HELP! 2001 Impala Headlights

Hrm, interesting.

  1. Are Canadian and US Impala's the same?
  2. Was there a change in the Impala regarding lighting from 2000 to 2001?

The only recent GM cars I have experience with are my parents 2000 Impala and 2002 Intrigue (oh, and my 1995 Monte Carlo, but it's too old to have all those fancy features). I don't recall the headlight delay feature being on the Impala, but I do know it's on the Intrigue. Unless the headlight delay was disabled via the radio controls. Can you do that? I also remember when applying the parking brake, regardless if the car was running or not, the DRLs would turn off. I would also like to say the headlights turned off when the "Sentenal Lighting", or whatever they call them, is active, but I can't remember.

Some insight from people on the two questions would be nice though. ;)

Steve

1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34 (Canadian Edition)
Reply to
Steve Mackie
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No.....some switches have an off position, some don't. Your dimmer switch is an example of a switch without an off position.

Dave

Reply to
Dave Brower

On the 2002 Impala, the lights and locks are programable through the radio. The headlights can be turned off while parked by setting the parking brake.

****************************************** I would rather be exposed to the inconveninces attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Reply to
Rich B

Nope, they only stay off if they are already off. Once they are on, they don't go back off when setting the parking brake (The DRLs do though). Another person posted part of the procedure...I added step 1b

1a. Turn the engine off 1b. Either wait for the delay off to turn the headlights off OR manually override the delay by switching to parking light and off again. (may be a radio control also) 2. Set the emergency brake 3. Restart the car.

A procedure that takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes..

Now for nearly every other non-GM car on the road.

  1. Turn the light switch to off.

A procedure that takes 1-2 seconds. (and is a universally known standard procedure)

The fact that so many people in this NG that are _knowledgeable_ about cars can't agree how to turn the lights off on GM vehicles while running the engine speaks volumes in and of itself to the idiocy of the control system GM has implemented, don't you think?

Reply to
James C. Reeves

Think about it. How then would (or could) the headlight delay system work then if the headlights actually turned off as you stated when setting the parking brake? The intent of the headlight delay system is to park the car, put in park, set the brake and turn off the engine and still have light from the headlights long enough to find your way to your door before they go off...all the newer GM's I've driven do this. Even my cheap Malibu does this. Is it possible you've programmed your Impala so not to have the headlight delay-off function (which may change the procedure to what you described)?

In my owner manual it's clearly stated that the parking brake must be set _before_ you start the car to run the engine without the lights (at night). Once you've released the parking brake (or start the car with the parking brake not set) the lights come on (by the ambient sensor) and they will not go back off by resetting the brake. The DRLs will go back off during the day, but the headlights won't at night.

Of course the caveat is that different models and different years sometimes have different implementations as well which requires different procedures (which adds to the potential confusion).

Reply to
James C. Reeves

I really wish they would just put on an extra setting, Off, Auto, Park, Head would be nice. But I think the eventual goal is eleminating switches and such. I have read reports about the miles of wire in cars etc and how every little bit of weight must be reduced to continue increasing gas milage. Thats why they are going to the serial bus between the radio and body and engine computers. Rather than having three seperate boxes (radio, body compueter, engine computer) as well as wiring between each and wiring two and from light switches and lights going through the firewall. If they can consolidate the body computer with the radio and eliminate the switches and wires to and from them they can have just a pair of wires from the radio/computer to the engine computer and have a short wire from the engine computer to the lights eliminating light wiring through the firewall and to the light switch. It fits in with all the technologies going into the smart cars and such

Reply to
Me

Jim, I'll have to admit that I rarely use my park brake. Also, the area around my home is well lighted and I carry "protection" with me in case anyone gets any bright ideas (so I don't worry about the lights staying on). They are programmed for delay function but I turn them off with the Fob anyway..

****************************************** I would rather be exposed to the inconveninces attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Reply to
Rich B

That would satisfy customers on both sides...I agree that GM should do this. Customers prefer choices in their products (a elementary concept that you would think GM would have figured out decades ago!)

| But I think the eventual goal is eleminating | switches and such. I have read reports about | the miles of wire in cars etc and how every | little bit of weight must be reduced to continue | increasing gas milage.

Perhaps. But I would think that having all of these unrelated items (parking brake, shift lever, radio,etc.) all tied into the control of the lights (I assume each "thing" has some sort of switch and associated wires in order to function) would be even more complex requireing even more wires than having only one switch (the light switch) handling all the lighting functions.

| Thats why they are going to the serial bus between the | radio and body and engine computers. Rather than having | three seperate boxes (radio, body compueter, engine | computer) as well as wiring between each and wiring two | and from light switches and lights going through the firewall. | If they can consolidate the body computer with the radio | and eliminate the switches and wires to and from them | they can have just a pair of wires from the radio/computer | to the engine computer and have a short wire from the | engine computer to the lights eliminating light wiring | through the firewall and to the light switch. It fits in | with all the technologies going into the smart | cars and such

Except you will still need the lighting control wiring to all of the other devices that affect the status of the lights...wouldn't you? I think it's more the fact that the customer will be locked into buying a $800 GM-built radio when their original one quits working since a 3rd party audio system won't work. That strategy will turn the customer off in the end and cost GM big time. You can't purposefully screw the customer and expect them to always like it. Again, the customer will prefer choices and options.

Reply to
James C. Reeves

I like the pun! :-) Obviously Ford and Chrysler listen to their customers better than GM does. (I know one does...Chrysler often does customer focus groups on items like this...or used to before Daimler).

I've already sent two letters to Bob Lutz (now at GM) on this item and he has ignored both of them...no reply whatsoever. No thanks for the suggestion..nothing! He sure has changed since leaving Chrysler...a true "car guy" when he was there...wanting to know (and deliver) everything possible that the customer wanted! Anyway, good luck. If by chance he responds to you, I'd be curious to know what he says.

Reply to
James C. Reeves

My neighborhood is well lighted too...so I also have little need for the delay feature, actually.

I noticed your sig quote from Thomas Jefferson. I visited Monticello (near Charlottesville, VA) and Independence/Congress Hall (and other sites) in Philadelphia a couple of weeks back. What an amazing and versatile man for his day. Monticello is a very interesting piece of architecture. I also visited Montpelier as well while I was near Charlottesville (Home of James Madison)

Reply to
James C. Reeves

Must have been different Chrysler products than the ones I ran. 98 Caravan, Auto every light on as soon as started up. 99 Caravan DRLs were standard item, they even released little DRL labels because they used the marker lights. 2000 Caravan, DRLs in the headlights,2001 the same.

Reply to
Steve W.

Nope not required. However we run with Kalifornicators when it comes to vehicle crap. I actually liked the 98s auto on lights ( no OFF control)

Reply to
Steve W.

Interesting. The different trends are curious as well. Chrysler had turn signal DRLS earlier and have switched to headlight DRLs (if I read your earlier post correctly) and GM seems to be going the opposite direction from headlamp DRLs to turn signal DRLs. I wonder if there will ever be a standard DRL config.

| > | > I like the pun! :-) Obviously Ford and Chrysler listen to their | > | customers | > | > better than GM does. (I know one does...Chrysler often does customer | > focus | > | > groups on items like this...or used to before Daimler). | > | >

| > | > I've already sent two letters to Bob Lutz (now at GM) on this item and | > he | > | > has ignored both of them...no reply whatsoever. No thanks for the | > | > suggestion..nothing! He sure has changed since leaving Chrysler...a | > true | > | > "car guy" when he was there...wanting to know (and deliver) everything | > | > possible that the customer wanted! Anyway, good luck. If by chance | he | > | > responds to you, I'd be curious to know what he says. | > | >

| > | >

| > | | > | | > | | > | | > |

Reply to
James C. Reeves

replying to Burn Baby Burn, Nathan Ross wrote: I know you asked your question long ago. I just came into same problem. I have an out headlight and every time they automatically came on I ran the risk of being pulled over. Hear is the best fix I know of. Under the hood on passenger side there should be to fuse boxes. Mine was in the top of the 2. There is a fuse marked DRL(Daytime running lights) relay. I pulled mine which did take a little bit of effort do to having larger fingers. After pulling the fuse I no longer have automatic lights and they do still work perfectly off the switch as they normally should. I hope this helps you..

Reply to
Nathan Ross

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