BUICK CENTURY 2004 Owner's Manual

BAND:Press this button to listen to the radio when a
cassette tape or CD is playing. The inactive cassette or
CD will remain safely inside the radio for future
listening.
CD TAPE:Press this button to play a cassette tape or
a CD when listening to the radio.
Z(Eject):Press this button to eject a tape. Eject
may be activated with either the ignition or radio
off. Cassettes may be loaded with the ignition or radio
off if you press this button rst.
Cassette Tape Messages
If an error message appears on the display, it could be
for one of the following reasons:
TIGHT TAPE:The tape is tight and the player
cannot turn the tape hubs. Remove the tape.
Hold the tape with the open end down and try to
turn the right hub counterclockwise with a
pencil. Turn the tape over and repeat. If the hubs
do not turn easily, your tape may be damaged
and should not be used in the player. Try a new
tape to make sure your player is working properly.
BROKEN TAPE:The tape is broken. Try a
new tape.CLEAN PLAYER:If this message appears on the
display, the cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It
will still play tapes, but you should clean it as soon as
possible to prevent damage to the tapes and player. See
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player on page 3-63.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error number, write it down and provide it to your
dealer when reporting the problem.
CD Adapter Kits
It is possible to use a portable CD player with your
cassette tape player after activating the bypass feature
on your tape player.
To activate the bypass feature, use the following steps:
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Insert the adapter into the cassette slot.
4. Press and hold the CD TAPE button until READY
appears on the display.
The override feature will remain active until the eject
button is pressed.
3-59

Playing a CD
Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The
player will pull it in. The CD should begin playing. If you
want to insert a CD while the ignition or the radio is
off, rst press the eject button or DISP.
If you turn off the ignition or radio with a CD in the
player, it will stay in the player. When you turn on the
ignition or system, the CD will start playing where
it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.
As each new track start to play, the track number will
appear on the display.
The CD player can play the smaller 8 cm single CDs
with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs
are loaded in the same manner.
If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced
due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality
of the music that has been recorded, and the way the
CD-R has been handled. You may experience an
increase in skipping, difficulty in nding tracks, and/or
difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur
try a known good CD.
Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught
in the CD player.
Do not play 3 inch CDs without a standard adapter CD.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.1
s(Reverse):Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release this pushbutton to play
the passage.
2
\(Forward):Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release this pushbutton to play the
passage.
4 RDM (Random):Press this pushbutton to hear the
tracks in random, rather than sequential, order.
Press RDM again to turn off random play.
DISP (Display):Press this button to see which track is
playing. Press it again within ve seconds to see
how long it has been playing. To change the default on
the display (track or elapsed time), press this button
until you see the display you want, then hold the button
until the display ashes. The selected display will
now be the default.
©SEEK¨:Press the left arrow to go to the start of
the current track if more than eight seconds have played.
If you hold the button or press it more than once, the
player will continue moving backward through the CD.
Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If you hold
the button or press it more than once, the player will
continue moving forward through the CD.
3-60

To scan tracks, press and hold either SEEK arrow for
two seconds until SCAN appears on the display. You will
hear a beep. The CD will go to the next track, play for a
few seconds, then go on to the next track. The sound will
mute and SCAN and the track number will appear on the
display. The CD will only scan forward. Press either
SEEK arrow again to stop scanning.
BAND:Press this button to listen to the radio when a
cassette tape or CD is playing. The inactive cassette or
CD will remain safely inside the radio for future
listening.
CD TAPE:Press this button to play a cassette tape or
a CD when listening to the radio.
Z(Eject):Press this button to eject a tape. Eject
may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs
may be loaded with the ignition or radio off if you
press this button rst.
CD Messages
CHECK CD:If this message appears on the radio
display, it could be for one of the following reasons:
It is very hot. When the temperature returns to
normal, the CD should play.
You are driving on a very rough road. When the
road becomes smooth, the CD should play.
The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down.
The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and
try again.
There may have been a problem while burning
the CD.
The label may be caught in the CD player.
If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason,
try a known good CD.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error message, write it down and provide it to your
dealer when reporting the problem.
3-61

Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by using a secret code to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power is removed and the
radio is placed in a different vehicle. This feature
requires no user input to be activated. It is automatically
armed when it is put into the vehicle for the rst time.
When the ignition is turned off, the blinking red light
indicates that THEFTLOCK
®is armed.
If THEFTLOCK
®is activated, your radio will not operate
if stolen. The radio will display LOCKED and a red
LED indicator light will come on above the key symbol
to indicate a locked condition. If this occurs, the radio will
need to be returned to the dealer.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons on your steering
wheel.
wSEEKx:Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next or to the previous radio station.
If a cassette tape or CD is playing, the player will
advance to the next or the previous selection.
3-62

SCAN:Press this button and SCAN will appear on the
display. The radio will go to the rst preset station
on your pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go to
the next preset station. The radio will scan preset
stations with a strong signal only. Press SCAN again to
stop scanning.
AM FM:Press this button to choose FM1, FM2, or AM.
If a cassette tape or CD is playing, press this button
to listen to the radio. The inactive cassette or CD
will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.
SRCE (Source):Press this button to play a cassette
tape or CD when listening to the radio.
MUTE:Press this button to silence the audio system.
Press it again to turn on the sound.
wVOLx(Volume):Press the up or the down arrow
to increase or to decrease volume.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise.
FM
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes, or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight, and
extreme heat. If they are not, they may not operate
properly or they may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN
PLAYER to indicate that you have used your tape player
for 50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If
this message appears on the display, your cassette tape
player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but
you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent
damage to your tapes and player. If you notice a
reduction in sound quality, try a known good cassette to
see if the tape or the tape player is at fault. If this
other cassette has no improvement in sound quality,
clean the tape player.
3-63

For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive
cleaning cassette with pads which scrub the tape
head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The
recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealership.
The cut tape detection feature of your cassette tape
player may identify the cleaning cassette tape as
a damaged tape, in error. If the cleaning cassette ejects,
insert the cassette at least three times to ensure
thorough cleaning.
You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to
clean the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will
not eject on its own. A non-scrubbing action cleaner
may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type
cleaner. The use of a non-scrubbing action, dry-type
cleaning cassette is not recommended.
After you clean the player, press and hold the eject
button for ve seconds to reset the CLEAN PLAYER
indicator. The radio will display --- to show the indicator
was reset.
Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality
may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette
tape is in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.Care of Your CDs
Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct
sunlight and dust. If the surface of a CD is soiled,
dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent
solution and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.
Be sure never to touch the side without writing when
handling CDs. Pick up CDs by grasping the outer edges
or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your CD Player
The use of CD lens cleaners for CDs is not advised,
due to the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics
with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The xed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged. If the mast should ever
become slightly bent, you can straighten it out by hand.
If the mast is badly bent, you should replace it.
Check occasionally to be sure the mast is still tightened
to the fender. If tightening is required, tighten by
hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn.
3-64

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Enhanced Traction System (ETS).....................4-9
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-13
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Driving at Night............................................4-16
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-17
City Driving..................................................4-20Freeway Driving...........................................4-21
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-22
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-23
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-24
Winter Driving..............................................4-26
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow...................................................4-30
Towing..........................................................4-31
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-31
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-32
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-34
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-39
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-6.
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It is the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know when
the vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn
suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task — such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something onthe oor — makes proper defensive driving more
difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting
injury. Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or
pull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself.
These simple defensive driving techniques could save
your life.Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
4-2

Many adults — by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population — choose never to drink alcohol, so they
never drive after drinking. For persons under 21,
it is against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive. But what if people do? How much is “too
much” if someone plans to drive? It is a lot less
than many might think. Although it depends on each
person and situation, here is some general information
on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
The amount of alcohol consumed
The drinker’s body weight
The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol.
According to the American Medical Association, a 180 lb
(82 kg) person who drinks three 12 ounce (355 ml)
bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BAC
of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach thesame BAC by drinking three 4 ounce (120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of liquors like whiskey, gin or vodka.
It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces
or 90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person
who consumes food just before or during drinking will
have a somewhat lower BAC level.
4-3

There is a gender difference, too. Women generally
have a lower relative percentage of body water
than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water, this
means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC
level than a man of her same body weight will when
each has the same number of drinks.
The law in an increasing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada, sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent.
In some other countries, the limit is even lower. For
example, it is 0.05 percent in both France and Germany.
The BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the United
States is 0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to
six drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we have seen,
it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks,
and how quickly the person drinks them.But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance
of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the
right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need
to take sudden action, as when a child darts into
the street? A person with even a moderate BAC might
not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the
collision.
4-4