auto start BUICK REGAL 2012 Owner's Guide

Black plate (7,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-7
3. For AM, FM, or XM (if equipped),press to seek to the previous
strong station.
¨\(Seek/Next):
1. Press to seek the next track.
2. Press and hold to fast forward through a track.
3. Release the button to return to playing speed. See CD Player
on page 7‑24 andMP3 on
page 7‑27 for more information.
4. For AM, FM, or XM (if equipped), press to seek to the next strong
station.
Preset Buttons (1-6): The preset
buttons numbered one through six
can be used to select stored AM,
FM, and XM (if equipped) stations.
H(Clock Menu): Press to set
the time.
Z(Eject): Press to eject a disc
from the CD player. See CD Player
on page 7‑24. AS 1/2 (Autostore):
Autostore searches and stores
six FM and six AM stations with
the strongest signal.
To use autostore:
1. Press SRCE to select FM or AM.
2. Press AS 1/2 for at least
two seconds. The radio then
searches for available stations.
3. The radio automatically stores the six strongest stations found
as autostore presets
Press the AS 1/2 button to alternate
between the autostore stations and
favorites.
AS displays on the radio when using
autostore presets.
Autostore does not delete
previously stored favorite stations.
Autostore does not function with XM
radio stations, if equipped.
Touch Screen Buttons
Touch screen buttons are on the
screen and highlighted when a
feature is available. Some toggle
screen buttons highlight when active
and gray out when inactive.
Home Page
The infotainment system displays a
home page that makes accessing
many of the features an easy
process.
Back: If on page two of the Home
Page, press Back to return to page
one of the Home Page. If on page
one, Back serves no function.
Home: While navigating through
other menus, press to go back to
the Home Page to start a different
feature.
FAV: Press to display a page of
stored (favorite) AM, FM, or XM
(if equipped) stations. Keep
pressing FAV to scroll through
the favorite pages.

Black plate (9,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-9
Press the AUX screen button to
access any connected auxiliary
device. SeeAuxiliary Devices on
page 7‑29.
The Configuration Menu is used to
adjust features and preferences,
such as Sound, Radio, Nav
(Navigation), Display, or Clock
Settings.
1. Press the Config screen button on the Home Page or the
CONFIG button on the faceplate.
2. Touch-tap the scroll bar until the desired option displays. Select
the desired settings to change.
Languages
The vehicle supports English,
French (Canadian), and Spanish.
The default language is English.
To change the display language,
see Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑35 for more information.
Time and Date Settings
From the Time & Date Settings
screen button, press to display the
Time & Date Settings menu.
Set Time: Press + or−to increase
or decrease the Hours and Minutes
displayed on the clock.
Set Date: Press + or−to increase
or decrease the day.
Set Time Format: Press the 12 HR
screen button for standard time;
press the 24 HR screen button for
military time.
Set Date Format: Depending on
the region, the following date
formats may be available: MM/DD/
YYYY, DD.MM.YYYY, or YYYY/
MM/DD.
Radio Settings
Press the Config button on the
Home Page or the CONFIG button
on the faceplate to enter the menu
options. Turn the Multifunction knob
or touch-tap the scroll bar to scroll
through the available options. Press the Multifunction knob or press
Radio Settings to display the radio
settings menu. Press this feature to
make changes for radio information
displayed, preset pages, Auto
Volume Control, and XM Categories
Restore. See
Satellite Radio on
page 7‑19 (if equipped), for more
information about XM Categories.
The Radio Settings are:
Speed Dependent Volume: Select
OFF, Low, Medium, or High
sensitivity to automatically adjust
the volume to minimize the effects
of unwanted background noise that
can result from changing road
surfaces, driving speeds, or open
windows. This feature works best at
lower volume settings where
background noise is typically louder
than the sound system volume.
Startup Volume: Press to set the
maximum volume level for startup
that will be used even if a higher
volume had been set when the radio
was turned off.

Black plate (15,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-15
Buttons 1 to 6:Press to select
preset stations.
FAV 1/2/3: Press to open the
favorites list and select favorites
pages.
AS 1/2: Press to open the
autostore list and select autostore
pages.
RDS (Radio Data System)
The radio may have RDS. The RDS
feature is available for use only on
FM stations that broadcast RDS
information. This feature only works
when the information from the radio
station is available. In rare cases, a
radio station could broadcast
incorrect information that causes the
radio features to work improperly.
If this happens, contact the radio
station.
While the radio is tuned to an
FM-RDS station, the station
name or call letters display.
Radio Menus
Radio menus are available for AM
and FM.
Push the multifunction knob to open
the main radio menu for that band.
Selecting a Band
Press the RADIO/BAND button
to choose AM, FM, or XM™,
if equipped. The last station that
was playing starts playing again.
Selecting a Station
Seek Tuning
If the radio station is not known:
Briefly press
s ©or¨\to
automatically search for the next
available station. If a station is not
found, the radio switches to a more
sensitive search level. If a station
still is not found, the frequency that
was last active begins to play. If the radio station is known:
Press and hold
s
©or¨\until
the station on the display is
reached, then release the button.
Manual Tuning
Turn the multifunction knob to select
the frequency on the display.
Favorites List
1. Press the multifunction knob.
2. Select Favorites List.
3. Select the station.
Station Lists
1. Press the multifunction knob.
2. Select AM or FM Station List. All receivable stations in the current
reception area are displayed. If a
station list has not been created,
an automatic station search
is done.
3. Select the station.

Black plate (17,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-17
Press the AS 1/2 button to alternate
between the autostore stations and
favorites.
AS displays on the radio when using
autostore presets.
Autostore does not delete
previously stored favorite stations.
Autostore does not function with XM
radio stations.
Control Buttons (Radio with
CD and Touchscreen)
The buttons used to control the
radio are:
SRCE:Press to choose between
AM, FM, XM™, if equipped,
and CD.
Multifunction Knob: Turn to
search for stations and press to
navigate the available menus.
INFO: Press to display additional
information that may be available for
the current song.
s ©or¨\:Press to search
for stations. Buttons 1 to 6:
Press to select
preset stations.
FAV 1/2/3: Press to open the
favorites list and select favorites
pages.
AS 1/2: Press to open the
autostore list and select autostore
pages.
RDS (Radio Data System)
The radio may have RDS. The RDS
feature is available for use only on
FM stations that broadcast RDS
information. This feature only works
when the information from the radio
station is available. In rare cases, a
radio station could broadcast
incorrect information that causes the
radio features to work improperly.
If this happens, contact the radio
station.
While the radio is tuned to an
FM-RDS station, the station name
or call letters display.
Radio Menus
Radio menus are available for AM
and FM.
Push the Multifunction knob to open
the main radio menu for that band.
Selecting a Band
Press the SRCE button to choose
AM, FM, XM, if equipped, or CD.
The last station that was playing
starts playing again.
Selecting a Station
Seek Tuning
If the radio station is not known:
Briefly press
s ©or¨\to
automatically search for the next
available station. If a station is not
found, the radio switches to a more
sensitive search level. If a station
still is not found, the frequency that
was last active begins to play.

Black plate (39,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-39
4. Select Pair Device (Phone).A four‐digit Personal
Identification Number (PIN)
appears on the display. The PIN
is used in Step 6.
5. Start the pairing process on the cell phone to be paired to the
vehicle. See the cell phone
manufacturer's user guide for
information on this process.
6. Locate the device named “Your
Vehicle” in the list on the cell
phone. Follow the instructions
on the cell phone to enter the
PIN provided in Step 4. After the
PIN is successfully entered, the
system prompts you to provide a
name for the paired cell phone.
This name will be used to
indicate which phones are
paired and connected to the
vehicle. The system responds
with “ has been
successfully paired” after the
pairing process is complete.
7. Repeat Steps 1 through 6 to pair additional phones. Listing All Paired and Connected
Phones
1. Press the CONFIG button.
2. Select Phone Settings or
Bluetooth Settings.
3. Select Bluetooth.
4. Select Device List.
Deleting a Paired Phone
1. Press the CONFIG button.
2. Select Phone Settings or Bluetooth Settings.
3. Select Bluetooth.
4. Select Device List.
5. Select the phone to delete and follow the on‐screen prompts.
Linking to a Different Phone
To link to a different phone, the new
phone must be in the vehicle and
available to be connected to the
Bluetooth system before the
process is started.
1. Press the CONFIG button. 2. Select Phone Settings or
Bluetooth Settings.
3. Select Bluetooth.
4. Select Device List.
5. Select the new phone to link to and follow the on‐screen
prompts.
If delete is selected, the
highlighted phone will be
deleted.
Making a Call Using
Phone Book
For cell phones that support the
phone book feature, the Bluetooth
system can use the contacts stored
on your cell phone to make calls.
See your cell phone manufacturer
user's guide or contact your wireless
provider to find out if this feature is
supported by your phone.
When a cell phone supports the
phone book feature, the Phone
Book and Call Lists menus are
automatically available.

Black plate (6,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
8-6 Climate Controls
For eAssist vehicles that have the
auto‐defog feature, auto stops can
occur in defrost mode. In this mode,
the auto stops are shorter and less
frequent than other air delivery
modes to prevent flash fogging.
#(Comfort Air Conditioning):
Press to turn the air conditioning on
or off. The button indicator light
turns blue when the a/c is on. If the
fan is turned off or the outside
temperature falls below freezing, the
air conditioner will not run and the
indicator light turns off.
Press AUTO to return to automatic
operation and the air conditioner
runs as needed. When the indicator
light is on, the air conditioner runs
automatically to cool the air inside
the vehicle or to dry the air needed
to defog the windshield faster.
For eAssist vehicles, an auto stop
may occur if the climate control
system determines the a/c
compressor can be shut off and still
maintain comfort levels with minimal
windshield fogging.
#(Eco Air Conditioning, If
Equipped): Press
#to turn on the
eco air conditioning. The button
indicator light turns green when eco
a/c is on. This setting balances fuel
economy and air conditioning
comfort. In warm weather
conditions, auto stops may occur
more frequently and the vehicle
interior may be warmer as
compared to the comfort air
conditioning. This setting allows
higher humidity inside the vehicle
and window fogging before the
engine restarts.
Pressing the
0button during an
auto stop will restart the engine to
prevent window fogging. To reach
comfort levels quickly during an
auto stop, the engine will restart
with any of the following if:
.The air conditioner is off and
AUTO, Eco
#, or Comfort#is
selected.
.The climate control power is
turned on and the system is set
to AUTO, Eco
#, or Comfort
#mode.
.The temperature control is
adjusted cooler by more than
one degree C (F).
h(Recirculation): Press to turn
on recirculation. An indicator light
comes on. Air is recirculated to
quickly cool the inside of the vehicle
or prevent outside air and odors
from entering.
Auto Defog: The climate control
system may have a sensor to
automatically detect high humidity
inside the vehicle. When high
humidity is detected, the climate
control system may adjust to
outside air supply and turn on the
air conditioner. The fan speed may
slightly increase to help prevent
fogging. If the climate control
system does not detect possible
window fogging, it returns to normal
operation. To turn Auto Defog off or

Black plate (1,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-10
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-15
Ignition Positions (KeyAccess) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Shifting out of Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-28
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-32
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 9-37
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Interactive Drive Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42

Black plate (15,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-15
Starting and
Operating
New Vehicle Break-In
Notice:The vehicle does not
need an elaborate break-in. But it
will perform better in the long run
if you follow these guidelines:
.Do not drive at any one
constant speed, fast or slow,
for the first 805 km (500 mi).
Do not make full-throttle
starts. Avoid downshifting to
brake or slow the vehicle.
.Avoid making hard stops for
the first 322 km (200 mi) or
so. During this time the new
brake linings are not yet
broken in. Hard stops with
new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this
breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake
linings. Following break‐in, engine speed
and load can be gradually
increased.
Ignition Positions
(Key Access)
The ignition switch has four different
positions.
Notice:
Using a tool to force the
key to turn in the ignition could
cause damage to the switch or
break the key. Use the correct
key, make sure it is all the way in, and turn it only with your hand.
If the key cannot be turned by
hand, see your dealer.
The key must be fully extended to
start the vehicle.
To shift out of P (Park), turn the
ignition to ON/RUN and apply the
brake pedal.
A (STOPPING THE ENGINE/
LOCK/OFF):
When the vehicle is
stopped, turn the ignition switch to
LOCK/OFF to turn the engine off.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
will remain active. See Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑24 for more information.
This is the only position from which
the key can be removed. This locks
the steering wheel, ignition, and
automatic transmission.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.

Black plate (16,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
9-16 Driving and Operating
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steadypressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to neutral. This can be done while the vehicle is
moving. After shifting to neutral,
firmly apply the brakes and steer
the vehicle to a safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop. Shift to P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or Neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9‑34.{WARNING
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
turn the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY.
The ignition switch can bind in the
LOCK/OFF position with the wheels
turned off center. If this happens,
move the steering wheel from right
to left while turning the key to ACC/
ACCESSORY. If this does not work,
then the vehicle needs service.
B (ACC/ACCESSORY): This
position unlocks the steering wheel.
Some accessories can be used in
this position. C (ON/RUN):
The ignition switch
stays in this position when the
engine is running. This position can
be used to operate the electrical
accessories, as well as to display
some warning and indicator lights.
This position can also be used for
service and diagnostics, and to
verify the proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp as may
be required for emission inspection
purposes.
The battery could be drained if the
key is left in the ON/RUN position
with the engine off. The vehicle
might not start if the battery is
allowed to drain for an extended
period of time.
D (START): This position starts the
engine. When the engine starts,
release the key. The ignition switch
will return to ON/RUN for normal
driving.

Black plate (17,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-17
Key Lock Release
Vehicles with an automatic
transmission are equipped with an
electronic key lock release system.
This system is to prevent ignition
key removal unless the shift lever is
in P (Park).The key lock release will not work
if the battery is charged less than
9‐volts, or uncharged. Try charging
or jump starting the battery. See
Jump Starting (On-board with
eAssist Only) on page 10‑89
or
Jump Starting (with or without
eAssist) on page 10‑91
If charging or jump starting the
battery does not work, there is a
manual key lock release. Locate the
hole below the ignition lock. Insert a
tool or key into the opening. Locate
the lever, and press it toward the
driver while removing the key from
the ignition.
Ignition Positions
(Keyless Access)
The vehicle has an electronic
keyless ignition with pushbutton
start.
Pressing the button cycles it through
three modes, ACC/ACCESSORY,
ON/RUN/START, and Stopping the
Engine/OFF.
The transmitter must be in the
vehicle for the system to operate.