2004 Pontiac GTO Owner's Manual - Page 111

When the DRL system is on, the taillamps, sidemarker lamps, parking lamps, and instrument panel lights will not be illuminated unless you have turned the exterior lamps control to the parking lamp or headlamp position. The DRL system will remain off any time your vehicle is in PARK (P) or the parking brake is engaged the first time the ignition is turned on. As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular headlamp system when you need it. If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic headlamp system will come on immediately. As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular headlamps when you need them. The headlamps can be set to come on at different levels. The sensitivity can be adjusted to Early, Normal, or Late. See Vehicle Personalization on page 2-32. Leaving the headlamps and parking lamps on when the engine is not running will eventually drain the battery. To prevent the battery from draining, the headlamp and parking lamps will switch off when the ignition has been switched off and the driver's door is opened, because the vehicle senses that the driver has forgotten to switch off the lights. The lights stay off until the ignition is again switched on, or the lights are turned back on manually by the headlamp switch. The headlamps can be set to automatically switch off after you have locked the vehicle and walked away. To set or adjust the time delay from when the driver's door is opened to when the lights automatically switch off, see Vehicle Personalization on page 2-32. If you wish to have the lights on when leaving the vehicle, wait until they have been automatically switched off, then turn the light switch first to off, then to parking lamps or headlamps. Automatic Headlamp System When it is dark enough outside, your Automatic Headlamp System will turn on your headlamps at the normal brightness along with other lamps such as the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps, and the instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim. Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor on the top of the instrument panel under the defroster grill. Make 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. 3-13