I'm curious where is the sensor that when it gets dark my lights flick on. I wan't the ability to switch off my running lights at night. Anyone know where the sensor is and if simply disconnecting it will leave the lights on, or off.

 

you should be just like me;

the deal on top of the dash - directly forward of the gauge pod...

 

If you turn the switch on your turn signal bar down it will turn off the auto lights.

 

No it won't. That only works on American cars. Canadian cars have a different programming in the computer that disables the ability to turn off the lights at night.

 

Whoops. I didn't know there was an over the border difference.

 

Sensor is on top of your dash. How to disable it? no idea. Keep a flashlight shining on it...

 

it's more complicated than just an over the border change;
as I've understood it, there are like three versions of light operations, and depending on where the car was ordered dictates the way it works.

I HATE the auto lights.

HATE.

I'm at a time of year where it doesn't matter, but where I live, for most of the year I have very long sunrises, and sunsets - this makes for very long periods of dawn & dusk;
during these extended low light periods my auto lights will dim the dash lights making hte radio very faint, and making my RPD unreadable...

GM will do nothing about this, as it's deemed to be within Canadian standards, and functioning properly.

Sorry, but GM dropped the ball here...

F the auto lights, let me control when the dash lights are dimmed.


Several months and several thousand kilometers in, this is really my only complaint about the car.

I have two ideas how to disable auto lights... but am not going to worry about it at this time.

 

that is weird you can't twist the blinker switch back to turn them off

 

As I've understood it there are three distinct OS for the lights burnt to the BCM;

1) Manual:
lights operate fully manually; I do not believe that any SS's had this light OS
2) Daytime Running Lights:
lights operate manually, car has DRL; I believe that this came standard on all SS's as well as lower model level cars ordered to areas requiring DRL.

For both of these types of cars the light switch is on your turn signal, and you have control of switching between the lights being either off or in daytime running mode; manually turning lights on will dim the dash lights.

3) Auto Lights:
This is like DRL on steroids;
With sufficient ambient light picked up by the light sensor, the lights will operate just as though it has DRL.
When ambient light goes below a predetermined threshold the lights will automatically turn on, and the dash lights (or as in my case the dash lights & RPD) will dim.
You have absolutely no control over when the lights are on with autolights - with one singular exception;
If your car is stopped, and the park brake is up, you can turn your light 'switch' to disable the autolights - once the park brake is released the autolights will turn back on.

 

If you disconnect it the lights will be on all the time.

There is a way to bypass it, con it into thinking it is light out all the time.
You need to add a resistor across the connections on the sensor, like this.

 

And once you do this, please don't be a moron and turn your lights off at night. Use it for only when the sensor is over sensitive.

 

agh thats y my RPD is so dim at dusk ... at least now i know... i was fighting with it trying to make it brighter with n0 luck at all .... well i agree thats my only complaint about the car to date...

 

I love you for posting this!!!

I've looked around for this info, and found nothing to answer this...

I talked with a buddy about this, he said that running a resistor in line would do the trick - but this thread spells it out for me ~ who can ask for more!!

THANK-YOU

 

Thank you so much, cobaltss.net prodcues again.

Of course not