1993 BUICK CENTURY headlights

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part 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your Buick. and informat\
ion on starting.
shifting and braking . Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything
is working properly-and what to do if you have a problem .
Part 2 includes:
Keys ........................................................................\
........
Locks ........................................................................\
...... 65
Remote Keyless Entry System ........................................................... 66
New Vehicle Break-In ................................................................. 72
Ignition ........................................................................\
..... 73
Starting Your Engine .................................................................. 74
Shifting the Transaxle ........................................... : ..................... 77
parking Brake ........................................................................\
80
ShiftingIntoPark ..................................................................... 81
Windows ........................................................................\
... 84
Horn ........................................................................\
....... 86
TiltSteeringWheel ................................................................... 86
Turn Signal/Headlight Beam Lever ....................................................... 86
Windshield Wipers, Washer ........................................................... 88
CruiseControl ..................................................................... 91
InteriorLights ....................................................................... \
95
Headlights ........................................................................\
.. 95
Mirrors ........................................................................\
..... 98
Instrument Panel ..................................................................... 105
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators .................................................. 106
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Headlight Highhw Beam Windshield Wipers
To change the headlights
from low beam to high, or
high to low, pull the
turn
signal lever all the way
toward
you. Then release
it. When the high beams
are on,
.this blue light on
the instrument panel also will be on.
i
I
You control the windshield wipers by turging the band
marked
“WIPERI’
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to “MIST? Hold it there until the wipers
start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle.
If you want more cycles, hold the
band on “MIST” longer.
For steady wiping at low speed,
turn the band away from
YOU to the “LO” position. For high speed wiping, turn
the band further, to “HI? To stop the wipers, move the
band to “OFF?
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Lights
Interior Lights/Instrument Panel Intensity Control
I+
Headlights
*P
I PF
You can brighten or dim the
instrument panel lights by
rotating the control up or
down. To turn on the
interior courtesy lights,
rotate the control all the
way up to
“HI:’
Press the switch marked “P” to
turn on:
Parking Lights
Side Marker Lights
Taillights
License Plate Lights
Instrument Panel Lights
-‘(J- Press the , switch to turn on the headlights,
together with:
Parking Lights
Side Marker Lights
Taillights
License Plate Lights
Instrument Panel Lights
Press
“OFF” to turn off the lights.
Operation of Lights
Although your vehicle’s lighting system (headlamps,
parking lamps, fog lamps, side marker lamps’and tail
lamps) meets
all applicable federal lighting requirements,
certain States and Provinces may apply their own lighting
regulations that may require special attention before you
operate these lamps. For example, some jurisdictions
may require that you operate your lower beam lamps
with fog lamps at
all times, or that headlamps be turned
on whenever you must use your windshield wipers.
In
addition, most jurisdictions prohibit driving solely with
parking lamps, especially at dawn or dusk.
It is
recommended that you check with your own State Or
Provincial highway authority for applicable lighting
regulations.
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Headlight “On” Warning
If you open the door while leaving the lights on, you will
hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The Canadian Federal Government has decided that “Daytime Running Lights” (DRL)
are a useful feature, in
that DIU can make your vehicle more visible to
pedestrians and other drivers during daylight hours. DRL
are required on new vehicles sold in Canada.
Your DRL work with a light sensor on top
of the
instrument panel. Don’t cover it up. The low beam
headlights will come on at reduced brightness
in daylight
when:
The ignition is on
The headlight switch is off, and
The parking brake is released.
At dusk, the exterior. lights will come bn &.nomatically
and the low
beams will change to full brightness. At
dawn, the exterior lights will go out and the low beams
will change to
the reduced brightness of DRL (if the
headlight switch is off).
Of course, you may still turn on the headlights any time
you need to.
To idle your vehicle with DRL off, set the parking brake
while the ignition is in the
“Off’ or “Lock” position.
Then start the vehicle. The
DRL will stay off until you
release the parking brake.
Map Light
& Press the switch to turn the
map light on and
off.
MAP
ON
OFF
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In a braking skid (where the wheels are no longer
rolling), release enough pressure on the brakes to get the
wheels rolling again.
This restores steering control. Push
the brake
pedal down steadily when you have to stop
suddenly.
As long as the wheels are rolling, you will have
steering control. Steer the way you want to go.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One
reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaired-by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively. Remember, this is the most
dangerous time.
Don’t drink and drive. (See “Drunken Driving” in the
Index for more on this problem.)
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the glare
from headlights behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow
down and keep more space between you and other
vehicles. It’s hard to tell how fast the vehicle ahead is
going just by looking at its taillights.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlights can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place and rest.
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Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime, but as
we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to
see the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also afkct your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night.
But if you’re driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night.
They may cut down on glare from headlights, but they
also make a lot of things invisible that should remain
visible-such as parked cars, obstacles, pedestrians, or
even trains blocking railway crossings. You may want to
put on your sunglasses after you have pulled into a
brightly-lighted service or refreshment area. Eyes
shielded from that glare may adjust more quickly to
darkness back on the road. But be sure to remove your
sunglasses before you leave the service area.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights. It
can take
a second or two, or even several seconds, for
your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you
are hced
with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t lower the \
high beams, or a vehicle with
misaimed headlights) slow
down a little. Avoid staring directly into the approaching
lights. If there
is a line of opposing traffic, make
occasional glances over the line of headlights to make
certain that. one of the vehicles isn’t starting to move
into
your lane. Once you are past the bright lights, give your
eyes time to readjust before resuming
speed.
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High Beams
If the vehicle approaching you has its high beams on,
signal by flicking yours to high and then back to low
beam. This is the usual signal to lower the headlight
beams. If the other driver still doesn’t lower the beams,
resist the temptation to put your high beams on. This
only makes two half-blinded drivers.
On a freeway, use your high beams
only in remote areas
where you won’t impair approaching drivers.
In some
places, like cities, using high beams is illegal.
When you follow another vehicle on a freeway or
highway, use low beams. True, most vehicles now have
day-night mirrors that enable the driver to reduce glare.
But outside mirrors are not
of this type and high beams
from behind can bother the driver ahead.
A Few More Night Driving Suggestions
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean-inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up
a fdm caused by dust. Tobacco smoke also
makes inside glass surfaces very filmy and can be a
vision hazard
if it’s left there.
Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and flash more than clean
glass would, making the pupils
of your eyes contract
repeatedly. You might even want to keep a cloth and
some glass cleaner in your vehicle if you need to clean
your glass frequently.
Remember that your headlights light up
fhr less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve.
Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out
dimly lighted objects.
Just as your headlights should be checked regularly for
proper aim,
so should your eyes be examined regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night blindness-the inability to
see in dim light-and aren’t even aware of it.
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Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Turn on your headlights-not just your parking
lights-to help make you more visible to others.
-
Look for hard-to-see vehicles coming from behind. You
may want to use your headlights even in daytime if it’s
raining hard.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be
especially careful when you pass
another vehicle.
Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by
road
spray. If the road spray is so heavy you are actually
blinded, drop back. Don’t pass until conditions improve. Going more slowly is better than having an accident.
Use your defogger if it helps.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires”
in the Index.)
Driving in Fog, Mist and Haze
,. .,,
Fog can occur with high humidity or heavy frost. It can
be
so mild that you can see through it for severa1,hundred
feet (meters). Or it might be so thick that you can see
only a few
feet (meters) ahead. It may come suddenly to
an otherwise clear road. And it can be a major hazard.
When you drive into a fog patch, your visibility will be
reduced quickly. The biggest dangers
are striking the
vehicle ahead or being struck by the one behind’.
Try to
“read” the fog density down the road. If the vehicle
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