ESP BUICK PARK AVENUE 2004 User Guide

Climate Controls Personalization
If your vehicle is equipped with this feature, up to two
drivers are able to store and recall climate control
settings for the temperature, the fan speed and the
direction of the airow.
Memory buttons 1 and 2 are located on the driver’s
door panel and correspond to the numbers 1 or 2 found
on the back of each remote keyless entry transmitter.
To store settings, do the following:
1. Select the desired temperature, fan speed and
airow mode. If desired, a separate temperature
setting may also be selected for the front seat
passenger. For information on how to do this,
seeDual Automatic Climate Control System on
page 3-24.
2. Locate memory buttons 1 and 2 on the driver’s
door panel.3. Press the memory button on the door panel that
corresponds to the number on the back of the
transmitter you are programming, until you hear two
beeps. The beeps conrm that your selection has
been saved and can now be recalled. For more
information on the memory feature, seeMemory
Seat and Mirrors on page 2-51.
Follow these steps each time you want to change the
stored settings.
To recall the climate control settings last stored on your
transmitter, press the unlock button on your remote
keyless entry transmitter and put the ignition in
ACCESSORY or RUN. The settings will be recalled.
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When the STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE message is on,
you should continue to steer in the direction you want
to go. The system is designed to help you in bad
weather or other difficult driving situations by making the
most of whatever road conditions will permit. If the
STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE message comes on, you
will know that something has caused your vehicle to
start to spin, so you should consider slowing down.
Tire Pressure Status – 140:If you see the TIRE
PRESSURE LOW message, you should stop as soon
as you can and check all your tires for damage. If a tire
is at, seeIf a Tire Goes Flat on page 5-79. Also check
the tire pressure in all four tires as soon as you can.
SeeInation - Tire Pressure on page 5-69andCheck
Tire Pressure System on page 5-70.
There are times when you will have to reset (calibrate)
the Check Tire Pressure System. SeeCheck Tire
Pressure System on page 5-70.DIC Vehicle Personalization
The DIC is used to program personal choices for up to
two drivers. The drivers are recognized as DRIVER #1
and DRIVER #2. The DIC will identify a person as
UNKNOWN DRIVER if neither DRIVER #1 nor
DRIVER #2 is identied by the system. You will let the
DIC know which driver you are by using your remote
keyless entry transmitter or by pressing one of the
MEMORY buttons located on the driver’s door. Each
remote keyless entry transmitter was pre-programmed to
belong to DRIVER #1 or DRIVER #2 and is numbered
on the back. Each transmitter may be programmed
differently.
After you press the unlock button on your transmitter
with the ignition in RUN, the DIC will display the
identied driver number. The vehicle will recall the
personal choice settings that were last made to
correspond to your transmitter, including your radio
and climate control settings. SeeClimate Controls
Personalization on page 3-31.
3-51

Personal Choice Radio Controls
If your vehicle has this feature it will enable two drivers
to store and recall personal settings for radio presets,
last tuned station, volume, tone, and audio source
(radio, cassette, or CD).
The memory buttons 1 and 2 for this feature are located
on the driver’s door panel and correspond to the
numbers 1 and 2 found on the back of each remote
keyless entry transmitter.
To recall audio sources, press the unlock button on the
remote keyless entry transmitter and turn the ignition
on. The source last listened to will be recalled for
the identied driver 1 or 2.
To program this feature, do the following:
1. Set all radio preferences. For more information see
“Setting Preset Stations” and “Setting the Tone”
listed for your particular radio.
2. Locate the memory buttons on the driver’s door
panel.
3. Press one of the memory buttons 1 or 2 until you
hear two beeps. The beeps conrm that your
selection has been saved and can now be recalled.
Follow these steps each time you want to change the
stored settings.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of your
radio. It works by using a secret code to disable all radio
functions whenever battery power is interrupted.
If THEFTLOCK
®is active, the THEFTLOCK®indicator
will ash when the ignition is off.
The THEFTLOCK
®feature for the radio may be used or
ignored. If ignored, the system plays normally and the
radio is not protected by the feature. If THEFTLOCK
®is
activated, your radio will not operate if stolen.
When THEFTLOCK
®is activated, the radio will display
LOC to indicate a locked condition anytime battery
power is removed. If your battery loses power for any
reason, you must unlock the radio with the secret
code before it will operate.
Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature
The instructions which follow explain how to enter
your secret code to activate the THEFTLOCK®system.
Read through all nine steps before starting the
procedure.
If you allow more than 15 seconds to elapse between
any steps, the radio automatically reverts to time
and you must start the procedure over at Step 4.
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Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons on your steering wheel.
wVOLx(Volume):Press the up or the down arrow
to increase or to decrease volume.
wSEEKx:Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next station or to the previous station. When
playing a cassette tape or a CD, press the up arrow to
hear the next selection.AM/FM:Press this button to choose FM1, FM2, or AM.
SCAN:Press this button to scan your radio preset
stations. The radio will scan to the rst preset station
stored on your pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then
go on to the next preset station. The radio will scan
only to preset stations that are in the selected band and
only to those with a strong signal. Press this button
again to stop scanning.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise.
FM
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
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But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night.
All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above
0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being
in a collision increases sharply for drivers who have
a BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC
level of 0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance
of having a collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent,
the chance of this driver having a collision is 12 times
greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chance is
25 times greater!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the
right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need
to take sudden action, as when a child darts into
the street? A person with even a moderate BAC might
not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the
collision.There is something else about drinking and driving that
many people do not know. Medical research shows
that alcohol in a person’s system can make crash
injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal
cord or heart. This means that when anyone who has
been drinking — driver or passenger — is in a crash,
that person’s chance of being killed or permanently
disabled is higher than if the person had not been
drinking.
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or
even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking.
Please do not drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a
cab; or if you are with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.
4-5

Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at
the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice,
it is easy to ask more of those control systems than the
tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle. Also seeTraction Control System
(TCS) on page 4-9.
Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeand
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second.
But that is only an average. It might be less with one
driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs
and frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy);
tire tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
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Remember: Anti-lock does not change the time you
need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to
the vehicle in front of you, you will not have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only if it senses
that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens,
the system works the front brakes and reduces
engine power to limit wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
reengage the cruise control. See “Cruise Control” under
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-5.
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This light should come on
briey when you start the
engine. If it stays on or
comes on while you
are driving, there is a
problem with your traction
control system.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) Warning Light on
page 3-39. When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should always
leave the system on. But you can turn the traction control
system off if you ever need to. You should turn the
system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or
snow and rocking the vehicle is required. SeeIf You Are
Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-30.To turn the system off, press the button located at the
end of the shift lever.
The traction control system warning light will come on
and stay on. If the system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button, the warning light will
come on — but the system will not turn off right away.
It will wait until there is no longer a current need to limit
wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The traction control system
warning light should go off.
4-10

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.
4-14

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.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not ashing,
it may be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes,
steering and acceleration) do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not 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 vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
are not 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.
4-15