Important! ATTENTION ALL! XLR CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

[XLRLOVER]

General Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2009. That corporation and entity are no more. The lawsuit would be a huge waste of time. XLR owners needing parts are advised to seek out
business services with 3d copiers to reproduce parts that may be applicable.

Sorry for any inconvenience, this is under the best advise of many attorneys.

Thanks for your support and your time. Good luck to everyone!

Lynn Adams

 

[Smoothran]

That's heartbreaking.

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[David XLR-V]

Which parts in particular would you, or any and all other xlr and v owners, recommend getting "3D copied"? I figure it would be best to do this BEFORE the part is damaged...

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[Smoothran]

Which parts in particular would you, or any and all other xlr and v owners, recommend getting "3D copied"? I figure it would be best to do this BEFORE the part is damaged...

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Definitely tail light assemblies since you can't replace the LED bulbs.

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[David XLR-V]

Thanks, Smoothran. I started my list with 1) Tail light assemblies.
There's no replacement for the LED bulbs...?

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[Smoothran]

Thanks, Smoothran. I started my list with 1) Tail light assemblies.
There's no replacement for the LED bulbs...?

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Yeah, I'm assuming all other body work on the car would be routine for the average body shop; but tail and headlight assemblies would be irreplaceable at this time.

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[ccclarke]

We do a lot of 3D printing where I work, so I have more than a passing interest in this subject. 3D printing sounds like a simple answer to fixing a problem like this, but it's anything but.

First off, an accurate CAD model must be produced. I have experience building them and can verify it's labor-intensive (only once) which translates to: expensive. It would cost a few thousand bucks just to have the 3D model made. There are laser scanners available that can accurately compile an organically-shaped headlight 3D model, but they still need to be tweaked to optimize them for 3D printing.

The material being reproduced must be a very close match to the material the printer uses to print the part. For high-heat applications --like a headlamp, a thermally-stable plastic must be used.

In the case of the headlight assemblies, there are multiple materials involved. 3D printers use a layering process. They aren't good for creating optically clear bezels, though they could make forms for vacuum molding of clear acrylic sheets once they've been smoothed. The interior chrome pieces would need to have some kind of similar coating applied. There are 3D sintering printers that can create metal parts but they're real expensive. You'll need glass projectors, and a connectorized harness too. Ballast is the easiest part of all.

When all the pieces are ready for assembly, the clear bezels have to be re-attached securely. The current sealing material is a butyl-like strip that looks as though the headlight body was placed under vacuum to adhere the bezel in place.

3D printing cannot take the place of injection molding, which is how most of the headlight components are constructed.

As for the tail light assemblies, I don't see why the rear of the assembly can't be cut open to access the LED strip for replacement and bonded back together. Building them from scratch would be --like the headlamps, prohibitively expensive.

Just my .02,

CC <strike></strike>

 

[hawkeye372]

I'm only guessing here. But Tail light, headlight, 3rd brake light


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[hawkeye372]

Where is a dislike button?


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[David XLR-V]

That all makes sense, ccclarke. Thanks for taking the time to share your insight on the 3D Printing and explain why this would not be a feasible option.
So... GM filed bankruptcy in 2009 and therefore can't be held legally accountable to xlr owners in need of parts for their vehicles not even 10 years old in many cases, and these parts aren't able to be reproduced at a reasonable cost.
That sucks.

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[ccclarke]

I agree with you. I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure GM is only on the hook to stock replacement parts for the remainder of the obligated warranty period.

It will be interesting to see if a similar situation occurs with ELR owners in a few years.

GM sold less than 2500 units sold over a three-year period, (that skipped the 2015 model year entirely) when production stopped in 2016 due to dismal sales.

CC

 

[JW7]

Hi all ..I hear what is being said about GM not being responsible ..I can even understand them not wanting to produce the parts because it is such a small niche and may not be economical ,...But what I can't understand is that if they have the molds..the patents ...whatever needed to produce these parts...Why are they not releasing it to a third party after market manufacturer..If patented, sure they can make some money somehow ..
This was their expensive flagship vehicle for many years that has been thrown to the wayside..It's disgraceful and as far as I am concerned , a major embarrassment for GM and Cadillac..
That being said..it leaves us fanatics ....us XLR lovers in a terrible position with what looks like, no way out at this time..

 

[05xlr]

What are we the xlr owners to do with this situation, is the Cadillac corporation to big to sued, they took are money and now they're !!!!!!! On us for there mistake , I bought my xlr Cadillac for the name that Cadillac stands for , now what am I to do with my Cadillac xlr , who would buy or want one with no major part to buy, when I need a part and not able to buy one, tell me if I'm wrong, I feel betrayed.

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[JW7]

Saw in a tech email I got that a company called DIVERGENT 3D just produced a complete supercar by 3d printing.. getting into Motorcycles as well...Looking to get into automotive manufacturing...Who knows?

 

[JW7]

Funny that this discussion would come up today of all days..I spoke today with the legal council for SEMA and was told that there are no regulations that a manufacturer is responsible to maintain parts for any period of time in the life of a vehicle..warrantee yes but not after..
However..when it comes to lights ..and that is a big problem ,part wise for us..that falls under safety and is regulated differently..
She was forwarding my concerns to a safety regulatory legal team to see if our problem has any merit ..

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[odtekman]

XLR tail lights

I once found a page on a XLR forum about tail lights. It explained how to remove and gently disassemble (they seem to be glued together) remove the lights and replace with modern red LEDs. (White will light up as pink). Same goes for the center trunk light. Sorry but I don't remember exactly where I found it, but when I find it again I will post it.

 

[rreggie]

no parts

Should be interesting when someone wreck there XLR. What will the Insurance company do?How many of us have had problems with these head light and tail lights? I think there are a couple of these head light in a friend of mines basement I better check in the morning

Ive heard of people steeling car for spare parts but given what I've seen here I will be careful where I park mine .

 

[pure zen]

Just my opinion,,,,

Degradation posts about the XLR only devalues the car's worth for the rest of us.
Case in point > WAS a possible XLR owner...

If you need help with a problem or locating a part, keep it contained within the TECHNICAL DISCUSSION forum. Posting negative posts towards GM, Cadillac, or the XLR in GENERAL DISCUSSION forum only tells prospective buyers "not to buy one". If you don't like the car, are worried about parts and service availability,,,, sell it or trade it in for something else where you might have peace-of-mind. No car is perfect. Working my last ten years in the auto parts businesses before I retired, I can assure you every vehicle will have specific issues during it's lifetime. Berating the car or manufacturer most often leads nowhere except for blowing off steam ,,,, and hurting present owners.

 

[rexster314]

Degradation posts about the XLR only devalues the car's worth for the rest of us.
Case in point > WAS a possible XLR owner...

If you need help with a problem or locating a part, keep it contained within the TECHNICAL DISCUSSION forum. Posting negative posts towards GM, Cadillac, or the XLR in GENERAL DISCUSSION forum only tells prospective buyers "not to buy one". If you don't like the car, are worried about parts and service availability,,,, sell it or trade it in for something else where you might have peace-of-mind. No car is perfect. Working my last ten years in the auto parts businesses before I retired, I can assure you every vehicle will have specific issues during it's lifetime. Berating the car or manufacturer most often leads nowhere except for blowing off steam ,,,, and hurting present owners.

While I understand your post, I don't see what's wrong with answering someone's posting as "WAS a possible XLR owner". To get into an XLR requires a knowledge of the car and it's (I hesitate to call shortcomings). I felt I was pretty informed when we got our XLR last year, but not enough to know about the shortage/non existent parts available for the car. [Headlight assbly, tail light assbly)
So we're not supposed to truthfully tell prospective buyers about them? Let them buy the car then have them posting about the lack of support from Cadillac and the unobtanium parts that are needed at times?

 

[rreggie]

Negative Posting!

Sorry you consider my Posting Offensive. Titled( Just my opinion.)
I view it as simple facts. With some curiosity. Really isn't a lot of these cars around. And that being said it would safe to say there not a car for everyone. Took me 6 month and some long road trips to find a nice one owner car.So IDK if it is your opinion Im scaring potential buyer away you are welcome to it. But frankly( in my opinion ) it is fair warring to all of us. Have a nice day. Purn Zen