2009 BUICK LACROSSE Owner's Manual

Low Fuel Warning Light
Your vehicle may have a low fuel light. It is a circle
located on the fuel gage and will come on and a chime
will sound periodically when the vehicle is low on fuel.
The light will go off when fuel is added to the fuel tank.
It will also come on for a few seconds when the ignition
is turned on as a check to indicate it is working. If it
does not come on then, have it xed.
For vehicles with a Driver Information Center (DIC), a
LOW FUEL message will appear. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-56for more information.
Check Gas Cap Light
If your vehicle has this
light, it will come on if your
gas cap is not securely
fastened.
SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp on page 3-40for more
information.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
Your vehicle may have a Driver Information
Center (DIC).
All messages will appear in the DIC display located in
the instrument panel cluster, below the speedometer.
The DIC buttons are located on the center of the
instrument panel, below the center outlets.
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After a
short delay, the uplevel DIC will display the WELCOME
DRIVER (1 or 2) if a personalized key 1 or 2 is used, and
then the information that was last displayed before the
engine was turned off.
The base level DIC displays the odometer and trip
odometers only.
The uplevel DIC displays the odometer, trip odometers,
fuel economy, trip computer, vehicle system, and
compass display information. It also displays warning
messages if a system problem is detected. In addition,
the uplevel DIC displays phone numbers that are
called using the OnStar
®system, if equipped.
SeeOnStar®System on page 2-39.
3-47

The outside air temperature automatically appears in
the bottom right corner of the uplevel DIC display when
viewing the trip/odometer screens, fuel screens and
some of the gages screens. If the outside air temperature
is at or below 37°F (3°C), the temperature reading will
toggle between displaying the outside temperature and
the word ICE for two minutes. If there is a problem with
the system that controls the temperature display, the
letters OC (open circuit) or SC (short circuit) will appear
on the display. If this occurs, have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer/retailer.
The uplevel DIC also allows some features to be
customized or personalized. SeeDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-74for more information.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the DIC buttons located on the center of the
instrument panel. Depending on whether your vehicle
has the base level or uplevel DIC, the buttons and
modes available will differ.
The base level buttons are the trip/odometer and
English/Metric buttons.
The uplevel buttons are the trip/odometer, fuel, gages,
set/reset, and option buttons.
The button functions are detailed in the following pages.
DIC Buttons
TRIP/ODO (Trip/Odometer):For vehicles with the
base level DIC, press this button to display the odometer
and trip distance.
For vehicles with the uplevel DIC, press this button
to display the odometer, trip distance, time elapsed,
and average speed.
E/M (English/Metric)**:For vehicles with the base
level DIC, press this button to select between English
or Metric units.
For vehicles with the uplevel DIC, to select between
English or Metric units, see “Units” later in this section.
.(Fuel)*:Press this button to display the fuel
range and average fuel economy.
2(Gages)*:Press this button to display the battery
voltage, oil life, and tire pressure readings, if equipped.Uplevel shown
3-48

r(Set/Reset)*:Press this button to set or reset
certain functions and to turn off or acknowledge
messages on the DIC.
4(Option)*:Press this button to display the units,
language, personalization, compass zone, and compass
calibration. SeeDIC Vehicle Personalization on
page 3-74andDIC Compass (Uplevel Only) on
page 3-54for more information.
t(Traction Control):Press this button to turn
traction control on or off. SeeTraction Control
System (TCS) on page 4-7for more information.
Press and hold this button to turn StabiliTrak
®off,
for vehicles with this feature. Press this button again
to turn both traction control and StabiliTrak
®on. See
StabiliTrak®System on page 4-6for more information.
|(Hazard):Press this button to turn the hazard
warning ashers on and off. SeeHazard Warning
Flashers on page 3-6for more information.
*These buttons are only available on vehicles with the
uplevel DIC.
**This button is only available on vehicles with the base
level DIC.
Trip/Odometer Menu Items
TRIP/ODO (Trip Odometer):Press this button to scroll
through the following menu items:
Odometer
Press the trip/odometer button until the odometer
displays. This mode shows the distance the vehicle
has been driven in either miles or kilometers.
Trip A and Trip B
Press the trip/odometer button until A or B displays.
This mode shows the current distance traveled in either
miles or kilometers since the last reset for each trip
odometer. Both trip odometers can be used at the
same time.
The display will show the odometer on the top line and
the trip odometer information, either A or B, on the
bottom line.
Each trip odometer can be reset to zero separately by
briey pressing the set/reset button on vehicles with the
uplevel DIC or by briey pressing and holding the trip
odometer button on vehicles with the base level
DIC while the desired trip odometer is displayed.
3-49

There is also a retroactive trip odometer function that
performs the following for each trip odometer:
If the vehicle’s speed has exceeded 3 mph (5 km/h)
during the current ignition cycle, this function will
set the trip odometer to the distance driven
during the current ignition cycle.
If the vehicle’s speed has not exceeded 3 mph
(5 km/h), this function will set the trip odometer
to the distance driven during the previous ignition
cycle plus the distance driven during the current
ignition cycle.
Press and hold the set/reset button on vehicles with
the uplevel DIC or the trip/odometer button on vehicles
with the base level DIC for three seconds, then release
the button. The retroactive trip odometer value will be set
into the currently displayed trip odometer.
Time Elapsed (Uplevel Only)
Press the trip/odometer button until TIME ELAPSED :00
displays. This mode is like a stopwatch, in that you can
clock the time it takes to get from one point to another.
Each of the elds for the hours, minutes, and seconds
are two numeric digits.Once TIME ELAPSED :00 is displayed, press the
set/reset button on vehicles with the uplevel DIC to start
the timing feature. Press the set/reset button again to
stop it. If you will be starting and stopping your vehicle,
during a trip for instance, the TIME ELAPSED feature will
automatically start timing where it left off when you last
stopped. To reset it, press and hold the set/reset button
for about 1.5 seconds. The display will return to zero.
Press the trip/odometer button to exit from the TIME
ELAPSED display.
Average Speed (Uplevel Only)
Press the trip/odometer button until AVERAGE SPEED
displays. This mode shows the average speed of the
vehicle in miles per hour (mph) or kilometers per hour
(km/h). This average is calculated based on the various
vehicle speed recorded since the last reset of this value.
To reset the value, press the trip/odometer button to
display AVERAGE SPEED, then press and hold the
set/reset button on vehicles with the uplevel DIC.
The display will return to zero.
3-50

Fuel Menu Items (Uplevel Only)
.
(Fuel):Press this button to scroll through the
following menu items:
Fuel Range
Press the fuel button until FUEL RANGE displays.
This mode shows the approximate number of remaining
miles or kilometers the vehicle can be driven without
refueling.
Fuel range is based on several factors, including
distance traveled, fuel used, fuel capacity, etc.
This estimate will change if driving conditions change.
For example, if driving in traffic and making frequent
stops, this mode may read one number, but if the vehicle
is driven on a freeway, the number may change even
though the same amount of fuel is in the fuel tank. This
is because different driving conditions produce different
fuel economies. Generally, freeway driving produces
better fuel economy than city driving. Fuel range cannot
be reset.
If your vehicle is low on fuel, FUEL RANGE LOW will
display followed by the LOW FUEL message. See “LOW
FUEL” underDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-56
for more information.
Average Fuel Economy
Press the fuel button until AVG ECONOMY displays.
This mode shows the approximate average miles per
gallon (mpg) or liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km).
This number is calculated based on the number of mpg
(L/100 km) recorded since the last time this menu item
was reset. To reset AVG ECONOMY, press and hold the
set/reset button. The display will return to zero.
Gages Menu Items (Uplevel Only)
2
(Gages):Press this button to scroll through the
following menu items:
Battery
Press the gages button until BATTERY displays.
This mode shows the current battery voltage.
Your vehicle’s charging system regulates voltage based
on the state of the battery. The battery voltage may
uctuate when viewing this information on the DIC.
This is normal.
If there is a problem with the battery charging system,
a DIC message will display. SeeDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-56for more information.
SeeElectric Power Management on page 3-18for more
information.
3-51

Oil Life
Press the gages button until OIL LIFE displays. This
mode shows an estimate of the oil’s remaining useful
life. If you see OIL LIFE 99% on the display, that means
99% of the current oil life remains. The engine oil life
system will alert you to change your oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving conditions.
When the remaining oil life is low, the CHANGE OIL
SOON message will appear on the display. You should
change your oil as soon as possible. SeeEngine Oil
on page 5-15. In addition to the engine oil life system
monitoring the oil life, additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance Schedule in this
manual. SeeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4
for more information.
Remember, you must reset the OIL LIFE yourself after
each oil change. It will not reset itself. Also, be careful not
to reset the OIL LIFE accidentally at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed. It cannot be reset
accurately until the next oil change. To reset the engine
oil life system, seeEngine Oil Life System on page 5-18.
The display will show 100% when the system is reset.
Tire Pressure
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS), press the gages button until FRONT TIRE
PRESSURE displays. This mode shows the pressure
for the front tires. To view the pressure for the rear
tires, press the gages button again until REAR TIRE
PRESSURE displays. The tire pressure will be shown in
either pounds per square inch (psi) or kilopascals (kPa).
If a low tire pressure condition is detected by the
system while driving, a message advising you to check
the pressure in a specic tire will appear in the display.
SeeInflation - Tire Pressure on page 5-61andDIC
Warnings and Messages on page 3-56for more
information.
If the tire pressure display shows dashes or blanks
instead of a value, there may be a problem with
your vehicle. If this consistently occurs, see your
dealer/retailer for service.
3-52

Option Menu Items (Uplevel Only)
4
(Option):Press this button to scroll through the
following menu items:
Units
Press the option button until UNITS displays. This mode
allows you to select between English or Metric units
of measurement. Once in this mode, press the set/reset
button to select between ENGLISH or METRIC units.
Language
Press the option button until the language screen
displays. This mode allows you to select the language in
which the DIC messages will appear. Once in this mode,
press the set/reset button to select among the following
choices:
English
Francais (French)
Espanol (Spanish)
Personalization
Press the option button until PERSONAL PROGRAM
displays. Your vehicle may have personalization
capabilities that allow you to program certain features
to a preferred setting for up to two drivers.
Your vehicle may also have customization capabilities
that allow you to program certain features to one
preferred setting. Customization features can only be
programmed to one setting on the vehicle and cannot be
programmed to a preferred setting for up to two drivers.
SeeDIC Vehicle Personalization on page 3-74for
additional information on personal programming.
Compass Zone
To change the compass zone through the DIC, seeDIC
Compass (Uplevel Only) on page 3-54.
Compass Calibration
The compass can be manually calibrated. To calibrate
the compass through the DIC, seeDIC Compass
(Uplevel Only) on page 3-54.
3-53

DIC Compass (Uplevel Only)
Your vehicle may have a compass in the Driver
Information Center (DIC).
Compass Zone
The zone is set to zone eight upon leaving the factory.
Your dealer/retailer will set the correct zone for your
location.
Under certain circumstances, such as during a long
distance cross-country trip or moving to a new state
or province, it will be necessary to compensate for
compass variance by resetting the zone through
the DIC if the zone is not set correctly.
Compass variance is the difference between the earth’s
magnetic north and true geographic north. If the compass
is not set to the zone where you live, the compass may
give false readings. The compass must be set to the
variance zone in which the vehicle is traveling.
To adjust for compass variance, use the following
procedure:
Compass Variance (Zone) Procedure
1. Do not set the compass zone when the vehicle is
moving. Only set it when the vehicle is in Park (P).
Press the option button until COMPASS ZONE
displays.2. Find the vehicle’s current location and variance
zone number on the map.
Zones 1 through 15 are available.
3. Press the set/reset button to scroll through and
select the appropriate variance zone.
4. Press the trip or fuel button until the vehicle
heading, for example, N for North, is displayed
in the DIC.
5. If calibration is necessary, calibrate the compass.
See “Compass Calibration Procedure” following.
3-54