Am I the only XLR owner (2004, 19,000 miles, original owner) who is having a nightmare with the convertible hardtop.
Mine gets stuck up, it gets stuck down. It shocks me when it actually works. 18 trips to Covert Cadilac in Austin, which means that 10 % of my miles are for service.
The routine is drop off the car, wait between one week and three weeks, pick up the car, a week later the top is not working again.
Cadilac Executives have been next to worthless in really dealing with this issue which is a huge surprise. ( I was expecting more but perhaps I am used to Lexus)
Did I make $80k mistake or do I just have the only Lemon colored XLR ever made?

Deb, please search the site for top issues.....others have had the same or similar issues. If you really want it fixed, I suggest a road trip to Indiana....and I'm not kidding.

Welcome to the forum; I moved your post to a more appropriate section.

You are not the only member and/or XLR owner who has/is experiencing problems with the top. We lemoned our first XLR (04) for problems related to the top and if you search the forum you will find many others.

Most issues with the early models have been identified, perhaps your dealer needs to dig a bit deeper, although if it's been in there that many times I would be looking to dump it.

I know, others here will tell you the old company line "some dealers don't see enough of them, so they are not able to repair them as well................to that I say; if you sell 1 or 100, if you have a Cadillac logo on the building, you damn-well need to know how to fix them. And if you can't Cadillac should have tech support capable of walking you through it.

I wonder if you have the newest software for the top program. Len said that there is a new update (or was) at RIII. Have the service dept check that out.

It's a shame you're having worse luck with your dealer than your car. The top really isn't that complicated. It operates in a pre-programmed sequence, with switches acknowledging when it reaches set positions. If it fails to reach a setpoint, you get the dreaded "TOP NOT SECURE" message telling you what you most likely know: there's an issue. The Tech II analyzer reads the whole sequence, notes failure points and with the shop manual, points the tech to the likely cause. Switches are the most likely component to fail They not only have to be aligned, they need to be bonded in place to ensure correct, repeatable positioning indication. If the switches are functioning and aligned, and there is no mechanical interference, the pump/manifold assembly is suspect. (It's also expensive at $1534; I know, I just had mine replaced, but supplied the dealer with 40% cheaper parts from gmpartsdirect.) The hydraulic actuators (pistons) are pretty reliable as are the hydraulic lines --as long as they're routed properly to prevent chaffing. Take a long, slow look at the linkages for any worn paint indicating alignment/rubbing issues. Diagnosis of the fault and repair shouldn't take weeks. A good tech ought to find the cause in an hour or two, get the parts over-nighted, and have it repaired and aligned in a few hours.

And as stated before, it goes without saying they should ensure you have the latest software updates.

Find another dealer; yours is spending far too much time training on your dime with your car. Good luck!
CCC

Am I the only XLR owner (2004, 19,000 miles, original owner) who is having a nightmare with the convertible hardtop.
Mine gets stuck up, it gets stuck down. It shocks me when it actually works. 18 trips to Covert Cadilac in Austin, which means that 10 % of my miles are for service.
The routine is drop off the car, wait between one week and three weeks, pick up the car, a week later the top is not working again.
Cadilac Executives have been next to worthless in really dealing with this issue which is a huge surprise. ( I was expecting more but perhaps I am used to Lexus)
Did I make $80k mistake or do I just have the only Lemon colored XLR ever made?

If you would, send me a pm with the last 8 of your VIN and I will see if I can find you some help.

Bruce :)

I had this problem with my 06 and found that I was not parked on a level surface, I moved the car and left it for ten min. went into the house to call dealer, and when i got back outside, the top jumbed and I restarted the car and top worked. Don't know if you might have been in the same situation when you moved the top and it got out of alignment?

Look at some of my previous posts and you will see the top nightmares are not uncommon. I hate to say it for fear of something changing, but since my last trip to the dealership, everything is working great !!!!!!

I am also having top problems. The top will go all the way down but the trunk lid will not close. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I made an appointment with the dealer when it first started and then it started working OK so I had cancelled it. However it started acting up again today ???
It is a 2006
Lane

I had also experienced this problem. The best XLR mechanic (Bruce) replaced one of the sensors and all is well. No problem since.

Hope this helps.