05 XLR battery went dead now car is crazy...

[Lola's Mom]

There hasn't been an update to this in 10 days .... I am very curious to know if the car is running yet and what was the 'fix' ..... Lola is an 04 and has had to work out entry year quirks since the day of mfg .... if you ever read the history on these cars you will see that there are tons of fix-it/replace procedures. This sounds like it could easily happen to any of our cars - I know Lola has been reprogrammed a couple of times for weird issues in the early years. Imagine my surprise when we found out that after 20 minutes with the door open and radio on that the car would have a dead battery ..... now we know better than to do anything without the motor running .... please keep us up to date and GOOD LUCK!

 

[silkywilson]

The car has just been sitting with the battery on the tender, never got it to start.. just waiting for the right financial time to have it towed to the stealership

 

[Phil105]

The car has just been sitting with the battery on the tender, never got it to start.. just waiting for the right financial time to have it towed to the stealership

Silky, what part of the state are you in? Which dealer do you plan to use. Just curious as I don't know which way to go in my area if/when I have a problem.
I'm in Thomaston, GA - below Griffin and west of Macon.

Good luck to you. Hope you know of a dealer with a SLR trained service tech.

Phil Johnston,
Thomaston, GA

 

[hawkeye372]

If your up to a 6 hr trip south. Then I think Claude Nolan caddy in jax Florida has a Xlr tech. But you might want to call the steelership before. Just to make sure they have one still around. Ask for john potter if he's still there in service.


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[Phil105]

If your up to a 6 hr trip south. Then I think Claude Nolan caddy in jax Florida has a Xlr tech. But you might want to call the steelership before. Just to make sure they have one still around. Ask for john potter if he's still there in service.


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Thanks, but I would hope that either Macon or Columbus, or worst case, Atlanta, will have a dealer with a decent tech. Just haven't had reason to check YET!

 

[Stella]

The car has just been sitting with the battery on the tender, never got it to start.. just waiting for the right financial time to have it towed to the stealership

Try and find someone that has access to a tech2 and have them do a house call. It would save tow charges which you could pay your tech. Go to any gm dealership around lunch and make a friend
Even a good mom and pop repair place might have one worth a shot

 

[05 GRAND DADDY]

Absolutely a good idea we have no Cadillac Dealers close anymore since GM cut all of our local area dealerships so I use 15-20 minute ride to a Renn Kirby GM dealer (not Cadillac) but they can do the Northstar, tranny n rear end work and they actually relearned the top. Although they do have a Cadillac XLR mechanic!


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

 

[silkywilson]

I plan on using Integrity Buick GMC Cadillac in Chattanooga, TN. They are about 30 miles from me (closest dealer) and I checked and was told they have 2 XLR trained techs.. so hopefully I can get the quality service this car needs..

 

[Phil105]

I plan on using Integrity Buick GMC Cadillac in Chattanooga, TN. They are about 30 miles from me (closest dealer) and I checked and was told they have 2 XLR trained techs.. so hopefully I can get the quality service this car needs..

Ok, so I assume you're in North GA. Was hoping you knew of a dealer in the central GA area.

Good luck.

 

[Vasir]

any update on this? my xlr is doing the exact same thing.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[silkywilson]

any update on this? my xlr is doing the exact same thing.

Thanks,
Ben

Ben,

Well, the car finally went to the dealership, the Body control module was burnt as well as the receiver... I paid to replace the module and receiver. At that point the tech could communicate with the rest of the car, and every module is burnt out, none are returning any sort of signal to the BCM. The tech believes that if all the modules are replaced more items will also be burnt out, but they can not tell until all the modules are replaced. Repair Estimate of approx. $19,000.. The tech is convinced its a lightening strike issue, the Insurance company however says since there is no physical damage to the body of the car there is no proof of lightening strike.. they are denying the claim stating "its a mechanical failure".. So basically I have a Paper weight that required at lest $19k in repairs. I'm working with a lawyer currently to get the insurance company to honor its liability since the expert in the matter (the tech, 30+ year Cadillac tech, ASE master certified tech, XLR certified tech) whos worked with similar situations of lightening strike on 3 Cadillacs in the last year believes lightening strike is the only way this much damage could occur. and his statements have been ignored by the Insurance company.. so yes its ben all down hill.. without a car now for many months.. still making payments... and now funding a lawyers lifestyle..

 

[Z1.]

Find Out the History Of This XLR

You need to do a VIN lookup; see who owned this car before, where it's been, any insurance claims.... An expensive ride like an XLR has a traceable history.

Lightning strike? There would be evidence: a burned a pillar, melted wiring, melted rubber, an electrical smell that permeates the car and can't be removed.

Think about this: the engine, tranny, roof assembly, those headlights, the seats, bezels... An easy five grand in parts sitting pretty, maybe more if you are creative. I have a 100% seller rating on Ebay and was a GM tech, parting out your XLR would be easy for me. The stupid wrecking yards don't have a clue about the parts value in XLRs. They just shred thousand of dollars away all the time.

Another thing, just because the dealership said the ECU is fried doesn't necessarily mean it is. Those things are electrically hardened and can take a lot of abuse. I would like to open it up, and I could tell you exactly what happened by looking at the PCB board inside. Maybe even repair it.

 

[Vasir]

Thats.. Terrifying... I hope it works out in the end for you!

 

[ccclarke]

Ben,

Well, the car finally went to the dealership, the Body control module was burnt as well as the receiver... I paid to replace the module and receiver. At that point the tech could communicate with the rest of the car, and every module is burnt out, none are returning any sort of signal to the BCM. The tech believes that if all the modules are replaced more items will also be burnt out, but they can not tell until all the modules are replaced. Repair Estimate of approx. $19,000.. The tech is convinced its a lightening strike issue, the Insurance company however says since there is no physical damage to the body of the car there is no proof of lightening strike.. they are denying the claim stating "its a mechanical failure".. So basically I have a Paper weight that required at lest $19k in repairs. I'm working with a lawyer currently to get the insurance company to honor its liability since the expert in the matter (the tech, 30+ year Cadillac tech, ASE master certified tech, XLR certified tech) whos worked with similar situations of lightening strike on 3 Cadillacs in the last year believes lightening strike is the only way this much damage could occur. and his statements have been ignored by the Insurance company.. so yes its ben all down hill.. without a car now for many months.. still making payments... and now funding a lawyers lifestyle..

An automobile is one of the safest places you can be during a lightning storm. Basically, it's a Faraday Cage. The XLR is unique in that it uses significantly less conductive material on its exterior, which compromises the Faraday Cage's ability to dissipate the charge and allow the voltage to exit to ground. Convertibles are much less protected than vehicles with a metal roof. Without charring (an entry and exit point) on the exterior, it would be a tough sell that lightning is responsible. You can Google for pictures of what lightning damage looks like, and in most cases, it's pretty obvious. That being said, nothing is impossible.

While I lived in FL, it was a sure bet there would be a regular, intense lighting storm around 6:30 each evening during the summer months. There were times I got home from work and just stayed in my car while parked in the driveway as lighting bolts stuck throughout the neighborhood. Fun stuff indeed.

Visit a GM dealership and have them print out the Service History of your car. Perhaps it went in for service for a buss-related problem at some point. If all modules are indeed dead, obviously a catastrophic problem occurred, but I would still have a good tech perform point-to-point troubleshooting to ensure the fault isn't buss-related. If the data line on the serial bus is held to ground, it could cause a loss of comms to the entire buss. All single point grounds should be verified as well.


Good luck with what is a horrible situation. I can't imagine the frustration of having to make payments on a vehicle that is too expensive to repair.

CC

 

[Crimson Pearl]

It would seem reasonable that a lightning strike very close to the car could produce an EMP that could seriously damage the modules and/or data highway.

As much as I hate to see anyone suffer the problems you seem to have, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

Best of luck to you, please keep us updated!

 

[silkywilson]

Thanks for all the well wishes... The Tech that's been working on the car said a body strike is highly un likely due to it being composite (meaning no visual damage), But a near ground strike while the XLR is sitting on wet ground or a puddle is likely what happened.. Honestly if the insurance doesn't pay up on the claim I may have to part it out myself to keep making the payments.. AFTER of course I pay the rest of the Bill at the dealership and have it towed home..

 

[pure zen]

Thanks cc , i learned what a Faraday Cage is,,,,,,

quote: "Good luck with what is a horrible situation. I can't imagine the frustration of having to make payments on a vehicle that is too expensive to repair."


Agree with cc ,,,, I wouldn't tow-it-home just yet, let the insurance company make a final decision first. If declined, guess I would swallow the rock in my throat...pay the dealership service bill, and call the financial lender to come pick-up their car at the dealership.....you are done with it. May tarnish your credit rating for a while, but wth, a $19K guess bunch of fixes is going in the wrong direction.

I hate to read about crap like this,,,,makes one want to take the bus......

 

[silkywilson]

quote: "Good luck with what is a horrible situation. I can't imagine the frustration of having to make payments on a vehicle that is too expensive to repair."


Agree with cc ,,,, I wouldn't tow-it-home just yet, let the insurance company make a final decision first. If declined, guess I would swallow the rock in my throat...pay the dealership service bill, and call the financial lender to come pick-up their car at the dealership.....you are done with it. May tarnish your credit rating for a while, but wth, a $19K guess bunch of fixes is going in the wrong direction.

I hate to read about crap like this,,,,makes one want to take the bus......

the insurance company has made their decision, they believe mechanical failure due to no damage from a direct strike. I find it highly unlikely that Approx 30 Modules burnt out at once without some sort of outside influence. The tech is XLR certified and his opinion is lightening was the cause. I have acquired a lawyer to represent me against my own insurance company.. Sad day for sure.

this is a note on the National Lightening Safety Institutes website..

"Insurance adjusters and claims people note: In many cases you will not find physical damage. Lightning can induce indirect effects to a vehicle's electrical and electronic systems. These low-voltage components may be damaged or destroyed. Auto dealer diagnostics are limited to "it works or it doesn't work" without the ability to disclose the cause or source of malfunction. Sometimes a claims decision may have to be based upon "What else — other than lightning — could have done the damage?"

that can be found here
Vehicles and Lightning - National Lightning Safety Institute

they also mention "Fiberglass" bodied vehicles.. obviously nothing is fiberglass any more but composite has the same non conductive attributes.

"If the car is made of fiberglass (a poor conductor) or a convertible, skin effect principles may not work. (Corvette and Saturn owners, please note this fact.)
"

only time will tell on the outcome of this situation..

 

[Stella]

Ive been following this thread since it happened. I have acouple questions.
How long did you own the car before this problem occurred?
Was everything functional before this incident?
Seems very odd that all the modules are smoked. I would think they can see what caused the shorts by tearing open a module and seeing what got burnt. If all the modules are smoked on the ground side then it's possible for lightning strike. I wonder if all the jumping or a shorted battery cable would do this. But I would think your power side is fused to stop this problem.
See what the payout is for the insurance company and part her out. Sorry to hear of your problems. Good luck!

 

[silkywilson]

Stella,

We owned the car about 6 months before all of this happened, no real issues before this, and the insurance company is refusing to pay out... their opinion is its mechanical failure due to lack of a physical strike on the body itself. They have completely ignored the tech who did the work (30+ year Cadillac tech, Sr. tech at the dealership, ASE master certified tech, and XLR trained tech) when he said its a lightening strike (which my insurance would cover).. hence the need for a lawyer.. the most skilled and informed expert involved is the tech, and his diagnosis was completely ignored to avoid a pay out on the claim.