2003 CHEVROLET CORVETTE headlamp

Make sure your instrument panel brightness control is in
full bright position. See ªInstrument Panel Brightness
Controlº under
Interior Lamps on page 3-15.
With Twilight Sentinel
žturned on, you can idle the
vehicle with the lamps off, even when it's dark outside.
First set the parking brake while the ignition is in
OFF. Then start the vehicle. The lamps will stay off until
you release the parking brake.
Twilight Sentinel
žalso provides exterior illumination as
you leave the vehicle. If Twilight Sentinelžhas turned
on the lamps when you turn off the ignition, your lamps
will remain on until:
·The exterior lamp switch is moved from OFF to the
parking lamp position, or
·a delay time that you select has elapsed.
See
Driver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-44to
select the delay time that you want. You can also select
no delay time.
If you turn off the ignition with the exterior lamp switch
in the parking lamp or headlamp position, the Twilight
Sentinel
ždelay will not occur. The lamps will turn off as
soon as the switch is turned off.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness
The knob for this feature is
located on the left side of
the instrument panel.
Push and release the knob and it will pop out. Turn the
knob clockwise to brighten the lights or counterclockwise
to dim them.
Be sure not to have this knob turned all the way down
with the lamps on during the day. Your Driver
Information Center (DIC) may not be visible.
3-15

Parade Mode
The instrument panel brightness knob has an added
feature called parade mode to assist you in seeing
certain instrument panel controls if your headlamps are
on in the daylight. Turn the knob counterclockwise to
dim the instrument panel lights or clockwise to brighten
the lights. This will occur only with the parking lamps
or headlamps on.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door or the hatch/trunk lid is opened, the
interior lamps will go on (unless it's bright outside).
You can also turn on the courtesy lamps by turning the
instrument panel brightness knob all the way clockwise.
Exit/Entry 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 key is turned to OFF or
a door is ajar.
You can turn exit and entry lighting off by quickly turning
the headlamps on and off or 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 switch for that lamp.
There is also an interior console ¯ood lamp located
underneath the rearview mirror which comes on
during nighttime operation or when the reading lamps
are on.
3-16

Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to be
impaired Ð 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.
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.
4-18

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 Ð 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 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 Ð the inability to see in dim light Ð 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
re¯exes are tuned for driving on dry pavement.
4-19

{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.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so until
help comes.
4-31

Service............................................................5-3
Doing Your Own Service Work.........................5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your
Vehicle......................................................5-4
Fuel................................................................5-4
Gasoline Octane............................................5-4
Gasoline Speci®cations....................................5-5
California Fuel...............................................5-5
Additives.......................................................5-6
Fuels in Foreign Countries...............................5-6
Filling Your Tank............................................5-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container.......................5-9
Checking Things Under
the Hood....................................................5-10
Hood Release..............................................5-11
Engine Compartment Overview.......................5-12
Engine Oil...................................................5-13
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter................................5-18
Automatic Transmission Fluid.........................5-20
Manual Transmission Fluid.............................5-20
Hydraulic Clutch...........................................5-22
Engine Coolant.............................................5-23
Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap..................5-26
Engine Overheating.......................................5-26
Cooling System............................................5-29
Power Steering Fluid.....................................5-35Windshield Washer Fluid................................5-36
Brakes........................................................5-37
Battery........................................................5-40
Jump Starting...............................................5-41
Rear Axle.......................................................5-46
Bulb Replacement..........................................5-47
Halogen Bulbs..............................................5-47
Headlamps..................................................5-47
Taillamps and Turn Signal Lamps...................5-49
Back-Up Lamps............................................5-51
Replacement Bulbs.......................................5-51
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement..............5-51
Tires..............................................................5-54
Extended Mobility Tires (Except Z06)...............5-54
In¯ation -- Tire Pressure................................5-56
Tire Pressure Monitor System (Except Z06)......5-57
Tire Rotation................................................5-58
Buying New Tires.........................................5-59
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-60
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-61
Wheel Replacement......................................5-61
Tire Chains..................................................5-64
Lifting Your Vehicle.......................................5-64
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-68
Tire In¯ator Kit (Z06 Only).............................5-70
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-1

Appearance Care............................................5-75
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-75
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-77
Weatherstrips...............................................5-77
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle..............5-78
Finish Damage.............................................5-81
Magnesium Wheel Finish...............................5-81
Underbody Maintenance................................5-81
Titanium Exhaust System (Z06 Only)...............5-81
Fiberglass Springs........................................5-81
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-81
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-82
Vehicle Identi®cation......................................5-83
Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN).................5-83
Service Parts Identi®cation Label.....................5-83Electrical System............................................5-84
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-84
Accessory Power Plug...................................5-84
Headlamp Wiring..........................................5-85
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-85
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-85
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-86
Capacities and Speci®cations..........................5-92
Capacities and Speci®cations.........................5-92
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts..........5-94
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts..........5-94
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Hood Release
Notice:In order to avoid possible contact of the
hood to the headlamp doors, either take care
in raising the hood with the headlamps up, or turn
off the headlamps prior to opening the hood.
To open the hood, do the following:
1. Pull the handle
located inside the
vehicle below
the instrument panel
on the driver's side.
2. Go to the side of the vehicle and pull up on the rear
edge of the hood, near the windshield.
Before closing the hood, be sure all the ®ller caps are
on properly. Then, just pull the hood down and
close it ®rmly.
5-11