2008 CADILLAC XLR Owners Manual

Power Tilt Wheel and Telescopic
Steering Column
The power tilt and
telescope wheel control is
located on the outboard
side of the steering
column.
To operate the power tilt feature, push the control up
and the steering wheel tilts up. Push the control
down and the steering wheel goes down.
Push the control forward and the steering wheel moves
toward the front of the vehicle. Push the control
rearward and the steering wheel moves toward the rear
of the vehicle. To set the memory position, seeDIC
Vehicle Personalization on page 3-76andMemory Seat,
Mirrors and Steering Wheel on page 1-3.
Heated Steering Wheel
Your vehicle may have a heated steering wheel.
The button with this
symbol is located on the
left side of the steering
wheel.
Press the button to turn the heated steering wheel on or
off. A light on the button will display when the feature
is turned on.
The steering wheel will take about three minutes to
start heating.
3-7

Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
GTurn and Lane-Change Signals. SeeTurn
and Lane-Change Signals on page 3-8.
3Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer. See
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-9.
-Fog Lamps. SeeFog Lamps on page 3-30.
Flash-to-Pass Feature. SeeFlash-to-Pass on
page 3-9.
ICruise Control. SeeCruise Control on
page 3-12.
PExterior Lamps Control. SeeExterior Lamps
on page 3-28.
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the multifunction lever all the
way up or down. When the turn is nished, the lever will
return automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will ash in
the direction of the
turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to ash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by itself
when you release it.
If you signal a turn or a lane change and the arrows
ash faster than normal, a signal bulb may be burned
out. Other drivers will not see the turn signal.
Replace burned-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. If the arrows do not go on at all when you
signal a turn, check the fuses and check for burned-out
bulbs. SeeFuses and Circuit Breakers on page 6-90.
3-8

Turn Signal on Chime
A chime will remind you if you leave the turn signal on
for more than 3/4 mile (1.2 km) of driving.
If you need to leave the turn signal on for more than
3/4 mile (1.2 km), turn off the signal and then turn
it back on.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high,
push the turn signal lever all the way forward.
When the high beams
are on, this light on the
instrument panel cluster
will also be on.
To change the headlamps from high to low, pull the
lever rearward.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use the high-beam headlamps
to signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass.
Pull and hold the turn signal lever toward you to use.
When you do, the following will occur:
If the low-beam headlamps are on, the high-beam
headlamps will turn on. They will stay on as long
as you hold the lever there. Release the lever
to turn them off.
If the headlamps are on high-beam, they will switch
to low-beam. To return to high beam, push the
lever away from you.
3-9

Windshield Wipers
Use the lever located on the right side of the steering
column to operate the windshield wipers.
1(High Speed):Move the lever to this position for
steady wiping at high speed.
6(Low Speed):Move the lever to this position
for steady wiping at low speed.
&(Delay):Move the lever to this position to set a
delay between wipes.
x(Delay Adjustment):Move the lever to this
position to choose a delayed wiping cycle. Turn the
intermittent adjust band down for a longer delay or up
for a shorter delay. The wiper speed can only be
manually adjusted when the lever is in this position.
9(Off):Move the lever to this position to turn off the
windshield wipers.
8(Mist):Move the lever all the way down to mist
and release for a single wiping cycle. The windshield
wipers will stop after one wipe. If you want more wipes,
hold the band on mist longer.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wipers. If this
occurs, a circuit breaker will stop the wipers until the
motor cools. So, be sure to clear any ice and snow
from the windshield wiper blades before using them.
If the wiper blades are frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen them or warm the windshield before turning
the wipers on. If your blades do become worn or
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
3-10

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

Windshield Washer
K(Washer Fluid):The lever on the right side of the
steering column also controls the windshield washer.
There is a button at the end of the lever. To spray
washer uid on the windshield, press the button and
hold it. The washer will spray until you release the
button. The wipers will continue to clear the window for
about six seconds after the button is released and
then stop or return to your preset speed.
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, do not use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer uid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
If the uid in the windshield washer uid reservoir is
low, the message LOW WASHER FLUID will appear
on the Driver Information Center (DIC) display.
It will take 60 seconds after the bottle is relled for this
message to turn off. For information on the correct
washer uid mixture to use, seeWindshield Washer
Fluid on page 6-36andRecommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 7-11.
Headlamp Washer
The headlamps washer only functions every fourth time
the washer button is depressed and if the headlamps
are on.
Cruise Control
Your vehicle has cruise control.
9(Off):This position
turns the system off.
R(On):This position turns the system on.
+ (Resume/Accelerate):This position makes the
vehicle accelerate or resume to a previously set speed.
T(Set):Press this button at the end of the lever
to set the speed.
3-12

With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
about 25 mph (40 km/h).
Cruise control will not work if the parking brake is set,
or if the master cylinder brake uid level is low.
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
cannot drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not use your cruise control on winding roads
or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on slippery
roads. On such roads, fast changes in tire
traction can cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
If your vehicle has the traction control system and it
begins to limit wheel spin while cruise control is on,
the cruise control will automatically disengage.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 5-6.
When road conditions allow you to safely use it
again, you may turn cruise control back on.
Setting Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control on when you
are not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you do not want to.
You could be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch off until you
want to use cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to on.
2. Get up to the speed desired.
3. Press the set button at the end of the lever
and release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
The cruise symbol on the
instrument panel cluster
will be lit when the
cruise control is engaged.
3-13

Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This disengages the
cruise control. But it does not need to be reset.
Once you are going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise control switch briey from
on to resume/accelerate.
You will go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
If you hold the switch at resume/accelerate the vehicle
will keep going faster until you release the switch or apply
the brake. Do not hold the switch at resume/accelerate,
unless you want the vehicle to go faster.
Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher speed.
Press the set button at the end of the lever, then
release the button and the accelerator pedal. You will
now cruise at the higher speed. If the accelerator
pedal is held longer than 60 seconds, cruise control
will turn off.
Move the cruise switch from on to resume/
accelerate. Hold it there until you get up to the
desired speed, and then release the switch.
To increase your speed in very small amounts,
move the switch briey to resume/accelerate.
Each time you do this, your vehicle will go about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control

Press and hold the set button until you reach the
lower speed desired, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, briey press
the set button. Each time you do this, your vehicle
will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
3-14