1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette mirror

2-
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Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features 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.
2
-2 Keys
2
-4 Door Locks
2
-7 Remote Lock Control (Option)
2
-13 Multifunction Alarm Locks and
Lighting Choices
2
-23 Sliding Door
2
-25 Power Sliding Door (Option)
2
-31 Liftgate
2
-32 Theft
2
-33 Content Theft-Deterrent (Option)
2
-35 PASS-Key
III
2
-37 New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
2
-38 Ignition Positions
2
-40 Starting Your Engine
2
-41 Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
2
-43 Automatic Transaxle Operation
2
-47 Parking Brake
2
-48 Shifting Into PARK (P)2
-50 Shifting Out of PARK (P)
2
-51 Parking Over Things That Burn
2
-52 Engine Exhaust
2
-52 Running Your Engine While You're Parked
2
-53 Windows
2
-55 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
-61 Exterior Lamps
2
-63 Interior Lamps
2
-67 Mirrors
2
-68 Storage Compartments
2
-80 Sun Visors
2
-80 OnStar System
(Option)
2
-81 Accessory Inflator System (Option)
2
-83 Accessory Power Outlets
2
-84 The Instrument Panel -- Your
Information System
2
-88 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
2
-101 Driver Information Center (DIC) (Option)

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Battery Saver
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery, in case you accidentally leave the
interior lamps on. If you leave any interior lamps on
while the ignition is in LOCK or OFF, they will
automatically turn off after 10 minutes. The lamps won't
come back on again until you:

Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY,

turn the interior lamps dial all the way clockwise,
then slightly back counterclockwise; or

open (or close and reopen) a door that is closed.
NOTE: If your vehicle has less than 15 miles (25 km) on
the odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Mirrors
Inside Day/Night Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from lights behind you, pull the lever
toward you (to the night position). To return the mirror
to the day position, push the lever away from you.
Power Remote Control Mirrors
The control on the driver's
door controls both outside
rearview mirrors.
Turn the control counterclockwise to select the driver's
side rearview mirror, or clockwise to select the
passenger's side rearview mirror. Then use the control to
adjust each mirror so that you can just see the side of
your vehicle when you are sitting in a comfortable
driving position.
If you are not adjusting either mirror, leave the control
in the center off position. This prevents moving the
mirrors accidentally once you have them adjusted.

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Both outside mirrors can be folded forward or rearward.
In the rearward position, they will fold almost flush with
the vehicle. This feature is particularly useful in
automatic car washes.
Your mirrors have a blue tint to reduce glare while
driving at night.
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.
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.
Heated Outside Mirrors
The left and right outside mirrors are heated when you
activate the rear window defogger. See ªRear Window
Defoggerº in the Index.
Storage Compartments
Your vehicle's large carrying capacity can store many
items. If you have the extended wheelbase version, you
can carry things as large as a 4
x 8
piece of plywood.
You can also use the floor pins that are used to attach the
seats, to secure larger loads. This section also describes
storage areas for specific items like sunglasses and cups.
Glove Box
Your vehicle has a glove box below the instrument
panel. To open the glove box, lift the latch release. Use
the key to lock or unlock the glove box.
The glove box door has a detent to prevent the door
from lowering too far. Open the glove box until the door
is partway open, then pull the door down if you need it
fully open. To close the glove box, the door must be
pushed up past the detent.
In the door of the glove box, you will find a tissue pack
holder and clip for a pen or pencil.

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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.
Side Ashtrays
To open the ashtray, press the left side and turn it open.
To remove the ashtray for cleaning, press the snuffer as
you lift up the bottom of the ashtray.
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.
Visor Vanity Mirrors
Pull down the sun visor. Flip up the cover to expose the
vanity mirror.
Lighted Visor Vanity Mirrors (If Equipped)
Pull down the sun visor. Flip up the cover to expose the
vanity mirror. The lamps will come on when you open
the cover.
OnStar System
(Option)
OnStar is a vehicle communications service which may
be ordered through your dealer. The following OnStar
services are available 24 hours a day:

Automatic Notification of Front/Side Air Bag
Deployment

Emergency Services

Theft Detection/Notification and Stolen
-Vehicle
Tracking

Remote Door Unlock

Roadside Assistance with Location

Route Support

Convenience Services

Remote Diagnostics

Hands
-Free, Voice-Activated Cellular Telephone
For more information, contact your dealer.

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3-5 Rear Window Defogger
Press the REAR button (the
light will glow) to warm the
defogger grid on the rear
window and to turn on
the heated outside
rearview mirrors.
The system will turn off automatically after about
10 minutes of use. If you turn it on again, the defogger
will operate for about five minutes. You can also turn
the defogger off by turning off the ignition or by
pressing the button again.
Do not attach a temporary vehicle license across the
defogger grid on the rear window.NOTICE:
Don't use a razor blade or something else sharp
on the inside of the rear window. If you do, you
could cut or damage the warming grid, and the
repairs wouldn't be covered by your warranty.
Rear Climate Control (Option)
If you have the optional rear climate control, the rear
seat passengers can control the temperature and the
amount of air directed to the rear of the vehicle. The
amount of air directed to the rear of the vehicle can also
be adjusted using the front control for the rear fan.
Set the main climate control mode knob to LOWER,
DEFOG or DEFROST, when outside temperatures are
cold or moderate, to send air to the rear of the vehicle
through the lower vents.
Set the main climate control mode knob to UPPER or
BI
-LEVEL to send air to the rear of the vehicle through
the headliner outlets.
To send conditioned air to the rear of the vehicle, press
the A/C button (the light will glow) on the main climate
controls. If you do not select A/C, air directed to the rear
of the vehicle will be cabin temperature.

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Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you're awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you're following a larger vehicle. Also,
you won't have adequate space if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.

When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don't
get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
ªrunning startº that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.

If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn't trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
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.

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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
ªoverdrivingº 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 and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.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 ªmirrored surfaceº
-- and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti
-lock brake system (ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.

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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.
Here are some tips on night driving.

Drive defensively.

Don't drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.

Since you can't see as well, you may need to
slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.

Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.

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.