1998 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE mirror

Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional featur\
es on your vehicle, 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.
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2-33 2-33 Keys
Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry (Option)
TnXnk
Theft
Universal Theft-Deterrent (Option)
PASS-Key@
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New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Positions
Starting
Your Engine
Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped) Automatic Transaxle Operation
Computer Command Ride (Option)
Shifting Into PARK (P)
Shifting Out
of PARK (P)
Parking Over Things That Burn Engine Exhaust 2-34
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2-79 Running
Your Engine While You’re Parked
Windows Horn
Tilt Wheel
Turn SignaYMultifunction Lever
Exterior Lamps
Interior Lamps
Mirrors Storage Compartments
Sun Visors
Air Inflator System (Option)
Sunroof (Option)
Instrument Panel
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators Head-Up Display (Option)
Driver Information Center (Option)
Electronic Compass (Option)
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Rear Reading Lamps
These overhead lamps and
the interior courtesy lamps
will
come on when you
open the doors.
To turn on the reading lamp when the door is closed,
slide the switch
up. Slide it down to turn off the lamp.
Inadvertent Load Protection
This feature automatically shuts off the interior lamps if
any are left on for more than 10 minutes when the
ignition is off or a door is left open. This will keep your
battery
fiom running down.
Mirrors
Inside Daymight Manual Rearview Mirror
When you are sitting in a comfortable driving position,
adjust the mirror
so you can see clearly behind your
vehicle.
Grip the mirror in the center to move it up or
down and side to side. The dayhight adjustment allows
you to adjust the mirror to avoid glare from the lamps
behind you. Push the tab forward for daytime use; pull it
back
for night use.
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Electrochromic Daymight Rearview Mirror
(If Equipped)
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Your vehicle may have an automatic electrochromic
dayhight rearview mirror.
When
this feature is turned on, the mirror automatically
changes to reduce glare from headlamps behind you. A
photocell on the mirror senses when it
is becoming dark
outside. Another photocell built into the mirror face,
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.
Mirror Operation
To turn on the automatic dimming feature, press
AUTO. To turn off automatic dimming, press OFF.
The green indicator light will be illuminated when this
feature is active.
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.
Cleaning the Photocells
Use a cotton swab and glass cleaner to clean the
photocells when necessary.
Manual Remote Control Mirror
The outside rearview mirror should be adjusted so you
can just see the side of your vehicle when you are sitting
in a comfortable driving position.
Adjust the driver’s side outside mirror with the
control
lever on the driver’s door.
To adjust your passenger’s side mirror, sit in the driver’s
seat and have a passenger adjust the
mirror for you.
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Power Remote Control Mirrors (Option)
A control lever on the
driver’s door controls
both
outside rearview mirrors.
Turn the lever to the left to select the driver’s side
rearview mirror, or to the right
to select the passenger’s
side rearview mirror. Then
push the lever in the
direction
of the desired movement to adjust each mirror
so that you can see the side of the vehicle when you are
sitting in a comfortable driving position.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror’s surface is curved
so you can see more from the
driver’s seat.
I A CAUTION:
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror or glance over your shoulder before changing lanes.
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Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
To use a lighter, just push the center in all the way and
let it
go. When it is ready, the center will pop back by
itself. Pull out
the entire unit to use it.
NOTICE:
Don’t hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while
it is heating. If you do, it won’t be able to
back away from the heating element when
it’s
ready. That can make it overheat, damaging the
lighter and the heating element.
Lift the cover to reveal the front ashtray.
To clean the ashtray, lift it out by pulling on the snuffer.
On models without a console, there’s
an
ashtraykupholder under the instrument panel. To clean
the ashtray, lift it out by pulling up
on the tabs on either
side. It snaps back into place.
To open the rear ashtrays, lift the cover.
NOTICE:
Don’t put papers and other things that burn into
your ashtrays.
If you do, cigarettes or other
smoking materials could set them
on fire,
causing damage.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also remove them from the center mount and swing
them to the
side, while the auxiliary sunshade remains to
block glare from the front.
Visor Vanity Mirror
Open the cover to expose the vanity mirror.
If your vehicle has the optional lighted vanity mirrors,
the lamps come on when
you open the cover. You can
adjust the brightness
of the lamps by moving the switch
up or down.
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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 lamps 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 vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling.
In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering 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 is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the traction control system, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid.
If you do not have traction control, or if the system is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled by
easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
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If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
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.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
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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.
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Here are some tips on night driving.
0 Drive defensively.
0 Don’t drink and drive.
0 Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare
from headlamps behind you.
0 Since you can’t see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between
you and
other vehicles.
0 Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
0 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 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 headlamps, but they also make a
lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. 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 headlamps), slow down a
little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and
all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more
than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a
turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it’s easier
to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper
aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren’t even aware
of it.
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