2004 BUICK CENTURY phone

Luxury and Leisure Plan

All Directions and Connections Plan services
Personal Concierge
OnStar®Personal Calling
With OnStar®Personal Calling, you have a safer way to
stay connected while driving. It’s a hands-free wireless
phone that’s integrated into your vehicle. You can place
calls nationwide using voice-activated dialing with no
contracts and no additional roaming charges. To nd out
more about OnStar
®Personal Calling, refer to the
OnStar®user’s guide in your vehicle’s glove box, or call
OnStar®at 1-888-4-ONSTAR (1-888-466-7827).
OnStar®Virtual Advisor
With OnStar®Virtual Advisor you can listen to the news,
entertainment and informative topics, such as traffic
and weather reports. You are able to listen and reply to
your e-mail through your vehicle’s speakers.
Storage Areas
Glove Box
Use the door key to lock and unlock the glove box.
To open the glove box, lift the latch on its door.
Front Storage Area
To use the storage area, fold down the armrest located
in the center front seat. Press the latch on the front
edge and pull up to access the storage area.
2-34

Accessory Power Outlets
The accessory power outlets enable power electrical
equipment such as a cellular telephone or a CB radio
to be used inside the vehicle.
The vehicle is equipped with a 12-volt outlet. It is
located on the console, near the oor on the
passenger’s side. Open the cover to use the outlet. Be
sure to close the cover when the outlet is not in use.
Notice:Adding any electrical equipment to
your vehicle may damage it or keep other
components from working as they should. The
repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Check with your dealer before adding electrical
equipment.
Certain power accessory plugs may not be compatible
to the power accessory outlet and could result in
blown vehicle or adapter fuses. If you experience a
problem, see your dealer.
Notice:Improper use of the power outlet can cause
damage not covered by your warranty. Do not
hang any type of accessory or accessory bracket
from the plug because the power outlets are
designed for accessory power plugs only.
Notice:Leaving electrical equipment on for
extended periods will drain the battery.Always turn off electrical equipment when not in
use and do not plug in equipment that exceeds the
maximum amperage rating.
When adding electrical equipment, be sure to follow the
proper installation instructions included with the
equipment.
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
The center front ashtray is located below the instrument
panel comfort controls.
To remove the ashtray, open the storage door. Then
open the ashtray lid, lift up and pull it out.
Notice:Holding a cigarette lighter in while it is
heating will not allow the lighter to back away from
the heating element when it is hot. Damage from
overheating may occur to the lighter or heating
element, or a fuse could be blown. Do not hold a
cigarette lighter in while it is heating.
Push the lighter to use it. When the heating element is
hot, the lighter will pop back out by itself.
Notice:If you put papers or other ammable items
in the ashtray, hot cigarettes or other smoking
materials could ignite them and possibly damage
your vehicle. Never put ammable items in the
ashtray.
3-17

Low Fuel Warning Light
If the vehicle’s fuel is low, a circular light on the
instrument panel cluster will come on and a chime will
sound periodically until fuel is added to the fuel tank.
It will also come on for a few seconds when the ignition
is turned on as a check to indicate it is working. If it
does not come on then, have it xed.
Audio System(s)
Notice:Before you add any sound equipment to
your vehicle – like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio – be sure you can
add what you want. If you can, it’s very important to
do it properly. Added sound equipment may
interfere with the operation of your vehicle’s engine,
radio or other systems, and even damage them.
Your vehicle’s systems may interfere with the
operation of sound equipment that has been added
improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and to give years of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with
it rst. Figure out which radio you have in your vehicle,
nd 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.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, you can play your audio
system even after the ignition is turned off. See
“Retained Accessory Power (RAP)” underIgnition
Positions on page 2-19. United States
Canada
3-44

RDS Messages
ALERT!:Alert warns of local or national emergencies.
When an alert announcement comes on the current
radio station, ALERT! will appear on the display. You will
hear the announcement, even if the volume is muted
or a CD is playing. If a CD is playing, play will stop
during the announcement. You will not be able to turn
off alert announcements.
ALERT! will not be affected by tests of the emergency
broadcast system. This feature is not supported by
all RDS stations.
INFO (Information):If the current station has a
message, INFO will appear on the display. Press this
button to see the message. The message may display
the artist, song title, call in phone numbers, etc.
If the whole message is not displayed, parts of the
message will appear every three seconds. To scroll
through the message at your own speed, press
the INFO button repeatedly. A new group of words will
appear on the display with each press. Once the
complete message has been displayed, INFO will
disappear from the display until another new message
is received. The old message can be displayed by
pressing the INFO button. You can view an old message
until a new message is received or a different station
is tuned to.TRAF (Traffic):If TRAF appears on the display, the
tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements.
To receive the traffic announcement from the tuned
station, press this button. Brackets will be displayed
around TRAF and when a traffic announcement comes
on the tuned radio station you will hear it.
If the current tuned station does not broadcast traffic
announcements, press the TRAF button and the
radio will seek to a station that does. When the radio
nds a station that broadcasts traffic announcements,
the radio will stop and brackets will be displayed around
TRAF. When a traffic announcement comes on the
tuned radio station you will hear it. If no station is found,
NO TRAFFIC will appear on the display.
If the brackets are on the display and TRAF is not,
you can then press the TRAF button to remove
the brackets or use the TUNE knob or the SEEK arrows
to go to a station that supports traffic announcements.
If no station is found, NO TRAFFIC will appear on
the display.
Your radio will play the traffic announcements even if
the volume is low. Your radio will interrupt the play of a
cassette tape or CD if the last tuned station broadcasts
traffic announcements.
3-50

RDS Messages
ALERT!:Alert warns of local or national emergencies.
When an alert announcement comes on the current
radio station, ALERT! will appear on the display. You will
hear the announcement, even if the volume is muted
or a cassette tape or CD is playing. If a cassette tape or
CD is playing, play will stop during the announcement.
You will not be able to turn off alert announcements.
ALERT! will not be affected by tests of the emergency
broadcast system. This feature is not supported by
all RDS stations.
INFO (Information):If the current station has a
message, INFO will appear on the display. Press this
button to see the message. The message may display
the artist, song title, call in phone numbers, etc.
If the whole message is not displayed, parts of the
message will appear every three seconds. To scroll
through the message at your own speed, press
the INFO button repeatedly. A new group of words will
appear on the display with each press. Once the
complete message has been displayed, INFO will
disappear from the display until another new message
is received. The old message can be displayed by
pressing the INFO button. You can view and old
message until a new message is received or a different
station is tuned to.TRAF (Traffic):If TRAF appears on the display, the
tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements.
To receive the traffic announcement from the tuned
station, press this button. Brackets will be displayed
around TRAF and when a traffic announcement comes
on the tuned radio station you will hear it.
If the current tuned station does not broadcast traffic
announcements, press the TRAF button and the
radio will seek to a station that does. When the radio
nds a station that broadcasts traffic announcements,
the radio will stop and brackets will be displayed around
TRAF. When a traffic announcement comes on the
tuned radio station you will hear it. If no station is found,
NO TRAFFIC will appear on the display.
If the brackets are on the display and TRAF is not, you
can then press the TRAF button to remove the
brackets or use the TUNE knob or the SEEK arrows to
go to a station that supports traffic announcements.
If no station is found, NO TRAFFIC will appear on the
display.
Your radio will play the traffic announcements even if
the volume is low. Your radio will interrupt the play of a
cassette tape or CD if the last tuned station broadcasts
traffic announcements.
3-57

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. SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-6.
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
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 is 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 — such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something onthe oor — 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 is 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.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
4-2

Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and
you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see reections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops “dimple” the water’s surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine’s air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle.
If you can not avoid deep puddles or standing water,
drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong
forces. If you try to drive through owing
water, as you might at a low water crossing,
your vehicle can be carried away. As little as
six inches of owing water can carry away
a smaller vehicle. If this happens, you and
other vehicle occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warning signs, and otherwise be
very cautious about trying to drive through
owing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth.
SeeTires on page 5-57.
4-19

Customer Assistance and Information...............7-2
Customer Satisfaction Procedure......................7-2
Online Owner Center......................................7-3
Customer Assistance for Text
Telephone (TTY) Users................................7-4
Customer Assistance Offices............................7-4
GM Mobility Program for Persons
with Disabilities...........................................7-5
Roadside Assistance Program..........................7-5
Courtesy Transportation...................................7-6
Vehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Records.....................................................7-9Reporting Safety Defects................................7-10
Reporting Safety Defects to the United States
Government..............................................7-10
Reporting Safety Defects to the Canadian
Government..............................................7-10
Reporting Safety Defects to General Motors.....7-11
Service Publications Ordering Information.........7-11
Section 7 Customer Assistance and Information
7-1