BUICK CENTURY 1996 Owners Manual

Courtesy Transportation
To Buick Motor Division, Quality Means Service -- and
service means “keeping you on the road.”
Included with your 1996 Buick new car warranty
(36 month/36,000 miles
(60 000 km), whichever occurs
first), is Courtesy Transportation, a program which will
provide Buick retail customers with:
Reimbursement toward a loaner vehicle, courtesy of
Buick Motor Division, for up to five days for
vehicles requiring overnight warranty repairs. Also,
reimbursement up to $30 a day (five days maximum)
may be available for the cost of a rental car, bus or
even a cab.
A free one-way shuttle ride up to
10 miles from the
dealership is available for customers whose vehicles
require same-day warranty repairs. Courtesy
Transportation is Buick’s way
of extending the
Premium Service you’ve come to expect from Buick
and its
3,000 dealers. Please review the Courtesy
Transportation glove box card contained in your vehicle,
or consult your Buick dealer for details.
Some state insurance regulations make
it impractical to
rent vehicles to people under
21 years of age. If you are
under 21 and have difficulty renting a vehicle, Buick
will reimburse you up
to $30/day, for any documented
transportation you receive. Please consult your dealer
for details.
For warranty repairs during the Complete Vehicle
Coverage period in the New Vehicle Limited Warranty,
interim transportation may be available under the
Courtesy Transportation Program. Please consult your
dealer for details. The Courtesy Transportation program
is available only in the United States and Canada.
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GM Participation in BBB AUTO
LINE - Alternative Dispute
Resolution Program*
*This program may not be available in all states,
depending on state law. Canadian owners refer to your
Warranty and Owner Assistance Information booklet.
General Motors reserves the right to change eligibility
limitations and/or to discontinue its participation in
this program.
Both Buick and your Buick dealer are committed
to making sure you
are completely satisfied with
your new vehicle. Our experience has shown that,
if
a situation arises where you feel your concern
has not been adequately addressed, the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure described earlier in this
section
is very successful.
There may be instances where an impartial third party
can assist in arriving at a solution to a disagreement
regarding vehicle repairs or interpretation of the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
To assist in resolving these
disagreements, Buick voluntarily participates in
BBB
AUTO LINE. BBB AUTO
LINE is an out-of-court program
administered by the Better Business Bureau system to
settle disputes between customers and automobile
manufacturers. This program is available free of charge
to customers who currently own or lease a GM vehicle.
If you are not satisfied after following the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure,
you may contact the BBB using
the toll-free telephone number, or write them at the
following address:
BBB AUTO
LINE
Council of Better Business Bureaus
4200 Wilson Boulevard
Suite
800
Arlington, VA 22203
Telephone: 1-800-955-5100
To file a claim, you will be asked to provide your name
and address, your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN),
and a statement of the nature of your complaint.
Eligibility is limited by vehicle age and mileage, and
other factors.
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We prefer you utilize the Customer Satisfaction
Procedure before you resort to
AUTO LINE, but you
may contact the BBB at any time. The BBB will attempt
to resolve the complaint serving as an intermediary
between you and Buick. If this mediation is
unsuccessful, an informal hearing will be scheduled
where eligible customers may present their case to an
impartial third-party arbitrator.
The arbitrator will make a decision which you may
accept or reject. If you accept the decision,
GM will be
bound by that decision. The entire dispute resolution
procedure should ordinarily take about 40 days from the
time you file a claim until a decision
is made.
Some state laws may require you to use this program
before filing a claim with a state-run arbitration program
or in the courts.
For further information, contact the
BBB at 1-800-955-5100 or the Buick Customer
Assistance Center
at 1-800-955-7300.
REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS
TO THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could
cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should
immediately inform the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), in addition
to
notifying General Motors.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an
investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect exists in
a group
of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy
campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved
in individual problems between you, your dealer, or
General Motors.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto Safety
Hotline toll-free at 1-800-424-9393 (or 366-0123
in the
Washington,
D.C. area) or write to:
NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor
vehicle safety from the Hotline.
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REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS
TO THE CANADIAN
GOVERNMENT
If you live in Canada, and you believe that your vehicle
has a safety defect, you should immediately notify
Transport Canada, in addition to notifying General
Motors
of Canada Limited. You may write to:
Transport Canada
Box 8880
Ottawa, Ontario
K1G 352
REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS
TO GENERAL
MOTORS
In addition to notifying NHTSA (or Transport Canada)
in a situation like this, we certainly
hope you’ll notify
us. Please call us at 1-800-521 -7300,
or write:
Buick Motor Division Customer Assistance Center
902
E. Hamilton Avenue
Flint, MI 48550
In Canada, please call us at 1-800-263-3777 (English)
or 1-800-263-7854 (French). Or, write:
General Motors
of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Center
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 8P7
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1996 BUCK SERVICE PUBLICATIONS ORDERING INFORMATION
The following publications covering the operation and servicing of your vehicle can be purchased by filling out
the Service Publication Order Form in this book and mailing it in with your check, money order,
or credit card information to Helm, Incorporated (address below.)
CURRENT PUBLICATIONS FOR 1996 BUCK
SERVICE MANUALS
Service Manuals have the diagnosis and repair information
on engines, transmission, axle, suspension, brakes,
electrical, steering, body, etc.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$90.00
TRANSMISSION, TRANSAXLE, TRANSFER CASE
UNIT REPAIR MANUAL
This manual provides information on unit repair service
procedures, adjustments and specifications for the
1996 GM transmissions, transaxles and transfer cases.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$40.00
SERVICE BULLETINS
Service Bulletins give technical service information needed
to knowledgeably service General Motors cars and trucks.
Each bulletin contains instructions to assist in the
diagnosis and service of your vehicle.
OWNER’S INFORMATION
Owner publications are written directly for Owner’s and
intended to provide basic operational information about the
vehicle. The owner’s manual will include the Maintenance
Schedule for
all models.
In-Portfolio: Includes a Portfolio, Owner’s Manual and
Warranty Booklet.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$15.00
Without Portfolio: Owner’s Manual only.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$10.00
CURRENT & PAST MODEL ORDER FORMS
Service Publications are available for current and past
model GM vehicles. To request an order form, please
specify year and model name of the vehicle.
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NOTES
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NOTES
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Section 9 Index
Air Bag ...................................... I -2 1
How Does it Restrain .......................... 1-23
How it Works ................................ 1-22
Location
.................................... 1-22
Readiness Light
......................... 1-21? 2-49
Servicing
................................... 1-25
What Makes
it Inflate .......................... 2-23
What Will
You See After it Inflates ............... 1-24
When Should it Inflate
......................... 1-23
Aircleaner
.................................... 6-14
Air Conditioning
................................ 3-2
Air Conditioning Refrigerants
..................... 6-64
Alignment and Balance. Tire
...................... 6-43
Aluminum Wheels. Cleaning
...................... 6-5 I
Antenna. Fixed ................................. 3-10
Antifreeze
..................................... 6-22
Anti-Lock Brake System Active Light
................. 2-53. 4.8
Brake System Warning Light
................ 2-5 1. 4.6
Brakes
...................................... 4-6
Appearancecare
............................... 6-46
Appearance Care Materials
....................... 6-54
Arbitration Program
.............................. 8-6
Armrest. Storage
............................... 2-39
Ashtrays
...................................... 2-42 Audio
Equipment. Adding
......................... 3-9
Audio Systems
.................................. 3-4
Automatic Door Locks
............................ 2-4
Automatic Overdrive
............................ 2-17
Automatic Transaxle Check
....................... 7-38
Automatic Transaxle Fluid
........................ 6-17
Automatic Transaxle Operation
.................... 2-16
Shifting
..................................... 2-16
Automatic Transaxle Park Mechanism Check
......... 7-40
Battery
...................................... 6.3 2
Jump Starting
................................. 5-2
Warning Light
............................... 2-50
Warnings
................................ 5.2. 5.4
BBB Auto Line ................................. 8-6
Better Business Bureau Mediation
................... 8-6
Brake Replacement.
Remote Keyless Entry
............... 2-6
Adjustment
.................................. 6-31
Fluid
....................................... 6-29
Master Cylinder
.............................. 6-29
Parking
..................................... 2-19
PedalTravel
................................. 6-31
Replacing System Parts
........................ 6-32
System Warning Light
......................... 2-50
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Trailer ...................................... 4-33
Transaxle Shift Interlock
....................... 2-23
Transaxle Shift Interlock Check
.................. 7-39
Wear
....................................... 6-31
Brakes. Anti-Lock
............................... 4-6
Braking
........................................ 4-5
Braking in Emergencies
........................... 4-8
Break.In. New Vehicle
.......................... 2- 10
BTSI
......................................... 2-23
BTSICheck
................................... 7-39
Bulb Replacement
.............................. 6-33
Canadian Roadside Assistance
.................... 8-4
Capacities and Specifications
...................... 6-6 1
Carbon Monoxide .................... 2.24.4.27. 4.33
Cargo Security Cover
............................ 2-40
Cassette Deck Service
........................... 7-37
Cassette Tape Player
............................. 3-6
Cassette Tape Player Care
......................... 3-9
Center Passenger Position
........................ 1-27
Certification Label
.............................. 4-28
Chains. Safety
................................. 4-33
Chains. Tire
................................... 6-45
Checking Your Restraint Systems
.................. 1-46
Chemical Paint Spotting
.......................... 6-53
Child Restraints
................................ 1-33
Securing in the Center Seat Position
.............. 1-36
Changing a
Flat Tire
.. t. .......................... 5-24
Securing
in a Rear Outside Seat Position ........... 1-34
Securing in
the Right Front Seat Position .......... 1-38
TopStrap
................................... 1-33
WheretoPut
................................ 1-33 Cigarette
Lighter
............................... 2-42
Circuit Breakers and Fuses
....................... 6-57
Cleaner. Air
................................... 6-14
Cleaning
...................................... 6-46
Aluminum Wheels
............................ 6-51
Fabric
...................................... 6-47
Glass
....................................... 6-49
Inside
of Your Buick .......................... 6-46
Instrument Panel
............................. 6-49
Leather
..................................... 6-49
Outside
of Your Buick ......................... 6-50
Special Problems
............................. 6-48
Stains
...................................... 6-48
Tires
....................................... 6-52
Vinyl ....................................... 6-48
Wheels
..................................... 6-51
Windshield and Wiper Blades
................... 6-50
Climate Control System ........................... 3-1
Clock. Setting the
................................ 3-4
Coinholder
.................................... 2-39
Comfort Controls
................................ 3-1
Compact Spare Tire
............................. 5-37
Control of a Vehicle .............................. 4-5
Convenience Net
............................... 2-40
Convex Outside Mirror
.......................... 2-38
Coolant
....................................... 6-22
Bleedvalves
................................. 5-21
Heater. Engine
............................... 2-14
RecoveryTank
............................... 5-16
Courtesy Lamps
................................ 2-35
Courtesy Transportation
........................... 8-5
Cover. Cargo Security ........................... 2-40
Cooling System
................................ 5-15
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