We have that law in NY too, about the wipers. I am used to turning the lights on already. I want to disconnect the DRLs, as I drive durring the day with the parking & fogs on with my other cars, and want to do the same with the SSEi. Thanks for the thread!

Jay

It is kinda nice to have that sensor so if its dark the lights come on automatically. Have had the car 3 days now and don;t even have to touch the light ***. Kinda nice so you don't forget to leave the lights on.

Whoa, time out here, folks. There are two different automatic lighting systems in the car, and everyone is getting them mixed up:

1) The twilight sentinel uses a light sensor on the top of the dash to turn on your lights (all of them) after dark, to save you having to pull the switch on yourself, as well as provide an optional lights-out timer after you get out.

2) The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) system runs the headlamps at reduced power (about 40%, IIRC) in daylight. On some models they do not come on until the car is in Drive.

The two systems are not the same thing, except to the extent that the Twilight Sentinel overrides the DRLs at dusk. It'* the DRLs that everyone is getting their panties in a knot about; the Twilight Sentinel is simply the usual automatic lighting system that GM has had for decades, and you can turn _that_ off by simply twisting the outer ring of your headlamp switch all the way clockwise.

The DRLs are not intended to be permanently turned off (though some vehicles I've driven such as a 2002 Bravada have an "Dome Light Override" button on the dash which, if pressed three times, will switch off the DRLs for that driving session). It is certainly possible to simply unplug them at a couple different places in the wiring harness (differs from one model to another) where it will do no harm and where later owners can simply reconnect them again if they want.

Good call, Andy. But on the later GM'*, the Twilight Sentinel is almost obsolete due to the Dusk Sensor on the dash. This automatically senses when it is getting dark outside and turns on the lights regardless of the switch postion. The switch now only controls how long the lights stay on after you turn off the car.

I know on my '95 the **** indicates the sensor sensitivity. Full counter clockwise and the lights stay off after dark. The father clockwise I go the more sensitve they are. 1oclock position will turn them on when it truely is dark out, and 5 oclock position will turn them on on a cloudy day sometimes. But then again I haven't used mine in a while, I just leave them off.

Interesting... on my '93, the rotating collar determines only how long the lights stay on after shutdown, with a clickstop at the bottom to turn off the automatic lighting altogether. There'* no adjustment for the _sensitivity_ of the automatic point where it turns on the lights at dusk...

I'm not a big fan of twilight senteniel. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it leaves your headlights on for a certain amount of time after the car has been shut off. This creates a change in voltage (drop/surge), which is the main cause for premature headlight bulb failure. Even though my PIAA'* have warranty, I still don't want to risk toastin' them. I've never used it on my car, and don't plan on it.

Well... when dialed down to its shortest leave-on time, it'* only about two seconds after engine shutoff. I would suggest the lights are probably affected much more (if at all) by a power surge at startup time instead, or maybe even during some spirited driving, than they would from the twilight sentinel kicking in for a few seconds after you've parked...

Ya, i head it was mostly bad the start your car with the lights on, and basically with the TS they would be on once the key is starting to turn over, so they would jump for the 12v to 14v

You were right, I was wrong. I hadn't played with it sinceI first got it (just had it off) but I tested it when I got home since it had been so long since I used it. The **** does comtrol how long it is on and not how sensitive it is. I must have been on somethin' when I first tryed it.