General CTS Vsport Thread

[Bob]

The time has come to do an oil change. I need to start thinking about which oil to use.

[kevm14]

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/u ... /4920126/1

No mention of my favorite "German Castrol" 0W-30.

TLDR:

I would suggest in the following order:

1. Ravenol DXG 5w30 (lowest Noack and superior flash and pour points, and only a few dollars more than M1 AP; order two oil changes at a time at Blauparts for free shipping)
2 Amsoil Signature Series 5w30 (excellent Group IV PAO oil that you cannot go wrong with, but I don't need the extra TBN and it's cost for 7,500mi OCI's)
3. Mobil1 Annual Protection 5w30 (probably the best oil for your motor that you can buy in 5qt jugs at Walmart)
4. Mobil1 Extended Protection 5w30 (Well worth the extra couple bucks over the regular M1 fully synthetic and probably the best bang for the buck)
5. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w30 (looks to be a clean-burning GTL oil derived from natural gas)

You want DEXOS1 generation 2 oil. And you want a Napa Gold/Wix filter.

Not familiar with the M1 Annual Protection but it sounds like a good pick, given that the two above it are boutique brands. Or you could just order the #1 and a Napa Gold/Wix filter.

[Bob]

The Ravenol 5L jug is $51.39 on Amazon prime. I think the M1 annual protection is around $30 for the 5 quart jug at Walmart. The Vsport requires 7 quarts so I would need to purchase two jugs of either.

[Bob]

Going to bring the Vsport in for the end of CPO clean up on Thursday (I already apologized in advance to the service adviser). Here are the issues in no particular order:

1. Hazard light switch not working
2. Some rear defroster elements not working
3. Sunroof rattle over bumps when closed (this is annoying and kind of makes me wish you could get a Premium without a sunroof)
4. Exhaust rattle on start up
5. Accessory whine under moderate acceleration (not sure if this is a pulley or tensioner).

[Bob]

Also, the brakes are still not perfect. Should I replace the rear rotors and pads or could it possibly be something else?

[kevm14]

My CTS-V benefitted from stainless braided brake hoses. Probably wouldn't recommend doing these yourself. I had a pretty miserable time with mine and that was pre-children. It boiled down to poor access and a staggering amount of torque required both to loosen the old ones and tighten the new ones to not leak. Access issues combined with trying to put torque on a flare nut (and not round it off) was very stressful and difficult.

I wonder if it needs a bleed with ABS cycling. Unless there was actually air in there I guess that probably isn't it.

Rear slide pins would be specifically where I'd look if the rotors and pads are still in good service. The front calipers are Brembo right? So fixed? I.e. no slide pins?

[kevm14]

1. Hazard light switch not working
2. Some rear defroster elements not working
3. Sunroof rattle over bumps when closed (this is annoying and kind of makes me wish you could get a Premium without a sunroof)
4. Exhaust rattle on start up
5. Accessory whine under moderate acceleration (not sure if this is a pulley or tensioner).

1. Seems easy...some lights on my STS are burnt out (T/C button and some steering wheel buttons) but no switches have failed. A little surprised honestly.
2. Should be a GM authorized method for fixing this. I guess if they really want to do a new rear window....whatever. My STS needs this repair also.
3. No idea what to expect here. Probably expect to be disappointed unless there is something clearly broken/cracked/whatever. A DIY repair may be more realistic depending on what it is and how accessible the necessary fix would be. Not sure if entire sunroof replacement is likely to happen. Maybe they can just tighten something? My STS sunroof rattles, too...SRX "Ultraview" is fine and I think the CTS-V is mostly fine.
4. I don't suppose you are thinking this could be turbo-related do you? Is there a TSB for this? Some heat shield somewhere?
5. Again depends on how loud it is. I'd want it fixed, too, if I had CPO. Obviously fixing the noise before whatever it is eventually lets go (could last way past 100k though) is ideal.

[Bob]

I would actually welcome a new rear window. Mine has a lot of scratches in it.

[Bob]

Yeah, I would rather fix the whine before it gets bad.

It's frustrating because the sunroof is the most annoying of all the current annoyances with the car. I hope it's bad enough that something can be identified.

[Bob]

My CTS-V benefitted from stainless braided brake hoses. Probably wouldn't recommend doing these yourself. I had a pretty miserable time with mine and that was pre-children. It boiled down to poor access and a staggering amount of torque required both to loosen the old ones and tighten the new ones to not leak. Access issues combined with trying to put torque on a flare nut (and not round it off) was very stressful and difficult.

I wonder if it needs a bleed with ABS cycling. Unless there was actually air in there I guess that probably isn't it.

Rear slide pins would be specifically where I'd look if the rotors and pads are still in good service. The front calipers are Brembo right? So fixed? I.e. no slide pins?

The brake issue feels like an out of round issue, so rear rotors and pads may be the first easy thing to check off. The front calipers are fixed (they are the same Brembos as the Camaro SS and some other GM cars, I believe). I think the pedal feel is fine so I won't bother with stainless lines at this time.