Hi guys I am new to owning a Cadillac and new to this forum. I just purchased a 2000 Deville DTS that I am picking up on Saturday. It will have 55K on the clock by the time I get it home. What should I look for mechanically and anything I should know right of the bat?? Thanks!

 

check the wires and the timing belt, get a tune up. also it needs to go through a 120 point check up. otherwise you'll be kicking yourself in the butt in the near future.

 

It doesn't have sparkplug wires or a timing belt.

If it runs good don't worry about a tune up till 100k miles.

These cars are great for letting you know if there is a problem.

If the cars computer picks up any low fluid levels or electrical or emmision problems a message will promptly apear on your dash.

Take it to a local dealer for an oil change.

They are great at checking your car over for potential problems.
If you feel they may be misleading you about something get a second opinion.

Otherwise search this site and you will find others with the problems they have encountered with there cars.

Hope this helps.

 

Pull up the rear seat and check the battery located under the right rear passenger's area. Be sure the battery is not leaking any acid. Check this frequently. I let it go on my '00 DHS (because it's a minor hassle to get to). My original battery got old, leaked like heck, and burned a hole clear through the floor pan. I could see the pavement underneath. What tipped me off was that I could hear the exhaust sound through the hole. I "fixed" it by gluing a sheet of plastic to the floor to keep out water, noise and exhaust. This is a common problem and there is a factory fix to the tune of $500 (they install a new floor pan liner in the well.) The Deville series and Pontiac Bonnevilles of that era both suffered from this problem. I suggest you replace batteries before they get too old and start leaking.

I love my DHS. I bought it new and have 80K now. The DHS and DTS are upscale versions of the standard Deville and worth the extra bucks for what you get.