Page 119 of 430

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-7
4. Press3until 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.
Compass Calibration
The compass can be manually
calibrated. Only calibrate the
compass in a magnetically clean
and safe location, such as an open
parking lot, where driving the
vehicle in circles is not a danger.
It is suggested to calibrate away
from tall buildings, utility wires,
manhole covers, or other industrial
structures, if possible.
If CAL should ever appear in the
DIC display, the compass should
be calibrated. If the DIC display does not show a
heading, for example, N for North,
or the heading does not change
after making turns, there may be a
strong magnetic field interfering with
the compass. Such interference
may be caused by a magnetic CB or
cell phone antenna mount, a
magnetic emergency light, magnetic
note pad holder, or any other
magnetic item. Turn off the vehicle,
move the magnetic item, then turn
on the vehicle and calibrate the
compass.
To calibrate the compass, use the
following procedure:
Compass Calibration Procedure
1. Before calibrating the compass,
make sure the compass zone is
set to the variance zone in which
the vehicle is located. See
“Compass Variance (Zone)
Procedure” earlier in this
section. Do not operate any switches
such as window, climate
controls, seats, etc. during the
calibration procedure.
2. Press
Tuntil PRESSVTO
CALIBRATE COMPASS
displays.
3. Press
Vto start the compass
calibration.
4. The DIC will display CALIBRATING: DRIVE IN
CIRCLES. Drive the vehicle
in tight circles at less than
8 km/h (5 mph) to complete the
calibration. The DIC will display
CALIBRATION COMPLETE
for a few seconds when the
calibration is complete. The DIC
display will then return to
PRESS
VTO CALIBRATE
COMPASS.
Page 152 of 430

Black plate (40,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
5-40 Instruments and Controls
Airbag System Messages
SERVICE AIR BAG
This message displays if there is a
problem with the airbag system.
Have your dealer inspect the
system for problems. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑18 and
Airbag System on page 3‑18 for
more information.
Anti-theft Alarm System
Messages
SERVICE THEFT DETERRENT
SYSTEM
This message displays when there
is a problem with the theft-deterrent
system. The vehicle may or may not
restart so you may want to take the
vehicle to your dealer before turning
off the engine. See Immobilizer
Operation on page 2‑12 for more
information.
WAIT TO START
This message displays briefly when
the theft-deterrent system has
initially found incorrect conditions
within the vehicle and is making a
double check. If your vehicle does
not start soon after, try to start it
again. If it still does not start, have
your vehicle serviced by your
dealer.
Service Vehicle Messages
SERVICE A/C SYSTEM
This message displays when the
electronic sensors that control the
air conditioning and heating
systems are no longer working.
Have the climate control system
serviced by your dealer if you notice
a drop in heating and air
conditioning efficiency.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message displays when a
non-emissions related malfunction
occurs. Have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer as soon as possible.
STARTING DISABLED
SERVICE THROTTLE
This message displays if the starting
of the engine is disabled due to the
electronic throttle control system.
Have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer immediately.
This message only appears while
the ignition is in ON/RUN, and will
not disappear until the problem is
resolved.
This message cannot be
acknowledged.
Page 168 of 430

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
6-8 Lighting
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on,
such as: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information
Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as SERVICE
BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM.
If this messages displays, it is
recommended that the driver reduce
the electrical loads as much as
possible. See
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages on page 5‑34.Battery Power Protection
This feature shuts off the dome
lamps if they are left on for more
than 10 minutes when the ignition is
in LOCK/OFF. This helps to prevent
the battery from running down.
Page 199 of 430
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-1
Climate Controls
Climate Control Systems
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Rear Heating System . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Rear Climate ControlSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Air Vents
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Climate Control Systems
The heating, cooling, and ventilation for the vehicle can be controlled with
this system.
Vehicles without Air Conditioning
A. Fan Control
B. Temperature Control
C. Air Delivery Mode Control
9(Fan Control): Turn the knob
clockwise or counterclockwise to
increase or decrease the fan speed.
9(Off): Turns the system off.
Page 200 of 430

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
8-2 Climate Controls
Temperature Control:Turn the
knob clockwise or counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the
temperature inside the vehicle.
Air Delivery Mode Control:
Turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to change the
current airflow mode.
H(Vent): Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets.
)(Bi-Level): Air is divided
between the instrument panel and
floor outlets, with some air directed
toward the windshield.
6(Floor): Air is directed to the
floor outlets with some air directed
to the windshield and side windows.
-(Defog): This mode clears the
windows of fog or moisture. Outside
air is directed to the floor and
defroster outlets. Adjust the
temperature knob for warmer or
cooler air. The air conditioning
compressor might turn on in this
setting to dehumidify the air.
1(Defrost): This mode clears
the windshield of fog or frost more
quickly. Air is directed to the
windshield, with some to the floor
outlets and front side windows.
The air conditioning compressor
might turn on in this setting to
dehumidify the air.
Do not drive the vehicle until all
the windows are clear.
Page 201 of 430
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-3
Vehicles with Air Conditioning
A. Fan Control
B. Temperature Control
C. Air Delivery Mode Control
D. Rear Window Defogger On hot days, open the windows to
let hot inside air escape; then close
them. This helps to reduce the time
needed for the vehicle to cool down
and the system operates more
efficiently.
#(Air Conditioning):
Cools and
dehumidifies the air inside of the
vehicle.
V(Maximum Air Conditioning):
Cools the air inside the vehicle
faster, by recirculating the inside air.
Page 202 of 430
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
8-4 Climate Controls
Rear Window Defogger
For vehicles with a rear window
defogger, a warming grid is used
to remove fog or frost from the
rear window.
It only works when the ignition
is in ON/RUN.
1(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off.
The rear window defogger turns off
several minutes after the button is
pressed. If turned on again, the
defogger will run for several more
minutes before turning off. The
defogger can also be turned off by
turning off the engine.
Do not drive the vehicle until all the
windows are clear. Notice:
Do not use a razor blade
or sharp object to clear the inside
rear window. Do not adhere
anything to the defogger grid
lines in the rear glass. These
actions may damage the rear
defogger. Repairs would not be
covered by your warranty.
Page 203 of 430
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Express Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-5
Rear Heating System
For vehicles with a rear heating
system, it lets you adjust the
amount of air flowing into the rear of
the vehicle, from the front-seating
area. This feature works with the
main climate-control system in
the vehicle.
AUX:The thumbwheel for this
system is located in the instrument
panel switchbank below the audio
system.
9(Fan): Turn the thumbwheel up
or down to increase or decrease the
amount of heated air sent to the
rear-seating area.
Q(High): This position supplies
the most amount of heat to the
rear-seating area.
c(Medium): This position
supplies half the amount of heat
to the rear‐seating area.
R(Low): This position supplies
the least amount of heat to the
rear-seating area.
9(Off): Turns the rear heating
system off.