Buick CENTURY 1996 Owner's manual

Type
Owner's manual

This manual is also suitable for

a
BUICK
The
1996
Buick
Century
Owner’s
Manual
Seats and Restraint Systems
.............................................................
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains
“SRS”
system.
This section explains how to start and operate your Buick.
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your
audio system.
YourDrivingandtheRoad
..............................................................
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
ProblemsontheRoad
..................................................................
This section tells
you
what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as
a
flat tire or
overheated engine, etc.
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Buick running properly and looking good.
This section tells you
when
to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
This section tells you how to contact Buick for assistance and how to get service publications. It also
gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page
8-7.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject
in
this manual. You can use it to quickly find something
you want to read.
FeaturesandControls
..................................................................
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
.....................................................
Service and Appearance Care
............................................................
Maintenanceschedule.......
...........................................................
Customer Assistance Information
........................................................
Index
................................................................................
1-1
2-
1
3-
1
4-1
5-1
6-1
7-1
8-1
9-1
i
GENERAL
MOTORS,
GM
and the GM Emblem,
BUICK,
the
BUICK
Emblem and the name
CENTURY
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 in the
product after that time without further notice. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute
the
name
“General Motors of Canada Limited” for Buick Motor
Division whenever
it
appears
in
this manual.
Please keep this manual
in
your Buick,
so
it
will be there
if you ever need it when you’re
on
the road. If you sell
the vehicle, please leave this manual
in
it
so
the new
owner can
use
it.
Litho
in
USA.
Part
No.
2563
1999
B
First Edition
p+
CERTIFIED
WE
SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute
for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners
Who
Prefer a
French
Language
Manual:
Aux
propriktaires canadiens:
Vous
pouvez vous
procurer
un
exemplaire de
ce
guide
en
franGais chez
votre concessionaire ou au:
DGN
Marketing Services Ltd.
1500
Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5T
1
C7
0
Copyright General Motors Corporation 1995
All Rights Reserved
Walter
Marr
and
Thomas
Buick
Buick’s chief engineer, Walter
L.
Marr (left), and
Thomas
D.
Buick, son of founder David Dunbar Buick,
drove the first Flint Buick in a successful Flint-Detroit
round trip in July 1904.
David Buick was building gasoline engines by 1899,
and Marr, his engineer, apparently built
the
first auto to
be called
a
Buick in 1900. However, Buick traditionally
dates its beginnings
to
1903. That was the year the
company was reorganized, refinanced and moved from
Detroit to Flint. Buick has always been a product
innovator. Buick engineers developed the
“valve-in-head” engine,
a
light, powerful and reliable
engine which would eventually influence the entire
automotive industry.
William
C.
Durant was instrumental in promoting
Buicks across the country using his Durant-Dort
Carriage Co. outlets and salespeople
as
the nucleus of
a
giant distribution system. He knew the Buick
as
a
“self-seller.”
If
automobiles could be this good, he
thought, maybe
it
was time to switch from the horse and
buggy business
to
automobiles.
At the 1905 New York
Auto Show, Durant took
orders for
1,000
Buicks
built
40.
On Buick’s
before the company had
success, Durant created
a
holding company,
September 16, 19081.
He
1
called
it
General Motors.
William
C.
(Billy)
Durant
Durant also created a racing team that won
500
racing
trophies in 1909 and 1910, including successes at
Indianapolis two years before the Indy
500
began.
The success of Buick engines was visible not only on
the race track, but in endurance tests across the country
and around the world. Buick was the only car to
complete a
1,000-mile
Chicago-to-New York race in
1906. And a Buick was the first car to travel across
South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
over the Andes to Santiago, Chile in 1914.
Buick drew plenty of attention because it could climb
,
hills and run through mud like no other car. Buick’s
endurance and reliability were world famous.
During World War
I,
Buick built Liberty aircraft engines
as well as Red Cross ambulances
so
successfully that
one Buick ambulance was awarded the Croix de Guerre
by the French government.
As a builder of premier automobiles, Buick was hard
hit
by the Great Depression. However, new General
Manager Harlow
H.
Curtice created popular new models
including
the
Special and the Roadmaster. Buick sales
soon flourished.
1911
Model
21
Touring
Cur
on
Buick’s Test Hill
First
Buick Factory
V
I962
Buick Special
Built inside the walls of the old buildings in Buick’s
former Flint complex, which forrned the cornerstone of
General Motors, Buick City is a state-of-the-art
assembly facility with more than
200
robots and other
high-tech equipment.
It
was completed in the fall
of
1985.
Buicks are, and will continue to be, premium American
motorcars with smooth power, high performance, rich
detail and comfortable accommodation.
I
Ed
Mertz, General Managel; Buick
Motor
Division
Our mission is simple:
“Buick will provide Premium American Motorcars
backed with services that exceed our customers’
expectations, throughout the purchase, ownership,
service and repurchase experience.”
Buicks are SUBSTANTIAL.
Buicks are DISTINCTIVE.
Buicks are POWERFUL.
Buicks are MATURE.
vii
Vehicle
Damage
Warnings
Also, in this book
you
will find these notices:
I
NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
not be covered by your warranty, and it could be
costly.
But
the notice will tell you what to
do
to help
avoid
the
damage.
When you read other manuals, you might
see
CAUTION
and NOTICE warnings in different
colors
or
in
different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words,
CAUTION
or NOTICE.
In
the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
ix
Section
1
Seats
and
Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats
in
your
Buick and how to use
your
safety belts properly. You
can also learn about some things you should
not
do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats
and Seat
Controls
This section tells you about the seats
--
how to adjust
them, and also about reclining front seatbacks, head
restraints and folding seats.
Manual
Front
Seat
/c\
CAUTION:
I
You can lose control of the vehicle
if
you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you
push
a pedal when
you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
l
the vehicle
is
not moving.
1
Move the lever under
tne
front seat to the left to
unlock it.
Slide
the seat to
I
where you want it, then
release the lever to lock.
Try
to move the seat with your
body to make sure the seat
is locked into place.
I
1-1
-ewer
aeaI:
(uption,
The power seat controls are located
on
the front
of
the
seat.
To
adjust the power seat:
Front
Control
(F):
Raise
the
front
of
the seat
by
holding the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower
the
front
of
the seat.
Center Control
(C):
Move the seat forward
or
backward
by
holding the control
to
the right or
left.
Raise or lower the seat by holding the control
up
or down.
Rear Control (R):
Raise the
rear
of the seat by holding
the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower
the
rear of
the seat.
x1
-
tE
The switch is located on the
front
of
the seat.
To
recline
the seatback, hold the
switch up. Hold the switch
down
to
raise
the
seatback.
But
don't have a
seatback
reclined if
your
vehicle
is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job-because it
won't be against your body. Instead,
it
will be
in
front of you. In a crash you could go inta
it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap. belt can't do its job either.
In
a crash the
belt could
go
up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
4
1-3
Yead Restraints
Slide the head restraint
up
or down
so
that the top of the
.restraint is closest to the top
of
your ears. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Folding Ret
Seats
I
To
add more cargo room, the seatback of your rear
second and optional rear-facing third seats can be easily
folded down. Be sure
to
check your seatback latches
now and then by pushing the seatback back and forth.
If
they do not latch properly, have them checked by
your dealer.
Remember to keep
safety
belts clear of seat hinges and
latches
so
they are
not
damaged when
you
raise and
lower the seatbacks.
Folding Second Seat
L
To
lower the split second seatback:
Each seat has its own release button. Hold the release
button down and pull the seatback forward and down.
To
raise the split second seatback:
Lift the seatback until it locks
in
the upright position.
Push back and forth on the seatback to
be
sure it is
locked
in
place.
Folding
Third
Seat (Option)
To
lower the rear-facing third seatback:
I.
Open the liftgate and
lift
the
seat release lever
located
at
the lower corner of the storage
compartment on
the
passenger side.
2.
Pull the seatback toward the rear
of
the vehicle, then
push
it
down
to the locked position.
1-5
3.
Lower the storage compartment lid.
To
raise the rear-facing third seatback:
If
your vehicle is equipped with a roll-up cargo cover,
it
must be removed before raising the seatback.
1.
Open the liftpate and
lift
the storage compartment lid.
2.
Fold
it
forward against the seatback.
1-6
I
3.
Press down
on
the seat release levers (one on each
side of the seat), and allow the seatback to pop up.
4.
Push the seatback all the way up until it locks in the
upright position. Push back and forth on the seatback
to be sure
it
is
locked in place.
1-7
Safety
Belts:
They’re
for
Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how
to
use
safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS),
or
air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly.
If
you are in
a
crash and
you’re not wearing
a
safety
belt,
your injuries
can be much worse.
You
can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
Your car has
a
light that
comes
on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Warning Light” in
the Index
.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They
work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know
if
it will be a bad one.
A
few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be
so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are
in
between. In many
of
them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than
25
years of safety belts in vehicles,
the
facts are clear.
In
most crashes buckling up does
matter
.. .
a lot!
1-8
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Buick CENTURY 1996 Owner's manual

Type
Owner's manual
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