I cannot use enough superlatives to describe the excellent service provided by Sullivan Cadillac in Ocala, Florida. I worked with Jack King in their Service Department and he informed me that they have two Cadillac technicians with 80+ years of combined experience working on and for Cadillac, including XLR certification. I was introduced to Joe Packwood, their shop foreman, who is XLR certified and loves to work on the XLR and the electronics.
He went through the car electronically and diagnosed the top problem as a faulty sensor. He replaced it and reprogrammed the top. The price was less than half of what Plaza Cadillac wanted to charge. He also told me that all the radio needed to bring back the XM 'button' was to unplug the negative battery cable and reconnect it. In addition, he found an led light that was inoperative at the top of the passenger door and a license plate bulb that needed replaced. He also reprogrammed my TPS system that became inoperative after Plaza Cadillac installed my new wheels.
I saved hundreds of dollars and gained a restored level of confidence in Cadillac service. I highly recommend that XLR owners become informed consumers. I had reviewed many of the posts on this forum and was aware of the top concerns along with other areas, especially on the '04 XLR. I also read where the radio could be reset by disconnecting the battery. Plaza Cadillac wanted to charge me for diagnostic time and stated that it could be a major problem. They even went so far to verify that the radio was factory installed with XM.
Thank all of you for your input and it is very comforting to know that there are so many knowledgable people on this site who are willing to share their insights and experiences. I have owned dozens of cars, but this one is really growing on me.
