2004 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high beam,
push the lever forward. To change from high beam to
low beam, pull the turn signal lever toward you,
then release it.
When the high beams are
on, this light on the
instrument panel cluster
will also be on.
Headlamps On Reminder
If you open the driver’s door while leaving the
headlamps or parking lamps on and the key is in OFF,
you will hear a warning chime.
Flash-To-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass.
It works even if your headlamps are off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you.
If your headlamps are off or on low beam, your
high-beam headlamps will turn on. They will stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high-beam indicator on the instrument panel cluster will
come on. Release the lever to turn the high-beam
headlamps off.
3-9

Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
The cruise control switch is
located on the lever on the
left side of the steering
column.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts off.{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can not drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not use your cruise control on winding roads
or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on slippery
roads. On such roads, fast changes in tire
traction can cause needless wheel spinning,
and you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the optional
traction control system begins to limit wheel spin, the
cruise control will automatically disengage. SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) on page 4-9. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may turn
the cruise control back on.
3-10

Setting Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control on when you
are not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you do not want to.
You could be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch off until you
want to use cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press the SET button.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This, of course, shuts
off the cruise control. But you do not need to reset it.
Once you are going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or
more, you can move the cruise lever to R/A
(resume/accelerate) briey.You will go right back up to your chosen speed and stay
there. Remember that if you hold the lever at R/A, the
vehicle will keep going faster until you release the switch
or apply the brake. So unless you want to go faster,
do not hold the lever at R/A.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed.
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher
speed. Press the SET button and then release it as
well as the accelerator pedal. You will now cruise
at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch to R/A. Hold it there until
you get up to the speed you want, and then
release it. To increase your speed in very small
amounts, move the switch to R/A briey and then
release it. Each time you do this, your vehicle will go
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
The accelerate feature will only work after you have set
the cruise control speed by pressing the SET button.
3-11

Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press and hold the SET button until you get to the
speed you want, and then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, press and
release the SET button briey. Each time you
do this, you will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers nd this to be too much trouble and do not
use cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal.
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Pull the multifunction lever toward the driver.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
3-12

Windshield Wiper Lever
Windshield Wipers
The windshield wipers are controlled by the lever on the
right of your steering column.
If your windshield wipers are on for more than six
seconds while you are driving, the low-beam headlamps,
instrument panel cluster backlighting and the taillamps
will turn on. For more information see “Wiper-Activated
Headlamps” underExterior Lamps on page 3-14.OFF:Lower the lever to its original position to turn the
wipers OFF.
INT (Intermittent):Push the lever up to the INT
position and turn the INT ADJ band to adjust the delay
time. The further you turn the band, the shorter the
delay between wiping cycles.
LO (Low Speed):Push the lever up to LO for steady
wiping at a slow speed.
HI (High Speed):Push the lever up to HI for steady
wiping at a high speed.
MIST:For a single wiping cycle, push the lever down to
the MIST position and let go. The wipers will stop after
one cycle. If you want more cycles, hold the lever down.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wiper motor. A
circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Keep in mind that damaged wiper blades may prevent
you from seeing well enough to drive safely. To
avoid damage, be sure to clear ice and snow from the
wiper blades before using them. If your blades do
become damaged, get new blades or blade inserts. See
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement on page 5-57.
3-13

Windshield Washer
At the end of the wiper lever, there is a button. To spray
washer uid on the windshield, push the button until
you have enough uid to clean the windshield. The
wipers will clear the window and either stop or return to
your preset speed.
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, do not use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer uid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
A WASHER FLUID warning light will indicate if the uid
level in the windshield washer reservoir is low. See
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light on page 3-53.
Exterior Lamps
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the exterior lamps.
O:Turn the outside part of the lever with the symbol
on it, to operate the lamps. The exterior lamp switch
has three positions.
OFF:Turn the switch to this position to turn off all lamps
and lights, except the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).
3-14

;(Parking Lamps):Turn the switch to this position
to turn on the parking lamps, together with the
following:
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
3(Headlamps):Turn the switch to this position to
turn on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.
Wiper-Activated Headlamps
This feature turns on the low-beam headlamps,
instrument panel cluster backlighting and taillamps
when the Twilight Sentinel
®is in day mode and after
the windshield wipers have been in use for about
six seconds.
To operate the wiper-activated headlamps, the Twilight
Sentinel
®must be on. If the wiper-activated headlamps
are on and the ignition switch is turned to ON, the
wiper-activated headlamps will continue. When you turn
the key to OFF, the wiper-activated headlamps will
immediately turn off. The wiper-activated headlamps will
also turn off if you turn off the Twilight Sentinel
®or
the windshield wipers.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
rst sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel monitors
the exterior light level for the operation of DRL and
Twilight Sentinel
®, so be sure it is not covered. The DRL
system will make your high-beam headlamps come
on at a reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
The ignition is on.
The exterior lamp control is off.
The transaxle is not in PARK (P).
When the DRL are on, only your high-beam headlamps
will be on at reduced intensity. The taillamps,
sidemarker and other lamps will not be on. Your
instrument panel will not be lit either.
3-15

When it is dark enough outside, your regular intensity
headlamps will come on at full brightness and the
DRL lighting will turn off. The parking lamps that
normally come on with your headlamps will also come
on. When it is bright enough outside, the regular
intensity headlamps and parking lamps will turn back
off, and the reduced brightness DRL lighting will
turn back on.
To idle your vehicle during the day with the DRL off,
shift the transaxle into PARK (P). The DRL will stay off
until you shift out of PARK (P).
At night, you can turn off all exterior lamps when you
are in PARK (P) by turning the Twilight Sentinel
®knob
all the way to OFF.
If the knob was already in OFF, it must be cycled to ON
and back to OFF. Turn the knob clockwise to turn the
exterior lighting back on. The lamps will come back
on automatically when you put the transaxle in gear.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps
The fog lamps button is located below the twilight knobs,
to the left of the steering wheel on the instrument panel.
An indicator light in the button will glow when the fog
lamps are on. Your parking lamps will also come
on automatically while the fog lamps are active.
If your fog lamps are on when you use your high beams
or ash-to-pass feature, the fog lamps will be disabled
while the feature is being used.
3-16