Buick Century 2000 User Manual

Every

2000 Century under warranty is backed with the

following services:

Courtesy

Transportation

Bumper-to-Bumper

3-years/36,000 miles (60 000 km)

Limited Warranty

1-800-252-1112

(For vehicles purchased in Canada,

call 1-800-268-6800)

that provides in an emergency:

Free lockout assistance

Free dead-battery assistance

Free out-of-fuel assistance

Free flat-tire change

Emergency towing

2000 Buick Century

Owner's Manual

Litho in U.S.A.	© Copyright General Motors Corporation 1999
Part Number 10422241 A First Edition	All Rights Reserved

i

Table of Contents

Section 1

Section 2

ii

	Seats and Restraint Systems
Seats and Seat Controls	Air Bag Systems
Safety Belts	Child Restraints
	Features and Controls
Keys and Door Locks	Interior and Exterior Lamps
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System	Mirrors
Trunk Release	Storage Compartments
Automatic Transmission	Convenience Net (If Equipped)
Parking Brake	Accessory Power Outlets/Auxiliary Power Connection
Windows	OnStar® System (If Equipped)
Tilt Wheel	Sunroof (Option)
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever	Instrument Panel, Warning Lights and Gages
Windshield Wipers	Memory and Personalization/Personal Choice Feature
Cruise Control

Table of Contents (cont'd)

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Comfort Controls and Audio Systems

Heating and Air Conditioning	Radio Theft-Deterrent Feature
Setting the Radio Clock	Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
Radio/Cassette Player/CD Player

	Your Driving and the Road
Defensive Driving	Driving Tips for Various Road Conditions
Drunken Driving	Recreational Vehicle Towing
Control of a Vehicle	Loading Your Vehicle
Braking	Towing a Trailer
Steering

	Problems on the Road
Hazard Warning Flashers	Engine Overheating
Jump Starting	Changing a Flat Tire
Towing Your Vehicle	If You're Stuck

iii

	Table of Contents (cont'd)
	Service and Appearance Care
Section 6	Fuel	Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
	Checking Fluids and Lubricants	Tires and Wheels
	GM Oil Life System™ (If Equipped)	Appearance Care
	Engine Air Cleaner/Filter	Electrical System/Fuses and Circuit Breakers
	Passenger Compartment Air Filter (If Equipped)	Capacities and Specifications
	Brakes	Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
	Bulb Replacement
	Maintenance Schedule
Section 7	Scheduled Maintenance	Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
	Owner Checks and Services	Maintenance Records
	Periodic Maintenance Inspections

iv

Table of Contents (cont'd)

Section 8

Section 9

Customer Assistance Information

Customer Satisfaction Procedures	Warranty Information (See Warranty Manual)
Customer Assistance Offices	Reporting Safety Defects on page 8-10
Roadside Assistance and Courtesy Transportation	Service Publications

Index

In the Index you will find an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read.

Please refer to the last page of this manual for your Service Station Guide

v

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, 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 ªGeneral Motors of Canada Limitedº for Buick Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual.

Please keep this manual in your vehicle, 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.

We support voluntary technician certification.

For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a

French Language Manual:

Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez votre concessionaire ou au:

DGN Marketing Services Ltd.

1577 Meyerside Dr.

Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1B9

vi

How to Use this Manual

Many people read their owner's manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If

you do this, it will help you learn about the features and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly.

Safety Warnings and Symbols

You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning.

CAUTION:

These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people.

In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don't, you or others could be hurt.

You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means ªDon't,º ªDon't do thisº or ªDon't let this happen.º

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Vehicle Damage Warnings

Also, in this book you will find these notices:

NOTICE:

These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle.

In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would 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.

viii

Vehicle Symbols

These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.

For example, these symbols are used on an original battery:

CAUTION

POSSIBLE

INJURY

PROTECT

EYES BY

SHIELDING

CAUSTIC

BATTERY

ACID COULD

CAUSE

BURNS

AVOID

SPARKS OR

FLAMES

SPARK OR

FLAME

COULD

EXPLODE

BATTERY

	These symbols	These symbols
	are important	have to do with
	for you and	your lamps:
	your passengers
	whenever your	MASTER
	vehicle is
		LIGHTING
	driven:
		SWITCH
	DOOR LOCK	TURN
	UNLOCK	SIGNALS
		PARKING
	FASTEN	LAMPS
	SEAT
	BELTS	HAZARD
		WARNING
		FLASHER
	POWER	DAYTIME
	WINDOW	RUNNING
		LAMPS
	AIR BAG	FOG LAMPS

These symbols are on some of your controls:

WINDSHIELD

WIPER

WINDSHIELD

WASHER

WINDSHIELD

DEFROSTER

REAR

WINDOW

DEFOGGER

VENTILATING FAN

These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights:

ENGINE

COOLANT

TEMP

BATTERY

CHARGING

SYSTEM

BRAKE

COOLANT

ENGINE OIL

PRESSURE

ANTI-LOCK

BRAKES

Here are some other symbols you may see:

FUSE

LIGHTER

HORN

SPEAKER

FUEL

ix

Service Station Guide

	Battery	Cooling System	Tire Pressure
For		See Section 5
	See Section 6		See Section 6
a More
Detailed Look at
What's Under the Hood			Spare Tire Pressure
See Section 6			See Section 5

Hood Release

See Section 6

	Windshield Washer	Engine Oil Dipstick
		See Section 6			Fuel
	Fluid
				Oil Viscosity
	See Section 6				Use unleaded gas only,
				Engine Oil	87 Octane or higher.
				See Section 6	See Section 6

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle 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.

1- 2	Seats and Seat Controls		1- 31	Rear Seat Passengers
1- 6	Safety Belts: They're for Everyone		1- 34	Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
1- 11	Here Are Questions Many People Ask About			Children and Small Adults
	Safety Belts -- and the Answers		1- 37	Children
1- 12	How to Wear Safety Belts Properly		1- 39	Child Restraints
1- 12	Driver Position		1- 54	Larger Children
1- 19	Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy		1- 57	Safety Belt Extender
1- 20	Right Front Passenger Position		1- 57	Checking Your Restraint Systems
1- 21	Air Bag System		1- 57	Replacing Restraint System Parts
1- 29	Center Passenger Position			After a Crash

1-1

Seats and Seat Controls

This section tells you how to adjust the seats and explains the reclining seatbacks and head restraints.

Manual Front Seat

CAUTION:

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 the vehicle is not moving.

2-Way Manual Seat

Lift the bar located under the front of the seat using an upward motion. This will unlock the seat. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the bar. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure the seat is locked into place.

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6-Way Power Seat (If Equipped)

The driver's switch is located on the left side of the driver's seat cushion.

The passenger's switch is located on the right side of the passenger's seat cushion.

To move the seat forward or rearward, push the switch forward or rearward. To raise or lower the entire seat, push the switch up or down. To raise or lower the front portion of your seat, push the front of the switch up or down. To raise or lower the rear portion of your seat, push the rear of the switch up or down.

Reclining Front Seatbacks

Lift the lever to release the seatback, then move the seatback to where you want it. Release the lever to lock the seatback into place. Pull up on the lever without pushing on the seatback and the seatback will

move forward.

1-3

But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.

CAUTION:

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 into 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.

Head 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.

1-4

Split Folding Rear Seat (If Equipped)

This feature enables you to access your trunk by pulling forward on the seat tab, located on the rear seat, to fold the seat cushion down.

This feature allows your direct access to the trunk. To return the seat to its original position, push it back up and make sure it latches.

A lock out feature is located on the rear of the seat back when folded down. This will disengage the inside seat tab when the release is locked. The seat will then only open from the tab on the rear of the seat back, located inside the trunk.

1-5

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 air bag system.

CAUTION:

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.

CAUTION:

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly.

1-6

Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. (See ªSafety Belt Reminder Lightº 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 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter ... a lot!

1-7

Why Safety Belts Work

When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.

Put someone on it.

Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels.

1-8

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider doesn't stop.

The person keeps going until stopped by something.

In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...

1-9

or the instrument panel ...	or the safety belts!
	With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
	You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
	and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
	safety belts make such good sense.

1-10

Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -- and the Answers

Q: Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?

A: You could be -- whether you're wearing a safety belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you're upside down. And your chance of being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted.

Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to wear safety belts?

A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in most of them in the future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with

safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions.

Q: If I'm a good driver, and I never drive far from home, why should I wear safety belts?

A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you're in an accident -- even one that isn't your fault -- you and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver doesn't protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers.

Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h).

Safety belts are for everyone.

1-11

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

Adults

This part is only for people of adult size.

Be aware that there are special things to know about safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and babies. If a

child will be riding in your vehicle, see the part of this manual called ªChildren.º Follow those rules for everyone's protection.

First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has.

We'll start with the driver position.

Driver Position

This part describes the driver's restraint system.

Lap-Shoulder Belt

The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here's how to wear it properly.

1.Close and lock the door.

2.Adjust the seat (to see how, see ªSeatsº in the Index) so you can sit up straight.

3.Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don't let it get twisted.

The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly.

4.Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.

1-12

Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the belt isn't long enough, see ªSafety Belt Extenderº at the end of this section.

Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

5.To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.

The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts

of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.

The safety belt locks if there's a sudden stop or crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

1-13

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster

Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt adjuster to the height that is right for you.

To move it down, squeeze the release lever and the shoulder belt guide as shown and move the height adjuster to the desired position. You can move the adjuster up just by pushing up on the shoulder belt guide. After you move the adjuster to where you want it, try to move it down without squeezing the release lever to make sure it has locked into position.

Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt is centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away from your face and neck, but not falling off your shoulder.

1-14

Q: What's wrong with this?

A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won't give nearly as much protection this way.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should fit against your body.

1-15

Q: What's wrong with this?

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt is buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash, the belt would go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at the pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.

A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.

1-16

Q: What's wrong with this?

A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should be worn over the shoulder at all times.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your body would move too far forward, which would increase the chance of head and neck injury. Also, the belt would apply too much force to the ribs, which aren't as strong as shoulder bones. You could also severely injure internal organs like your liver or spleen.

1-17

Q: What's wrong with this?

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you wouldn't have the full width of the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your dealer to fix it.

A: The belt is twisted across the body.

1-18