Section 4 Oldsmobile Aurora 2001 s Owner's Guide

3-
3-1
Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you'll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your vehicle.
Be sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
3
-2 Comfort Controls
3
-2 Automatic Electronic Climate Control
3
-6 Air Conditioning
3
-7 Heating
3
-7 Defogging and Defrosting
3
-8 Rear Window Defogger
3
-8 Passenger Temperature Control (Option)
3
-9 Ventilation System
3
-10 Steering Wheel Controls for Climate Control
3
-10 Audio Systems
3
-10 Setting the Clock3
-11 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
Compact Disc Player with Programmable
Equalization and Radio Data System (RDS)
3
-20 Trunk-Mounted CD Changer (Option)
3
-24 Theft-Deterrent Feature
3
-24 Audio Steering Wheel Controls
3
-25 Understanding Radio Reception
3
-25 Tips About Your Audio System
3
-26 Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
3
-27 Care of Your Compact Discs
3
-27 Care of Your Compact Disc Player
3
-27 Diversity Antenna System
3
-28 Chime Level Adjustment

3-2
Comfort Controls
This section tells you how to operate your climate
control system.
Your vehicle may be equipped with a passenger
compartment air filter. For more information, see
ªPassenger Compartment Air Filterº in the Index.
Comfort Controls Personalization
(If Equipped)
This feature allows two different drivers to store and
recall their own climate control settings for temperature,
air delivery mode and fan speed. The personal choice
settings recalled are determined by the transmitter used
to enter the vehicle. After the button with the unlock
symbol on a remote keyless entry transmitter is pressed,
and the ignition is in RUN, the climate control will
adjust to the last settings of the identified driver. The
settings can also be changed by pressing one of the
memory buttons (1 or 2) located on the driver's door,
until you hear two beeps. When adjustments are made,
the new settings are automatically saved for that driver.
Automatic Electronic Climate Control
Your vehicle is equipped with either a Single Zone or
a Dual Zone Automatic Electronic Climate Control
System. You can use the automatic setting or override
the automatic setting by using the manual controls.
Your vehicle also has the flow
-through ventilation
system described later in this section.
AUTO
-PUSH Knob
By pressing the AUTO
-PUSH knob, you have
selected the electronic climate control system to be in
the automatic mode. The climate control system will
automatically control the air temperature, air inlets, air
distribution and the fan speed based on your selected
temperature setting as well as on the temperature inside
the vehicle, the outside temperature and the sun load.

3-10 Steering Wheel Controls for Climate Control
Some heating and cooling
controls can be adjusted
at the steering wheel.
Other touch controls
also operate some audio
controls. See ªAudio
Steering Wheel Controlsº
later in this section.
Press the upper part of the fan symbol button to override
the automatic fan control and increase the fan speed.
Press the lower part of the fan symbol button to override
the automatic fan control and reduce the fan speed.
Press either arrow on the TEMP button once to display
your current comfort setting in the digital display. Press
the upper part of the TEMP button again to provide a
warmer comfort setting or press the lower part of the
TEMP button again to provide a cooler comfort setting.
Audio Systems
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and give years of listening pleasure. You will get the
most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with it
first. Find out what your audio system can do and how
to operate all its controls, to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.
Setting the Clock
Press and hold HR until the correct hour appears. The
letters AM or PM will appear on the display. Then, press
and hold MN until the correct minute appears. The clock
may be set with the ignition on or off. In addition, the
clock can also be automatically set, when tuned to an
RDS station that is broadcasting time, by pressing and
holding the HR and the MN button at the same time.
The display will show TIME UPDATED. If there is no
time available, NO UPDATE will be displayed.

3-24 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 first time.
When the radio 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 LOC and a red LED
indicator light will come on above the THEFTLOCK
logo to indicate a locked condition. If this occurs,
the radio will have to be returned to the dealer.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
With this feature, you can control certain radio functions
using the buttons on your steering wheel.
Some steering wheel
controls operate climate
controls. See ªSteering
Wheel Controls for
Climate Controlº earlier
in this section.
VOL: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
SEEK: Press this button to tune to the next strong
radio station. When playing a cassette tape or compact
disc, press SEEK to hear the next selection. There must
be at least a three
-second gap between selections on a
cassette tape.
PROG: Press this button to tune in the next preset
radio station. When playing a cassette tape, press PROG
to hear the other side of a tape that is playing. When
listening to a disc in the CD changer, press PROG to
select the next loaded disc.

4-
4-1
Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you'll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We've also
included many other useful tips on driving.
4
-2 Defensive Driving
4
-3 Drunken Driving
4
-6 Control of a Vehicle
4
-6 Braking
4
-9 Traction Control System
4
-11 Steering
4
-13 Off-Road Recovery
4
-13 Passing
4
-15 Loss of Control
4
-16 Driving at Night4
-17 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
4
-20 City Driving
4
-21 Freeway Driving
4
-22 Before Leaving on a Long Trip
4
-23 Highway Hypnosis
4
-23 Hill and Mountain Roads
4
-25 Winter Driving
4
-28 Recreational Vehicle Towing
4
-29 Loading Your Vehicle
4
-31 Towing a Trailer

4-12
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can ªdriveº through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly
pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from
between parked cars and stops right in front of you.
You can avoid these problems by braking
-- if you
can stop in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't
room. That's the time for evasive action
-- steering
around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes. See ªBraking in
Emergenciesº earlier in this section. It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left
or right depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly,
and just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.

4-13
Off-Road Recovery
You may find that your right wheels have dropped off the
edge of a road onto the shoulder while you're driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up to one
-quarter turn
until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge.
Then turn your steering wheel to go straight down
the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two
-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes
back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two
-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
-- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:

ªDrive ahead.º Look down the road, to the sides
and to crossroads for situations that might affect your
passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever
about making a successful pass, wait for a better time.

Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.
If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a
turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken
center line usually indicates it's all right to pass
(providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double solid line,
even if the road seems empty of approaching traffic.

4-20
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You'll want to watch out
for what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals.Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving:

Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an
unknown part of the city just as you would for a
cross
-country trip.

Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
most large cities. You'll save time and energy.
See the next part, ªFreeway Driving.º

Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light
is there because the corner is busy enough to need it.
When a light turns green, and just before you start
to move, check both ways for vehicles that have
not cleared the intersection or may be running the
red light.

4-31
Towing a Trailer
CAUTION:
If you don't use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy,
the brakes may not work well
-- or even at all.
You and your passengers could be seriously
injured. You may also damage your vehicle; the
resulting repairs would not be covered by your
warranty. Pull a trailer only if you have followed
all the steps in this section. Ask your dealer for
advice and information about towing a trailer
with your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with
the proper trailer towing equipment. To identify what
the vehicle trailering capacity is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in ªWeight of the Trailerº
that appears later in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.
Trailering means changes in handling, durability and
fuel economy. Successful, safe trailering takes correct
equipment, and it has to be used properly.
That's the reason for this part. In it are many
time
-tested, important trailering tips and safety rules.
Many of these are important for your safety and that
of your passengers. So please read this section carefully
before you pull a trailer.
Load
-pulling components such as the engine, transaxle,
wheel assemblies and tires are forced to work harder
against the drag of the added weight. The engine is
required to operate at relatively higher speeds and under
greater loads, generating extra heat. What's more, the
trailer adds considerably to wind resistance, increasing
the pulling requirements.

5-
5-1
Section 5 Problems on the Road
Here you'll find what to do about some problems that can occur on the road.
5
-2 Hazard Warning Flashers
5
-2 Other Warning Devices
5
-3 Jump Starting
5
-8 Towing Your Vehicle
5
-9 Engine Overheating5
-12 Cooling System
5
-18 If a Tire Goes Flat
5
-18 Changing a Flat Tire
5
-28 Compact Spare Tire
5
-29 If You're Stuck In: Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow