tow BUICK PARK AVENUE 2002 User Guide

2-34
Leaving Your Vehicle With the
Engine Running
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with the
engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake firmly set. And, if you
leave the vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch fire. You or others could
be injured. Don't leave your vehicle with the
engine running unless you have to.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you've moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can move the
shift lever away from PARK (P) without first pulling it
toward you. If you can, it means that the shift lever
wasn't fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don't shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P). This is called ªtorque lock.º
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave
the driver's seat. To find out how, see ªShifting Into
PARK (P)º in the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle, so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).

2-37
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don't leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you've left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won't move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won't
move. See ªShifting Into PARK (P)º in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you're pulling a
trailer, also see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index.
Horn
Press on the center area of the steering wheel to sound
the horn.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can also raise it to the highest
level to give your legs more room when you exit and
enter the vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of the steering column.
To tilt the wheel, hold the
wheel and pull the lever
toward you. Then move
the steering wheel to a
comfortable position and
release the lever to lock the
wheel in place.

2-39
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows flash
at twice the normal rate, this may indicate that a signal
bulb may be burned out and other drivers won't see your
turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If the arrows don't go on at all when you
signal a turn, check the fuse (see ªFuses and Circuit
Breakersº in the Index) and for burned
-out bulbs.
If you have a trailer towing option with added wiring for
the trailer lamps, the signal indicator will flash even if a
turn signal bulb is burned out. Check the front and rear
turn signal lamps regularly to make sure they are
working. You do not need to add a different flasher.
Turn Signal On Chime
If your turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 of a mile
(1.2 km), a chime will sound at each flash of the turn
signal. To turn off the chime, move the turn signal lever
to the off position.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high or
high to low, pull the turn signal lever toward you, then
release it.
When the high beams are
on, a light on the instrument
panel cluster will also be on.
If your vehicle is equipped
with HUD, this light
will also appear in the
display area.
Flash-to-Pass Feature
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass. It
works even if your headlamps are off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you, but not
so far that you hear a click.
If your headlamps are off or on low beam, your
high
-beam headlamps will turn on. They'll stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high
-beam indicator on the instrument panel cluster
comes on. Release the lever to turn the high
-beam
headlamps off.

2-51 Electrochromic Day/Night Rearview Mirror
with Compass (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have an electrochromic inside
rearview mirror with a compass. Your vehicle's mirror
may also contain OnStar

controls.
(On/Off): This is the on/off button for mirrors
equipped with OnStar controls.
Pressing the MIRROR button (or the on/off button for
mirrors equipped with OnStar controls) located at the
bottom of the mirror, turns the automatic dimming
feature on or off.
The mirror also includes an eight
-point compass
display in the upper right corner of the mirror face.
When on, the compass automatically calibrates as
the vehicle is driven.
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper towel or similar
material dampened with glass cleaner. Do not spray
glass cleaner directly on the mirror as that may cause
the liquid cleaner to enter the mirror housing.Mirror Operation
To turn on the automatic dimming feature, press
MIRROR (or press and hold the on/off button for
about three seconds for mirrors equipped with OnStar
controls). To turn off automatic dimming, press
MIRROR (or press and hold the on/off button for
about three seconds for mirrors equipped with OnStar
controls) again. The green indicator light will be
illuminated when this feature is active. The automatic
dimming feature will be active each time the vehicle
is started.
Compass Operation
Press COMPASS (or the on/off button for mirrors
equipped with OnStar controls) once to turn the
compass on or off.
When the ignition and the compass feature are on,
the compass will show two character boxes for
approximately two seconds. After two seconds, the
mirror will display the compass heading.

2-66
Sunroof (Option)
The sunroof has both manual and express features for
opening the glass panel and sunshade.
If your vehicle has this
option, the switch for the
sunroof is located on the
headliner between the
sun visors.
The sunroof switch has four positions that control
sunroof movement.
The switch will only work when the ignition is on or
when the RAP is active. See ªRetained Accessory
Power (RAP)º in the Index.
Open: Press and hold the switch rearward to the first
position to open the glass panel and sunshade. The
sunshade can also be opened manually.Comfort Stop: Press and release the switch rearward to
the second position to express open the glass panel to
the comfort stop position. The comfort stop position is
designed to help reduce noise and make passengers
more comfortable.
Express Open: When the glass panel is express
opening, pressing the switch in any direction will stop it
in a partially
-opened position. The glass panel may be
fully opened by pressing the switch rearward again. If
you press and hold the switch in the express open
position for more than one and a half seconds, the
express open operation will be overridden and the
sunroof will operate manually.
Close: To close the glass panel, press and hold the
switch forward. As the glass panel reaches the closed
position, it will open slightly toward the vent position
and then drop down to the closed position to provide
a better seal. The sunshade must be closed manually.
Vent: Once the sunroof is closed, it can be opened to the
vent position by pushing the switch upward. To close the
glass panel, pull the switch downward. The sunshade
must be opened and closed manually for vent operation.

2-78
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle's hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn't working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on
when you turn the key to
RUN. If it doesn't come on
then, have it fixed so it will
be ready to warn you if
there's a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See ªTowing Your Vehicleº in
the Index.
CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you've
pulled off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on if your parking brake doesn't release
fully. If you try to drive off with the parking brake set,
a chime will also come on until you release the parking
brake. If the light stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.

2-82
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn't come on, have it repaired.
This light will also come on during a malfunction in one
of two ways:

Light Flashing
-- A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.

Light On Steady
-- An emission control
system malfunction has been detected on your
vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:

Reducing vehicle speed.

Avoiding hard accelerations.

Avoiding steep uphill grades.

If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops flashing and remains on steady,
see ªIf the Light Is On Steadyº following.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the
engine. If the light remains on steady, see ªIf the Light
Is On Steadyº following. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps, and drive the vehicle to your
dealer or qualified service center for service.

3-2
Comfort Controls
This section tells you how to operate your
comfort controls.
With this system, you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation in your vehicle. Your vehicle also has a
flow
-through ventilation system described later in
this section.
Dual Automatic ComforTemp

Climate Control
Your vehicle has the dual automatic ComforTemp
climate control system. The following information tells
you how it works.TEMP (Temperature): To adjust the temperature, press
the TEMP arrows. If you want a warmer temperature,
press the red arrow. If you want a cooler temperature,
press the blue arrow. The temperature setting is shown
in the display.
FAN: If you want the fan to run at a lower speed,
press the down arrow on the FAN button. The fan speed
will decrease with every press of the down arrow until
the lowest speed is reached. If you want to increase the
fan speed, press the up arrow on the FAN button. The
fan indicators will also be shown on the display.
Pressing this button will display the current setting.
AIRFLOW: Press the up or down arrow to change the
direction of the airflow. The available choices are FLOOR,
FLOOR
-MID, MID and WINDSHIELD-FLOOR.
If the system is set for AUTO, pressing an up or down
arrow will display the current airflow direction, the
temperature setting and the fan speed.
If the up arrow is selected while in the FRONT defrost
mode, the system will direct the air toward the
mid
-position. If the down arrow is selected while in the
FRONT defrost mode, the system will direct the air
toward the floor, and the FRONT defrost mode will
cancel. The arrows will also be shown in the display.

3-3
Mode Buttons
VENT: The VENT button allows outside air to flow
through your vehicle without the air conditioning
compressor working. Selecting the VENT and AUTO
buttons at the same time allows the system to control the
air flow automatically without using the air conditioning
compressor or the recirculation mode. To turn off the
VENT selection, press the VENT button again.
RECIRC (Recirculation): When RECIRC is selected,
the system will limit the amount of outside air entering
your vehicle. This is helpful when you are trying to cool
the interior of the vehicle quickly or limit the amount of
outside air entering your vehicle for some other reason.
RECIRC and AUTO may be selected at the same time.
The system will remain in recirculation until the ignition
is turned off. The system will return to the previously
selected mode when the car is restarted. RECIRC can be
selected in all manual airflow modes except FRONT
defrost and VENT.
FRONT: This selection is used to defrost
the windshield by directing the airflow toward
the windshield.If FRONT is selected while in the AUTO mode, the fan
speed and the air temperature coming from the front
defroster will vary. If a manual fan speed is selected, it
will remain until another fan speed or the AUTO mode
are selected. To turn off FRONT, press the AUTO or
AIR FLOW button.
FRONT defrost will work better if ice or snow is cleared
from the hood and the air inlet area, located between the
base of the windshield and the hood.
OFF: If the passenger comfort control is turned on,
it can be turned off by pressing the OFF button once.
Pressing the OFF button a second time will turn off the
main system. Turning off the main system causes the fan
to turn off and the airflow to be directed to the floor. The
system will still try to keep the interior of the vehicle at
the previously chosen temperature setting. The outside
temperature will be shown on the display when the
system is off.
The ventilation system always allows outside air to flow
through your vehicle when the vehicle is moving, even
with the system in the OFF mode.

3-4
AUTO (Automatic Climate Control): Press the AUTO
button when you want the system to automatically
maintain a set temperature. When the system is set for
automatic operation, air will come from the floor ducts,
instrument panel outlets or windshield outlets depending
on the temperature inside the vehicle, the outside
temperature and the sun load. Sun and temperature
sensors automatically adjust the air temperature, the
airflow direction and the fan speed to maintain your
comfort setting. The system may supply cooler air to the
side of the vehicle toward the sun. Be careful not to put
anything over the sensors on top of the dash.
To find your preferred temperature setting, start with the
system in AUTO mode and the temperature set at 75
F
(24
C). Give the vehicle about 20 minutes to stabilize,
and adjust your the temperature setting, if necessary,
using the TEMP button. The display will show the
selected temperature, fan speed and airflow direction for
a few seconds, and then it will display the outside
temperature. If you choose a temperature setting of 60
F
(15
C), the system will remain at the maximum cooling
setting and fan speed. If you choose a temperature
setting of 90
F (33
C), the system will remain at the
maximum heat setting and fan speed. Choosing either
maximum setting will not cause the system to heat or
cool any faster.In cold weather, the system will delay turning the fan
on high, to avoid blowing cold air into the vehicle. The
length of the delay depends on the engine coolant
temperature and the outside temperature. Pressing the
FAN, AIR FLOW or FRONT buttons will override
this delay, turn off the AUTO setting and change the
fan speed.
Air Conditioning
On hot days, open the windows long enough to let hot
inside air escape. This reduces the time it takes for your
vehicle to cool down. Then keep your windows closed
for the air conditioner to work its best.
On very hot days, the automatic system will enter the
recirculation mode and the temperature door will be
positioned at the full cold position for maximum cooling
for as long as necessary to reach the set temperature.
You can choose the extreme temperature setting of
60
F (15
C), but the system will not cool any faster.