2004 CADILLAC XLR maintenance

Trip Computer
Oil Life Indicator
This feature lets you know when to change the engine
oil. It is based on the engine oil temperatures and
your driving patterns.
To see the display, press the information button several
times until OIL LIFE appears. If you see 99% OIL
LIFE, 99 percent of your current oil life remains.
The DIC may display a CHANGE OIL NOW message.
For more information, see
Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-4. If you see CHANGE OIL NOW, it means
the oil life is gone and you should change the oil
right away. The system does not check how much oil
you have, so you will still have to check for that. To see
how, see
Engine Oil on page 5-13.
When the oil is changed, you will need to reset the
system. See
Engine Oil on page 5-13. Always keep a
written record of the mileage and date when you
changed your oil.
Audio System(s)
Notice:Before adding any sound equipment to
your vehicle, like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone, or two-way radio, make sure that it can
be added by checking with your dealer. Also,
check federal rules covering mobile radio and
telephone units. If sound equipment can be added,
it is very important to do it properly. Added
sound equipment may interfere with the operation
of your vehicle's engine, radio, or other systems,
and even damage them. Your vehicle's systems may
interfere with the operation of sound equipment
that has been added improperly.
Figure out which audio system is in your vehicle, ®nd
out what your audio system can do, and how to operate
all of its controls.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, the audio system can be
played even after the ignition is turned off. See
ªRetained Accessory Power (RAP)º under
Ignition
Positions on page 2-19.
3-70

Appearance Care............................................5-75
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-75
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-78
Weatherstrips...............................................5-78
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle..............5-78
Finish Damage.............................................5-80
Underbody Maintenance................................5-81
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-81
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-82
Vehicle Identi®cation......................................5-83
Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN).................5-83
Service Parts Identi®cation Label.....................5-83Electrical System............................................5-84
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-84
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-84
Power Windows and Other
Power Options..........................................5-84
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-85
Capacities and Speci®cations..........................5-91
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Doing Your Own Service Work
If you want to do some of your own service work, you
will want to use the proper service manual. It tells
you much more about how to service your vehicle than
this manual can. To order the proper service manual,
see
Service Publications Ordering Information on
page 7-11.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to do your own service work, see
Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-48.
You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list
the mileage and the date of any service work you
perform. See
Maintenance Record on page 6-14.
{CAUTION:
You can be injured and your vehicle could be
damaged if you try to do service work on a
vehicle without knowing enough about it.
·Be sure you have sufficient knowledge,
experience, the proper replacement parts
and tools before you attempt any vehicle
maintenance task.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
·
Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and
other fasteners. ªEnglishº and ªmetricº
fasteners can be easily confused. If you
use the wrong fasteners, parts can later
break or fall off. You could be hurt.
Adding Equipment to the Outside of
Your Vehicle
Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can
affect the air¯ow around it. This may cause wind
noise and affect windshield washer performance. Check
with your dealer before adding equipment to the
outside of your vehicle.
5-4

Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an important part of the
proper maintenance of your vehicle.
Gasoline Octane
Use premium unleaded gasoline with a posted octane of
91 or higher for best performance. You may also use
middle grade or regular unleaded gasoline rated at
87 octane or higher, but your vehicle's acceleration may
be slightly reduced. If the octane is less than 87, you may
get a heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this occurs,
use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or higher as soon as
possible. Otherwise, you might damage your engine.
Gasoline Speci®cations
It is recommended that gasoline meet speci®cations
which were developed by automobile manufacturers
around the world and contained in the World-Wide Fuel
Charter which is available from the Alliance of
Automobile Manufacturers at
www.autoalliance.org/fuel_charter.htm. Gasoline
meeting these speci®cations could provide improved
driveability and emission control system performance
compared to other gasoline.
In Canada, look for the
ªAuto Makers' Choiceº
label on the pump.
Canada Only
5-5

Notice:We recommend you use only ¯uid labeled
DEXRONž-III, because ¯uid with that label is
made especially for your automatic transmission.
Damage caused by ¯uid other than DEXRON
ž-III is
not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
Change both the ¯uid and ®lter every 50,000 miles
(80 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one of
these conditions:
·In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature
regularly reaches 90ÉF (32ÉC) or higher.
·In hilly or mountainous terrain.
·High performance operation.
If you do not use your vehicle under one of these
conditions, change the ¯uid and ®lter every
100,000 miles (166 000 km).
See
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4for the proper
service intervals for the transmission ¯uid and ®lter.
Engine Coolant
The cooling system in your vehicle is ®lled with
DEX-COOLžengine coolant. This coolant is designed
to remain in your vehicle for 5 years or 150,000 miles
(240 000 km), whichever occurs ®rst, if you add
only DEX-COOL
žextended life coolant.The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when it is low. If you have a problem
with engine overheating, see
Engine Overheating on
page 5-23.
A 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and
DEX-COOL
žcoolant will:
·Giving freezing protection down to-34É F-37É C.
·Give boiling protection up to 265É F (129É C).
·Protect against rust and corrosion.
·Help keep the proper engine temperature.
·Let the warning lights and gages work as they
should.
Notice:Using coolant other than DEX-COOLžmay
cause premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at 30,000 miles (50 000 km)
or 24 months, whichever occurs ®rst. Any repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL
ž(silicate-free) coolant in your vehicle.
5-20

Brakes
Brake Fluid
Your brake master cylinder reservoir is ®lled with DOT-3
brake ¯uid. SeeEngine Compartment Overview on
page 5-12for the location of the reservoir.
There are only two reasons why the brake ¯uid level in
the reservoir might go down. The ®rst is that the
brake ¯uid goes down to an acceptable level during
normal brake lining wear. When new linings are put in,
the ¯uid level goes back up. The other reason is
that ¯uid is leaking out of the brake system.If it is, you should have your brake system ®xed, since a
leak means that sooner or later your brakes will not
work well, or will not work at all.
So, it is not a good idea to ªtop offº your brake ¯uid.
Adding brake ¯uid will not correct a leak. If you add ¯uid
when your linings are worn, then you will have too
much ¯uid when you get new brake linings. You should
add (or remove) brake ¯uid, as necessary, only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic system.
{CAUTION:
If you have too much brake ¯uid, it can spill on
the engine. The ¯uid will burn if the engine is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
¯uid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system. See ªChecking Brake Fluidº
in this section.
Refer to the Maintenance Schedule to determine when
to check your brake ¯uid. See
Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-4.
5-35

Battery
Your new vehicle comes with a maintenance free
ACDelcožbattery. When it is time for a new battery, get
one that has the replacement number shown on the
original battery's label. We recommend an ACDelco
ž
battery.
For battery replacement, see your dealer or the service
manual. To purchase a service manual, see
Service
and Owner PublicationsinService Publications Ordering
Information on page 7-11.
Warning:Battery posts, terminals and related
accessories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California to cause
cancer and reproductive harm. Wash hands after
handling.
Vehicle Storage
If you are not going to drive your vehicle for 25 days
or more, remove the black, negative (-) cable from the
battery. This will help keep your battery from
running down.
{CAUTION:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you
are not careful. See
Jump Starting on
page 5-39
for tips on working around a
battery without getting hurt.
You must close all doors and the trunk before
reconnecting the battery. After reconnecting the battery,
you must press the unlock button on the key FOB.
Failure to follow this procedure may result in a sounding
alarm. Pressing unlock on the key FOB would stop
the sounding alarm.
Contact your dealer to learn how to prepare your
vehicle for longer storage periods.
Also, for your audio system, see
Theft-Deterrent
Feature on page 3-71.
5-38

6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5
for the opposite
headlamp.
Bulb Replacement
It is recommended that all bulbs be replaced by your
dealer.
Windshield Wiper Blade
Replacement
Windshield wiper blades should be inspected at least
twice a year for wear or cracking. See ªWiper Blade
Checkº under
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4.
It is a good idea to clean or replace the wiper blade
assembly on a regular basis or when worn. For proper
windshield wiper blade length and type, see
Normal
Maintenance Replacement Parts on page 6-13.To replace the wiper blade assembly, do the following:
1. Place the vehicle in accessory mode and turn
the wipers on. Position the wipers on the
windshield in the mid-wipe position. Then with a
door open, turn the vehicle off.
2. Tip the blade up and push down on the tab to
release the wiper blade assembly.
3. To install, align the wiper blade with the loop on
the wiper blade assembly, and push up to snap it
into place.
5-49