2008 CADILLAC DTS headlamp

Cornering Lamps
The cornering lamps come on when the headlamps or
parking lamps are on and you signal a turn with the
multifunction lever. They provide more light for
cornering.
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver
If the exterior lamp button has been left on, the exterior
lamps will turn off about 10 minutes after the ignition is
turned to LOCK/OFF and a door has been opened. This
protects against draining the battery if the headlamps or
parking lamps are accidentally left on. If you need to
leave the lamps on for more than 10 minutes, use the
exterior lamp control to turn the lamps back on after the
ignition is turned to LOCK/OFF and any door is opened.
Instrument Panel Brightness
D(Instrument Panel Brightness):This feature
controls the brightness of the instrument panel and
footwell lights, if equipped.
The button for this control is located below the exterior
lamps control.
Push the button in and release to extend the button.
Turn the button clockwise or counterclockwise to
brighten or dim the lights.
Courtesy Lamps
The courtesy lamps are located on the headliner above
the rear seat. These lamps come on by turning the
instrument panel brightness knob fully clockwise or when
any door is opened and it is dark outside. Puddle
lamps are located on the bottom of the front and rear
door trim.
Professional vehicles have an additional dome lamp and
also opera lamps.
Entry Lighting
This feature turns on the courtesy lamps and the
backlighting for the door switches and the exterior
lamp control when a door is opened or if the remote
keyless entry transmitter unlock button is pressed.
If activated due to the transmitter, the lighting remains
active for about 40 seconds. Since the entry lighting
system uses the light sensor, it must be dark outside in
order for the courtesy lamps to turn on. The courtesy
lamps turn off approximately 25 seconds after the
last door is closed. They will dim to off if the ignition
key is turned to ON/RUN, or immediately deactivate if
the power locks are activated.
3-37

Parade Dimming
This feature prohibits dimming of the digital displays and
backlighting during daylight hours when the key is in
the ignition and the headlamps are on. This feature is
fully automatic. When the light sensor reads darkness
outside and the parking lamps are active, the digital
displays can be adjusted by turning the instrument panel
brightness knob counterclockwise to dim and clockwise
to brighten lighting.
Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are located on the overhead console
on the headliner and in the rear door opening. These
lamps come on automatically when any door is opened
and it is dark outside.
For manual operation, press the button to turn them on.
Press it again to turn them off.
If the reading lamps are left on, they automatically shut
off 10 minutes after the ignition has been turned off.
Footwell Lamps
If your vehicle has footwell lamps, they are located
under the instrument panel and at the rear of the front
seats. These lamps provide soft light to the front
and rear oor areas. They dim with the instrument panel
cluster lights, before going out completely.
Footwell lighting brightness can be adjusted with the
instrument panel brightness control located below
the exterior lamps control. SeeInstrument Panel
Brightness on page 3-37. The footwell lights will turn off
before the instrument panel lights are at their lowest
level of brightness.
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.
3-38

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, the heated seats may not get as warm
as they usually do and the climate control fan may cut
back to a lower speed. For more battery saving
information, see “Battery Saver Active Message” under
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-75.
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 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 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 3-75.
3-39

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. Power will
be restored for an additional 10 minutes if any door or
trunk is opened, or the courtesy lamp switch is
turned on.
Battery Run-Down Protection
This vehicle has a feature to help prevent the battery
from being drained, if the interior courtesy lamps,
reading/map lamps, visor vanity lamps or trunk lamp are
accidentally left on. If any of these lamps are left on,
they will automatically turn off after 10 minutes, if
the ignition is off. The lamps will not come back on
again until one of the following occurs:
The ignition is turned on.
The exterior lamps control is turned off, then
on again.
The headlamps will timeout after 10 minutes, if they are
manually turned on before the ignition is off.
Accessory Power Outlet(s)
The accessory power outlets can be used to plug in
electrical equipment such as a cellular telephone,
CB radio, etc.
If your vehicle has a center console, the power outlet is
located inside the lower storage area. There are
outlets also on the right front lower part of the driver’s
seat and under the climate control system next to
the ashtray. SeeCenter Console Storage on page 2-59.
There are two accessory power outlets in the rear
seat area located on the door armrests next to the
ashtrays.
There may be a small cap that must be removed to
access the accessory power outlet. When not using the
outlet be sure to cover it with the protective cap.
The accessory power outlet can be used at any time.
Notice:Leaving electrical equipment plugged in for
an extended period of time while the vehicle is off
will drain the battery. Power is always supplied
to the outlets. Always unplug electrical equipment
when not in use and do not plug in equipment
that exceeds the maximum 20 ampere rating.
3-40

Highbeam On Light
This light comes on when
the high-beam headlamps
are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-9
for 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 in the Driver Information Center
and a single chime will sound. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-75for 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.
3-69

DIC Warnings and Messages
These messages appear if there is a problem detected
in one of your vehicle’s systems.
You must acknowledge a message to clear it from the
screen for further use. To clear a message, press
the set/reset button.
Be sure to take any message that appears on the
screen seriously and remember that clearing the
message will only make the message disappear,
not the problem.
AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL OFF
This message displays when the automatic headlamps
are turned off. SeeExterior Lamps on page 3-32for
more information.
AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL ON
This message displays when the automatic headlamps
are turned on. SeeExterior Lamps on page 3-32for
more information.
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 Driver Information
Center (DIC) by pressing the trip/fuel button until
BATTERY VOLTAGE is displayed.
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when service is required for your
vehicle. See your dealer/retailer. SeeEngine Oil on
page 5-15andScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4for
more information.
When you reset the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message by clearing it from the display, you still must
reset the engine oil life system separately. For more
information on resetting the engine oil life system, see
Engine Oil Life System on page 5-18.
CHECK TIRE PRESSURE
This message displays when the pressure in one or
more of the vehicle’s tires needs to be checked. This
message also displays LEFT FRONT, RIGHT FRONT,
LEFT REAR, or RIGHT REAR to indicate which tire
needs to be checked. You can receive more
than one tire pressure message at a time.
3-75

TURN SIGNAL ON
This message displays as a reminder to turn off the turn
signal if you drive your vehicle for more than about
1 mile (1.6 km) with a turn signal on. A multiple chime
sounds when this message is displayed.
WASHER FLUID LOW ADD FLUID
This symbol appears with
this message.
This message displays when your vehicle is low on
windshield washer uid. Rell the windshield washer
uid reservoir as soon as possible. SeeWindshield
Washer Fluid on page 5-36for more information.
DIC Vehicle Customization
Your vehicle has customization capabilities that allow
you to program certain features to one preferred setting.
Customization features can only be programmed to
one setting on the vehicle and cannot be programmed
to a preferred setting for two different drivers.All of the customization options may not be available
on your vehicle. Only the options available will be
displayed on the DIC.
The default settings for the customization features were
set when your vehicle left the factory, but may have
been changed from their default state since then.
The customization preferences are automatically
recalled.
To change customization preferences, use the following
procedure.
Entering the Feature Settings Menu
1. Turn the ignition on and place the vehicle
in PARK (P).
To avoid excessive drain on the battery, it is
recommended that the headlamps are turned off.
2. Press the customization button to enter the feature
settings menu.
If the menu is not available, FEATURE SETTINGS
AVAILABLE IN PARK will display. Before entering
the menu, make sure the vehicle is in PARK (P).
3-87

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.
4-12