2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU lights

Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day. DRL
can be helpful in many different driving conditions, but
they can be especially helpful in the short periods after
dawn and before sunset. Fully functional daytime running
lamps are required on all vehicles rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make both front turn signal lamps
turn on when the following conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
The exterior lamp control is turned to AUTO.
In addition, Canadian vehicles DRL will also turn
on if you have turned on your parking lamps.
The light sensor detects daytime light.
The shift lever is not in PARK (P).
While the DRL system is on, the taillamps, sidemarker
lamps, and instrument panel lights will not be illuminated.
The DRL system will be off any time your vehicle is in
PARK (P). The DRL system on U.S. vehicles can
also be turned off by using the Off/On switch for one
ignition cycle.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic system
will turn on your headlamps at the normal brightness
along with other lamps such as the taillamps, sidemarker,
parking lamps, instrument panel lights, and interior
switch backlighting.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor on the top of
the instrument panel that inputs to the ACC, so be sure it
is not covered which will cause the system to be on
whenever the ignition is on.
The system may also be on when driving through a
parking garage, heavy overcast weather or a tunnel.
This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the automatic lamp control
system so that driving under bridges or bright overhead
street lights does not affect the system. The automatic
lamp control system will only be affected when the light
sensor sees a change in lighting lasting longer than
this delay.
If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic
lamp system will come on immediately. Once you leave
the garage, it will take about one minute for the automatic
lamp system to change to DRL if it is light outside.
3-17

During that delay, your instrument panel cluster may
not be as bright as usual. Make sure your instrument
panel brightness control is in the full bright position.
See “Instrument Panel Brightness Control” underInterior
Lamps on page 3-19.
To idle your vehicle with the system off, turn the
ignition on and rotate the exterior light switch to the
Off/On position. For Canadian vehicles, the transmission
must stay in PARK (P) for this function.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps when you need them.
Headlamps Off in Park (P)
This feature works when the ignition is on and it is
dark outside. To turn the headlamps off when it is
dark outside but keep other exterior lights on, turn
the exterior lamp control to the parking lamp position.
In this position, the parking lamps, sidemarker
lamps, taillamps, license plate lamps and instrument
panel lights will be on, but the headlamps will be off.
To turn on the headlamps along with the other
lamps when it is dark outside, turn the exterior lamp
control to the AUTO or headlamp position.
This feature will work for Canadian vehicles if the
vehicle is in PARK (P).
Delayed Headlamps
The delayed headlamps feature will continue to illuminate
the headlamps for 20 seconds after the key is turned to
OFF at night. Then the headlamps will automatically
turn off.
To override the 20 second delayed headlamp feature
while it is active turn the switch at the end of the
turn signal/multifunction lever to the Off/On position.
Fog Lamps
If your vehicle has this
feature, the button for the
fog lamps is located on
the instrument panel, to the
left of the steering wheel.
If your vehicle has fog lamps, the ignition must be on.
Push the button to turn the fog lamps on. An indicator
light in the button will glow when the fog lamps are
on. Push the button again to turn the fog lamps off.
The fog lamps will turn off while the high-beam
headlamps are turned on.
3-18

Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness
The control for this
feature is located on
the instrument panel
to the left of the
steering wheel.
Turn the knob clockwise to brighten the lights or
counterclockwise to dim them.
Dome Lamp
The switch on this lamp has three positions. The on
position will turn on the lamp anytime. The door position
will turn on the lamp whenever a door is opened. The
off position will shut off the lamp completely, even while
a door is opened. Your dome lamp may be equipped
with two rear reading lamps. See “Rear Reading
Lamps” following.
Entry/Exit Lighting
When you open any door, the lamps inside of your
vehicle will go on. These lamps will fade out 20 seconds
after the last door is closed, or when the ignition is
turned on after all doors have been closed. These lamps
will also go on when you press the trunk release
button, the unlock button or the panic button on the
remote keyless entry transmitter.
The lamps inside of your vehicle will turn on for about
10 seconds after your key is removed from the ignition to
provide an illuminated exit.
Front Reading Lamps
Push the lens to turn the reading lamps on and off. The
reading lamps will turn on when the door is open if the
dome lamp is in the door position. The reading lamps will
also turn on with the dome lamp switch in the on position.
The lamps will not turn on if the door is open and the
dome lamp is in the off position.
Rear Reading Lamps
The vehicle’s dome lamp may have two reading lamps.
The reading lamps turn on and off by pushing on the lens.
Trunk Lamp
The trunk lamp comes on when you open your trunk.
3-19

Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that may
be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an
expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to your
warning lights and gages could also save you or others
from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some warning
lights come on briey when you start the engine just to let
you know they are working. If you are familiar with this
section, you should not be alarmed when this happens.Gages can indicate when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often
gages and warning lights work together to let you
know when there is a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays
on when you are driving, or when one of the gages
shows there may be a problem, check the section
that tells you what to do about it. Please follow this
manual’s advice. Waiting to do repairs can be
costly — and even dangerous. So please get to
know your warning lights and gages. They are
a big help.
3-31

Instrument Panel Cluster
Your instrument panel cluster is designed to let you know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You’ll know how
fast you’re going, how much fuel you’re using, and many other things you will need to drive safely and economically.
Your vehicle has this instrument panel cluster, which includes indicator warning lights and gages that are explained
on the following pages.
United States version shown, Canada Similar
3-32

LIGHT FLASH:If your vehicle has remote keyless
entry, this feature which allows the vehicle’s exterior
perimeter lighting to ash every time the LOCK or
UNLOCK button on the remote keyless entry transmitter
is pressed, can be enabled or disabled. When LIGHT
FLASH appears on the display, press the ENTER
button to move between OFF and ON. When you have
made your choice, press the MENU button to record
your selection. The initial setting from the factory is ON.
DELAY LOCK:The delayed locking feature, which
delays the actual locking of the vehicle, can be
enabled or disabled. When DELAY LOCK appears on
the display, use the ENTER button to move between
OFF and ON. When you have made your choice,
press the MENU button to record your selection.
The initial setting from the factory is ON.
AUTO UNLK:The automatic door unlocking feature,
which allows the vehicle to automatically unlock certain
doors can be enabled or disabled. When AUTO UNLK
appears on the display, use the ENTER button to move
between: ALL, DRVR or NONE. When you have made
your choice, press and the MENU button to record your
selection. The initial setting from the factory is ALL.UNLK:This feature determines when the automatic
door unlocking will occur, when either the key is turned
to OFF or the vehicle is shifted into PARK (P). When
UNLK appears on the display, use the ENTER button to
move between KEY OFF and SHIFT TO P. When
you have made your choice, press the MENU button to
record your selection. The initial setting from the
factory is SHIFT TO P.
EXT LIGHTS:If your vehicle has remote keyless entry,
this feature, which allows the vehicle’s exterior perimeter
lighting to turn on each time the UNLOCK button on the
remote keyless entry transmitter is pressed, can be
enabled or disabled. When EXT LIGHTS appears on the
display, use the ENTER button to move between ON
and OFF. When you have made your choice, press the
MENU button to record your selection. The initial setting
from the factory is ON.
SECURITY:If your vehicle has the remote keyless entry
system, this feature allows you to select the method used
to arm the vehicle’s security system. When SECURITY
appears on the display, use the ENTER button to move
between RKE and PASSIVE. When you have made your
choice, press the MENU button to record your selection.
SeeContent Theft-Deterrent on page 2-18for more
information.
3-49

LANGUAGE:To select your choice of language,
use the ENTER button to move between the optional
languages.
The languages are English, French, German and
Spanish.
Choosing a language will display all of the information
on the DIC in the desired language.
When you have made your choice, press the MENU
button for at least one second to record your selection.
The initial setting from the factory is ENGLISH.
ENTER:The ENTER button is used to reset certain
functions and turn off or acknowledge messages on the
DIC display. The ENTER button also toggles through
the options available in each personalization menu.
DIC Warnings and Messages
These messages will appear if there is a problem
sensed in one of your vehicle’s systems.
Any message will clear when the vehicle’s condition is no
longer present. The warning message will come back on
the next time the vehicle is turned off and back on if the
condition is still present. With most messages, a warning
chime will sound when the message is displayed.
Your vehicle may have other warning messages.AUTO LIGHTS OFF:This message is displayed if
the automatic headlamp system is disabled with
the headlamp switch.
AUTO LIGHTS ON:This message is displayed if
the automatic headlamp system is enabled with the
headlamp switch.
BRAKE FLUID:This message will display if the ignition
is in ON to inform the driver that the brake uid level
is low. Have the brake system serviced by a technician
as soon as possible.
CHANGE OIL SOON:This message is displayed when
the life of the engine oil has expired and it should be
changed within 200 miles.
When you acknowledge the Change Engine Oil message
by clearing it from the display, you still must reset the
engine oil life monitor separately. SeeEngine Oil on
page 5-17andScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4
for more information.
CHECK GAS CAP:This message will appear if the
gas cap has not been fully tightened. You should
recheck your gas cap to ensure that it’s on properly.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed should
turn the display off.
3-50

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 readjust 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 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 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 is 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
are not even aware of it.
4-17