mirror CHEVROLET MALIBU 1997 5.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Section 2 Features and Controls
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Here you can learn about the many standard and optional featur\
es on your Chevrolet, and information
on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
Important Information About Keys
Door Locks Operation of Child Security Locks
Keyless Entry System
Battery Replacement for Keyless
Entry System
Preventing Theft
of Your Vehicle
New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Positions
Tips on Starting Your Engine
Using the Engine Coolant Heater
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Second-Gear Start
Parking Brake Guidelines
Important Information on Engine Exhaust 2-27
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2-52 Operation
of Your Windows
Adjusting the Tilt Steering Wheel
Functions of the Multifunction Lever
How to Use the High/Low Beam
Headlamp Changer
Windshield Wipers and Fluid
Using Cruise Control
Exterior Lamps Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Interior Lamps Rearview Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Sunroof
Instrument Panel Overview
All About Your Warning Lights and Gages

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Illuminated Entrymxit System
When you open any door, the lamps inside your vehicle will go on. These lamps will fade out after about
40 seconds, or when the ignition is turned on after all
doors have been closed. If the ignition was recently
turned
off, the lamps will fade out after four seconds.
These lamps will also go on when you press the LOCK
or UNLOCK button on the optional Keyless Entry System transmitter.
If the ignition has been
off for less than two minutes,
the lamps inside your vehicle will stay on for about
15 seconds after your key is removed from the ignition
to provide an illuminated exit.
Mirror Reading Lamps (If Equipped)
Press the switch on the lower front portion of the mirror
to turn on the lamp. Press the other side
of the switch to
turn the lamp
off.
Three-Position Dome Lamp Trunk Lamp
The
trunk lamp comes on when you open your trunk.
Battery Saver
Your Chevrolet is equipped with a battery saver feature
designed to protect your vehicle’s battery.
When any interior lamp (trunk, reading, footwell or
glove box) is left on when the ignition is turned off, the
battery saver system will automatically shut the lamp off after
20 minutes. This will avoid draining the battery.
To reactivate the interior lamps, either:
The ignition must be turned on,
a The activated lamp switch must be turned off and
A door must be opened.
then on or
The battery saver feature will also be activated when any door
of your vehicle is left open.
The switch on this lamp has three positions. The
ON
position will turn on the light. The DOOR position will
turn on the light whenever a door is opened. The
OFF
position will shut off the lamp completely, even when a
door is opened.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Mirrors
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
This mirror can be adjusted two ways. First, to adjust
the angle of the mirror, move the mirror to a position
that allows you see out the back window.
To adjust the
height of the mirror, adjust the
arm that connects the
mirror to the windshield.
To reduce glare from lights behind you, move the lever
toward you to the night position.
Manual Remote Control Mirror
The outside rearview mirror should be adjusted so you
can just see the side
of your vehicle when you are sitting
in a comfortable driving position.
Adjust the driver’s side outside mirror with the
control lever on the
driver’s door.
To adjust your passenger’s side mirror, sit in the driver’s
seat and have a passenger adjust the mirror for you.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Power Remote Control Mirror
(If Equipped)
This switch is located on the armrest of the driver’s
door. Move this switch to the left or right depending on
which mirror you need to adjust (center
is the off
position.) Then adjust the direction of the mirror
using the paddle marked with arrows just below the
selector switch.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror’s surface is curved
so you can see more from the
driver’s seat.
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A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you
could hit a vehicle
on your right. Check your
inside mirror
or glance over your shoulder before
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Sunvisors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also swing them to the side.
Visor Vanity Mirror
Lift the cover to expose the vanity mirror.
Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirror
(If Equipped)
This mirror is located on the passenger’s side visor.
When you
lift the cover, the light will turn on.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 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.)
0 Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
0 Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to
turn.
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trymg 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 Chevrolet’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels aren’t 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.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go.
If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important
to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower
gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your
vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface”
-- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
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Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One
reason
is that some drivers are likely to be impaired -- by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here are some tips on night driving.
0 Drive defensively.
0 Don’t dnnk and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow
glare from
headlamps behind you.
down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
0 Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
0 If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to
see the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night
vision. For example, if you spend the day
in bright
sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will
have less trouble adjusting to night. But
if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on
glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you
are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who
doesn’t lower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring
directly into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would,
making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick out dimly lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim,
so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren’t
even aware of it.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest of all roads. But they have their own special rules.
The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane. At the entrance, there
is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic flow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it’s slower. Stay\
in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.
Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move
slightly slower at night.
When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper
lane well in advance.
If you miss your exit, do not,
under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to
the next exit.
The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch
of road with the
same scenery, along with the hum
of the tires on the road,
the drone
of the engine, and the rush of the wind against
the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t let it happen to you!
If it does, your vehicle can leave the road in less
than a second, and you could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that
it can happen.
Then here are
some tips:
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Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably
cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to
the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness on the highway as
an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
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