2006 CHEVROLET EPICA Owners Manual

When you want to leave the freeway, move to the
proper lane well in advance. If you miss your exit,
do not, under any circumstances, stop and back up.
Drive on to the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed
according to your speedometer, not to your sense
of motion. After driving for any distance at higher
speeds, you may tend to think you are going slower
than you actually are.
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
Make sure you are ready. Try to be well rested. If you
must start when you are not fresh — such as after
a day’s work — do not plan to make too many miles
that first part of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing
and shoes you can easily drive in.
Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it
serviced and maintained, it is ready to go. If it needs
service, have it done before starting out. Of course,
you will find experienced and able service experts in
GM dealerships all across North America. They will
be ready and willing to help if you need it.Here are some things you can check before a trip:
•Windshield Washer Fluid:Is the reservoir full?
Are all windows clean inside and outside?
•Wiper Blades:Are they in good shape?
•Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:Have you checked
all levels?
•Lamps:Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
•Tires:They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip. Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all inflated to
the recommended pressure?
•Weather Forecasts:What is the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a
short time to avoid a major storm system?
•Maps:Do you have up-to-date maps?
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Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as highway hypnosis?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum of the tires on
the road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of
the wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy.
Do not let it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle
can leave the road in less than a second, and you
could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
•Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
•Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
•If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest,
service, or parking area and take a nap, get some
exercise, or both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you are
planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make
your trips safer and more enjoyable.
•Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all fluid
levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system,
and transaxle. These parts can work hard on
mountain roads.
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{CAUTION:
If you do not shift down, your brakes could
get so hot that they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or even none
going down a hill. You could crash. Shift down
to let your engine assist your brakes on a
steep downhill slope.
{CAUTION:
Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the
ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down. They could
get so hot that they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or even none
going down a hill. You could crash. Always
have your engine running and your vehicle
in gear when you go downhill.
•Know how to go down hills. The most important
thing to know is this: let your engine do some of
the slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you
go down a steep or long hill.
•Know how to go uphill. Drive in the highest gear
possible.
•Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane
roads in hills or mountains. Do not swing wide
or cut across the center of the road. Drive at speeds
that let you stay in your own lane.
•As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There
could be something in your lane, like a stalled car
or an accident.
•You may see highway signs on mountains that
warn of special problems. Examples are long
grades, passing or no-passing zones, a falling rocks
area, or winding roads. Be alert to these and take
appropriate action.
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Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
•Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
•You may want to put winter emergency supplies
in your trunk.
Also seeTires on page 5-46.
Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a
supply of windshield washer fluid, a rag, some winter
outer clothing, a small shovel, a flashlight, a red
cloth, and a couple of reflective warning triangles.
And, if you will be driving under severe conditions,
include a small bag of sand, a piece of old carpet,
or a couple of burlap bags to help provide traction.
Be sure you properly secure these items in
your vehicle.
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Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires meet
the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the tires
and the road, you can have a very slippery situation.
You will have a lot less traction, or grip, and will need
to be very careful.
What is the worst time for this? Wet ice. Very cold snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet ice
can be even more trouble because it may offer the leasttraction of all. You can get wet ice when it is about
freezing, 32°F (0°C), and freezing rain begins to fall.
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed, blowing,
or loose snow — drive with caution.
Traction control improves your ability to accelerate
when driving on a slippery road. Even though your
vehicle has the Traction Control System (TCS), you
will want to slow down and adjust your driving to
the road conditions. Under certain conditions, you
may want to turn the TCS off, such as when driving
through deep snow and loose gravel, to help maintain
vehicle motion at lower speeds. SeeTraction Control
System (TCS) on page 4-9.
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Your Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) improves your
vehicle’s stability when you make a hard stop on
a slippery road. Even though you have ABS, you will
want to begin stopping sooner than you would on
dry pavement. SeeAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
on page 4-7.
•Allow greater following distance on any slippery road.
•Watch for slippery spots. The road might be fine
until you hit a spot that is covered with ice. On an
otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun cannot reach, such as
around clumps of trees, behind buildings, or under
bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or an
overpass may remain icy when the surrounding
roads are clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead of
you, brake before you are on it. Try not to brake while
you are actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
If You Are Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in
a serious situation. You should probably stay with
your vehicle unless you know for sure that you are
near help and you can hike through the snow.Here are some things to do to summon help and keep
yourself and your passengers safe:
•Turn on your hazard flashers.
•Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that
you have been stopped by the snow.
•Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you.
If you do not have blankets or extra clothing, make
body insulators from newspapers, burlap bags,
rags, floor mats — anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm.
You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful.
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{CAUTION:
Snow can trap exhaust gases under your
vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon
monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could
overcome you and kill you. You cannot see
it or smell it, so you might not know it is in
your vehicle. Clear away snow from around
the base of your vehicle, especially any that
is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check
around again from time to time to be sure
snow does not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the side of the
vehicle that is away from the wind. This will
help keep CO out.Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little
faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator
slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get
and it keeps the battery charged. You will need a
well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly
for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine
again and repeat this only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as
possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help
keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do
some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so
until help comes.
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If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you do not want to
spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
rocking can help you get out when you are stuck,
but you must use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they
can explode, and you or others could be
injured. And, the transaxle or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment re or other damage.
When you are stuck, spin the wheels as little
as possible. Do not spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown on the
speedometer.Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transaxle back
and forth, you can destroy your transaxle. See
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 4-28.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
seeTire Chains on page 5-59.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That
will clear the area around your front wheels. Then
shift back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a
forward gear, spinning the wheels as little as possible.
Release the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal when the transaxle is
in gear. By slowly spinning your wheels in the forward
and reverse directions, you will cause a rocking
motion that may free your vehicle. If that does not get
you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, seeTowing Your
Vehicle on page 4-33.
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