center BUICK LACROSSE 2011 Owner's Guide

Black plate (35,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-35
TRUNK OPEN
This message will display when
the trunk is open. Close the trunk
completely.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
A/C OFF DUE TO HIGH
ENGINE TEMP
This message displays when
the engine coolant becomes
hotter than the normal operating
temperature. To avoid added
strain on a hot engine, the
air conditioning compressor
automatically turns off. When
the coolant temperature returns
to normal, the air conditioning
compressor turns back on.
You can continue to drive
the vehicle.
If this message continues to appear,
have the system repaired by your
dealer as soon as possible to avoid
damage to the engine.
COOLANT LEVEL LOW ADD
COOLANT
This message will display if the
coolant is low. SeeEngine Coolant
on page 10‑18.
ENGINE OVERHEATED —
IDLE ENGINE
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
hot. Stop and allow the vehicle to
idle until it cools down.
ENGINE OVERHEATED —
STOP ENGINE
This message displays and a
continuous chime sounds if the
engine cooling system reaches
unsafe temperatures for operation.
Stop and turn off the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so to avoid
severe damage. This message
clears when the engine has cooled
to a safe operating temperature.
HIGH COOLANT
TEMPERATURE
This message displays if the coolant
temperature is hot. See Engine
Overheating on page 10‑21.
Engine Oil Messages
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when the
engine oil needs to be changed.
When you change the engine oil,
be sure to reset the Oil Life System.
See Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑13 andDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑25 for
information on how to reset the
system. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑9 andScheduled
Maintenance on page 11‑2
for more information.

Black plate (38,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
5-38 Instruments and Controls
Anti-Theft Alarm System
Messages
THEFT ATTEMPTED
This message displays if the vehicle
detects a tamper condition.
Tire Messages
TIRE PRESSURE LOW ADD
AIR TO TIRE
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays when the
pressure in one or more of
the vehicle's tires is low.
The low tire pressure warning
light will also come on. SeeTire
Pressure Light on page 5‑23.
If a tire pressure message appears
on the DIC, stop as soon as you
can. Inflate the tires by adding air
until the tire pressure is equal to
the values shown on the Tire
and Loading Information label. See
Tires on page 10‑46, Vehicle
Load Limits on page 9‑12, and Tire
Pressure on page 10‑54.
You can receive more than one
tire pressure message at a time.
To read the other messages that
may have been sent at the same
time, press the SET/CLR button.
The DIC also shows the tire
pressure values. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑25.SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
SYSTEM
This message displays if there is
a problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS). See Tire
Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 10‑57 for more information.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
This message displays when
the system is learning new tires.
SeeTire Pressure Monitor
Operation on page 10‑57 for
more information.
Transmission Messages
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays if there is
a problem with the transmission.
See your dealer.
SHIFT TO PARK
This message displays when the
transmission needs to be shifted to
P (Park). This may appear when
attempting to remove the key if the
vehicle is not in P (Park).
TRANSMISSION HOT —IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the transmission fluid in
the vehicle gets hot. Driving with the
transmission fluid temperature high
can cause damage to the vehicle.
Stop the vehicle and let it idle to
allow the transmission to cool.
This message clears when the fluid
temperature reaches a safe level.

Black plate (39,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-39
Window Messages
OPEN, THEN CLOSE DRIVER
WINDOW
This message is displayed when the
window needs to be reprogrammed.
If the vehicle's battery has been
recharged or disconnected, you
will need to reprogram each front
window for the express-up feature
to work. SeePower Windows on
page 2‑19 for more information.
OPEN, THEN CLOSE
PASSENGER WINDOW
This message is displayed when the
window needs to be reprogrammed.
If the vehicle's battery has been
recharged or disconnected, you
will need to reprogram each front
window for the express-up feature
to work. See Power Windows on
page 2‑19 for more information.
Vehicle
Personalization
The audio system controls are
used to access the personalization
menus for customizing vehicle
features.
CONFIG (Configuration):
Press to access the Configuration
Settings Menu.
MENU/SELECT Knob: Press
the center of this knob to enter
the menus and select menu items.
Turn the knob to scroll through the
menus.
0BACK: Press to exit or move
backward in a menu.
Entering the Personalization
Menus
1. Press CONFIG to access the Configuration Settings menu.
2. Turn the MENU/SELECT knob to highlight Vehicle Settings. 3. Press the center of the
MENU/SELECT knob to select
the Vehicle Settings menu.
The following list of menu items will
be available:
.Climate and Air Quality
.Comfort and Convenience
.Collision/Detection Systems
.Language
.Lighting
.Power Door Locks
.Remote Lock/Unlock/Start
.Return to Factory Settings
Turn the MENU/SELECT knob to
highlight the menu. Press the knob
to select it. Each of the menus is
detailed in the following information.

Black plate (2,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
6-2 Lighting
Turn the control to the following
positions:
O(Off):Turns off the exterior
lamps. The knob returns to the
AUTO position after it is released.
Turn to off again to reactivate the
AUTO mode.
AUTO (Automatic): Automatically
turns the exterior lamps on and off,
depending on outside lighting.
The current status of the AUTO
system is displayed in the Driver
Information Center (DIC) uplevel
display. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑25.
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on
the parking lamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
5(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Parking Lamps
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A warning chime sounds if the driver
door is opened while the ignition is
off and the exterior lamps are on.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
2 3
Headlamp High/Low‐Beam
Changer: Push the turn signal/lane
change lever away from you and
release, to turn the high beams on.
To return to low beams, push the
lever again or pull it toward you
and release.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument panel cluster when the
high‐beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal/lane change lever toward
you, and release.

Black plate (6,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
6-6 Lighting
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
The headlamps, taillamps, license
plate lamps, back‐up lamps, dome
lamps, and most of the interior lights
turn on briefly, when the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE)
Kbutton is
pressed, or when the door handle is
pulled on a keyless access vehicle.
See Ignition Positions (Key Access)
on page 9‑17 orIgnition Positions
(Keyless Access) on page 9‑19.
After about 30 seconds the exterior
lamps turn off, and then the dome
lamps and remaining interior lights
will dim to off. Entry lighting can be
disabled manually by changing the
ignition out of the OFF position,
or by pressing the RKE
Qbutton.
This feature can be changed.
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑39.
Exit Lighting
The headlamps, taillamps, parking
lamps, back‐up lamps, and license
plate lamps come on at night, or in
areas with limited lighting, when the
key is removed from the ignition.
The dome lamps also come on
when the key is removed from the
ignition. The exterior lights and
dome lamps remain on after the
door is closed for a set amount of
time, then automatically turn off.
For a vehicle with keyless access,
the exterior lights and dome lamps
automatically turn on when a door
is opened after the ignition is turned
off. See Ignition Positions (Key
Access) on page 9‑17 orIgnition
Positions (Keyless Access) on
page 9‑19.
The exterior lights turn off
immediately by turning the
exterior lamps control to OFF.
This feature can be changed.
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑39.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.

Black plate (7,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-7
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning
fast enough at idle to produce
all the power needed for very
high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on,
such as: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.It can increase engine idle speed
to generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur
in steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information
Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as BATTERY
SAVER ACTIVE, BATTERY
VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW BATTERY.
If one of these messages displays,
it is recommended that the driver
reduce the electrical loads as much
as possible. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑25.Battery Power Protection
The battery saver feature is
designed to protect the vehicle's
battery.
If the exterior lamps or any interior
light is left on and the ignition is
turned off, the battery rundown
protection system automatically
turns the lamp off after about
10 minutes.

Black plate (21,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-21
Do not touch the bottom surface of
a disc while handling it; this could
damage the surface. Pick up discs
by grasping the outer edges or the
edge of the hole and the outer edge.
If the bottom surface of a disc is
dirty, take a soft, lint‐free cloth,
or dampen a clean, soft cloth in
a mild neutral detergent solution
mixed with water, and clean it.
Wipe the disc from the center
to the outer edge.
Care of the CD Player
Do not add a label to a disc, as it
could get caught in the CD player.
If a label is needed, label the
top of the recorded disc with a
marking pen.Do not use disc lens cleaners
because they could contaminate the
lens of the disc optics and damage
the CD player.
Notice:
If a label is added to a
CD, more than one CD is inserted
into the slot at a time, or an
attempt is made to play scratched
or damaged CDs, the CD player
could be damaged. While using
the CD player, use only CDs in
good condition without any label,
load one CD at a time, and keep
the CD player and the loading slot
free of foreign materials, liquids,
and debris.Control Buttons
The buttons used to control the CD
player are:
CD/AUX: Press to use the CD
player.
l/g: Press to select tracks or
to fast forward or rewind within a
track.
INFO: Press to display additional
information about the current track
that may be available.
TUNE: Turn to select tracks.
Menu Knob: Turn to enter
the menu.
SELECT: Press to select an item.
X(Eject):Press to eject the disc.

Black plate (23,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-23
Tracks can be searched by:
.Playlists
.Artists
.Albums
.Song Titles
.Genres
.Folder View
To search for tracks:
1. Turn the Menu knob.
2. Select Search.
3. Select: Playlists, Artists, Albums, Song Titles, Genres,
or Folder View.
4. Select the track.
CD/DVD Player
The CD/DVD player can play
CDs, DVD‐As, MP3/WMA CDs,
MP3/WMA DVDs, and DVD‐Vs.
The CD/DVD player will not play
8 cm (3 in) discs.
Care of CDs and DVDs
Sound quality can be reduced due
to disc quality, recording method,
quality of the music recorded, and
how the disc has been handled.
Handle discs carefully and store
them in their original cases or other
protective cases away from direct sunlight and dust. If the bottom
surface of a disc is damaged, the
disc may not play properly or at all.
Do not touch the bottom surface of
a disc while handling it; this could
damage the surface. Pick up discs
by grasping the outer edges or the
edge of the hole and the outer edge.
If the bottom surface of a disc is
dirty, take a soft, lint‐free cloth,
or dampen a clean, soft cloth in
a mild neutral detergent solution
mixed with water, and clean it.
Wipe the disc from the center
to the outer edge.

Black plate (31,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-31
Auxiliary Devices
(Radio with CD)
The optional AUX input allows
portable devices to connect to the
vehicle using the 3.5 mm (1/8 in)
input jack or the USB port.
Portable devices are controlled by
using the menu system described
inOperation on page 7‑7.
The AUX input is located in the
center console.
3.5 mm Jack
Connect a 3.5 mm (1/8 in) cable
to the auxiliary input jack to use a
portable audio player.
Playback of an audio device that is
connected to the 3.5 mm jack can
only be controlled using the controls
on the device.
Adjusting the Volume
Turn the VOL/
Oknob to adjust the
volume of the infotainment system
after the volume level has been set
on the portable audio device.
USB Port
For vehicles with a USB port, the
following devices may be connected
and controlled by the infotainment
system.
.iPods
.PlaysForSure Devices (PFD)
.USB Drives
.Zunes Not all iPods, PFDs, USB Drives,
and Zunes are compatible with the
infotainment system.
Connecting and Controlling
an iPod®
Not all iPods can be controlled by
the infotainment system.
Connecting an iPod
Connect the iPod to the USB port.
Searching for a Track
Tracks can be searched for by:
.Playlists
.Artists
.Albums
.Song Titles
.Podcasts
.Genres
.Audiobooks
.Composers

Black plate (34,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
7-34 Infotainment System
Shuffle Functionality
Turn the Menu knob and set Shuffle
Songs (Random) to On or Off.
On:Plays current tracks in random
order.
Off: Plays current tracks in
sequential order.
Repeat Functionality
Turn the Menu knob and set Repeat
to On or Off.
Repeat On: Repeats the current
track.
Repeat Off: Playback starts from
the beginning of the current track
after the last track finishes.Auxiliary Devices (Radio
with CD/DVD and MEM)
The optional AUX input allows
portable devices to be connected
using the 3.5 mm (1/8 in) input jack
or the USB port.
Portable devices are controlled by
using the menu system described in
Operation on page 7‑7.
The AUX input is located in the
center console.
3.5 mm Jack
Connect a 3.5 mm (1/8 in) cable to
the auxiliary input jack to use a
portable audio player.
Playback of an audio device that is
connected to the 3.5 mm jack can
only be controlled using the controls
on the device.
Adjusting the Volume
Turn the VOL/
Oknob to adjust the
volume of the infotainment system
after the volume level has been set
on the portable audio device.
USB Port
The following devices may be
connected to the USB port and
controlled by the infotainment
system.
.iPods
.USB Mass Storage Devices
Not all iPods or USB Mass Storage
Devices are compatible with the
infotainment system.