headlamp CADILLAC STS 2011 1.G Owner's Manual

Black plate (32,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running lamps are required on
all vehicles first sold in Canada.
The DRL system comes on when the following
conditions are met:
.It is still daylight and the ignition is on.
.The automatic lights are enabled.
.The transmission is not in P (Park).
When DRL are on, only the front turn signal lamps will
be on. No other exterior lamps will be on when the DRL
are being used. The instrument panel will not be lit.
When the automatic lights are enabled and it is dark
enough outside, the DRL will turn off and the low-beam
headlamps will turn on. When it is bright enough
outside, the low-beam headlamps will go off, and the
DRL will turn back on. If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp system comes on
immediately. Once the vehicle leaves 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 may not
be as bright as usual. Make sure the instrument panel
brightness lever is in the full bright position. See
Instrument Panel Brightness on page 4‑35.
To operate the vehicle with the DRL off, turn the exterior
lamp control off and then do one of the following:
.Turn the exterior lamp control to the parking lamp
position.
.Turn the exterior lamp control to the headlamp
position.
.Turn the exterior lamp control from AUTO to off
and back to AUTO.
An AUTOMATIC LIGHTS OFF message will appear on
the DIC, showing that automatic lighting has been
disabled. See DIC Warnings and Messages
on
page 4‑76.
The regular headlamp system should be turned on
when needed.
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Black plate (33,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Light Sensor
The light sensor for the DRL is located on top of the
instrument panel. If the sensor is covered, it will prevent
it from sensing light, and the exterior lamps may come
on when they are not needed.
Fog Lamps
The fog lamp controls are located on the turn
signal/multifunction lever.
#(Fog Lamps): The band with this symbol is used to
turn the fog lamps on and off.
The parking lamps must be on for the fog lamps
to work.
To turn the fog lamps on or off, turn the fog lamp band
on the lever up to the dot and release it. The band will
return to its original position.
If the high‐beam headlamps are turned on, the fog
lamps will turn off. The fog lamps will come back on
when the high‐beam headlamps are off.
Some localities have laws that require the headlamps to
be on along with the fog lamps.
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Black plate (34,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Twilight Sentinel®
Twilight Sentinel®can turn the 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 the vehicle is started in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system comes on immediately. Once the
vehicle leaves 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. See Instrument Panel Brightness
on
page 4‑35for 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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Black plate (35,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
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.
See Vehicle Personalization
on page 3‑59to select the
delay time needed. 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.
Instrument Panel Brightness
Base Level Shown,
Uplevel Similar
Press the center knob on the DIC control panel to
extend. Then turn the knob clockwise to brighten the
lights or counterclockwise to dim them. If the knob is
turned completely clockwise, the interior lamps turn on.
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Black plate (36,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
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 4‑35for additional
information.
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
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Black plate (37,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
speed. For more battery saving information, see
“Battery Saver Active Message”underDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 4‑76.
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 bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high, the voltage is lowered
slightly to prevent overcharging. If the vehicle has a
voltmeter gauge or a 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.
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 are on, such as: 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 BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW. If this message is
displayed, it is recommended that the driver reduce the
electrical loads as much as possible. See
DIC Warnings
and Messages on page 4‑76.
Inadvertent Power Battery Saver
This feature is designed to protect the 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 24 km (15 miles) 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.
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Black plate (67,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Security Light
For information regarding
this light and the vehicle's
security system, see
Theft-Deterrent System
on page 3‑22.
Front Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light comes
on when the fog lamps
are in use.
The light goes out when the fog lamps are turned off.
See Fog Lamps
on page 4‑33for more information.
Lights On Reminder
This light comes on
whenever the parking
lamps are on.
See Headlamps on Reminder
on page 4‑31for more
information.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on
whenever the cruise
control is set.
The light goes out when the cruise control is turned off.
See Cruise Control
on page 4‑12andAdaptive Cruise
Controlon page 4‑15for more information.
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Black plate (68,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Highbeam On Light
This light comes on when
the high-beam headlamps
are in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
on page 4‑5for more information.
Fuel Gauge
The fuel gauge shows
approximately how much
fuel is in the fuel tank.
It works only when the
engine is on. An arrow on the fuel gauge indicates the side of the
vehicle the fuel door is on.
If the fuel supply gets low, the
“FUEL LEVEL LOW”
message appears on the Driver Information Center
(DIC) and a single chime sounds. See DIC Warnings
and Messages
on page 4‑76for more information.
All of the following situations are normal and do not
indicate that anything is wrong with the fuel gauge:
.At the gas station the gas pump shuts off before
the gauge reads full.
.The gauge may change when you turn, stop
quickly or accelerate quickly.
.It takes a little more or less fuel to fill the tank than
the gauge indicated. For example, the gauge 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 fill the tank.
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Black plate (76,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
DIC Warnings and Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC to notify the driver
that the status of the vehicle has changed and that
some action may be needed by the driver to correct the
condition. Multiple messages may appear one after
another.
The text messages are the same for both the base
audio and Navigation systems unless otherwise
indicated.
Some messages may not require immediate action, but
you can press the reset button to acknowledge that you
received the messages and to clear them from the
display.
Some messages cannot be cleared from the DIC
display because they are more urgent. These
messages require action before they can be cleared.
Take any messages that appear on the display
seriously and remember that clearing the messages
will only make the messages disappear, not correct the
problem.The following are the possible messages that can be
displayed and some information about them.ADVISORY: XXX MPH (KM/H)
This message displays when the Speed Alert has been
turned on through the DIC Information Menu and the
vehicle is at or above the advised speed. See
DIC
Operation and Displays
on page 4‑70for more
information.
AUTOMATIC LIGHTS OFF
This message displays when the automatic headlamps
are turned off. See Headlampson page 4‑27for more
information.
AUTOMATIC LIGHTS ON
This message displays when the automatic headlamps
are turned on. See Headlampson page 4‑27for more
information.
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Black plate (16,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving
because some drivers are likely to be impaired—by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by
fatigue.
Night driving tips include:
.Drive defensively.
.Do not drink and drive.
.Reduce headlamp glare by adjusting the inside
rearview mirror.
.Slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles because headlamps can only light
up so much road ahead.
.Watch for animals.
.When tired, pull off the road.
.Do not wear sunglasses.
.Avoid staring directly into approaching headlamps.
.Keep the windshield and all glass on your vehicle
clean —inside and out.
.Keep your eyes moving, especially during turns or
curves.
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 might need at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce vehicle traction and
affect your ability to stop and accelerate. Always drive
slower in these types of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and deep‐standing or
flowing water.
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