Help! Cadillac XLR Headlights

[MarkSki]

I'll keep the invite for a couple of brewskis in mind. Thomas Jefferson Blue Crew out of Holy Lock via New London base office in the 60's. I'm from Thompson Ct. so I could go home every night while in port. Guam goony bird country We had a good cycle, patrol in the spring, home for the summer, patrol for the fall, home for Christmas.

Pride Runs Deep!

 

[jjsea55]

Well, DANG! Just noticed yesterday the passenger side DRL lens has crazed on my '06 V... apparently enough to crack the lens, as well. It's still intact and the amber bulb works as designed, but I had hoped beyond hope that I wouldn't develop this problem.

Felt a tad better after determining the passenger side light is still available (for a price), then looked closely at my driver side assembly and it's beginning to develop a craze, too... although not as bad and the lens is not cracked.

I'm wishing now that I had replaced the amber incandescent bulb with an LED when I did the headlamp upgrade (6000K, side markers and front running light) a few years ago. Actually, I'm not sure if an amber LED was available when I was shopping.

Guess I'll join the camp of running my headlights all the time now... using the ambers only for signaling.

This thread has some age... have there been any recent developments regarding availability or repair that may have slipped me by? It appears that the final few available months of my MaxCare Warranty excludes headlight assembly issues.

 

[XLRATING]

jjsea, when was your V built? Trying to figure out the risk for this on my '06 base.

Be nice if we could find out exactly at what point GM fixed this. Not that the headlight shortage allows us to do anything about replacing them ...

 

[onalaska]

Mine was built in April 2006 and the DRL lenses melted so I don't think they fixed it until the 2007 model.

 

[jjsea55]

It was 3937 of 4136 built for model year 2006, based on build sheet info... therefore in the latter 5%. There may be some code that reveals the day/month but I'm not code-savvy.

 

[XLRATING]

You guys aren't making me feel any better, but guess I'm better off knowing. Mine was built March '06, it's on the silver sticker on the driver's door that has vehicle weight, etc. Yours are V's & mine isn't, but I wouldn't think that would make any difference for DRL's.

 

[onalaska]

You guys aren't making me feel any better, but guess I'm better off knowing. Mine was built March '06, it's on the silver sticker on the driver's door that has vehicle weight, etc. Yours are V's & mine isn't, but I wouldn't think that would make any difference for DRL's.

Just replace the DRLs with LEDs now before any damage is visible and you are good to go. It's the heat generated from the incandescent bulbs that cause the lens to turn yellow and melt. LEDs produce minimal heat and look better anyway.

 

[johnchasxlr]

Well, DANG! Just noticed yesterday the passenger side DRL lens has crazed on my '06 V... apparently enough to crack the lens, as well. It's still intact and the amber bulb works as designed, but I had hoped beyond hope that I wouldn't develop this problem.

Felt a tad better after determining the passenger side light is still available (for a price), then looked closely at my driver side assembly and it's beginning to develop a craze, too... although not as bad and the lens is not cracked.

I'm wishing now that I had replaced the amber incandescent bulb with an LED when I did the headlamp upgrade (6000K, side markers and front running light) a few years ago. Actually, I'm not sure if an amber LED was available when I was shopping.

Guess I'll join the camp of running my headlights all the time now... using the ambers only for signaling.

This thread has some age... have there been any recent developments regarding availability or repair that may have slipped me by? It appears that the final few available months of my MaxCare Warranty excludes headlight assembly issues.

Well since you asked .... I have not been tracking the availability of those headlights because I sold my 2005 Cadillac XLR last month. It was a great car, I owned it for 9 years, I enjoyed driving it but will not miss the ridiculous repair costs and erratic parts availability.

When the local Cadillac dealer KNOWS I am NOT interested in buying anything in Cadillacs's current product line and still advises it's a good idea to sell the car.... it was time to sell the car. I am not a collector and the XLR is not a collectable vehicle, the XLRV may be a collectable in the future but that is yet to be determined.

If it were not for Cadillac's poor support of the remaining XLR's I may consider picking up a XLRV but for now NO WAY.

So what did I replace the XLR with? NOTHING YET

 

[ccclarke]

Mine was built in April 2006 and the DRL lenses melted so I don't think they fixed it until the 2007 model.

The DRL/headlight fix came out during 2006, so not every car received it during that model year.

You can tell by the color of the DRL bezels. The old ones that tend to craze and get ugly are orange. The new, craze-resistant bezels are clear with orange bulbs.

For those owners driving around with fingers crossed and old style bezels, LEDs --with their lower wattage/heat output are the best insurance you can buy.

CC

 

[ccclarke]

Well since you asked .... I have not been tracking the availability of those headlights because I sold my 2005 Cadillac XLR last month. It was a great car, I owned it for 9 years, I enjoyed driving it but will not miss the ridiculous repair costs and erratic parts availability.

You summed up my feelings nicely.

I tend to think of cars as a more of a "girlfriend experience." First, there's intense longing and attraction, followed by a lot of great times. As long as the fun factor remains high, we're good to go.

When the inevitable "relationship" issues crop up, I remain patient and hopeful they're just a phase. But when a car becomes a PITA with little hope for change, I'm done, with no looking back. Luckily, I parted ways when I saw the handwriting on the wall, (for the exact reasons you described) and ended the "relationship" on amicable terms before things got ugly.

So while very fond of the XLR, it was far healthier (for my peace of) mind to move on. We remain good friends and focus on the good times.

Like all relationships, some are trouble-free and owner and driver are meant for each other. Many have a love-hate relationship and of course, the worst are when both endure hate-hate relationships and refuse to do anything about it except complain. It's hard to accept change, but at the end of the day, ending a sour relationship is ultimately the best move for both parties. Life is too short and we get to write our own stories (most of the time.)

YMMV,

CC

 

[XLRATING]

The DRL/headlight fix came out during 2006, so not every car received it during that model year.

You can tell by the color of the DRL bezels. The old ones that tend to craze and get ugly are orange. The new, craze-resistant bezels are clear with orange bulbs.

CC

That's interesting because mine was made before onalaska's & jjsea's (mine is #3178), but it has a clear bezel with an orange bulb (although the bulbs are a different, darker shade than the ones on our '07 V). Maybe they pulled headlights for the '06 V's from a separate stack that unfortunately included the "old" DRL's?

I'll probably look into LED's anyway.

 

[johnchasxlr]

You summed up my feelings nicely.

I tend to think of cars as a more of a "girlfriend experience." First, there's intense longing and attraction, followed by a lot of great times. As long as the fun factor remains high, we're good to go.

When the inevitable "relationship" issues crop up, I remain patient and hopeful they're just a phase. But when a car becomes a PITA with little hope for change, I'm done, with no looking back. Luckily, I parted ways when I saw the handwriting on the wall, (for the exact reasons you described) and ended the "relationship" on amicable terms before things got ugly.

So while very fond of the XLR, it was far healthier (for my peace of) mind to move on. We remain good friends and focus on the good times.

Like all relationships, some are trouble-free and owner and driver are meant for each other. Many have a love-hate relationship and of course, the worst are when both endure hate-hate relationships and refuse to do anything about it except complain. It's hard to accept change, but at the end of the day, ending a sour relationship is ultimately the best move for both parties. Life is too short and we get to write our own stories (most of the time.)

YMMV,

CC

Thank you for the exceptionally nice response. I am going to continue to monitor this forum. Some of the information provided in these threads has been very helpful to me and I hope the few things I have posted helped some people also.

 

[pure zen]

from experience,,,,,

I tend to think of cars as a more of a "girlfriend experience." First, there's intense longing and attraction, followed by a lot of great times. As long as the fun factor remains high, we're good to go.

When the inevitable "relationship" issues crop up, I remain patient and hopeful they're just a phase. But when a car becomes a PITA with little hope for change, I'm done, with no looking back. Luckily, I parted ways when I saw the handwriting on the wall, (for the exact reasons you described) and ended the "relationship" on amicable terms before things got ugly.

So while very fond of the XLR, it was far healthier (for my peace of) mind to move on. We remain good friends and focus on the good times.

Like all relationships, some are trouble-free and owner and driver are meant for each other. Many have a love-hate relationship and of course, the worst are when both endure hate-hate relationships and refuse to do anything about it except complain. It's hard to accept change, but at the end of the day, ending a sour relationship is ultimately the best move for both parties. Life is too short and we get to write our own stories (most of the time.)

YMMV,

CC

CC,,,,I always agree with you....except this one time. Please accept my apology, p z

 

[bajarick60]

The DRL/headlight fix came out during 2006, so not every car received it during that model year.

You can tell by the color of the DRL bezels. The old ones that tend to craze and get ugly are orange. The new, craze-resistant bezels are clear with orange bulbs.

For those owners driving around with fingers crossed and old style bezels, LEDs --with their lower wattage/heat output are the best insurance you can buy.

CC

Does anyone have the LED bulb number that replaces the DRL BULB ?

 

[Army Al]

The DRL/headlight fix came out during 2006, so not every car received it during that model year.

You can tell by the color of the DRL bezels. The old ones that tend to craze and get ugly are orange. The new, craze-resistant bezels are clear with orange bulbs.

For those owners driving around with fingers crossed and old style bezels, LEDs --with their lower wattage/heat output are the best insurance you can buy.

CC

\
My XLR V was produced in Feb 2006. Clear bezel with the orange bulb. Lucked up I guess. Didn't have an idea on what to look for before purchasing. Still keep my fingers crossed when engaging the starter button.

 

[pure zen]

Lucky me,,,,

Guess I feel fortunate,,,,,bought our '05 from the original owner who apparently didn't get the 'free' replacement headlights during the warranty period, but said they paid $2000 to have the new headlight modules installed. They still look brand-new...

Seen another '05 at a local car show a couple of weeks back,,,,and the inner headlight melting problem was very obvious.. Made me cringe to look at them.

 

[johnchasxlr]

Guess I feel fortunate,,,,,bought our '05 from the original owner who apparently didn't get the 'free' replacement headlights during the warranty period, but said they paid $2000 to have the new headlight modules installed. They still look brand-new...

Seen another '05 at a local car show a couple of weeks back,,,,and the inner headlight melting problem was very obvious.. Made me cringe to look at them.

The problem now (or at least earlier this year) is that the Driver's side headlight is not available NEW... and GM will not commit to ever making any more. Interestingly they will not release the patent to any third party aftermarket headlight manufacturers either.

 

[dennis93coupe]

They ARE available

The problem now (or at least earlier this year) is that the Driver's side headlight is not available NEW... and GM will not commit to ever making any more. Interestingly they will not release the patent to any third party aftermarket headlight manufacturers either.

Available both sides NEW, same part number for all years 2004 - 2009. Expensive yes, but all of the bulbs headlight assembly harness and module are included. Passenger side is listed higher price, don't know why . Drivers side part #20779745 partswholesaledirect.com They are a GM dealer out of Florida. I bought from them several times because they have a better price than most of the others and a better shipping rate.

 

[johnchasxlr]

Available both sides NEW, same part number for all years 2004 - 2009. Expensive yes, but all of the bulbs headlight assembly harness and module are included. Passenger side is listed higher price, don't know why . Drivers side part #20779745 partswholesaledirect.com They are a GM dealer out of Florida. I bought from them several times because they have a better price than most of the others and a better shipping rate.

UMMM I do not think they have had those driver's side lamps in stock for years

 

[dennis93coupe]

UMMM I do not think they have had those driver's side lamps in stock for years

Probably not. I've been watching a piece for my front end that hasn't been available for quite awhile, at least since i've owned my 09, suddenly it is. A different front bumper piece I ordered over a year ago and got, is currently not available. Recently it was. Maybe it's possible that if they get enough orders, they make a few. I don't know where they are made, but it would be nice if the molds didn't get trashed.