@ Part 2 Features & Controls I
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Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your Buick. and information 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
........................................................................\
.... 58
DoorLocks ....................................................................... \
59
NewVehicleBreak-In .............................................................. 68
StartingtheEngine ................................................................. 70
ShiftingtheTransaxle .............................................................. 73
Windows ........................................................................\
. 82
Tilt Steering Wheel ................................................................ 84
Multi-Function Lever ............................................................... 85
TunrandLaneChangeSignals ................................................... 85
Headlight High-Low Beam Changer .............................................. 87
Windshield Wipermasher ...................................................... 87
CruiseControl ................................................................ 89
Instrumentpanel ................................................................... 104
Speedometer and Odometer ..................................................... 105
Warning Lights and Gages ...................................................... 106
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The Turn Signal/Headlight Beam
Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
0 Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
0 Headlight High-Low Beam & Passing Signal
0 Windshield Wipers
0 Windshield Washer
0 Cruise Control (Option)
Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
bi
The turn signal has two upward (for Right) and two
downward (for Left) positions. These positions allow
you to signal a turn
or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When
the turn is finished, the lever will return
automatically.
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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
you own State or Provincial highway authority for
applicable lighting regulations.
Headlight High-Low Beam
’ 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.
Windshield Wipers
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You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
marked “WIPER.”
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.
You can set the wiper speed for a long
or short delay
between wipes. This can be very
useful in light rain or
snow. Turn the band
to choose the delay time. The
closer to
“LO,” the shorter the delay.
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Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The Canadian Federal Government has decided that
“Daytime Running Lights” (DRL) are a
useful feature,
in that DRL 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 transaxle is not in “P” (Park).
At dusk, the exterior lights will come
on automatically
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 the DRL off, shift the
transaxle into
“P” (Park). The DRL will stay off until
you
shift out of “P” (Park).
To turn off all exterior lighting at night when
you are
parked, move the twilight sentinel control from
ON to
OFF, if it was on from the start. Or, move the control
from
OFF to ON, then back to OFF, if it was off from
the start. The lights will come back
on when you move
the transaxle
out of PARK.
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer
a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and y.our speed. While
you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor you can
control.
Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then
you suddenly accelerate.
Those two control systems
-- steering and acceleration --
can overwhelm those places where the tires meet the
road and make you lose control.
What should you do
if this ever happens? Let up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach
a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead. Try to adjust your speed
so you can
“drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
When you drive into a curve at night, it’s harder to see
the road ahead of you because it bends away from the
straight beams of your lights. This is one good reason to
drive slower.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped
in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems
by braking -- if you can stop in
time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room. That’s\
the time for evasive action
-- steering around the
problem.
Your Buick can perform very well
in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
It is better to remove as
much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around
the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available,
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
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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 SO-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 affect 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 faced
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.
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.
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Fog can occur with high humidity or heavy frost. It can
be so mild that you can see through it for several
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
ahead starts to become less clear or, at night, if the
taillights are harder to see, the fog is probably
thickening. Slow down to give traffic behind you a
chance to slow down. Everybody then has a better
chance to avoid hitting the vehicle ahead.
A patch of dense fog may extend only for a few feet
(meters) or for miles (kilometers); you can’t really tell
while you’re in
it. You can only treat the situation with
extreme care.
One common fog condition
-- sometimes called mist or
ground fog
-- can happen in weather that seems perfect,
especially at night or in the early morning in valley and
low, marshy areas. You can be suddenly enveloped in
thick, wet haze that may even coat your windshield.
You
can often spot these fog patches or mist layers with your
headlights. But sometimes they can be waiting for
you
as you come over a hill or dip into a shallow valley.
Start your windshield wipers and washer, to help clear
accumulated road dirt. Slow down carefully.
Tips on Driving in Fog
If you get caught in fog, turn your headlights on low
beam, even in daytime. You’ll see
-- and be seen --
better.
Don’t use your high beams. The light will bounce
off the
water droplets that make up fog and reflect back at you.
Use your defogger. In high humidity, even a light
buildup of moisture
on the inside of the glass will cut
down on your already limited visibility. Run your
windshield wipers and washer occasionally. Moisture
can build up on the outside glass, and what seems
to be
fog may actually be moisture on the outside of your
windshield.
Treat dense fog as an emergency. Try to find a place
to
pull off the road. Of course you want to respect
another’s property, but you might need to put something
between
you and moving vehicles -- space, trees,
telephone poles, a private driveway, anything that
removes you from other traffic.
If visibility is near zero and you must stop but are
unsure whether you are away from the road, turn your
Front Towing Hook-Ups Position a 4” x 4” wood beam across the sling chains
contacting the bottom
of the radiator support. Position
the lower sling crossbar just under
the front bumper.
Attach a separate safety chain around the outboard
end
of each lower control arm.
Attach
“T” hook
chains behind the front wheels into the
bottom slots
of the cradle rails on both sides.
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