1997 BUICK PARK AVENUE ESP

Walter Marr and Thomas Buick
Buick’s chief engineer, Walter L. Marr (left), and
Thomas D. Buick, son of founder David Dunbar Buick,
drove the first Flint Buick in a successful Flint-Detroit
round trip in July 1904.
David Buick was building gasoline engines by 1899, and
Marr, his engineer, apparently built the first auto to
be called a Buick in 1900. However, Buick traditionally dates its beginnings to 1903. That was the year the
company was reorganized, refinanced and moved from
Detroit to Flint. Buick has always been a product innovator. Buick engineers developed the “valve-in-head” engine,
a light, powerful and reliable
engine which would eventually influence the entire
automotive industry.
William C. Durant was instrumental in promoting
Buicks across the country using his Durant-Dort Carriage Co. outlets and salespeople as the nucleus
of a
giant distribution system. He knew the Buick as a “self-seller.”
If automobiles could be this good, he
thought, maybe it was time to switch from the horse and
buggy business to automobiles.
William C. (Billy) Durant
At the 1905 New York
Auto Show, Durant took
orders for
1,000 Buicks
before the company had
built
40. On Buick’s
success, Durant created a
holding company, September
16, 1908. He
called it General Motors.
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0 Move the seat forward or back by pushing the
horizontal control to the front or back.
0 Tilt the seatback by pushing the vertical control
forward or rearward.
0 Raise or lower the shoulder belt and head rest by
pushing the vertical control to the top or bottom.
Memory Seat and Mirrors (Option)
If your Buick has this option, the control on the driver’s
door armrest looks like this:
You can use this memory
function to save your seat
cushion (minus the head
restraint), optional lumbar,
mirror adjustment, HVAC
and radio settings by using
the following procedure:
1. Adjust the driver’s seat and lumbar position (if
equipped) to a safe and comfortable driving position.
Adjust both outside mirrors to suit you. See “Outside
Mirrors” in the Index.
2. Press one of the two MEMORY buttons
corresponding with your driver number, for longer
than three seconds. You will hear two beeps to
confirm that the mirror and seat positions have been
entered into memory.
When your Buick is in PARK (P), push and release the
memory button you just stored. The seat and mirrors
will move to the set position. You will hear one beep.
To set the seat and mirror positions for a second
driver, follow the previous steps, but use the other
MEMORY button.
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I I
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
@ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident
if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
@ If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down
as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts
make such good sense. most
of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system
ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has
air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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Door Locks
I
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers
-- especially children -- can easily
open the doors and fall out. When a door is
locked, the inside handle won’t open
it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an unlocked
door when you slow down or stop your vehicle.
This may not be
so obvious: You increase the
chance
of being thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash
if the doors aren’t locked. Wear safety belts
properly, lock your doors, and you will be far
better
off whenever you drive your vehicle.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your door key or Remote Keyless
Entry transmitter.
To lock the door from the inside, move the lock control
on the door handle forward.
To unlock the door, move the lock control on the door
handle toward the rear
of the vehicle.
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Customizing Your Memory Door Locks Feature
You can program the memory door locks feature to
change to the following modes:
Mode Operation
0 No automatic door lock or unlock.
1
2
3
All doors automatically lock when
shifted out of PARK (P).
No automatic
door unlock.
All doors automatically lock when shifted out of PARK (P). Only the driver’s door
automatically unlocks when shifted into
PARK (P).
All doors automatically lock when shifted
out
of PARK (P). All doors automatically
unlock when shifted into PARK
(P).
Vehicles are delivered programmed in Mode 3; however,
each Remote Keyless Entry transmitter can be
programmed
to a different mode according to the
user’s preference.
To change modes:
1. Close all doors and turn the ignition on. Keep all
doors closed throughout this procedure.
driver’s door through Step
4.
3. Press the LOCK button on the Remote Keyless
Entry transmitter to enter the programming mode.
The memory door lock mode will remain in the
current mode.
2. Press and hold the power door lock switch on the
4. Press the LOCK button on the transmitter again.
Each time the transmitter’s LOCK button is pressed,
the mode will advance by one, going from mode
3 to
mode
0 to mode 1, etc.
For each press of the LOCK button, the door locks will activate
in the same manner they would activate in the
corresponding memory door lock mode. For example,
pressing the LOCK button on the transmitter to advance to mode
2 would result in all doors locking
and then,
only the driver’s door would unlock. For
mode
0, no locking or unlocking will occur.
5. Release the power door lock switch and turn the
ignition off. The automatic door locks will remain in
the most recent mode selected.
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It can be dangerous to drive with the trunk lid
open because carbon monoxide
(CO) gas can
come into your vehicle.
You can’t see or smell
CO.
It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the trunk lid open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and the
trunk lid:
0 Make sure all windows are shut.
0 Tbrn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on any airflow selection except RECIRC.
That will force outside
air into your vehicle.
See “Comfort Controls’’ in the Index.
0 If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the way.
See “Engine Exhaust’’ in the Index.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your Buick has a number
of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing
we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you can help.
Key in the Ignition
If you leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it’s an
easy target for joy riders or professional thieves
-- so
don’t do it.
With the ignition
off and the driver’s door open, you’ll
hear a chime reminding you to remove your key from
the ignition and take it with you. Always do this. Your
ignition and transaxle will be locked. And remember to
lock the doors.
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out
of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
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Daytime Running 1 .rmps
Daytime Running Lamps (vrCL) 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 high-beam headlamps
come on at reduced brightness in daylight when:
0 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 high-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 high-beam
headlamps will change to low-beam headlamps at 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
high-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 to the left into the detent in the slider
control. When released, the control will return to the
Twilight Sentinel minimum delay position and the lights
will turn
off.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Cornering Lamps
The cornering lamps are designed to come on when you
signal a turn. This will provide more light for cornering
at night.
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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
When you open either front door or press the UNLOCK
button on the remote keyless entry transmitter, the
lamps inside your vehicle will turn on. These lamps
will turn
off after about 40 seconds. These lamps will
also turn
off if you start the engine or activate the power
door locks.
Perimeter Lighting
When the UNLOCK button on the Remote Keyless
Entry transmitter is pressed, the daytime running lamps
(high-beams at reduced intensity), parking lamps and
back-up lamps will come on if it is dark enough outside
according to the twilight sentinel. This feature
will only be activated when the security
feedback feature is programmed to be in modes
1, 3 or 5
on the transmitter. Modes 0,2 and 4 do not respond with
exterior lights flashing when unlocking the vehicle
so
perimeter lighting will not be active.
This feature can be prograrnmed'on or off for
each transmitter.
To turn the feature
off
1. Press and hold the door lock switch on the door
throughout this procedure. All doors will lock.
2. Press the instant alarm button on the transmitter to
enter the programming mode. 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
feature is now off.
NOTE: Pressing the UNLOCK button repeatedly may
cause the back-up lamps to turn on.
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