PONTIAC GRAND AM 2004 Owners Manual

When play enters a new folder, the display will not
automatically show the new folder name unless
you have chosen the folder mode as the default display,
see RCL later in this section. The new track name
will appear on the display.
File System and Naming
The song name that will be displayed will be the song
name that is contained in the ID3 tag. If the song name
is not present in the ID3 tag, then the radio will
display the file name without the extension (such
as.mp3) as the track name.
Track names longer than 32 characters or 4 pages will
be shortened. The display will not show parts of
words on the last page of text and the extension of the
filename will not be displayed.
Preprogrammed Playlists
You can access preprogrammed playlists which were
created by WinAmp™, MusicMatch™, or Real
Jukebox™ software, however, you will not have editing
capability. These playlists will be treated as special
folders containing compressed audio song files.
Playing a MP3
With the ignition on, insert a CD partway into the slot,
label side up. The player will pull it in and the CD
will begin to play after the player has read the table of
contents and the file structure and determined where the
first playable track is located. READING DISC will
appear on the display. After the MP3 has been read,
the number of folders and tracks will be displayed, then
the radio will go back to the default display. The CD
symbol will appear on the display. If you want to insert
an MP3 with the ignition off, first press the EJECT
button or push the RCL knob. If you insert a CD with
the radio off and the ignition on, it will start to play.
If you select an EQ setting for your CD, it will be
activated each time you play a CD.
If you turn off the ignition or the radio with a CD in the
player, it will stay in the player. When you turn on
the ignition or the radio, the CD will start to play if it was
the last selected audio source.
As each new track starts to play, the track number will
appear on the display.
The CD player can play the smaller 8cm single CDs
with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs
are loaded in the same manner.
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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 finding 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 (Forward):Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. Press and hold this
pushbutton for less than two seconds to advance at
10 times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for
more than two seconds to advance at 20 times the
normal playing speed. Release the pushbutton to play
the track. The display will show FWD and the elapsed
time of the track.
RDM 2 (Random):To repeat the tracks in the current
folder or playlist, press and release this pushbutton.
FOLDER RANDOM will appear on the display. Once all
of the tracks in the current folder or playlist have
been played the system will move on to the next folder
or playlist and play all of the tracks in random order.To repeat the tracks on the CD, press and hold this
pushbutton for two seconds. You will hear a beep and
DISC RANDOM will appear on the display. This
feature will not work with playlists.
When in random, pressing and releasing either SEEK
arrow will take you to the next or previous random track.
Press and release this pushbutton again to turn off
random play. NO RANDOM will appear on the display.
3
#(Next Folder):Press this pushbutton to go
to the first track in the next folder or playlist. If the disc
contains playlists, it will go through the playlist, then
the folders. Pressing this button while in folder random
mode will take you to the next folder and random
the tracks in that folder. This function will not work on a
CD that does not contain folders or playlists.
4 REV (Reverse):Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. Press and hold this
pushbutton for less than two seconds to reverse at
10 times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for
more than two seconds to reverse at 20 times the
normal playing speed. Release the pushbutton to play
the track. The display will show REV and the elapsed
time of the track. If this button is pressed for more than
20 seconds, the radio will stop reversing and begin
to play.
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6!(Previous Folder):Press this pushbutton to go
to the first track in the previous folder or playlist. If
the disc contains playlists, it will go through the playlist,
then the folders. Pressing this button while in folder
random mode will take you to the previous folder and
random the tracks in that folder. This function will
not work on a CD that does not contain folders or
playlists.
wSEEKx:Press the up arrow to go to the start of
the next track. Press the down arrow to go to the
start of the previous track. Pressing either arrow for
more than 2 seconds will search the previous or
next tracks at two tracks per second. When you see the
track number that you would like to play release the
button to stop searching and to play the track.
TUNE:Turn this knob to fast track reverse or advance
through tracks in all folders or playlists. The track
number and file name will appear on the display for
each track. Turn this knob while in random to fast track
reverse or advance the tracks in sequential order.
RCL (Recall):Push this knob to switch between track
mode, folder/playlist mode, and time of day mode.
The display will show only 13 characters, but there can
be up to 3 pages of text. If there are more than 13
characters in the song, folder, or playlist name pushing
this knob within 2 seconds will take you to the next
page of text. If there are no other pages to be shown,pushing this knob within 2 seconds will take you to the
next display mode.
Track mode will display the current track number and
the ID3 tag song name.
Folder/playlist mode will display the current folder or
playlist number and the folder/playlist name.
Time of day mode will display the time of day and the
ID3 tag song name.
To change the default on the display, push this knob
until you see the display you want, then hold this knob
for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep
and the selected display will now be the default.
INFO (Information):INFO will appear on the display
whenever a current track has ID3 tag information. Press
this button to display the artist name and album
contained in the tag. INFO will disappear from the
display when the information in the ID3 tag has finished.
BAND:Press this button to listen to the radio when a
CD is playing. The inactive CD will remain safely
inside the radio for future listening.
CD AUX (Auxiliary):Press this button to play a CD
when listening to the radio. The CD symbol will appear
on the display when a CD is loaded.
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EJECT:Press this button to eject a CD. Eject may be
activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs
may be loaded with the radio and ignition off if this
button is pressed first.
CD Messages
CHECK CD:If this message appears on the radio
display and the CD comes out, 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 smoother, 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.
•The format of the CD may not be compatible. See
“MP3 Format” earlier in this section.
•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.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of your
vehicle’s radio. The feature works automatically by
learning a portion of the Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN). If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it
will not operate and LOCKED will appear on the display.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that THEFTLOCK
®is armed.
With THEFTLOCK
®activated, the radio will not operate
if stolen.
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Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, some audio controls can
be adjusted at the steering wheel. They include the
following:
QSEEKR:Press the up or the down arrow to go to
the next or to the previous radio station and stay
there. The radio will only seek stations with a strong
signal that are in the selected band.
When a CD is playing, press the up or the down arrow
to fast forward or reverse.PRESET:Press this button to play stations that are
programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons. The radio
will only seek preset stations with a strong signal that
are in the selected band.
When an MP3 CD is playing, press this button to go to
the next folder.
BAND:Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2,
AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped).
When a CD is playing, press this button to listen to the
radio. The inactive CD will remain safely inside the
radio for future listening.
QVOLUMER:Press the up or the down arrow to
increase or to decrease the volume.
PLAY:When listening to the radio, press this button to
play a CD.
MUTE:Press this button to silence the system. Press it
again, or any other radio button, to turn the sound on.
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Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with each other. Static
can occur on AM stations caused by things like
storms and power lines. Try reducing the treble to
reduce this noise.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give 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 fade in and out.
XM™ Satellite Radio Service
XM™ Satellite Radio Service gives digital radio
reception from coast to coast. Just as with FM, tall
buildings or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals,
causing the sound to fade in and out. The radio may
display NO SIGNAL to indicate interference.
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 CD players is not
advised, due to the risk of contaminating the lens of the
CD optics with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
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Fixed Mast Antenna
The fixed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged. If the mast should ever
become slightly bent, straighten it out by hand. If the
mast is badly bent, replace it.
Check occasionally to make sure the mast is still
tightened to the fender. If tightening is required, tighten
by hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn.
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna
System
The XM™ Satellite Radio antenna is located on the roof
of your vehicle. Keep this antenna clear of snow and
ice build up for clear radio reception.
The performance of the XM system may be affected if
the sunroof is open.
Chime Level Adjustment
Chime level adjustment is only available on RDS radios.
The radio is the vehicle’s chime producer. To change
the volume level, press and hold pushbutton 6 with
the ignition on and the radio power off. The chime
volume level will change from the normal level to loud,
and LOUD will appear on the radio display. To
change back to the default or normal setting, press and
hold pushbutton 6 again. The chime level will change
from the loud level to normal, and NORMAL will appear
on the radio display. Removing the radio and not
replacing it with a factory radio or chime module will
disable vehicle chimes.
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✍NOTES
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-6
Braking.........................................................4-6
Enhanced Traction System (ETS).....................4-9
Steering......................................................4-11
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-13
Passing.......................................................4-14
Loss of Control.............................................4-15
Driving at Night............................................4-17
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-19
City Driving..................................................4-21Freeway Driving...........................................4-22
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-23
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-24
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-25
Winter Driving..............................................4-26
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow.......4-31
Towing..........................................................4-32
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-32
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-32
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-35
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-41
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 1-9.
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 on the floor — 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.
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