3-11
RPT (6): Press this button once to hear a selection over
again. RPT will appear on the display. The current
selection will continue to repeat. RPT will flash on the
display while the cassette player is searching for the
start of the selection. Your tape must have at least
three seconds of silence between each selection for RPT
to work. Press this button again to turn off repeated play.
OFF will appear on the display.
AM FM: Press this button to play the radio when a
tape is in the player. The tape will stop but remain in
the player.
TAPE: With a cassette tape in the player and the radio
playing, press this button to play a cassette tape. CAS
will appear on the display. Press AM FM to return to the
radio when a cassette tape is playing. The inactive tape
will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.
In order to use a portable CD player adapter or a cassette
tape head cleaner you must disable the TIGHT/LOOSE
TAPE sensor. Press and hold the TAPE button for two
seconds with the radio off and the vehicle on. CAS will
flash on the display showing the TIGHT/LOOSE TAPE
sensor has been disabled. The feature will remain
disabled until the tape is ejected. (EJECT): Press the upward triangle button to
remove a tape. The radio will play. Eject may be
activated with the radio off. Cassette tapes may be
loaded with the radio and vehicle off if this button is
pressed first.
CLN: If this message appears on the display, the
cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play
tapes, but you should clean it as soon as possible to
prevent damage to the tapes and player. See ªCare of
Your Cassette Tape Playerº in the Index. After you clean
the player, press and hold the eject button for five
seconds to reset the CLN indicator. The radio display
will flash
--- to show the indicator was reset.
Radio Calibration
Your audio system has been calibrated for your vehicle
from the factory. If CAL appears on the display it means
that your radio has not been configured properly for
your vehicle and must be returned to the dealership
for service.
3-18
Inserting a CD with the radio off and the ignition on will
start auto play.
When the disc is inserted, the CD symbol will be
displayed. If you select an EQ setting for your CD, it
will be activated each time you play a CD.
As each new track starts to play, the track number will
appear on the display.
If CHECK CD appears on the radio display and the disc
comes out, it could be one of the following:
The road is too rough. The disc should play when the
road is smoother.
The disc is dirty, scratched, wet or upside down.
The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and
try again.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, please contact your dealer. If your radio
displays an error message, write it down and provide it
to your dealer when reporting the problem.
(1): Press and hold this button to advance quickly
within a track. Release it to play the passage. You will
hear sound at a reduced volume. The display will show
elapsed time.RDM (3): Press this button to hear the tracks in random,
rather than sequential, order. RDM and the track number
will appear on the display.
(4): Press and hold this button to reverse quickly
within a track. Release it to play the passage. You will
hear sound at a reduced volume. The display will show
elapsed time.
EQ: Press EQ to select the desired preset equalization
setting while playing a compact disc. The equalization
will be automatically set whenever you play a
compact disc.
SEEK: Press the down arrow while playing a CD
to go to the start of the current track if more than
eight seconds have played. Press the up arrow to go to
the next track. If you hold the button or press it more
than once, the player will continue moving backward or
forward through the disc.
SCAN: Press and hold one of the SEEK arrows for
more than two seconds until SCAN appears on the
display and you hear a beep. Use SCAN to listen to each
selection for a few seconds. The disc will go to the next
selection, stop for a few seconds, then go on to the next
selection. Press this button again to stop scanning. The
sound will mute while scanning. SCAN and the track
number will appear on the display.
3-28
(4): Press and hold this button to reverse quickly
within a track. Release it to play the passage. You will
hear sound at a reduced volume. The display will show
elapsed time.
EQ: Press EQ to select the desired preset equalization
setting while playing a compact disc. The equalization
will be automatically set whenever you play a
compact disc.
SEEK: Press the down arrow while playing a CD to
go to the start of the current track if more than
eight seconds have played. Press the up arrow to go to
the next track. If you hold the button or press it more
than once, the player will continue moving backward
or forward through the disc.
SCAN: Press and hold one of the SEEK arrows for
more than two seconds until SCAN appears on the
display and you hear a beep. Use SCAN to listen to each
selection for a few seconds. The disc will go to the next
selection, stop for a few seconds, then go on to the next
selection. Press this button again to stop scanning. The
sound will mute while scanning. SCAN and the track
number will appear on the display.RCL: Press this button to see how long the current track
has been playing. To change what is normally shown on
the display (track or elapsed time), press the button until
you see the display you want, then hold the button until
the display flashes. While elapsed time is showing,
CD TIME will appear on the display.
AM FM: Press this button to play the radio when a disc
is in the player.
CD TAPE: With a CD in the player and the radio
playing, press this button to play a CD. Press AM FM
to return to the radio when a CD is playing. Press
CD TAPE to switch between the tape and compact disc
if both are loaded. The inactive tape or CD will remain
safely inside the radio for future listening. The display
will show TAPE and CD icons.
(EJECT): Press this button located to the left of the
CD slot to remove the disc. The radio will play. Eject
may be activated with either the ignition or radio off.
CDs may be loaded with the radio and ignition off if
this button is pressed first.
4-7
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you're driving, brake
normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti
-lock brake system will check itself. You
may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that your
brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
If there's a problem with the
anti
-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on.
See ªAnti
-Lock Brake
System Warning Lightº in
the Index.
4-14
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.
4-15
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 is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the Enhanced Traction System, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid.If you do not have the Enhanced Traction System, or if
the system is off, then an acceleration skid is also 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.
4-17
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.
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet
road, you can't stop, accelerate or turn as well because
your tire
-to-road traction isn't as good as on dry roads.
And, if your tires don't have much tread left, you'll get
even less traction. It's always wise to go slower and be
cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The
surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are
tuned for driving on dry pavement.
4-22
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
ªblindº 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.
The exit speed is usually posted.
Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not
to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance
at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going
slower than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you're ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you're not fresh
-- such as after a day's
work
-- don't plan to make too many miles that first part
of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you
can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it's ready to go. If it needs
service, have it done before starting out. Of course,
you'll find experienced and able service experts in
Pontiac dealerships all across North America.
They'll be ready and willing to help if you need it.