2003 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE belt

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and find
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems by braking
- if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room.
That’s the time for evasive action
- steering around
the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes.
See
Braking on page 4-6. It is better to remove as
much speed as you can from a possible collision.
Then steer around the problem, to the left or right
depending on the space available. An emergency
like this requires close attention and
a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel
at the recommended
9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn
it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
.~
nirlnd +ho nhinnt U” VlUVU L, I” “U,VVL.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
4-1 3

When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal down
while you:
start your engine,
* shift into a gear, and
* release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the
chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when you’re
pulling a trailer. See the Maintenance Schedule for more
on this. Things that are especially important in trailer
operation are automatic transaxle fluid (don’t overfill),
engine
oil, belts, cooling system and brake system.
Each of these is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you find them quickly.
If you’re trailering,
it’s a good idea to review these sections before you
start your trip.
Check periodically
to see that all hitch nuts and bolts
are tight.
Trailer Wiring Harness
Your vehicle has a trailer wiring harness located at the
rear of your vehicle.
To use the trailer wiring harness
you need a converter kit. Contact your dealer for more
information.
4-43

Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
Appearance Care ............................................ 5.87
Care of Safety Belts ...................................... 5-90
Weatherstrips
............................................... 5-90
Sheet Metal Damage
..................................... 5.92
Finish Damage
............................................. 5.92
Underbody Maintenance
................................ 5.93
Chemical Paint Spotting
................................. 5.93
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
........... 5.93
Cleaning
the Inside
of Your Vehicle ................. 5-87
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle ................. 5-90 Vehicle
Identification
........................ ...... 5.95
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
... ...... 5.95
Service Parts Identification Label
... ...... 5.95
Electrical System
.......................... .......... 5.96
Add-on Electrical Equipment
...................... 5.96
Headlamp Wiring
.......................................... 5.96
Windshield Wiper Fuses
................................ 5.96
Power Windows and Other Power Options
....... 5.96
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
............................ 5.96
Capacities and Specifications
........................ 5.103
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......... 5.105
5-2

Buying New Tires
To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Certificationflire label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had a
Tire Petformance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread design,
the TPC number will be followed by an
“MS” (for mud
and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same
size, load range, speed rating and construction type
(bias, bias-belted or radial) as your original tires. Mixing tires coul-.
Lause you to lose control
while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you
could have a crash. Using tires
of different
sizes may also cause damage to your vehicle.
Be sure to use the same size and type tires on
all wheels. It’s
all right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily,
it was developed
for use on your vehicle. See “Compact Spare
Tire”
in the index.
If you use bias-ply
1 1s on your vehicle, the
wheel rim flanges could develop cracks after
many miles
of driving. A tire and/or wheel
could fail suddenly, causing
a crash. Use only
radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
5-64

Care of Safety Belts
Keep belts clean and dry.
Do not bleach or dye safety belts. If you do,
it may severely weaken them. In a crash,
they might not be able to provide adequate
protection. Clean safety belts only with mild
soap and lukewarm water.
Weatherstrips
Silicone grease on weatherstrips will make them last
longer, seal better, and not stick or squeak. Apply
silicone grease with a clean cloth at least every six
months. During very cold, damp weather more frequent
application may be required. See
Part D: Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page
6- 16.
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
The paint finish on your vehicle provides beauty, depth
of color, gloss retention and durability.
Washing Your Vehicle
The best way to preserve your vehicle’s finish is to keep it
clean by washing it often with lukewarm or cold water.
Don’t wash your vehicle in the direct rays of the sun.
Use a car washing soap. Don’t use strong soaps or
chemical detergents. Be sure to rinse the vehicle well,
removing all soap residue completely. You can get
GM-approved cleaning products from your dealer.
See GM
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials on
page 5-93. Don’t use cleaning agents that are petroleum
based, or that contain acid or abrasives.
All cleaning
agents should be flushed promptly and not allowed
to dry
on the surface, or they could stain. Dry the finish with a
soft, clean chamois or an all-cotton towel
to avoid surface
scratches and water spotting.
Before you enter an automatic car wash,
if your vehicle
is equipped with the optional power sliding door, be
sure to have the switch for the power sliding door
override feature enabled. See
Power Sliding Door (PSD)
on page 2- 16.
High pressure car washes may cause water to enter
your vehicle.
5-90

100,000 Miles (166 000 km)
0 Inspect spark plug wires. An Emission Control
0 Replace spark plugs. An Emission Control Service.
Service.
0 Change automatic transaxle
fluid and filter if the
vehicle is mainly driven under one or more of
these conditions:
- In heavy city traffic where the outside
temperature regularly reaches
90°F (32°C)
or higher.
- In hilly or mountainous terrain.
- When doing frequent trailer towing.
- Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery
service.
0 If you haven’t used your vehicle under severe service
conditions listed previously and, therefore, haven’t
changed your automatic transaxle fluid, change both
the fluid and filter.
150,000 Miles (240 000 km)
U Drain, flush and refill cooling system (or every
60 months since last service, whichever occurs first).
See
Engine Coolant on page 5-23 for what to use.
Inspect hoses. Clean radiator, condenser, pressure
cap and neck. Pressure test the cooling system
and pressure cap.
An Emission Control Service.
0 Inspect engine accessory drive belt. An Emission
Control Service.
6-9

Part B: Owner Checks and Services
Listed in this part are owner checks and services
which should be performed at the intervals specified to
help ensure the safety, dependability and emission
control performance of your vehicle.
Be sure any necessary repairs are completed at once.
Whenever any fluids or lubricants are added to your
vehicle, make sure they are the proper ones, as shown
in Part D.
At Each Fuel Fill
It is important for you or a service station attendant to
perform these underhood checks at each fuel fill.
Engine Oil Level Check
Check the engine oil level and add the proper oil if
necessary. See Engine Oil on page 5-14 for further
details.
Engine Coolant Level Check
Check the engine coolant level and add DEX-COOL@
coolant mixture
if necessary. See Engine Coolant
on page 5-23
for further details.
Windshield Washer Fluid Level Check
Check the windshield washer fluid level in the windshield
washer tank and add the proper fluid
if necessary. See
Windshield Washer Fluid on page 5-38 for further details.
At Least Once a Month
Tire Inflation Check
Make sure tries are inflated to the correct pressures.
Don’t forget to check your spare tire. See
Tires on
page 5-60
for further details.
Cassette Tape Player Service
Clean cassette tape player. Cleaning should be done
every
50 hours of tape play. See Audio Systern(s)
on page 3-63 for further details.
At Least Twice a Year
Restraint System Check
:s , Make sure the safety belt reminder light and all your bell
buckles, latch plates, retractors and anchorages are
working properly. Look for any other loose or damaged
safety belt system parts.
If you see anything that might
keep a safety belt system from doing its
job, have it
repaired. Have any torn or frayed safety belts replaced.
6-1 0

Accessory Inflator ........................................... 5-68
Accessory Power Outlets
................................. 3-24
Adding Washer Fluid
....................................... 5-38
Additional Program Information
........................... 7-8
Additives, Fuel
..................... ,... . ......... 5-6
Add-on Electrical Equipment
................. ... 5-96
Adjusting the Captain's Chairs
(Second Row)
............................................. 1-13
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
............................ 3-66, 3-73, 3-82
Air Bag Readiness Light
.......................................... 3-43
Air Bag Systems
............................................. 1-69
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
......... 1-76
What Will You See After an
How Does
ari Air Bag Restrain? .................... 1-74
What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?
.................... 1-74
Air Bag Inflates?
...................................... 1-74
When Should an Air Bag Inflate?
................... 1-73
Where Are the Air Bags?
.............................. 1-71
~II 'clttmIw/t-lller, Eflyirle ................................. 5- IS
All Overseas Locations ....... ........................ 7-4
A: . nr- ~ . . I~.ER
All-Wheel Drive ............................................... 5-86
All-Wheel Drive
............................................... 5-50
All-Wheel Drive Disable Warning Message .......... 3-59
All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) System
......................... 4-1 1
Aluminum Wheels ........................................... 5-92 AM
............................................................. 3-103
Antenna, Fixed Mast
...................................... 3-105
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
............................ 4-7
Anti-Lock Brake, System Warning Light
.............. 3-45
Appearance Care
............................................ 5-87
Care
of Safety Belts .................................... 5-90
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
................ 5-87
Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle
.............. 5-90
Finish Damage
............................................ 5-92
Chemical Paint Spotting
............................... 5-93
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
.......... 5-93
Sheet Metal Damage
................................... 5-92
Underbody Maintenance
............................... 5-93
Weatherstrips
.............................................. 5-90
Theft-Deterrent System
............. ......... 2-70
Arming and Disarming the Content
Arming Confirmation
.................... ............ 2-28
Arming with the Power Lock Switch
... ......... 2-27
Arming with the Remote Keyless Entry
Transmitter
................................................. 2-28
Arming with Your Key
...................................... 2-28
Audio Speakers
.............................................. 3-93
hdl0 System(s) ............................................. 3-63
Audio Systems
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
.................... 3-102
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
............... 3-103
Care of Your CD and DVD Player
................ 3-104
Care
of Your CDs and DVDs ....................... 3-104
Fixed Mast Antenna
................. ... 3-105