ECO mode PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2008 Owners Manual

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, PONTIAC,
the PONTIAC Emblem, and the names GRAND PRIX,
and GXP are registered trademarks of General Motors
Corporation.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes after
that time without notice. For vehicles rst sold in Canada,
substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited”
for Pontiac Division whenever it appears in this manual.
This manual describes features that may be available in
this model, but your vehicle may not have all of them. For
example, more than one entertainment system may be
offered or your vehicle may have been ordered without a
front passenger or rear seats.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.
Canadian Owners
A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer/retailer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
www.helminc.com
Propriétaires Canadiens
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français
auprès de concessionnaire ou à l’adresse suivante:
Helm Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
www.helminc.com
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 15863021 B Second Printing
©2007 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
ii

Power Door Locks
To lock or unlock all
doors from inside the
vehicle, use the power
door lock switch located
on either front door.
Move the switch on the driver’s door to the right to lock
or to the left to unlock the doors. Move the switch on
the passenger’s door to the left to lock or to the right
to unlock the doors.
If the vehicle has the content theft-deterrent system,
the vehicle may be programmed to arm the system with
the power door lock switch. See “Lock Switch Arm”
underDIC Vehicle Customization on page 3-89for
more information on programming the system.
Delayed Locking
This feature delays the locking of the vehicle’s doors for
ve seconds after the last door is closed. Two chimes
will sound when the power door lock switch or the
LOCK button on the remote keyless entry transmitter
is pressed when a door is open. The chimes indicate
that the delayed locking feature is on.
The doors can be locked immediately by pressing the
power door lock switch or the LOCK button on the
transmitter a second time.
The delayed locking feature will not activate when the
ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY.
You can program this feature on or off through the
Driver Information Center (DIC) See “Personal
Programming Mode Screens” underDIC Vehicle
Customization on page 3-89. Driver’s Side
2-11

Active Fuel Management™
Your vehicle’s engine may be equipped with Active
Fuel Management™. This system allows the engine
to operate on either all or half of its cylinders,
depending on your driving conditions.
When less power is required, such as cruising at a
constant vehicle speed, the system will operate in
the half cylinder mode, allowing your vehicle to
achieve better fuel economy. When greater power
demands are required, such as accelerating from
a stop, passing, or merging onto a freeway, the
system will maintain full-cylinder operation.
Automatic Transmission Operation
The shift lever for the automatic transmission is
located on the console between the seats.
Maximum engine speed is limited when the vehicle
is in PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N) to protect driveline
components from improper operation.
There are several
different positions
for the shift lever.
PARK (P):This position locks the front wheels.
It is the best position to use when the engine is
started because the vehicle cannot move easily.3800 V6 Engine
2-28

3. The paddles are
located on the steering
wheel. They are used to
up-shift or down-shift
the transmission.
4. Push either paddle once to up-shift to the next
gear. Pull either paddle once to down-shift to
the next gear.
The vehicle will begin moving in rst gear upon
acceleration. For better control in icy or slippery
conditions, the vehicle may start out in SECOND (2),
rather than FIRST (1). This will only occur if you
have “tapped up” to second gear.
The up-shift light on the
instrument panel cluster,
or the up-shift symbol on
the HUD, if equipped, is
given as a prompt to use
the TAP-Shift
®paddle.For more information, seeUp-Shift Light on page 3-45
The up-shift light will only appear in the instrument
panel cluster if the HUD is off or if the vehicle does
not have HUD.
This prompt to up-shift, as needed, will be given
throughout acceleration. If up-shifting does not occur
when prompted, the vehicle speed will be limited
to protect the engine.
The gear position will display on the DIC and HUD,
if equipped, when in manual mode.
Pressing the accelerator while driving in the highest
gear (FOURTH (4)) between 20 mph (32 km/h)
and 50 mph (80 km/h), will make the transmission
automatically downshift. As your speed gets closer to
50 mph (80 km/h), you will need to increase accelerator
pedal travel to get the vehicle to downshift. At 50 mph
(80 km/h), even with the accelerator fully depressed,
the transmission will always remain in FOURTH (4).
The transmission will also automatically downshift as
the vehicle decelerates and comes to a stop.
If a paddle is pushed or pulled and the vehicle cannot
respond to a transmission gear change, a chime will
sound. The system will not allow either an up-shift or a
down-shift if the vehicle speed is too fast or too slow,
nor will it allow a start from THIRD (3) or higher gear.
2-32

x(Delay Adjustment):Turn the band, located on
the left of the windshield wiper lever, to set the length of
the delay between wiper cycles when using the delay
feature. There are ve delay adjustment settings.
Turn the band up to make the delays shorter in between
wiper cycles. Turn the band down to make the delays
longer between wiper cycles. The windshield wiper lever
must be in delay for this feature to work.
6(Low Speed):Push the lever up to the
second position for steady wiping cycles at a slow
speed.
1(High Speed):Push the lever up to the
third position for steady wiping cycles at a high speed.
7(Mist):For a single wiping cycle, push the
lever down once and let go. The wipers will stop after
one cycle. For additional cycles, hold the lever down.
About 30 seconds after the wipers are on, the
headlamps, taillamps, and instrument panel lighting
will come on, and the Driver Information Center (DIC)
back lighting will decrease to the night time mode.
About ten seconds after the wipers are turned off, all
the lamps will go back to the AUTO (Automatic) mode.
SeeExterior Lamps on page 3-16.
Windshield Washer
{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.
The windshield washer button is located at the end of
the windshield wiper lever.
K(Washer Fluid):Press this button to activate the
washer uid to spray onto the windshield. The wipers
will run for a few cycles to clear the windshield. For more
wash cycles, press and hold the button.
If the vehicle is low on washer uid, the LOW WASHER
FLUID message will appear on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) display. See “LOW WASHER FLUID”
underDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-67for
more information.
3-11

Dome Lamp
If the vehicle does not have an overhead console, it will
have a dome light located in the front of the headliner.
The switch on this lamp has three positions. The
on position will turn on the lamp anytime. The door
position will turn on the lamp whenever a door is
opened. The off position will shut off the lamp
completely, even while a door is opened.
Entry Lighting
The entry lighting feature turns the interior lights on
before anyone enters the vehicle. The interior lamps will
come on for 40 seconds when the doors are unlocked
using the remote keyless entry transmitter and the
ignition is in LOCK/OFF. After 40 seconds have elapsed,
the interior lamps will slowly fade out. The lamps will
fade out before 40 seconds have elapsed if one of the
following is done:
Lock all doors using the remote keyless entry
transmitter.
Lock the doors using the power door lock switch.
When any door is opened, entry lighting is cancelled.
The interior lamps will stay on while any door is opened
and slowly fade out when all doors are closed. The
interior lamps may stay on for up to 25 seconds after all
doors have been closed if they have not been locked.
Delayed Entry Lighting
The delayed lighting feature will continue to light the
interior of the vehicle for 25 seconds after all the doors
have been closed. Delayed lighting will not occur while
the ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY. After
25 seconds have elapsed, the interior lamps will slowly
fade out. The lamps will fade out before the 25 seconds
have elapsed if one of the following is done:
The ignition is turned to ON/RUN or
ACC/ACCESSORY.
The doors are locked using the remote keyless
entry transmitter.
The doors are locked using the power door
lock switch.
To turn the delayed lighting feature off or on, see
“Personal Programming Modes” underDIC Vehicle
Customization on page 3-89.
3-20

Delayed Exit Lighting
For exiting the vehicle at night, the vehicle is equipped
with the delayed exit lighting feature. After the key
is removed from the ignition, the interior lamps will
light for up the amount of seconds set in the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See “Personal Programming
Mode Screens” underDIC Vehicle Customization
on page 3-89. After the set time has elapsed, the interior
lamps will slowly fade. The lamps will fade before the
set time has elapsed if one of the following is done:
The ignition is turned to ON/RUN or
ACC/ACCESSORY.
The doors are locked using the remote keyless
entry transmitter.
The doors are locked using the power door
lock switch.
When any door is opened, delayed exit lighting is
cancelled. The interior lamps will stay on while any
door is opened and will slowly fade out when all
the doors are closed. The interior lamps will stay on
for the set time after all the doors have been closed
if they have not been locked.
To turn the delayed exit lighting feature off or on,
see “Personal Programming Mode Screens” under
DIC Vehicle Customization on page 3-89.
Front Reading Lamps
If the vehicle has a sunroof, there are reading lamps in
front of the sunroof switch located on the headliner.
These lamps will come on when the doors are opened.
Press the side of each reading lamp to turn them on
and off when the doors are closed.
Overhead Console Reading Lamps
The vehicle may have reading lamps on the overhead
console. These lamps will turn on when the doors
are opened. When the doors are closed, press the
side of each lamp to turn them on and off.
Rear Assist Handle Reading Lamps
If the vehicle has a reading lamp on each rear assist
handle, press the side of each lamp to turn it on or off.
3-21

Climate Controls
Climate Control System
The climate control system allows manual control of the
heating, cooling, and ventilation in the vehicle.
Fan
9
(Fan):Turn the knob by this symbol, located on
the left side of the climate control panel, clockwise
or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the fan
speed. The fan speed will be temporarily reduced
between the transition to a new mode. The fan will
resume the original speed when the transition to the
new mode is complete.
9(Off):Turn the knob to this position to turn the
climate control system off. Only the heated seat and/or
rear defrost can be operated when the fan is off.
Mode
Turn the middle knob to select the following modes:
H(Vent) (Outside Air):This mode directs outside air
to the instrument panel outlets. If driving in city traffic,
and the vehicle is stopped and idling, or the weather is
hot, press the recirculation button. To prevent the air
inside the vehicle from becoming stale, be sure to turn
off recirculation periodically.
)(Bi-Level):This mode directs half of the air to the
instrument panel outlets, and the remaining air to the oor
outlets. Some air may be directed toward the windshield.
Slightly cooler air is directed to the instrument panel
outlets and warmer air is directed to the oor outlets.
6(Floor):This mode directs most of the air to the
oor outlets with some air directed toward the side
window outlets and a little air directed to the windshield.
In this mode, the system will automatically use outside
air. The air conditioning compressor will be engaged
unless the outside temperature is 40°F (4°C) or below.
3-28

Temperature
The knob on the right of the climate control panel is the
temperature adjustment that can be used with any of
the climate control modes.
Turn the knob clockwise for warmer settings and
counterclockwise for colder settings.
Air Conditioning
#
(Air Conditioner):Press this button to turn the
air conditioning compressor on or off. An indicator light
to the right of the button will come on. This button
has no control over the air conditioning compressor
when in Floor/Defog and Defrost modes. The instrument
panel brightness control may have to be adjusted to
the highest setting in order to see the indicator.
SeeInstrument Panel Brightness on page 3-19for
additional information.
On hot days during the vehicle’s initial start-up, open
the windows to let hot inside air escape; then close
them. This helps to reduce the time it takes for
the vehicle to cool down. It also helps the system to
operate more efficiently.For quicker cool down on hot days, do the following:
1. Select any mode setting between vent and the
setting before defrost.
2. Select the air conditioner.
3. Select the coolest temperature.
4. Select the highest climate control fan speed.
Using these settings will set recirculation for quicker
cool down (the light indicator will not turn on). If outside
air is desired, press the recirculation button twice.
Using these settings together for long periods of time
may cause the air inside the vehicle to become too dry.
To prevent this from happening, after ve minutes
the recirculation door will open slightly to allow some
outside air into the vehicle.
The air conditioning system removes moisture from the
air, so sometimes there may be a small amount of
water dripping underneath the vehicle while it is idling
or after the engine is turned off. This is normal.
3-30

?(Recirculation):Press this button to turn the
recirculation mode on or off. This mode keeps outside air
from coming in the vehicle. It can be used to help reduce
the outside air and odors that may enter the vehicle or
help to cool the air inside the vehicle quicker.
Recirculation is not available in defrost or oor/defog
mode. Pressing the recirculation button will turn on the
indicator light.
Using recirculation for long periods of time may cause the
air inside your vehicle to become too dry. To prevent this
from happening, after the air in your vehicle has cooled,
turn the recirculation mode off.
z(Heated Seats):Press this button to turn the heated
seats on and off. The button on the left controls the
driver’s seat and the button on the right controls
the passenger’s seat. SeeHeated Seats on page 1-4
for additional information.
Sensors
The solar sensor on your vehicle monitors the solar
radiation and the air inside of your vehicle, then uses the
information to maintain the selected temperature by
initiating needed adjustments to the temperature, the fan
speed and the air delivery system. The system may
also supply cooler air to the side of the vehicle facing the
sun. The recirculation mode will also be activated, as
necessary. Do not cover the solar sensor located in the
center of the instrument panel, near the windshield,
or the system will not work properly.
Defogging and Defrosting
Fog on the inside of windows is a result of high humidity
(moisture) condensing on the cool window glass.
This can be minimized if the climate control system is
used properly. There are two modes to clear fog or
frost from your windshield. Use the oor/defog mode
to clear the windows of fog or moisture and warm
the passengers. Use the defrost mode to remove fog
or frost from the windshield more quickly.
3-34