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Vehicle Care 211
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 212
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 212
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 220
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 222
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 227
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Battery - North America . . . . . . 231
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 232
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Ignition Transmission Lock
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 233
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 233
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . 235
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 236
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Electrical System Overload . . . 238
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 238 Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 245
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

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212 Vehicle Care
Wheel Alignment and TireBalance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 262
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Storing the Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 277
Jump Starting
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Towing the Vehicle
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Recreational VehicleTowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
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, as well as many
of its service parts and fluids,
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 0231
and Jump Starting - North America
0 278.
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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Open the cap with the washer
symbol on it. Add washer fluid until
the tank is full. SeeEngine
Compartment Overview 0215 for
reservoir location.
Caution
. Do not use washer fluid that
contains any type of water
repellent coating. This can
cause the wiper blades to
chatter or skip.
. Do not use engine coolant
(antifreeze) in the
windshield washer. It can
damage the windshield
washer system and paint.
. 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.
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
.When using concentrated
washer fluid, follow the
manufacturer instructions for
adding water.
. 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.
Brakes
Disc brake pads have built-in wear
indicators that make a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads
are worn and new pads are needed.
The sound can come and go or can
be heard all the time when the
vehicle is moving, except when
applying the brake pedal firmly.
{Warning
The brake wear warning sound
means that soon the brakes will
not work well. That could lead to
a crash. When the brake wear
warning sound is heard, have the
vehicle serviced.
Caution
Continuing to drive with worn-out
brake pads could result in costly
brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates
can cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean
something is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are
necessary to help prevent brake
pulsation. When tires are rotated,
inspect brake pads for wear and
evenly tighten wheel nuts in the

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Wheels and Tires
Tires
Every new GM vehicle has
high-quality tires made by a
leading tire manufacturer. See
the warranty manual for
information regarding the tire
warranty and where to get
service. For additional
information refer to the tire
manufacturer.
{Warning
.Poorly maintained and
improperly used tires are
dangerous.
.Overloading the tires can
cause overheating as a
result of too much
flexing. There could be a
blowout and a serious
crash. SeeVehicle Load
Limits 0163.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Underinflated tires pose
the same danger as
overloaded tires. The
resulting crash could
cause serious injury.
Check all tires frequently
to maintain the
recommended pressure.
Tire pressure should be
checked when the tires
are cold.
.Overinflated tires are
more likely to be cut,
punctured, or broken by
a sudden impact —such
as when hitting a pothole.
Keep tires at the
recommended pressure.
.Worn or old tires can
cause a crash. If the
tread is badly worn,
replace them.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Replace any tires that
have been damaged by
impacts with potholes,
curbs, etc.
.Improperly repaired tires
can cause a crash. Only
the dealer or an
authorized tire service
center should repair,
replace, dismount, and
mount the tires.
.Do not spin the tires in
excess of 56 km/h
(35 mph) on slippery
surfaces such as snow,
mud, ice, etc. Excessive
spinning may cause the
tires to explode.
See Tire Pressure for
High-Speed Operation 0252 for
inflation pressure adjustment for
high-speed driving.

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Caution (Continued)
when possible, avoid contact with
curbs, potholes, and other road
hazards.
Summer Tires
This vehicle may come with 255/
35R20 high performance summer
tires. These tires have a special
tread and compound that are
optimized for maximum dry and wet
road performance. This special
tread and compound will have
decreased performance in cold
climates, and on ice and snow. It is
recommended that winter tires be
installed on the vehicle if frequent
driving at temperatures below
approximately 5 °C (40 °F) or on ice
or snow covered roads is expected.
SeeWinter Tires 0244.
Caution
High performance summer tires
have rubber compounds that lose
flexibility and may develop
surface cracks in the tread area
at temperatures below −7 °C (20 °
F). Always store high
performance summer tires
indoors and at temperatures
above −7 °C (20 °F) when not in
use. If the tires have been
subjected to −7 °C (20 °F) or less,
let them warm up in a heated
space to at least 5 °C (40 °F) for
24 hours or more before being
installed or driving a vehicle on
which they are installed. Do not
apply heat or blow heated air
directly on the tires. Always
inspect tires before use. See Tire
Inspection 0257.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is
molded into its sidewall. The
examples show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a
compact spare tire sidewall.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire Example
(1) Tire Size:The tire size is a
combination of letters and
numbers used to define a
particular tire's width, height,
aspect ratio, construction type,
and service description. See the
“Tire Size” illustration later in this
section.

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road tire has lost air and gone
flat. If the vehicle has a compact
spare tire, seeCompact Spare
Tire 0277 andIf a Tire Goes
Flat 0263.
(3) Tire Identification Number
(TIN)
:The letters and numbers
following the DOT (Department
of Transportation) code are the
Tire Identification Number (TIN).
The TIN shows the
manufacturer and plant code,
tire size, and date the tire was
manufactured. The TIN is
molded onto both sides of the
tire, although only one side may
have the date of manufacture.
(4) Maximum Cold Inflation
Load Limit
:Maximum load that
can be carried and the
maximum pressure needed to
support that load.
(5) Tire Inflation
:The
temporary use tire or compact
spare tire should be inflated to
420 kPa (60 psi). For more information on tire pressure and
inflation see
Tire Pressure
0 251.
(6) Tire Size
:A combination of
letters and numbers define a
tire's width, height, aspect ratio,
construction type, and service
description. The letter T as the
first character in the tire size
means the tire is for temporary
use only.
(7) TPC Spec (Tire
Performance Criteria
Specification)
:Original
equipment tires designed to
GM's specific tire performance
criteria have a TPC specification
code molded onto the sidewall.
GM's TPC specifications meet or
exceed all federal safety
guidelines.
Tire Designations
Tire Size
The following is an example of a
typical passenger vehicle
tire size.
(1) Passenger (P-Metric) Tire:
The United States version of a
metric tire sizing system. The
letter P as the first character in
the tire size means a passenger
vehicle tire engineered to
standards set by the U.S. Tire
and Rim Association.
(2) Tire Width
:The three-digit
number indicates the tire section
width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall.

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(3) Aspect Ratio:A two-digit
number that indicates the tire
height-to-width measurements.
For example, if the tire size
aspect ratio is 60, as shown in
item 3 of the illustration, it would
mean that the tire's sidewall is
60 percent as high as it is wide.
(4) Construction Code
:A letter
code is used to indicate the type
of ply construction in the tire.
The letter R means radial ply
construction; the letter D means
diagonal or bias ply
construction; and the letter B
means belted-bias ply
construction.
(5) Rim Diameter
:Diameter of
the wheel in inches.
(6) Service Description
:These
characters represent the load
index and speed rating of the
tire. The load index represents
the load carrying capacity a tire
is certified to carry. The speed
rating is the maximum speed a
tire is certified to carry a load.
Tire Terminology and
Definitions
Air Pressure:The amount of
air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of
the tire. Air pressure is
expressed in kPa (kilopascal)
or psi (pounds per square inch).
Accessory Weight
:The
combined weight of optional
accessories. Some examples of
optional accessories are
automatic transmission, power
windows, power seats, and air
conditioning.
Aspect Ratio
:The relationship
of a tire's height to its width.
Belt
:A rubber coated layer of
cords between the plies and the
tread. Cords may be made from
steel or other reinforcing
materials. Bead
:The tire bead contains
steel wires wrapped by steel
cords that hold the tire onto
the rim.
Bias Ply Tire
:A pneumatic tire
in which the plies are laid at
alternate angles less than
90 degrees to the centerline of
the tread.
Cold Tire Pressure
:The
amount of air pressure in a tire,
measured in kPa (kilopascal)
or psi (pounds per square inch)
before a tire has built up heat
from driving. See Tire Pressure
0 251.
Curb Weight
:The weight of a
motor vehicle with standard and
optional equipment including the
maximum capacity of fuel, oil,
and coolant, but without
passengers and cargo.
DOT Markings
:A code molded
into the sidewall of a tire
signifying that the tire is in
compliance with the U.S.

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about one minute and then stays on
for the remainder of the ignition
cycle. A DIC warning message also
displays. The malfunction light and
DIC warning message come on at
each ignition cycle until the problem
is corrected. Some of the conditions
that can cause these to come
on are:
.One of the road tires has been
replaced with the spare tire. The
spare tire does not have a
TPMS sensor. The malfunction
light and DIC message should
go off after the road tire is
replaced and the sensor
matching process is performed
successfully. See “TPMS Sensor
Matching Process” later in this
section.
. The TPMS sensor matching
process was not done or not
completed successfully after
rotating the tires. The
malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off after
successfully completing the
sensor matching process. See
"TPMS Sensor Matching
Process" later in this section. .
One or more TPMS sensors are
missing or damaged. The
malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off when the
TPMS sensors are installed and
the sensor matching process is
performed successfully. See
your dealer for service.
. Replacement tires or wheels do
not match the original equipment
tires or wheels. Tires and wheels
other than those recommended
could prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. See Buying
New Tires 0259.
. Operating electronic devices or
being near facilities using radio
wave frequencies similar to the
TPMS could cause the TPMS
sensors to malfunction.
If the TPMS is not functioning
properly it cannot detect or signal a
low tire condition. See your dealer
for service if the TPMS malfunction
light and DIC message comes on
and stays on.TPMS Sensor Matching
Process
Each TPMS sensor has a unique
identification code. The identification
code needs to be matched to a new
tire/wheel position after rotating the
vehicle’s tires or replacing one or
more of the TPMS sensors. The
TPMS sensor matching process
should also be performed after
replacing a spare tire with a road
tire containing the TPMS sensor.
The malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off at the next
ignition cycle. The sensors are
matched to the tire/wheel positions,
using a TPMS relearn tool, in the
following order: driver side front tire,
passenger side front tire, passenger
side rear tire, and driver side rear.
See your dealer for service or to
purchase a relearn tool. A TPMS
relearn tool can also be purchased.
See Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor
Activation Tool at
www.gmtoolsandequipment.com or
call 1-800-GM TOOLS
(1-800-468-6657).