headlamp CADILLAC STS 2007 1.G Owner's Manual

Twilight Sentinel®
Twilight Sentinel®can turn your lamps on and off
for you.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel
makes the Twilight Sentinel
®work, so be sure it is
not covered.With Twilight Sentinel
®the following will happen:
When it is dark enough outside, the front
turn signal lamps (DRL) will go off, and
the headlamps and parking lamps will come
on. The other lamps that come on with
headlamps will also come on.
When it is bright enough outside, the
headlamps will go off, and the front turn signal
lamps (DRL) will come on, as long as the
exterior lamp switch is in the off position.
If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the
automatic headlamp system will come on
immediately. Once you leave the garage, it will
take about one minute for the automatic headlamp
system to change to DRL if it is light outside.
During that delay, the instrument panel cluster
might not be as bright as usual. Make sure
the instrument panel brightness control is in full
bright position. SeeInstrument Panel Brightness
on page 220for more information.
You can idle the vehicle with the lamps off, even
when it is dark outside. First set the parking
brake while the ignition is in OFF/ACCESSORY.
Then start the vehicle. The lamps will stay off until
the parking brake is released.
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Twilight Sentinel®also provides exterior
illumination as you leave the vehicle. If Twilight
Sentinel
®has turned on the lamps when you turn
off the ignition, the lamps will remain on until:
The exterior lamp switch is moved from off to
the parking lamp position.
A delay time that you select has elapsed.
SeeVehicle Personalization on page 148to select
the delay time that you want. You can also
select no delay time.
If the ignition is turned off with the exterior lamp
switch in the parking lamp or headlamp position,
the Twilight Sentinel
®delay will not occur.
The lamps will turn off as soon as the switch is
turned off.
As with any vehicle, the regular headlamp system
should be turned on when needed.
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver
If the parking lamps or headlamps have been
left on, the exterior lamps will turn off about
10 minutes after the ignition is turned off. 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 is
turned off.
If you need to leave the lamps on for more than
10 minutes, use the exterior lamp control to
turn the lamps back on.
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Instrument Panel Brightness
This feature controls the
brightness of the
instrument panel lights.
Press in the center knob on the DIC control panel
until the knob pops out. Then turn the knob
clockwise to brighten the lights or counterclockwise
to dim them. If you turn the knob completely
clockwise, the interior lamps will turn on.
Entry Lighting
The entry lighting system turns on the reading and
dome lamps and the backlighting to the exterior
lamp control when a door is opened or if you
press the remote keyless entry transmitter
unlock button. If activated by the transmitter, the
lighting will remain active for about 25 seconds.
The entry lighting system uses the light sensor; it
must be dark outside in order for the lamps to
turn on. The lamps turn off about 25 seconds after
the last door is closed. They will dim to off if the
ignition is on, or immediately deactivate if the
power locks are activated.
Parade Dimming
This feature prohibits dimming of the instrument
panel displays and backlighting during daylight
hours when the key is in the ignition and the
headlamps are on. This feature operates with the
light sensor and is fully automatic. When the
light sensor reads darkness outside and the
parking lamps are active, the instrument panel
displays can be adjusted by turning the instrument
panel brightness knob. SeeInstrument Panel
Brightness on page 220for additional information.
Base Level Shown,
Uplevel Similar
220

Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are located on the overhead
console. These lamps come on automatically when
any door is opened.
For manual operation, press the button next to
each lamp to turn it on or off.
If the reading lamps are left on, they automatically
shut off 10 minutes after the ignition has been
turned off.
Battery Load Management
The battery load management feature is designed
to monitor the vehicle’s electrical load and
determine when the battery is in a heavy discharge
condition. During times of high electrical loading,
the engine may idle at a higher
revolutions per minute (rpm) setting than normal to
make sure the battery charges. High electrical
loads may occur when several of the following are
on: headlamps, high beams, fog lamps, rear
window defogger, the climate control fan at high
speeds, heated seats and engine cooling fans.If the battery continues to discharge, even with the
engine idling at a higher rpm setting, some
electrical loads will automatically be reduced.
When this occurs, the rear window defogger may
take slightly longer to clear the glass and the
fan may cut back to a lower speed. For more
battery saving information, see “Battery Saver
Active Message” underDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 264.
Electric Power Management
The vehicle has Electric Power Management (EPM)
that estimates the battery’s temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage for best
performance and extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the
voltage is raised slightly to quickly put the charge
back in. When the state of charge is high, the
voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging.
If the vehicle has a voltmeter gage or voltage
display on the Driver Information Center (DIC), you
may see the voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an alert will be
displayed.
221

The battery can be discharged at idle if the
electrical loads are very high. This is true for all
vehicles. This is because the generator (alternator)
may not be spinning fast enough at idle to
produce all the power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when several of the
following loads are on: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger, climate
control fan at high speed, heated seats, engine
cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the
battery. It does this by balancing the generator’s
output and the vehicle’s electrical needs. It
can increase engine idle speed to generate more
power, whenever needed. It can temporarily
reduce the power demands of some accessories.Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels,
without being noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action, this action may
be noticeable to the driver. If so, a Driver
Information Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as Battery Saver Active or Service
Battery Charging System. If this message is
displayed, it is recommended that the driver
reduce the electrical loads as much as possible.
SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 264.
Inadvertent Power Battery Saver
This feature is designed to protect your vehicle’s
battery against drainage from the interior
lamps, trunk lamp, glove box lamp, or the garage
door opener. When the ignition is turned off,
the power to these features will automatically turn
off after 10 minutes (three minutes if a new car
has 15 miles (24 km) or less). Power will be
restored for an additional 10 minutes if any door is
opened, the trunk is opened or the courtesy
lamp switch is turned on.
222

Security Light
For information
regarding this light,
seeTheft-Deterrent
System on page 108.
Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light will
come on when the fog
lamps are in use.
The light will go out when the fog lamps are
turned off. SeeFog Lamps on page 217for
more information.
Lights On Reminder
This light comes on
whenever the parking
lamps are on.
SeeHeadlamps on Reminder on page 216for
more information.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on
whenever you set your
cruise control.
The light will go out when the cruise control is
turned off. SeeCruise Control on page 193
andAdaptive Cruise Control on page 197for
more information.
256

Highbeam On Light
This light comes on
whenever the
high-beam headlamps
are on.
See “Intellibeam™ Intelligent High-Beam
Headlamp Control System” underHeadlamps on
page 211andHeadlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer on page 183for more information.
Fuel Gage
The fuel gage shows
approximately how
much fuel is in the tank.
It works only when
the engine is on.If the fuel supply gets low, the Fuel Level Low
message will appear on the DIC and a single
chime will sound. SeeDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 264for more information.
Here are a few concerns some owners have had
about the fuel gage. All of these situations are
normal and do not indicate that anything is wrong
with the fuel gage:
At the gas station the gas pump shuts off
before the gage reads full.
The gage may change when you turn, stop
quickly or accelerate quickly.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll the tank
than the gage indicated. For example, the gage
may have indicated that the tank was half full,
but it actually took a little more or less than half
the tank’s capacity to ll the tank.
257

AUTOMATIC LIGHTS OFF
This message displays when the automatic
headlamps are turned off. SeeHeadlamps on
page 211for more information.
AUTOMATIC LIGHTS ON
This message displays when the automatic
headlamps are turned on. SeeHeadlamps on
page 211for more information.
BATTERY NOT CHARGING SERVICE
CHARGING SYS (System)
This symbol appears
with this message.
This message displays when a problem with the
charging system has been detected. Have your
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE
This message displays when the system detects
that the battery voltage is dropping beyond a
reasonable level. The battery saver system starts
reducing certain features of the vehicle that
you may be able to notice. At the point that the
features are disabled, this message is displayed.
It means that the vehicle is trying to save the
charge in the battery.
Turn off all unnecessary accessories to allow the
battery to recharge.
The normal battery voltage range is
11.5 to 15.5 volts. You can monitor battery voltage
on the DIC by pressing the information button
until you nd BATTERY VOLTS.
265

While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or
braking, including reducing vehicle speed by
shifting to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You may not realize the
surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding.
Learn to recognize warning clues — such as
enough water, ice, or packed snow on the road to
make a mirrored surface — and slow down when
you have any doubt.
Remember: Any Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
helps avoid only the braking skid.
Competitive Driving
See your warranty book before using your vehicle
for competitive driving.
Notice:If you use your vehicle for competitive
driving, the engine may use more oil than it
would with normal use. Low oil levels can
damage the engine. Be sure to check the oil
level often during competitive driving and keep
the level at or near the upper mark that
shows the proper operating range on the
engine oil dipstick. For information on how to
add oil, seeEngine Oil on page 380.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to
be impaired — by alcohol or drugs, with night
vision problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Do not drink and drive.
Adjust the inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you cannot see as well, you may need
to slow down and keep more space between
you and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads.
Your vehicle’s headlamps can light up only so
much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you are tired, pull off the road in a safe
place and rest.
333

No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at night as a
20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your
night vision. For example, if you spend the
day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear
sunglasses. Your eyes will have less trouble
adjusting to night. But if you are driving, do not
wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on
glare from headlamps, but they also make a
lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or
even several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust
to the dark. When you are faced with severe glare,
as from a driver who does not lower the high
beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps,
slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into
the approaching headlamps.Keep the windshield and all the glass on your
vehicle clean — inside and out. Glare at night is
made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even
the inside of the glass can build up a lm caused
by dust. Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and
ash more than clean glass would, making the
pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that the headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as the headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your
eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer
from night blindness — the inability to see in dim
light — and are not even aware of it.
334