2011 BUICK LUCERNE Owner's Manual

Black plate (15,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Owner Information
Owner publications are written specifically for owners
and intended to provide basic operational information
about the vehicle. The Owner Manual includes the
Maintenance Schedule for all models.
In-Portfolio: Includes a Portfolio, Owner Manual, and
Warranty Booklet.
RETAIL SELL PRICE: $35.00 (U.S.) plus handling and
shipping fees.
Without Portfolio: Owner Manual only.
RETAIL SELL PRICE: $25.00 (U.S.) plus handling and
shipping fees.
Current and Past Models
Technical Service Bulletins and Manuals are available
for current and past model GM vehicles.
ORDER TOLL FREE: 1-800-551-4123
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Eastern Time
For Credit Card Orders Only
(VISA-MasterCard-Discover), visit Helm, Inc. at:
www.helminc.com.
Or write to:Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
Prices are subject to change without notice and without
incurring obligation. Allow ample time for delivery.
All listed prices are quoted in U.S. funds. Make checks
payable in U.S. funds.
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Black plate (16,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy
Your GM vehicle has a number of sophisticated
computers that record information about the vehicle’s
performance and how it is driven. For example, your
vehicle uses computer modules to monitor and control
engine and transmission performance, to monitor the
conditions for airbag deployment and deploy airbags in
a crash, and, if so equipped, to provide antilock braking
to help the driver control the vehicle. These modules
may store data to help your dealer technician service
your vehicle. Some modules may also store data about
how you operate the vehicle, such as rate of fuel
consumption or average speed. These modules may
also retain the owner’s personal preferences, such as
radio pre-sets, seat positions, and temperature settings.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle has an Event Data Recorder (EDR). The
main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash
or near crash-like situations, such as an airbag
deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a vehicle's systems
performed. The EDR is designed to record data related
to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short
period of time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in
this vehicle is designed to record such data as:
.How various systems in your vehicle were
operating
.Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened
.How far, if at all, the driver was pressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal
.How fast the vehicle was traveling
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Black plate (17,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
This data can help provide a better understanding of the
circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
Important:EDR data is recorded by your vehicle only if
a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data is recorded
by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no
personal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash
location) is recorded. However, other parties, such as
law enforcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely acquired
during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is
required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is
needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other
parties, such as law enforcement, that have the special
equipment, can read the information if they have access
to the vehicle or the EDR. GM will not access this data or share it with others
except: with the consent of the vehicle owner or, if the
vehicle is leased, with the consent of the lessee; in
response to an official request of police or similar
government office; as part of GM's defense of litigation
through the discovery process; or, as required by law.
Data that GM collects or receives may also be used for
GM research needs or may be made available to others
for research purposes, where a need is shown and the
data is not tied to a specific vehicle or vehicle owner.
OnStar®
If your vehicle is equipped with an active OnStar
system, that system may also record data in crash
or near crash‐like situations. The OnStar Terms and
Conditions provides information on data collection and
use and is available in the OnStar glove box kit, at
www.onstar.com (U.S.) or www.onstar.ca (Canada),
or by pressing the
Qbutton and speaking to an
advisor.
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Black plate (18,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Navigation System
If the vehicle has a navigation system, use of the
system may result in the storage of destinations,
addresses, telephone numbers, and other trip
information. Refer to the navigation system operating
manual for information on stored data and for deletion
instructions.
Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID)
RFID technology is used in some vehicles for functions
such as tire pressure monitoring and ignition system
security, as well as in connection with conveniences
such as key fobs for remote door locking/unlocking and
starting, and in-vehicle transmitters for garage door
openers. RFID technology in GM vehicles does not use
or record personal information or link with any other GM
system containing personal information.
Radio Frequency Statement
This vehicle has systems that operate on a radio
frequency that comply with Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) rules and with
Industry Canada Standards RSS‐210/220/310.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:1. The device may not cause interference.
2. The device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Changes or modifications to any of these systems by
other than an authorized service facility could void
authorization to use this equipment.
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Black plate (1,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
A
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Accessory Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-107
Additives, Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Air Filter, Passenger Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
AirbagAdding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-69
Airbag System How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-62
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-64
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 2-68
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-61
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . 2-62
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-60
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-57
Airbags Passenger Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-55
Antenna
Backglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-97
Antenna, XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System . . . 4-98 Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-4
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
Appearance Care Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . .6-104
Care of Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-101
Chemical Paint Spotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-106
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-102
Fabric/Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-99
Finish Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-102
Finish Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-105
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other PlasticSurfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-101
Interior Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-98
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-100
Sheet Metal Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-105
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-105
Underbody Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-105
Washing Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-102
Weatherstrips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-101
Windshield and Wiper Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-103
Ashtray(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-7
Audio System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-67
Audio Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-94
Navigation/Radio System, see NavigationManual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-85
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-97
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Black plate (2,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Audio System (cont.)Setting the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-68
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-94
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-98
Audio System(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-69
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
B
Backglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-97
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42Electric Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Inadvertent Power Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Run-Down Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-86
Brake Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-3
Braking in Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-5
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19 Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Taillamps and Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-54
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Sidemarker Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-72
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12, 3-32, 4-47
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-6
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-116
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Care of Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-101
CD, MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-78
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
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Black plate (3,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Center Flex Storage Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Center Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-78
ChargingSystem Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Chemical Paint Spotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-106
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 2-42
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-49
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front
Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-51
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-52
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-39
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-108
Cleaning
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . .6-104
Exterior Lamps/Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-102
Fabric/Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-99
Finish Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-102
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other PlasticSurfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-101 Cleaning (cont.)
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-98
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-100
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-105
Underbody Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-105
Washing Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-102
Weatherstrips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-101
Windshield and Wiper Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-103
Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Outlet Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Climate Control Systems Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Clock, Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-68
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-97
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12, 3-32, 4-47
Compressor Kit, Tire Sealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-80
Content Theft-Deterrent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-3
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-51
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28, 6-31
Engine Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Engine Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-27
Cornering Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
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Black plate (4,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-7Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-41
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-5 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Customer Information Service Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . 8-14
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-2
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-11
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-2
Delayed Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Delayed Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
DIC Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-47
Disc, MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-78
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-4 Door
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Programmable Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Rear Door Security Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-42
DIC Operation and Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-42
DIC Vehicle Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-58
DIC Warnings and Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-49
Driving At Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Before a Long Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
In Rain and on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
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