light BUICK PARK AVENUE 1996 Owner's Manual

Twilight Sentinel (Option)
Twilight Sentinel turns your
lamps on and
off by sensing
how dark it is outside.
To operate it, leave the lamp
switch off and move the
twilight sentinel control to
any position but
MIN.
[f you move the control all the way to MAX, your lamps
will remain on for three minutes after you turn
off your
mgine.
If you move the control almost all the way in the
Ither direction,
so it’s just on, the lamps will go off
pickly when you turn off your engine. You can
:hange this delay time from only a few seconds to
:hree minutes. Your
optional twilight
sentinel and daytime
running lamps work with
the light sensor on top of
the instrument panel. Don’t
cover it
up. If you do it
will read “dark” and the
headlamps will come on.
Interior Lamps
mstrumen’ ?anel Int
lsity Control
Instrument panel light
brightness can be adjusted
by moving this lever
between
LO and HI. Interior
courtesy lamps can be
turned on by sliding the
lever all the way to
the right.
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Time Out Feature (Option)
On vehicles equipped with the optional Remote Keyless
Entry system, the interior lamps will automatically turn
off after a
10 minute period if a door is left open. This
feature
is designed to help eliminate battery wear down.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door is opened, several lamps go on. They
make it easy for you
to enter and leave the car. You can
also turn these lamps on by sliding the panel lights lever
to INT (interior).
Delayed Entry Lighting
When you open the door, the interior lamps will come
on. When you close the door with the ignition off, the
interior lamps will stay on for
25 seconds or until the
ignition
is turned to an on position. Please note that
locking the doors will override the delayed entry
lighting feature and the lamps will turn off right away.
Theater Dimming
This feature allows for a three to five-second fade out of
the courtesy lamps instead of immediate turn off.
Delayed Exit Lighting
With this feature, the interior lamps will come on for
25 seconds after you remove the key from the ignition.
This will give you time
to find the door pull handle or
lock switches.
Illuminated Entry System (Option)
When you lift the outside handle of either front door or
press the
UNLOCK button on the optional remote
keyless entry transmitter, the lamps inside your vehicle
will turn on. These lamps will turn
off after about one
minute. These lamps will also turn
off if you start the
engine, press the
LOCK button on the transmitter or
activate the power door locks.
If a door is left ajar, your interior lamps will turn off
after
10 minutes to save your battery.
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Perimeter Lighting (Option)
When the UNLOCK button on the optional remote
keyless entry transmitter is pressed, the headlamps,
parking lamps, back-up lamps and cornering lamps will
come on
if it is dark enough outside according to the
twilight sentinel.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the twilight sentinel
and the perimeter lighting is active, the lights will come
on whenever the
UNLOCK button on the transmitter
is pressed.
This option can be programmed on or off for
each transmitter.
To turn the feature off
I 1. Press and hold the door lock switch throughout this
I 2. Press the instant alarm button on the transmitter.
procedure. All
doors will lock.
Perimeter lighting remains on at this time and the
horn will chirp two times.
3. Press the instant alarm button on the key transmitter
again. Perimeter lighting is disabled and the horn
will chirp one time.
4. Release the door lock switch. The' perimeter lighting
option is now
off.
To turn the feature on:
1. Press and hold the door lock switch throughout this
procedure. All doors will lock.
2. Press the instant alarm button on the key transmitter.
Perimeter lighting remains
off at this time and the'
horn will chup one time.
3. Press the instant alarm button on the transmitter
again. Perimeter lighting is now enabled and the
horn will chup two times.
4. Release the door lock switch. The perimeter lighting
option is now on.
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Electrochromic Day/Night Rearview Mirror (Option)
Your Buick may have an automatic electrochromic
day/night rearview mirror.
This mirror automatically changes
to reduce glare from
headlamps behind
you. A photocell on the back of the
mirror senses when it is becoming dark outside. Another
photocell built into the mirror surface, senses when
headlamps are behind you. At
night, when the glare is too high, the mirror will
gradually darken to reduce glare (this change may take a
few seconds). The mirror will return to its clear daytime
state when the glare is reduced.
Press the button at the base of
the mirror to turn on the
automatic feature. The button has an indicator light to
show it is on. Press the button again
to turn the
automatic feature
off.
Time Delay
The automatic mirror has a time delay feature which
prevents unnecessary switching from the night back to
the day position. This delay prevents rapid changing of
the mirror as you drive under lights and through traffic.
Reverse Gear Day Mode
The reverse day mode is another important feature
of the electrochromic mirror. When you shift into
REVERSE (R), the mirror changes to the day mode.
This gives you a bright image
in the mirror as you
back up.
Cleaning the Photocells
Use a cotton swab and glass cleaner to clean the
photocells when necessary.
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Electrochromic Day/Night Rearview Mirror with
Compass (Option)
At night, when the glare is too high, the mirror will
gradually darken to reduce glare (this change may take a
few seconds). The mirror will return to its clear daytime
state when the glare is reduced.
Setting the Mirror
OFF: This setting turns off the day/night function and
compass. The mirror will stay in the day mode.
M: This turns on the day/night portion of the mirror to
automatically reduce glare.
C/M: This setting turns on the compass in addition to
the day/night function. The letter or letters displayed in
the top right corner
of the mirror indicate the direction
in which you are traveling.
Time Delay
This mirror automatically changes to reduce glare when
set
in the M (Mirror) or C/M (Compass/Mirror) positions.
This mirror automatically changes to reduce glare from
headlamps behind you. One photocell on the back
of the
mirror senses when it
is becoming dark outside. Another
photocell
is built into the mirror surface to sense
headlamps behind you. This feature
prevents rapid changing
of the mirror from
the night mode to the day mode as you drive under
lights and through traffic.
Reverse Gear Day Mode
The reverse mode is another important feature of the
automatic mirror. When the shift lever is placed in
REVERSE (R), the mirror changes to the day mode. This
gives you a bright image in the mirror as you back up.
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Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
Front Ashtray
The front ashtray may be removed for cleaning. To
remove, grasp the sides and pull forward.
Rear Ashtray
To remove the rear ashtray, open the lid and ease the
ashtray upward until the edge can be grasped to pull the
ashtray up and out.
NOTICE:
Don’t put papers or other flammable things
into your ashtrays. Hot cigarettes or other
smoking materials could ignite them, causing
a damaging fire.
Cigarette Lighter
There are cigarette lighters near the front and rear
ashtrays.
To use one, push it in all the way and let go.
When it’s ready,
it will pop back by itself.
NOTICE:
If you hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating, it won’t be able to back away
from the heating element when it’s ready.
That
can make it overheat, damaging the lighter and
the heating element.
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1. Air Outlet
2. Headlamps Switch
3. Parking Lamps Switch
4. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
5. Tilt Steering Wheel Lever
6. Instrument Cluster/Gages
7. Hazard Warning Flasher Switch
8. Audio System
9. Passenger’s Side SRS (Air Bag)
10. Glove Box
11. Climate Control System
12. Ashtray and Cigarette Lighter
13. Ignition Switch
14. Driver’s Side
SRS (Air Bag)
15. Traction Control Switch
16. Fuel Button
17.
Trunk Release
18. Hood Release
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Instrument Panel Cluster
Your Buick is equipped with one of the following instrument panel clusters. It includes indicator warning lights and
gages that are explained on the following pages. Be sure to read about those that apply to the instrument cluster
for
your vehicle.
c3
Standard Cluster
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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 briefly when you start the engine just to let
you know they’re 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’s 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’re a big help.
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
70 seconds. If the
driver’s belt is already
buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come on.
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Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows AIR BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions. The light
tells you
if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes the air bag sensors, the air bag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more information on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index.
AI R
BAG
You will see this light flash
for a few seconds when you
turn your ignition to
RUN
or START. Then the light
should go out. This means
the system is ready.
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come on when you
start your vehicle, or stays on, or comes on when
you
are driving, your air bag system may not work properly.
Have your vehicle serviced right away.
Battery Warning Light
VOLT
When you turn the key to RUN, one of these lights will
come on briefly, to show that your alternator and battery
charging systems
are working. If the light stays on, you
need service, and you should take your Buick
to the
dealer at once.
To save your battery until you get there,
turn
off all accessories and set your air system to OFF.
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