PONTIAC VIBE 2003 Owners Manual

6-66 Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses
Use only lukewarm or cold water, a soft cloth and a car
washing soap to clean exterior lamps and lenses. Follow
instructions under ªWashing Your Vehicle.º
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 ªAppearance Care and Materialsº
in the Index.
Your vehicle may have a ªbasecoat/clearcoatº 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 basecoat/clearcoat
paint finish.
NOTICE:
Machine compounding or aggressive polishing on
a basecoat/clearcoat 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.

6-67
Cleaning Aluminum Wheels
(If Equipped)
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, cleaners
with acid or abrasive cleaning brushes on them because
you could damage the surface. Do not use chrome polish
on aluminum wheels.
Don't take your vehicle through an automatic car wash
that has silicon carbide tire cleaning brushes. These
brushes can also damage the surface of these wheels.
Cleaning Tires
To clean your tires, use a stiff brush with a tire cleaner.
NOTICE:
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.
Sheet Metal Damage
If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal
repair or replacement, make sure the body repair shop
applies anti
-corrosion material to the parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion protection.
Original manufacturer replacement parts will provide
the corrosion protection while maintaining the warranty.

6-68
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 a major repair expense.
Minor chips and scratches can be repaired with touch
-up
materials available 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 every spring, flush these materials from the
underbody with plain water. Clean any areas where mud
and other debris can collect. Dirt packed in closed areas
of the frame should be loosened before being flushed.
Your dealer or an underbody car washing system can do
this for you.
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, Pontiac
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.

6-69
GM Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials

6-70
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
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.

6-71
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 ªServicing
Your Air Bag
-Equipped Vehicleº in the Index.
Headlamps Wiring
The headlamp wiring is protected by a 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 headlamp wiring checked right away.
Windshield Wipers Fuses
The windshield wiper motor is protected by a circuit
breaker and a fuse. If the motor overheats due to heavy
snow or ice, the wiper will stop until the motor cools. If
the overload is caused by some electrical problem, and
not snow or ice, be sure to get it fixed.
Power Windows and Other Power Options
Circuit breakers 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.

6-72 Fuses and Circuit Breakers
The wiring circuits in your vehicle are protected from
short circuits by fuses, circuit breakers and fusible
thermal links in the wiring itself. This greatly reduces
the chance of fires caused by electrical problems.
Look at the silver
-colored band inside the fuse. If the
band is broken or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure you
replace a bad fuse with a new one of the correct size.
If you ever have a problem on the road and don't have a
spare fuse, you can borrow one. Just pick some feature
of your vehicle that you can get along without
-- like the
radio or air conditioner
-- and use its fuse, if it is of the
value you need. Replace it as soon as you can.
Before replacing a fuse, turn every electrical switch off.Instrument Panel Fuse BlockThe instrument panel fuse block is located underneath
the instrument panel on the driver's side of the vehicle.

6-73
Fuse Usage
TAIL Front Parking Lamps, Taillamps,
License Plate Lamps, Instrument
Panel Lights, Engine Control
System
OBD On
-Board Diagnostic System
WIPER Windshield Wipers
AM2 Charging System, Air Bag System,
Starter System, Engine Control
STOP Stop Lamps, CHMSL, Engine
Control System, Anti
-lock Brakes,
Cruise Control
DOOR Power Door Locks, Liftglass Lock
AM1 Cigarette Lighter, Gauge,
ECU
-IG, Wiper, Rear Wiper,
Washer Fuses
ECU
-IG Cruise Control, Anti-Lock Brakes,
Theft Deterrent System,
Automatic Transaxle Control
System, Electric Cooling FanFuse Usage
RR WIPER Rear Window Wiper, Rear
Window Defogger
A/C Air Conditioning
INV Power Outlets
P/POINT Power Outlets
ECU
-B Daytime Running Lamps
CIG Cigarette Lighter, Power Rearview
Mirrors, Power Outlets, Audio
System, Automatic Transaxle
Control System
GAUGE Gauges and Meters, Back
-Up
Lamps, Charging System, Power
Door Locks, Power Windows,
Sunroof, Air Conditioning,
Cruise Control
WASHER Windshield Washers
*1 Engine Control System

6-74
Engine Compartment Fuse Block
This engine compartment fuse block is located in the
engine compartment on the driver's side of the vehicle
near the air cleaner. See ªEngine Compartment
Overviewº in the Index for more information on
location.Fuse/Relay Usage
HEAD MAIN Right Headlamp,
Left Headlamp Fuses
ALT
-S Charging System
EFI Electronic Fuel Injection System
HAZARD Turn Signal Lamps,
Emergency Flasher
HORN Horn
DOME Interior Lights, Gauges and
Meters, Audio System, Remote
Keyless Entry System
MAIN Starter System, AM2 Fuse
AMP Audio Amplifiers
MAYDAY Not Used

6-75
Fuse/Relay Usage
DIMMER Headlamp Dimmer (Relay)
SPARE Spare Fuse
SPARE Spare Fuse
SPARE Spare Fuse
HORN Horn
FAN NO. 2 Cooling Fan System (Relay)
FAN NO. 1 Cooling Fan System (Relay)
ABS NO. 2 Anti
-lock Brake System
RDI FAN Electronic Cooling Fan SystemFuse/Relay Usage
ABS NO. 1 Anti
-lock Brake System
ALT Charging System, DEFOG,
HEATER, GAUGE, ECU
-IG,
WIPER, RR WIP, WASHER, ABS
NO. 1, ABS NO. 2, RDI FAN,
FOG, GAUGE, INV, AM1 Fuses
HEAD RH Right
-hand Headlamp
HEAD LH Left
-hand Headlamp
EFI Electronic Fuel Injection
System (Relay)
FOG Front Fog Lamps