2000 BUICK CENTURY ignition

2-43 Illuminated Entry
Your courtesy lamps will come on and stay on for a set
time whenever you press UNLOCK on the remote
keyless entry transmitter.
If you open a door, the lamps will stay on while it's open
and then turn off automatically about 25 seconds after
you close it. If you press UNLOCK and don't open a
door, the lamps will turn off after about 40 seconds.
Illuminated entry includes a feature called theater
dimming. With theater dimming, the lamps don't just
turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead, they slowly
dim after the delay time until they go out. The delay
time is canceled if you turn the ignition key to RUN or
START, so the lamps will dim right away.
When the ignition is on, illuminated entry is inactive,
which means the courtesy lamps won't come on unless a
door is opened.
Delayed Entry Lighting
Delayed entry lighting lights your vehicle's interior for a
period of time after all the doors have been closed.The ignition must be off for delayed entry lighting to
work. Just after all the doors have been closed, the delayed
entry lighting feature will continue to work until:

The ignition is in RUN, or

the doors are locked or

an illumination period of 25 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened, the
timed illumination period will be canceled and the
interior lamps will remain on since a door is open.
Delayed Exit Lighting
This feature illuminates your vehicle's interior for a
period of time after the ignition key is removed from
the ignition.
The vehicle's ignition must be off for delayed exit
lighting to work. When the ignition key is removed,
interior illumination will activate and remain on until:

The ignition is in RUN, or

the power door locks are activated or

an illumination period of 25 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened, the
timed illumination period will be canceled and the
interior lamps will remain on since a door is open.

2-44 Rearview Mirror Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are located on the underside of the
rearview mirror.
Use the switch next to each lamp to turn them on
and off.
Dome Lamp (If Equipped)
The dome lamp will come on when you open the doors.
Battery Rundown Protection
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery in case you accidentally leave the
interior courtesy lamps, reading/map lamps, visor vanity
lamps, trunk lamp, underhood lamp or glove box lamps
on. If you leave any of these lamps on, they will
automatically turn off after 20 minutes, if the ignition is
in OFF. The lamps won't come back on again until you:

Turn the ignition on,

turn the lamp switch off, then on, or

open a door.
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.
Retained Accessory Power (If Equipped)
With retained accessory power, your power windows,
audio system and sunroof will continue to work up to
10 minutes after the ignition key is turned to OFF and
before any of the doors are opened.
Mirrors
Adjust all the mirrors so you can see clearly when you
are sitting in a comfortable driving position.

2-50
Convenience Services

Remote Door Unlock

Route Support

Concierge Services

Ride Assist
A complete user's guide is provided with the OnStar
System. For more information contact OnStar
at 1
-888-ONSTAR7.
Sunroof (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with an express-open
sunroof. It includes a sliding glass panel and a one
-piece
sunshade. The control switch works only when the
ignition or retained accessory power is on. See
ªRetained Accessory Powerº in the Index. The control
switch is located overhead on the headliner.
To open the sunroof, push the rear (indented part) of
the switch once and the sunroof will open to the vent
position only. You will need to open the sunshade
by hand.
Push the rear of the switch a second time and the
sunroof and sunshade will will open by themselves.
This is the express
-open feature.
To close the sunroof, push and hold the front of the
switch until the sunroof motor stops. The sunshade can
only be closed by hand.

2-55
CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the air bag system
may not be working properly. The air bags in
your vehicle may not inflate in a crash, or they
could even inflate without a crash. To help avoid
injury to yourself or others, have your vehicle
serviced right away if the air bag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Charging System Light
The charging system light
will come on briefly when
you turn on the ignition, as
a check to show you it's
working. Then it should
go out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the charging system. It could
indicate that you have a loose accessory belt or another
electrical problem. Have it checked right away. Driving
while this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.

2-56 Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle's hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn't working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
United States Canada
This light should come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key to RUN. If it doesn't come on then,
have it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there's
a problem.If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. (See ªTowing Your Vehicleº
in the Index.)
CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you've
pulled off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on if your parking brake doesn't release
fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.

2-57 Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
United States Canada
The anti
-lock brake system warning light should come on
for a few seconds when you turn the ignition key to RUN.
If the anti
-lock brake system warning light stays on longer
than normal after you've started your engine, turn the
ignition off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on when
you're driving, stop as soon as possible and turn the
ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again while
you're driving, the anti
-lock brake system needs service
and you don't have anti
-lock brakes. The brake pedal may
be harder to push, or it may go to the floor. It may take
longer to stop. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The anti
-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light
(3100 V6 Engine)
The Enhanced Traction System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:

If you turn the system off by shifting to
SECOND (2) or FIRST (1), the warning light will
come on and stay on. To turn the system back on,
shift to THIRD (3) or AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (
). See ªEnhanced Traction
Systemº in the Index.

If the Enhanced Traction System warning light
comes on and stays on for an extended period of
time when the system is turned on, your vehicle
needs service. Adjust your driving accordingly.

2-58

The warning light will come on when you set your
parking brake with the engine running, and it will
stay on if your parking brake doesn't release fully.
If the transaxle shift lever is in any position other
than FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) and the warning
light stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means there's a problem with the system.

If the traction control system is affected by an
engine
-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
Enhanced Traction System Active Light
The light will come on when your Enhanced Traction
System is limiting wheel spin. You may feel or hear the
system working, but this is normal. Slippery road
conditions may exist if this light comes on, so adjust
your driving accordingly.
Low Traction Light
If you have the Enhanced Traction System, this light
will also come on when the system is limiting wheel
spin. You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal. Slippery road conditions may exist if the
low traction light comes on, so adjust your driving
accordingly. The light will stay on for a few seconds
after the Enhanced Traction System stops limiting wheel
spin. See ªEnhanced Traction Systemº in the Index.
The low traction light also comes on briefly when you
turn the ignition key to RUN. If the light doesn't come
on then, have it fixed so it will be there to tell you when
the Enhanced Traction System is active.

2-59 Engine Coolant Temperature Light
This light tells you that
your engine coolant has
overheated or your radiator
cooling fan is not working.
The light will come on briefly when your ignition is
turned on to show you that it is working.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
See ªEngine Overheatingº in the Index.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
You have a gage that
shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer
moves into the red
area, your engine is
too hot!
That reading means the same thing as the warning light.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop
your vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
See ªEngine Overheatingº in the Index.