mirror BUICK PARK AVENUE 1996 User Guide

To block out glare, swing down the visors. Each sun
visor can be removed from the center mount and moved
to the side, while the auxiliary sun visor remains to
block glare from the front.
To extend the visor at the sides, pull out the
sunshade extension.
Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirror
When you open-this visor vanity mirror by pulling up,
the lamps
turn on. \'
The brightness of the lamps can be adjusted by sliding
the switch. The
Park Avenue Ultra also has visor vanity
mirrors for the rear seat passengers.
ProCarManuals.com

0 Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you
just passed may seem
to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
0 Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
0 Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing,
it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not “overdriving”\

those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to your Buick’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the traction control system, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid.
If
you do not have traction control, or if the system is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled by
easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle
to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten
out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
ProCarManuals.com

Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want
to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions.
It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction,
try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to
slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until
your 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: Any anti-lock brake system (ABS) helps avoid only the braking skid.
Night driving
is more dangerous than day driving. One
reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaired
-- by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.
ProCarManuals.com

y Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving
is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most
of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.
4-1,
At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway. If you have
a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp,
you should begin to
check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed
to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate
if it’s slower. Stay
in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
Once you are moving
on the freeway, make certain you
allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move
to the proper
lane well in advance.
If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back
up. Drive on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
ProCarManuals.com

Highway Hypn~s
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is
it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There
is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the
hum of the tires on
the road, the drone of the engine, and the rush
of the
wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy.
Don’t let it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can
leave the road in
less than a second, and you could
crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here
are some tips:
0
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to
the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as
an emergency.
Hil lnd Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
4-22
ProCarManuals.com

Safety Chains Driving with a Trailer
You
should always attach chains between your vehicle
and your trailer. Cross the safety chains under the tongue
of the trailer so that the tongue will not drop to the road
if
it becomes separated from the hitch. Instructions
about safety chains may be provided by the hitch
manufacturer or by the trailer manufacturer. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendation for attaching safety
chains and do not attach them to the bumper. Always
leave just enough slack
so you can turn with your rig.
And, never allow safety chains to drag on the ground.
Trailer‘ Brakes
If your trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs. (450 kg)
loaded, then
it needs its own brakes -- and they must be
adequate. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for
the trailer brakes
so you’ll be able to install, adjust and
maintain them properly.
Because you have anti-lock brakes, do not try to tap into
you vehicle’s brake system.
If you do, both brake
systems won’t work well, or at all. Towing a trailer requires a certain amount
of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving
is now a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment.
If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
During your trip, check occasionally
to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.
4-34
ProCarManuals.com

1 4
1 I*
5 6789
Position
1
2
3
4
5
1A
2A
3A
4A
5A
6A
7A 8A
9A 1B
2B 3B
Circuitry
Circuit Breaker-Power Windows,
Astroroof
Not Used
Circuit Breaker-Power Seats
Not Used
Not Used Start-up Si nal- Air Bag,
PASS-Key
8 I1
Spare
Not Used Interior Lamps
Base Cluster, Automatic
A/C,
Lamp Monitors - Low Coolant,
Oil Level
Courtesy Lamps, Power Mirrors,
Memory Seat Switch
Not Used
Perimeter Lighting
Front Ashtray Cigarette Lighter
Turn Signal, Back-up Lamps,
Cornering Lamps,
Brake-Transaxle Shift Interlock
Spare
Not Used
6-60
ProCarManuals.com

Position
4B
5B
6B
7B 8B
9B 1c
2c 3c
4c
5c
6C
7c 8C
9c
1D
2D
3D
4D
5D
6D
Circuitry
Not Used
Anti-Lock Brake System
Brake and Hazard Lamps
Not Used
Interior Lighting
Electronic Level Control Air Bag
Spare
Not Used
Not Used
Cooling Fans, Transaxle
Parking Lamps
Not Used Not Used
Chime, Radio, Cluster
Ignition (Run/Crank), Chime, Cluster
Spare
Heated Mirror
Not Used
Base A/C
Not Used
Position
7D
8D
9D
1E
2E
3E
4E
5E
6E
7E
8E
9E
Circuitry
Not Used
Radio
Rear Cigarette Lighters
Not Used
Air BagPASS-Key
I1
Ignition (Off/Unlock)
Not Used
Not Used
Not Used
Not Used
Wipers, Washer
Rear Defog
Passenger’s Side Fuse Panel
Additional fuses are located in the relay center, on the
far right side, below the instrument panel. You must
remove the sound insulator on
the right side of the
passenger footwell to replace these fuses.
Replacing these fuses is difficult. We recommend that
you see your dealer if you need one replaced.
ProCarManuals.com

BULB
Replacement Bulbs
EXTERIOR
Headlamp High-Beam
........................... 9005
Low-Beam
........................... 9006
Parkmum
............................ 2057NA
Parking ............................... 194NA
Sidemarker. Front
..................... 194NA
Back-up
.............................. 3156
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
........... 1156
License
................................. 194
Sidemarker. Rear
.......................... 24
Tail
.................................... 194
Tail/Stop/Turn
.......................... 3057
Cornering
.............................. 1 156
INTERIOR BULB
Ashtray ................................. 161
Domemeading. Front
...................... 563
Reading. Rear
......................... A3 173B
Door Warning
.......................... PC 168
Engine Compartment
...................... 561
Footwell Courtesy
........................ 168
GloveBox
.............................. 194
Luggage Compartment
................... 2 11 -2
Vanity Mirror. Front ...................... 7065
Vanity Mirror. Rear
....................... 564
Frontmear
Door Courtesy ................ PC168
Rear Overhead
........................... 563
ProCarManuals.com

Wheels ..................................... 6-53
Windshield and Wiper Blades
................... 6-51
Climate Control. Steering Wheel Touch Control
....... 3- 11
Climate Control System ........................... 3- 1
Clock. Setting the ............................... 3-12
Coinholder
.................................... 2-59
Comfort Controls
................................ 3 - 1
Compact Disc Care
............................. 3-3 1
Compact Disc Player
....................... 3- 18. 3.22
Compact Disc Player Errors
.................. 3.20. 3.25
Comfort Controls. Steering Wheel
Touch Control
..... 3- 11
Compact Spare Tire
............................. 5-34
Compass. Rearview Mirror with
................... 2-52
Control of a Vehicle
.............................. 4-5
Convenience Net
............................... 2-60
Convex Outside Mirror
.......................... 2-55
Coolant
....................................... 6-23
Heater, Engine
............................... 2-22
Recovery Tank
.......................... 5-14. 5-16
Cooling System
................................ 5- 14
Cornering Lamps
............................... 2-45
Courtesy Lamps
................................. 2-47
Courtesy Transportation
........................... 8-5
Cruise Control
................................. 2-39
Cupholders
.................................... 2-59
Customer Assistance Information
................... 8- 1
Customer Satisfaction Procedure .................... 8- 1
Customer Assistance for Text Telephone Users ......... 8-3
Damage. Finish
............................... 6-54
Damage. Sheet Metal
............................ 6-53 Daytime Running
Lamps
......................... 2-44
Dead Battery
................................... 5-2
Defensive Driving
............................... 4-1
Defogger. Rear Window
......................... 3 . 10
Defogging ..................................... 3-9
Defrosting
..................................... 3-9
Dimensions. Vehicle
............................ 6-66
Dolby
B Noise Reduction .............. 3-14.3-17. 3-25
Door Ajar Reminder
............................... 2-81
Central Unlocking System
....................... 2-4
Locks
....................................... 2-3
Driver Position
................................. 1 . 11
Driving
City
........................................ 4-19
Defensive
.................................... 4-1
Drunken ..................................... 4-2
Freeway
.................................... 4-20
InaBlizzard
................................. 4-26
In Foreign Countries ........................... 6-4
In
the Rain .................................. 4-16
Night
...................................... 4-14
On Curves
................................... 4-9
On Hill and Mountain Roads .................... 4-22
OnSnowandIce
............................. 4-25
Throughwater
............................... 4-18
WetRoads
.................................. 4-16
Winter
...................................... 4-24
With a Trailer
................................ 4-34
Drunken Driving
................................ 4-2
Defects. Reporting
Safety
..................... 8-7 . 8-8
On Grades While Towing a Trailer ............... 4-36
9-3
ProCarManuals.com