center BUICK LACROSSE 2011 Repair Manual

Black plate (98,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
10-98 Vehicle Care
Fabric/Carpet
Use a vacuum cleaner with a soft
brush attachment to remove dust
and loose dirt. A canister vacuum
with rotating brushes in the nozzle
may only be used on floor carpet
and carpeted floor mats. For soils,
always try to remove them first with
plain water or club soda. Before
cleaning, gently remove as much of
the soil as possible using one of the
following techniques:
.For liquids: gently blot the
remaining soil with a paper
towel. Allow the soil to absorb
into the paper towel until no
more can be removed.
.For solid dry soils: remove as
much as possible and then
vacuum.
To clean:
1. Saturate a lint-free, clean white cloth with water or club soda.
2. Remove excess moisture. 3. Start on the outside edge of the
soil and gently rub toward the
center. Continue cleaning, using
a clean area of the cloth each
time it becomes soiled.
4. Continue to gently rub the soiled area.
5. If the soil is not completely removed, use a mild soap
solution and repeat the cleaning
process with plain water.
If any of the soil remains, a
commercial fabric cleaner or spot
lifter may be necessary. Test a
small hidden area for colorfastness
before using a commercial
upholstery cleaner or spot lifter.
If the locally cleaned area gives
any impression that a ring formation
may result, clean the entire surface.
A paper towel can be used to blot
excess moisture from the fabric or
carpet after the cleaning process.
Leather
Leather, and lighter colored leather
in particular, will need more frequent
cleaning to prevent the buildup of
dust, dirt, and colors transferred
from other items so that these do
not become permanent stains.
To remove dust, a soft cloth
dampened with water can
be used. If a more thorough
cleaning is necessary, a soft
cloth dampened with a mild soap
solution can be used. Your dealer
has a GM approved leather cleaner
available that provides superior
cleaning performance when used
regularly on finished automotive
leathers. Allow the leather to dry
naturally.

Black plate (1,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Customer Information 13-1
Customer
Information
Customer Information
Customer SatisfactionProcedure (U.S. and
Canada) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Satisfaction Procedure (Mexico) . . . . . . . . 13-3
Customer Assistance Offices (U.S. and Canada) . . . . . . . . . 13-5
Customer Assistance Offices (Mexico) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Customer Assistance for Text Telephone (TTY) Users (U.S.
and Canada) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . 13-7
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program (U.S. and
Canada) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-8
Roadside Assistance Program (U.S. and Canada) . . . . . . . . . 13-8
Roadside Assistance Program (Mexico) . . . . . . . . . 13-10
Scheduling Service Appointments (U.S. and
Canada) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-11 Courtesy Transportation
Program (U.S. and
Canada) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-11
Collision Damage Repair (U.S. and Canada) . . . . . . . . 13-13
Service Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . 13-15
Reporting Safety Defects
Reporting Safety Defects tothe United States
Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-16
Reporting Safety Defects to the Canadian
Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Reporting Safety Defects to General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . 13-18
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-19
Navigation System . . . . . . . . . 13-19
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-19
Radio Frequency Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Customer Information
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure
(U.S. and Canada)
Your satisfaction and goodwill
are important to the dealer and
to Buick. Normally, any concerns
with the sales transaction or the
operation of the vehicle will be
resolved by the dealer's sales or
service departments. Sometimes,
however, despite the best intentions
of all concerned, misunderstandings
can occur. If your concern has not
been resolved to your satisfaction,
the following steps should be taken:
STEP ONE: Discuss your concern
with a member of dealership
management. Normally, concerns
can be quickly resolved at that
level. If the matter has already
been reviewed with the sales,
service, or parts manager, contact
the owner of the dealership or
the general manager.

Black plate (4,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
13-4 Customer Information
Customer Assistance
Procedure
Owner satisfaction and goodwill are
very important to your dealer and
General Motors.
Normally, any problem with
the transaction, sale, or usage
of the vehicle must be handled
by your dealer sales or service
departments. However, we
recognize that despite the good
intentions of all parties involved,
sometimes a misunderstanding
may occur.
If you have a problem that has not
been satisfactorily handled through
the normal means, we suggest the
following steps:
STEP ONE
Explain your case to the dealer
service agent, service manager,
dealer sales agent, or sales
manager, depending on your case.Make sure that they have all
necessary information. They are
interested in your continual
satisfaction.
STEP TWO
If you are not satisfied, please
contact the general manager or the
dealership owner to ask for their
help. If they are not able to resolve
your case, ask them to contact the
right people at General Motors for
support, if needed.
STEP THREE
If your case is not resolved
in a reasonable amount of time
by your dealer, please call the
General Motors Customer
Assistance Center (CAC) and
provide the following information:
.Name
.Address
.Phone number
.Model year
.Brand
.Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN)
.Mileage
.Delivery date
.Description of the problem
.Dealership name
.Dealership address
See Customer Assistance Offices
(U.S. and Canada) on page 13‑5
or Customer Assistance Offices
(Mexico) on page 13‑6 for more
information.

Black plate (5,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Customer Information 13-5
Customer Assistance
Offices (U.S. and Canada)
Buick encourages customers to call
the toll-free number for assistance.
However, if a customer wishes to
write or e-mail Buick, the letter
should be addressed to:
United States
Buick Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33136
Detroit, MI 48232-5136
www.Buick.com
1-800-521-7300
1-800-832-8425 (For Text
Telephone devices (TTYs))
Roadside Assistance:
1-800-252-1112From Puerto Rico:
1-800-496-9992 (English)
1-800-496-9993 (Spanish)
From U.S. Virgin Islands:
1-800-496-9994
Canada
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre,
Mail Code: CA1-163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
www.gm.ca
1-800-263-3777 (English)
1-800-263-7854 (French)
1-800-263-3830 (For Text
Telephone devices (TTYs))
Roadside Assistance:
1-800-268-6800
All Overseas Locations
Please contact the local
General Motors Business Unit.
Mexico, Central America and
Caribbean Islands/Countries
(Except Puerto Rico and
U.S. Virgin Islands)
General Motors de Mexico,
S. de R.L. de C.V.
Customer Assistance Center
Av. Ejercito Nacional #843
Col. Granada
C.P. 11520, Mexico, D.F.
01-800-466-0818
Long Distance: 011-52-53 29 0818

Black plate (6,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
13-6 Customer Information
Customer Assistance
Offices (Mexico)
To contact the Customer Assistance
Center (CAC), use the phone
numbers listed in this section.
Customer assistance is available
Monday through Friday, 08:00 to
20:00 hours, and Saturdays from
08:00 to 15:00 hours.
All e-mail inquiries to the Customer
Assistance Center (CAC) should be
sent to: [email protected].
Mexico
From Mexico City
5329-0818
From Other Mexico Locations
01-800-466-0818
United States and Canada
1-800-521-7300
Costa Rica
00-800-052-1005
Guatemala
1-800-999-5252
Panama
00-800-052-0001
Dominican Republic
1-888-751-5301
El Salvador
800-6273
Honduras
800-0122-6101
Customer Assistance for
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users (U.S. and Canada)
To assist customers who are deaf,
hard of hearing, or speech-impaired
and who use Text Telephones
(TTYs), Buick has TTY equipment
available at its Customer Assistance
Center. Any TTY user can
communicate with Buick by dialing:
1-800-832-8425. TTY users in
Canada can dial 1‐800‐263-3830.

Black plate (7,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Customer Information 13-7
Online Owner Center
Buick Owner Center (U.S.)
www.buickownercenter.com
Information and services
customized for your specific
vehicle—all in one convenient
place.
.Digital owner manual, warranty
information, and more.
.Storage for online service and
maintenance records.
.Buick dealer locator for service
nationwide.
.Exclusive privileges and offers.
.Recall notices for your specific
vehicle.
.OnStar and GM Cardmember
Services Earnings summaries. Other Helpful Links:
Buick
—www.buick.com
Buick Merchandise —
www.buickmerchandise.com
Help Center —www.buick.com/
pages/mds/helpcenter/faq.do
.FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions)
.Contact Us
My GM Canada www.gm.ca
My GM Canada is a
password-protected section of
www.gm.ca where you can save
information on GM vehicles, get
personalized offers, and use handy
tools and forms with greater ease. Here are a few of the valuable
tools and services you will have
access to:
.My Showroom: Find and save
information on vehicles and
current offers in your area.
.My Dealers: Save details such
as address and phone number
for each of your preferred GM
dealers.
.My Driveway: Access quick
links to parts and service
estimates, check trade-in
values, or schedule a service
appointment by adding the
vehicles you own to your
driveway profile.
.My Preferences: Manage your
profile and use tools and forms
with greater ease.
To sign up, visit the My GM.ca
section within www.gm.ca.

Black plate (8,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
13-8 Customer Information
GM Mobility
Reimbursement Program
(U.S. and Canada)
This program is available to
qualified applicants for cost
reimbursement of eligible
aftermarket adaptive equipment
required for the vehicle, such as
hand controls or a wheelchair/
scooter lift for the vehicle.For more information on the limited
offer, visit www.gmmobility.com or
call the GM Mobility Assistance
Center at 1-800-323-9935. Text
Telephone (TTY) users, call
1-800-833-9935.
General Motors of Canada
also has a Mobility Program.
Call 1-800-GM-DRIVE (463-7483)
for details. TTY users call
1-800-263-3830.Roadside Assistance
Program (U.S. and
Canada)
For U.S.‐purchased vehicles, call
1-800-252-1112; (Text Telephone
(TTY): 1‐888‐889‐2438).
For Canadian‐purchased vehicles,
call
1-800-268-6800.
Service is available 24 hours a day,
365 days a year.
Calling for Assistance
When calling Roadside Assistance,
have the following information
ready:
.Your name, home address, and
home telephone number.
.Telephone number of your
location.
.Location of the vehicle.
.Model, year, color, and license
plate number of the vehicle.
.Odometer reading, Vehicle
Identification Number (VIN),
and delivery date of the vehicle.
.Description of the problem.

Black plate (13,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Customer Information 13-13
Collision Damage Repair
(U.S. and Canada)
If the vehicle is involved in a
collision and it is damaged,
have the damage repaired by a
qualified technician using the proper
equipment and quality replacement
parts. Poorly performed collision
repairs diminish the vehicle resale
value, and safety performance can
be compromised in subsequent
collisions.
Collision Parts
Genuine GM Collision parts are
new parts made with the same
materials and construction methods
as the parts with which the vehicle
was originally built. Genuine GM
Collision parts are the best choice to
ensure that the vehicle's designed
appearance, durability, and safety
are preserved. The use of Genuine
GM parts can help maintain the GM
New Vehicle Limited Warranty.Recycled original equipment
parts may also be used for repair.
These parts are typically removed
from vehicles that were total losses
in prior crashes. In most cases,
the parts being recycled are from
undamaged sections of the vehicle.
A recycled original equipment GM
part may be an acceptable choice
to maintain the vehicle's originally
designed appearance and safety
performance; however, the history
of these parts is not known. Such
parts are not covered by the GM
New Vehicle Limited Warranty, and
any related failures are not covered
by that warranty.
Aftermarket collision parts are
also available. These are made
by companies other than GM and
may not have been tested for the
vehicle. As a result, these parts
may fit poorly, exhibit premature
durability/corrosion problems,
and may not perform properly in
subsequent collisions. Aftermarket
parts are not covered by the GM
New Vehicle Limited Warranty, and
any vehicle failure related to such
parts is not covered by that
warranty.
Repair Facility
GM also recommends that you
choose a collision repair facility that
meets your needs before you ever
need collision repairs. The dealer
may have a collision repair center
with GM-trained technicians and
state‐of‐the‐art equipment, or be
able to recommend a collision
repair center that has GM-trained
technicians and comparable
equipment.

Black plate (17,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Customer Information 13-17
However, NHTSA cannot
become involved in individual
problems between you, your
dealer, or General Motors.
To contact NHTSA, you may
call the Vehicle Safety Hotline
toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153);
go tohttp://www.safercar.gov;
or write to:
Administrator, NHTSA
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other
information about motor
vehicle safety from
http://www.safercar.gov
.
Reporting Safety Defects
to the Canadian
Government
If you live in Canada, and you
believe that the vehicle has a
safety defect, notify Transport
Canada immediately, and notify
General Motors of Canada Limited.
Call them at 1-800-333-0510 or
write to:
Transport Canada
Road Safety Branch
2780 Sheffield Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1B 3V9
Reporting Safety Defects
to General Motors
In addition to notifying NHTSA (or
Transport Canada) in a situation like
this, please notify General Motors.
Call 1-800-521-7300, or write:
Buick Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33136
Detroit, MI 48232-5136
In Canada, call 1-800-263-3777
(English) or 1-800-263-7854
(French), or write:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre,
Mail Code: CA1-163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7

Black plate (3,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-3
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
CD/DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-1
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
ChargingSystem Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-28
Child Restraints
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-52
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-61, 3-63
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39 Cleaning
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-97
Climate Control Systems Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5, 5-6
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-13
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-85
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Compressor Kit, Tire Sealant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-72
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13 Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-11
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-6 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5, 13-6
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . 13-15
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3