mirror PONTIAC PONTIAC 1995 Owners Manual

Sustained Interior Illumination
Your courtesy lamps will come on and stay on for a set
time whenever you:
Open a door.
Press UNLOCK on the Remote Lock Control
(if equipped).
Press DOOR on the Remote Lock Control
(if equipped).
If
you open a door, the lamps will stay on while it’s open
and then turn
off automatically about 18 seconds after
you close
it. If you don’t open a door, the lamps will
turn off after about 18 seconds, unless you pressed
UNLOCK on the Remote Lock Control. If you pressed
UNLOCK and don’t open a door, the lamps will turn off
after about
55 seconds.
Sustained interior illumination includes a feature called
theater dimming. With theater dimming, the lamps don’t
just turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead, they
slowly dim during the delay time until they
go out. The
delay time
is cancelled if you turn the ignition key to
RUN or START, so the lamps will go out right away.
When the ignition is on, Sustained Interior Illumination is
inactive, which means the courtesy lamps won’t come
on.
Rearview Mirror Reading Lamps
These lamps go on when you open the doors. When the
doors are closed, turn them on and off with the switches.
2-37
ProCarManuals.com

Mirrors
Adjust all the mirrors so you can see clearly when you
are sitting in a comfortable &iying position.
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
To reduGe glm from lamps behind you, move the leva
to the night position.
Manual Outside Mirrors
Adjust the right mirror by hand. To adjust the left
mirror, move the
knob in the direction you want to move
the mirror.
Power Outside Mirrors (Option)
The electric mirror control
is near the driver’s window.
Turn the control to the left
to adjust the left mirror
or to
the right to adjust the right
mirror. Then move the
control
in the direction you
want to move the mirror.
2-39
ProCarManuals.com

Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is GO~V~X.
A convex mirror’s surface is curved so you can see more
from the driver’s seat.
Convenience Net (Option)
t
Your vehicle may have a convenience net. You’ll see it
on the back wall of the trunk.
2-40
ProCarManuals.com

Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also move them from side to side.
Visor Vanity Mirrors
Open the cover to expose the vanity mirror. If your
vehicle has the optional lighted vanity mirrors, the lamps come on when you open the cover,
Sunroof (Option)
Your sunroof includes a sliding glass panel and a sliding
sunshade. The switch works only when the ignition is on.
2-43
ProCarManuals.com

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.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lights are not flashing,
it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
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 trying 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 Pontiac’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.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
4-13
ProCarManuals.com

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. control. Push the brake pedal down steadily when you
have
to stop suddenly.
As long as the wheels are rolling,
you will have steering control.
Driving at Night
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.
Lf you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It
helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking
skid (where the wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure on the brakes
to get the wheels rolling again. This restores steering 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.
4-14
ProCarManuals.com

Here are some tips on night driving.
a
e
a
a
a
e
a
Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive,
Adjust your inside rearview mirror
to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow
down and keep more space between you and other
vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only
so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
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.
4-15
ProCarManuals.com

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.
4-19
ProCarManuals.com

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:
0
0
0
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.
4-2 1
ProCarManuals.com

Trailer Brakes Driving with a Trailer
Towing a trailer requires a certain amount of experience.
Before setting out for the open road, you’ll want to get
to know your
rig. Acquaint yourself with the feel of
handling and braking with the added weight of the
trailer. And always keep in mind that the vehicle you are
driving is now
a good deal longer and not nearly as
responsive as your vehicle is by itself.
Before you start, check the trailer hitch and platform
(and attachments), safety chains, electrical connector,
lamps, tires and mirror adjustment.
If the trailer has
electric brakes, start your vehicle and trailer moving and
then apply the trailer brake controller by hand to be sure
the brakes are working. This lets you check your
electrical connection at the same time.
Does your
trailer have its own brakes? Be sure to read
and follow the instructions for the trailer brakes
so
you’ll be able to install, adjust and maintain them
properly.
0
a
0
0
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, do not try to tap
into your vehicle’s brake system.
If you do, both
brake systems won’t work well, or at all.
Even
if your vehicle doesn’t have anti-lock brakes,
don’t tap into your vehicle’s brake system
if the
trailer’s brake system will use more than
0.02 cubic
inch
(0.3 cc) of fluid from your vehicle’s master
cylinder.
If it does, both braking systems won’t work
well.
You could even lose your brakes.
Will the trailer brake parts take 3,000 psi (20 650 Wa)
of pressure? If not, the trailer brake system must not
be used with your vehicle.
If everything checks out this far, then make the brake
fluid tap at the upper rear master cylinder port. But
don’t use copper tubing for this. If you do, it will
bend and break off. Use steel brake tubing. During
your trip, check occasionally to be sure that the
load is secure, and that the lamps and any trailer brakes
are still working.
Following Distance
Stay at least twice as far behind the vehicle ahead as you
would when driving your vehicle without a trailer. This
can help you avoid situations that require heavy braking
and sudden turns.
4-33
ProCarManuals.com