1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX mirror

Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and inform\
ation 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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Keys
Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry System (If Equipped)
TrUnk
Theft
Content Theft-Deterrent (If Equipped)
New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Positions
Starting Your Engine
Engine Coolant Heater
(If Equipped)
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Parking Brake Shifting Into PARK (P)
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
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Parking Over Things That Burn
Engine Exhaust
Running Your Engine While You’re Parked
Power Windows
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
Exterior Lamps
Interior Lamps
Locks and Lighting Choices
Mirrors
Storage Compartments Sunroof
(If Equipped)
The Instrument Panel
-- Your
Information System
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
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Special Note: While this mode provides increased
security, it can be a problem if your remote keyless entry
transmitter is damaged, lost or if it fails to operate for
any reason while the Content Theft-Deterrent system is
armed. The Content Theft-Deterrent system must be
disarmed for the engine to run and while in mode
2,
your key can no longer disarm the system.
Mode 3: Standard Arming and Disarming
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Your Content Theft-Deterrent system will arm when
you lock the doors using either power door lock
switch while any door is open and the key is
removed from the ignition.
Your Content Theft-Deterrent system will arm when
you lock
the doors with your remote keyless entry
transmitter. The key must be removed from the
ignition when you lock
the doors or the Content
Theft-Deterrent system will not
arm.
Your Content Theft-Deterrent system will disarm
when you unlock
the doors with your key or your
remote keyless entry transmitter.
Mirrors
Adjust all the mirrors so you can see clearly when you
are sitting in a comfortable driving position.
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lamps behind you, push the lever
away from you (to
the night position). To return the mirror
back to the
day position, pull the lever toward you.
Electrochromic Daymight Rearview Mirror
(If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have an electrochromic dayhight
rearview mirror. Push the button on the bottom of the
mirror to
turn this feature on. The mirror will darken
gradually to reduce glare from headlamps behind you.
This may take a
few moments.
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One photocell on the front of the mirror senses when it
is becoming dark outside. Another photocell, facing
rearward, senses headlamps behind you.
To turn the
electrochromic feature
off, press the button on the
bottom of the mirror again.
To keep the photocells operating well, occasionally
clean them with a cotton swab and glass cleaner.
Power Outside Mirrors
The electric mirror control
is near the driver’s window,
on the armrest.
Turn the
control
to the left to adjust
the left mirror or to the right
to adjust the right mirror.
Then move the control in
the direction you want to
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.
A CAUTION:
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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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To remove the ashtray for cleaning, press the snuffer as
you lift up the bottom of the ashtray.
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.
To use the lighter, located inside the center front ashtray,
just push it
in all the way and let go. When it’s ready, it
will pop back by itself.
NOTICE: ~~
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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.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also swing them from front to side.
Visor Vanity Mirrors
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.
Accessory Power Outlet
If your vehicle has a center console, you have a 12-volt
outlet. It is on the passenger’s side, near the floor.
Remove the tethered cap to use the outlet.
NOTICE:
Adding some electrical equipment to your vehicle
can damage it or keep other things from working
as they should. This wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Check with your dealer before adding
electrical equipment and never use anything
requiring more than
20 amps.
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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 Enhanced Traction System or ‘Traction
Control System”, remember: It helps avoid only the acceleration
skid.
If you do not have the Enhanced Traction System or
‘Traction Control System”, 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
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.
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.
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 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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Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane. At
the entrance, there
is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as
you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to
check traffic.
Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary.
Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay\

in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your 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.
Once you are moving on
the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance. If you miss your exit, do not,
under
any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.