The fuel line is poorly designed. Steel tubing mounted underneath the car is exposed to water and road salt. Water collects in between the parallel tube lines and behind plastic mounting clips, resulting in rust and eventual rot-through. The fuel line rotted completely through, and started pissing gasoline (at 40 PSI) at the 160,000 Km mark. Thankfully, this happened on a cold rainy day!
The brake lines are run in the same manner, and parallel to the fuel line, but at much higher pressure. They are subject to the same rusting problem. Hard braking could pop the rotten line.
Speaking of brakes. They've oscillated since the 40,000 Km mark. The dealer hasn't been able to solve the problem. I've given up on the grease-monkeys there, and now take my car to a bargain basement garage across the street. The mechanics there are far more competent, and much cheaper.
Suffice to say, the brakes on this car just aren't any good.
The fan belt, called a "serpentine belt" must be replaced ridiculously often, and tends to vibrate annoyingly.
The windshield wiper switch shorts out, most frequently in heavy downpours, leaving you to guess where the car ahead of you is--at 120 Km/h.
At 100,000 Km, the climate control system went on the fritz. The air conditioning, and even the blower, fail to work in the summertime. For highway driving you must open the windows and wear ear plugs.
At 160,000 Km, the dashboard developed a new habit of blowing a fuse and blacking out, every time I shift the car into reverse. The dash is all digital so I insert fuses on occasion just to see how much fuel I have left in my gas tank, or to check my odometer reading. Because the speedometer is black, I guess my speed by "intuition."
The rear-view mirror rattles.
The car body, in general, squeaks and rattles on cold days. It's almost as though the metal has contracted in the cold and certain parts are rubbing together.
The following repairs fall into "general maintenance."
Ignition wires had to be replaced at 60,000 Km.
The aluminum rims had to be polished at 100,000 Km, because they had corroded and the tires were constantly leaking.
In a nutshell:
The engine and cooling system is 100% good. The car will not give up on you in the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead. unlike a Crap-illac, Uh, sorry, I mean Cadillac.
At the very least, The Town Car will work long enough for you to get to a garage.
The car, aside from the bad climate control in the summer, is really plush and comfortable. It's a classic land yacht. The trunk is cavernous, and it seats 6 people easily.
Most of the power equipment, including the seats, antenna, locks, windows, etc. are all still good at 160,000 Km, but the wiring itself is rotten. In a Cadillac the power equipment AND the wiring would be dead at 160K.
I will dump my Town Car soon because, although I do like it, the car is slowly disintegrating. The engine, cooling, ignition and exhaust have been great. I'm sure they could go another 160,000. But the plumbing and electrical are crap. The body and paint are just so-so.
Unlike at Cadillac, in which all parts fail at 160,000 Km like clockwork, the Town Car will suffer "death by a thousand cuts."
Nicely written and informative review, but don't denounce ALL Cadillacs just because of your bad experiences with one DeVille. FWD, unibody Caddys aren't exactly a paradigm of build quality. Had you owned a body-on-frame, RWD Cadillac, you might have had a different opinion. I once owned a 1995 Fleetwood Brougham that could easily put a Town Car to shame in all aspects. Comfort, ride, power, handling, you name it. Don't get me wrong. I respect Lincolns, and even own one myself, but there's just no comparison between a Town Car and the "Cadillac of Cadillacs." Truth be told, if given the choice between one Fleetwood Brougham and an entire fleet of Town Cars, I'd pick the Caddy without so much as a second thought.
I own a 93 lincoln town car. It has 190,000 miles on it now. The climate control failed,due to a plastic sprocket in a switch located on top of the air box under the dashboard.The part cost 37.00 dollars and 5 hours of my time. The air ride suspension failed due to, the airpump solenoid shorting out from excess water or windshield wash fluid being spilled above the pump. If you own said vehicle. Remove the windshield washer tank, then remove the foam insulation around the pump and motor assembly. This acts like a sponge for moisture. It may be a little noisier,but will be much more dependable.
My 1987 Cadillac Brougham went 262,000 miles and the only electrical problems I had were the auto day/night mirror, auto headlights, and the power antenna. The quality of my 87 RWD Cadillac is superior to Lincoln.
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