2002 BUICK CENTURY Owner's Manual

3-9 Ventilation System
Adjust the direction of
airflow by moving the
vent levers.
Your vehicle's flow
-through ventilation system supplies
outside air into the vehicle when it is moving. Outside
air will also enter the vehicle when the air conditioning
fan is running.
If the airflow seems very low when the fan is adjusted
to the highest setting regardless of the mode setting,
your passenger compartment air filter may need to be
replaced. See ªMaintenance Scheduleº or ªPassenger
Compartment Air Filterº in the Index.Ventilation Tips

Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow or
any other obstruction, such as leaves. The heater and
defroster will work far better, reducing the chance of
fogging the inside of your windows.

When you enter a vehicle in cold weather, adjust the
mode knob or button to FLOOR and the fan to the
highest speed for a few seconds before driving off.
This helps clear the intake ducts of snow and
moisture and reduces the chance of fogging the
inside of your windows.

Keep the air path under the front seats clear
of objects. This helps air to circulate throughout
your vehicle.

For mild outside temperatures, when little heating
or cooling is needed, use VENT to direct outside
air through your vehicle.

3-10
Audio Systems
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and give years of listening pleasure. You will get the
most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with it
first. Find out what your audio system can do and how
to operate all of its controls to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.
Setting the Clock
Press and hold HRS until the correct hour appears. Press
and hold MIN until the correct minute appears.
You may set the clock with the ignition off if you
push RECALL first.
AM-FM Stereo
Playing the Radio
ON/OFF: Press this knob to turn the system on and off.
VOLUME: Turn the knob clockwise to increase
volume. Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.

3-11
RECALL: Push this knob to display the station
being played or to display the clock. To change what is
normally shown on the display (station or time), push
the knob until you see the display you want, then hold
the knob until the display flashes. Push this knob when
the ignition is off, to display the clock.
Finding a Station
AM±FM: Press this button to switch between AM,
FM1 and FM2. The display shows your selection.
TUNE: Turn this knob to choose radio stations.
 SEEK
: Press the right or left arrow to go to
the next or previous station and stay there. The radio
will seek to stations with a strong signal only. The
sound will mute while scanning. The sound will mute
while seeking.
To scan stations, press one of the SEEK arrows for
two seconds, and SCAN will appear on the display.
The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds,
then go on to the next station. Press one of the SEEK
arrows again to stop scanning. The radio will scan to
stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute
while scanning.P SCAN (Preset Scan): Press this button to listen to
each of your preset stations for a few seconds. The radio
will go to the first preset station, play for a few seconds,
then go on to the next preset station. Press P SCAN
again to stop scanning. The radio will scan preset
stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute
while scanning.
Setting Preset Stations
The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to
your favorite stations. You can set up to 18 stations
(six AM, six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the
following steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press the AM±FM button to select the band.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons.
The sound will mute. When it returns, release the
pushbutton. Whenever you press that numbered
pushbutton, the station you set will return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

3-12
Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)
BASS: Press this knob lightly so it extends.
Turn the knob to increase or decrease bass.
TREB (Treble): Press this knob lightly so it extends.
Turn the knob to increase or decrease treble. If a station
is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease the treble.
Push these knobs back into their stored positions when
you're not using them.
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
BAL (Balance): Turn the control behind the upper
knob to move the sound to the left or right speakers.
The middle position balances the sound between
the speakers.
FADE: Turn the control behind the lower knob
to move the sound to the front or rear speakers.
The middle position balances the sound between
the speakers.AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
(If Equipped)
Playing the Radio
ON/OFF: Press this knob to turn the system on and off.
VOLUME: Turn the knob clockwise to increase
volume. Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.

3-13
RECALL: Push this knob to display the station
being played or to display the clock. To change what is
normally shown on the display (station or time), push
the knob until you see the display you want, then hold
the knob until the display flashes. Push this knob when
the ignition is off, to display the clock.
Finding a Station
AM±FM: Push this knob to switch between AM,
FM1 and FM2. The display shows your selection.
TUNE: Turn this knob to choose radio stations.
 SEEK
: Press the right or left arrow to go to the
next or previous station and stay there. The radio will
seek to stations with a strong signal only. The sound
will mute while seeking.
To scan stations, press one of the SEEK arrows for
two seconds, and SCAN will appear on the display.
The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds,
then go on to the next station. Press one of the SEEK
arrows again to stop scanning. The radio will scan to
stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute
while scanning.P SCAN (Preset Scan): Press this button to listen to
each of your preset stations for a few seconds. The radio
will go to the first preset station, play for a few seconds,
then go on to the next preset station. Press P SCAN
again to stop scanning. The radio will scan preset
stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute
while scanning.
Setting Preset Stations
The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to
your favorite stations. You can set up to 18 stations
(six AM, six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the
following steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press the AM FM knob to select the band.
3. Tune in the desired station.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons.
The sound will mute. When it returns, release the
pushbutton. Whenever you press that numbered
pushbutton, the station you set will return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

3-14
Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)
BASS: Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn the
knob to increase or decrease bass.
TREB (Treble): Press this knob lightly so it extends.
Turn the knob to increase or decrease treble. If a station
is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease the treble.
Push these knobs back into their stored positions when
you're not using them.
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
BAL (Balance): Turn the control behind the upper
knob to move the sound to the left or right speakers.
The middle position balances the sound between
the speakers.
FADE: Turn the control behind the lower knob
to move the sound to the front or rear speakers.
The middle position balances the sound between
the speakers.Playing a Cassette Tape
The longer side with the tape visible should face to the
right. If the ignition and the radio are on, the tape can be
inserted and will begin playing. If you hear nothing or
hear a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely.
Press EJECT to remove the tape and start over.
While the tape is playing, use the VOLUME, SEEK,
FADE, BAL, BASS and TREB controls just as you
do for the radio. Other controls may have different
functions when a tape is inserted. The display will show
an arrow to show which side of the tape is playing.
If you want to insert a tape when the ignition or radio
is off, first press EJECT or RECALL. Cassette tape
adapter kits for portable compact disc players will work
in your cassette tape player.
Your tape bias is set automatically.
If an error appears on the display, see ªCassette Tape
Messagesº later in this section.

3-15
1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the
previous selection on the tape. Your tape must have at
least three seconds of silence between each selection for
previous to work. The sound will mute while seeking.
2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next
selection on the tape. Your tape must have at least
three seconds of silence between each selection for
next to work. The sound will mute while seeking.
3
 (Reverse): Press this pushbutton to reverse the
tape rapidly. Press it again to return to playing speed.
The radio will play while the tape reverses.
4


(Forward): Press this pushbutton to advance
quickly to another part of the tape. Press it again to
return to playing speed. The radio will play while the
tape advances.
5 SIDE: Press this pushbutton to change the side of
the tape that is playing.6
(Dolby): Press this pushbutton to reduce
background noise. The display will show either OFF
or ON for a few seconds when you press the button.
Dolby Noise Reduction is manufactured under a
license from Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.
Dolby and the double
-D symbol are trademarks of
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.
 SEEK
: Press the left or right arrow to go to
the previous or next selection on the tape. Your tape
must have at least three seconds of silence between
each selection for seek to work. The sound will mute
while seeking.
EJECT: Press this button to stop a tape when it is
playing and to remove a tape when it is not playing.
Eject may be activated with the radio off.

3-16
Cassette Tape Messages
If an E and a number appears on the display while trying
to play a cassette tape, it could be for one of the
following reasons:

E10: The tape is tight and the player can't turn
the tape hubs. Remove the tape. Hold the tape with
the open end down and try to turn the right hub
counterclockwise with a pencil. Turn the tape over
and repeat. If the hubs do not turn easily, your tape
may be damaged and should not be used in the
player. Try a new tape to make sure your player is
working properly.

E11: The tape is broken. Try a new tape.
CLN (Clean): 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.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error number, write it down and provide it to your dealer
when reporting the problem.AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
and Automatic Tone Control (If Equipped)
Standard Radio --- Monsoon Not Shown
Your vehicle may be equipped with a Concert Sound III
sound system, which includes eight speakers and an
eight channel, 200 watt amplifier.