Cadillac XLR Tail Lamps Are Very Expensive; Here’s Why
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Produced between 2003 and 2009, the Cadillac XLR was offered as Caddy’s high-tech luxury roadster flagship model. Produced alongside the Chevrolet Corvette in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and based on the same GM Y-body platform, the XLR offered a number of fascinating features, including the first production application of Cadillac’s radar-based adaptive cruise control. The two-door also featured LED tail lamps, which, unfortunately for owners, can be very pricey to replace.
As outlined in a new report from Jalopnik, the Cadillac XLR tail lamps are going for thousands of dollars on the web right now. We did a little poking around, and confirmed that, yes indeed, these parts are very expensive. Individual taillamp assemblies are going for anywhere between $1,500 and $3,000 on eBay, while online parts suppliers ranged as high as $3,500.
According to the Jalopnik report, the high price is down to a number of things. For starters, GM is no longer producing these parts, which limits availability. What’s more, the design incorporates printed circuit boards and LED strips, which can become fragile over time and fail. The design also presents numerous challenges with regard to repairs. Add it all up, and the result is some very high-dollar tail lamps.
That said, there are other options out there. One company we found on eBay is offering a repair service for $550 per light, with customers shipping the broken unit in for a fix, which is then repaired and shipped back.
Of course, that’s still a lot of money for such a relatively simple part. The problem is made worse by the fact that if a taillamp does fail, the whole car is subsequently illegal to drive.
Another possibility is digging into the internals of the light and fixing it yourself, but again, the LED design is more complicated than a traditional incandescent setup.
Do you have experience with the Cadillac XLR’s LED tail lamps? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac XLR news, Cadillac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Source: Jalopnik
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I believe the first gen CTS had a similar setup. Even back when I had my LS2 V in 2009 guys were opting to open up the light (bake in oven at 325 for 5 minutes), pull the internals out, then splice in a $15 red LED strip, then glue the light back with something like Loctite Plastix.
I did similar with my DRL/fog light lenses. Pulled the half orange half clear lens and installed a cut piece of clear lexan similar to what the STS-V had
Side note, the STS-V was the better car back then and no one remembers it. To this day I wish I would’ve bought one
Yeah nobody remembered it because of one word. Northstar, a word synonymous with blown head gasket.
Does anybody have an XLR here? They are cool cars!!
Welcome to the world of newer collector cars.
Low volume cars of today as they get older are getting tougher bto find parts for and more expensive once you do find them.
Fuel pumps for the older ZR1 or 928 can set you back a bunch.
Failed electronic dashes can cost as much as some of these cars are worth
The Fiero GT tail lamp are over a grand for a pair of NOS just because they are so rare.
Try to find NOS TTop parts for the same Fiero. The gasket seals have sold for over $1200 NOS and the tops for $700.
As we move forward many parts unless they are reproduced will be expensive. Th see cars are not like a First Gen Camaro that you could build from repo parts.
Try to find a Reatta dash screen!
Don’t forget about the DTS Nightvision system..
I don’t know about the XLR but the 2013 SRX Headlights also suck and just not from being old, the low beams do not work even with the HID lights. There are numerous law suits and Gm still won’t recall and fix them. I can’t believe a so called Luxury car maker can’t even make a car you can drive at night. Now I understand why the German cars are preferred. My next car will not be a GM and I have been buying them for 50 years. Signed Very Disappointed
This is what happens when we don’t act as if we deserve better! This is America the place inwhich everyone braggs about being the best place on the planet,but we settle for mediocre or even low grade materials but then cry about the cost of repairs & reliability! We don’t hold these companies accountable & we don’t demand better parts & materials equipped vehicles & products! America has become the world’s dumping ground for cheap and potentially dangerous materials!!
This is more about cars today have become consumable. Vehicles today contain more plastics and electronics that just will not out last the old systems. Most cars are used up in 12-15 years.
Look at most imports most are used up fast and often not worth the cost of repair or restoration.
The market changed in the 70’s and vehicles were no longer built but molded and pressed together.
With interest declining in the collector markets odds the newer cars of finding reproduction parts is also going to decline.
We see folks sit here and beg for LED lights, and more advanced items in their vehicles we will see less and less these cars being of long term collector value.
The elephant in the room is the folding top. Imagine the cost and expense of replacement parts.
One of my con-worker has a folding hard top Benz that broke. The estimate of the roof repair was more than the car, He can not sell it and now he can only drive it on nice days as the roof is down and will not fold up.
None of this is dangerous or cheap. It just mean we need to buy and use up cars vs just leaving them sit. May as well get the good out of them.
Note some of the advanced cars of the 80’s like a Dodge Stealth. When was the last time you saw one running in good shape. Most need more work than they are worth.
Even at Ferrari some of the lesser cars not in demand have been parted out as they would cost more to restore than worth. They are worth more as parts.
Even in my drive to work I have a Rolls and Bentley that have not moved in years. Why? Too expensive to fix vs value. Both are from the 90’s.
For anyone interested I have a 2006 XLR V the car is free the two perfect headlights and the two rear tail lights are $38,000 the car Platinum / black it is perfect it has 8300 miles it is as new what a deal it is located in Southern California and it’s never seen weather it’s perfect good luck to all
What do you mean its free?
Ill take the car and you can just keep all the lights………
I know its probably sold by now but worth the shot! I am very interested in the headlights and tail light combo with the free car! $38K cash on hand. I also live on So Cal. Email me
He means the car is free; all you have to pay for is the lights which implies they exceed the value of the rest of the car. Not literally but they’re so expensive, it makes for a good joke.
I had a beautiful 2008 black on black XLR and unfortunately my girlfriend ran back into my car and crushed the headlight. Found out that the headlights were being held captive as I ended up having to pay $3500 for a headlight that only had a low beam the perfect headlight was about $5000. That made my decision to sell my car which I loved and easy 1. I will not be held captive
The internals of the tail lights are repairable, but the bezels for both the head and tail lights cannot be duplicated if they are damaged, and like the author stated, a car without working lights cannot be driven legally. Unavailability of common XLR-specific parts was one of the major factors in my decision to part with mine. These are awesome driving, attention-getting cars; I’ve never had so many people ask me about a car while getting gas.
The folding top problems are almost always caused by faulty or misaligned sensors. They are cheap and available, but getting them calibrated requires a dealer or friend with a Tech 2 for the five-minute top relearn procedure, which can run $120.
Folding top hydraulic pumps can be overhauled by a guy in OR that specializes in them, but the module that controls the top is out of stock and no longer made, along with the Adaptive Cruise Control Module. Both are commonly fried when the left-rear storage bin in the trunk floods out due to the drain hole clogging. It’s very easy to prevent with regular inspection and cleaning, but most owners don’t learn until it happens to them.
Such is life with a low-volume production vehicle. Exclusivity has its price. ELR owners will be in the same situation for ELR-specific parts soon enough.
CCC
Correction to my above post: The Folding Top Control Module and Suspension Control Modules are adjacent to one another in the (flood-prone) trunk storage space. Neither are available.
The Adaptive Cruise Control Module (both types) are housed behind the front fascia and they are no longer carried in stock.
CCC
I have a 2004 xlr and purchased a new top pump assembly from top hydraulics for 750/plus exchange and purchased a new top control module from a Chevy dealer down south for 550.00
I repair these tail lights, but have not found a repair for the broken lens of the headlights, yet.