A $100,000 Lesson: My Experience with Brotherton Cadillac
In March 2025, I chose Brotherton Cadillac of Renton to purchase a CT5 Premium Luxury AWD and XT4, investing over $100,000 in total. I expected premium service, but my experience quickly soured. My CT5 developed major issues: OnStar and antenna failures at 250 miles, GPS and Super Cruise problems at 900 miles, and a catastrophic engine fault at 1,450 miles—with engine replacement on indefinite backorder. In my first 85 days, the car spent over 40 days in the shop.
The loaner process was disappointing. I was first given a pre-owned XT5, then swapped into a visibly damaged 2024 Buick Encore with a broken grille, no adaptive cruise, and no AWD. All the while, I continued paying over $1,000/month for a car I couldn’t drive.
Communication was terrible. The Cadillac Dispute Coordinator never returned my calls or emails, and Arun, the General Manager at Brotherton was unprofessional — raising his voice during a call and bullying me to remove my prior review (see screenshot of email exchange) by promising a replacement CT5 - which he later indicated would not arrive for another 60 days. After a week, Arun never followed up. I later learned the voluntary swap was canceled because my loan wasn’t with GM Financial and Arun never verified Idaho Credit Union would do a collateral swap and I would have to proceed through arbitration on my own anyway.
In terms of procedural history: On May 8, after Cadillac refused my voluntary repurchase request—despite knowing the engine replacement would surpass the 30-day Lemon Law limit—I filed a BBB AUTO LINE case. On May 10, I sent a formal repurchase letter to Cadillac. By May 24, my car had officially surpassed the 30-day Lemon Law threshold. On May 28, Cadillac offered a vague “voluntary trade,” but refused to provide details unless I accepted first. As of June 11, there’s still no ETA for the engine, injector seal kits are unavailable nationwide, no repurchase figures, and no replacement VIN, and no certainty that I can even do a swap - since I financed through Idaho Credit Union.
This experience has been a financial, emotional, and professional burden. I’m paying over $1,000/month for a car I cannot drive. I paid $180 for custom Marine Corps plates I’ve never installed. I’ve lost hours of billable legal time compiling documents, calling Cadillac, and retaining Lemon Law counsel. My professional reputation has suffered, arriving at client meetings in a damaged rental.
Given the repeated failures and lack of communication, empathy, and effort - I have zero confidence in any replacement CT5 from Brotherton. Their management has shown a lack of follow-through and broken promises. I’m canceling all service plans and pursuing a full repurchase under the Lemon Law.
I expected transparent, proactive updates and strong advocacy. Instead, I received silence, conflicting answers, and was bullied to remove my review. I expected an equivalent loaner, but got a downgraded, damaged car. I expected a swift remedy, but have faced denials, canceled swaps, and endless backorders.
Brotherton Cadillac markets luxury but delivers indifference. If you value your time, money, or sanity, look elsewhere for a luxury vehicle. When problems arise, you will find yourself on your own.
Net Promoter® NPS®, NPS Prism® et les émoticônes associées au NPS sont des marques déposées de Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc. et Fred Reichheld. Net Promoter Score™ et Net Promoter System™ sont des marques de service de Bain & Company, Inc. et Fred Reichheld.
Attention
Nous utilisons des témoins pour personnaliser le contenu, activer certaines fonctionnalités et suivre les analyses du site à des fins de marketing. Vous consentez à nos témoins si vous continuez d'utiliser ce site Web.
The loaner process was disappointing. I was first given a pre-owned XT5, then swapped into a visibly damaged 2024 Buick Encore with a broken grille, no adaptive cruise, and no AWD. All the while, I continued paying over $1,000/month for a car I couldn’t drive.
Communication was terrible. The Cadillac Dispute Coordinator never returned my calls or emails, and Arun, the General Manager at Brotherton was unprofessional — raising his voice during a call and bullying me to remove my prior review (see screenshot of email exchange) by promising a replacement CT5 - which he later indicated would not arrive for another 60 days. After a week, Arun never followed up. I later learned the voluntary swap was canceled because my loan wasn’t with GM Financial and Arun never verified Idaho Credit Union would do a collateral swap and I would have to proceed through arbitration on my own anyway.
In terms of procedural history: On May 8, after Cadillac refused my voluntary repurchase request—despite knowing the engine replacement would surpass the 30-day Lemon Law limit—I filed a BBB AUTO LINE case. On May 10, I sent a formal repurchase letter to Cadillac. By May 24, my car had officially surpassed the 30-day Lemon Law threshold. On May 28, Cadillac offered a vague “voluntary trade,” but refused to provide details unless I accepted first. As of June 11, there’s still no ETA for the engine, injector seal kits are unavailable nationwide, no repurchase figures, and no replacement VIN, and no certainty that I can even do a swap - since I financed through Idaho Credit Union.
This experience has been a financial, emotional, and professional burden. I’m paying over $1,000/month for a car I cannot drive. I paid $180 for custom Marine Corps plates I’ve never installed. I’ve lost hours of billable legal time compiling documents, calling Cadillac, and retaining Lemon Law counsel. My professional reputation has suffered, arriving at client meetings in a damaged rental.
Given the repeated failures and lack of communication, empathy, and effort - I have zero confidence in any replacement CT5 from Brotherton. Their management has shown a lack of follow-through and broken promises. I’m canceling all service plans and pursuing a full repurchase under the Lemon Law.
I expected transparent, proactive updates and strong advocacy. Instead, I received silence, conflicting answers, and was bullied to remove my review. I expected an equivalent loaner, but got a downgraded, damaged car. I expected a swift remedy, but have faced denials, canceled swaps, and endless backorders.
Brotherton Cadillac markets luxury but delivers indifference. If you value your time, money, or sanity, look elsewhere for a luxury vehicle. When problems arise, you will find yourself on your own.