1996 BUICK PARK AVENUE light

Setting CI I
If you leave your cruise control switch on when
you're not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you don't want to.
You
could be startled and even lose control. Keep
the cruise control switch
OFF until you want
to use
it.
1.
2.
Move the cruise control
switch to ON.
Get up to the speed
you want.
3. Push in the SET
button at the end of the
lever
and release it.
The CRUISE light on
the instrument panel
will come on.
4. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
ProCarManuals.com

Using Cruise Control on Hills
Haw well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may
have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this
to
be too much trouble and don’t use cruise control on
steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal; or
0 Move the cruise switch to OFF. The CRUISE light
will also go
out.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Lamps
H Adlamps
This switch controls these systems:
Headlamps
Taillamps
Parking Lamps
License Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
ProCarManuals.com

Press the LIGHTS switch to turn the headlamps on.
Press it again to turn them
off.
Press the PARK switch to turn the parking lamps on.
Press it again
to turn them off. (If the parking lamps
were turned on with the PARK switch, they must be
turned off with that switch.)
Lamps On Reminder
If you leave the manual headlamp or parking lamp
switch on, remove the key from the ignition and open
the driver’s door, you will hear a continuous warning
chime. The chime will turn
off when the lamps are
turned
off.
Daytime Running Lamps (Canada Only)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be’helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel monitors
the exterior light level
for the operation of DRL and
twilight sentinel,
so be sure it isn’t covered. The
DRL system will make your low-beam headlamps
come on at reduced brightness in daylight when:
The ignition is on,
0 The headlamp switch is off, and
0 The transaxle is not in PARK (P).
When DRL are on, only your low-beam headlamps will
be on. The parking lamps, taillamps, sidemarker and
other lamps won’t be on. Your instrument panel won’t
be lit up either.
When it’s dark enough outside, your low-beam
headlamps will change to full brightness. The other
lamps that turn on with your headlamps, will also turn
on. When it’s bright enough outside, the regular lamps
will turn
off, and your low-beam headlamps change to
the reduced brightness of
DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, shift the
transaxle into PARK
(P). The DRL will stay off until
you shift out of PARK (P).
To turn off all exterior lighting at night when you are
parked, turn
off the headlamps and move the twilight
sentinel control all the way toward
MIN.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
ProCarManuals.com

Lamp Monitors (Option)
This system will let you know when certain exterior
lamp bulbs fad. When you start your car, all eight lamps
come
on briefly to show that'the system is working.
When a bulb
fails, an indicator will flash for several
seconds and then
stay on until the failed bulb is replaced
and lit.
For example, if a burned out back-up,lamp bulb
is replaced, the indicator for back-up lamps will stay on
until the transaxle is put in REVERSE (R) with the
ignition
ON. The bulbs are monitored only while they
are being used.
If you.have recently had a low battery condition or the
battery has been disconnected and reconnected, the
indicators
will flash when you turn the ignition switch to
RUN. Turning on the parking lamps will return the lamp
monitor system to normal operation.
Bulbs Monitored
Indicator
High Beam
Low Beam
Left Turn
Right Tun
Tail
Parking
stop
Back-up
Bulbs Monitored
Both Headlamp High Beams
Both Headlamp Low Beams
1 Front Left Turn/Pwk
1 Front Right Turnpark
2 Tail Only
2 Park/TUm
4 Rear StopDurn
2 Back-up
Cornering Lamps (Option)
The cornering lamps are designea 10 come on when you
signal a turn.
This will provide more light for cornering
at night.
2-45
ProCarManuals.com

Twilight Sentinel (Option)
Twilight Sentinel turns your
lamps on and
off by sensing
how dark it is outside.
To operate it, leave the lamp
switch off and move the
twilight sentinel control to
any position but
MIN.
[f you move the control all the way to MAX, your lamps
will remain on for three minutes after you turn
off your
mgine.
If you move the control almost all the way in the
Ither direction,
so it’s just on, the lamps will go off
pickly when you turn off your engine. You can
:hange this delay time from only a few seconds to
:hree minutes. Your
optional twilight
sentinel and daytime
running lamps work with
the light sensor on top of
the instrument panel. Don’t
cover it
up. If you do it
will read “dark” and the
headlamps will come on.
Interior Lamps
mstrumen’ ?anel Int
lsity Control
Instrument panel light
brightness can be adjusted
by moving this lever
between
LO and HI. Interior
courtesy lamps can be
turned on by sliding the
lever all the way to
the right.
2-46
ProCarManuals.com

Time Out Feature (Option)
On vehicles equipped with the optional Remote Keyless
Entry system, the interior lamps will automatically turn
off after a
10 minute period if a door is left open. This
feature
is designed to help eliminate battery wear down.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door is opened, several lamps go on. They
make it easy for you
to enter and leave the car. You can
also turn these lamps on by sliding the panel lights lever
to INT (interior).
Delayed Entry Lighting
When you open the door, the interior lamps will come
on. When you close the door with the ignition off, the
interior lamps will stay on for
25 seconds or until the
ignition
is turned to an on position. Please note that
locking the doors will override the delayed entry
lighting feature and the lamps will turn off right away.
Theater Dimming
This feature allows for a three to five-second fade out of
the courtesy lamps instead of immediate turn off.
Delayed Exit Lighting
With this feature, the interior lamps will come on for
25 seconds after you remove the key from the ignition.
This will give you time
to find the door pull handle or
lock switches.
Illuminated Entry System (Option)
When you lift the outside handle of either front door or
press the
UNLOCK button on the optional remote
keyless entry transmitter, the lamps inside your vehicle
will turn on. These lamps will turn
off after about one
minute. These lamps will also turn
off if you start the
engine, press the
LOCK button on the transmitter or
activate the power door locks.
If a door is left ajar, your interior lamps will turn off
after
10 minutes to save your battery.
ProCarManuals.com

Perimeter Lighting (Option)
When the UNLOCK button on the optional remote
keyless entry transmitter is pressed, the headlamps,
parking lamps, back-up lamps and cornering lamps will
come on
if it is dark enough outside according to the
twilight sentinel.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the twilight sentinel
and the perimeter lighting is active, the lights will come
on whenever the
UNLOCK button on the transmitter
is pressed.
This option can be programmed on or off for
each transmitter.
To turn the feature off
I 1. Press and hold the door lock switch throughout this
I 2. Press the instant alarm button on the transmitter.
procedure. All
doors will lock.
Perimeter lighting remains on at this time and the
horn will chirp two times.
3. Press the instant alarm button on the key transmitter
again. Perimeter lighting is disabled and the horn
will chirp one time.
4. Release the door lock switch. The' perimeter lighting
option is now
off.
To turn the feature on:
1. Press and hold the door lock switch throughout this
procedure. All doors will lock.
2. Press the instant alarm button on the key transmitter.
Perimeter lighting remains
off at this time and the'
horn will chup one time.
3. Press the instant alarm button on the transmitter
again. Perimeter lighting is now enabled and the
horn will chup two times.
4. Release the door lock switch. The perimeter lighting
option is now on.
/ .- -2
ProCarManuals.com

Electrochromic Day/Night Rearview Mirror (Option)
Your Buick may have an automatic electrochromic
day/night rearview mirror.
This mirror automatically changes
to reduce glare from
headlamps behind
you. A photocell on the back of the
mirror senses when it is becoming dark outside. Another
photocell built into the mirror surface, senses when
headlamps are behind you. At
night, when the glare is too high, the mirror will
gradually darken to reduce glare (this change may take a
few seconds). The mirror will return to its clear daytime
state when the glare is reduced.
Press the button at the base of
the mirror to turn on the
automatic feature. The button has an indicator light to
show it is on. Press the button again
to turn the
automatic feature
off.
Time Delay
The automatic mirror has a time delay feature which
prevents unnecessary switching from the night back to
the day position. This delay prevents rapid changing of
the mirror as you drive under lights and through traffic.
Reverse Gear Day Mode
The reverse day mode is another important feature
of the electrochromic mirror. When you shift into
REVERSE (R), the mirror changes to the day mode.
This gives you a bright image
in the mirror as you
back up.
Cleaning the Photocells
Use a cotton swab and glass cleaner to clean the
photocells when necessary.
ProCarManuals.com