Trunk Lid Scratched Roof

15045 Views 29 Replies 18 Participants Last post by XLR B Green, Sep 24, 2008

mganz

Discussion Starter · Jul 28, 2005

I just got a Crimson Pearl XLR last Friday. I noticed a small blemish in the paint on the roof (above the driver's door and about 3" in from the edge) when I got it home. After a couple of days, I noticed that the "blemish" was now a hole through all layers of the paint. Obviously, a piece of metal on the trunk hinge is rubbing against the roof.

In addition to this problem, the small triangular rear window on the driver's side seems to overly extend outward upon raising the roof. The driver's door window then raises inside (vs. outside) the rubber gasket and the driver's door won't open (not good). The solution is to lower the power window, tug on the little triangular rear window, and then raise the power window. Needless to say, this is not cool when showing your friends your new $80K car!

Of course the dealer says that I should bring it in and they'll "look into it". However, before I do, I'd like to hear if any of you have had similar problems and how they were solved. I am concerned that, with so few XLRs out there, that the dealers are winging it with these kinds of problems.

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jackewells

· #2 · Jul 28, 2005

A number of owners have had trouble of one kind or another with this complex top mechanism.
If your dealer does not have an XLR pro, then invest the time to find a dealer that does.
If you are in Southern California I recommend Allen Cadillac in Orange County. :flag

rkhare

· #3 · Jul 28, 2005

That nick ought to be a warranty issue

The owner at the former dealership where I bought it, and mine, developed a similar nick. The roof needed to be repainted (under warranty) and hasn't re-emerged since.

Good luck!

PS. Any recommendations here in SF for a dealer as clueful as Allen? I'm going to have to try Putnam next...

jackewells

· #4 · Jul 29, 2005

I wonder if Cadillac Division would publish (or just release) the names of dealers selling the most XLR's. It should be reasonable to assume that they would be the best shot for service and other issues. :flag

Eyedoc

· #5 · Jul 29, 2005

Not this one

I have been monitoring this site for almost 2 years, never heard of this exact malfunction with the top.

Most of the top problems are "getting stuck" and "stopping" in mid-function.

There was one case of the wing window getting caught and shattering. Wonder if yours is a similar issue.

Howevere, does sound like they need to fix it.

Had the sticking problem with mine shortly after delivery. They replaced a micro-switrch and its worked fine since.

Good luck.

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1_XLR

· #6 · Jul 29, 2005

likewise in reading the forum, I've never heard where the roof has been damaged, but that there are several adjustments on the wing window as to where it aligns and how it folds.

With easily over 1000 2-way cycles, mine has always worked perfectly, so don't get too discouraged.

rick1827

· #7 · Aug 1, 2005

I have a black 04 which has 4000 miles on it. When washing it the other day I noticed what looked like the clear coat coming up in very small spots only on the roof panel. I ran it by the dealer, whose body shop said it looked like the clear coat was coming up on the roof panel. (like I didn't know that already). Anyway, they are going to repaint the top free of charge this fall when I turn it in for my 06 XLR-V.

They would do it now, but since I rarely have the top up this time of year I decided to wait till fall.

Rick

Eyedoc said:
I have been monitoring this site for almost 2 years, never heard of this exact malfunction with the top.

Most of the top problems are "getting stuck" and "stopping" in mid-function.

There was one case of the wing window getting caught and shattering. Wonder if yours is a similar issue.

Howevere, does sound like they need to fix it.

Had the sticking problem with mine shortly after delivery. They replaced a micro-switrch and its worked fine since.

Good luck.

RDH

· #8 · Aug 9, 2005

I have also had the scratch in the same location (about three inches from the driver side on the the roof. At first I thought someone had walked by the car and scratched it, but it was an unusual round shape. I took it to the dealer who thought the same thing. They touched it up (not that great a fix). Later that week, I noticed the EXACT same spot was scratching out again. This time I knew it was not someone walking by scratching it since it was in the exact same spot as the tough up. I opened the trunk lid only to find a small amount of paint dust inside the trunk lid on the bracket located directly above where the scratch was located. I took the car to the dealer who said they would air brush the roof to fix the scratch (now under warrantee since it was caused by a malfunction in the roof folding down). It has been about four weeks and I have still not returned the car for the needed repair (been traveling every week and just haven't had time to take it in). The scratch has not worsened and I really don't know why it has not continued to recur. I plan to have the dealer adjust the bracket (tighten it) so it doesn't rub on the roof when the top is down. I will let them try to airbrush the scratch. If the airbrushing is not to my satisfaction, I will have them repaint the entire roof panel.

First, open your trunk lid and see if there is any paint dust (or chips) on the trunk bracket on the inside right side (driver side) of the trunk lid. If so, then you have the same problem as me. Probably the best thing to do is to have the roof repainted and the bracket adjusted or tightened so it doesn't recur.

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mganz

Discussion Starter · #9 · Aug 10, 2005

I'm still working on getting the problem fixed. When I brought it in for repair, the dealer said that they'd never seen the problem before. Then, the next day, another customer brought in an XLR with the identical problem. It seems that there is a retaining mechanism that is supposed to hold the roof down once it is retracted in the trunk. When the roof retracts, it is not being captured by this mechanism. (Note that, if you stop the retraction process at before the trunk lid closes, you can push on the roof and it see that it has about an inch of vertical play.)

Since the dealer now has two cars with the identical problem, they've called in the big guns from Detroit to help them solve the problem. I should know more in the next couple of days and I'll post another reply when I know more.

Julie

· #10 · Aug 13, 2005

Brand new scratch

Hello,

Wouldn't you know -- right after I read these posts about scratched tops, I found a scratch.

If you're standing behind the car and look at the back window on the driver's side, there is a 4-inch scratch and it is located about 1/2 inch from the window itself, but about 8 inches down from the roof.

Does anyone have a scratch in that location?

Here's a photo I just took from the back of the car. To help clarify, the scratch is on the left side of the word "Scratch."

Thank you. Great forum!

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xlr47

· #11 · Aug 13, 2005

roof scratch

I had the same problem as described above on my black 04 xlr. An adjustment with cadillac engineering assistance took care of the problem. They removed the roof and painted it and it looks brand new. Has anyone with an 05 had any similiar problems? I know there were virtually no changes in the 05 from the 04 so I assuming that the first year model issues were corrected for the 05s. Reason Im asking is Im thinking of trading up for an 05. Been made an offer I hardly cant refuse.

upstate

· #12 · Aug 13, 2005

Trade from an 04 to an 05 with an offer you can't refuse. I can't imagine the trade difference being close. The 05's have been priced at 68K for two months. How can they justify paying more than 50 on a trade of an 04? That would still mean a gap of 18K. Enlighten me please> :confused

jackewells

· #13 · Aug 13, 2005

The difference between my 04 and 05 was $18000, including California sales tax of 8.0% :flag

XLREAGLE

· #14 · Aug 13, 2005 (Edited)

I have the same problem, although, mine did not get as bad as yours. I have about a three inch scratch above my drivers door, but it appears to have only scrathed the clearcoat. I have a black month old '05'.

mganz

Discussion Starter · #15 · Aug 13, 2005

Just an update. The dealer now has three XLRs in with exactly the same hole in the paint above the driver's door. The factory repair rep came this week and was baffled. He's sent a request to Detroit for help in developing a repair procedure. Ughh! :confused

xlr47

· #16 · Aug 14, 2005

Repair procedure

the repair procedure to correct the trunk problem is well known by cadillac engineering. Repairing the paint chip is simple. Either touch up or paint the roof.

mganz

Discussion Starter · #17 · Oct 1, 2005

I'm surprised that there are no more additions to this thread. After getting my roof fixed, the problem has returned - same hole ground through the paint on the roof. After the first time, they claimed that the problem was improperly functioning "sensors" in the roof mechanism. My car is back in the shop being re-diagnosed and re-painted. Is nobody else having this problem?

XLR I FL

· #18 · Oct 4, 2005

I have the same problem with my 04. You have correctly diagnosed the problem. When the cover lid goes into place after the top has supposedly gone down and locked in position it will "bounce around" and hit the top bracket screw post.

Cadillac does have some work to do in this area.

I also had the passenger wing window problem. I watched the technician fix this one. He loosened the window screws and moved it --retightened the screws and viola no more problem --yet.

Jester

· #19 · Sep 11, 2008

I am a little more than furious! :banghead This morning while washing my beautiful white 08, I found a nick in the paint on the left side of the roof and two round blemished places (One on each side) on the roof molded area. An inspection of the trunk lid revealed three places that touches the lowered roof.

I saw that this had happened in early years of the production but was assured it could not happen anymore. I have had the car for several months but only have 1350 pampered miles on it. I strongly resent having to have it painted even though I am sure Cadillac will pay for it.

I live in a small town and my local dealer does not sell the xlr, nor are his techs trained on the top. Suggestions please.

Jester:jester

STARBLACK225

· #20 · Sep 11, 2008

Hi Jester,

I too have a 08' White. Same issue. I HAD an 06' Starblack, same issue. I have never complained because I'm in no mood to deal with having the top repainted. I also feel a repaint will change color differently then the original paint when exposed to the elements (especially on white), so we might have a two-tone car. Sorry I have nothing good to contribute, just chiming in.

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