PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 2003 Owners Manual

Appearance Care
Remember, cleaning products can be hazardous. Some
are toxic. Others can burst into flames
if you strike a
match or get them on a hot part of the vehicle. Some are
dangerous
if you breathe their fumes in a closed
space. When you use anything from a container to clean
your vehicle, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s
warnings and instructions. And always open your doors
or windows when you’re cleaning the inside.
Never use these to clean your vehicle:
Gasoline
Benzene Naphtha
Carbon Tetrachloride
Acetone Paint Thinner
Turpentine
Lacquer Thinner
Nail Polish Remover They can
all be hazardous
- some more than
others -and they can all damage your vehicle, too.
Don’t use any of these unless this manual says you can.
In many uses, these will damage your vehicle:
Alcohol
Laundry Soap
Bleach
Reducing Agents
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle
Use a vacuum cleaner often to get rid of dust and
loose dirt. Wipe vinyl, leather, plastic and painted
surfaces with a clean, damp cloth.
FabridCarpet
Your dealer has cleaners for the cleaning of fabric
and carpet. They will clean normal spots and stains
very well.
You can get GM
- approved cleaning products from
your dealer. See
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance
Materials on page
5-88.
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Here are some cleaning tips:
*
Always read the instructions on the cleaner label.
Clean up stains as soon as you can
- before
they set.
Carefully scrape off any excess stain.
Use a clean cloth or sponge, and change to a clean
area often.
A soft brush may be used if stains are
stubborn.
If a ring forms on fabric after spot cleaning, clean
the entire area immediately or it will set.
Using Cleaner on Fabric
1. Vacuum and brush the area to remove any
2. Always clean a whole trim panel or section. Mask
surrounding trim along stitch or welt lines.
3. Follow the directions on the container label.
loose dirt.
5. As
soon as you’ve cleaned the section, use a
6. Wipe cleaned area with a clean, water-dampened
7. Wipe with a clean cloth and let dry.
sponge to remove any excess
cleaner.
towel or cloth.
Special Fabric Cleaning Problems
Stains caused by such things as catsup, coffee (black),
egg, fruit, fruit juice, milk, soft drinks, vomit, urine
and blood can be removed as follows:
1. Carefully scrape off excess stain, then sponge the
soiled area with cool water.
2. If a stain remains, follow the cleaner instructions
3. If an odor lingers after cleaning vomit or urine, treat
described earlier.
the area with
a watedbaking soda solution:
1 teaspoon (5 ml) of baking soda to 1 cup (250 ml)
of lukewarm water.
4. Let dry.
Stains caused by candy, ice cream, mayonnaise, chili
sauce and unknown stains can be removed as follows:
1. Carefully scrape off excess stain.
2. Clean with cool water and allow to dry completely.
3. If a stain remains, follow the cleaner instructions
aescribea eariier.
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Vinyl
Use warm water and a clean cloth.
Rub with a clean, damp cloth to remove dirt. You
may have to do this more than once.
Things like tar, asphalt and shoe polish will stain if
you don’t get them off quickly. Use a clean cloth
and vinyl/leather cleaner. See your dealer for
this product.
Leather
Use a soft cloth with lukewarm water and a mild soap or
saddle soap and wipe dry with a
soft cloth. Then, let
the leather dry naturally.
Do not use heat to dry.
For stubborn stains, use a leather cleaner. See your
dealer for this product.
Never use oils, varnishes, solvent-based or abrasive
cleaners, furniture polish or shoe polish on leather.
Interior Plastic Components
Use only a mild soap and water solution on a soft cloth
or sponge. Commercial cleaners may affect the
surface finish.
Glass Surfaces
Glass should be cleaned often. GM Glass Cleaner or a
liquid household glass cleaner will remove normal
tobacco smoke and dust films on interior glass. See
GM
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials on page 5-88.
Notice: Don’t use abrasive cleaners on glass,
because they may cause scratches. Avoid placing
decals on the inside rear window, since they
may have to be scraped
off later. If abrasive cleaners
are used on the inside
of the rear window, an
electric defogger element may be damaged. Any
temporary license should not be attached across the
defogger grid.
Soiled or stained leather should be cleaned
immediately.
If dirt is allowed to work into the finish,
it can harm the leather.
Top of the Instrument Panel
Use only mild soap and water to clean the top surfaces
of the instrument panel. Sprays containing silicones
or waxes may cause annoying reflections
in the
windshield and even make it difficult to see through the
windshield under certain conditions.
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Care of Safety Belts
Keep belts clean and dry.
Do not bleach or dye safety belts. If you do, it
may severely weaken them. In a crash, they
might not be able
to provide adequate
protection. Clean safety belts only with mild
soap and lukewarm water.
Weatherstrips
Silicone grease on weatherstrips will make them last
longer, seal better, and not stick or squeak. Apply
silicone grease with a clean cloth at least every six
months. During very cold, damp weather more frequent
appiicaiiorl may ue required. See Fari E. %cur/////e/f&d
Fluids and Lubricants on page 6-24.
Cleaning the Outside of Your
Vehicle
The paint finish on your vehicle provides beauty, depth
of color, gloss retention and durability.
Washing Your Vehicle
The best way to preserve your vehicle’s finish is to keep
it clean by washing it often with lukewarm or cold
water.
Don’t wash your vehicle in the direct rays
of the sun.
Use a car washing soap. Don’t use
strong soaps
or chemical detergents. Be sure to rinse the vehicle
well, removing all soap residue completely. You can get
GM-approved cleaning products from your dealer.
See
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials on
page 5-88. Don’t use cleaning agents that are petroleum
based, or that contain acid or abrasives. All cleaning
agents should be flushed promptly and not allowed
to dry on the surface, or they could stain. Dry the finish
with a soft, clean chamois or an all-cotton towel to
avoid surface scratches and water spotting.
High pressure car washes may cause water to enter
your vehicle.
wearwg tmtmur L~III~WL~IIS~S
Use only lukewarm or cold water, a soft cloth and a car
washing soap to clean exterior lamps and lenses.
Follow instructions under “Washing Your Vehicle.”
nm - 5.- _. F-A---~--- I ______ 11 _____
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Finish Care
Occasional waxing or mild polishing of your vehicle by
hand may be necessary to remove residue from the
paint finish. You can get GM-approved cleaning products
from your dealer. See
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance
Materials on page
5-88.
If your vehicle has a “basecoatklearcoat” paint finish.
The clearcoat gives more depth and gloss to the colored
basecoat. Always use waxes and polishes that are
non-abrasive and made for a basecoatklearcoat paint
finish.
Notice: Machine compounding or aggressive
polishing
on a basecoatklearcoat paint finish may
dull the finish or leave swirl marks.
Foreign materials such as calcium chloride and other
salts, ice melting agents, road oil and tar, tree sap, bird
droppings, chemicals from industrial chimneys, etc.,
can damage your vehicle’s finish
if they remain
on painted surfaces. Wash the vehicle as soon as
possible. If necessary, use non-abrasive cleaners that
are marked safe for painted surfaces to remove
foreign matter.
Exterior painted surfaces are subject to aging, weather
and chemical fallout that can take their
toll over a
period of years. You can help to keep the paint finish
looking new by keeping your vehicle garaged or covered
whenever possible.
Windshield and Wiper Blades
If the windshield is not clear after using the windshield
washer, or
if the wiper blade chatters when running,
wax, sap or other material may be on the blade or
windshield.
Clean the outside
of the windshield with a full-strength
glass cleaning liquid. The windshield is clean
if beads do
not form when you rinse it with water.
Grime from the windshield will stick to the wiper blades
and affect their performance. Clean the blade by
wiping vigorously with a cloth soaked in full-strength
windshield washer solvent. Then rinse the blade
with water.
Check the wiper blades and clean them as necessary;
replace blades that look worn.
Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels
Your vehicle may be equipped with either aluminum or
chrome-plated wheels.
Keep your wheels clean using a soft clean cloth with
mild soap and water. Rinse with clean water. After
rinsing thoroughly, dry with a soft clean towel. A wax
may then be applied.
The surface of these wheels is similar
to the painted
surface of your vehicle. Don’t use strong soaps,
chemicals, abrasive polishes, abrasive cleaners,
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cleaners with acid, or abrasive cleaning brushes on
them because you could damage the surface.
Do not
use chrome polish on aluminum wheels.
Use chrome polish only on chrome-plated wheels, but
avoid any painted surface of the wheel, and buff off
immediately after application.
Don’t take your vehicle through an automatic car wash
that has silicone carbide tire cleaning brushes. These
brushes can also damage the surface of these wheels.
Tires
To clean your tires, use a stiff brush with tire cleaner.
Nofice: When applying a tire dressing, always take
care to wipe off any overspray or splash from all
painted surfaces
on the body or wheels of the
vehicle. Petroleum-based products may damage the
paint finish and tires.
If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal
repair or replacement, make sure the body repair shop
applies anti-corrosion material to parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion protection.
Finish Damage
Any stone chips, fractures or deep scratches in the
finish should be repaired right away. Bare metal
will corrode quickly and may develop into major repair
expense.
Minor chips and scratches can be repaired with touch-up
materials avaliable from your dealer or other service
outlets. Larger areas of finish damage can be corrected
in your dealer’s body and paint shop.
Underbody Maintenance
Chemicals used for ice and snow removal and dust
control can collect on the underbody.
If these are not
removed, accelerated corrosion (rust) can occur on
the underbody parts such as fuel lines, frame, floor pan
and exhaust system even though they have corrosion
protection.
At least everv sprinq, flush these materials from the
underbody with plain water. Clean any areas where mud
and debris can collect. Dirt packed
in close areas of
the frame should be loosened before being flushed.
Your dealer or an underbody car washing system can
do this for you.
Original manufacturer replacement parts will provide the
corrosion protection while maintaining the warranty.
5-a7

Chemical Paint Spotting
Some weather and atmospheric conditions can create a
chemical fallout. Airborne pollutants can fall upon and
attack painted surfaces on your vehicle. This damage
can take two forms; blotchy, ringlet-shaped
discolorations, and small irregular dark spots etched into
the paint surface.
Although no defect
in the paint job causes this, GM will
repair, at no charge to the owner, the surfaces of
new vehicles damaged by this fallout condition within
12 months or 12,000 miles (20 000 km) of purchase,
whichever occurs first.
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance
Materials
See your GM dealer for more information on purchasing
the following products.
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
I Description I Usage I
Polishing Cloth Wax-
Treated
Tar and Road Oil Remover
Chrome Cleaner and
Polish Interior
and exterior
polishing cloth.
Removes tar, road oil and
asphalt.
Use on chrome or
stainless steel.
White Sidewall Tire Removes soil and black
Cleaner marks from whitewalls.
I ~~
Vinyl Cleaner Cleans vinyl tops,
upholstery and
convertible tops.
I Glass Cleaner Removes dirt, grime,
smoke and finaerprints.
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GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
(cont’d)
I Description
Chrome and Wire Wheel
Cleaner
Finish Enhancer
Swirl Remover Polish
Cleaner Wax Foaming Tire Shine Low
Gloss
Usage
Removes dirt and grime
from chrome wheels and
wire wheel covers.
Removes dust,
fingerprints, and surface
contaminants, Spray
on
wipe off.
Removes swirl marks,
fine scratches and other
light surface
contamination.
Removes light scratches
and protects finish.
Cleans, shines and protects in one easy step,
no wiping necessary.
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials
(cont’d)
Description
Wash Wax Concentrate
Spot Lifter
Odor Eliminator
Usage
Medium foaming
shampoo. Cleans and
lightly waxes.
Biodegradable and
phosphate free.
Quickly and easily removes spots and stains
from carpets, vinyl and
cloth upholstery.
Odorless spray odor
eliminator
used on
fabrics, vinyl, leather and
carpet.
L
See your General Motors parts department for these
products. See
Part D: Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page
6-24.
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Vehicle Identification
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
SAMPLE4UXl M072675 1
This is the legal identifier for your vehicle. It appears on
a plate in the front corner of the instrument panel, on
the driver’s side. You can see it
if you look through the
windshield from outside your vehicle. The VIN also
appears on the Vehicle Certification
and Service Parts
labels and the certificates of title and registration.
Engine Identification
The 8th character in your VIN is the engine code.
This code will help you identify your engine,
specifications and replacement parts.
Service Parts Identification Label
You’ll find this label on your spare tire cover. It’s very
helpful if you ever need to order parts. On this label is:
your VIN,
the model designation,
paint information and
a list of all production options and special
equipment.
Be sure that this label
is not removed from the vehicle.
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Electrical System
Add-on Electrical Equipment
Notice: Don’t add anything electrical to your
vehicle unless you check with your dealer first.
Some electrical equipment can damage your vehicle
and the damage wouldn’t be covered by your
warranty. Some add-on electrical equipment can keep other components from working as they
should.
Your vehicle has an air bag system. Before attempting
to add anything electrical to your vehicle, see
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-55.
Headlamp Wiring
The headlamp wiring is protected by an internal circuit
breaker. An electrical overload will cause the lamps
to go on and
off , or in some cases to remain off. If this
happens, have your neaaiamp system cneckea
right away.
Windshield Wiper Fuses
The windshield wiper motor is protected by an internal
circuit breaker and a fuse.
If the motor overheats due to
heavy snow, etc., the wiper will stop until the motor
cools.
If the overload is caused by some electrical
problem, have it fixed.
Power Windows and Other Power
Options
Circuit breakers in the rear fuse block protect the power
windows and other power accessories. When the
current load is too heavy, the circuit breaker opens and
closes, protecting the circuit until the problem
is fixed
or goes away.
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