What Type of Synthetic Oil Should I Use for a Cadillac CTS?
by Jeremy Cato
The Cadillac CTS is a luxury vehicle that comes in three body styles: sport sedan, coupe and sport wagon. The engines of all three styles require the same type of synthetic oil.
Synthetic Oil Types
Synthetic engine oils fall into types based on viscosity. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) determines these types, or grades, to identify the proper oil for a certain type of vehicle. Oils can be either monograde, represented by a single number or number plus a "W" for winter (SAE 120, SAE 10W), or multigrade, represented by a number and "W" followed by a hyphen and a second number (SAE 10W-30, SAE 5W-10).
Synthetic Oil in the CTS
All three Cadillac CTS and CTS-V cars require SAE 5W-30 engine oil. Although it specifies no particular brand,Cadillac recommends Dexos-certified oils that bear the Dexos mark; Dexos is an oil-rating standard used by many automakers. If you plan to drive the car in extreme cold (-29 Celsius/-20 Fahrenheit), use 0W-30 oil.
Checking Oil in the CTS
Check engine oil levels regularly. Unscrew and pull out the dipstick (look for a yellow loop handle), and examine it. Before checking the oil, shut off the engine and allow the vehicle to set for a few minutes to allow oil to drain into the oil pan.
References
Writer Bio
Jeremy Cato is a writer from Atlanta who graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors and an English degree from Morehouse College. An avid artist and hobbyist, he began professionally writing in 2011, specializing in crafts-related articles for various websites.
