2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Owners Manual

Compact Disc Messages
If the disc comes out, it could be for one of the following
reasons:
·You're driving on a very rough road. When the road
becomes smoother, the disc should play.
·It's very hot. When the temperature returns to
normal, the disc should play.
·The disc is dirty, scratched, wet or upside down.
·It is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and
try again.
·There may have been a problem while burning
the CD.
·The label may be caught in the CD player.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, contact your dealer.
Personal Choice Radio Controls
This feature enables two drivers to store and recall
personal settings for radio presets, last tuned station,
volume, tone and audio source (radio, or CD).
The numbers (1 or 2) found on the back of the
remote keyless entry transmitter correspond to the
drivers (1 or 2).
To recall audio sources, press the UNLOCK button on
the remote keyless entry transmitter and turn the ignition
on. The radio settings will automatically adjust to
where they were last set by the identi®ed driver (1 or 2).
To program this feature, do the following:
1. Press the UNLOCK button on the remote keyless
entry transmitter for the identi®ed driver (1 or 2).
2. Turn the ignition on.
3. Set all radio preferences. For more information see
ªSetting Preset Stationsº and ªSetting the Toneº
listed for your particular radio.
Follow these steps each time you want to change the
stored settings.
All vehicles are shipped with this feature on. This
feature can be disabled by your dealer if desired.
3-75

Theft-Deterrent Feature
(Non RDS Radios)
THEFTLOCKžis designed to discourage theft of your
radio. The feature works automatically by learning
a portion of the Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN). If
the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not
operate and LOC will be displayed.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that THEFTLOCK is armed.
With THEFTLOCK activated, your radio will not operate
if stolen.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
(RDS Radios)
THEFTLOCKžis designed to discourage theft of your
radio. The feature works automatically by learning
a portion of the Vehicle Identi®cation Number (VIN). If
the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not
operate and LOCKED will be displayed.
When the ignition is off and RAP is not active, the
blinking red light indicates that THEFTLOCK is armed.
With THEFTLOCK activated, your radio will not
operate if stolen.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
XMŸ Satellite Radio Service
(USA Only)
XMŸ Satellite Radio gives you digital radio reception
from coast to coast. Just as with FM, tall buildings
or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals, causing
the sound to come and go. Your radio may display
NO SIGNAL to indicate interference.
3-76

Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If they aren't, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN to
indicate that you have used your tape player for
50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If this
message appears on the display, your 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 your tapes and player. If you notice
a reduction in sound quality, try a known good
cassette to see if the tape or the tape player is at fault.
If this other cassette has no improvement in sound
quality, clean the tape player.
For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive
cleaning cassette with pads which scrub the tape
head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The
recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealership.The broken tape detection feature of your cassette tape
player may identify the cleaning cassette as a
damaged tape, in error. To prevent the cleaning cassette
from being ejected, use the following steps:
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Press and hold the TAPE CD button for ®ve
seconds. READY will appear on the display and a
cassette symbol will ¯ash for ®ve seconds.
4. Insert the scrubbing action cleaning cassette.
5. Eject the cleaning cassette after the manufacturer's
recommended cleaning time.
After the cleaning cassette is ejected, the broken tape
detection feature will be active again.
You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to
clean the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will
not eject on its own. A non-scrubbing action cleaner
may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type
cleaner. The use of a non-scrubbing action, dry-type
cleaning cassette is not recommended.
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After you clean the player, press and hold the EJT
button for ®ve seconds to reset the CLEAN indicator.
The radio will display CLEANED to show the indicator
was reset.
Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality
may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette
tape is in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.
Care of Your CDs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen
a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution
and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the side without writing when
handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer
edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your CD Player
The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to
the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics
with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The ®xed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged. If the mast should ever
become slightly bent, you can straighten it out by hand.
If the mast is badly bent, as it might be by vandals,
you should replace it.
Check occasionally to be sure the mast is still tightened
to the fender. If tightening is required, tighten by
hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn.
3-78

XMŸ Satellite Radio Antenna
System (United States Only)
Your XMŸ Satellite Radio antenna is located on the
roof of your vehicle. Keep this antenna clear of
snow and ice build up for clear radio reception.
The performance of your XM system may be affected if
your sunroof is open.
Chime Level Adjustment
Chime level adjustment is only available on RDS radios.
The radio is the vehicle chime producer. The chime is
produced from the driver's side front door speakers.
To change the volume level, press and hold
pushbutton 6 with the ignition on and the radio power
off. The chime volume level will change from the normal
level to loud, and LOUD will be displayed on the
radio. To change back to the default or normal setting,
press and hold pushbutton 6 again. The chime level
will change from the loud level to normal, and NORMAL
will be displayed. Each time the chime volume is
changed, three chimes will sound as an example of the
new volume selected. Removing the radio and not
replacing it with a factory radio or chime module will
disable vehicle chimes.
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-NOTES
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Enhanced Traction System (ETS).....................4-8
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-12
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Driving at Night............................................4-15
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-16
City Driving..................................................4-19Freeway Driving...........................................4-20
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-21
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-22
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-22
Winter Driving..............................................4-24
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-29
Towing..........................................................4-30
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-30
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-30
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-32
Towing a Trailer (Automatic Transaxle)............4-34
Towing a Trailer (Manual Transaxle)................4-40
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. See
Safety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-9.
Defensive driving really means ªbe ready for anything.º
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
ªalways expect the unexpected.º
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It's the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know when
the vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn
suddenly.Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving
task Ð such as concentrating on a cellular telephone call,
reading, or reaching for something on the ¯oor Ð makes
proper defensive driving more difficult and can even
cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to
help do things like this, or pull off the road in a safe place
to do them yourself. These simple defensive driving
techniques could save your life.Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It's the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
·Judgment
·Muscular Coordination
·Vision
·Attentiveness.
4-2