2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA headlamp

Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/
Automatic Headlamp System
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running lamps are required
on all vehicles rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system makes the low-beam headlamps come
on at a reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
The ignition is in the ON/RUN position.
The exterior lamps control is in AUTO.
The engine is running.
When the DRL are on, the regular headlamps, taillamps,
sidemarker, and other lamps are not on. The instrument
panel and cluster are also not on.
The headlamps automatically change from DRL to
the regular headlamps depending on the darkness of
the surroundings. The other lamps that come on with
the headlamps will also come on.When it is bright enough outside, the headlamps go off
and the DRL come on.
The regular headlamp system should be turned on
when needed.
Do not cover the light sensor on top of the instrument
panel because it works with the DRL.
Fog Lamps
#(Fog Lamps):For vehicles with fog lamps,
the button is located on the exterior lamps control.
The exterior lamps control is located on the instrument
panel to the left of the steering column.
The ignition must be in the ON/RUN position for the fog
lamps to come on.
Press
#to turn the fog lamps on or off. A light will
come on in the instrument panel cluster.
When the headlamps are changed to high-beam, the
fog lamps also go off.
Some localities have laws that require the headlamps to
be on along with the fog lamps.
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Delayed Entry Lighting
Delayed entry lighting illuminates the interior for a
period of time after all the doors have been closed.
The ignition must be off for delayed entry lighting
to work. Immediately after all the doors have been
closed, the delayed entry lighting feature continues to
work until one of the following occurs:
The ignition is in ON/RUN.
The doors are locked.
An illumination period of about 25 seconds has
elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened, the
timed illumination period is canceled and the interior
lamps remain on.
Delayed Exit Lighting
This feature illuminates the interior for a period of time
after the key is removed from the ignition.
The ignition must be off for delayed exit lighting to work.
When the key is removed, interior illumination activates
and remains on until one of the following occurs:
The ignition is in ON/RUN.
The power door locks are activated.
An illumination period of 20 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened,
the timed illumination period will be canceled and the
interior lamps will remain on because a door is open.
Parade Dimming
Parade mode automatically prohibits the dimming of
the instrument panel displays during the daylight while
the headlamps are on so that the displays are still
able to be seen.
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Reading Lamps
The vehicle has reading lamps that also act as the
dome lamp. Press the button to turn them on and off.
Mirror Reading Lamps
The vehicle has reading lamps on the rearview mirror.
Push the button to turn the reading lamps on and off.
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 bring the charge back up.
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 are on, such as: 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,
BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW BATTERY. 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 3-49.
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Battery Run-Down Protection
This feature helps 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 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 time-out after 10 minutes, if they are
manually turned on with the ignition on or off.
Accessory Power Outlet(s)
The vehicle has three 12-volt outlets which can be
used to plug in electrical equipment, such as a cellular
telephone.
On vehicles with a center console, one outlet is located
inside the center oor console and two outlets are located
at the front of the console bin under the instrument panel.
Lift the cover to access the outlet. Close the cover when
not using the outlet.
On vehicles without a center console, two are located
under the climate controls and another outlet for the rear
seat passengers is at the rear of the center front seat.
Remove the cover to access the outlets. When not using
the outlet, make sure the cover is closed.
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.
3-18

Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light comes
on when the fog lamps are
in use.
The light goes out when the fog lamps are turned off.
SeeFog Lamps on page 3-14for more information.
Cruise Control Light
The cruise control light
comes on whenever the
cruise control is set.
The light goes out when the cruise control is turned off.
SeeCruise Control on page 3-9for more information.
Highbeam On Light
This light comes on when
the high-beam headlamps
are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-8
for more information.
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To calibrate the compass, use the following procedure:
Compass Calibration Procedure
1. Before calibrating the compass, make sure the
compass zone is set to the variance zone in
which the vehicle is located. See “Compass
Variance (Zone) Procedure” earlier in this section.
Do not operate any switches such as window,
sunroof, climate controls, seats, etc. during
the calibration procedure.
2. Press the vehicle information button until
PRESS
VTO CALIBRATE COMPASS displays.
3. Press the set/reset button to start the compass
calibration.
4. The DIC will display CALIBRATING: DRIVE IN
CIRCLES. Drive the vehicle in tight circles at less
than 5 mph (8 km/h) to complete the calibration.
The DIC will display CALIBRATION COMPLETE
for a few seconds when the calibration is complete.
The DIC display will then return to PRESS
VTO
CALIBRATE COMPASS.
DIC Warnings and Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC to notify the
driver that the status of the vehicle has changed and
that some action may be needed by the driver to correct
the condition. Multiple messages may appear one after
another. Some messages may not require immediate
action, but you can press the set/reset button to
acknowledge that you received the message and clear it
from the DIC display. Pressing any of the DIC buttons
also acknowledges and clears any messages. Some
messages cannot be cleared from the DIC display
because they are more urgent. These messages require
action before they can be cleared. You should take any
messages that appear on the display seriously and
remember that clearing the messages will only make
the messages disappear, not correct the problem.
The following are the possible messages that can
be displayed and some information about them.
AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL OFF
This message displays when the automatic headlamps
are turned off. SeeExterior Lamps on page 3-12for
more information.
3-49

AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL ON
This message displays when the automatic headlamps
are turned on. SeeExterior Lamps on page 3-12for
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.
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when service is required for the
vehicle. See your dealer/retailer. SeeEngine Oil on
page 5-17andScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4
for more information.
Acknowledging the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will not reset the OIL LIFE REMAINING.That must be done at the OIL LIFE screen under the
vehicle information menu. See “Oil Life” underDIC
Operation and Displays on page 3-42andEngine Oil
Life System on page 5-20.
CHECK TIRE PRESSURE
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS), 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. To read the other
messages that may have been sent at the same time,
press the set/reset button. If a tire pressure message
appears on the DIC, stop as soon as you can. Have the
tire pressures checked and set to those shown on the
Tire Loading Information label. SeeTires on page 5-53,
Loading the Vehicle on page 4-20, andInflation - Tire
Pressure on page 5-60. The DIC also shows the tire
pressure values. SeeDIC Operation and Displays on
page 3-42. If the tire pressure is low, the low tire pressure
warning light comes on. SeeTire Pressure Light on
page 3-35.
3-50

WASHER FLUID LOW ADD FLUID
This message displays when the windshield washer
uid is low. Fill the windshield washer reservoir as soon
as possible. SeeEngine Compartment Overview on
page 5-14for the location of the windshield washer
reservoir. Also, seeWindshield Washer Fluid on
page 5-35for 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
P (Park).
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 P (Park).
Feature Settings Menu Items
The following are customization features that allow you
to program settings to the vehicle:
DISPLAY IN ENGLISH
This feature will only display if a language other than
English has been set. This feature allows you to change
the language in which the DIC messages appear to
English.
Press the customization button until the PRESS
VTO
DISPLAY IN ENGLISH screen appears on the DIC
display. Press the set/reset button once to display all
DIC messages in English.
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