2008 CHEVROLET AVEO Owners Manual

Radio Reception
Frequency interference and static can occur during
normal radio reception if items such as cell phone
chargers, vehicle convenience accessories, and external
electronic devices are plugged into the accessory
power outlet. If there is interference or static, unplug
the item from the accessory power outlet.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range can cause station
frequencies to interfere with each other. For better radio
reception, most AM radio stations boost the power levels
during the day, and then reduce these levels during the
night. Static can also occur when things like storms and
power lines interfere with radio reception. When this
happens, try reducing the treble on your radio.
FM Stereo
FM stereo gives the best sound, but FM signals reach
only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall buildings
or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing the sound
to fade in and out.
Care of Your CDs
Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust. The CD player scans the bottom surface of the
disc. If the surface of a CD is damaged, such as cracked,
broken, or scratched, the CD does not play properly or
not at all. If the surface of a CD is soiled, take a soft, lint
free cloth or dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral
detergent solution mixed with water, and clean it.
Make sure the wiping process starts from the center
to the edge.
Do not touch the bottom side of a CD while handling it;
this could damage the surface. Pick up CDs by grasping
the outer edges or the edge of the hole and the
outer edge.
Care of the CD Player
Do not use CD lens cleaners for CD players because
the lens of the CD optics can become contaminated by
lubricants.
3-79

Fixed Mast Antenna (Hatchback)
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car
washes without being damaged. If the mast should
ever become slightly bent, straighten it out by hand.
If the mast is badly bent, replace it.
Check occasionally to make sure the mast is still
tightened to the antenna base located on the roof of
the vehicle. If tightening is required, tighten by hand.
Backglass Antenna (Sedan)
The AM-FM antenna is integrated with the rear window
defogger, located in the rear window. Make sure that
the inside surface of the rear window is not scratched
and that the lines on the glass are not damaged. If the
inside surface is damaged, it could interfere with radio
reception. Also, for proper radio reception, the antenna
connector at the top-center of the rear window needs to
be properly attached to the post on the glass.
Notice:Using a razor blade or sharp object to
clear the inside rear window may damage the rear
window antenna and/or the rear window defogger.
Repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Do not clear the inside rear window with sharp
objects.Notice:Do not apply aftermarket glass tinting
with metallic lm. The metallic lm in some tinting
materials will interfere with or distort the incoming
radio reception. Any damage caused to your
backglass antenna due to metallic tinting materials
will not be covered by your warranty.
Because this antenna is built into your rear window,
there is a reduced risk of damage caused by car washes
and vandals.
If static is heard on the radio, when the rear window
defogger is turned on, it could mean that a defogger
grid line has been damaged. If this is true, the grid line
must be repaired.
If adding a cellular telephone to your vehicle, and the
antenna needs to be attached to the glass, make
sure that the grid lines for the AM-FM antenna are not
damaged. There is enough space between the grid lines
to attach a cellular telephone antenna without interfering
with radio reception.
3-80

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunk Driving.................................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-3
Braking.........................................................4-3
Antilock Brake System (ABS)...........................4-4
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-5
Steering........................................................4-6
Off-Road Recovery.........................................4-8
Passing........................................................4-8
Loss of Control..............................................4-8
Driving at Night............................................4-10
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-10Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-12
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-12
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-12
Winter Driving..............................................4-13
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.............................................4-17
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-17
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-18
Towing..........................................................4-27
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-27
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-27
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-28
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Your Driving, the Road,
and Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always expect the
unexpected.” The first step in driving defensively is
to wear your safety belt — SeeSafety Belts: They Are
for Everyone on page 1-14.
{CAUTION:
Assume that other road users (pedestrians,
bicyclists, and other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do and be ready. In addition:
Allow enough following distance between
you and the driver in front of you.
Focus on the task of driving.
Driver distraction can cause collisions
resulting in injury or possible death.
These simple defensive driving techniques
could save your life.
Drunk Driving
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or
even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking.
Do not drink and drive or ride with a driver who
has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if
you are with a group, designate a driver who
will not drink.
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving
is a global tragedy.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle: judgment, muscular coordination, vision,
and attentiveness.
4-2

Police records show that almost 40 percent 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
17,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have
been associated with the use of alcohol, with about
250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol
and then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance
of being killed or permanently disabled is higher than
if the person had not been drinking.Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator.
At times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy
to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. Meaning, you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-33.
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring
up your foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
4-3

And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is
wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake
force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. The brakes might not have time to cool
between hard stops. The brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are
driving, brake normally but do not pump the brakes.
If you do, the pedal could get harder to push down.
If the engine stops, you will still have some power
brake assist. But you will use it when you brake.
Once the power assist is used up, it can take longer
to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle might have the Antilock Brake System
(ABS), an advanced electronic braking system that will
help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has ABS,
this warning light will come
on briefly when you start
your vehicle.
The warning light is on the instrument panel cluster for
a sedan. SeeAntilock Brake System Warning Light
on page 3-34. For hatchback models, the warning light
is on the Secondary Information Center (SIC). See
Antilock Brake System Warning Light on page 3-48.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down.
If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each wheel.
4-4

ABS can change the brake pressure faster than any
driver could. The computer is programmed to make the
most of available tire and road conditions. This can
help you steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, the computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change the time you need to
get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle
in front of you, you will not have time to apply the brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you
have ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down firmly and let antilock work for you. You might
feel a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some
noise, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have ABS, you can steer and brake at the same
time. However, if you do not have ABS, your first
reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it
down — might be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle cannot
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in
whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the
very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you do not have ABS, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze
the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear
or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If you do have
ABS, it is different. SeeAntilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 4-4.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
4-5

Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer
but it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned
on the news happen on curves. Here is why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject
to the same laws of physics when driving on curves.
The traction of the tires against the road surface makes
it possible for the vehicle to change its path when
you turn the front wheels. If there is no traction, inertia
will keep the vehicle going in the same direction.
If you have ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice,
you will understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of the tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you
are in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control
systems — steering and braking — have to do theirwork where the tires meet the road. Unless you have
antilock brakes, adding the hard braking can demand
too much of those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you are steering through
a sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those
two control systems — steering and acceleration — can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road
and make you lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the
way you want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust
your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are based on
good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable
conditions you will want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while the front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can drive through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait
to accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
4-6