I keep having problems with the operation of the retractable hard top. Is anyone else experiencing the same? In my case, the top sticks in the half-open position when retracting the top from the fully closed hardtop position.

I've had it back to the dealer 6 or 7 times, they "fix" it, and after one or two retractions, it sticks again.

It has happened so often, I've had to learn how to manually put it up - which is a bit of a chore.

Any hints, tips or secrets?

aviator

I have heard that if the car is NOT on level ground this may happen. I think it has some sensors that can tell if the car is not level. If it is not level at the start of a cycle it will not let you raise or lower the top at all but it maybe "just" level enough when you start making it go up but then with the weight of the top moving it makes the car off level so it stops. If it does it again you might try moving the car just a little to see if it starts again.
Blaise

Yes, I posted the message about that.

The top stuck halfway for me a couple of times, so I tried to figure out the setting before taking it in.

The two times it stuck were in my driveway, when I had just pulled out and wanted the top down. The driveway is a little bit downhill, not very much.

I checked the manual and it says that you should be on "level ground".

I suspect that if you are on a sufficient incline, the balance of the top gets out of wack and a sensor stops the whole thing.

If you "gently" pull back onto level ground, the top will work fine.

Hope this helps.

:thumbs

Thanks for the replies to both eyedoc and motorboat. My retract problem happens virtually everywhere. (I live in Houston where everything is flat as a flitter.) Our top has literally stuck more times than it has retracted.

Tom Pea**** Cadillac has been baffled thus far because the fault has been intermittent...very often, but still intermittent. The thing just wants to work OK when it's in the shop, but nowhere else.

Today may have been a breakthrough, however. After taking "Our Beloved" for its weekly visit to the shop this morning I got a call from the technician.

"Halleluia! Halleluia!" (think Handel's Messiah) A microswitch finally failed during a retract test and the problem may be resolved.

We'll see....

I promise to report back.

Top refused to go down this week. Took it to dealer who corrected it. Said that a right side "bolt" which is really a lug mounted on a cam, had turned a quarter turn and therefore was not in alignment with the socket it needed to enter for the top to continue to retract. All works well now.
Bill in FL

Quick update on my malfunctioning top:

According to Tom Pea**** Cadillac (interesting how the dealer's name is automatically censored by the forum. Hint: The dealers name is a peafowl that is not a peahen):

Apparently a microswitch residing in the bodywork just above the windshield on the passenger's side failed. I was told that this has happened often enough for Cadillac to revise the design of the mechanical interface. Unfortunately, the part is on back order.

They did a quick fix on the microswitch, so top is working now, but its too bloody hot and humid here in Houston to put the top down anyway.

More later...

aviator

I took delivery on my black XLR end of June 2004. The top often gets stuck on the way down. It's always at the same point; the trunk is at it's most extended in the air, and the plastic facia is vertical. I do not know what of the myriad things I do eventually unstick it; putting the car in reverse, stepping on the gas, and then braking hard seems to be the more likely action to do the trick. It will do it on a flat horizontal surface; it will do it every time, for days, and then not for a couple days (humidity related?) The dealer doesn't seem to know what to do about it. Do you think the switch you mentioned on passenger side might be the problem?

BTW: when I ordered the car, I was told to expect delivery in early Spring. Then the dealer said that Cadillac halted production to fix a known top problem. Wonder if this is true, and if so, a different or the same problem?

Thanks for advice,
Audrey

I have a 95' 3000 GT VR-4 Spyder with the ASC folding hardtop. Soon after I received it, it was recalled to the Mitsu dealership along with ALL SPYDERS to put in stronger motors so it would work on any road angle. Other modifications were also performed. The car had to be left only 1 day. It cost Mitsu and ASC a fortune!!

Results: Here we are some 9 YEARS LATER and it has been working PERFECTLY in my Spyder (41,000 miles) as well as my brother's (75,000). :thumbs

So stay in close contact with Cadillac and ASC so your problems are ironed out early on. We all paid quite alot ($68,000 in 1995) for a special-feature car and these great companies will come through if you persist. Don't give up!!!
:flag Have a great summer! Bob @ WINDBAFFLE

Audrey-
It sounds like you have the exact problem that I've experienced. Always when putting the top down, always in the same spot - where the trunk is at its zenith, and the top has folded into the trunk. I'll bet it is one of the microswitches above the windshield.

You may want t make certain that that rectangular support gizmo in the trunk is properly snapped in place.

Have you learned how to manually put the top up? It's not terribly difficult, doesn't require great strength, and is worth learning. That way you are never "stuck" somewhere (in the rain) with the top half up, like I have been.

If your dealer can't isolate the problem, I may be able to help put you in contact with my guy. The technician at my dealership frutzed around with this for two months before we finally isolated the problem.

Let me know what is up.

What is the best way to "learn" how to manually lower or raise the top?

Can you do it by going through the manual step by step. Or, should you have someone at the dealer run through it with you?

As you mentioned, there is a procedure in the manual. It is somewhat helpful, but there are some tricks. It is easier than it looks.

I have not discovered a way to manually lower the top. I believe this procedure to be an emergency measure to raise the top in case you are out somewhere and the top is stuck in a half-open position.

Here is what I’ve learned:

1) In the trunk there are two wells below the carpet cover. One is on the left the other is on the right adjacent the sidewall. Each has a plastic cover. Remove both covers.

2) Look in the right well. There should be a fair-sized “L” shaped special Allen wrench which I shall affectionately refer to as Your Tool. You MUST locate Your Tool. It may also be in the glove box or the console. The car is supposed to have one. If not contact your dealer and they will give it to you.

3) Look in the left well. This is where the hydraulic pump that operates the top lives. Reach inside the well on the side of the pump and find a small T shaped handle. Turn the handle counter-clockwise. This relieves and equalizes the pressure on the hydraulic system. Leave this valve open for now.

4) Wait a few (5-10) minutes to let the system bleed off and equalize.

5) Confirm that the system is equalized by gently pulling down on the trunk lid. Don’t force it. This should only take a light tug. The trunk lid should try to close, but leave it open. If pressure is still on the system the trunk won’t budge. YOU SHOULD NEVER TRY TO MANUALLY OPERATE THE TOP MECHANISM WITH PRESSURE ON THE SYSTEM. You’ll bend something or blow out a seal, so don’t get tough. Easy does it.

6) Gently lift the top up and forward until the little “hooker deals” on the top align with the grooves on the windshield. It may look as if the top is not quite unfolded – sticking up slightly in the back. We’ll fix that in a minute.

7) Grab Your Tool and sit in either the driver or passenger side depending on your right or left hand preference.

8) There is a small round cover on the inside center of the top just above the mirror. This should remove easily with just your fingers or a small (clean) screwdriver, exposing an access hole.

9) While still sitting in the car reach out and pull down on the top at a location close to the folding joint. Simultaneously, place Your Tool in the access hole and turn clockwise approximately ¼ turn or 90 degrees. This requires a little muscle. I thought I was going to damage My Tool, before it finally clicked. Ahhh! It should give you a satisfying click when the top is properly locked. If not, you will get a “Top Not Secure” message when you crank up.

10) Immediately behind the headrest there are three interconnected covers: two small “wings” that rotate outwards and a large rectangular “flap”. Don’t mess with the flap. Reach behind the headrest and rotate one or both of the wings outward. They should easily move, and when they do, the flap will also lower.

11) IMPORTANT! Go back into the trunk, reach in the left well and close the T shaped hydraulic bleed valve by turning clockwise. If you forget, the hydraulic system will not be able to develop pressure for subsequent top (and trunk opening) operations, and you will have to open the trunk with your key. (Do you know how to do that?)

12) You now can close the trunk manually, and you’re ready to rock. Always put Your Tool where you know where it is – as with everything in life.

In reading/reviewing this epistle, the procedure looks more difficult than it actually is. It only takes about two minutes after the system is bled down. It really beats calling a wrecker and seeing Your Precious hauled off with the trunk stuck open and the top down, and/or getting the interior wet. It’s also a lot easier than putting the top up normally on a Jeep Wrangler.

Why not ask GM or ASC to make up and supply a "DVD" to everyone which instructs you how to manually raise the top in emergencies. You could play it step by step right on your dash.
We had a VHS supplied for the 3000 GT VR-4 Spyders. You couldn't play it in the car back then. Bob @ Windbaffle

Luckily, we live in sunny California, where rain is a rarity.. well, maybe not so lucky ( I hate the heat)... anyway, I can't imagine being in a sudden, heavy downpour and having to wait 5-10 minutes in order to put the top down? The rain could be over by then!

Aviator,

Great set of directions for the getting the roof down. I have not had to do it on my XLR but I did perform the function for an XLR owner passing through town. But it not a method that you would want to use in a down pour.

DFXLR :cheers :iagree

You're welcome.

If you guys could just bottle that Southern California climate....

Ironically, it was a beautiful early May day urging me to put the top down on my bride's freshly waxed XLR . It was cool, low humidity (for Houston), and with a few scattered clouds. I pulled over in front of a Taco Bell, pushed the button, and the top hung up - trunk lid up, top folded therein.

&%$#@!! I began at step 1 of the procedure above. As you point out it does take a while if you include the bleed down period. That's long enought for serious climactic changes here. Before completion, An XLR sized cloud drifted over us and began to rain. I got wet. The Taco Bell didn't. This is Houston, and I do love it (most of the time).

Sometimes you eat the Bear, sometimes he eats you.

The idea of a video demo is a great one.

Maybe Allen can give us insight on whether this is something that Cadillac would do?

Finally happened to me.

I just got my XLR back from the shop (working non ignition switch). I went to put the top down (to demo to a friend) and it got stuck.

I was in the garage, on a flat surface. I tried cycling the switch, but nothing.

Before getting out the manual and the above instructions, I got out and "wiggled" the top (most of the way into the trunk anyway) a bit.

I got back in and tried again, this time it completed the cycle -- the trunk lowered and everything latched.

Opening and lowering again worked fine.

Anyone else tried the "wiggle"? I did not force anything, just tried to move it a bit to see if that might "reset" one of the switches that have been mentioned.

If this works for others, it might be an alternative to the manual approach.

Top sticking in the middle of demo for a friend. Embarrassing, ain't it?

If it happens again I'll try "The Wiggle". Cadillac has apparently fixed my problem. Halleulia, amen! They did a great job to solve an elusive problem.

Regardless, everone who has an XLR should be able to locate "Your Tool", as described that "epistle" I posted earlier. It is a special tool designed for your XLR that you will not be able to latch the top into place without. If you can't locate Your Tool get one from the dealer. It was supposed to be in your car at delivery.

As stated, that long procedure is what you should do right before calling a wrecker. I suspect that every XLR owner will need it at some point.

And I keep My Tool hidden in a safe and secure location - just as I do any essential tool that needs to be brought into service at a moment's notice. ;)

I have misplaced the tool that came with my car.. does anybody know where to get one? You guys make me nervous not having one.. even though I thought I would never need it.

I'll bet you put it back where it was in the first place. See items 1 & 2 in the epistle above.

Look in the right well in the trunk.

Failing that, check with your dealer.

aviator

Well, so much for taking the car into the dealer.

The top doesn't retract fully every time (since coming back from the shop, wonder what they did? I didn't even take it in for a top problem). But the wioggle does seem to work.

My malfunction is only on retraction, and it stops every time when the top is 98% of the way into the trunk, and the trunk lid is still fully up.

You can wiggle the top, since it is not fully engaged into the trunk rest. Then you get back into the car and the retraction proceeds to completion.

There has been no difficulty on raising the top back up (fingers crossed).

Guess its back to the shop next week.

Exactly where mine was sticking. The fact that "the wiggle" works makes me think it is one of those microswitches. Check to see if that top support z-shaped deal in the trunk is properly connected. If it becomes a problem and your dealer can't isolate it, send me a private message and I'll put you in contact with my technician.

I feel your pain, amigo.

--av--

I left my car at the dealer last Monday to fix problem with top and brakes ..again!
Good news, they were able to identify the problem with the top. It's 3 microswitches housed internally under back panel. Bad news was that it has taken them over a week to get those parts to replace them!! Brakes are still an anomoly to everyone. I've already had the rotars and pads replaced once!!
I've been driving around in a loaner Cadillac Deville for a week and I'm starting to feel older everyday!!!
I MISS MY XLR!!
MIGSGIG :thumbs

EyeDoc- Allen - How do we get Cadillac to do the Video?
The idea of a video demo is a great one.

Maybe Allen can give us insight on whether this is something that Cadillac would do?

EyeDoc thanks for asking, but I have to be very firm in telling this, I strongly DO NOT recomend lowering the top manually. The ability for manual operation was put in for Cadillac Roadside Tech's & XLR Certified Tech's at the dealership. It was never designed to be operated by the owner of the vehicle.

There are many potential situations that could cause harm/dammage to the XLR or the individual that is trying to do the manual operation, for this reason I don't show my clients how to lower it manually. I do recomend that the (silver) operation tool that is in the center console from the factory be taken out & put in the storage compartment located at the right rear of the luggage compartment.

If the owner of an XLR feels they HAVE to know how to do this because he/she will be in a remote area where there are no XLR dealerships located. That owner should go to THEIR OWN SELLING DEALER and talk to them on how to over each step by step procedure with the tech veifying the owner knows what they are doing, though this is still not a recomended procedure for the owner to do.

As most of you know I have many XLR clients and only one individual had an issue with the top that was a mechanical adjustment. That is not to say regardless of the amount of testing and quality controls that were built into the retractable hard top by Cadillac engineering and CAR Top Systems, there are electronics and moving parts that could be an issue at some point of the XLR's life cycle.

I will say I have seen many individuals with their partition NOT installed correctly. It usually comes from unhooking the partition from it's lower retainers and not reinstalling it the correct way. I even have seen some people having the top section of the partition attached into the retaining points but the bottom not secured. This can cause a huge problem if the top is lowering and it rubs the bottom edge of the partition(because the owner did not secure the lower portion) the partition could be pulled out of the retention points, causing the top to stop!

Always first make sure you hear a snapping sound when pressing the round retainers of the partition to the floor, you should not be able to simply pull the partition off the floor. Then secondly make sure the partition is fully retained at it's latching points on left and right sides of the pins. ALWAYS secure the floor retainers first.

www.Cadillac-XLR.com (http://www.Cadillac-XLR.com)

Thank You
Allen

...thanks for the info Allen. After looking at the mechanism, I fully agree that one should not put the top DOWN manually. But your answer is technically incomplete.

Your most welcome post does not address putting the top UP after sticking. Several people on this forum have had the top stick while putting the top down, where the top is folded 98% in the trunk, and the trunk lid is at the full up or apex position. In my case (and in others) a microswitch failed (or had an intermittent fault) that caused the problem. What is true about microswitches, is that they virtually ALL fail over time.

My top stuck so many times that I HAD to learn how to put it up. One time, it stuck in my garage, and once it began raining (see above). The trunk apex height is taller than my garage door, so there was no getting it out until the situation was dealt with.

I can tell you with great certainty that my dealer (and I live in Houston) is not going to dispatch their "roadside hardtop retraction technician". I tried that call once, and was told that Cadillac would be sending a wrecker. Nor do I believe that Cadillac will train this army of roadside technicians to be timely dispatched every time a top sticks. Some guys have said they don't like the 5-10 minute bleed-down period. Try waiting 2 hours for a technician (or wrecker) to show.

Failing deployment of said army, how would it feel to see the car being towed away with the top in that condition? Cadillac wants to trust that to a wrecker driver? With all due respect, I call BS on that. :bs

The issue here is not to have "up and down" operation that is either manual or automatic subject to the whim of the driver du jour.

The issue is having a video (which is a great idea) that details how one is to safely put the top up in the event of an emergency so that the car can be driven to an authorized repair center. I believe it is in the owner's AND Cadillac's best interest to have owners properly trained to do so. If you have the authority to commission such a video, I urge that you do so. The procedure is not all that difficult - certainly easier (and less risky) than changing a tire.

The good news for me is that our top is fixed AND I don't need the video. The procedure is now a permanent groove in the grey matter. I feel confident to take my XLR into one of Allen's "remote areas" with utter impunity. My argument is on behalf of the others on this forum that would like to have this information.

Notwithstanding the above, this forum is the best! The fact that we have a place where Allen can respond to aviator...well it just warms my 'ol heart.

aviator

P.S. No cracks from the left coast about Houston being a "remote area" please!

Is Houston one of those frontier towns west of that big river in Louisiana?

Agree totally, a DVD that could be run on the player would be the ideal solution (pause, play, rerun).

And here I thought Louisiana was a county over in East Texas.
If it ain't, it oughta be. ;)

And to keep from offending any Cajun XLR owners: Geaux Tigers! :D

I have had my XLR for 2 weeks...I just got it back because the top alignment would not let the passenger window close... It is all fixed now

Come to think of it, why should there be so many problems-or concerns-with the XLR top? After all, millions of ordinary auto' convertible tops are on the road. Do they suffer the same fate?

Its due to the hardtop convertible.

You have to see it work to understand how complex it is.

The ragtops are simple.

I sent an animation of the top operation to Troy in hopes of him posting it on this thread.

I got your anti-spam return message, Troy. Did you get the mpeg that I sent?

Aviator

I want to some information manual about xlr hard top !who help me!!
thanks! my email:yzkyzm@yahoo.com.cn

Stuartzm,
I would suggest you put your questions on this site so everyone here can help you. I would think, starting a new thread, would be the best way, then all the information will be directed toward you.......Good Luck
Bob

I want to some information manual about xlr hard top !who help me!!
thanks! my email:yzkyzm@yahoo.com.cn

I have had top problems since I purchased the car. I have had it back to the dealers several times. I was driving the car two weeks ago and could not put up the top. I went to put in up Manually, " I have had to do this twice, so I know the procedure," and the top froze half way up. The car was put on a roll back to the dealer where it sits. I still have no answers on this one. I'm running out of patience!!!

Several of us had problems with 2004 XLR and top getting stuck.

Most of us found that there was a sensor that needed to be replaced.

After I got my serviced, there have been no problems (over 10 months now).

The problem seems bigger than that...The top will not go up in the manual mode...

The problem seems bigger than that...The top will not go up in the manual mode...
Hi there,

I`ve heard of some problems but never had a problem on my XLR. If it stays that way I only can say :thumbs :thumbs :thumbs

Harry

I also had problems with the top sensors. The dealer fix after about 5 tries was to epoxy the sensors into place! No trouble since then!

I have had top problems since I purchased the car. I have had it back to the dealers several times. I was driving the car two weeks ago and could not put up the top. I went to put in up Manually, " I have had to do this twice, so I know the procedure," and the top froze half way up. The car was put on a roll back to the dealer where it sits. I still have no answers on this one. I'm running out of patience!!!


See my earlier post entitled "Manually Raising the XLR's Top" earlier in this thread. It is a comprehsive primer and "how-to".

After opening the bleed on the hydraulic pump, give it a few minutes to allow the pressures to equalize. It should work fine for manual operation after that. Did you find "Your Tool"?

At what point during the operation did the top stick?

In that GM is not likely to produce a DVD that explains how to manually raise the top, I'm thinking about sponsoring such a production, starring hotties in black and white checkered bikinis showing all the ways I've learned to "get it up" (the top, guys, the top!) in an emergency. Who'll buy one from me?

With respect to all:
Why should anyone have to produce a video or buy one? It's time Cadillac stepped up to the plate and produced one for all XLR's.
My 59 rag top T-bird which loaded into the trunk, but was not a hard top, got stuck up in drive-in theater's, at the hop, the whale fights, and in all the damdest places. Then I bought a 63 rag top t-bird roadster which some of you have seen on this site. That one I rigged with a system to short out the system and throw a switch I installed under the dash for emergencies. This would let me put it down fully. Sometimes you just have to take matters in your owns hands. I just wish I could remember what the hell I did back in those inventive days.
After owning these cars, I didn't even hesitate in buying a car with this kind of mechanism. My thinking was, "this is probable a better mouse trap"......WRONG.......This has been going on forever, you would think they could get it right by now.
I've been very fortunate not to have the problems you guys and gals have had and I do feel for you. It's a bit embarrasing when people are watching you and it gets stuck.
Bob


In that GM is not likely to produce a DVD that explains how to manually raise the top, I'm thinking about sponsoring such a production, starring hotties in black and white checkered bikinis showing all the ways I've learned to "get it up" (the top, guys, the top!) in an emergency. Who'll buy one from me?

See my earlier post entitled "Manually Raising the XLR's Top" earlier in this thread. It is a comprehsive primer and "how-to".

After opening the bleed on the hydraulic pump, give it a few minutes to allow the pressures to equalize. It should work fine for manual operation after that. Did you find "Your Tool"?

At what point during the operation did the top stick?

In that GM is not likely to produce a DVD that explains how to manually raise the top, I'm thinking about sponsoring such a production, starring hotties in black and white checkered bikinis showing all the ways I've learned to "get it up" (the top, guys, the top!) in an emergency. Who'll buy one from me?


It is now May 12 th and the car is still at the dealer...I'm waiting on the engineer to show up, he is suposed to be at the dealer on the 20th of May....The reason I could not move the top manually was the line were melted and would not let the hydraulic fluid beed back into pump...New lines were installed along with a new pump.."Second Replacement", top is still sticking . I'm getting used to the Deville they gave me to drive......

XLR4me-

Geez...when you find out what caused the hydraulic line to melt please let us know. I am very very curious about THAT!

standby...your killin' me, getting in my lunchbox that way. Ever the quintessential entrepreneur, ol' aviator sees money making ideas everywhere. I guess I'll file the "Hottie Chicks Help Get Your Top Up" video idea right next to my "Rent-a-Chimp" franchise epiphany. :nodno

;)

OK Lynburgh, you make a video and I'll buy one, but make it a DVD so we can put it in the nav system. Title, "Help Drop Your Top with Yo Be-och" video. http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_19_7.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk572YYUS)

standby...your killin' me, getting in my lunchbox that way. :nodno


;)

...manually that is.

I don't know a way to put the top down manually. If it gets stuck in mid-stroke, or if the motor won't respond, you can get it up. :)

To recap: Down and won't come up - use the procedure
Up and won't go down - forget about it. You're better off with it up.

In a way, the procedure is a little like Levitra... :D


As a comment, standby, your new icons are cutesy, but I don't like the puke one. :(

And of course, the vid will have to be an XLR playable DVD :thumbs

Pukey is in the trash, how about this


http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/13/13_1_213.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk572YYUS) or aviator behind the wheel of a car? http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_11_6.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxmk572YYUS)


As a comment, standby, your new icons are cutesy, but I don't like the puke one. :(

And of course, the vid will have to be an XLR playable DVD :thumbs

I have a problem with the top hanging in up or down mode with the error of "Top Not Secure". The 2005 XLR is scheduled to go into service tomorrow. I experienced a solid failure which required me to raise the top manually and secure with the roof with the supplied wrench. I will let you know what they find. By the way, does anyone know how to get the automatic feature of the top active again once you turn the switch counter clockwise in the rear of the car? I have return the switch back to its orginal position, but nothing works from an automatic perspective. Any ideas?

Thanks

I have a problem with the top hanging in up or down mode with the error of "Top Not Secure". The 2005 XLR is scheduled to go into service tomorrow. I experienced a solid failure which required me to raise the top manually and secure with the roof with the supplied wrench. I will let you know what they find. By the way, does anyone know how to get the automatic feature of the top active again once you turn the switch counter clockwise in the rear of the car? I have return the switch back to its orginal position, but nothing works from an automatic perspective. Any ideas?

Thanks
Hi jlmartin99,
I observed on my XLR two days ago, with the top down after driving of about 16 km (10 miles) the message "Top not secure". I reset it and it was gone. Yesterday, while top still was down the same thing after about 10 miles of driving.

I reset it again and then I opened my trunk and closed it and it didn`t show up again. The top works just fine, because of the weather here in germany I`ve put my top up when I returned home. No message today with the top up!!!

Harry

I hate to brag harry, but your buddy Bob has never had a problem with the top on his 2004. I have put it up and down about 4 times a day since last July. O Boy, I'm screwed now.



I also had problems with the top sensors. The dealer fix after about 5 tries was to epoxy the sensors into place! No trouble since then!

I hate to brag harry, but your buddy Bob has never had a problem with the top on his 2004. I have put it up and down about 4 times a day since last July. O Boy, I'm screwed now.

Hi Bob,

you don`t can call this TROUBLE!!!! It was, or is still working perfect only the light came on "Top not secure", that`s all. :)
Ten minutes ago my dealer called me to make a test-drive with the new STS, what do you think about it? It`s the 3.6 liter fully equipped and I read so much that this V6 is a pretty good motor (Road & Track and Car and Driver mag). The V8 with my XLR-engine will be available not before July.

Hey Bob, we got the best LUXURY-SPORTS-CARS what`s on the road today.
And I´m proud it`s an AMERICAN :flag

Have a nice day

Harry

I have a problem with the top hanging in up or down mode with the error of "Top Not Secure". The 2005 XLR is scheduled to go into service tomorrow. I experienced a solid failure which required me to raise the top manually and secure with the roof with the supplied wrench. I will let you know what they find. By the way, does anyone know how to get the automatic feature of the top active again once you turn the switch counter clockwise in the rear of the car? I have return the switch back to its orginal position, but nothing works from an automatic perspective. Any ideas?

Thanks

I encountered this after manually raising the top also. In my case, the dogs that hold the top to the windshield were not fully engaged. I also noticed that the joint where the top folds, was not quite in the correct configuration.

When you take "Your Tool" and insert it in the locking port (under the cover inside the car close to your mirror) engage the recepticle, and turn till it "clicks". You need to use some muscle. If it clicks, you shouldn't get another error.

I have a problem with the top hanging in up or down mode with the error of "Top Not Secure". The 2005 XLR is scheduled to go into service tomorrow. I experienced a solid failure which required me to raise the top manually and secure with the roof with the supplied wrench. I will let you know what they find. By the way, does anyone know how to get the automatic feature of the top active again once you turn the switch counter clockwise in the rear of the car? I have return the switch back to its orginal position, but nothing works from an automatic perspective. Any ideas?

Thanks

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Update, power Top on the XLR is working first rate after the dealer found a defective micro switch and a misaligned mico switch. All is well cruising around with the top down. Later.

Well, I guess it is my turn now. My top went down fine, but when I went to put it back up, the trunk lid opened and folded under, and the flap behind the head rests raised, but the main section of the top will not raise. I can lower the flap, unfold the trunk lid and close the trunk in an attempt to reset everything, but when I try to close the top again, I get the same response.

Have you called Cadillac with your product problem? I had a simular problem with my XLR and on the second visit I called Cadillac and requested tech support. They worked with my dealer and to date the top has worked.

Let us know your status.

JLM

In viewing your website, I notice you have 250 Black Stars being offered. When I was at Bowling Green, I was told by them that they had decided to issue another 250. I'm sure you will check this out before changing info on your website.

Well, I guess it is my turn now. My top went down fine, but when I went to put it back up, the trunk lid opened and folded under, and the flap behind the head rests raised, but the main section of the top will not raise. I can lower the flap, unfold the trunk lid and close the trunk in an attempt to reset everything, but when I try to close the top again, I get the same response.

You're in the right place. This is the thread that will tell you how to re-set your top. You need to put the top all the way up manually, latch it in place, and then the top is re-set. Then put it back down with the electric button.

Look at the first few posts of this thread and there is a step by step instruction on how to do it. First, locate "Your tool". You'll need it.

Good luck

I got my 2005 XLR in October of '04 and loved it until we hit 5000 miles- suddenly, I am always getting stuck with the top half open, the truck up and the windows down!!! Not to mention the very cute "top not secure" message I get when I do manage to get the top shut properly.

I also get the "Shift to park" message all the time- even when I am parked and stationary and the car is off.

I believe the two are connected because you can't raise or lower the top without being in park- so maybe it has something to do with that specific 'park' sensor- but i have had my car in and out of the shop for the last few weeks, and while the escalade they supplied me with is fun, I WANT MY LITTLE TWO DOOR BACK!

Anyway, if enough of these cars break, maybe they will recall and actually do something to please their customers- after all, Cadillac is trying to convince everyone they are a luxury brand like Mercedes and Jaguar- but their service needs to reflect that too, not just the car design!

Anyway, if enough of these cars break, maybe they will recall and actually do something to please their customers- after all, Cadillac is trying to convince everyone they are a luxury brand like Mercedes and Jaguar- but their service needs to reflect that too, not just the car design!

Mercedes and Jaguar have plenty of problems too. I am a former Mercedes owner.

Mercedes and Jaguar have plenty of problems too. I am a former Mercedes owner.

Aviator,

I have been following your posts and really respect your opinions- but Cadillac is just not up to par with Mercedes and Jaguar yet. Since I have become something of a 'dealership groupie' spending a large amount of time turning in my car for repair, I have really seen how each company treats its customers.

When my XLR broke down, I to get it to the dealership, which was booked solid and had no appointments, but because I walked in and sat there they agreed to look at my car. No one seated me in a posh waiting area or offered me food or coffee- they don't have anything more than a grimy room where reruns of "Maury" play on a broken down tv set.

When I went to Mercedes a few days later to look at the SLR they had just brought in, it was a whole different story. Service was impeccable and I was treated like a customer- not like some chick off the street who was having car problems. That's what I meant about Jaguar and Mercedes- it had nothing to do with the rpoduct- it's the service. Every car breaks down at some point, but it's the way you are treated that makes you decide if you want to be involved with that company for your next car, or move back to a tried and true way of service.

And for the record, my car is still in the shop and they can't figure out what's wrong so they reset the computer and said I can pick it up tomorrow- who wants to bet real money I am back there in a week with the same issue?

Not all dealers are like the one you experienced

Of the two I have used on the west coast, one was fair (much better than what you experienced), the other was excellent (Allen Cadillac) including the nice waiting room, coffee, snacks etc.

Don't give up on Cadillac because of one sub-standard dealer :flag

I think it is unfair to compare dealers to dealers.

Some are good and some are not so good in all car types.

I have had nothing but top notch treatment with my XLR at my local Cadillac dealer.

On the other hand, as far as appointments go (just like ym other Corvettes), these cvars are getting so complex that they may only have 1 or 2 technians fully qualified in the XLR (so if that guy is gone or booked, it might be worthwhile to wait).

Agreed- it is unfair for me to compare all Cadillac dealers to the three I have experienced- but the one in manhattan, the one in long island city right outside of manhattan, and the one where I originally purchased the car in Central Florida all were substandard and do not have qualified technicians.

Pretty frustrating, when the guy teaching you how to use your brand new car is using the manual to teach yuo all the buttons..... ;)

Agreed- it is unfair for me to compare all Cadillac dealers to the three I have experienced- but the one in Manhattan, the one in long island city right outside of Manhattan, and the one where I originally purchased the car in Central Florida all were substandard and do not have qualified technicians.

Pretty frustrating, when the guy teaching you how to use your brand new car is using the manual to teach yuo all the buttons..... ;)

You should have gotten it from Allen "Mr. XLR".... We have not been able to stump him!!!
Oh well that is water under the bridge now but you could ask him where to take it in your part of the world..

Blaise :party

First, Blaize Thank you,

As most of you know how many XLRs I deliver, well that means my XLR tech stays pretty busy, even though at least 50% of my deliveries go outside my State or region for that matter.

There are 25 Cadillac dealers in the Chicago metro area from where I reside, that is 1 for every 10-12 miles. Like Eydoc said I would back up in spades. I have one XLR tech, could I have more yes but I would personally want the best possible technician working on each and every clients roadster.

Yes, I usually have at least 1 XLR slated for an appointment at least once a day for service. Since "Mike" is that great his diagnostic abilities rank equal to and field wise to many of the XLR engineers.

Most of my clients come to me for two reasons regardless of where they live:
1- up two 200 miles they will bring their XLR to us, either driving in and wait for the repair (shopping in Chicago, sightseeing while waiting) seldom is the XLR held overnight. I stock the vast majority of parts for my clients.

I also am involved when my clients need servicing, I either make the service appt or I meet my client so they dont have to drive in and then I see the issue for myself.

I do not look at the XLR as a commodity (http://aolsvc.homeworkhelp.search.aol.com/homeworkhelp/redir?src=webster&requestId=91bcc778c800aa05&clickedItemRank=1&userQuery=commodity&clickedItemURN=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolsvc.merriam-webster.aol.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fdictionary%3Fbook%3DDictionary%26va%3Dcommod ity) where you purchse an item and then have little to do with your XLR Sales Executive. I spend countless hours training and retraining. I will be at the Bob Bondurant driving school in Phoenix in a few weeks with the 2006 and the XLR-V, these are the ways I can honestly tell you I eat, breathe & sleep the XLR.

It is critical for an XLR owner to have a XLR sales Executive to deal with on a one on one basis. If your potential dealer does not operate like that, or has had turnover and any sales consultant sell the XLR, I would recomend doing a 180 and leaving that dealer asap. The XLR purchase needs to be a relationship like with your Doctor, Attorney, broker or any other communicative speciality.

www.Cadillac-XLR.com (http://www.Cadillac-XLR.com)

Thank You
Allen

Mr XLR, I wish it were that way where I live but with a county of 750,000 people there has only been 1 Caddy dealer for the last 50 years. Leave the county and its more rural for 70 miles and I'm sure they may not of even sold 1 XLR much less have someone of your calipher.

I brought my '05 in for service, and they had a note from Caddy re the top. they mades an "adjustment". The next day the top went down, but the trunk didn't close until I hit the button a second time. Then the Trunk wouldn't open on its own anymore.
I brought it back to the dealer who just called me to tell me everything is working fine, they don't know what I'm talking about.
Makes me crazy when the car won't work for you, but it's OK when they go to figure out what the problem is.
On a good note, they fixed the wind noise from the LR side window. The car is awesome, and this is the first issue I've had with it, and I think this was caused by something the dealer did when he made the "adjustment".

I decided to print 2 copies of your "How To Manually Put The Top Up For Dummies" in my car just in case (Murphy's Law).

Hopefully I will never need to use the instruction this way.

THANKS for "Fat Fingering" it for us.

Regards.

I just bought my XLR 8 days ago. Last night I couldn't get the top back up! I took it to a dealer today for assistance. They had great difficulty, and it was apparent they knew nothing about the car. They sent me home with the top not latched. Reading your messages was very helpful. I easily latched the top and feel comfortable taking it back out tomorrow. I printed your directions and plan to share them with the dealer Tuesday morning. I sure hope this won't be a continuing problem. Spending this much money on a car should bring with it the confidence that it will work for you and be able to be used! If I wanted to drive a grandma car I would have bought a grandma car! Thanks for your help!

TechLink top notes also:

If the power folding top of the 2004-05 Cadillac XLR will not function, perform the following.

1. Start the engine and try the top again. This ensures the vehicle’s battery is sufficiently charged.

2. While depressing the folding top button in the desired direction, look at the Driver Information Center (DIC) for a message. If a message is displayed, see DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-61 in the owner’s manual for more information.

TIP: Most messages relating to top operation are displayed only while the folding top button is depressed.

3. If no messages are displayed and the folding top will not operate, perform the Power Window Initialize on page 2-17 of the owner’s manual. The folding top system must know the window position to operate. The position information can be lost if the vehicle has had a battery disconnect or a run down battery. After performing this procedure, try the top again.

4. It the top doesn’t operate, confirm that the hydraulic fluid bypass valve, located above the pump motor, is in the operating position (turned clockwise).

5. If the folding top will still not operate, see SI for additional diagnosis.

:banghead

I took my car to the dealer when the top wouldn't work after they had done an "adjustment" per a service notice they had from Caddy.
They told me the top worked fine all day, and when ZI picked it up it worked fine.
Two days later, today, the top wouldn't function. The trunk came up, the back shelf came up, then everything hung up. I could hear the motor working, and saw the top straining, but no movement. It then wouldn't go down, either. Same thing.....motor straining, no movement.
I called 800 service and they put me on with a tech named Jim who clearly had no idea how the car worked. They then put me on with a tech from AZ (I'm in Irvington, NY) who told me to open the hydraulic valve and see if we could free the trunk and get it to close. NG.
THEN, Caddy told me that they wouldn't put me in a rental car after the flatbed came, and they also had no idea if the tow company had inside storage!
I finlly beat on the top hard enough and whatever was binding it up let go so I could close it, but the DIC said Top Not Secure and the windows wouldn't go up. Finally they went up about helf way home.
I can't wait to show up at Poughkeepsie Chevy/Caddy tomorrow at 7! :rant

Went to Poughkeepsie Chevrolet. Perfectly nice and professional, and they promised they would not give me back the car without a diagnosis and repair.
They're really good, but the volume of top malfunction issues I'm seeing on this board tells me it's a big problem for Caddy.
I suspect Hydraulics, because when I opened the valve the reservoir didn't have any change in the fluid level as the fluid was supposed to bleed off in to the bottle. The level was only about 1.5 inches from the bottom of the reservoir. :banghead

gb10998

This evening I went to put the TOP up. As my Wife wanted to use the XLR tomorrow. And did want the top down. Guess What, It did the exact same thing yours did. I have had the XLR for 14 months with out any top failure. Except the First Day which was fixed 2 days later. Needless to say my wife is not a happy camper having to get up early to take the XLR to the dealer. I was able to get the trunk closed.


Went by the book And the posted tread on the forum to no avail. Robin

Right. My top has performed flawlessly all Summer, and just started acting up about 10 days ago. I really suspect that this sticking problem is related to hydraulics somehow, as the thing tried to move, even moved a bit, but just didn't have the power to lift or close the top. The trunk is cantilevered enough to go up, but the roof really needs a strong mechanism to lift and I think there's not enough juice to do it.....then all the microswitches and sensors read a malfunction and the thing locks up.
It is currently at the dealer and it's working fine....but they haven't done anything to it yet. Intermittent problems are the most stubborn, because they always work fine when the dealer's got it, and they fail just at the time when you want to look cool with your fancy car. Then they work fine again the next morning when you arrive steaming at the dealer. Frustrating to both parties. :banghead

What was and is frustrating to me was the fact that I could not (using the books instructions) get the top up. I guess I should be thankful that the Top screwed up while in my garage not on a road trip. And road side service was ZERO help. Road Side service just happens to operate out of the Dealership where I bought and have the XLR serviced. There help was: will have the car towed to the deal in the morning.

It will be interesting to see what happens this morning.

What was and is frustrating to me was the fact that I could not (using the books instructions) get the top up. I guess I should be thankful that the Top screwed up while in my garage not on a road trip. And road side service was ZERO help. Road Side service just happens to operate out of the Dealership where I bought and have the XLR serviced. There help was: will have the car towed to the deal in the morning.

It will be interesting to see what happens this morning.
Hi Robin, when I read this, I hope I won`t have no trouble with my top, especially here in Germany.
I never had any trouble with my XLR, hopefully it stays this way.

Harry

The dealer (Service) could not get the Top to go up either. The good thing is they were able to find the problem within 10 minutes. It was a sensor. Have not seen the work order so do not know which one. They did not try to manually raise the top. Want me to come in so they show me how to manually raise the top. I have no problem with there request. It is fair. They told my wife the XLR manual is not very good in the step by step how to do it.

Also a side note. The DIC displaying "top not latched" also can happen with the top is down. Robin

well, it had to happen, my top broke again...this is the third time so if it is not fixed this time...I am calling my lawyer ASAP and calling this crap a lemon...its sitting at Moore cadillac and after replacing the latch, the sensors etc...400 miles later its broken again, I really love my car but i cant stand paying for crap like this...everytime the weather is nice and you want to have fun, it has to go in for service?
I dont think so :nono

Boy, I feel your pain. When my car went in for a small accident, they screwed up so bad it has taken 30 days to get it fixed and it still has over spray on it. That's a long time in the middle of the summer. The second time it went back in because the paint didn't match, I wasn't even offered one of their garbage cars, and I'm supposed to get a cadillac.

I can't understand what happened to the good service that I got the first time I went in over a year ago.
I've already told them I want to lemon my car for the hot console they won't fix and I should here from them this week. If they give me any trouble I have a floating appointment with a Lemon Lawyer that will see to it they give me what I want.
If GM doesn't want to listen to our complaints then they can deal with the results of not listening.
CHARGE! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/new/8_22/12_7_21.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm414YYUS)

I dont think so :nono

they can't bill back Cadillac for a loaner car if you wrecked yours, your insurance carrier should take care of that.
Don't know anything about Allen Cadillac, (good or bad I'm very confused too),
but do they actually own the paint & body shop or is it a separate entity as most are??

Larry H. Parker?

The first time I brought it in to be fixed they chose to repair rather than give it out. I have no information as to owns the paint shop.

The first time for a loaner is on me...............To redo a lousy paint job should be on them, not to mention the overspray over the rest of the car and inside as well. They should be biting the bullet for this one.
They were excellant in the beginning but things have changed since then.

they can't bill back Cadillac for a loaner car if you wrecked yours, your insurance carrier should take care of that.
Don't know anything about Allen Cadillac, (good or bad I'm very confused too),
but do they actually own the paint & body shop or is it a separate entity as most are??

Larry H. Parker?

Bob...I can't believe the problem you're having with Allen Cadillac. Is it just with the body and paint shop or with everyone.
They should remember that you're the guy wearing Allen Cadillac underwear :flag

Jack
Paint shop and the arrogant guy that runs it. "F"

Sales department "A"

Mechanics "A"

Service writer "C", Steve Blacker

Service rep for not following up on the hot console "F"


Bob...I can't believe the problem you're having with Allen Cadillac. Is it just with the body and paint shop or with everyone.
They should remember that you're the guy wearing Allen Cadillac underwear :flag

I'm with you on that top malfunction- only now its worse. I know I ripped on NY dealrships- but I am back in Long Island City... at least they answer the phone (sometimes) not like the Manhattan place.....

Two weeks ago I had my car in their shop being fixed for a week. They did give me a loaner Escalade and that was pretty nice, but they didn't have the part they decided would fix the whole problem, and said they would call when it came in.

*note- they never called

ANYWAY, when I picked up the car two weeks ago, one of the passenger speakers had been blown out!!! So, instead of fixing my top malfuntion, some $10/hour jerk listened to music and ruined my sound system. Livid, I called and they promised to replace it when the part came in...

Now its 2 weeks later, i called in today and said I was bringing it in tomorrow morning, I expected a loaner car to be ready for me, they must fix that speaker, and is that part in? Happens to be it 'magically' came in today, so tomorrow they will be replacing the shifter in my car. They decided that is what the problem is because my car said "shift to park" even when I was already in park!!!

Another side note, earlier this week, the gas cap wouldn't close! It is as if the spring inside is jammed- so they need to fix that too.

For such a great car, I am thoroughly fed up with all of this. My husbands stance is that after 5000 miles, any car is junk because that is when things start to break. The first time he said this, I told him he was a snob, but now, 6,305 miles later, I AGREE!

Wish me luck tomorrow! :nopity

Interesting, I just had the gas cap fail at 11,000 miles. Replaced it last night and the light went out this morning. All's well.

Now, they decided that my top had low fluid and two sensors. They've ordered both and will fix next week when the parts come in. Meanwhile, the top has been working fine and I'm sure it'll be completely OK once they fill the reservoir and replace the sensors. Actually, I don't think it was the sensors.....I think it's the fluid that's at a marginal level.

Nice guys at Poughkeepsie Chevrolet/Caddy, and very attentive. I get the car back clean and shiny every time it gets serviced. This one has been a stubborn problem, but they spend hours with Tech in Detroit and they are working diligently on the issue!
:banghead

gb10998

What your dealer found is Exactly what my Dealer found. Both senser were telling there Scan Tool they were out of range. One senser would caibrate ok, The other would not. So it was replaced. all is well now. I think DIC displaying "TOP NOT LATCH" is telling us we are about to have TOP trouble. Robin

here is an idea, lets get the same lemon lawyer to handle all of our cases at once, guaranteed to win this way

If you are intrested PM me the details of your cars as far as mileage, lenght of ownership, state and mechanical problem that has occured more than 3 times and has not been fixed and also name of dealership that has records of it.

All I know is if i dont get my car back from Moore tommorow afternoon fixed, I am gonna be pissed :cuss

I am getting tired of looking at the nice sunset and not being in my caddy...

The service advisor "Andy Blackman" is really nice though and I know its not the dealerships fault either so I dont blame them directly but i definetly will take it up with cadillac to get my money back.

I have an 2003 Sl500 and a 2002 Sc430 lexus, The sl's top failed once and never again and the lexus top gets dropped 5 times a day and never failed once in 45K miles
:banghead

Hi, standby here,

I agree with you that more of us should take the bull by the horns when dealing with GM. If you have seen some of the post from other members who don't believe I'm doing the right thing by lemoning my 04, you can see that some think I should drink a lemonade instead, but at the same time one of these people had a buy back which is pretty easy to get if you want to lose alot of money............Lemon it and you get every dime you have put into the car including registration, sales tax and ad ons............at least, that's the way it works in California. Where does xlr23 live?
Isn't it fun wanting to drive your XLR on the weekend and you can't. Your lucky you have the other vehicles.
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/12/12_7_23.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm414YYUS)This is what I have to use when my XLR is at the dealers

I have an 2003 Sl500 and a 2002 Sc430 lexus, The sl's top failed once and never again and the lexus top gets dropped 5 times a day and never failed once in 45K miles:banghead

Aviator,

I have been following your posts and really respect your opinions- but Cadillac is just not up to par with Mercedes and Jaguar yet. Since I have become something of a 'dealership groupie' spending a large amount of time turning in my car for repair, I have really seen how each company treats its customers....


Dian- Sorry its taken me so long to respond. Just to let you know, my experience is exactly the opposite of yours. I have had bad service experiences from multiple Mercedes dealers in multiple states. I believe the Mercedes product is well engineered and very solid, but not good value.

BMW, Cadillac and Lexus have all treated me better than Mercedes. My Caddy dealer in Houston is spectacular! While I like the styling, I've never owned a Jag. Their steep third-year depreciation curve, and reputation for mechanical problems, has kept me away.

Sorry to learn of the problems with your XLR, and thanks for the kind words. There is lots of help available on this forum. Let us know if we can assist in any way.

I am in VA standby, we have pretty good lemon laws here too...

Hi, standby here,

I agree with you that more of us should take the bull by the horns when dealing with GM. If you have seen some of the post from other members who don't believe I'm doing the right thing by lemoning my 04, you can see that some think I should drink a lemonade instead, but at the same time one of these people had a buy back which is pretty easy to get if you want to lose alot of money............Lemon it and you get every dime you have put into the car including registration, sales tax and ad ons............at least, that's the way it works in California. Where does xlr23 live?
Isn't it fun wanting to drive your XLR on the weekend and you can't. Your lucky you have the other vehicles.
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/12/12_7_23.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm414YYUS)This is what I have to use when my XLR is at the dealers

Again, more miss-information from someone who really needs to step back and think before he speaks (or better yet, not speak at all). In California, a Buy-Back is exactly the same thing as a vehicle taken off your hands through the Lemon Law process. The difference is one is mandated through an arbritration process, the other is an agreement between the buyer and the seller without the issue becoming a reportable problem. Both vehicles will end up with a "branded title" not crushed as our asteemed Standby has previously stated. In either situation you are entitled to the purchase price, interest paid on your loan if applicable, DMV fees, sales tax, etc.

The real difference is that in a Buy-Back, you can negotiate a great price on a new vehicle from the same product line from a non-adversarial position. In my case I walked away with a great deal on a new C6 with all of my costs recovered from the XLR purchase, a free rental for the entire time and the best part is I maintained a positive relationship with my local dealership.

I'll say this one more time, I truly enjoyed my XLR and it never failed me mechanically other than the power top. My dealership attempted to repair the top on several occasions, each time with solid tech support from GM. it simply reached a point where both parties agreed that if we wanted out of the car they would facilitate the process. We were offered another XLR and we politely refused.

If you read my posts I've never bad-mouthed GM, my dealership or any of its employees. I never complained about the fact the car was in the shop for weeks at a time. We simply let the process unfold at its own pace and made intelligent choices based on the situations as they arose. Life is too short for childish rantings, all they ever get you is short-term relief - afterall you will still be a child in an adult world.

Mswaim is correct. A buy back and a lemon are virtually the same, just taking slightly different paths to get there. A very good friend of mine works for MBZ corporate and often drives "buy-backs" to determine if there really is a problem or to see if MBZ ended up buyng back a car just to keep the customer happy. After all, customer satisfaction is the bottom line. GM, please take note so standby can be happy too. BTW, since lemon has such stong connotations, most lemons are referred to as buy backs. They are then sold at auction, usually after repairing or believing the problem has been repaired.

It's interesting the way every manufacturer handles such issues. Ford refers to their buy-backs as " a re-acquired vehicle" or "RAV" for short. Over the years I have seen many RAV titled vehicles pass through the auto auctions selling for very good prices. Most are picked up by dealers that re-sell them to the public (with a disclosure) and never pose a problem to the new owners.

Dian- Sorry its taken me so long to respond. Just to let you know, my experience is exactly the opposite of yours. I have had bad service experiences from multiple Mercedes dealers in multiple states. I believe the Mercedes product is well engineered and very solid, but not good value.

BMW, Cadillac and Lexus have all treated me better than Mercedes. My Caddy dealer in Houston is spectacular! While I like the styling, I've never owned a Jag. Their steep third-year depreciation curve, and reputation for mechanical problems, has kept me away.

Sorry to learn of the problems with your XLR, and thanks for the kind words. There is lots of help available on this forum. Let us know if we can assist in any way.

I think it's just a matter of time before my guy at the repair place admits that he can't figure out the problem and tries to flip me into a new Cadillac made car. I would prefer to keep my car, because I really do love it, but I hate being stuck with no way to secure my roof!!!

Aviator, I wish you could help, but I don't think there is anything except keep posting- reading the good and bad reviews have really helped me keep my sanity... I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH CAR TROUBLE!

On a funny note- when I dropped my car off at the dealership on Monday, I wanted to check the trunk to see if I had anything valuable in it- and it wouldn't open! Took three guys scraching their heads and finally I piped up (I had kept quiet to see what they would do) "The manual key is in the middle console by the front seat- works every time". Lo and behold- it worked.

I am glad it malfunctioned in front of them- I think they were starting to think I kept coming in to test drive rental cars!!! The Grand Prix they gave me is ok- but I cannot wait to get back into my XLR. And it's fashion week in NY- I had wanted to drive around and see all the celebrities and high profiles that came into the city! Oh well.

My DIC has started to give the message "Top Not Secured". Now, when this happens, the trunk may or may not open. When it doesn't it appears that the latch won't release. I tried the key in the bumper and it opened immediately.

It's going to the dealer next week. I think my diagnosis is correct, but they will check all sensors and determine any other malfunctions. I'll let you know what they find.

I think it's just a matter of time before my guy at the repair place admits that he can't figure out the problem and tries to flip me into a new Cadillac made car. I would prefer to keep my car, because I really do love it, but I hate being stuck with no way to secure my roof!!!

Aviator, I wish you could help, but I don't think there is anything except keep posting- reading the good and bad reviews have really helped me keep my sanity... I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH CAR TROUBLE!

On a funny note- when I dropped my car off at the dealership on Monday, I wanted to check the trunk to see if I had anything valuable in it- and it wouldn't open! Took three guys scraching their heads and finally I piped up (I had kept quiet to see what they would do) "The manual key is in the middle console by the front seat- works every time". Lo and behold- it worked.

I am glad it malfunctioned in front of them- I think they were starting to think I kept coming in to test drive rental cars!!! The Grand Prix they gave me is ok- but I cannot wait to get back into my XLR. And it's fashion week in NY- I had wanted to drive around and see all the celbrities and high profiles that came into the city! Oh well.

Mr. Goodwrench, unfortunately is a generalist. They do really well with Chevy Malibus and DeVilles - cars they see on an everyday basis. But when you have a vehicle that the dealership has sold only eight or ten copies, their mechanics are befuddled when an XLR with top problems gets a work order.

Vette owners (I have one of those also) have known for years that you can't trust Mr. Goodwrench to work on wierd stuff. It is why corvette specialty shops like Corvettes of Houston exist. http://corvettesofhouston.com/ And they are so-o-o-o good.

Allen - you are our resident expert. I smell an opportunity. Anyone else catch a whiff? Down here in Texas, we believe when you end up with a pile of horse***t, don't fuss and cuss. Start looking for the pony. He's always there.

Good luck Dian

Mr. Goodwrench, unfortunately is a generalist. They do really well with Chevy Malibus and DeVilles - cars they see on an everyday basis. But when you have a vehicle that the dealership has sold only eight or ten copies, their mechanics are befuddled when an XLR with top problems gets a work order.

....



Just took my XLR back in for its yearly service. I'm having them take a look at an intermittent roof issue where the roof won't close if left in sunlight for a long time. After the baking, if I open it and then close it within a half an hour, the trunk opens and the panel retracts but the roof never starts its journey. You can hear the hydraulic motors turning but no roof. I saw some similar discussions in the forum. Parking in the shade for a while solves the problem.

I had, of course, the traditional issues with the first "service advisor" who tried to help me today. Luckily the service manager solved all the problems but I sure had the attention of everyone in the service shop by the time I got done with the first "advisor". I'm probably known as "the crazy guy with the XLR" by now (or worse) :glol The really sad part was that this just concerned about $60 in rental fees that the first advisor said they weren't going to cover for the warranty work (10 items)...

For you new guys, Andy is the forum's long absent rocket scientist - works for NASA.

Sorry to hear about your top problem, amigo. I must say that my dealer has never denied me a loaner car when in for service or warranty repairs.

It does get hot here in southeast Texas. How hot is it?
- we can fry an egg on the sidewalk
- we eat jalapeno peppers to cool our mouths off
- the birds carry potholders to pull worms out of the ground
- the cows are giving evaporated milk
- the trees are whistling for the dogs
- we make instant sun tea
- we understand that asphalt has a liquid state
- hot water comes out of both taps

But this is a first. "So hot you can't get your top up?" (Sounds like a babe I use to run with)

Careful Andy. We don't want to see the headline:
"Clear Lake Man poached in roadster"

The "top not secure" is part of a repair note to the dealers......the sensor is bent and doesn't make contact. The fix is to bend the sensor contact so it makes firm contact with the roof latch.
I had my dealer order a new switch/sensor. It's located in the head of the windshield where the latch comes in.

This is exactly what I had. Took a long time to get it to come down. When I took it to the dealer, it appeared that my hydraulic fluid was at the bottom end of "spec". They also ordered two switches (sensors) that they suspect as contributing to the problem.
When the car cooled down (about an hour after sunset) the top went down.
I'm waiting for the fluid to arrive so they can top off the reservoir. It's special order.
Meanwhile, the top has worked fine as the weather has cooled down. I wonder if the fluid contracts when it's hot and loses the power to move the top?

Got my car back from Poughkeepsie Chevy today, and the top works great. They replace three switches and added hydraulic fluid, and the top's fine! :D

Now you have to get used to pushing the top button and not holding your breath until it goes down or up.Got my car back from Poughkeepsie Chevy today, and the top works great. They replace three switches and added hydraulic fluid, and the top's fine! :D

We went out to a restaurant tonight with the top down. First nice cool night all year 60 deg.
When I got there I went to put the TOP up and it almost made it. The top came out, up,down went the trunk but it would not lock so you could not put the windows up. We left it like that and went in and eat. When we came out there were a lot of people there looking over the car. Seeing as the top would not lock down I though I would just put the top back down give them a show and drive home.
WELLLLLLLLLLLLL the trunk came up and the top moved back about 1/4" an then stopped. From there it all went down hill.
I told my wife if the TOP will not go down then we will just put the trunk back down and go home with the top NOT locked. So I tried that but NOW the trunk would not go down, the top would not lock and the windows would not go up.....
I got out and tried to push the trunk down with my wife holding the button UP. Motor/pump would run but it would not move. Did the same if we held the button DOWN.
All the people just left...... Not saying a thing....
We gave up and called ON STAR they put us in touch will Cadillac Tech. Support but guess what the guy there said he could not help me till in the morning because the computers were being upgraded and he had no service manuals.

He said he would put me in touch with Roadside Assistance. I told him that they could NOT tow the car with the trunk UP and top unlocked because they would damage it more. He said he could not do anything and I would have to talk to them.
If Roadside could tow it then I could drive it home like that.
With the trunk up it makes a Hell of a spoiler!!!
NO I did not drive it home that way...
I did move the car to see if it would help if was on level ground and it did help a little but the ground we stopped on was very level but itself.
The top came down and the trunk closed but I still had a "Top Not Secure" on dash. So maybe it was not level enough. We just drove it home that way.

NOW I have it in my garage on very level ground where I have put the top up and down many, many times but the top will NOT come up. The trunk will open and close but the top will not move.
So I will call the Service shop on Monday and see when they want it...

Motorboat :confused

Yea Motorboat.................and they want a hundred grand for the V when they still don't have the bugs out. I will be canceling my V sometime this month.



When I got there I went to put the TOP up and it almost made it. The top came out, up,down went the trunk but it would not lock so you could not put the windows up. We left it like that and went in and eat. When we came out there were a lot of people there looking over the car. Seeing as the top would not lock down I though I would just put the top back down give them a show and drive home. Motorboat :confused

Oh man if did not already own an XLR from all these top stories I would be scared as heck to buy one. Fortunately I have not had one bit of trouble with 14,000 miles of driving. Feel bad for those that do.

Me too Upstate, I have 15,500 on mine and cross my fingers every time I put the top up or down. Remember.............you only put it up or down when you have an audience.

Bob

Oh man if did not already own an XLR from all these top stories I would be scared as heck to buy one. Fortunately I have not had one bit of trouble with 14,000 miles of driving. Feel bad for those that do.

Not me Bob...I never put it up or down when I have an audience :flag

Didn't you sign that document before taking possession of your XLR that you must have an audience? http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_11.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm414YYUS) Not me Bob...I never put it up or down when I have an audience :flag

Seems like things only go wrong when you have an audience! Me, not a hint of a problem in two years.

We went out to a restaurant tonight with the top down. First nice cool night all year 60 deg.
When I got there I went to put the TOP up and it almost made it. The top came out, up,down went the trunk but it would not lock so you could not put the windows up. We left it like that and went in and eat. When we came out there were a lot of people there looking over the car. Seeing as the top would not lock down I though I would just put the top back down give them a show and drive home.
WELLLLLLLLLLLLL the trunk came up and the top moved back about 1/4" an then stopped. From there it all went down hill.
I told my wife if the TOP will not go down then we will just put the trunk back down and go home with the top NOT locked. So I tried that but NOW the trunk would not go down, the top would not lock and the windows would not go up.....
I got out and tried to push the trunk down with my wife holding the button UP. Motor/pump would run but it would not move. Did the same if we held the button DOWN.
All the people just left...... Not saying a thing....
We gave up and called ON STAR they put us in touch will Cadillac Tech. Support but guess what the guy there said he could not help me till in the morning because the computers were being upgraded and he had no service manuals.

He said he would put me in touch with Roadside Assistance. I told him that they could NOT tow the car with the trunk UP and top unlocked because they would damage it more. He said he could not do anything and I would have to talk to them.
If Roadside could tow it then I could drive it home like that.
With the trunk up it makes a Hell of a spoiler!!!
NO I did not drive it home that way...
I did move the car to see if it would help if was on level ground and it did help a little but the ground we stopped on was very level but itself.
The top came down and the trunk closed but I still had a "Top Not Secure" on dash. So maybe it was not level enough. We just drove it home that way.

NOW I have it in my garage on very level ground where I have put the top up and down many, many times but the top will NOT come up. The trunk will open and close but the top will not move.
So I will call the Service shop on Monday and see when they want it...

Motorboat :confused
This is exactly what happened to me. They've got a notice out on the "top not secure" message....it's a sensor. However, when that sensor thinks the top hasn't locked down it won't let the windows up.

I really think the bigger issue was that the hydraulic fluid in mine was right at the low fill line, and it couldn't move the roof. Motor would run, but it didn't have enough pressure to drive the roof.

Once they filled it and replaced the sensor I've been just fine. Great car, this is the only real issue I've had.

This is exactly what happened to me. They've got a notice out on the "top not secure" message....it's a sensor. However, when that sensor thinks the top hasn't locked down it won't let the windows up.

I really think the bigger issue was that the hydraulic fluid in mine was right at the low fill line, and it couldn't move the roof. Motor would run, but it didn't have enough pressure to drive the roof.

Once they filled it and replaced the sensor I've been just fine. Great car, this is the only real issue I've had.
Hi gb,
I`ve had the "top not secure" light up once but the windows worked perfect.
I raised and lowered my top after this message and it never showed up again.
I`ve had two times the "check engine" light came on, they connect it to their computer but nothing would be found. The secand time, about 2 weeks ago they put a new software on and I hope it`s OK and never shows up again.

That was all and I´m very happy with my XLR here in Germany.

Harry Hans

My "Check Engine Light" came on several days ago and a trip to the dealer disclosed that the gas cap was not properly tightened.
Could have saved myself a trip by checking this............... :flag

My "Check Engine Light" came on several days ago and a trip to the dealer disclosed that the gas cap was not properly tightened.
Could have saved myself a trip by checking this............... :flag
Hi Jack,
I know this trick with the gas cap but it didn`t work on mine. I made after the first time the light came up a couple of stops and opened and looked it but did not work. The same by the second time light up!!!
I hope it stays out right now.

Hans

I have called the dealer and I am taking the car in Monday morning to have it checked out.
I am sure they will get it fixed. This is the first problem I have had with my car.
I follow this forum each day so I was not surprised when this happened to me. I still didn't like it but I have not heard about anyone having the problem again after they replaced the sensors.
It was one of those things you have to wait till it happens to get it replaced/repaired.
I will let you all know what they do next week. I still thing this is the best car for the money out there.

Motorboat :flag

I have called the dealer and I am taking the car in Monday morning to have it checked out.
I am sure they will get it fixed. This is the first problem I have had with my car.
I follow this forum each day so I was not surprised when this happened to me. I still didn't like it but I have not heard about anyone having the problem again after they replaced the sensors.
It was one of those things you have to wait till it happens to get it replaced/repaired.
I will let you all know what they do next week. I still thing this is the best car for the money out there.

Motorboat :flag

Please let us know how well the dealer did with the repair. My patience is a little low with mine right now but I'm heading back on Monday. If they don't do a good job this time, I might be looking for a new Cadillac repair place. It really is too bad since their sales staff is very good.

I got the car back today. What they did was reprogram the computer.
I forgot to add in my last post that my car had sat for about 1 1/2 months and the battery had lost a lot of power. You could turn on the IGN. and ACC. but it would only click when you tryed to crank it..
"I did not think 1 1/2 months that was to long. I will be adding a battery maintainer to it in the next week or so."
I just put the battery charger on it for about 30 min. then I started the motor. We then lowered the top and went for a drive. After driving for about an hour we came to the resturant. That is where we had the problems. I never stopped the motor before I tried to raise the top. This is were it would not lock down or raise the windows.
Anyway that is what they did at the shop and the top is going up and down now. I realy don't think that was the problem and I told them that BUT if this fixs it that is OK with me... This is the only problem I have had with my 04. Hope it stays that way...
Life is good when things work as they should!!!
motorboat :thumbs

Blaise,
I could have simply told you what to do in one quick paragraph, or you should have contacted me. First let me say, that the amount of power it takes to run 22 onboard computers and a high speed LAN system is quite a bit.

After 21 days of the XLR sitting, without being driven you could come out to a dead battery. These types of situations happen all the time at dealerships. If your battery goes dead, or even partially drained where the ignition just clicks, you will most likely have a non working top and windows that will not index up or down.

After you safely jump your XLR, you NEED to reset your window indexing. Lower both windows full down, the raise both windows all the way up, continuing to hold the window switches for 5 seconds in the up position after they have reached full up position.

This resetting is for the top operation, as well as the top resequencing.

www.Cadillac-XLR.com (http://www.Cadillac-XLR.com)

thank you
Allen

Thanks Allen,
Again what you have told me makes since NOW.. I did NOT know you had to reset the windows. I looked in the manual after you told me this but could not find this tidbit anywhere.. Dame I wish you were my dealer...I just hate to call you with all my problems...
I assumed that when I got the car started and was able to lower the windows and the top all was going to be OK. Well again this shows what ASSUME means..
And boy did this make me look like an ASS..

My fault here people not the cars. I should drive it more. This is just another reason to take a day off now and again....

Allen can you tell me if adding a 3 amp charger with auto float will prevent this from happening again?
Also can we have your home, work, cell and any other numbers you have so we can give them to OnStar.. :party So we can have them call you instead of Cadillac. You have the answers on the tip of you tongue where they have to have a computer to look them up on....

Blaise, aka motorboat :thumbs :thumbs

Blaise, thank you, As I have said all along the biggest issue with any very technical vehicle, is NOT the car it is the dealer. So many issues with the XLR or any vehicle with advanced systems, could be corrected or explained by a phone call by someone that takes their knowledge as seriously as any surgeon, or pilot.

There are dealers out there that sell the XLR as any commodity, not as part of a long term relationship as you would have with your accountant, attorney or doctor. The XLR is part of the equation, but by no means the only or the most important. My clients are from all over the country, at least 50% are over 1000 miles away.

I take care of my clients like simple corrective answers like I responded to your issue. Today, I have found that the type of purchaser that is our XLR client is less concerned about where they purchase it from, the they are getting and will continue to receive the same level of professsional treatment.

Here (http://www.Cadillac-XLR.com) is a section I call meet the owners:
http://cadillac-xlr.com/_wsn/page17.html (http://cadillac-xlr.com/_wsn/page17.html)

Thank you
Allen



Thanks Allen,
Again what you have told me makes since NOW.. I did NOT know you had to reset the windows. I looked in the manual after you told me this but could not find this tidbit anywhere.. Dame I wish you were my dealer...I just hate to call you with all my problems...
I assumed that when I got the car started and was able to lower the windows and the top all was going to be OK. Well again this shows what ASSUME means..
And boy did this make me look like an ASS..

My fault here people not the cars. I should drive it more. This is just another reason to take a day off now and again....

Allen can you tell me if adding a 3 amp charger with auto float will prevent this from happening again?
Also can we have your home, work, cell and any other numbers you have so we can give them to OnStar.. :party So we can have them call you instead of Cadillac. You have the answers on the tip of you tongue where they have to have a computer to look them up on....

Blaise, aka motorboat :thumbs :thumbs

We took our '05 in last week after an episode of "top not secure...". They downloaded a new program. Also changed the rear-end fluid for the "clunking" sound which I heard for the first time the week before.

All is well.

Please let us know how well the dealer did with the repair. My patience is a little low with mine right now but I'm heading back on Monday. If they don't do a good job this time, I might be looking for a new Cadillac repair place. It really is too bad since their sales staff is very good.


I have to throw in an update - I recently had the XLR in for service with nine items (most small - such as a the "option button" backlight not functioning). The dealer did a great job of repairing all of the nine items. I say great because many of them were ittermittent type issues which are the toughest to handle.

In any event since I had posted the previous statement, I thought an update would be appropriate.

Andy

I have to throw in an update - I recently had the XLR in for service with nine items (most small - such as a the "option button" backlight not functioning). The dealer did a great job of repairing all of the nine items. I say great because many of them were ittermittent type issues which are the toughest to handle.

In any event since I had posted the previous statement, I thought an update would be appropriate.

Andy
Hi Andy,
that means yove got a very good dealer with an even better service :thumbs

Good to hear

Hans