Help! Where is the battery?

[MRS]

Hello. I just purchased a 2009 XLR Platinum edition over the internet. I won't see the vehicle - which is in winter storage - for another three weeks when I take delivery. The car does not have run flat tires, and so I'd like to be prepared with a portable tire inflator and some tire sealant.

The tire inflator I'm interested in is a VIAIR Model 88P Portable Compressor shown here: VIAIR Corporation - 88P Portable Compressor( P/N 00088)

The battery clamps attach directly to the battery. Since I've never seen an XLR up close and personal, I have no idea where the battery is located. I would like to know if the battery is easily accessible so that I will be able to attach the battery clamps to it should the need arise. Unfortunately, the seller knows very little about the vehicle or I would ask them.

Any information concerning the location of the battery would be greatly appreciated, as would any info and/or suggestions regarding portable tire inflators and/or tire sealants.

Thanks.

Matthew

 

[pure zen]

Good luck,,,,,

Matthew,,,,Welcome to XLR ownership!!

Battery is next to the firewall on the passenger side, under hood....next to right front quarter panel. How long are the tire inflator battery leads to the mini-tire inflator? Need some length to reach the left side tires.

Keep in mind no tire inflator compressor,,,plug kit, or tire sealant will fix a tire that hits a sharp object and the sidewall explodes like in the picture below:

With no spare ,,, you'll be looking for HELP. The Michelin RF tire above went 110 miles @55 mph w/o coming apart to reach a small town with a store that had a non-RF tire size replacement,,,on a sunday. I followed the Corvette with the bad tire shown above, and was amazed by its ability to stay put and allow the mileage and speed it went....we were out in the middle of nowhere when the blow-out occurred.

 

[MRS]

Thanks pure zen for the welcome and for the info.

 

[XLRATING]

Big welcome & congrats on your XLR purchase! Since you won't have access to the car & the seller doesn't know much about it, you can starts reviewing the owners manual here: https://www.xlr-net.com/specs/2009/2009_cadillac_xlr_v_owners.pdf (in the "Tech Center" drop down for 2009).

I have to say, you are way gutsier than I would be buying a car sight unseen that you can't test out for 3 months from a seller that can't answer questions about it. Would love to hear the details of your buying experience plus color, miles, etc. of your "new" car!

Bet you really can't wait for spring!

 

[xlrlist01]

Hello. I just purchased a 2009 XLR Platinum edition over the internet. I won't see the vehicle - which is in winter storage - for another three weeks when I take delivery. The car does not have run flat tires, and so I'd like to be prepared with a portable tire inflator and some tire sealant.

The tire inflator I'm interested in is a VIAIR Model 88P Portable Compressor shown here: VIAIR Corporation - 88P Portable Compressor( P/N 00088)

The battery clamps attach directly to the battery. Since I've never seen an XLR up close and personal, I have no idea where the battery is located. I would like to know if the battery is easily accessible so that I will be able to attach the battery clamps to it should the need arise. Unfortunately, the seller knows very little about the vehicle or I would ask them.

Any information concerning the location of the battery would be greatly appreciated, as would any info and/or suggestions regarding portable tire inflators and/or tire sealants.

Thanks.

Matthew

An XLR that has been stored for a while might have battery problems. XLRs act strange when the battery is not exactly right, with sometimes crazy and inexplicable behavior. There are many threads on this site discussing the problems and new battery choices.

 

[David_B]

Did the owner say the tires were flat? No way they should be from a few months of sitting.

Do you have the link to the sale online you found it through?

 

[rexster314]

Upon arrival, first thing to do is make sure you have an actual key for the car. If the battery is flat, then you can't get under the hood without a key. Read the owner's manual a couple of times. When we were looking for our XLR, I downloaded the manual before even getting behind the wheel of one. I knew more than the salesman, which, I know now, most of them don't have a clue as to the car unless it's on a Cadillac used car lot, and even then I'm not so sure. If the battery is a goner then search online here for battery recommendations. There's a constant, albeit small, drain on the battery. Parked several days without driving the car will result in a discharged battery.A lot of us opted for better batteries than the stock replacement or place a small trickle charger on the battery when parked. I've got an Odyssey battery but bunch of folks on here swear by their Optimas. They're both better than stock. That done, open up your key fob(s) and replace the batteries. I had to replace both of mine within a month of getting our '06 XLR.
Other than that, welcome to XLR-NET. There's a lot of good information here, start out reading the older posts first. There's a gradual progression from first time buyers when the cars came out to now where (I would guess) most of us are second owners of the car. If I'm wrong on this, I'm wrong.

 

[Phil105]

Upon arrival, first thing to do is make sure you have an actual key for the car. If the battery is flat, then you can't get under the hood without a key. Read the owner's manual a couple of times. When we were looking for our XLR, I downloaded the manual before even getting behind the wheel of one. I knew more than the salesman, which, I know now, most of them don't have a clue as to the car unless it's on a Cadillac used car lot, and even then I'm not so sure. If the battery is a goner then search online here for battery recommendations. There's a constant, albeit small, drain on the battery. Parked several days without driving the car will result in a discharged battery.A lot of us opted for better batteries than the stock replacement or place a small trickle charger on the battery when parked. I've got an Odyssey battery but bunch of folks on here swear by their Optimas. They're both better than stock. That done, open up your key fob(s) and replace the batteries. I had to replace both of mine within a month of getting our '06 XLR.
Other than that, welcome to XLR-NET. There's a lot of good information here, start out reading the older posts first. There's a gradual progression from first time buyers when the cars came out to now where (I would guess) most of us are second owners of the car. If I'm wrong on this, I'm wrong.

If you're wrong Rex, I'm SURE somebody on here will point it out to you!!

Best of luck to you MRS with that new car and welcome to the club. Sure hope the battery is not dead - it can create a lot of headaches.

 

[rexster314]

If you're wrong Rex, I'm SURE somebody on here will point it out to you!!

Exactly why I put the quantifier at the end............

 

[MRS]

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of the members who took the time to reply to my post and for their valuable advice and suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Matthew

 

[lextoy]

i would be alot more worried about the battery condition than a possible flat tire on the ride home.
i have decided not to worry about tires. if i get a flat i am just going to park it and call a taxi !!
can get a tire in a few days pull the wheel and get the tire mounted. then reinstall.
also have towing via insurance and live in a suburban area with a repair shop every 2 miles
i have had to do this 3 times in the last 15 yrs with my benz. not worth wasting money on fix a flat and an compressor.
they wont help.
twice it was just a nail, so plugged it and kept the tire, once was just a nail , but drove a few miles on it and chewed up the sidewall.
had to replace.
none of the times would the tire inflate with a pump at the station, had to jack it up, dismount the wheel to reset the bead, then reinflate.

 

[rexster314]

Many thanks to all of the members who took the time to reply to my post and for their valuable advice and suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Matthew

Do ya'll have some form of AAA like we do down here? I have their number in my contact list on the cell. Even though I do have run flats.

 

[pure zen]

Be sure,,

Be sure to add 'Emergency Road Service' to your insurance coverage.....its much cheaper than AAA. Most insurance companies only charge $15-$20 per year for the coverage which should cover towing, flat tire change, out-of-gas, and some will cover 'locked out of car help'.
.
.
.
quote by lextoy: "if i get a flat i am just going to park it and call a taxi !!
can get a tire in a few days pull the wheel and get the tire mounted."


You couldn't do that (leave car sitting for a day or more) where I live lextoy.......you wouldn't have to worry about getting a new tire, ALL 4 tires/wheels would be missing after the thieves have jacked up your car and removed them.... and hopefully all the windows wouldn't be smashed up.

 

[graytoad]

Welcome!

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase. I would say that you will find the next three weeks to be the longest 'three weeks' you will ever experience..... but the reward will be worth the wait! I will be awaiting your 'review' of the car after you finally get to drive it!

Do you by chance know if the car has a trickle charger on it while it has been in storage? Hopefully the answer is 'yes', as mentioned these cars (as most modern luxury cars) have a small constant drain on their batteries (alarm, monitoring systems etc) and require a trickle charger if the car is not driven often. In anticipation of the XLR's arrival you should go purchase one, I personally prefer the Battery Tender brand, we own lots of them for our 'fleet' of classic cars and Harley's and have never had any trouble with their performance.

As per the non-run flat tires: I changed my run flats for regular tires just as soon as I bought the car. My son is in the tire business and he recommended that I change them for better performance, handling, wear, ride, noise etc. I have a small 12v compressor and a 'tire plug' kit in the storage compartment in the back just in case: but I also have CAA (AAA in the USA) which covers any vehicle I drive and would call them to get it towed and properly repaired anyway. I only have the kit in the off chance that I can not get cell service: or roadside assistance. Any small 12v compressor will do, they usually all have long enough leads to reach the far side tire on a truck - so no problem on the XLR.

Anyway, welcome again. This is a great place to get answers to any of your questions and we are all happy to help.

ALSO: if you click on Tech Center, then on 2009 XLR - partway down the page you can download a complete owners manual in PDF format and read through that while you wait for your car! BTW: where is the car now? I bought my 2009 in 2011 out of Missouri - sight unseen as well!

 

[MRS]

Thanks again!

Once again I wish to thank all of you who have taken the time to welcome me to this community and to educate me on the challenges ahead.

For those of you who are interested, here is a link to the Autotrader.ca ad for the vehicle:

2009 Cadillac XLR Platinum for $53,995 in Saint-Georges | autoTRADER.ca

Over the past few years I've seen many, many pictures of XLR's on the internet, and I must admit that the wheels on this particular vehicle are probably the worst I've ever seen. So I've already ordered a set of chrome V-wheels to replace the existing wheels, with a set of conventional (i.e. not run flat) tires. Today I will purchase a small 12V tire inflator and some tire sealant just in case. We are also members of CAA, so I'm not too worried about being stranded without a spare tire.

I am told that there is a battery tender connected to the battery, so hopefully the car will start and all systems will function properly. And unless there is a relatively new battery in the vehicle, I will probably change it - something else to research on this forum!

I hope I've answered most if not all of the questions asked in the replies I've received.

Again, thanks for the warm welcome and great advice. All suggestions and recommendations are welcome and greatly appreciated.

MRS

 

[David_B]

Matthew ,

That car seems to be for sale at a Dodge / Chrysler dealership?

d'occasion 2009 Cadillac XLR ? Vendre | St-Georges-De-Beauce QC

I'm not sure who you talked to, or why they are talking about "winter storage" and such, or why you would have to worry about Tires or a flat battery on a sale from a dealership.

You shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Once again I wish to thank all of you who have taken the time to welcome me to this community and to educate me on the challenges ahead.

For those of you who are interested, here is a link to the Autotrader.ca ad for the vehicle:

2009 Cadillac XLR Platinum for $53,995 in Saint-Georges | autoTRADER.ca

Over the past few years I've seen many, many pictures of XLR's on the internet, and I must admit that the wheels on this particular vehicle are probably the worst I've ever seen. So I've already ordered a set of chrome V-wheels to replace the existing wheels, with a set of conventional (i.e. not run flat) tires. Today I will purchase a small 12V tire inflator and some tire sealant just in case. We are also members of CAA, so I'm not too worried about being stranded without a spare tire.

I am told that there is a battery tender connected to the battery, so hopefully the car will start and all systems will function properly. And unless there is a relatively new battery in the vehicle, I will probably change it - something else to research on this forum!

I hope I've answered most if not all of the questions asked in the replies I've received.

Again, thanks for the warm welcome and great advice. All suggestions and recommendations are welcome and greatly appreciated.

MRS

 

[lextoy]

haha ZEN
i didnt think of that, luckily around here it wouldnt happen (i hope!)
once i replace my tires i will keep the two best old tires as emergency spares.
then i wont have to leave the car for more than 1/2 a day anywhere.
my other cars, i have spare tires for all of them in the basement

 

[lextoy]

MRS
i have to agree , those wheels arent my favorite.
but they are 20's and look pretty expensive, might be able to sell them for a nice price.
when you ordered the new wheels / tires,
did you get staggered tire size or same size for all 4 wheels?
i think you can go with same size for all 4 (the rear size) so you can rotate the wheels??
congrats i love the xlr V 19's