2009 Cadillac XLR 2-Door Convertible

By Jeff Olive

1 This vehicle is modified with wing type doors. This is a unique feature that brings attention when exiting or entering the vehicle. This modifi cation is also causing a leakage issue that was noticed during the pre-inspection. (Photo 1)

2 The rubber boot that encases the wire harness to the door has been cut off leaving a large hole where water can enter the vehicle. The customer was made aware but stated that the vehicle has not leaked in the past. (Photo 2)

3 We will start off by removing the rear view mirror cover. The cover will come off using a small panel tool to pry the cover loose. The rear view mirror will twist off. To remove the GPS module slide it to the right. The rain sensor has a clip on each side that holds the sensor on the lens. (Photo 3)

4&5 Now the wipers can be removed. Pry the wiper nut cover off with a small screwdriver and remove the nut. A wiper puller can be used to remove the wiper arm. Now that the wipers are out of the way we can remove the hood bulb seal and cowl. The cowl has push- in pins along the lower edge that must be removed to allow the cowl to slide off the edge of the windshield. (Photo 4 & 5)

6. Now the cowl can be removed. (Photo 6)

7. In order to remove the windshield the exterior A pillar mouldings must come off. These mouldings seal the sides of the windshield form leaking into the interior of the vehicle. Care must be taken when removing and reinstalling these mouldings. (Photo 7)

8&9&10 First remove the small triangle shaped plastic lower corner. There is a screw that is under the bottom of the triangle. Once the triangle cover is removed you will see a 7 mm screw that holds the base piece in place. Remove the 7 mm screw. The base can be removed by pulling outward. The aluminum retainer that holds the door window seal is removed by extracting the 5 Philips head screws located under the edge of the a pillar moulding. (Photos 8, 9 & 10)

11&12 Now we can remove the three torx bolts that hold the side moulding in place. (Photos 11 & 12)

13 The A pillar moulding can now be removed by pulling gently outward being careful not to tear the foam seal under the moulding. (Photo 13)

14 &15 Once we removed the moulding we could see evidence of a water leak at the lower corner of the moulding seal. The evidence we noticed was a trail of dirt passing through the seal area. This dirt was brought in when water fl owed into the vehicle interior. When the water dried, the dirt particles left a trail showing the path the water traveled into the passenger compartment. When we reinstalled the mouldings we added extra sealant in this area to prevent future leaks. Now the windshield can be removed. Always protect the vehicle from damage and use personal protection.Once we removed this windshield we inspected the pinchweld for scratches and corrosion. We found that this was the original factory windshield. The odd thing was that the bead placement was off, missing the pinchweld completely in one upper corner. (Photos 14 & 15)

16 Once you clean and strip the pinchweld according to the AGRSS standard the assembly can be done in the reverse order. The customer was informed of the leakage areas that we discovered and documented with photos. The owner stated that he was unaware of any leaks but did say that he just bought the vehicle. Always do a good pre and post-inspection and install according to the AGRSS standard. (Photo 16)

Jeff Olive serves as the training manager for Glasspro in Summerville, S.C. He was recognised as the gold medalist in the first Auto Glass Technician Competition in 2005. Olive is also chair of the AGSC Education Committee.

jeff@glasspro.net

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