Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11354409) - 2018 - crc - 11/8/17
Vehicle Care 271
Visually check constant velocity joint
boots and axle seals for leaks.
Body Component Lubrication
Lubricate all key lock cylinders,
hood hinges, liftgate hinges, and the
steel fuel door hinges, unless the
components are plastic. Applying
silicone grease on weatherstrips
with a clean cloth will make them
last longer, seal better, and not stick
or squeak.
Underbody Maintenance
At least twice a year, spring and fall,
use plain water to flush any
corrosive materials from the
underbody. Take care to thoroughly
clean any areas where mud and
other debris can collect.
Do not directly power wash the
transfer case and/or front/rear axle
output seals. High pressure water
can overcome the seals and
contaminate the fluid. Contaminated
fluid will decrease the life of the
transfer case and/or axles and
should be replaced.
Sheet Metal Damage
If the vehicle is damaged and
requires sheet metal repair or
replacement, make sure the body
repair shop applies anti-corrosion
material to parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion
protection.
Original manufacturer replacement
parts will provide the corrosion
protection while maintaining the
vehicle warranty.
Finish Damage
Quickly repair minor chips and
scratches with touch-up materials
available from your dealer to avoid
corrosion. Larger areas of finish
damage can be corrected in your
dealer's body and paint shop.
Chemical Paint Spotting
Airborne pollutants can fall upon
and attack painted vehicle surfaces
causing blotchy, ring-shaped
discolorations, and small, irregular
dark spots etched into the paint
surface. See“Finish Care”
previously in this section.
Interior Care
To prevent dirt particle abrasions,
regularly clean the vehicle's interior.
Immediately remove any soils.
Newspapers or dark garments can
transfer color to the vehicle’s
interior.
Use a soft bristle brush to remove
dust from knobs and crevices on the
instrument cluster. Using a mild
soap solution, immediately remove
hand lotions, sunscreen, and insect
repellent from all interior surfaces or
permanent damage may result.
Use cleaners specifically designed
for the surfaces being cleaned to
prevent permanent damage. Apply
all cleaners directly to the cleaning
cloth. Do not spray cleaners on any
switches or controls. Remove
cleaners quickly.
Before using cleaners, read and
follow all safety instructions on the
label. While cleaning the interior,
open the doors and windows to get
proper ventilation.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11354409) - 2018 - crc - 11/8/17
284 Service and Maintenance
.To avoid break-down or failure to
start the vehicle, maintain a
battery with full cranking power.
. Trained dealer technicians have
the diagnostic equipment to test
the battery and ensure that the
connections and cables are
corrosion-free.
Belts
. Belts may need replacing if they
squeak or show signs of
cracking or splitting.
. Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the belts and
recommend adjustment or
replacement when necessary.
Brakes
Brakes stop the vehicle and are
crucial to safe driving.
. Signs of brake wear may include
chirping, grinding, or squealing
noises, or difficulty stopping. .
Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the brakes and
recommend quality parts
engineered for the vehicle.
Fluids
Proper fluid levels and approved
fluids protect the vehicle’s systems
and components. See
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants 0286 for GM approved
fluids.
. Engine oil and windshield
washer fluid levels should be
checked at every fuel fill.
. Instrument cluster lights may
come on to indicate that fluids
may be low and need to be
filled.
Hoses
Hoses transport fluids and should
be regularly inspected to ensure
that there are no cracks or leaks.
With a multi-point inspection, your
dealer can inspect the hoses and
advise if replacement is needed. Lamps
Properly working headlamps,
taillamps, and brake lamps are
important to see and be seen on
the road.
.
Signs that the headlamps need
attention include dimming, failure
to light, cracking, or damage.
The brake lamps need to be
checked periodically to ensure
that they light when braking.
. With a multi-point inspection,
your dealer can check the lamps
and note any concerns.
Shocks and Struts
Shocks and struts help aid in control
for a smoother ride.
. Signs of wear may include
steering wheel vibration, bounce/
sway while braking, longer
stopping distance, or uneven
tire wear.
. As part of the multi-point
inspection, trained dealer
technicians can visually inspect
the shocks and struts for signs
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11354409) - 2018 - crc - 11/8/17
320 Index
Climate Control Systems (cont'd)Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 299
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Connections
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Control Traction and ElectronicStability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Coolant Engine Temperature Gauge . . .113
Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145, 148
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Cover Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Customer Information Service Publications
Ordering Information . . . . . . . . 301
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . 299
Danger, Warning, and Caution . . . . 3
Data CollectionInfotainment System . . . . . . . . . . 305
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . 304
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Diagnostics
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Door
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . 291
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . 178, 219
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123, 125
Driving
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 24
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 160
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 162
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Driving the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11354409) - 2018 - crc - 11/8/17
322 Index
Fuses (cont'd)Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Rear Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . 134Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Gauges
Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 276
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 140
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 122
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 138
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 123
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145, 148
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 160
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
How to Wear Seat Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
HVAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145, 148
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Indicator
Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Interior Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . 42
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
J
Jump Starting - North
America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
K
Keyless EntryRemote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . 27
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . . . 237
Lamps Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141