
Black plate (34,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Windshield Washer Fluid
What to Use
When you need windshield washer fluid, be sure to
read the manufacturer's instructions before use. If you
will be operating your vehicle in an area where the
temperature may fall below freezing, use a fluid that has
sufficient protection against freezing.
Adding Washer Fluid
The CHECK WASHER FLUID message will appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) when the fluid level
is low. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 4‑76for more information.
Open the cap with the
washer symbol on it.
Add washer fluid until the
tank is full. See Engine
Compartment Overview
on page 6‑13for
reservoir location.
Notice:
.When using concentrated washer fluid,
follow the manufacturer's instructions for
adding water.
.Do not mix water with ready-to-use washer
fluid. Water can cause the solution to freeze
and damage the washer fluid tank and other
parts of the washer system. Also, water does
not clean as well as washer fluid.
.Fill the washer fluid tank only three-quarters
full when it is very cold. This allows for fluid
expansion if freezing occurs, which could
damage the tank if it is completely full.
.Do not use engine coolant (antifreeze) in
the windshield washer. It can damage the
windshield washer system and paint.
6-34

Black plate (111,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
If necessary, use non-abrasive cleaners that are
marked safe for painted surfaces to remove foreign
matter.
Exterior painted surfaces are subject to aging, weather
and chemical fallout that can take their toll over a period
of years. To help keep the paint finish looking new, keep
the vehicle garaged or covered whenever possible.
Protecting Exterior Bright Metal Parts
Bright metal parts should be cleaned regularly to keep
their luster. Washing with water is all that is usually
needed. However, chrome polish may be used on
chrome or stainless steel trim, if necessary.
Use special care with aluminum trim. To avoid
damaging protective trim, never use auto or chrome
polish, steam or caustic soap to clean aluminum.
A coating of wax, rubbed to high polish, is
recommended for all bright metal parts.
Windshield and Wiper Blades
Clean the outside of the windshield with glass cleaner.
Clean the rubber blades using a lint free cloth or paper
towel soaked with windshield washer fluid or a mild
detergent. Wash the windshield thoroughly when
cleaning the blades. Bugs, road grime, sap, and a
buildup of vehicle wash/wax treatments may cause
wiper streaking. Replace the wiper blades if they are
worn or damaged.
Wipers can be damaged by:
.Extreme dusty conditions
.Sand and salt
.Heat and sun
.Snow and ice, without proper removal
6-111

Black plate (4,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Every Engine Oil Change
.Change engine oil and filter. Reset oil life system.
SeeEngine Oilon page 6‑16andEngine Oil Life
Systemon page 6‑20. An Emission Control
Service.
.Engine coolant level check. See Engine Coolanton page 6‑25.
.Engine cooling system inspection. Visual
inspection of hoses, pipes, fittings, and clamps and
replacement, if needed.
.Windshield washer fluid level check. See
Windshield Washer Fluid on page 6‑34.
.Windshield wiper blade inspection for wear,
cracking, or contamination and windshield and
wiper blade cleaning, if contaminated. See
Windshield and Wiper Blades
on page 6‑111. Worn
or damaged wiper blade replacement. See
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
on
page 6‑49.
.Tire inflation pressures check. See Inflation - Tire
Pressure on page 6‑58.
.Tire wear inspection. See Tire Inspection and
Rotation on page 6‑65.
.If tire rotation is recommended for the vehicle,
rotate tires if necessary. See Tire Inspection and
Rotation on page 6‑65.
.Fluids visual leak check (or every 12 months,
whichever occurs first). A leak in any system must
be repaired and the fluid level checked.
.Engine air cleaner filter inspection. See Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 6‑21.
.Brake system inspection (or every 12 months,
whichever occurs first).
.Steering and suspension inspection. Visual
inspection for damaged, loose, or missing parts
or signs of wear.
.Body hinges and latches, key lock cylinders,
rear compartment hinges, console door hinges,
and glove box door hinges lubrication. See
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
on
page 7‑9. More frequent lubrication may be
required when the vehicle is exposed to a
corrosive environment. Applying silicone grease
on weatherstrips with a clean cloth makes them
last longer, seal better, and not stick or squeak.
.Restraint system component check. See Checking
the Restraint Systems on page 2‑72.
.Fuel system inspection for damage or leaks.
.Exhaust system and nearby heat shields
inspection for loose or damaged components.
7-4

Black plate (5,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Additional Required Services
Every 12 000 km/7,500 Miles
.If tire rotation is recommended for the vehicle,
rotate tires. Tires should be rotated every
12 000 km/7,500 miles. SeeTire Inspection and
Rotation on page 6‑65.
At Each Fuel Stop
.Engine oil level check. See Engine Oilon
page 6‑16.
.Engine coolant level check. See Engine Coolanton page 6‑25.
.Windshield washer fluid level check. See
Windshield Washer Fluid on page 6‑34.
Once a Month
.Tire inflation pressures check. See Inflation - Tire
Pressure on page 6‑58.
.Tire wear inspection. See Tire Inspection and
Rotation on page 6‑65.
.Sunroof track and seal inspection, if equipped. See
Sunroof on page 3‑57.
Once a Year
.Starter switch check. See Owner Checks and
Services on page 7‑7.
.Automatic transmission shiftlock control function
check. See Owner Checks and Serviceson
page 7‑7.
.Parking brake and automatic transmission P (Park)
mechanism check. See Owner Checks and
Services on page 7‑7.
.Accelerator pedal check for damage, high effort,
or binding. Replace if needed.
.If the vehicle has a Tire Sealant and Compressor
Kit, check the sealant expiration date printed on
the instruction label of the kit. See Tire Sealant and
Compressor Kit (Without Selector Switch)
on
page 6‑76or Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit
(With Selector Switch) on page 6‑85.
.Underbody flushing service.
7-5

Black plate (9,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants
Fluids and lubricants identified below by name, part
number, or specification can be obtained from your
dealer.Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil The engine requires engine oil
approved to the dexos™
specification.
Oils meeting this specification can
be identified with the dexos™
certification mark. Look for and use
only an engine oil that displays the
dexos™ certification mark of the
proper viscosity grade. See Engine
Oil on page 6‑16.
Engine Cooling System 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable
water and use only DEX-COOL
Coolant. See
Engine Coolant
on
page 6‑25.
Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Hydraulic Brake
System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid
(GM Part No. U.S. 12377967, in
Canada 89021320).
Windshield Washer Optikleen
®Washer Solvent.
Parking Brake Cable Guides Chassis Lubricant (GM Part No.
U.S. 12377985, in Canada 88901242)
or lubricant meeting requirements of
NLGI #2, Category LB or GC-LB.
Power Steering System GM Power Steering Fluid
(GM Part No. U.S. 89021184, in
Canada 89021186).
Automatic
Transmission DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission
Fluid.
Key Lock
Cylinders Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube
(GM Part No. U.S. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).
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Black plate (5,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
E
EDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-114
Electrical SystemFuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-115
Headlamp Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-115
Power Windows and Other Power Options . . . . . . 6-115
Rear Underseat Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-120
Underhood Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-116
Windshield Wiper Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-115
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Check and Service Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-62
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-61
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-61
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16
Overheated Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . 6-32
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20 Enhanced StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-7
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-34
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
F
Filter Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Finish Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-113
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-9
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-74
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-94
Flat Tire, Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-103
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
Windshield Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-6
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45
Front Fog Lamps
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-67
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Black plate (14,1)Cadillac STS Owner Manual - 2011
V
Valet Lockout Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
VehicleControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-59
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-114
Service Parts Identification Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-114
Vehicle Personalization Memory Seat, Mirrors and Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . 3-75
Ventilated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5
Ventilation Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-48
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
W
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . 4-51
Warnings DIC Warnings and Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-76
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Safety and Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Washer, Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11 Wheels
Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-72
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-70
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-72
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-67
Where to Put the Child Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-43
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Wiper Blades, Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-111
Wiper Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-115
Wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Wiper Activated Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31X
XM Radio Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-112
XM™ Satellite Radio
Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-126
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