuators.
So to me the neglect of any automaker to fix, repair, or make right the known product design defects is the trouble. This has nothing to do with wear or failure of a part. I have driven GM products for over 34 years and never said one word about normal product failure. This is about the Faulty design of the product. The cheapening of the block – head bolt on the NorthStar, the 2 cent spring on the cobalt ignition, the steering rack on the 09 Enclave, the fuel sender on same Enclave, the CUE screen delamination, the Takata air bag, the electric steering rack, the electric shift knob, and on and on and on.
The only thing your comments do for me is make me question why I buy GM any more and comedy once in a while.Thanks
We just see things differently!