[Ed and Sandra]

In many, many ways during our participation in the RII events in Bowling Green we saw firsthand the tremendous commitment of the entire XLR production and management team to providing a world class vehicle intended for a select market. There was obvious pride in their product and a genuine sense of caring about and commitment to their customers. We encountered this during lots of one-on-one discussions in which XLR execs went out of their way to seek our opinions, in the small focus group in which we participated (more about that later), and in the general sessions at various times.

We would like to share one personal example of this commitment and caring that we found to be quite remarkable. We know that others at RII also have other experiences of this nature to share and hopefully they will do so.

We have an ’05 XLR we purchased new a little over two years ago. Soon after acquiring it we noticed a peculiar mottled swirl pattern in the paint on the top of the left fender. We inquired about it with the dealer staff and were steadfastly assured it had arrived from the factory that way and that it was normal. We should note our XLR was only the second one this local dealer had ever seen and sold. Being trusting and somewhat naïve in that respect we accepted that answer, but always thought it odd that such a high quality, flagship vehicle should have such problems.

At RII, forum member and super moderator XLR I FL (Jerry) saw the fender and quickly concluded “That just ain’t right!” He tackled some of the XLR execs about it and they were soon in touch with us saying they wanted to see it at the “Park & Shine.” And, true to their word, see it they did. There was a lot of head scratching and evident concern on the part of the very top level folk with all saying there was no way something could have left the factory in that condition. Fortunately, the paint manager was in attendance and he was brought round to study the matter. His conclusion, and the others agreed, was that the dealer had damaged the finish by not properly following the instructions for removing the plastic sheeting (sorry, don’t know the right name for the material) used to protect such surfaces during shipment. It really bothered all of them to realize we had been driving the car with people seeing such a problem for two years and they wanted it promptly corrected.

They asked if we could stay over and let them take the car into the factory on Monday and replace the fender. As we were discussing how we could arrange to do that by flying Sandra home for an important business meeting she had Monday morning, they realized the hassle it would be for us and soon said they would have someone from Bowling Green bring a new fender to us and install it for us at our house. Pretty amazing. And it would be all the more amazing if you knew who that someone was, but we don’t feel it appropriate to share that specific information.

One of the messages we heard over and over again, was that they want to hear from their XLR customers who have questions and problems (and suggestions) that aren’t resolved with the dealership network. They emphasized they pay especially close attention to all messages received via the Bowling Green Assembly Plant website http://www.bowlinggreenassemblyplant.com/home.htm Click on the yellow owner feedback button on the top right corner.

We must say after our experiences at Bowling Green we treasure our very special XLR even more.

Best regards,
Ed and Sandra

 

[katzybabyh]

Thank you for that information. I just wrote them as I am having quite a problem with my 05 XLR. Maybe they can help the dealer fix or resolve it.

 

[Ed and Sandra]

Thank you for that information. I just wrote them as I am having quite a problem with my 05 XLR. Maybe they can help the dealer fix or resolve it.

Please let the forum here know what transpires.

Best regards,
Ed and Sandra

 

[cadillac tech]

WOW! What a great story that shows the dedication they have for the cars and the owners. I don't think you would get this kind of service from anyone else.
Bruce

 

[rufcar]

E&S, That was a cool story and I also felt the same way. For years GM has always had that holyier than thou opinion of themselves and the XLR folks sure have changed that. They have finally realized that we are the buying public and we do care. Shortly after you and I spoke about your paint problem I was asked to give my opinion about the car since they failed to tell me and Ruth about where and when the focas group was meeting. I mentiond that they might have an 800 number for small parts. I showed him missing clips on my car and he said he'd mail them out as soon as he good. I told him the small parts number would be a great asset as we dont need to but an entire component because a screw or clip was missing or broken. We'll see what happens there ,But again I am in awe of what they are going to do for your fender. Congrads! jim

 

[XLR I FL]

In many, many ways during our participation in the RII events in Bowling Green we saw firsthand the tremendous commitment of the entire XLR production and management team to providing a world class vehicle intended for a select market. There was obvious pride in their product and a genuine sense of caring about and commitment to their customers. We encountered this during lots of one-on-one discussions in which XLR execs went out of their way to seek our opinions, in the small focus group in which we participated (more about that later), and in the general sessions at various times.

We would like to share one personal example of this commitment and caring that we found to be quite remarkable. We know that others at RII also have other experiences of this nature to share and hopefully they will do so.

We have an ’05 XLR we purchased new a little over two years ago. Soon after acquiring it we noticed a peculiar mottled swirl pattern in the paint on the top of the left fender. We inquired about it with the dealer staff and were steadfastly assured it had arrived from the factory that way and that it was normal. We should note our XLR was only the second one this local dealer had ever seen and sold. Being trusting and somewhat naïve in that respect we accepted that answer, but always thought it odd that such a high quality, flagship vehicle should have such problems.

At RII, forum member and super moderator XLR I FL (Jerry) saw the fender and quickly concluded “That just ain’t right!” He tackled some of the XLR execs about it and they were soon in touch with us saying they wanted to see it at the “Park & Shine.” And, true to their word, see it they did. There was a lot of head scratching and evident concern on the part of the very top level folk with all saying there was no way something could have left the factory in that condition. Fortunately, the paint manager was in attendance and he was brought round to study the matter. His conclusion, and the others agreed, was that the dealer had damaged the finish by not properly following the instructions for removing the plastic sheeting (sorry, don’t know the right name for the material) used to protect such surfaces during shipment. It really bothered all of them to realize we had been driving the car with people seeing such a problem for two years and they wanted it promptly corrected.

They asked if we could stay over and let them take the car into the factory on Monday and replace the fender. As we were discussing how we could arrange to do that by flying Sandra home for an important business meeting she had Monday morning, they realized the hassle it would be for us and soon said they would have someone from Bowling Green bring a new fender to us and install it for us at our house. Pretty amazing. And it would be all the more amazing if you knew who that someone was, but we don’t feel it appropriate to share that specific information.

One of the messages we heard over and over again, was that they want to hear from their XLR customers who have questions and problems (and suggestions) that aren’t resolved with the dealership network. They emphasized they pay especially close attention to all messages received via the Bowling Green Assembly Plant website http://www.bowlinggreenassemblyplant.com/home.htm Click on the yellow owner feedback button on the top right corner.

We must say after our experiences at Bowling Green we treasure our very special XLR even more.

Best regards,
Ed and Sandra

Ed:

Be sure you send my "Referral Check" right away or you might end up with a SATURN FENDER!!!

Be sure to take and post pictures of the XLR SURGERY!!!

I REALLY ENJOYED MEETING YOU GUYS!!!

 

[Ed and Sandra]

The check’s in the mail!

We truly are appreciative of the time we enjoyed sharing with Jerry and particularly for the couple of occasions he came forth with especially good advice (all of which we haven’t revealed yet). He’s a really great guy and when we weren’t talking XLRs we were reminiscing about our days in banking.

Best regards and with thanks,
Ed and Sandra

 

[rleonard]

I must echo the same sense of commitment and resolve forthcoming from the Cadillac representative I was talking to at RII.

I mentioned that there was a bracket that is rusting. I had noticed this on the very first used V that I saw in April (early 06 production). I thought that this had been a car from the "rust belt" and had been driven in salt. For that reason, I decided to pass on purchasing this car.

I have spotted the same thing my new V and another one at RII. There is a small electrically driven air pump mounted on the right inner fender. The bracket on all of them rusts where the shepard's hook shaped clamp is staked closed. It is not a major item, structural or safety related, but it is quite visible to see those two bright red rust red dots just as you open the hood.

I mentioned this at our meeting on Friday and I was sought out to inspect it on Saturday morning. Within an hour this man had gone to purchase some rust inhibitor/conversion material (Locktite Extend) and we applied it. If I not had to leave to return home, the bracket probably would have been painted too!

I believe that he did this to another V or two at RII.

It is these efforts of resolve that should be the model for customer relations. Cadillac, you raised the bar on what can be done. I hope that you can migrate this exemplary behavior thruout your organization.

Robert Leonard

 

[BAYAREAGLASS]

THIS IS WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS ALL ABOUT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S MAKING A COMEBACK

 

[mswaim]

But am I the only member who feels it's true customer service only when your local Cadillac dealer makes those same efforts?

Until then it's an all-out effort to convince 40 + owners who took the time to drive to the factory that only some of their employees are committed to the vision. :cheers

Just rough numbers, however take 40 + XLR/XLRV's at an average of 80 grand a pop and you rolled into BG with $3,200,000.00 +/- worth of GM flagship vehicles.

Their efforts to exceed expectations has already paid the dividends they were counting on, positive press on the primary internet forum devoted to their flagship vehicle.

However - until that same level of service is taught, supported and audited for compliance, it's an anomaly, not the norm

Just my 2 cents worth. Let the burning begin................

 

[rufcar]

mswaim, You are 100% correct and that was one point I made when I talked one on one with the exec's! They did say that you 1st should ask if the dealer is xlr certified! Not all are maybe even most are not. That would help narrow down the possibilities of problems. I also said they need a long term plan for warranty as the electrics on this cars are complicated and future parts will be difficult at best to find. I know for a fact that on a 10-14 yr old new model Rolls you can hardly find
any modules at all! You cant even buy distributer parts for them. That would make the long term outlook dim for XLR's if they do not have a plan in place for electrics!

 

[mswaim]

You point out a real problem in that Cadillac allows non-certified dealerships to market an automobile they cannot successfully service by GM execs own admission.

Every manufacturer sets their own standards and rules for marketing. Perhaps GM should take a page from Ford's rulebook regarding their SVT line. If you apply to sell SVT products, you must be certified to not only know the product so you can sell it effectively, you must also have factory trained (and supported) technicians on staff.

Oh well, I'm glad everyone had a great time while having access to persons willing to listen to some critical feedback.

 

[XLR28]

New or Used?

I think Cadillac has a system in place for precisely that. The dealership must be XLR certified to sell and subsequently perform maintenance on an XLR - let me clarify, on any NEW XLR. Correct me if I am wrong, but any used car dealership Cadillac or not can sell a used XLR without knowing their butt from a hole in the ground.

Your only protection is if you go new. Do your research, if you buy used pay to have the warranty transferred (or whatever that entails) find a local CERTIFIED Cadillac dealership and introduce yourself.

The obvious warning still stands, not all dealerships are created equal. I had great service with unparralleled interaction between myself and the technicians working on my car in Kitsap County Washington, and now in Council Bluffs, IA the story is 180 out. But what can you do? It is not even across the board but at least the leadership has it right and we can only hope that it trickles down adequately.

I think I am up to 3 cents by now.:smash

Ben (XLR28)

 

[Mr XLR]

XLR Certified Dealers

In the US. there are just under 1400 Cadillac dealers, out of those less than 1000 are XLR certified dealers. Here is a close breakdown of XLR sales by those 900+ dealers.

300 dealers sold 0-1 XLRs
250 dealers sold 2 XLRs
200 dealers sold 3 XLRs
200 dealers sold 4 or more

If you are not a certified XLR dealer you can't order a new vehicle and are NOT supposed to work on an XLR unless it is an emergency. There is required training for sales & service and you must buy many XLR required tools.

ANY dealer nation wide, of any mfg can sell any pre-driven vehicle.

You can have a technician that took all the courses, has all the available tools but if they dont see them very often to be able to acquire the skills to be proficient in diagnosing the issue, they won't do a very good job on repairing them.

Lexus has about 400 dealers nationwide, so the customers must travel for hundreds of miles to purchase a vehicle. Thus go the same distance for servicing there auto.

I strongly recomend any prospective XLR owner not focus on the certification, but on the volume of XLR sales of the said dealer. The more they sell the greater level of service. A dealer that doesn't sell many, has a greater likelyhood of not servicing it correctly.

How would you like it if you went in for a procedure at a hospital and you were told the surgeon has not done the procedure since medical school? What if you had a pending legal case and found out your attorney has not tried that type of case since he graduated from law school.

I do agree, if you were purchasing a pre-driven, you should purchase it from an XLR dealer, not just a Cadillac dealer and not an off GM dealer.

If it is not a Cadillac dealer it CAN'T be certified and if it is not a GM dealer, you can't get a GM Major Guard policy.

But more important than all of the above, if you don't buy your XLR from a dealer that does not sell many XLRs you run the risk of a very poor explanation of all the XLRs features and benefits, the dealer not knowing the driver of the vehicle and the service dept. having very low experience working on XLRs on a regular basis. Lastly no one at that dealer you can turn to for assistance.

www.Cadillac-XLR.com

Thanks
Allen

 

[harold]

UAW friendliness

Katie and I found the union workers to be very helpful and friendly. One of the female workers sat beside us at dinner on Thursday night, and I was telling her that I was missing one of the trunk lid liner fasteners. She told me that she worked at the first position on the XLR line. On Friday morning, as my tour group C approached her position, she recognized me and came over to the green line and handed me three of the black fasteners. Later in the afternoon, we were walking in the Mall, and a nice lady came up to us and said,"weren't you all on the plant tour this morning"? She was a security person and I think remembered the pink shirt that I was wearing.We found the employees and management to be very helpful and friendly. Seems that is what a lot of others also found about Kentucky folks. All in all we were very impressed with the whole RII and want to thank those that made it possible and so enjoyable. Thank you all. Harold and Katie Johnson

 

[mswaim]

In the US. there are just under 1400 Cadillac dealers, out of those less than 1000 are XLR certified dealers. Here is a close breakdown of XLR sales by those 900+ dealers.

300 dealers sold 0-1 XLRs
250 dealers sold 2 XLRs
200 dealers sold 3 XLRs
200 dealers sold 4 or more

If you are not a certified XLR dealer you can't order a new vehicle and are NOT supposed to work on an XLR unless it is an emergency. There is required training for sales & service and you must buy many XLR required tools.

ANY dealer nation wide, of any mfg can sell any pre-driven vehicle.

You can have a technician that took all the courses, has all the available tools but if they dont see them very often to be able to acquire the skills to be proficient in diagnosing the issue, they won't do a very good job on repairing them.

Lexus has about 400 dealers nationwide, so the customers must travel for hundreds of miles to purchase a vehicle. Thus go the same distance for servicing there auto.

I strongly recomend any prospective XLR owner not focus on the certification, but on the volume of XLR sales of the said dealer. The more they sell the greater level of service. A dealer that doesn't sell many, has a greater likelyhood of not servicing it correctly.

How would you like it if you went in for a procedure at a hospital and you were told the surgeon has not done the procedure since medical school? What if you had a pending legal case and found out your attorney has not tried that type of case since he graduated from law school.

I do agree, if you were purchasing a pre-driven, you should purchase it from an XLR dealer, not just a Cadillac dealer and not an off GM dealer.

If it is not a Cadillac dealer it CAN'T be certified and if it is not a GM dealer, you can't get a GM Major Guard policy.

But more important than all of the above, if you don't buy your XLR from a dealer that does not sell many XLRs you run the risk of a very poor explanation of all the XLRs features and benefits, the dealer not knowing the driver of the vehicle and the service dept. having very low experience working on XLRs on a regular basis. Lastly no one at that dealer you can turn to for assistance.

www.Cadillac-XLR.com

Thanks
Allen

When you boil that down, nearly 70% of all dealers are certified for sales and repair.

 

[Jetboyphx]

At the risk of sounding like a politician :smash I have to admit I agree with most everthing on this thread. Ed and Sandra are correct in pointing out that Cadillac went above and beyond with their support during this event. I personally have never had any issues with support from Cadillac, most likely because of the dealership I use. I also strongly agree with mswain that they should try to further limit the number of dealers allowed to sell and service XLR's. I am sure they would like to cut down on the overall number of Cadillac dealers in general, the Lexus sales and distribution model is better. I also think Mr XLR is making a very good point to try to find a dealer that has sold 4 or more. In the Phoenix metro area, 5th largest in the country, they only have 5 dealerships and those are split between two owners. It works very well.

The support from Cadillac at the event was well above and beyond my expectations and the same generally applies at my dealership when it comes to service. ( I won't start on sales).

 

[BAYAREAGLASS]

But am I the only member who feels it's true customer service only when your local Cadillac dealer makes those same efforts?

Until then it's an all-out effort to convince 40 + owners who took the time to drive to the factory that only some of their employees are committed to the vision. :cheers

Just rough numbers, however take 40 + XLR/XLRV's at an average of 80 grand a pop and you rolled into BG with $3,200,000.00 +/- worth of GM flagship vehicles.

Their efforts to exceed expectations has already paid the dividends they were counting on, positive press on the primary internet forum devoted to their flagship vehicle.

However - until that same level of service is taught, supported and audited for compliance, it's an anomaly, not the norm

Just my 2 cents worth. Let the burning begin................

Cadillac can't fix it if they don't know its broke. They are replacing a fender that was a delivery problem, not their problem but are making it theirs, I say TA DA for them:cheers

 

[1_XLR]

Cadillac can't fix it if they don't know its broke. They are replacing a fender that was a delivery problem, not their problem but are making it theirs, I say TA DA for them:cheers

I think that may have been a case of passing the buck. When I took delivery of my 04 it had a horizontal paint sag that ran almost the full LR panel. It was blatantly obvious and never should have left the factory that way. In E&S case, I don't see how removing a plastic protectorant could distort the paint since there is a thick clear coat.
Either way, my car was repaired immediatly, as E&S will be:thumbs

 

[mswaim]

We are also having a few paint imperfections touched up this week. One of the spots stands out like a sore thumb and should have been caught by quality control. The dealer had already planned on making the adjustment, however they were grumbling that it never should have left BG.

But hey, $%it happens and they should have it road ready by the end of the week. :thumbs