Is my car cursed?

[Phrede]

I am beginning to think I should have never wanted or purchased an XLR.

The latest....

I got my car back after almost 3 weeks in the shop yesterday and had a good ride last night. This morning the battery was stone dead. The cause is unknown, the headlights were left in the automatic position

After using the key to open the trunk, I could not find the emergency door release pull.

Realizing I am still in the warranty period, I called Roadside Service. They just left and promised to call me with a plan in a while. They think the cable was never installed from the factory.

Now, not only do I not get to drive my car, but I must be reminded of it every time I walk by it.

I suggest everyone give their emergency door release a try before it is too late.

 

[Lola's Mom]

Sounds like a really bad case of bad luck. I will bet dollars to donuts that your battery is dead because while it was in for repair they were putting your top up and down and not running the engine enough and long enough to keep the battery charged up. When we first got Lola I was so excited to show everyone how the top operated that I did - not knowing that it was such a huge battery drainer. So, when my battery went dead - the first time - I was sitting in the middle of the supermarket parking lot with a trunk full of groceries. When the tech (from the local dealership arrived) he told me about how small the batteries are ... that lowering and raising the top 5 times would probably drain the battery - warned me not to play the radio without the engine running ... and most of all - to DRIVE the hell out of the car to keep the battery charged. I have found out that if the car is not driven about every 8 or 9 days - I have a dead battery. This is all true. Since I live in CA - I do not need a tender for winter storage - but I have been advised to put one on when we leave on vacations, or if I don't plan on driving her for awhile. It's a bit*h when the battery dies because the car has to be reprogrammed - the last dip it took a couple of weeks ago caused my trunk not to open or shut ... and of course the top needed reprogramming as well. Hope this helps you a little .... and I hope your dream car is up and running soon .... remember ... after they do whatever they do to the battery - have them check the operation of the top and trunk!

 

[Crimson Pearl]

An Odyssey might help!

The original owner of my XLR did not drive the car very much, only 8,000 miles in 4 years. The last year she owned it, she drove it only 200 miles. As a result, the factory-installed battery died. The dealership that sold the car new was where she had all her maintenance done. They did not have a battery of the correct size on hand, and as a result, they had to purchase a battery from AutoZone and install it in the car for her.

So when I purchased the car, I just didn't much care for the sight of an AutoZone battery in my Crimson Pearl.

It took a few tries to get the right one, but I finally got the corrrect size and style of Odyssey battery and replaced the A/Z battery. I won't go through all the other reasons that I wanted an Odyssey (you can check their website : http://www.odysseybattery.com/batteries.html ), but based on prior experience with installing an Odyssey battery in my Harley-Davidson, I KNEW I wanted one in my XLR!

Because Crimson Pearl is driven infrequently, about once a week, usually on a Saturday, I will connect the Odyssey Ultimizer Charger to Crimson Pearl to "top off" and condition the battery. I don't do this in any week that she is driven.

By it's very design and with no less than 7 onboard computers, an XLR presents a "parasitic" load on the battery. It is continually drawing a load on the battery. There is just too much programming required after a low or dead battery in an XLR for me to take the chance.

I have NO affiliation with Odyssey or any distributor, other than being an enthusiastic and satisfied customer.

If you are interested, you might want to review this thread : https://www.xlr-net.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4125

 

[onalaska]

There should be a way to backfeed the battery through the top pump circuit or some other circuit that can be reached in the trunk and get enough power to open the door if the cable is really missing.

I have a short cable coming from the battery running to the to the cowl where the wipers are located that has a mating plug for my maintainer. It's real easy to run a cable there and it is always accessable and not in the way or noticable unless you know where to look.

 

[XLRATING]

I like the "driving the hell" out of the car requirement - now I have an excuse, I'm just taking care of my battery!

 

[Phrede]

Sounds like a really bad case of bad luck. I will bet dollars to donuts that your battery is dead because while it was in for repair they were putting your top up and down and not running the engine enough and long enough to keep the battery charged up.

The car started fine at the dealer and I then drove it about 40 miles home. Then later went for about a 100mile cruise, because I missed my baby and the weather was an A+. I really think the battery would have charged by then.

There should be a way to backfeed the battery through the top pump circuit or some other circuit that can be reached in the trunk and get enough power to open the door if the cable is really missing.

I have a short cable coming from the battery running to the to the cowl where the wipers are located that has a mating plug for my maintainer. It's real easy to run a cable there and it is always accessible and not in the way or noticable unless you know where to look.

Great minds think alike! After hearing that the dealers plan was to make a special tool to break in and release the latch on the floor. And it would be tomorrow sometime, making me miss 2 cruise-ins with again perfect weather.. I realized it was up to me to find a solution and started looking for a signal that was not driven by any output module, AH, HA I thought as I discovered a connector on the hydraulic pump With just a black and red wire of about 14 or 16 gauge on it. Leaving everything plugged in I hooked up a 12Vdc power supply and limited the current to 5A. I could tell by the trunk light that the system was not happy, but had power. I first tried the FOB, but no good. I was able to open the door directly! Then the hood and put a good charge into the battery. Then I went cruising

I released the hood prior to tucking her in for bed. I figured that would have the least impact on the electrical system. I'll see what the story is in the morning and start tracking down the problem.

Now the dealer gets to install an emergency door release cable, on top of repainting the roof and replacing the window weatherstripping. Its starting to look like another multi-week visit without my car. It sure is getting old.

On the bright side my new windrestrictor is a big hit. I parked next to a '64 Eldorado earlier and got some good photos. Of the Old and New school cars.

 

[Lola's Mom]

I'm still betting that your battery took just enough of a 'dip' to start the car but mess up your programming. It wouldn't matter after that how many miles you drove ... the programming was already messed up.

Let me know .... I'm really interested in your story, because mine is so identical ...

 

[Phrede]

I'm still betting that your battery took just enough of a 'dip' to start the car but mess up your programming. It wouldn't matter after that how many miles you drove ... the programming was already messed up.

Let me know .... I'm really interested in your story, because mine is so identical ...

The roof has not failed or even hiccuped since I got it back the last time
Before or after the dead battery of this morning.

The roof motion program is stored in nonvolatile memory and can not be effected by a change in voltage. The 4 sensors that are used for position feedback on the individual roof components are compared to the system voltage when resolving the actual position of the moving members. Again, the system voltage does not have an effect.

Voltage difference problems do come into play when when the voltage varies on the individual signal line regardless of the system voltage as could be caused by poor grounding, loose or faulty sensor and/or poor connections. The would be interpreted by the control as the component being in a different position than it actually is. Far enough out of position and the routine freezes.

I have enough reps on my roof now to have built some confidence in it and feel the problem is resolved. The final solution was to do what was recommended at Bowling Green. Replace all 4 sensors and clean and grease 3 ground points (2 in back and the main one in front).


I will have more information on the battery issue tomorrow after some testing. Anyone know what the normal parasitic drain on our cars is?