warning BUICK PARK AVENUE 2004 User Guide

Windshield Washer
At the top of the multifunction lever there is a paddle
with the word PUSH on it. For “programmed” operation,
press and release the paddle. The washer will provide
a measured amount of uid to the windshield and
the wiper will either stop or return to your original wiping
speed. For “demand” operation, press and hold the
paddle for at least two seconds. Release the paddle
when you have enough uid and the wipers will either
stop or return to your original wiping speed.
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, do not use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer uid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
If your vehicle is equipped with a DIC, a WINDSHIELD
WASHER FLUID LOW message will appear on the
instrument panel cluster when the vehicle is low
on washer uid. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on
page 3-50.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control shuts off.
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where
you can not drive safely at a steady speed.
So, do not use your cruise control on
winding roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast
changes in tire traction can cause
needless wheel spinning, and you could
lose control. Do not use cruise control on
slippery roads.
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OFF:Pushing the exterior lamps control all the way in
turns off all lamps and lights.
Parking Lamps:Pulling the exterior lamps control out
to the rst position turns on the parking lamps,
license plate lamps, the sidemarker lamps and the
instrument panel lights.
Headlamps:Pulling the exterior lamps control out to
the second position turns on the headlamps, together
with the previously listed lamps and lights.
For information on the interior lights, seeInterior Lamps
on page 3-15.
Headlamps On Reminder
If you leave the exterior lamp control on, remove the
key from the ignition and open the driver’s door, you will
hear a continuous warning chime. The chime will turn
off when the lamps are turned off.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving conditions,
but they can be especially helpful in the short periods
after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional daytime
running lamps are required on all vehicles rst sold
in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel monitors
the exterior light level for the operation of DRL and
Twilight Sentinel
®, so be sure it is not covered.
The DRL system will make your high-beam headlamps
come on at reduced brightness in daylight when the
following conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
The exterior lamps control is off.
The transaxle is not in PARK (P).
When DRL are on, only your high-beam headlamps will
be on. The parking lamps, taillamps, sidemarker and
other lamps will not be on. Your instrument panel will not
be lit up either.
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Be sure to continue scanning your displays, controls
and driving environment just as you would in a vehicle
without HUD. If you never look at your instrument
panel, you may not see something important, such as a
warning light.
Notice:If you try to use the HUD image as a
parking aid, you may misjudge the distance and
damage your vehicle. Do not use the HUD image as
a parking aid.
The HUD controls are
located in the overhead
console.1. Start your engine and slide the HUD dimmer switch
all the way up.
The brightness of the HUD image is determined by
whether the headlamps are on or off, and where
you have the HUD dimmer switch set.
2. Adjust the seat to a comfortable driving position.
Keep pressing the top arrow on the image height
adjuster to raise the image as far as possible.
3. Keep pressing the bottom arrow on the image
height adjuster to move the image as low as
possible, while still keeping it in full view.
4. Slide the dimmer switch downward until the HUD
image is no brighter than necessary.
To turn the HUD display off, slide the dimmer switch all
the way down.
If the sun comes out, the sky becomes cloudy, or if you
turn your headlamps on, you may need to adjust the
HUD brightness using the dimmer switch. Polarized
sunglasses could make the HUD image harder to see.
To change the display from English to metric units,
push the ENG/MET button located to the left of
the steering column.
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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 briey when you start the
engine just to let you know they are 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 is 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 are a big help.
Your vehicle may also have a DIC that works along with
the warning lights and gages. SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-47.
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Instrument Panel Cluster
Your vehicle is equipped with one of the following instrument panel clusters. Your instrument panel cluster is
designed to let you know at a glance how your vehicle is running. 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 panel cluster for
your vehicle.
Base Cluster, Uplevel Similar (United States version shown, Canada similar)
3-33

Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both
miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has been
driven, in either miles (used in the United States)
or kilometers (used in Canada).
Your vehicle has a tamper-resistant odometer. You may
wonder what happens if your vehicle needs a new
odometer installed. If possible, the new one has to be
set to the same reading the old one had. If it can’t
be, then it’s set at zero and a label must be put on the
driver’s door to show the old mileage reading and
when the new odometer was installed.
Trip Odometer
A trip odometer can tell how far you’ve driven since you
last set it back to zero. To reset it, push the RESET
button. The trip odometer is reset through the Driver
Information Center (DIC) if your vehicle is equipped
with this feature. SeeDIC Controls and Displays
on page 3-47for more information.
Tachometer
The tachometer tells you
how fast the engine is
running. It displays
engine speed in
thousands of revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Notice:If you operate the engine with the
tachometer in the shaded warning area, your vehicle
could be damaged, and the damages would not
be covered by your warranty. Do not operate
the engine with the tachometer in the shaded
warning area.
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{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the air bag system
may not be working properly. The air bags in
your vehicle may not inate in a crash, or they
could even inate without a crash. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others, have your
vehicle serviced right away if the air bag
readiness light stays on after you start your
vehicle.
The air bag readiness light should ash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Battery Warning Light
When you turn the key to
RUN, this light will come
on briey, to show the
battery charging system
is working.
When the light goes off and stays off, the charging
system is working.
If the light stays on, a chime will sound indicating you
need service, and you should take your vehicle to
the dealer at once. To save your battery until you get
there, turn off all accessories and turn off your climate
control system.
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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 xed so it
will be ready to warn you if
there’s a problem.
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.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 oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still
on, have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing Your
Vehicle on page 4-31.
{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 have pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed for
service.
3-38

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light(s) will
come on when your engine
is started and may stay
on for several seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light stays on and the chime sounds, turn the
ignition to OFF. Or, if the light comes on and the chime
sounds when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and
turn the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset
the system. If the light still stays on and the chime
sounds, or the light comes on again while you’re driving,
your vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you don’t
have anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-38.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
briey when you turn the ignition key to RUN. This is
normal. If the light doesn’t come on then, have it xed so
it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light
If your vehicle has this
feature, this warning light
should come on briey
when the engine is started.
If the warning light doesn’t come on then, have it xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If it stays on, or comes on when you’re driving, there
may be a problem with your traction control system
and your vehicle may need service. When this warning
light is on, the system will not limit wheel spin.
Adjust your driving accordingly.
3-39

The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
If you turn the system off by pressing the button
located on the end of the shift lever, the warning
light will come on and stay on. To turn the system
back on, press the button again. The warning
light should go off. SeeTraction Control System
(TCS) on page 4-9for more information.
If there’s a brake system problem that is specically
related to traction control, the traction control
system will turn off, the warning light will come on
and the chime will sound.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off,
the warning light will come on and the chime
will sound.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage measures the
temperature of the vehicle’s
engine. If the pointer
moves into the shaded
area, the engine is too hot.
A temperature indicator
light will turn on and a
chime will sound.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, and the temperature indicator
light comes on, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
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