1993 BUICK REGAL Owners Manual

A LAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that
sooner or later your brakes won’t work well. Thal
could lead to an accident. When you hear the
brake wear warning sound, have your vehicle
serviced
NOTICE:
Continuing to drive with worn-out ‘-ake pat-
could result in costly brake repair
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does
not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or if there is a rapid increase in pedal
travel. This could be a sign
of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a moderate brake stop, your disc
brakes adjust for wear.
If you rarely make a moderate or heavier stop, then your
brakes might not adjust correctly.
If you drive in that
way, then
-- very carefully -- make a few moderate
brake stops about every
1000 miles (1600 km), so your
brakes will adjust properly.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if
you don’t have anti-lock, your
first reaction
-- to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it
down
-- may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels can
stop rolling. Once
they do, the vehicle can’t respond to
your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling.
ProCarManuals.com

That could be off the road, into the very thing you were
trying to avoid,
or into traffic.
If you don’t have anti-lock, use
a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give
you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You do this by pushing on
the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency
you will probably want to “squeeze”
the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear
or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This
will help you retain steering control.
(If
you & have anti-lock, it’s different: see Index under
“Anti-lock Brake System.”) In
many emergencies,
steering can help
you more than even the very best
braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system fails to function, you can steer but
it
will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a r8 easonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen
on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when
you turn
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 your 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 apply the brakes. Both control systems --
steering and braking -- have to do their work where the
tires meet the road. Unless you have four-wheel
anti-lock brakes, adding the hard braking can demand
too much
of those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you’re steering through a
sharp curve and 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.
144
ProCarManuals.com

What should you do if this ever happens? Let up on the
brake or 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
-- but, unless you have
anti-lock, not enough to lock your wheels. 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
the recommended
9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn it a
full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand.
Rut you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten
the wheel once you have
avoided the object. You must then be prepared
to steer
back to your original lane and then brake to a controlled
stop.
Depending on your speed, this can be rather violent for
an unprepared driver. This
is one of the reasons driving
1 AC
ProCarManuals.com

experts recommend that you use your safety belts ana
keep both hands
on the steering wheel.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is
a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped off the edge
of a road onto the shoulder while
you're driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease
off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up to 1/4 turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn
your steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
OFF ROAD RECOVERY /+-- &-A ..
/
If the shoulder appears to be about four inches (100
mm) or more below the pavement, this difference can
cause problems. If there
is not enough room to pull
entirely onto the shoulder and stop, then follow the same
procedures. But
if the right front tire scrubs against the
side of the pavement, do NOT steer more sharply. With
146
ProCarManuals.com

too much steering angle, the vehicle may jump back
onto the road with
so much steering input that it crosses
over into the oncoming traffic before you can bring it
back under control.
Instead, ease
off again on the accelerator and steering
input, straddle the pavement once more, then try again.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway
is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error
in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can
suddenly put the passing driver face to face with
the
worst of all traffic accidents -- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
0 “Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides, and
to crossroads for situations that might affect your
passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever
about making a successful pass, wait for a better
time.
0 Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings, and
lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might
indicate
a turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A
broken center line usually indicates it’s all right to
pass (providing the road‘ahead is clear). Never cross
a solid line on your side of the lane or a double solid
line, even
if the road seems empty of approaching
traffic.
0 If you suspect that the driver of the vehicle you want
to pass isn’t aware of your presence, tap the horn a
couple of times before passing.
0 Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following
too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially
if you’re following a larger vehicle. Also,
you won’t have adequate space
if the vehicle ahead
suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a reasonable
distance.
0 When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in
the right lane and don’t
get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane.
If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And
if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
147
ProCarManuals.com

0
0
0
0
0
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait
for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front
in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside
mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from
you
than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though
the brake lights are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps
you
can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying
to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types
of skids correspond to your Buick’s
three control system.s. In
the braking skid your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid,
too
much speed or steeri.ng in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handied by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts
to slide (as when you turn a corner
on a wet, snow- or ice-covered road), ease your
foot off
148
ProCarManuals.com

the accelerator pedal as soon as you feel the vehicle start
to slide. Quickly steer the way you want the vehicle to
go. If you start steering quickly enough, your vehicle
will straighten
out. As it does, straighten the front
wheels.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or
braking (including engine braking
by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues
--
such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to
make a “mirrored surface” -- and slow down when you
have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It
helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, then 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.
149
ProCarManuals.com

Here are some tips on night driving.
0 Drive defensively. Remember, this is the most
dangerous time.
0 Don’t drink and drive. (See “Drunken Driving” in
the Index for more on this problem.)
0 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.
0 Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlights can light up
only so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
0 If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place and
rest.
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 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.
150
ProCarManuals.com