Section 2 BUICK LESABRE 2005 User Guide

Dual Automatic Climate
Control System
With this system you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation for your vehicle.
Automatic Operation
AUTO (Automatic):Press the AUTO button for
automatic control of the inside temperature, the air
delivery mode and the fan speed.
1. Press the AUTO button.2. Adjust the temperature to 75°F (24°C).
Choosing the coldest or warmest temperature
setting will not cause the system to heat or cool any
faster. If you set the system at the warmest
temperature setting, the system will remain in
manual mode at that temperature and it will not go
into automatic mode.
In cold weather, the system will start at reduced fan
speeds to avoid blowing cold air into your vehicle
until warmer air is available. The system will
start out blowing air at the oor but may change
modes automatically as the vehicle warms up
to maintain the chosen temperature setting. The
length of time needed for warm up will depend on
the outside temperature and the length of time
that has elapsed since your vehicle was last driven.
3. Wait for the system to regulate. This may take
from 10 to 30 minutes. Then adjust the temperature,
if necessary.
Do not cover the solar sensor located in the center of
the instrument panel, near the windshield. For more
information on the solar sensor, see “Sensors” later in
this section.
3-27

Warning Lights, Gages,
and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briey when you start the
engine just to let you know they are working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there is a problem with your vehicle.When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages
shows there may be a problem, check the section that
tells you what to do about it. Please follow this
manual’s advice. Waiting to do repairs can be
costly — and even dangerous. So please get to know
your warning lights and gages. They are a big help.
Your vehicle may also have a DIC that works along with
the warning lights and gages. SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-47.
The volume of your vehicle’s warning chimes can be
adjusted. For information seeChime Level Adjustment
on page 3-85.
Instrument Panel Cluster
Your instrument panel cluster is designed to let you
know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You’ll
know how fast you’re going, how much fuel you’re
using, and many other things you’ll need to drive safely
and economically.
3-33

The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single
CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the
smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner.
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. There may be an increase
in skipping, difficulty in nding 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.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.
1
s(Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release this pushbutton to play
the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear
on the display.
2
\(Forward):Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release this pushbutton to play the
passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear
on the display.4 RDM (Random):Press this pushbutton to hear the
tracks in random, rather than sequential, order.
Press RDM again to turn off random play.
EQ (Equalizer):Press EQ to select an equalization
setting while playing a CD. The equalization will be set
whenever a CD is played. See “EQ” listed previously
for more information.
©SEEK¨:Press the left arrow to go to the start of
the current track if more than eight seconds have
played. Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If
either arrow is held or pressed more than once, the
player will continue moving backward or forward through
the CD.
To scan tracks, press and hold either SEEK arrow for
two seconds until SCAN appears on the display and you
will hear a beep. The CD will go to the next track,
play for a few seconds, then go on to the next track.
The sound will mute and SCAN and the track number
will appear on the display while scanning. The CD
will only scan forward. Press either SEEK arrow again
to stop scanning.
3-63

Playing a Cassette Tape
The tape player is built to work best with tapes that are
up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes
longer than that are so thin they may not work well in
this player. The longer side with the tape visible should
face to the right. If you hear nothing or hear a garbled
sound, the tape may not be in squarely. Press the eject
button to remove the tape and start over.
If the ignition and radio are off, press the eject or the
DISP button to insert and to begin play of a tape. If the
ignition is on and the radio is off, the tape can be
inserted and will begin playing.
While the tape is playing, use the VOLUME and AUDIO
controls just as you do for the radio. The display will
show an arrow to show which side of the tape is playing.
Cassette tape adapter kits for portable CD players will
work in the cassette tape player. See “CD Adapter Kits”
later for more information.
The tape bias is set automatically when a metal or
chrome tape is inserted.
If an error appears on the display, see “Cassette Tape
Messages” later in this section.
1
s(Reverse):Press this pushbutton to quickly
reverse the tape. The radio will play while the tape
reverses. Press this pushbutton again to return to
playing speed.2
\(Forward):Press this pushbutton to quickly
advance the tape. The radio will play while the tape
advances. Press this pushbutton again to return
to playing speed.
6 SIDE:Press this pushbutton to play the other side of
the tape.
©SEEK¨:The tape must have at least
three seconds of silence between each selection for seek
to work. Press the left or the right arrow to go to the
previous or to the next selection on the tape. SEEK and a
negative or positive number will appear on the display.
Pressing the left or right arrow multiple times will increase
the number of selections to be searched up to -5 or +5. If
-5 or +5 is shown on the display, the cassette tape player
will fast forward or rewind through the four selections and
stop at the fth selection.
To scan cassette tape selections, press and hold
either SEEK arrow for two seconds until SCN appears on
the display and you hear a beep. The tape will go to the
next selection, play for a few seconds, then go on to the
next selection. The cassette tape will only scan forward.
Press either SEEK arrow again to
stop scanning.
BAND:Press this button to listen to the radio when a
cassette tape or CD is playing. The inactive tape or CD
will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.
3-73

Playing a CD
Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The
player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing. If
you want to insert a CD when the ignition or the
radio is off, rst press the eject or the DISP button.
If the ignition or radio is turned off with the CD in the
player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition
or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it
stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.
When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on
the display. As each new track starts to play, the
track number will appear on the display.
The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single
CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the
smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner.
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. There may be an increase
in skipping, difficulty in nding 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.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.1
s(Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release this pushbutton to play
the passage.
2
\(Forward):Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. You will hear sound at
a reduced volume. Release this pushbutton to play
the passage.
4 RDM (Random):Press this pushbutton to hear the
tracks in random, rather than sequential, order.
Press RDM again to turn off random play.
DISP (Display):Press this button to see which track is
playing. Press it again within ve seconds to see
how long it has been playing. To change the default on
the display, track or elapsed time, press this button
until you see the display you want, then hold the button
until the display ashes. The selected display will
now be the default.
©SEEK¨:Press the left arrow to go to the start of
the current track if more than eight seconds have
played. If either arrow is held or pressed more than
once, the player will continue moving backward through
the CD.
Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If either
arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player will
continue moving forward through the CD.
3-75

Whenever a CD magazine with CDs is loaded in the
changer and the door is closed, the CD changer symbol
will appear on the radio display. If the CD changer is
checking the magazine for CDs, the CD changer symbol
will ash on the radio display until the changer is
ready to play. When a CD begins playing, the CD and
track number will appear on the radio display. The
CD numbers are listed on the front of the magazine.
All of the CD functions are controlled by the radio
buttons except for ejecting the magazine.
Playing a CD
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.
1
s(Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to
quickly reverse within a track. Release the pushbutton
to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track
will appear on the display.
2
\(Forward):Press and hold this pushbutton to
quickly advance within a track. Release the pushbutton
to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track
will appear on the display.4 RDM (Random):Press this pushbutton to listen to
the tracks on all of the loaded CDs in random,
rather than sequential, order. RAND will appear on the
display. Press RDM again to turn off random play.
6 SIDE:Press this pushbutton to select the next CD in
the magazine. Each time you press SIDE, the CD
number will appear on the display.
DISP (Display):Press this button to see how long the
current track has been playing. Press this button
again to display the CD and track number. To change
the default on the display, track or elapsed time,
press this button until you see the display you want,
then hold this button until the display ashes and
you hear a beep. While elapsed time is showing, CD
TIME will appear on the display.
©SEEK¨:Press the left arrow while playing a CD
to go to the start of the current track if more than
eight seconds have played. If the left arrow is held or
pressed more than once, the player will continue moving
backward through the CD.
Press the right arrow to go to the next track on the CD.
If the right arrow is held or pressed more than once,
the player will continue moving forward through the CD.
3-79

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-7
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-8
Traction Control System (TCS).........................4-9
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-13
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Driving at Night............................................4-16
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-17City Driving..................................................4-20
Freeway Driving...........................................4-21
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-22
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-23
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-24
Winter Driving..............................................4-25
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow.......4-30
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-30
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-31
Towing..........................................................4-36
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-36
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-36
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-38
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

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:
Drive ahead. 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 is 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.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you are awaiting an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area of vision,
especially if you are following a larger vehicle. Also,
you will not have adequate space if the vehicle
ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and do
not get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into the
other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a
running start that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your
pass, you need only slow down and drop back again
and wait for another opportunity.
If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle,
wait your turn. But take care that someone is not
trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and
check the blind spot.
4-13

City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You will 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 will save time and energy.
SeeFreeway Driving on page 4-21.
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.
4-20

The Tire and Loading Information label also shows the
tire size of the original equipment tires (C) and the
recommended cold tire ination pressures (D). For more
information on tires and ination seeTires on page 5-54
andInation - Tire Pressure on page 5-60.
There is also important loading information on the
Certication label. It tells you the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR) and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for the front and rear axle; see “Certication
Label” later in this section.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never exceed
XXX pounds” on your vehicle placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and
passengers that will be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and
passengers from XXX kilograms or XXX pounds.4. The resulting gure equals the available amount of
cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if
the “XXX” amount equals 1400 lbs and there will be
ve 150 lb passengers in your vehicle, the amount
of available cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs (1400−750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs).
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and
cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight
may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, the load from
your trailer will be transferred to your vehicle.
Consult this manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
If your vehicle can tow a trailer, seeTowing a
Trailer on page 4-38for important information
on towing a trailer, towing safety rules, and
trailering tips.
4-32