# Starting CRUZE with Auto Lights on?



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

You are correct that there is a small drain on the battery by these systems. GM cars and trucks are designed with a battery run down protection system that turns off lights, radio, and other "creature" comforts about 10 minutes after you turn the car off. The only things still running after 10 minutes are systems such as the car security system and any other systems used to cool down the car and/or dry out the HVAC system (if the HVAC afterblow is turned on).


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## Richard (Dec 1, 2012)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Ok, I haven't fully read the manual yet but starting my CRUZE with lights in the automatic position surely must load down the battery? Even exiting the Car and watching the lights stay on for about 20 seconds is different. What makes this style of electronic light control easier on the battery?


I don't believe the lights turn on until the engine is running. We've been having a miserably cold winter and I've started the car many times in temperatures under 10 degrees and it cranks fine - starts right up. It doesn't even crank particularly slow for such cold temperatures. And I know that the lights turn off when you turn the key off. They turn on when you remove the key. It's a nice feature to have a path of where you're going in a dark driveway at night.

I really like the automatic lights feature. I think it's very useful to not have to remember to turn on your lights at night.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Richard, good catch on Eddy's question. The lights don't turn on until after the engine has started.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

The first day I had my cruze I went into the vehicle settings and disabled the courtesy lighting on entry and exit, no more headlights coming on. I also turned off the lights blinking when I use the key fob to lock the door, however if I press the lock button twice it still beeps the horn.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Dang in 3 year's I have not noticed this feature about the cruze .Cool to not worry about the lights running down the battery .....$$ saver .


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Some Cruze's are equipped with a parking brake, that pipe like thing sitting on top of the console. With that engaged the DRL go off and stay off. Been awhile, but think you have control of how long the head lamps stay on after you switch off the key with the radio controls.

Set mine two years ago so they are off the instant I switch off the key. Recall its in your 500 page owner manual. I also switched off the blinking head lamps and the beeping horn feature when you activate the remote. Like to keep a low profile and not give away my position.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

My headlights come on as soon as the doors are unlocked but only in poor light. The size of the battery in the diesel will not be worried by lights being on for a while.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Aussie said:


> My headlights come on as soon as the doors are unlocked but only in poor light. The size of the battery in the diesel will not be worried by lights being on for a while.


Yes you are the only one who answered it correctly, darkness will do this in the auto on position. I park in a small garage and I guess its dark enough for the sensor to turn on all lights, including the headlights. Why do I want to use this feature? 

I see our variable windshield wipers also turn on the Headlights! This CRUZE is smart although I still worry about Battery drain? When I exit my Car & Garage, the lights stay illuminated for 20 seconds. I guess its operating as designed although this must be hard on the Bulbs & Battery?


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

It is also worth remembering that once a diesel engine fires up no power is used to actually run the engine itself as no ignition, coils or spark plugs to power, just the fuel pump. So the battery has a very low load on a running engine and a big alternator to recharge it.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Aussie said:


> It is also worth remembering that once a diesel engine fires up no power is used to actually run the engine itself as no ignition, coils or spark plugs to power, just the fuel pump. So the battery has a very low load on a running engine and a big alternator to recharge it.


I didn't know this about diesels. Thanks - my day is made as I've learned something new.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

I think the worry over this issue isn't needed. When you open the door on my car, the dome light, the map lights, the ignition light, the headlights, and the fog lights turn on. They stay on until the car is started, or for the time the system is set up for them to stay on. It's all variable via menu settings. I have the choice of what comes on and for how long. The car is a year old this month and has not had any battery or light bulb issues. The car was designed to do all of this. You can configure the various lights to stay on up to a minute after closing the doors, or turning off the ignition, so I'm comfortable with the engineers designing an electrical system to handle the options. I haven't had to replace a bulb in the last four cars I've owned and I had them all for many, many years each. The last one I had for 16 years and all of the bulbs were original when I traded it in, except for the head lamps which I changed out to put brighter ones in.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Two questions come to mind. Do you also have your lights set to the auto on position, and do you park in a garage or a dark space? I know when I looked at my CRUZE outside today the lights did not come on when I opened the doors. In my Garage all the lights come on?


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

Does 4 inches of snow count for being in the dark then no me lights will come on if I use the key fob to unlock the doors and no if I use the key to unlock the door and yes if I decide to lock the doors with the fob and no if I lock the doors with the key and will it chirp like all of those chirping security alarms . NO . We will let you go test all of the variables with that 1 , don't forget to report back with your findings about the many variables the engineers incorporated into the many varying possibilities that the average consumer could possible encounter after he or she Parks the Cruzen .


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Since changing my initially bad battery, I've left the interior lights on by accident (those, too, will turn off after some time), and the car still started the next morning. Leaving the headlights on for a few seconds won't do a thing to the reserve capacity of the battery - there's more than enough power to still start the car, even with a crummy battery. 

My lights stay on every time it's dark outside - my parking lot is poorly lit.

This is along the lines of "nothing to worry about". You're pulling 110W from the battery for a few seconds - that's nothing compared to what the starter drains out of it, and you can run that for quite some time. Leaving your headlights on 20+ minutes? Yeah, that might drain some.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Two questions come to mind. Do you also have your lights set to the auto on position, and do you park in a garage or a dark space? I know when I looked at my CRUZE outside today the lights did not come on when I opened the doors. In my Garage all the lights come on?


Yes, the headlights are set for auto on and the car is parked in an attached garage. I have the auto on sensitivity is set pretty low so the headlights come on early. If the car is outside in bright light, the headlights do not come on. The ambient light sensor is located on the top of the dash at the base of the windshield. I don't recall where the one on the Cruze is positioned.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Jim Frye said:


> The ambient light sensor is located on the top of the dash at the base of the windshield. I don't recall where the one on the Cruze is positioned.


Same place.


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## Lostiguy (Feb 15, 2014)

I noticed the other day that the headlights (DRL) came on when the car was put into drive, not when it was started. This was during the middle of a bright day. I could see the reflection in the window of the store I was parked in front of. On the topic of lighting, does anyone know if there is a setting to allow the map lights to come on with the dome light? That is one thing I noticed since I have had my cruze, the interior lighting is not very bright. Probably something simple I've overlooked


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Lostiguy said:


> I noticed the other day that the headlights (DRL) came on when the car was put into drive, not when it was started. This was during the middle of a bright day. I could see the reflection in the window of the store I was parked in front of. On the topic of lighting, does anyone know if there is a setting to allow the map lights to come on with the dome light? That is one thing I noticed since I have had my cruze, the interior lighting is not very bright. Probably something simple I've overlooked


Did you mean headlights or daylight running lights?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Lostiguy said:


> I noticed the other day that the headlights (DRL) came on when the car was put into drive, not when it was started. This was during the middle of a bright day. I could see the reflection in the window of the store I was parked in front of. On the topic of lighting, does anyone know if there is a setting to allow the map lights to come on with the dome light? That is one thing I noticed since I have had my cruze, the interior lighting is not very bright. Probably something simple I've overlooked


The manuals run the DRL when the parking brake is lowered. May be the same for the autos, or when put into gear. 

No setting for the map lights. Later models (13? 14?) had an additional dome light in the front because of complaints about the poor interior lighting. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com App


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## Lostiguy (Feb 15, 2014)

Thanks. I have a '12


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## shay011999 (Jul 12, 2019)

my 2011 ls doesn't have it but in the vehicle setting the option for living home timer exist,
my car doesn't have auto headlights
and it is the Korean version
how i enable it?


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

shay011999 said:


> my 2011 ls doesn't have it but in the vehicle setting the option for living home timer exist,
> my car doesn't have auto headlights
> and it is the Korean version
> how i enable it?


The default setting on the headlight switch is automatic, if you have not got this your car may not be equipped with it. Some of my friends have the Korean built Cruze and they have the same switch as my Australian built Cruze.


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## shay011999 (Jul 12, 2019)

Aussie said:


> The default setting on the headlight switch is automatic, if you have not got this your car may not be equipped with it. Some of my friends have the Korean built Cruze and they have the same switch as my Australian built Cruze.
> View attachment 285255


just as i think i don't have this switch i have the switch without the auto option,basically its a default option for all cruze's the question is if i retrofit it if i replace the switch with the auto switch.
so the little IR sansor is just for the anti theft?


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