2008 CADILLAC XLR rear view mirror

In many crashes severe enough to inate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, you will need some new parts for
the airbag system. If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help protect you in
another crash. A new system will include airbag
modules and possibly other parts. The service
manual for your vehicle covers the need to replace
other parts.
Your vehicle has a crash sensing and diagnostic
module which records information after a crash.
SeeVehicle Data Recording and Privacy on
page 8-17andEvent Data Recorders on
page 8-18.
Let only qualied technicians work on the airbag
system. Improper service can mean that the
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer/retailer for service.
Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger’s position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible in the rearview
mirror when you start your vehicle.
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off,
will be visible during the system check. When the
system check is complete, either the word ON or the
word OFF, or the symbol for on or the symbol for off, will
be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-47.United States
Canada
1-45

Keys...............................................................2-3
Keyless Access System...................................2-5
Keyless Access System Operation....................2-6
Doors and Locks............................................2-10
Door Locks..................................................2-10
Power Door Locks........................................2-12
Automatic Door Lock.....................................2-12
Programmable Automatic Door Unlock.............2-12
Lockout Protection........................................2-12
Trunk..........................................................2-13
Windows........................................................2-16
Power Windows............................................2-17
Sun Visors...................................................2-19
Theft-Deterrent Systems..................................2-19
Theft-Deterrent System..................................2-19
Valet Lockout Switch.....................................2-21
Immobilizer..................................................2-21
Immobilizer Operation....................................2-22
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle................2-23
New Vehicle Break-In....................................2-23
Ignition Positions..........................................2-23
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)...................2-24Starting the Engine.......................................2-24
Automatic Transmission Operation...................2-26
Parking Brake..............................................2-30
Shifting Into PARK (P)...................................2-32
Shifting Out of PARK (P)...............................2-33
Parking Over Things That Burn.......................2-34
Engine Exhaust............................................2-34
Running the Engine While Parked...................2-35
Mirrors...........................................................2-36
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
with OnStar
®............................................2-36
Outside Power Heated Mirrors........................2-36
Outside Automatic Dimming Mirror..................2-37
Park Assist Mirror.........................................2-37
Outside Convex Mirror...................................2-38
Object Detection Systems...............................2-38
Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA)..............2-38
OnStar
®System.............................................2-41
Universal Home Remote System......................2-44
Universal Home Remote System.....................2-44
Universal Home Remote System Operation
(With Three Round LED)............................2-45
Section 2 Features and Controls
2-1

Mirrors
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
with OnStar
®
Your vehicle has an automatic dimming inside rearview
mirror. The mirror also contains OnStar®controls.
For more information about OnStar®, seeOnStar®
System on page 2-41.
O(On/Off):This button, located on the lower left side
of the mirror, is for the automatic dimming functions.
Mirror Operation
The automatic dimming feature is active each time the
vehicle is started.
To turn the automatic dimming feature on or off, press
and release the on/off button. The indicator light will
illuminate when this feature is active.
Cleaning the Mirror
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper towel or similar
material dampened with glass cleaner. Do not spray
glass cleaner directly on the mirror as that may cause
the liquid cleaner to enter the mirror housing.
Outside Power Heated Mirrors
The controls for the
outside power mirrors are
located is on the driver’s
door armrest.
Move the selector switch, located below the four-way
control pad, to the left or the right to choose the driver’s
side or passenger’s side mirror. Use the arrows
located on the four-way control pad to adjust the position
of the mirror. Adjust each outside mirror so that a little
of the vehicle and the area behind it can be seen
while sitting in a comfortable driving position. Keep the
selector switch in the center position when not
adjusting either outside mirror.
2-36

Both mirrors have a heated feature to rid them of snow,
ice, or condensation. They will heat when the rear
window defogger is turned on. See “Rear Window
Defogger” underDual Climate Control System on
page 3-38. If the vehicle has the memory option, the
preferred mirror position can be stored. SeeMemory
Seat, Mirrors and Steering Wheel on page 1-3.
Both mirrors can be manually folded inward by pulling
them toward the vehicle. This feature may be useful
when going through a car wash or a conned space.
Push the mirrors away from the vehicle, to the normal
position, before driving.
Outside Automatic Dimming Mirror
The driver’s side mirror will adjust for the glare of
headlamps behind you. This feature is controlled by the
on and off settings on the inside automatic dimming
rearview mirror. SeeAutomatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror with OnStar
®on page 2-36.
Park Assist Mirror
The passenger’s side mirror is also capable of
performing the curb view assist feature. This feature will
cause the mirror to tilt to a factory programmed
position when the vehicle is in REVERSE (R). This
feature may be useful in allowing you to view the curb
when you are parallel parking.
If further adjustment is needed after the mirror is tilted,
the mirror switch may be used. The mirror will then
return to this new position when the vehicle is shifted
into REVERSE (R).
When the vehicle is shifted out of REVERSE (R) and
a ve-second delay has occurred, the passenger’s side
mirror will return to its original position.
This feature can be enabled/disabled through the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See “Park Assist” under
DIC Vehicle Personalization on page 3-76for more
information.
2-37

Rainsense™ Wipers
Your vehicle has Rainsense™ wipers. The moisture
sensor for this feature is mounted on the interior side of
the windshield below the rearview mirror and is used to
automatically operate the wipers by monitoring the
amount of moisture build-up on the windshield. Wipes
occur as needed to clear the windshield depending on
driving conditions and the sensitivity setting. In light rain
or snow, fewer wipes will occur. In heavy rain or snow,
wipes will occur more frequently. The Rainsense™
wipers operate in a delay mode as well as a continuous
low or high speed as needed. If the system is left on for
long periods of time, occasional wipes may occur without
any moisture on the windshield. This is normal and
indicates that the Rainsense™ system is activated.
The Rainsense™ system is also sensitive to vibration.
The system may activate if something hits the windshield
or if the vehicle hits a bump.
The Rainsense™ system can be activated by moving
the wiper lever up to the delay position and turning the
delay adjust band to one of the ve sensitivity levels.
The bottom delay adjust position is the lowest sensitivity
setting, level one. This allows more rain or snow to collect
on the windshield between wipes. Turning the delay
adjust band away from you to the higher sensitivity levels
allows less rain or snow to collect on the windshield
between wipes.The top position is the highest sensitivity setting, level
ve. A single wipe will occur each time you turn the
delay adjust band to a higher sensitivity level to indicate
that the sensitivity level has been increased.
Notice:Going through an automatic car wash with
the wipers on can damage them. Turn the wipers
off when going through an automatic car wash.
The mist and wash cycles operate as normal and are not
affected by the Rainsense™ function. The Rainsense™
system can be overridden at any time by manually
changing the wiper control to low or high speed.
When Rainsense™ is active, the headlamps will turn on
automatically. If it is dark, they will remain on. See
“Wiper-Activated Headlamps” underExterior Lamps on
page 3-28for more information.
Notice:Do not place stickers or other items on the
exterior glass surface directly in front of the moisture
sensor. Doing this could cause the moisture sensor
to malfunction.
3-11

Exterior Lighting Battery Saver
If the manual parking lamps or headlamps have been
left on, the exterior lamps will turn off as soon as
the ignition is turned off or Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) is active. This protects against draining the
battery in case you have accidentally left the headlamps
or parking lamps on. The battery saver does not work
if the headlamps are turned on after the ignition switch
is turned to off.
If you need to leave the lamps on, use the exterior
lamp control to turn the lamps back on.
Instrument Panel Brightness
The button for this feature is located on the instrument
panel to the left of the steering column.
+
!- (Brightness):Press this button to change the
brightness of the instrument panel lights.
Press the DIMMER button until PANEL DIMMING
appears on the Driver Information Center (DIC). Then
use the brightness button to adjust the instrument panel
brightness. Press the top of the button to brighten the
lights or the bottom of the button to dim the lights.
SeeHead-Up Display (HUD) on page 3-33for more
information.Be sure not to have the brightness turned all the way
down with the lamps on during the day. Your DIC
may not be visible.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door or the trunk lid is opened, the interior
lamps will go on unless it is bright outside.
Press the interior lamp button on the right side of the
instrument panel, to turn the courtesy lamps on or off.
Entry/Exit Lighting
With entry lighting, the interior lamps will come on when
entering the vehicle. The interior lamps will come on
for about 20 seconds when the engine is turned off.
You can turn exit and entry lighting off by quickly turning
the courtesy lamps on and off.
Reading Lamps
Your inside rearview mirror includes two reading lamps.
The lamps will go on when a door is opened. When
the doors are closed, each lamp can be turned on
individually by pressing the button for that lamp.
3-32

These delays prevent false readings. If the temperature
goes down, the outside temperature will be shown
when you start the vehicle. If it has been turned off for
less than three hours, the temperature will be recalled
from the previous vehicle operation.
There is also an inside temperature sensor located to
the left of the ignition button. The automatic climate
control system uses this sensor to receive information,
so if you block or cover it, the system will not function
properly.
Defogging and Defrosting
Fog on the inside of windows is a result of high humidity
(moisture) condensing on the cool window glass.
This can be minimized if the climate control system is
used properly. There are two modes to clear fog or
frost from your windshield. Use the oor/defog mode
to clear the windows of fog or moisture and warm
the passengers. Use defrost to remove fog or frost
from the windshield more quickly.
-(Floor/Defog):Press the mode button until the
defog mode appears on the display. This mode directs
the air between the windshield, oor outlets and
side windows. When you select this mode, the system
turns off recirculation and runs the air conditioning
compressor unless the outside temperature is near
or below freezing.
1(Defrost):Press this button to direct most of the
air to the windshield, with some air directed to the side
windows. In this mode, the system will automatically
turn off the recirculation and run the air conditioning
compressor, unless the outside temperature is near or
below freezing. Do not drive the vehicle until all the
windows are clear.
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a warming grid to
remove fog or frost from the rear window.
The rear window defogger will only work when the
engine is running.
=(Rear Window Defogger):Press this button to
turn the rear window defogger on or off. Be sure to
clear as much snow from the rear window as possible.
The rear window defogger will turn off about 10 minutes
after the button is pressed when traveling less than
30 mph (48 km/h). If turned on again, the defogger
will only run for about ve minutes before turning off.
The defogger can also be turned off by pressing
the button again or by turning off the engine.
The heated outside rearview mirrors will heat to
help clear fog or frost from the surface of the
mirrors when the rear window defogger is on.
3-41

The rear window defogger and heated mirrors are
automatically disabled when the retractable hardtop
is moving or down.
Notice:Do not use anything sharp on the inside
of the rear window. If you do, you could cut or
damage the warming grid, and the repairs would
not be covered by your warranty. Do not attach
a temporary vehicle license, tape, a decal or
anything similar to the defogger grid.
Outlet Adjustment
Use the thumbwheel to open or close the outlets.
Operation Tips

Clear away any ice, snow or leaves from the air
inlets at the base of the windshield that may
block the ow of air into your vehicle.
Use of non-GM approved hood deectors may
adversely affect the performance of the system.
Keep the area around the base of the instrument
panel console and air path under the seats
clear of objects to help circulate the air inside
of your vehicle more effectively.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
The passenger compartment air lter removes certain
particles from the air, including pollen and dust particles.
Reductions in airow, which may occur more often in
dusty areas, indicate that the lter may need to be
replaced early.
The lter should be replaced as part of the routine
scheduled maintenance. SeeScheduled Maintenance
on page 7-4for more information.
To check or replace the air lter, do the following:
1. With the hood open, unlatch and remove the
access panel.
The passenger compartment air lter and access
panel are located on the passenger’s side of
the engine compartment near the battery.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview on page 6-12
for more information on location.
2. Pull the old lter out of the housing.
3. Insert the new lter into the housing.
4. Reinstall the air lter access panel.
3-42