If you are on a three-lane freeway, treat the right lane as
the slower-speed through lane, the middle lane
as the
higher-speed through lane, and the left lane as the
passing lane.
Before changing lanes, check your rearview mirrors.
Then use your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder
to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
If you are moving from an outside to a center lane on a
freeway having more than two lanes, make sure another
vehicle isn’t about to move into the same spot. Look at
the vehicles two lanes over and watch for telltale signs:
turn signals flashing, an increase in speed, or moving
toward the edge
of the lane. Be prepared to delay your
move.
Once
you are moving on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect
to move
slightly slower at night.
Leaving the Freeway
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance. Dashing across lanes at the last
minute is dangerous.
If you miss your exit do not, under any
circumstances, stop and back up. Drive
on to the
next exit.
At each exit point is a deceleration lane. Ideally it
should be long enough for
you to enter it at freeway
speed (after signaling, of course) and then do your
braking before moving onto the exit ramp.
Unfortunately, not all deceleration lanes are long enough
-- some are too short for all the braking. Decide when to
start braking. If you must brake
on the through lane, and
if there is traffic close behind you, you can allow
a little
extra time and flash your brake lights (in addition to
your turn signal) as extra warning that you are about to
slow down and exit.
The
exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed
according to your speedometer, not to your sense
of
motion. After driving for any distance at higher speeds,
you may tend to think you are going slower than you
actually are. For example,
40 mph (65 km/h) might
seem like
only 20 mph (30 km/h). Obviously, this could
lead
to serious trouble on a ramp designed for 20 mph
(30 km/h)!
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your Buick in good shape for winter. Be sure
your engine coolant mix is correct.
0 Snow tires can help in loose snow, but they may give
you less traction on ice than regular tires. If you do
not expect to be driving in deep snow, but may have
to travel over ice, you may not want to switch to
snow tires at all.
You may want to put winter emergency supplies in
your trunk.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom,
a supply
of windshield washer fluid,
a rag, some winter outer
clothing,
a small shovel, a flashlight, a red cloth, and a
couple of reflective warning triangles. And, if you will
be driving under severe conditions, include
a small bag
of sand, a piece of old carpet or a couple
of burlap bags
to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure
these items
in your vehicle.
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k
Hazard Warning Flashers
3
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know
you have a problem. Your front and
rear turn signal lights will flash
on and off.
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Slide the switch up to make your front and rear turn
signal lights flash
on and off.
Your hazard warning flashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even
if the key isn’t in.
1
To turn off the flashers, slide the switch down. When the
hazard warning flashers are on, your turn signals won’t
work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side
of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind your
vehicle.
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Engine Overheating
You will find a coolant temperature gage on your
Buick's instrument panel.
You may also find a low coolant warning light
on your
Buick instrument panel.
If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine:
A CAUTION:
Steam from an overheated engine can burn you
badly, even
if you just open the hood. Stay away
from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming
from it. Just turn
it off and get everyone away
from the vehicle until it cools down. Wait
until
there is no sign of steam or coolant before
opening the hood.
'* -7ou keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids
in it can catch fire. You or
others could be badly burned. Stop your engine
if it overheats, and get out of the vehicle until the
engine is cool.
If your engine catch
driving with
no coolant, your vehicle can be
badly damaged. The costly repairs
w?uld not b
covered by your warranty. ,, , 1 ,.
I If No Steam Is Coming From Your Engine:
If you get the overheat warning but see or hear no
steam,
the problem may not be too serious. Sometimes
the engine can get a little too hot when you:
0 Climb a long hill on a hot day.
0 Stop after high speed driving.
0 Idle for long periods in traffic.
Tow a trailer.
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A CAUTION:
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury.
In a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store all these
in the p-per place.
I
Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly. It should be
60 psi
(420 kPa). The compact spare is made to go up to 3,000
miles (5000 km), so you can finish your trip and have
your full-size tire repaired or replaced where you want.
Of course, it's best to replace your spare with a full-size
tire as
soon as you can. Your spare will last longer and
be in
good shape in case you need it again.
Your anti-lock brake system warning light may come
on
when you are driving with a compact spare. See
"Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light"
in the Index.
NOTICE:
' Don't take your compact spare through an
automatic car wash with guide rails. The
compact spare can get caught
on the rails. Tha
can damage the tire and wheel, and maybe other
parts of your vehicle.
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Don't use your compact spare on some other vehicle.
And don't mix your compact spare or wheel with other
wheels
or tires. They won't fit. Keep your spare and its
wheel together.
Tire chains won't fit your compact spare. Using
them will damage your vehicle and destroy the
chains too. Don't use tire chains on your
g g*
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If the fluid level is low, add only enough of the proper
fluid to bring the level into the cross-hatched area on the
dipstick. It doesn’t take much fluid, generally less than a
pint. Don’t overfill. We recommend you use only fluid
labeled DEXRONB-IIE, because fluids with that label
are made especially for your automatic transaxle.
Damage caused by fluid other than DEXRONB-IIE is
not covered by your new vehicle warranty.
After adding fluid, recheck the fluid level as
described under “How
to Check.”
When the correct fluid level is obtained, push the
dipstick back in all the way.
Engine Coolant
The following explains your cooling system and how to
add coolant when
it is low. If you have a problem with
engine overheat.ing or if you need to add coolant to your
radiator, see “Engine Overheating”
in the Index.
The proper coolant for your Buick will:
0 Give freezing protection down to -34OF (-37OC) .
0 Give boiling protection up to 262 OF (128 “C) .
Protect against rust and corrosion.
0 Help keep the proper engine temperature.
0 Let the warning lights work as they should.
What to Use:
Use a mixture of one-half clean water (preferably
distilled) and one-half antifreeze that meets
“GM
Specification 1825-M,” which won’t damage aluminum
parts. You can also use a recycled coolant conforming to
GM Specification 1825-M with a complete coolant flush
and refill. Use GM Engine Coolant Supplement (sealer)
with any complete coolant change. If you use these, you
don’t need to add anything else.
can be aangerous. Plain water, or some other
liquid like alcohol, can boil before the proper
coolant mix will. Your vehicle’s coolant warning
system is set for the proper coolant mix. With
plain water or the wrong mix, your engine could
get too hot but you wouldn’t get the overhe-”
warning. Your engine could catch fire and
yuu or
others could be burned. Use a 50/50 mix of clean
water and a proper antifreeze.
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won’t work at all. So, it isn’t a good idea to “top off’
your brake fluid. Adding brake fluid won’t correct a
leak.
If you add fluid when your linings are worn, then
you’ll have too much fluid when you get new brake
linings. You should add (or remove) brake fluid,
as
necessary, only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system.
a LAUTION:
1
If you have too much brake flui,, I. ;an sblll orl
the engine. The fluid will burn if the engine is hot
enough. You or others could be burned, and your
vehicle could be damaged. Add brake fluid only
when work is done on the brake hydraulic
-stem.
When your brake fluid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. See “Brake System Warning
Light” in the Index.
What to Add:
When you do need brake fluid, use only DOT-3 brake
fluid
-- such as Delco Supreme 11 @ (GM Part
N0.1052535). Use new brake fluid from a sealed
container only.
0
0
DOT-5 silicone brake fluid can damage
your vehicle. Don’t use it.
Don’t let someone put
in the wrong kind of
fluid. For example, just a few drops of
mineral-based oil, such as engine oil,
in
your brake system can damage brake
system parts
so badly that they’ll have to
be replaced.
Brake fluid can damage paint,
so be careful
not to spill brake fluid on your vehicle.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a modern vehicle is complex. Its
many parts have to be
of top quality and work well
together if the vehicle is to have really good braking.
Vehicles we design and test have top-quality GM brake
parts in them, as your Buick does when
it is new. When
you replace parts of your braking system
-- for example,
when your brake linings wear down and
you have to
have new ones put in
-- be sure you get new genuine
GM replacement parts. If
you don’t, your brakes may no
longer work properly. For example, if someone puts
in
brake linings that are wrong for your vehicle, the
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