2004 BUICK PARK AVENUE spare tire

Tires..............................................................5-62
Ination - Tire Pressure.................................5-69
Check Tire Pressure System..........................5-70
Tire Inspection and Rotation...........................5-72
When It Is Time for New Tires.......................5-73
Buying New Tires.........................................5-74
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-75
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-76
Wheel Replacement......................................5-76
Tire Chains..................................................5-78
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-79
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-80
Compact Spare Tire......................................5-89
Appearance Care............................................5-90
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-90
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-93
Weatherstrips...............................................5-93Cleaning the Outside of Your Vehicle.................5-93
Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-95
Finish Damage.............................................5-96
Underbody Maintenance................................5-96
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-96
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-96
Vehicle Identication......................................5-98
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN).................5-98
Service Parts Identication Label.....................5-98
Electrical System............................................5-98
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-98
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-99
Removing the Rear Seat Cushion..................5-104
Capacities and Specications........................5-108
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts.........5-109
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Tires
Your new vehicle comes with high-quality tires made by
a leading tire manufacturer. If you ever have questions
about your tire warranty and where to obtain service,
see your GM Warranty booklet for details. For additional
information refer to the tire manufacturer’s booklet
included with your vehicle’s Owner’s Manual.
{CAUTION:
Poorly maintained and improperly used tires
are dangerous.
Overloading your tires can cause
overheating as a result of too much
friction. You could have an air-out and a
serious accident. See “Loading Your
Vehicle” in the Index.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)

Underinated tires pose the same danger
as overloaded tires. The resulting accident
could cause serious injury. Check all tires
frequently to maintain the recommended
pressure. Tire pressure should be checked
when your tires are cold.
Overinated tires are more likely to be
cut, punctured or broken by a sudden
impact — such as when you hit a pothole.
Keep tires at the recommended pressure.
Worn, old tires can cause accidents.
If your tread is badly worn, or if your
tires have been damaged, replace them.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is molded into its sidewall.
The examples below show a typical passenger car tire
and a compact spare tire sidewall.
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(E) Tire Ply Material:The type of cord and number of
plies in the sidewall and under the tread.
(F) Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG):Tire
manufacturers are required to grade tires based on
three performance factors: treadwear, traction and
temperature resistance. For more information see
Uniform Tire Quality Grading on page 5-75.
(G) Maximum Cold Ination Load Limit:Maximum
load that can be carried and the maximum pressure
needed to support that load. For more information on
recommended tire pressure seeInation - Tire Pressure
on page 5-69andLoading Your Vehicle on page 4-33.
Compact Spare Tire Example
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(A) Temporary Use Only:The compact spare tire or
temporary use tire has a tread life of approximately
3,000 miles (5 000 km) and should not be driven
at speeds over 65 mph (105 km/h). The compact spare
tire is for emergency use when a regular road tire
has lost air and gone at. SeeCompact Spare Tire on
page 5-89andIf a Tire Goes Flat on page 5-79.
(B) Tire Ply Material:The type of cord and number of
plies in the sidewall and under the tread.
(C) Tire Identication Number (TIN):The Tire
Identication Number (TIN). The TIN shows the
manufacturer and plant code, tire size, and date the
tire was manufactured. The TIN is molded onto
both sides of the tire, although only one side may have
the date of manufacture.
(D) Maximum Cold Ination Load Limit:Maximum
load that can be carried and the maximum pressure
needed to support that load. SeeCompact Spare Tire
on page 5-89andLoading Your Vehicle on page 4-33.(E) Tire Ination:The temporary use tire or compact
spare tire should be inated to 60 psi (420 kPa).
For more information on tire pressure and ination see
Ination - Tire Pressure on page 5-69.
(F) Tire Size:A combination of letters and numbers
dene a tire’s width, height, aspect ratio, construction
type and service description. The letter “T” as the
rst character in the tire size means the tire is for
temporary use only.
(G) Tire Performance Criteria Specication
(TPC Spec):Original equipment tires designed
to GM’s specic tire performance criteria have a
TPC specication code molded onto the sidewall.
GM’s TPC specications meet or exceed all federal
safety guidelines.
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When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Don’t forget your compact spare tire. It should be at
60 psi (420 kPa).
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can’t tell if your tires are properly inated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look properly
inated even when they’re underinated. Check the tire’s
ination pressure when the tires are cold. Cold means
your vehicle has been sitting for at least three hours or
driven no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Remove the valve cap from the tire valve stem.
Press the tire gage rmly onto the valve to get a
pressure measurement. If the cold tire ination pressure
matches the recommended pressure on the Tire and
Loading Information label, no further adjustment is
necessary. If the ination pressure is low, add air until
you reach the recommended amount.
If you overll the tire, release air by pushing on the
metal stem in the center of the tire valve. Recheck the
tire pressure with the tire gage.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and
moisture.
Check Tire Pressure System
If your vehicle has this feature, the check tire pressure
system can alert you to a large change in the
pressure of one tire. The system will not alert you
before you drive that a tire is low or at. You must begin
driving before the system will work properly.
The TIRE PRESSURE LOW message will appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) if pressure difference
(low pressure) is detected in one tire. The check tire
pressure system may not alert you if:
More than one tire is low.
The vehicle is moving faster than 65 mph
(105 km/h).
The system is not yet calibrated.
The tire treadwear is uneven.
The compact spare tire is installed.
Tire chains are being used.
The vehicle is being driven on a rough or
frozen road.
If the anti-lock brake system warning light comes on,
the check tire pressure system may not be working
properly. See your dealer for service. Also, see
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light on page 3-39.
5-70

The check tire pressure system detects differences in
tire rotation speeds that are caused by changes in
tire pressure. The system can alert you about a
low tire — but it does not replace normal tire
maintenance. SeeTires on page 5-62.
When the TIRE PRESSURE LOW message appears
on the Driver Information Center, you should stop
as soon as you can and check all your tires for damage.
If a tire is at, seeIf a Tire Goes Flat on page 5-79.
Also check the tire pressure in all four tires as soon as
you can. SeeInation - Tire Pressure on page 5-69.
Any time you adjust a tire’s pressure or have one
or more tires repaired or replaced, you will need to reset
(calibrate) the check tire pressure system. You will
also need to reset the system whenever you rotate the
tires, buy new tires and install or remove the compact
spare tire.
Do not reset the check tire pressure system without
rst correcting the cause of the problem and checking
and adjusting the pressure in all four tires. If you
reset the system when the tire pressures are incorrect,
the check tire pressure system will not work properly
and may not alert you when a tire is low or high.To reset (calibrate) the system:
1. Turn the ignition switch to RUN.
2. Press the GAGE INFO button on the DIC until
TIRE PRESSURE appears on the display.
3. Press and hold the DIC RESET button for about
ve seconds. After ve seconds, the display will
show TIRE PRESSURE RESET. If TIRE
PRESSURE RESET does not appear on the
display after about ve seconds, see your dealer for
service. After you release the DIC RESET button,
TIRE PRESSURE NORMAL will appear on the
display.
The system completes the calibration process during
driving. Calibration time can take 45 to 90 minutes,
depending on your driving habits. After the system has
been calibrated, the system will alert the driver that
a tire is low, up to a maximum speed of 65 mph
(105 km/h).
5-71

Tire Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 8,000 miles
(8 000 to 13 000 km).
Any time you notice unusual wear rotate your tires as
soon as possible and check wheel alignment. Also
check for damaged tires or wheels. SeeWhen It Is Time
for New Tires on page 5-73andWheel Replacement
on page 5-76for more information.
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The rst rotation
is the most important. SeePart A: Scheduled
Maintenance Services on page 6-4, for scheduled
rotation intervals.When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include the compact spare tire in your tire rotation.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear ination pressures as shown on the Tire and
Loading Information label.
5-72

Buying New Tires
To nd out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the tire and loading information label. For an example
of this label and its location, seeLoading Your Vehicle
on page 4-33.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specication (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,
load range, 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.{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause 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.
{CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim anges 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.
5-74