Hello all,

A little background on my XLR. It's an '05, 29K miles. I know it sat quite a bit from the VIN records before I bought it in March. It's my daily driver, but I only have a four mile work commute so it doesn't run long enough to really put a charge on the battery. From some of your posts and the $40 'can't hurt' department, I plan to purchase a tender and hook it up on weekends.

I realize there are several (hundred?) good topics on the battery subject, since I have read most of them .:lol. I am having intermittent problems. First the top wouldn't finish the open cycle properly (the trunk would not close - had to toggle the switch. This has occured several times). later I could not open the trunk electronically. These problems threw no codes, and the dealership was not able to duplicate them. they lubed a few things, and asked for their H3 back.

Now my new friend has stranded me. Twice. The first time, I found the negative battery cable was loose. I tightened the connection and about an hour later (or five minutes before the flatbed made an appearance), I was able to start the car. Two days later I had a local parts store check the battery. It was a little low, but the charging system tested good. Now, about ten days later, it did it again. Would crank, but not turn over. This time I loosened (not removed) the battery connection, retightened..and it started some 30 minutes later. Would a reboot help? Certainly wouldn't hurt I would think, but don't want to put any confidence in it without some good advice. I don't mind playing games with the roof and trunk, but don't care much for walking long distances.

I would like to pick up a premium battery for this car. Any suggestions? The local parts stores have a limited selection that are 'supposed' to fit, but they also claim the battery is in the trunk?!?! Is there a second battery I don't know about 'cause there is most definately one under the hood.

Thanks in advance. Apologies for the novel..:sleep

There is only one battery, and it's under the hood. There are two compartments in the trunk, one on the right side that's empty and another on the left that contains the folding top control module, pump assembly and the real time suspension damping controller.

You're right about the short commute being an issue; four miles between starts is not enough to re-charge the battery and will eventually deplete it to the point where there aren't enough cold cranking amps to get you going. Using a battery tender is a good investment (aside from new walking shoes.) We should all be so lucky to have such a short distance to work.

Under normal conditions, the standard battery is more than adequate, but you can pay more to get more capacity if you like. There are many schools of thought on this and I'm sure you'll hear them. As for me, I'd stick with a new stock battery, supplemented with a Battery Tender each night and see how it goes. I never let either of my cars sit for more than a week unless they're "Tenderized" since the cars draw power when parked. I don't need to tell you what a pitiful sight a dead XLR is. Your intermittent top issues could very well be attributable to a weak battery. These cars develop minds of their own when they're amp-starved.

You might already know this, but it's best to operate the top with the ignition running. You can do it with the engine shut off, but the average number of cycles is three before the battery is depleted. Just to play it safe, I keep the engine running.

CC :cheers

Hello all,

A little background on my XLR. It's an '05, 29K miles. I know it sat quite a bit from the VIN records before I bought it in March. It's my daily driver, but I only have a four mile work commute so it doesn't run long enough to really put a charge on the battery. From some of your posts and the $40 'can't hurt' department, I plan to purchase a tender and hook it up on weekends.

I realize there are several (hundred?) good topics on the battery subject, since I have read most of them .:lol. I am having intermittent problems. First the top wouldn't finish the open cycle properly (the trunk would not close - had to toggle the switch. This has occured several times). later I could not open the trunk electronically. These problems threw no codes, and the dealership was not able to duplicate them. they lubed a few things, and asked for their H3 back.

Now my new friend has stranded me. Twice. The first time, I found the negative battery cable was loose. I tightened the connection and about an hour later (or five minutes before the flatbed made an appearance), I was able to start the car. Two days later I had a local parts store check the battery. It was a little low, but the charging system tested good. Now, about ten days later, it did it again. Would crank, but not turn over. This time I loosened (not removed) the battery connection, retightened..and it started some 30 minutes later. Would a reboot help? Certainly wouldn't hurt I would think, but don't want to put any confidence in it without some good advice. I don't mind playing games with the roof and trunk, but don't care much for walking long distances.

I would like to pick up a premium battery for this car. Any suggestions? The local parts stores have a limited selection that are 'supposed' to fit, but they also claim the battery is in the trunk?!?! Is there a second battery I don't know about 'cause there is most definately one under the hood.

Thanks in advance. Apologies for the novel..:sleep

No, there is not a battery in the trunk (where WOULD they put it... there isn't much room in there as it is!!) The best battery that you could probably purchase is an Optima...

Thank you for the quick replies and suggestions. I was aware of the power draining beast of a top, so I always deploy with the engine running. That's likely yet another contributing factor - the short driving distances and soooo many requests to lower the top.:cool It's all taking a toll. Both times the car let me down were in the open parking lot at work trying to leave for the day.

I didn't discover the empty trunk compartment until I was looking for something else a couple weeks after I took delivery. Nope.. no spare tire, either.:lol At least I found the cargo net that was tucked safely away. It doesn't appear to ever have been used.

Now for the extended warranty search. My factory expires on 5/31.

No spare tire because the car has run-flats from the factory. And again... where would there be room for a spare??

I was kidding. Actually, I was looking for the paint code when I discovered the compartment. The car had a front tag holder; I live in Alabama where front tags are not required. I was going to fill in the mounting holes and touch up the paint. Unfortunately, I ran a trial run with inserts and some cheap OTC paint..but the bumper material is pulled towards the holes. It didn't look very good.

Jack:

As usual CC and mtrocket have provided you with very sound advice.

PLEASE go get a Battery Tender $59.95 (you can check on line to see where you can find one "at a store near you") before you buy another battery. The reason is that it will trickle charge your battery slowly.....overnight and bring it up to its maximum power level. The dealer is "Hot Shotting" the battery on the premise that you will be driving the car and the alternator will finish the charging job.

Now if you continue to have battery problems then as CC said get another GM battery AFTER you have the dealer check for any draw or drain issues.

As CC pointed out the car really does act much better when it has full power to draw on.

The top issues may just go away after the battery issue is corrected that's why everybody is saying fix it first.

Please let us know how it comes out.

Any thoughts on those solar battery tenders? The ones that plug into the cigarette lighter and are placed on the inside of the car on the dash? If you park your car outside at work then that might be enough. See link.

http://www.nextag.com/solar-battery-maintainer/products-html

I was also having battery issues. Took it to two shop,s. they tested the battery. The first time ti said battery OK but needs a charge. I charged it fully overnight, took it to a different shop the next day. They hooked it to the computer and it said battery OK but needs charged. I thought bull****. Went to Autozone and bought the best battery they had. Problem solved. The battery used to go dead if I ran the top up and down once or used the accessory mode for 10 minutes playing with the gps. Now I can do whatever I want and have never had another problem. Apparently the testers don't check capacity, only basic stuff. Definatelly get a battery. It,s the best $100 you"ll spend.

I scored a Battery Tender this afternoon. Likely the model XLR I FL mentioned above as the price was the same. Fairly simple; no controls just charge and trickle LED's with a two cord option (one with clamps and the other permanent mount insulated terminal rings). I'll tenderize the car tonight and see how things go.

Thanks again for helping out this newbie, everyone! I'll keep you updated on my progress. :cheers

GOOD FOR YOU!!!

Watch the flashing lights.....preferably with a beer in hand..... and when they turn from what I am assuming was RED to Green flashing you are on the way....

What's good about this is that the Battery Tender has so many good uses.

Even if you end up getting a new battery as was suggested by some members, I would put "The Tender" on it too to be sure is was trickle charged up to it's full potential.

See if you can find a nice way to attach the tender cable with "Tie Tie's" under the hood so you can just plug it in with very little problem as you see fit.

As you mentioned, please give us an update in a few days......

There is another Service Bulletin (that affects battery life/performance) regarding a 30mA draw from the RCDLR (Remote Control Door Lock Receiver) module when set to Passive Locking mode and the vehicle is parked for extended periods (>2 weeks.) It involves a reflash of the module with updated software and affects 2004-2007 XLR/XLR-V models. Any time your XLR goes to the shop, it's prudent to have them ensure your software is updated, since new code is generated as GM learns more about the vehicles and their afflictions as they age.

CC :cheers

Rod mtrocket:

Would the bulletin that CC found fix your door opening problem....hopefully???

There is another Service Bulletin (that affects battery life/performance) regarding a 30mA draw from the RCDLR (Remote Control Door Lock Receiver) module when set to Passive Locking mode and the vehicle is parked for extended periods (>2 weeks.) It involves a reflash of the module with updated software and affects 2004-2007 XLR/XLR-V models. Any time your XLR goes to the shop, it's prudent to have them ensure your software is updated, since new code is generated as GM learns more about the vehicles and their afflictions as they age.

Rod mtrocket:

Would the bulletin that CC found fix your door opening problem....hopefully???

There is another Service Bulletin (that affects battery life/performance) regarding a 30mA draw from the RCDLR (Remote Control Door Lock Receiver) module when set to Passive Locking mode and the vehicle is parked for extended periods (>2 weeks.) It involves a reflash of the module with updated software and affects 2004-2007 XLR/XLR-V models. Any time your XLR goes to the shop, it's prudent to have them ensure your software is updated, since new code is generated as GM learns more about the vehicles and their afflictions as they age.
Possibly... planning on having Nolan Cadillac check the problem out while on my way to the San Antonio Rendezvous in two weeks. Will make sure they update ALL software while it's there...

Any thoughts on those solar battery tenders? The ones that plug into the cigarette lighter and are placed on the inside of the car on the dash? If you park your car outside at work then that might be enough. See link.

http://www.nextag.com/solar-battery-maintainer/products-html
I've had one in my motorhome... not worth the $. Better to get a battery tender.
You could get what's called a float charger... I got mine at Harbor Freight for around $10. Comes with battery clips only... unable to hook up to battery permanently.

Quick update..

I tenderized the car overnight. After four hours, the LED display was still red. 12 hours after engaging the tender, the red LED was still lit, and the green was flashing. Basically 12 hours of charging and the battery was still not at optimal performance. After driving more short distances and deploying the roof once, I reengaged the tender. It only took about 90 minutes to get the green LED flashing. Progress is being made..:cool

One thing is for sure - when you drive an XLR you have to be ready to answer questions at any given moment.:cheers

I truly think many of your problems will go away when the battery is up to a full charge.

Now when you put the Tender on it should come up to charge fairly quickly.

You have to admit it was REAL LOW.

Now you can start enjoying your car. Just be sure NOT to raise or lower the top without the engine running it really draws the battery down.

Regards

The tender registered a full charge this morning. I can really tell the difference. So much for the 'low' reading by the car parts shop. I'm surprised the battery had enough cold cranking amps to start the car. I do believe this will cure most if not all of my issues. If problems continue, at least I can rule out the battery. Thanks again..:cheers

Maybe someone can convince the Battery Tender folks to become a supporting vender. This is an ideal XLR accessory; especially for those who store their cars for extended periods.

CC :cheers

BATTERYTENDER is good but if you want something that will do More & Better.
Its a tender, a charger, and a conditioner. Make your battery last for years, bring an old dead battery back to life and use for years.
Check out www.batteryminder.com see why BATTERY MINDER WORKS

I would suggest that with your driving habits....very low mileage to and from work that you set up a schedule to put the Battery Tender on your car overnight.

As you mentioned it seems to have contributed to correcting the other issues so it woould be good to know that it is still maintaining a decent charge over a week or longer.

PLEASE be sure to ask your dealer about the bullitin on batterys that CC mentioned now that you have a real handle on the issue. The reason is that your charging systems need to help do most of the work too.

Please continue to keep us up to date.

So far, so good with the tender. The weather recently hasn't been conducive for much top activity. I am still getting a feel for how often the tender will have to be used by hooking up during hours when I can monitor the LED's. As of this point, once a week should probably do the trick but it doesn't require much effort so I'll just 'top off' the battery every couple of days.

WELL, I think for the price of this car it should be able to keep itself charged under most normal conditions. The factory manual has 'specs' for the battery and I would go "along spec lines or better", when purchasing a new battery. If I had to "use a battery tender" for my everyday car, IT WOULD BE GONE RIGHT NOW! Some of you use these cars on a 'weekend cruiser' basis, and that's OK too. When all the demands of the electronics are put to the battery at idle, the true value of the correct battery is brought to the forefront. Voltage VS current issues seem to be what most owners do not understand. This car has a major demand on the battery! WHY CUT CORNERS? Just buy a battery that is AT LEAST up to minimal specs and try to get one that exceeds those specs by a large number. "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight!".

AzGeo:

All good points....under normal circumstances. BUT he just bought the car and he only drives a mile or two to work. He also wasn't aware of the fact that you dont want to put the top up and down without having the motor on--too much drain on the battery.

Now couple all of that with the fact that the car more than likely never had a full charge on the battery and you have a recipe for problems.

So what we members did was to suggest that the Tender return the battery to full power and then diagnose the problems. Also for his driving habits (which do vary widely among owners) we recommended that "the tender" be placed on the car to ensure full power for awhile. He will be able to determine what the frequency of the charge schedule will be for him over a short period of time.

Right now he is just happy that the car is working as it should be and that he won't be stranded. WORKS FOR ME!!!

I am a big Battery Tender fan. I use it on my cars--infrequently, but always on my motorcycles and other toys. It does the job and is well worth the money....in my assessment.

Regards

I also drive to work a short distance. (5.3 miles one way) I run the A/C most every time I start the car. I use the top (aprox) once a week (with motor running). The regulator within the alternator 'sees loads and battery condition' and controls the magnetic field/charge rate as needed (if it is working correctly). Yes, the car "is alive' even when not being operated, but I feel that 15/20 minutes of driving time (5.4 miles) should be enough to maintain the battery level, when all components are within factory specs. I do have other vehicles and may want to drive one of them from time to time. Will my XLR go dead within 4 or 5 days of non-use? I've parked it 2 days at one time with no ill effects, so what is the time limit for battery life, while parked? Sure, tenders are great for 'Saturday only cars/toys', but too much trouble for everyday drivers. I understand that you guys are giving 'simple answers to complex questions' but for what this car represents, I can't agree on the "battery tender" as a viable true cure.

I travel for work 6-9 months a year, so this topic is of particular relevance to me. While there is no hard and fast rule as to how long the XLR's battery lasts, I've found that two weeks is about as long as I want to park mine without risking a dead battery. I always plug my Battery Tender up before I leave for a trip, since it only takes a minute and the alternative is a pain. I've got a 15-year old SUV that can go three months sitting without a problem, but it has nowhere near the idle electrical load the XLR has.

The biggest electrical load any vehicle faces is at start-up. If the vehicle isn't driven long enough for the charging system to make up the difference, eventually, jumper cables, AAA, or pet electric eels are going to come into play. Price has nothing to do with it; the battery is only a storage device and this electrical system is in a different league altogether. With the OEM battery, charging system and loading there doesn't appear to be beaucoup margin on the XLR. It's just something we have to keep an eye on. There's no such thing as a perfect car, but I can live with the minor faults inherent with this one, since it has so many other redeeming qualities.

CC :cheers

Lets not compare "parked unused time VS short trip everyday driving patterns", those are two very different questions (IMHO). I also feel that 'price does have something to do with it'. The price of this car should also reflect the amount of engineering that has gone into it, not just the sum total of it's material weight. IF the factory battery specs are correct, and IF the charging system is up to delivering enough charge rate ABOVE known vehicle operation use rates, and IF the car is driven frequently, on short or long trips, the battery should be maintained at a high level of charge. IF the engineering of this vehicle has "errors or gaps", we all paid too much for these things. BUT then it may be something simple as the 'pulley sizes could be wrong' (alternator speed VS crankshaft speed) or some other engineering error may cause the charging/battery system to have 'fatal flaws'. So then owners must resort to (as you say) " pet electric eels" to keep this car going? "Everyday or every third day use should be no problem for this car, even when the use is only 3 to 5 miles per trip". "Overnite drain along with starter draw should be reclaimed within the first mile or two of operation". (if it's 100% engineered to $80K specs!) Alternators are capable of very rapid charge rates at lower RPMs.(good batteries will take that charge) "Parking this car for extended periods of time will require some external type of 'battery maintainence', (yes, the body is alive when the car is not running) but the question on that subject would be "at what point does short term parking end' and when does THIS CAR require external battery maintainence?

AzGeo and JackW:

Well for what it is worth.......I decided to follow my own advice with my new ride. Sure enough the battery was apparantly very low.

So on went the Battery Tender and after about 18 hours the battery was up to full charge.

I was real worried at one point because the casing was real hot to the touch. I was thinking about unplugging it letting it cool down and then and doing it again but I didn't.

When the battery reached full charge the tender cooled down and was perfect.

I am still of the opinion that the battery needs to be topped off as part of the predelivery process not "hot shotted". This will take some strain off of the alternator which if it isn't done will continue to work to bring the battery up to full charge...all well and good if you are driving the car enough. Not good if there are short tirps involved.

So now I will be following JackW's program for awhile to see how often I need to "Tender" the battery until it can maintain the peak power on its own.

Regards

Jerry

Good deal, Jerry. My tender did get a little warm the first usage when the battery was really, really low. After the initial charge which took two overnight sessions, I dropped back to twice a week. It didn't get nearly as hot. I then backed down to once a week.

Oops...

My car wouldn't start Wednesday morning. It was last hooked up to the tender the Friday before. I tenderized, which carried me to the weekend..but the battery had to go. It wasn't holding a charge properly.

I went with an Optima RedTop. Now, if you don't much about car batteries and want to learn, I would not recommend starting with an Optima and an XLR. :lol A link to the Optima RedTop specs page for reference:

http://www.optimabatteries.com/optima_products/redtop/specs.php

There are no cross matches for a 2005 XLR. There is, however, a cross for an '08. Model 35. The posts are reversed. For all I knew, it would have to be installed backwards to fit. I wanted the 34/78, but thought it might be too large. The car parts store had the 34/78 and the smaller 75/25 in stock. I had them order a 35, and went back this morning determined that one of these three options would fit if I had to take a crowbar to it.:lol

The 34/78, with a whopping 800CCA, fit like a glove. Ironically, it was less expensive than the small batteries. I still intend on using the tender. Initially if for no other reason than to see if there is a major parasitic draw that requires attention, then just to keep it topped off.

The best of both worlds (new Optima and Battery Tender) was not the answer to my intermittent starting issue. This time when the car would crank but not turn over, I had to delivered via flatbed to a non-Cadillac GM dealership just two miles from the house. The car was still failing when loaded, but of course was starting properly when the mechanic did his anaylsis. So I am still looking for answers, and they may not be electrical in nature.

Hi folks! Since everyone on here has been so helpful, I thought I'd post an update to my starting issues in hopes of helping out someone else with my personal experience.

The failure in June was shortly after installing the new battery. Perhaps it didn't have a full charge at the time, and I did not tenderize from the time it was installed until after it failed. I charged, intermittently, until taking a long road trip in mid July without any failures. After my return home, I quite frankly became lazy about plugging in. I went just over six weeks with the same short trip driving habits, until it failed again on Monday, August 31.

Since that time I have made a few more road trips, but am now using the tender every weekend regardless. Basically, I am using the battery tender as a gauge by witnessing how long it takes to get back to 80% and 100%, and am definitely seeing a trend as compared to the previous week's driving habits.

On a typical short trip week, the tender takes about an hour for 80%, and 1-2 hours for full charge. I ran a little experiment on Halloween. Knowing I had a bunch of stops to make, I waited until afterwards to charge the battery. Six separate stops over a two hour time frame, and only 20 miles traveled. Once I plugged in, it took 3 hours to get back to 80%, and at least 3 more to 100%.

As everyone on here told me, there is definitely a link. Whether or not I have a parasitic draw and am overpowering it by charging once a week or my driving habits are just that messed up :lol, I have not had a failure in ten weeks.

Apologies for the back-to-back posts so close together. After a short trip week, I had plugged in the car before making the above reply. It took 50 minutes to 80%.

A couple of things I read on here that keep coming to mind, and some suggestions handed to me if you are having this type of starting issue. You need fuel and fire to start a car. Two things you can do fairly easily to check fuel. If the car is cranking but won't turn over, pull the engine cover (no tools required; simply remove the oil cap and pull to the front then lift). Locate the fuel rod and cap. The cap will look like an oversized tire stem cap. Be sure to have a towel and wear safety glasses! Remove the stem cap, and push the valve. WARNING - if there is fuel present, it will be under pressure. Another thing you can try is banging on the gas tank with a rubber mallet. Firmly, directly in the middle. If the car starts, you may have fuel pump or associated issues. Of course, none of this matters if a module somewhere is not telling the fuel pump to send gas. Which brings me to the two things read on here that keep coming back to haunt..

1) It takes a couple hours run time for a Cadillac XLR to completely recover from the starting process, and..

2) An amp starved XLR will do funny things.

Keep that battery charged, and happy cruising!:cheers