headlamp PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 1999 User Guide

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When it's dark enough outside, your headlamps will
change to full brightness. The other lamps that come on
with your headlamps will also come on.
When it's bright enough outside, the regular lamps will
go out, and your low
-beam headlamps change to the
reduced brightness of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in OFF or LOCK. Then start
your vehicle. The DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps
The fog lamps switch is located in the upper hand corner
of the instrument panel, to the left of the instrument
panel cluster.
To turn the fog lamps on, press the right side of the fog
lamps switch. A light will glow on the switch to let you
know that they are on. (The parking lamps must be on,
or the fog lamps won't come on.) Press the left
-hand
side of the switch to turn the fog lamps off.

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The fog lamps will go off whenever you change to
high
-beam headlamps. When you return to low beams,
the fog lamps will come on again.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
You can brighten or dim the
instrument panel lights by
turning the interior
lamps dial.
Turn the dial clockwise to increase the brightness of the
instrument panel lights and counterclockwise to
decrease the brightness. Turn the control completely
counterclockwise to turn them off.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door is opened, several lamps come on. These
lamps are courtesy lamps. They make it easy for you to
enter and leave the vehicle at night. You can also turn
these lamps on by turning the interior lamps dial
completely clockwise.
Illuminated Entry
The Illuminated Entry feature will illuminate the interior
so that you can see the inside of the vehicle before you
enter at night. The interior lamps will come on for
40 seconds when you unlock the doors using the remote
keyless entry transmitter (if equipped) and the ignition is
in LOCK or OFF. After 40 seconds have elapsed, the
interior lamps will slowly fade out. The lamps will fade
out before 40 seconds have elapsed if you:

Lock all doors using the remote keyless
entry transmitter.

Lock the doors using the power door lock switch.
When any door is opened, illuminated entry is canceled.
The interior lamps will stay on while any door is opened
and slowly fade out when all doors are closed. The
interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds after all
doors have been closed if they have not been locked.
See ªDelayed Illuminationº later in this section.

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Mirrors
Adjust all the mirrors so you can see clearly when you
are sitting in a comfortable driving position.
Inside Day/Night Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lamps behind you, pull the lever
toward you (to the night position). To return the mirror
back to the day position, push the lever away from you.
Electrochromic Day/Night Rearview Mirror
(If Equipped)
The vehicle may have an electrochromic day/night
rearview mirror. Push the button on the bottom of the
mirror to turn this feature on. The mirror will darken
gradually to reduce glare from headlamps behind you.
This may take a few moments.

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One photocell on the front of the mirror senses when it
is becoming dark outside. Another photocell, facing
rearward, senses headlamps behind you. To turn the
electrochromic feature off, press the button on the
bottom of the mirror again.
To keep the photocells operating well, occasionally
clean them with a cotton swab and glass cleaner.
Power Outside Mirrors
The power mirror control is
near the driver's window,
on the armrest. Turn the
control counterclockwise to
adjust the left mirror or
clockwise to adjust the right
mirror. Then move the
control in the direction you
want to move the mirror.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger's side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror's surface is curved so you can see more from the
driver's seat.
CAUTION:
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.

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4. Turn the DIM dial down until the HUD image is no
brighter than necessary. To turn the HUD off, turn
the DIM dial all the way down.
If the sun comes out, it becomes cloudy, or if you turn
on your headlamps, you may need to adjust the HUD
brightness again. Polarized sunglasses could make the
HUD image harder to see.
Push the ENG/MET button
on the trip calculator to
switch the HUD display
from English to metric or
metric to English. If your
vehicle is not equipped with
the trip calculator, you can't
change the display.
Care of the Head-Up Display
Clean the inside of the windshield as needed to remove
any dirt or film that reduces the sharpness or clarity of
the HUD image.
To clean the HUD, spray household glass cleaner on a
soft, clean cloth. Wipe the HUD lens gently, then dry it.
Do not spray cleaner directly on the lens because the
cleaner could leak into the unit.

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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.

Don't drink and drive.

Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.

Since you can't 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
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.

In remote areas, watch for animals.

If you're tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night Vision
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're
driving, don't wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot
of things invisible.

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You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who
doesn't lower the high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your 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 film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it's easier to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your 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
aren't even aware of it.
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can't stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire
-to-road traction isn't as good as on dry roads.
And, if your tires don't have much tread left, you'll get
even less traction. It's always wise to go slower and be
cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.

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Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you've been stopped by the snow.

Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you have no blankets or extra clothing, make body
insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, floor
mats
-- anything you can wrap around yourself or
tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle.
This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas
to get inside. CO could overcome you and kill
you. You can't see it or smell it, so you might not
know it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle, especially any
that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure snow
doesn't collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that's away from the wind. This will help
keep CO out.
Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged. You will need a well
-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.

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Bulb Replacement
In this section, you'll find directions for changing the
bulbs on your vehicle. See ªReplacement Bulbsº in the
Index to find the type of bulb you should use.
Halogen Bulbs
CAUTION:
Halogen bulbs have pressurized gas inside and
can burst if you drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure to read and
follow the instructions on the bulb package.
Headlamps
1. Open the hood and support properly.
2. Remove the two bolts
from the top of the
headlamp assembly.

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3. Carefully remove the headlamp assembly from the
vehicle. Be careful to avoid scratching or chipping
the paint on the vehicle while removing.
4. Lift the plastic tab on the electrical connector and
pull the connector.5. Turn the lamp socket ring a quarter of a turn
counterclockwise to remove it from the
headlamp assembly.