Buick Park Avenue 2000 User Manual

Every 2000

Park Avenue

under warranty is

backed with the

following

services:

Bumper-to-Bumper

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

Limited Warranty

1-800-252-1112

(For vehicles purchased in Canada,

1-800-268-6800)

call

that provides in an emergency:

Courtesy

Transportation

Free Free Free Free

lockout assistance

dead-battery assistance

out-of-fuel assistance

flat-tire change

Emergency

towing

2000 Buick Park Avenue

Owner's Manual

Litho in U.S.A. Part Number 25694049 A First Edition

Section

Table of Contents

Seats and Restraint Systems

Seats and Seat Controls Safety Belts

Features and Controls

Keys and Door Locks Remote Keyless Entry System Trunk Release Automatic Transmission Parking Brake Windows Tilt Wheel Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever Windshield Wipers Cruise Control Interior and Exterior Lamps

Air Bag Systems Child Restraints

Mirrors Storage Compartments Convenience Net Auxiliary Power Outlets OnStar® System (If Equipped) Sunroof (Option) HomeLink® Transmitter (If Equipped) Instrument Panel, Warning Lights and Gages Head-Up Display (If Equipped) Driver Information Center (If Equipped) Personal Choice Features

Section

Table of Contents (cont'd)

Comfort Controls and Audio Systems

Heating and Air Conditioning Setting the Radio Clock Radio/Cassette Player/CD Player

Your Driving and the Road

Defensive Driving Drunken Driving Control of a Vehicle Braking Steering

Problems on the Road

Hazard Warning Flashers Jump Starting Towing Your Vehicle

Radio Theft-Deterrent Feature Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)

Driving Tips for Various Road Conditions Recreational Vehicle Towing Loading Your Vehicle Towing a Trailer

Engine Overheating Changing a Flat Tire If You're Stuck

Section

Table of Contents (cont'd)

Service and Appearance Care

Fuel Checking Fluids and Lubricants GM Oil Life System™ (If Equipped) Engine Air Cleaner/Filter Passenger Compartment Air Filter Brakes Bulb Replacement

Maintenance Schedule

Scheduled Maintenance Owner Checks and Services Periodic Maintenance Inspections

Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement Tires and Wheels Appearance Care Electrical System/Fuses and Circuit Breakers Capacities and Specifications Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts

Recommended Fluids and Lubricants Maintenance Records

Table of Contents (cont'd)

Customer Assistance Information

Section

Customer Satisfaction Procedures Customer Assistance Offices

Roadside Assistance and Courtesy Transportation

Warranty Information (See Warranty Manual) Reporting Safety Defects on page 8-9 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

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, the BUICK Emblem and the name PARK AVENUE 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 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

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 “Don’t,” “Don’t do this” or “Don’t let this happen.”

vii

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 are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven:

DOOR LOCK

UNLOCK

FASTEN

SEAT

BELTS

POWER

WINDOW

AIR BAG

These symbols have to do with your lamps:

MASTER

LIGHTING

SWITCH

TURN

SIGNALS

PARKING

LAMPS

HAZARD WARNING FLASHER

DAYTIME

RUNNING

LAMPS

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

Service Station Guide

For

a More

Detailed Look at

What's Under the Hood

See Section 6

Hood Release

See Section 6

Engine Oil Dipstick

See Section 6

Oil Viscosity

Engine Oil

See Section 6

Battery

See Section 6

Cooling System

See Section 5

Tire Pressure

See Section 6

Windshield Washer

Fluid

See Section 6

Remote Fuel Door Release

See Section 6

Spare Tire Pressure

See Section 5

Alternate

Fuel Door Release

See Section 6

Fuel

Use unleaded gas only,

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.

-2 Seats and Seat Controls

-7 Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone

-12 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About

Safety Belts

-13 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

1 1

-13 Driver Position

-19 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

-20 Right Front Passenger Position

1 1

-20 Air Bag Systems

-28 Center Passenger Position

-- and the Answers

-30 Rear Seat Passengers

1 1

-33 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children

and Small Adults

1-35 Children

-38 Child Restraints

1 1

-50 Larger Children

-53 Safety Belt Extender

-53 Checking Your Restraint Systems

1 1

-53 Replacing Restraint System Parts After

a Crash

1-1

Seats and Seat Controls

This part tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them, and also about memory seats, reclining seatbacks and head restraints.

Power Seats

Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion by holding the front part of the horizontal control up or down.

Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by holding the rear part of the horizontal control up or down.

Raise or lower the entire seat cushion by holding the whole horizontal control up or down.

Move the seat forward or backward by pushing the horizontal control to the front or back.

Push the vertical control forward to bring the seat to a more upright position. Push it rearward to recline the seatback.

Raise or lower the shoulder belt height adjuster by pushing the vertical control up or down.

1-2

4-Way Power Lumbar Control (Option)

Memory Seat and Mirrors (If Equipped)

If you have this option, the driver’s and passenger’s seatback lumbar support can be adjusted four ways by moving the single switch located on the side of the seat.

T o increase or decrease support, hold the switch forward or rearward. T o move the lumbar up or down, hold the switch upward or downward.

If your vehicle has this feature, the controls on the driver’s door panel are used to program and recall previous settings.

You can use this function to save your seat cushion positions (including the shoulder belt height adjuster), lumbar, mirror adjustment, personal choice settings, comfort controls and radio settings. Activate the MEMOR Y button (1 or 2) which corresponds to the appropriate DRIVER # identified by your remote keyless entry transmitter. For more information, see “Driver Information Center, Personal Choice Programming” in the Index.

1-3

T o save your seat and mirror positions into memory, use the following procedure:

1. You must first turn on the SEAT RECALL feature on the Driver Information Center (DIC). See “Personal Choice Features, Memory Seat Recall” in the Index for instructions.

2. Synchronize the transmitter with the appropriate MEMOR Y button.

This can be accomplished by pressing the button with the unlock symbol on the transmitter with the ignition in RUN. The DRIVER # will be displayed on the DIC.

3. Adjust the driver’s seat and lumbar position (if equipped) to a safe and comfortable driving position. Adjust both outside mirrors to suit you. See “Outside Mirrors” in the Index.

4. Press and hold the MEMORY button (1 or 2) corresponding with your DRIVER # displayed on the DIC for longer than three seconds. You will hear two beeps confirming that the seat and mirror positions have been entered into memory.

T o set the seat and mirror positions for a second driver, follow the previous steps, but start by pressing the button with the unlock symbol on the transmitter that displays the other DRIVER # on the DIC. Be sure to use the MEMOR Y button (1 or 2) which corresponds to the DRIVER # identified by the second transmitter.

T o store the exit position for an easy exit, use the following procedure:

1. Adjust the driver’s seat to the desired exit position.

2. Press and hold the EXIT button for longer than three seconds. You will here two beeps confirming that the seat exit position has been entered into memory.

T o recall your memory positions, your vehicle must be in PARK (P). Push and release the MEMORY button (1 or 2) or the appropriate keyless entry transmitter corresponding to the desired driving position. The seat and mirrors will move to the position previously stored for the identified driver. You will hear one beep.

T o recall the exit position, your vehicle must be in PARK (P). Push and release the EXIT button and the seat will move to the exit position previously stored for the current identified driver. You will hear one beep. If an exit position has not been stored for the current identified driver, the seat will move all the way back.

1-4

Heated Seats (Option)

The heated seat controls are located next to the climate controls on the instrument panel. Press this button to turn on the heating element in the seat.

When the heated seat control is first pressed, the HI setting is activated. Press the button again for the LO setting. The third press of the button turns the feature off.

The LO setting warms the seatback and cushion until the seat nears body temperature. The HI setting heats the seat to a slightly higher temperature.

A telltale light in the control reminds you that the heating system is in use. When the ignition is turned off, the heating element is also turned off.

1-5

Reclining Front Seatbacks

The vertical control described previously in this section reclines the front seatbacks.

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. 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.

1-6

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.

On some models, the head restraints tilt forward and rearward also.

Adjust the head restraint by grasping the top of the restraint and moving it forward or rearward until it is in the desired position.

The rear seat head restraints in your vehicle are adjustable. Slide an adjustable 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.

On some models, the head restraints tilt forward and rearward also.

There are three different positions for the rear seat head restraints. Adjust a rear head restraint by grasping the top of the restraint and moving it forward the way you want it to go until you hear a click. It will then be locked into position until you need to move it again. Pulling it forward past the last position will allow the head restraint to return to its full rear position.

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.

1-7

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.

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

1-8

Why Safety Belts Work

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

T ake the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on wheels.

Put someone on it.

1-9

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

1-10

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...

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.

1-11

Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts

Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an

accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?

-- and the Answers

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 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.

-- not instead of them. Every air bag

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 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.

-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and

1-12

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 “Children.” 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 “Seats” 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 lap across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly.

-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt

1-13

4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.

If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender” 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.

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.

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster

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

Using the power seat control, raise or lower the shoulder belt height adjuster by pushing the vertical control up or down.

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?

A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.

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.

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?

A: The belt is twisted across the body.

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.

1-18

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