BUICK LACROSSE 2010 Owner's Manual

Vehicle Care 9-29
Wiper Blade Replacement
Windshield wiper blades should be
inspected for wear and cracking.
SeeScheduled Maintenance
on
page 10‑2for more information.
Replacement blades come in
different types and are removed in
different ways. For proper type and
length, see Maintenance
Replacement Parts on page 10‑9.
To replace the windshield wiper
blade:
1. Pull the windshield wiper assembly away from the
windshield.
2. Lift up on plastic latch in themiddle of the wiper blade where
the wiper arm attaches.
3. With the latch open, pull the wiper blade down towards the
windshield far enough to release
it from the J-hooked end of the
wiper arm. 4. Remove the wiper blade.
Allowing the wiper blade arm to
touch the windshield when no
wiper blade is installed could
damage the windshield. Any
damage that occurs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not allow the wiper
blade to touch the windshield.
5. Reverse Steps 1 through 3 for wiper blade replacement.

9-30 Vehicle Care
Headlamp Aiming
The headlamp aiming system has
been preset at the factory.
If the vehicle is damaged in an
accident, the aim of the headlamps
may be affected and adjustment
may be necessary.
It is recommended that a dealer/
retailer adjust the headlamps. To
re-aim the headlamps yourself, use
the following procedure.
The vehicle should be properly
prepared as follows:
.The vehicle should be placed so
the headlamps are 7.6 m (25 ft.)
from a light colored wall.
.The vehicle must have all four
tires on a level surface which is
level all the way to the wall.
.The vehicle should be placed so
it is perpendicular to the wall or
other flat surface.
.The vehicle should not have any
snow, ice, or mud on it.
.The vehicle should be fully
assembled and all other work
stopped while headlamp aiming
is being performed.
.The vehicle should be normally
loaded with a full tank of fuel and
one person or 75 kg (160 lbs)
sitting in the driver's seat.
.Tires should be properly inflated.
Headlamp aiming is done with the
vehicle's low-beam headlamps. The
high-beam headlamps will be
correctly aimed if the low-beam
headlamps are aimed properly.
To adjust the vertical aim, do the
following:
1. Open the hood. See Hood
on
page 9‑5
Base
Up-Level

Vehicle Care 9-31
2. Locate the aim dot on the lens ofthe low-beam headlamp.
3. Measure the distance from the ground to the aim dot on the
low-beam headlamp. Record the
distance.
4. At the wall measure from theground upward (A) to the
recorded distance from
Step 3 and mark it.
5. Draw or tape a horizontal line (B) on the wall the width of the
vehicle at the height of the mark
in Step 4.
Notice: Do not cover a headlamp
to improve beam cut-off when
aiming. Covering a headlamp may
cause excessive heat build-up
which may cause damage to the
headlamp. 6. Turn on the low-beam
headlamps and place a piece of
cardboard or equivalent in front
of the headlamp not being
adjusted. This allows only the
beam of light from the headlamp
being adjusted to be seen on the
flat surface.

9-32 Vehicle Care
Base
Up-Level7. Locate the vertical headlamp
aiming screws, which are under
the hood near each headlamp
assembly.
The adjustment screw can be
turned with a E8 Torx
®socket.
8. Turn the vertical aiming screw until the headlamp beam is
aimed to the horizontal tape line.
Turn it clockwise or
counterclockwise to raise or
lower the angle of the beam.
9. Make sure that the light from theheadlamp is positioned at the
bottom edge of the horizontal
tape line. The lamp on the
left (A) shows the correct
headlamp aim. The lamp on the
right (B) shows the incorrect
headlamp aim.
10. Repeat Steps 7 through 9 for the opposite headlamp.

Vehicle Care 9-33
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, seeReplacement Bulbson
page 9‑37.
For any bulb changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer/retailer.
Halogen Bulbs
{WARNING
Halogen bulbs have pressurized
gas inside and can burst if you
drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure
to read and follow the instructions
on the bulb package.
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting
{WARNING
The low beam high intensity
discharge lighting system
operates at a very high voltage.
If you try to service any of the
system components, you could be
seriously injured. Have your
dealer/retailer or a qualified
technician service them.
The up–level vehicle has HID
headlamps. The park lamp function
is also a function of the HID
headlamp. After an HID headlamp
bulb has been replaced, the beam
might be a slightly different shade
than it was originally. This is normal.
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal and Parking
Lamps
Base Headlamp Assembly
The base model vehicle has a
halogen high-beam headlamp, a
low-beam/Daytime Running Lamp
(DRL) headlamp and a turn signal/
parking lamp on the headlamp
assembly.

9-34 Vehicle Care
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Open the hood. SeeHood
on
page 9‑5.
A. Low-Beam Headlamp/DRL
B. High-Beam Headlamp
C. Parking/Turn Signal Lamp
2. If replacing a headlamp bulb, remove the dust cover from the
back of the headlamp housing
by turning counterclockwise
a quarter turn. 3. Remove the bulb socket from
the headlamp by turning
counterclockwise a quarter turn.
4. Remove the bulb from the socket.
5. Install the new bulb in the socket.
6. Install the bulb socket by turning clockwise a quarter turn.
7. If a headlamp bulb was replaced, Install the dust cover
in the back of the headlamp
housing by turning clockwise
a quarter turn.
Up–Level Headlamp Assembly
The up–level model vehicle has a
high intensity discharge (HID) high/
low beam, a dedicated DRL and a
turn signal lamp on the headlamp
assembly. The park lamp is also the
function of the HID headlamp. See
High Intensity Discharge (HID)
Lighting
on page 9‑33for more
information. To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Open the hood. See
Hood
on
page 9‑5.
A. DRL Lamp
B. Turn Signal Lamp
2. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise to remove it
from the headlamp assembly.
3. Pull the bulb straight out from the socket.

Vehicle Care 9-35
4. Push the new bulb into thesocket and reinstall the socket
into the headlamp assembly by
turning it clockwise.
Fog Lamps
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Locate the bulb assembly under
the front facia.
2. Disconnect the bulb socket from the electrical connector and pull
out the bulb assembly. 3. Remove the old bulb from the
bulb socket and push the new
bulb straight into the bulb socket
until it connects.
4. Push the bulb socket into the bulb assembly to lock it into
place.
5. Reconnect the bulb socket to the electrical connector.
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps
A. Turn Signal Lamp
B. Back–Up Lamp
To replace one of these lamps:
1. Open the trunk. See Trunk
on
page 1‑11.
2. Pull back the trunk trim.
3. Remove the four plastic wing nuts retaining the taillamp
assembly in place.

9-36 Vehicle Care
4. Pull out the taillamp assemblyand disconnect the wiring
harness.
A. Back-up Lamp
B. Turn Signal Lamp
5. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise to remove it.
6. Pull the old bulb straight out of the bulb socket. 7. Push the new bulb straight into
the bulb socket until it clicks.
8. Turn the bulb socket clockwise to reinstall.
9. Reconnect the wiring harness.
10. Push the taillamp assembly back into place on the vehicle.
11. Turn the four wing nuts clockwise to reinstall them.
12. Place the trunk trim to its original location.
License Plate Lamp
The licence plate lamps for this
vehicle are on the trunk lid.
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Open the trunk. See Trunk
on
page 1‑11for more information.
2. Push the end on either of the lamp assemblies (passenger
side shown) and then move the
lamp assembly down to remove
it from trunk lid.

Vehicle Care 9-37
A. Bulb Socket
B. Lamp Assembly
C. Bulb
3. Turn the bulb socket (A) counterclockwise to remove from
lamp assembly (C).
4. Pull the bulb (B) straight out of the bulb socket. 5. Push the replacement bulb
straight into the bulb socket and
turn the bulb socket clockwise to
install into lamp assembly.
6. Move the lamp assembly into the trunk lid engaging the clip
side first.
7. Push on the lamp side opposite the clip until the lamp assembly
snaps into place.
Replacement Bulbs
Exterior Lamp Bulb
Number
Back-Up Lamp W16W
Daytime Running
Lamp (Up-Level) 3157K
Fog Lamp H11LL
Front Turn Signal/
Park Lamp 3757NAK
Headlamp High
Beam (Base) H9
Headlamp Low
Beam (Base) H11LL
License Plate Lamp W5WLL
Rear Turn Signal 3757AK
For replacement bulbs not listed
here, contact your dealer/retailer.

9-38 Vehicle Care
Electrical System
Electrical System
Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit
breakers to protect against an
electrical system overload.
When the current electrical load is
too heavy, the circuit breaker opens
and closes, protecting the circuit
until the current load returns to
normal or the problem is fixed. This
greatly reduces the chance of circuit
overload and fire caused by
electrical problems.
Fuses and circuit breakers protect
the following in the vehicle:
.Headlamp Wiring
.Windshield Wiper Motor
.Power Windows and other
Power Accessories
Headlamp Wiring
An electrical overload may cause
the lamps to go on and off, or in
some cases to remain off. Have the
headlamp wiring checked right away
if the lamps go on and off or
remain off.
Windshield Wipers
If the wiper motor overheats due to
heavy snow or ice, the windshield
wipers will stop until the motor cools
and will then restart.
Although the circuit is protected
from electrical overload, overload
due to heavy snow or ice, may
cause wiper linkage damage.
Always clear ice and heavy snow
from the windshield before using the
windshield wipers.
If the overload is caused by an
electrical problem and not snow or
ice, be sure to get it fixed.
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers
The wiring circuits in the vehicle are
protected from short circuits by a
combination of fuses and circuit
breakers. This greatly reduces the
chance of damage caused by
electrical problems.
To check a fuse, look at the
silver-colored band inside the fuse.
If the band is broken or melted,
replace the fuse. Be sure to replace
a bad fuse with a new one of the
identical size and rating.
Fuses of the same amperage can
be temporarily borrowed from
another fuse location, if a fuse goes
out. Replace the fuse as soon as
possible.
To identify and check fuses, circuit
breakers, and relays, seeEngine
Compartment Fuse Block
on
page 9‑39, Instrument Panel Fuse
Blockon page 9‑41, and Rear
Compartment Fuse Blockon
page 9‑43.