What JoeR said; you have to FIRST turn the light switch back toward you to disable the auto-lights function. The DIC on the dash will confirm "auto lights off." Next just turn the switch on for normal operation.

 

yeah the lights definately come on within about thirty seconds of wiper usage...but like socal said turn the auto lights off...

-wC

 

That's what I read and mine do.

Charles

 

I wanted my headlights to come on a little sooner at dusk. I took a sharpie and made a dot on the top of the sensor, so far it is about 1/4" in diameter and it helps the lights on just a little sooner in the evenings and on the days with darker clouds. Just a tip for anyone.

This is not a required tip by any means.

 

Well, it looks like the manual control was working after all. I didn't realize that the dash lighting still remained under automatic control. When I turned on the headlights manually, I assumed they didn't come on because the dash lights didn't come on and the displays didn't dim. This is unlike any car I had before. Since it wasn't dark out, I couldn't see the light from the headlights. So yesterday I tried it in a parking lot so I could see the light from the headlights on the car in front of me, and sure enough, they came on.



So there wasn't a problem after all. And it's actually better to have full display lighting on the dash so you can read the displays. On my other vehicles, when I turn on the headlights manually during the day (remember: lights on when wipers on in NY) I had trouble reading the radio display because it was so dim.



Steve

 

I keep mine on daytime running lights all of the time. I never had a problem

 

Don't believe everything you read( remember the manual rear hatch release)! Actually went out to test to see it happen and now I can believe this passage of the owner's manual.

 

Is there any way to turn off/disable the automatic feature? When the lights come on as in a tunnel the radio and DIC dim to a point I cannot see them. I would rather control when my lights come on not big brother.

Mike

 

also I believe there is a TSB to fix this problem...

-wC

 

Yup but the TSB fix is cheesy. They reprogram your HHR so the dash lights are always on. It's either deal with the auto lights controlling the dash or have the dash lights on all the time.