headlamp BUICK LUCERNE 2011 Owner's Guide

Black plate (11,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing vehicle speed by shifting
to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could cause the
tires to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until the vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues—such as enough water, ice, or packed snow on
the road to make a mirrored surface —and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Antilock brakes help avoid only the
braking skid.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving
because some drivers are likely to be impaired —by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by
fatigue.
Night driving tips include:
.Drive defensively.
.Do not drink and drive.
.Reduce headlamp glare by adjusting the inside
rearview mirror.
.Slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles because headlamps can only light
up so much road ahead.
.Watch for animals.
.When tired, pull off the road.
.Do not wear sunglasses.
.Avoid staring directly into approaching headlamps.
.Keep the windshield and all glass on your vehicle
clean —inside and out.
.Keep your eyes moving, especially during turns or
curves.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But, as we get older, these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver might need at least twice as much
light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
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Black plate (17,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
To save fuel, run the engine for only short periods as
needed to warm the vehicle and then shut the engine
off and close the window most of the way to save heat.
Repeat this until help arrives but only when you feel
really uncomfortable from the cold. Moving about to
keep warm also helps.
If it takes some time for help to arrive, now and then
when you run the engine, push the accelerator pedal
slightly so the engine runs faster than the idle speed.
This keeps the battery charged to restart the vehicle
and to signal for help with the headlamps. Do this as
little as possible to save fuel.
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow
Slowly and cautiously spin the wheels to free the
vehicle when stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. See
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 5‑17.
If the vehicle has a traction system, it can often help
to free a stuck vehicle. Refer to the vehicle's traction
system in the Index. If stuck too severely for the traction
system to free the vehicle, turn the traction system off
and use the rocking method.
{WARNING:
If the vehicle's tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured.
The vehicle can overheat, causing an engine
compartment fire or other damage. Spin the
wheels as little as possible and avoid going above
55 km/h (35 mph).
For information about using tire chains on the vehicle,
see Tire Chains on page 6‑78.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
Turn the steering wheel left and right to clear the area
around the front wheels. Turn off any traction or stability
system. Shift back and forth between R (Reverse) and a
forward gear, spinning the wheels as little as possible.
To prevent transmission wear, wait until the wheels stop
spinning before shifting gears. Release the accelerator
pedal while shifting, and press lightly on the accelerator
pedal when the transmission is in gear. Slowly spinning
the wheels in the forward and reverse directions causes
a rocking motion that could free the vehicle. If that does
not get the vehicle out after a few tries, it might need to
be towed out. If the vehicle does need to be towed out,
seeTowing Your Vehicle on page 5‑23.
5-17

Black plate (1,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Gasoline Octane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Specifications (U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12
Hood Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-18
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-27 Engine Coolant (4.6L Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28
Engine Coolant (3.9L Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-31
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-35
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-37
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-37
Windshield Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-44
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and Sidemarker Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Taillamps and Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-54
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . .6-55
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-57
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-58
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-61
Inflation - Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-64
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-65
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-66
6-1

Black plate (49,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
3. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from thevehicle with the good battery.
4. Disconnect the red positive (+) cable from the other vehicle.
5. Return the positive (+) remote terminal cover to its original position.
Headlamp Aiming
The vehicle has a visual optical headlamp aiming
system. The aim of the headlamps have been preset at
the factory and should need no further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged in a crash, the aim
of the headlamps may be affected and adjustment may
be necessary.
If oncoming vehicles flash their high beams at you, this
may mean the vertical aim of your headlamps needs to
be adjusted. It is recommended that the vehicle is taken to your
dealer for service if the headlamps need to be adjusted.
It is possible however, to re-aim the headlamps as
described.
The vehicle should:
.Be placed so the headlamps are 25 ft. (7.6 m) from
a light colored wall.
.Have all four tires on a level surface which is level
all the way to the wall.
.Be placed so it is perpendicular to the wall.
.Not have any snow, ice or mud on it.
.Be fully assembled and all other work stopped
while headlamp aiming is being performed.
.Be normally loaded with a full tank of fuel and
one person or 160 lbs (75 kg) sitting on the
driver seat.
.Have all tires properly inflated.
.Have the spare tire is in its proper location in the
vehicle.
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Black plate (50,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
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:1. Open the hood. See Hood Release
on page 6‑13for more information.
2. Locate the aim dot on the lens of the low‐beam
headlamp.
3. Record the distance from the ground to the aim dot on the low‐beam headlamp.
4. At a wall, measure from the ground upward (A) tothe 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. Do not place directly
on the headlamp. This allows only the beam of
light from the headlamp being adjusted to be seen
on the flat surface.
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Black plate (51,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
7. Locate the vertical headlamp aiming screws, whichare under the hood near each headlamp assembly.
The adjustment screw can be turned with a
Number 2 Phillips screwdriver.
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 the headlamp 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.
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Black plate (77,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset, and be mounted the
same way as the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts,
wheel nuts, or Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS)
sensors, replace them only with new GM original
equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to have the
right wheel, wheel bolts, wheel nuts, and TPMS sensors
for your vehicle.
{WARNING:
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel bolts,
or wheel nuts can be dangerous. It could affect
the braking and handling of the vehicle. Tires can
lose air, and cause loss of control, causing a
crash. Always use the correct wheel, wheel bolts,
and wheel nuts for replacement.Notice:
The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance, and tire or tire chain
clearance to the body and chassis.
See Changing a Flat Tire
on page 6‑88for more
information.
Used Replacement Wheels
{WARNING:
Replacing a wheel with a used one is dangerous.
How it has been used or how far it has been
driven may be unknown. It could fail suddenly and
cause a crash. When replacing wheels, use a new
GM original equipment wheel.
6-77

Black plate (110,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Fuses Usage
9Engine Control Module (ECM),
Powertrain Control Module (PCM)
10 Climate Control System, Instrument
Panel Cluster Ignition 1
11 Airbag System
12 Horn
13 Windshield Wiper
14 Fog Lamps
15 Right High-Beam Headlamp
16 Left High-Beam Headlamp
17 Left Low-Beam Headlamp
18 Right Low-Beam Headlamp
19 Windshield Washer Pump Motor
20 Left Front Cornering Lamp
21 Right Front Cornering Lamp
22 Air Pump (J-Case)
23 Antilock Brake System (ABS)
(J-Case)
24 Starter (J-Case)
25 Antilock Brake System (ABS) Motor
(J-Case)
Fuses Usage
26 Cooling Fan 2 (J-Case)
27 Cooling Fan 1 (J-Case)
Relays Usage
29 Powertrain
30 Starter
31 Cooling Fan 2
32 Cooling Fan 3
33 Cooling Fan 1
34 Air Conditioning Clutch
35 Air Injection Reactor (AIR) Solenoid
36 Ignition
37 Air Pump
Rear Underseat Fuse Block
The rear fuse block is located under the rear seat on
the driver side. The rear seat cushion must be removed
to access the rear fuse block.
6-110

Black plate (2,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Audio System (cont.)Setting the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-68
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-94
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-98
Audio System(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-69
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
B
Backglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-97
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-42Electric Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Inadvertent Power Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Run-Down Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-86
Brake Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-3
Braking in Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-5
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19 Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Taillamps and Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-54
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and
Sidemarker Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-72
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12, 3-32, 4-47
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-6
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-116
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Care of Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-101
CD, MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-78
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
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Black plate (6,1)Buick Lucerne Owner Manual - 2011
Fog LampsBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Front Fog Lamps Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-40
Front Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Front Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-5 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Gasoline Octane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-41
Fuel Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Fuses Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-108
Rear Underseat Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-110
Underhood Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-108G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
GasolineOctane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gauges Engine Coolant Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-41
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-6
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-2
Headlamps Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-49
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-52
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Exterior Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Wiper Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
i - 6