2008 PONTIAC G8 ABS

While driving on a surface with
reduced traction, try your best to
avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing
vehicle speed by shifting to a lower
gear. Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You
might not realize the surface is
slippery until your vehicle is
skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues — such as enough water,
ice, or packed snow on the road to
make a mirrored surface — and
slow down when you have any
doubt.
Remember: Any Antilock Brake
System (ABS) helps avoid only the
braking skid.Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than
day driving because some drivers
are likely to be impaired — by alcohol
or drugs, with night vision problems,
or by fatigue.
Night driving tips include:
Drive defensively.
Do not drink and drive.
Reduce headlamp glare by
adjusting the inside rearview
mirror.
Slow down and keep more space
between you and other vehicles
because headlamps can only
light up so much road ahead.
Watch for animals.
When tired, pull off the road.
Do not wear sunglasses.
Avoid staring directly into
approaching headlamps.
Keep the windshield and all glass
on your vehicle clean — inside
and out.
Keep your eyes moving,
especially during turns or curves.
No one can see as well at night as
in the daytime. But, as we get
older, these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver might need
at least twice as much light to see
the same thing at night as a
20-year-old.
8-22 Driving and Operating
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

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 have a lot less traction, or grip,
and 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 can offer the least traction
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.
Accelerate gently. Try not to break
the fragile traction. If you accelerate
too fast, the drive wheels will spin
and polish the surface under the tires
even more.The Antilock Brake System (ABS)
improves your vehicle’s stability
when you make a hard stop
on a slippery road. Even though you
have ABS, begin stopping sooner
than you would on dry pavement.
SeeAntilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 8-15.
Allow greater following distance
on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots.
The road might be ne until you
hit a spot that is covered with ice.
On an otherwise clear road, ice
patches can 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 can
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 the hazard warning
ashers.
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, oor 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.
8-26 Driving and Operating
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Fuses UsageFL1 Spare
FL2 Rear Defog
FL3 ABS Motor
FL4 Battery Main 3
FL5 Battery Main 1
FL6 Spare
FL7 Battery Main 2
FL8 Starter
FL9 HVAC Blower Motor
FL10 Fan 1 Engine
Cooling (Right)
FL11 Spare
FL12 Fan 2 Engine
Cooling (Left)
F1 Comm Enable
F2 HVAC Battery
F3 Back-up Lamp
F4 Fog Lamps (Front)
F5 ABS Valves
F6 Spare
F8 Horn
F9 Transmission
Control Module
Engine Compartment Fuse Block - Fuse Puller Shown
9-36 Vehicle Service and Care
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle
may need a different turn signal
asher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your dealer/retailer. The arrows
on your instrument panel will
ash whenever you signal a turn or
lane change. Properly hooked
up, the trailer lamps will also ash,
telling other drivers you are
about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the arrows
on your instrument panel will
ash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you
may think drivers behind you are
seeing your signal when they
are not. It is important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Your vehicle has bulb warning
lights. When you plug a trailer
lighting system into your vehicle’s
lighting system, its bulb warning
lights may not let you know if one of
your lamps goes out. So, whenyou have a trailer lighting system
plugged in, be sure to check
your vehicle and trailer lamps from
time to time to be sure they are
all working. Once you disconnect the
trailer lamps, the bulb warning
lights again can tell you if one of
your vehicle lamps is out.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gearbeforeyou start down a
long or steep downgrade. If you do
not shift down, you might have
to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no
longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down to
a lower gear and reduce your
speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h)
to reduce the possibility of engine
and transmission overheating.
Parking on Hills
{CAUTION
You really should not park your
vehicle, with a trailer attached,
on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to
move. People can be injured,
and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig
on a hill, here is how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but do
not shift into P (Park) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks
under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in
place, release the regular
brakes until the chocks absorb
the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes.
Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to P (Park).
5. Release the regular brakes.
9-90 Vehicle Service and Care
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Fabric/Carpet
Use a vacuum cleaner with a soft
brush attachment frequently to
remove dust and loose dirt. A
canister vacuum with a beater bar in
the nozzle may only be used on oor
carpet and carpeted oor mats. For
soils, always try to remove them rst
with plain water or club soda. Before
cleaning, gently remove as much of
the soil as possible using one of the
following techniques:
For liquids: gently blot the
remaining soil with a paper towel.
Allow the soil to absorb into the
paper towel until no more can be
removed.
For solid dry soils: remove as
much as possible and then
vacuum.
To clean, use the following
instructions:
1. Saturate a lint-free, clean white
cloth with water or club soda.
2. Wring the cloth to remove excess
moisture.3. Start on the outside edge of the
soil and gently rub toward the
center. Continue cleaning, using
a clean area of the cloth each
time it becomes soiled.
4. Continue to gently rub the soiled
area until the cleaning cloth
remains clean.
5. If the soil is not completely
removed, use a mild soap
solution and repeat the cleaning
process that was used with
plain water.
If any of the soil remains, a
commercial fabric cleaner or spot
lifter may be necessary. When
a commercial upholstery cleaner or
spot lifter is to be used, test a
small hidden area for colorfastness
rst. If the locally cleaned area
gives any impression that a
ring formation may result, clean the
entire surface.
After the cleaning process has been
completed, a paper towel can be
used to blot excess moisture
from the fabric or carpet.
Leather
A soft cloth dampened with water
can be used to remove dust. If
a more thorough cleaning is
necessary, a soft cloth dampened
with a mild soap solution can
be used. Allow the leather to dry
naturally. Do not use heat to
dry. Never use steam to clean
leather. Never use spot lifters or
spot removers on leather. Many
commercial leather cleaners
and coatings that are sold to
preserve and protect leather may
permanently change the appearance
and feel of your leather and are
not recommended. Do not use
silicone or wax-based products, or
those containing organic solvents to
clean your vehicle’s interior
because they can alter the
appearance by increasing the gloss
in a non-uniform manner. Never
use shoe polish on leather.
Vehicle Service and Care 9-93
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

A
Accessories and
Modications...................... 9-3
Accessory Power Outlets........ 4-9
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . 1-30
Additives, Fuel.....................8-34
Add-On Electrical
Equipment .......................9-32
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine .......9-11
Air Conditioning...............7-1, 7-4
Airbag
Passenger Status
Indicator .......................4-14
Readiness Light . ...............4-13
System, Replacing Parts
After a Crash . ...............1-32
Airbag System.....................1-19
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle . .......................1-30
Check . . . . .........................1-31
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?.....................1-24Airbag System (cont.)
Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle........................1-30
What Makes an Airbag
Inate?........................1-24
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates? . ............1-24
When Should an Airbag
Inate?........................1-22
Where Are the
Airbags?..............1-21, 1-26
Antenna, Fixed Mast . ...........6-24
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)..................8-15
Anti-lock Brake, System
Warning Light...................4-17
Appearance Care
Chemical Paint Spotting.....9-98
Exterior Cleaning . . ............9-94
Finish Damage.................9-98
Interior Cleaning . . .............9-91
Sheet Metal Damage........9-98
Underbody Maintenance....9-98
Vehicle Care/Appearance
Materials......................9-99
Appointments, Scheduling
Service . ..........................12-8
Audio System . . ...................... 6-1
Audio Steering Wheel
Controls .......................6-23
Fixed Mast Antenna ..........6-24
Radio Reception . . .............6-24
Setting the Clock . . . . . . .......... 6-2
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . 6-23
Audio System(s) . . . ................. 6-3
Automatic Climate Control
System ............................. 7-4
Automatic Headlamp System . . . 5-2
Automatic Transmission
Fluid...............................9-13
Operation . . . ....................... 8-6
B
Battery...............................9-26
Run-Down Protection . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Brakes...............................9-24
System Warning Light . . . . . . . 4-16
Braking...............................8-14
Break-In, New Vehicle............ 8-2
INDEX i-1
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

I
Ignition Positions . . ................. 8-2
Immobilizer ..........................2-11
Immobilizer Operation...........2-12
Infants and Young Children,
Restraints . .......................1-34
Ination - Tire Pressure.........9-46
Inator Kit, Tire....................9-64
Instrument Panel
Brightness ......................... 5-3
Cluster............................4-11
Overview........................... 4-2
J
Jump Starting......................9-80
K
Keyless Entry System . . .......... 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..................... 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . ........9-40
Lamps
Dome . . . . . . . ........................ 5-4
Reading . . . . . . . ..................... 5-4
Lap-Shoulder Belt . ...............1-14LATCH System
Child Restraints................1-40
Replacing Parts After
a Crash.......................1-45
Light
Airbag Readiness . ............4-13
Anti-lock Brake System
(ABS) Warning . . ............4-17
Brake System Warning......4-16
Charging System . . ............4-15
Daytime Running Lamps
Indicator.......................4-21
Door Ajar .........................4-21
Fog Lamp........................4-21
Highbeam On...................4-21
Malfunction Indicator.........4-18
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator.......................4-14
Safety Belt Reminders.......4-12
Security...........................4-21
Tire Pressure...................4-18
Lighting
Perimeter.......................... 5-4
Lights
Exterior Lamps................... 5-1
High/Low Beam Changer ..... 4-7
Loading Your Vehicle . ...........8-28Locks
Door................................. 2-8
Power Door . . . . . .................. 2-9
Rear Door Security Locks . . . . 2-9
Loss of Control....................8-21
Lumbar Seat Adjustment......... 1-2
M
Maintenance Schedule
Additional Required
Services .......................11-6
At Each Fuel Fill..............11-9
At Least Once a Month . . . . . 11-9
At Least Once a Year......11-10
Introduction . .....................11-1
Maintenance Footnotes . . . . . . 11-7
Maintenance Record . . . . . . . . 11-15
Maintenance
Requirements . . .............11-2
Normal Maintenance
Replacement Parts.......11-13
Owner Checks and
Services .......................11-9
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants . . . ................11-12
INDEX i-5
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual