Black plate (7,1)Buick Verano Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 1/10/12
Driving and Operating 9-7
Other driving tips include:
.Keep the vehicle well ventilated.
.Keep the interior
temperature cool.
.Keep your eyes moving—scan
the road ahead and to the sides.
.Check the rearview mirror and
vehicle instruments often.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips for
driving in these conditions include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
.Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
.Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{WARNING
If you do not shift down, the
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 the engine
assist the brakes on a steep
downhill slope.
{WARNING
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. The brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down
and 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 the
engine running and the vehicle in
gear when going downhill.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
.Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your
lane (stalled car, accident).
.Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Black plate (1,1)Buick Verano Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 1/10/12
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-2
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 10-9
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-11
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-16
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-20
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-21
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-25
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-36
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Black plate (35,1)Buick Verano Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 1/10/12
Vehicle Care 10-35
Winter Tires
Consider installing winter tires on
the vehicle if frequent driving on
snow or ice covered roads is
expected. All season tires provide
good overall performance on most
surfaces, but they may not offer
the traction or the same level of
performance as winter tires on snow
or ice covered roads.
Winter tires, in general, are
designed for increased traction on
snow and ice covered roads. With
winter tires, there may be decreased
dry road traction, increased road
noise, and shorter tread life. After
changing to winter tires, be alert for
changes in vehicle handling and
braking.
See your dealer for details
regarding winter tire availability and
proper tire selection. Also, see
Buying New Tires on page 10‑49.If using snow tires:.Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.
.Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as the original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W, Y,
and ZR speed rated tires. If winter
tires with a lower speed rating are
chosen, never exceed the tire's
maximum speed capability.
Low-Profile Tires
If the vehicle has P235/45R18
size tires, they are classified as
low‐profile tires. Notice:
Low‐profile tires are
more susceptible to damage
from road hazards or curb
impact than standard profile
tires. Tire and/or wheel
assembly damage can occur
when coming into contact
with road hazards like,
potholes, or sharp edged
objects, or when sliding into a
curb. The warranty does not
cover this type of damage.
Keep tires set to the correct
inflation pressure and, when
possible, avoid contact with
curbs, potholes, and other
road hazards.
Black plate (52,1)Buick Verano Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 1/10/12
10-52 Vehicle Care
The Uniform Tire Quality
Grading (UTQG) system does
not apply to deep tread, winter
tires, compact spare tires, tires
with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions
on a specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
a half (1½) times as well on the
government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices
and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
–AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Black plate (2,1)Buick Verano Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 1/10/12
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-21
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . 7-30, 7-31, 7-35
Brake
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25 Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-25
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7 Cautions, Danger, and
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-13
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-20
Child Restraints
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49, 3-51
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-71
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Black plate (11,1)Buick Verano Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 1/10/12
INDEX i-11
Tires (cont'd)Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-43
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-54
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 9-47
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-69
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67 Traction
Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . 9-33
Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-8
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-39
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
V
Vehicle Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Identification
Number (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Vehicle Care Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Black plate (12,1)Buick Verano Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 1/10/12
i-12 INDEX
W
WarningBrake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Wheels
Alignment and TireBalance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . 3-39
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18 Windshield
Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 10-21