Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Instruments and Controls 97
With Rainsense, if the transmission
is in N (Neutral) and the vehicle
speed is very slow, the wipers will
automatically stop at the base of the
windshield.
The wiper operations return to
normal when the transmission is no
longer in N (Neutral) or the vehicle
speed has increased.
Rear Window Wiper/
Washer
The rear wiper/washer controls are
on the end of the windshield wiper
lever.
ON :Press the upper portion of the
button for continuous rear window
wipes. OFF :
The rear wiper turns off when
the button is returned to the middle
position.
INT (Intermittent Rear Wipes) :
Press the lower portion of the button
for rear intermittent wipes.
m=REAR (Rear Washer) : Push
the windshield wiper lever forward
to spray washer fluid on the rear
window. The lever returns to its
starting position when released.
Reverse Gear Wipes
If the rear wiper control is off, the
rear wiper will automatically operate
continuously when the shift lever is
in R (Reverse), and the front
windshield wiper is performing low
or high speed wipes. If the rear
wiper control is off, the shift lever is
in R (Reverse), and the front
windshield wiper is performing
interval wipes, then the rear wiper
automatically performs interval
wipes.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization 0121. The windshield washer reservoir is
used for the windshield and the rear
window. Check the fluid level in the
reservoir if either washer is not
working. See
Washer Fluid 0204.Compass
The vehicle may have a compass
display in the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
Setting the Compass Zone
Under certain circumstances, such
as during a long trip or moving to a
new area, the compass zone will
need to be reset. If the compass is
not set to the correct zone, it may
give false readings. The compass
zone should be set to the area in
which the vehicle is currently
traveling.
Use the DIC buttons to set the
compass zone:
1. While the vehicle is in P (Park), press the MENU button to
display the DIC menu.
2. Press and hold SET/CLR while the Set Area display is active.
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120 Instruments and Controls
vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message
is still displayed or appears again
when you begin driving, the AWD
system needs service. See your
dealer.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
This message displays when the
Traction Control System (TCS) is
turned off. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
TRACTION CONTROL ON
This message displays when the
Traction Control System (TCS) is
first turned on. SeeTraction Control/
Electronic Stability Control 0168 for
more information.
Tire Messages
SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
SYSTEM
This message displays if there is a
problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS). See Tire
Pressure Monitor Operation 0230.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
This message displays when the
system is learning new tires. See
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation 0230.
TIRE PRESSURE LOW ADD
AIR TO TIRE
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays when the
pressure in one or more of the
vehicle's tires is low.
The low tire pressure warning light
will also come on. See Tire
Pressure Light 0111.
If a tire pressure message displays,
inflate the tires until the tire
pressure is equal to the values
shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label. See Tires0221,
Vehicle Load Limits 0151, and Tire
Pressure 0228.
More than one tire pressure
message can be received at a time.
The DIC also shows the tire
pressure values. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) 0113.
Transmission Messages
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays if there is a
problem with the transmission. See
your dealer.
TRANSMISSION HOT —IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the transmission fluid in
the vehicle gets hot. Driving with the
transmission fluid temperature high
can cause damage to the vehicle.
Stop the vehicle and let it idle to
allow the transmission to cool. This
message clears when the fluid
temperature reaches a safe level.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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148 Driving and Operating
Always drive slower in these types
of driving conditions and avoid
driving through large puddles and
deep-standing or flowing water.
{Warning
Wet brakes can cause crashes.
They might not work as well in a
quick stop and could cause
pulling to one side. You could
lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car/vehicle
wash, lightly apply the brake
pedal until the brakes work
normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. Driving through
flowing water could cause the
vehicle to be carried away. If this
happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be
very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water
can build up under the vehicle's
tires so they actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is
wet enough and you are going fast
enough. When the vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to
slow down when the road is wet.
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet
weather driving tips include:
.Allow extra following distance.
. Pass with caution.
. Keep windshield wiping
equipment in good shape.
. Keep the windshield washer fluid
reservoir filled.
. Have good tires with proper
tread depth. See Tires0221.
. Turn off cruise control.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips 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
Using the brakes to slow the
vehicle on a long downhill slope
can cause brake overheating, can
reduce brake performance, and
could result in a loss of braking.
Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the
brakes on a steep downhill slope.
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Vehicle Care 187
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 188
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 188
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 197
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 198
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 203
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Battery - North America . . . . . . 207
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 208
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Ignition Transmission Lock
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 209
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 209
Windshield Replacement . . . . . 211
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . 212
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 213
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . 214
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 215
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 223
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 239
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 245
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188 Vehicle Care
Jump Starting
Jump Starting - NorthAmerica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Towing the Vehicle
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Recreational VehicleTowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
General Information
For service and parts needs, visit
your dealer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:
California Proposition
65 Warning
WARNING: Most motor vehicles,
including this one, contain and/or
emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive
harm. Engine exhaust, many parts
and systems, many fluids, and
some component wear by-products
contain and/or emit these
chemicals.
See
Battery - North America 0207
and Jump Starting - North
America 0246.
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, safety belt pretensioners,
and lithium batteries contained in
Remote Keyless Entry transmitters,
may contain perchlorate materials.
Special handling may be necessary.
For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate.
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198 Vehicle Care
If the system is ever reset
accidentally, the oil must be
changed at 5 000 km (3,000 mi)
since the last oil change.
Remember to reset the oil life
system whenever the oil is changed.
How to Reset the Engine Oil
Life System
Reset the system whenever the
engine oil is changed so that the
system can calculate the next
engine oil change. To reset the
system:1. Press the MENU button to show Remaining Oil Life on the
display. This display shows an
estimate of the oil’s remaining
useful life. If 99% is displayed,
that means that 99% of the
current oil life remains.
2. To reset the engine oil life system, press the SET/CLR
button while the oil life display
is active. After a few seconds,
there will be a single chime and
the oil life will be reset
to 100%. Be careful not to reset the oil life
display accidentally at any time
other than after the oil is changed.
It cannot be reset accurately.
If the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
DIC message comes back on when
the vehicle is started, the engine oil
life system has not reset. Repeat
the procedure.
Automatic Transmission
Fluid
How to Check Automatic
Transmission Fluid
It is not necessary to check the
transmission fluid level.
A transmission fluid leak is the only
reason for fluid loss. If a leak
occurs, take the vehicle to your
dealer and have it repaired as soon
as possible.
There is a special procedure for
checking and changing the
transmission fluid. Because this
procedure is difficult, you should
have this done at your dealer.
Change the fluid at the intervals
listed in
Maintenance Schedule
0 263, and be sure to use the fluid
listed in Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants 0272.
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
The engine air cleaner/filter is in the
engine compartment on the
passenger side of the vehicle. See
Engine Compartment
Overview 0192.
When to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
For intervals on changing and
inspecting the engine air cleaner/
filter, see Maintenance
Schedule 0263.
How to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
Do not start the engine or have the
engine running with the engine air
cleaner/filter housing open. Before
removing the engine air cleaner/
filter, make sure that the engine air
cleaner/filter housing and nearby
components are free of dirt and
debris. Remove the engine air
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208 Vehicle Care
Extended Storage: Remove the
black, negative (−) cable from the
battery or use a battery trickle
charger.
All-Wheel Drive
Transfer Case
Under normal driving conditions,
transfer case fluid does not require
maintenance unless there is a fluid
leak or unusual noise. If required,
have the transfer case serviced by
your dealer.
Starter Switch Check
{Warning
When you are doing this
inspection, the vehicle could
move suddenly. If the vehicle
moves, you or others could be
injured.
1. Before starting this check, be sure there is enough room
around the vehicle. 2. Apply both the parking brake
and the regular brake.
Do not use the accelerator
pedal, and be ready to turn off
the engine immediately if it
starts.
3. Try to start the engine in each gear. The vehicle should start
only in P (Park) or N (Neutral).
If the vehicle starts in any other
position, contact your dealer for
service.
Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control
Function Check
{Warning
When you are doing this
inspection, the vehicle could
move suddenly. If the vehicle
moves, you or others could be
injured. 1. Before starting this check, be
sure there is enough room
around the vehicle. It should be
parked on a level surface.
2. Apply the parking brake. Be ready to apply the regular
brake immediately if the vehicle
begins to move.
3. With the engine off, turn the ignition on, but do not start the
engine. Without applying the
regular brake, try to move the
shift lever out of P (Park) with
normal effort. If the shift lever
moves out of P (Park), contact
your dealer for service.
Ignition Transmission
Lock Check
While parked and with the parking
brake set, try to turn the ignition to
LOCK/OFF in each shift lever
position.
.The ignition should turn to
LOCK/OFF only when the shift
lever is in P (Park).
. The ignition key should come
out only in LOCK/OFF.
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248 Vehicle Care
Caution
If the other vehicle does not have
a 12-volt system with a negative
ground, both vehicles can be
damaged. Only use a vehicle that
has a 12-volt system with a
negative ground for jump starting.
2. Position the two vehicles so that they are not touching.
3. Set the parking brake firmly and put the shift lever in
P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or Neutral with a
manual transmission.
Caution
If any accessories are left on or
plugged in during the jump
starting procedure, they could be
damaged. The repairs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Whenever possible, turn
off or unplug all accessories on
either vehicle when jump starting. 4. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
Turn off all lights and
accessories in both vehicles,
except the hazard warning
flashers if needed.
{Warning
An electric fan can start up even
when the engine is not running
and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing, and tools away from any
underhood electric fan.
{Warning
Using a match near a battery can
cause battery gas to explode.
People have been hurt doing this,
and some have been blinded.
Use a flashlight if you need more
light.
Battery fluid contains acid that
can burn you. Do not get it on
you. If you accidentally get it in
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
your eyes or on your skin, flush
the place with water and get
medical help immediately.
{Warning
Fans or other moving engine
parts can injure you badly. Keep
your hands away from moving
parts once the engine is running.
5. Connect one end of the red positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal on the
discharged battery.
6. Connect the other end of the red positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal of the good
battery.