2008 CADILLAC XLR instrument panel

Turn the exterior lamp control off a second time,
or turn on the headlamps to turn off the HEADLAMPS
SUGGESTED message in the DIC. If the parking
lamps or the fog lamps were turned on instead, the
HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED message continues
to display.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when needed.
Adaptive Forward Lighting System
The Adaptive Forward Lighting System (AFS) swivels
the headlamps horizontally to provide greater road
illumination while turning. AFS will operate when the
vehicle speed is greater than 2 mph (3 km/h). AFS will
not operate when the transmission is in REVERSE (R).
AFS is not immediately operable after starting the
vehicle; driving a short distance is required to calibrate
the AFS. To enable AFS, set the exterior lamp switch
on the multifunction lever to the AUTO position. Moving
the switch out of the AUTO position will deactivate the
system. SeeExterior Lamps on page 3-28.
Fog Lamps
Use fog lamps for better vision in foggy or misty
conditions.
The fog lamps control is located on the multifunction
lever next to the exterior lamp control.
-(Fog Lamps):Turning the band to this position will
turn the fog lamps on.
When you turn the fog lamps on, the fog lamp light will
appear on the instrument panel cluster to indicate
that the fog lamps and the parking lamps are on.
If you turn the high-beam headlamps on, the fog lamps
will turn off. They will turn on again when you switch
to low-beam headlamps.
The ignition must be on for the fog lamps to operate.
The fog lamps will turn off when the ignition is turned off.
Some localities have laws that require the headlamps
to be on along with the fog lamps.
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Twilight Sentinel®
Twilight Sentinel®can turn your 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
®you will see the following
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 AUTO position.
If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system will come on immediately. Once you
leave 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, your instrument panel
cluster may not be as bright as usual. Make sure your
instrument panel brightness control is in full bright
position. SeeInstrument Panel Brightness on page 3-32
for more information.You can idle the vehicle with the lamps off, even
when it is dark outside. After starting the vehicle, turn
the exterior lamp control band to off, then release it.
The lamps will remain off until you turn the control
band to off again.
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, 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.
SeeDriver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-60to
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
®delay 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.
3-31

Exterior Lighting Battery Saver
If the manual parking lamps or headlamps have been
left on, the exterior lamps will turn off as soon as
the ignition is turned off or Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) is active. 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 switch
is turned to off.
If you need to leave the lamps on, use the exterior
lamp control to turn the lamps back on.
Instrument Panel Brightness
The button for this feature is located on the instrument
panel to the left of the steering column.
+
!- (Brightness):Press this button to change the
brightness of the instrument panel lights.
Press the DIMMER button until PANEL DIMMING
appears on the Driver Information Center (DIC). Then
use the brightness button to adjust the instrument panel
brightness. Press the top of the button to brighten the
lights or the bottom of the button to dim the lights.
SeeHead-Up Display (HUD) on page 3-33for more
information.Be sure not to have the brightness turned all the way
down with the lamps on during the day. Your DIC
may not be visible.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door or the trunk lid is opened, the interior
lamps will go on unless it is bright outside.
Press the interior lamp button on the right side of the
instrument panel, to turn the courtesy lamps on or off.
Entry/Exit 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 engine is turned off.
You can turn exit and entry lighting off 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 button for that lamp.
3-32

Battery Run-Down Protection
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent the battery
from being drained, in case the underhood lamp, vanity
mirror lamps, cargo lamps, reading lamps, console, or
glove box lamps are accidentally left on, or something is
left plugged into the accessory power outlet or cigarette
lighter. If any of the accessory lamps are left on, they will
automatically time-out after about 10 minutes. To reset
the battery protection, all of the above lamps must be
turned off or the ignition must be in the Acc. position.
Head-Up Display (HUD)
{CAUTION:
If the HUD image is too bright, or too high in
your eld of view, it may take you more time to
see things you need to see when it is dark
outside. Be sure to keep the HUD image dim
and placed low in your eld of view.
The Head-Up Display (HUD) allows you to see some of
the driver information that appears on your instrument
panel cluster.The information may be displayed in English or metric
units and appears as an image focused out toward
the front of your vehicle. To change from English
to metric units, seeDriver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-60.
The HUD consists of the following information:
Speedometer
Turn Signal Indicators
High-Beam Indicator Symbol
Tap-Up/Tap-Down Transmission Feature
Check Gages Icon
Adaptive Cruise Control Features and Indicators
Radio Features
3-33

Be sure to continue scanning your displays, controls
and driving environment just as you would in a vehicle
without HUD. If you never look at your instrument
panel cluster, you may not see something important,
such as a warning light. Under important warning
conditions, the CHECK GAGES message will display in
the HUD. View your Driver Information Center (DIC)
for more information.The HUD controls are
located to the left of the
steering wheel.
+
!- (Brightness):This button is used to adjust the
brightness of the HUD and the instrument panel cluster.
DIMMER:This button is used to select the HUD or
the instrument panel cluster to adjust the brightness.
HUD:This button is used to adjust the vertical position
of the HUD display.
3-34

You can switch from English to metric units through the
Driver Information Center (DIC). SeeDIC Operation
and Displays on page 3-60for more information.
The air conditioning system removes moisture from the
air, so you may sometimes notice a small amount of
water dripping underneath your vehicle while idling
or after turning off the engine. This is normal.
Do not cover the solar sensor located in the center of
the instrument panel, near the windshield. For more
information on the solar sensor, see “Sensors” later in
this section.
Manual Operation
wPWRx(Power/Temperature):Press the PWR
button on the left side of the climate control panel to turn
the entire climate control system on or off. Press the
up or down arrow on the switch to manually increase or
decrease the temperature inside the vehicle.
Press the PWR button on the right side of the climate
control panel to turn the passenger’s climate control
system on or off. Press the up or down arrow on
the switch to manually increase or decrease the
temperature for the passenger.
If the passenger’s PWR button is off, the driver’s
temperature switch controls the temperature for the
entire vehicle.
«9ª(Fan):Press this switch to increase or
decrease the fan speed. Pressing this switch cancels
automatic operation and places the system in manual
mode. Press AUTO to return to automatic operation.
If the airow seems low when the fan speed is at
the highest setting, the passenger compartment air lter
may need to be replaced. For more information, see
Passenger Compartment Air Filter on page 3-42
andScheduled Maintenance on page 7-4.
ªN«(Mode):Pressing the switch and changing the
mode cancels automatic operation and places the
system in manual mode. Press the AUTO button to
return to automatic operation.
To change the current mode, select one of the following:
H(Vent):This mode directs air to the instrument
panel outlets.
%(Bi-Level):This mode directs about half of the air to
the instrument panel outlets, and then directs most of the
remaining air to the oor outlets. In automatic operation,
cooler air is directed to the upper outlets and warmer air
to the oor outlets.
6(Floor):This mode directs most of the air to the
oor outlets with some air directed to the side window
outlets, and some of the air directed to the windshield.
The mode switch can also be used to select the
defog mode. Information on defogging and defrosting
can be found later in this section.
3-39

A/C OFF (Air Conditioning):Press this button to turn
off the air conditioning compressor. Press AUTO to
return to automatic operation. The compressor cannot
be turned off in either the defrost or oor/defog mode.
((Heated/Cooled Seat):Press this button to turn the
feature on. The button on the left controls the driver’s
seat and the button on the right controls the passenger’s
seat. Each press of the button will take you to a different
setting. The settings available in order are HI HEAT,
LO HEAT, OFF, HI COOL, LO COOL and OFF. You will
be able to feel the temperature change in a few minutes.
The feature will automatically turn off when the vehicle
is turned off.
?(Recirculation):Press this button to turn the
recirculation mode on or off. The air conditioning
compressor also comes on. This mode keeps outside
air from coming in the vehicle. It can be used to prevent
outside air and odors from entering your vehicle or to
help cool the air inside your vehicle more quickly.
Recirculation is not available in defrost or oor/defog
modes.
Using recirculation for long periods of time may cause
the air inside your vehicle to become too dry. To prevent
this from happening, after the air in your vehicle has
cooled, turn the recirculation mode off.
Sensors
There are sensors to measure the temperature and
sun’s effect on passenger comfort.
The solar sensor on your vehicle monitors the solar
radiation then uses the information to maintain the
selected temperature when operating in AUTO mode by
initiating needed adjustments to the temperature, the
fan speed and the air delivery system. The system may
also supply cooler air to the side of the vehicle facing
the sun. The recirculation mode will also be activated, as
necessary. Do not cover the solar sensor located on
the top of the instrument panel near the windshield
or the system will not work properly.
There is also a sensor located behind the front bumper.
This sensor reads the outside air temperature and helps
maintain the temperature inside the vehicle. The outside
temperature will be displayed in the navigation system
only when the engine is running. Any cover on the front of
the vehicle could give a false reading of the temperature.
If the outside temperature goes up, the display
temperature will not change until:
The vehicle’s speed is above 15 mph (24 km/h)
for ve minutes.
The vehicle’s speed is above 32 mph (51 km/h)
for two and one-half minutes.
3-40

The rear window defogger and heated mirrors are
automatically disabled when the retractable hardtop
is moving or down.
Notice:Do not use anything sharp on the inside
of the rear window. If you do, you could cut or
damage the warming grid, and the repairs would
not be covered by your warranty. Do not attach
a temporary vehicle license, tape, a decal or
anything similar to the defogger grid.
Outlet Adjustment
Use the thumbwheel to open or close the outlets.
Operation Tips

Clear away any ice, snow or leaves from the air
inlets at the base of the windshield that may
block the ow of air into your vehicle.
Use of non-GM approved hood deectors may
adversely affect the performance of the system.
Keep the area around the base of the instrument
panel console and air path under the seats
clear of objects to help circulate the air inside
of your vehicle more effectively.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
The passenger compartment air lter removes certain
particles from the air, including pollen and dust particles.
Reductions in airow, which may occur more often in
dusty areas, indicate that the lter may need to be
replaced early.
The lter should be replaced as part of the routine
scheduled maintenance. SeeScheduled Maintenance
on page 7-4for more information.
To check or replace the air lter, do the following:
1. With the hood open, unlatch and remove the
access panel.
The passenger compartment air lter and access
panel are located on the passenger’s side of
the engine compartment near the battery.
SeeEngine Compartment Overview on page 6-12
for more information on location.
2. Pull the old lter out of the housing.
3. Insert the new lter into the housing.
4. Reinstall the air lter access panel.
3-42