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2-36
Tilt Wheel
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise it to the highest level to give your
legs more room when you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever. Move the steering wheel to a comfortable level,
then release the lever to lock the wheel into place.
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
Turn Signal and Lane Change Signals
Headlamp High/Low
-Beam Changer
Flash
-To-Pass Feature
Windshield Wipers and Washer
Cruise Control
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2-38 Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high beam
or high beam to low beam, pull the turn signal lever
toward you. Then release it.
When the high beams
are on, this light on the
instrument panel will
also be on.
Flash-To-Pass Feature
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass. It
works even if your headlamps are off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you a little,
but not so far that you hear a click.
If your headlamps are off or on low beam, your
high
-beam headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high
-beam indicator on the dash will come on. Release
the lever to turn the high
-beam headlamps off.
Windshield Wipers
The windshield wipers are controlled by turning the
band marked WIPER.
For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to MIST. Hold
it there until the wipers start, then let go. The wipers will
stop after one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the
band on MIST longer.
For steady wiping at low speed, turn the band away
from you to the LO position. For high
-speed wiping turn
the band further, to HI. To stop the wipers, turn the band
to OFF.
Page 103 of 392

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2-43 Lamps On Reminder
If you open the driver's door while leaving the
headlamps or parking lamps on and the key is removed
from the ignition, you will hear a warning chime.
Daytime Running Lamps
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
a reduced brightness when:
The ignition is on,
The headlamp switch is off and
The transaxle is not in PARK (P).When the DRL are on, only your low
-beam headlamps
will be on. The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps
won't be on. Your instrument panel won't be
lighted either.
When it's dark enough outside, your low
-beam
headlamps will change to full brightness. The other
lamps that come on with your headlamps will also come
on. When it's bright enough outside, the regular lamps
will go 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).
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2-44
At night, you can turn off
all exterior lamps when you
are in PARK (P) by turning
the twilight sentinel knob
all the way to MIN.
If it was on MIN, turn the knob clockwise to turn it on,
then back to MIN. The lamps will come back on when
you put the transaxle in gear.
Twilight sentinel will keep your headlamps on for up
to three minutes, to light your way when you leave
your vehicle.
See ªTwilight Sentinelº in the Index to learn how to
operate this feature.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.Fog Lamps
The fog lamps switch is
in the front of the front
reading lamps.
An indicator light in the switch will glow when the fog
lamps are on. Your low
-beam headlamps or parking
lamps must be on for your fog lamps to work.
If your fog lamps are on when you use your
flash
-to-pass feature, the fog lamps will be disabled
while the flash
-to-pass feature is being used.
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2-77 Boost Gage (Option)
Vehicles equipped with the supercharged engine have
this boost gage that indicates vacuum during light to
moderate throttle and boost under heavier throttle. The
gage displays the air pressure level in psi going into the
engine's combustion chamber.
The gage is automatically centered at zero psi every
time the engine is started. Actual vacuum or boost is
displayed from this zero point. Changes in ambient
pressure, such as driving in mountains and changing
weather, will slightly change the zero reading.
Head-Up Display (Option)
CAUTION:
If the HUD image is too bright, or too high in
your field of view, it may take you more time to
see things you need to see when it's dark outside.
Be sure to keep the HUD image dim and placed
low in your field of view.
If you have the optional Head-Up Display (HUD), you
can see some of the driver information also available on
your instrument panel cluster. The information may be
displayed in English or metric units and appears as a
reflection on the windshield. The HUD shows:
Speedometer reading
Turn signal indicators
High
-beam indicator symbol
CHECK GAGES message (for low oil pressure, high
coolant temperature, low oil level and low fuel)
Low fuel warning symbol
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2-81
FUNCTION MONITOR: This lets you know if
you are low on fluids or have a problem with a
vehicle function:
CHECK OIL LEVEL: This message could mean
your oil level is low. If it comes on for more than
three seconds, see ªCheck Oil Level Warning Lightº
in the Index.
WASHER FLUID: This message means your
washer fluid tank is less than about 30 percent full.
The windshield portion of the vehicle outline will
also glow. If these come on, see ªWindshield Washer
Fluidº in the Index.
LOW COOLANT: This message means your
coolant level has fallen to about half full. If it comes
on, see ªEngine Coolantº in the Index.
CHECK GAGES: If this light comes on and stays
on while you are driving, check your gages for fuel,
coolant temperature, oil pressure or battery voltage.
SECURITY MONITOR: The vehicle outline will
illuminate to let you know the following information:
DOOR AJAR: This message means a door is not
fully closed. The vehicle outline will show you
which door it is.TRUNK AJAR: This message appears if the trunk is
not fully closed. The vehicle outline will illuminate.
HOOD AJAR: This message appears if the hood is
not fully closed. The vehicle outline will illuminate
if the hood is not latched properly.
LAMP MONITOR: Whenever you try to use one of
the following lamps, the LAMP MONITOR will tell you
if a bulb is out.
Headlamp (Low and High Beam)
Parking Lamp/Sidemarker
Turn Signal/Parking/Stop
Back
-Up Lamp
Taillamp/Turn/Sidemarker/License
Brake Lamp and Center High
-Mounted Stoplamp
If a bulb is out, you will see a message, such as PARK
LAMP, and you will also see where the problem is on
the vehicle outline. The message stays on until the
problem is fixed. See ªReplacement Bulbsº in the Index
for bulb details.
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2-82
If a burned-out bulb is replaced, the warning light will
stay on until the bulb is used.
Message Bulbs Monitored
Hi Beam Lamp Both Headlamp High Beams
Head Lamp Both Headlamp Low Beams
Park Lamp 2 Front Park
Right Sidemarker
Left Sidemarker
Turn Signal 1 Front Left Turn/Park
1 Front Right Turn/Park
1 Rear Left Turn
1 Rear Right Turn
Back Up 2 Back
-Up Lamps
Tail 4 Tail Only
4 Stop/Tail
2 License Plate
1 Right Rear Sidemarker
1 Left Rear Sidemarker
Brake Lamp 4 Rear Stop/Tail/Turn
1 Center High
-Mounted Stop
Electronic Compass (Option)
Some vehicles are equipped with an electronic compass.
As with all compasses, this unit senses the earth's
magnetic field to show the direction the car is pointing.
Page 194 of 392

First Edition for Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual ± 1999
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4-16
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.
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.