Buick PARKAVENUE 1995 User manual

Park Avenue

@ The 1995 BuickParkAvenueOwner'sManual
Seats and Restraint Systems .............................................................
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains "SRS" system.
FeaturesandControls ..................................................................
This section explains how to start and operate your Buick.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems .....................................................
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your
sound system.
YourDrivingandtheRoad ..............................................................
.)w to drive under different conditions.
iving, such as a f'1at tire or
..............................
Here ycyu'll find helpful information and tips about the road and hc
ProblemsontheRoad ....................................
This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while dr
overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care ............................................................
Here the manual tells you how to keep your- Buickrunning properly and looking good.
Maintenanceschedule ..................................................................
This section tells ~OLI when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to LW.
CustomerAssistanceInformation ........................................................
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 8-4.
Here's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this mtnual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want
to reqd&.
Index ................................................................................
1-1
2- 1
3- 1
4- 1
5- 1
6- 1
7- 1
8- 1
9- 1
i

GENERAL MOTORS, GM andthe GM Emblem,
BUICK, and the BUICK Emblem are registered
tradernarks of General Motors Corporation.
This manual includes the latest informition
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 U.S.A.
Part No. 2562060SB First Edition
ii
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
AUTOMOTIVE
Nallonal lnstllule for
EXCELLENCE
SERVICE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propriktairescanadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer
un exemplaire de ce guide en franpischez votre
concessionaire
OLI a11DGN Marketing Services Ltd.,
1500 Ronhill Rd.. Mississauga, Ontario LST 1C7.
0
Copyright General Motors Corporation 1994
All Rights Reserved

P
iii

Walter Mcxrr and Tlmnzus Buick
Buick’schief 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 enginesby 1899,
and Marr, his engineer, apparently built the first autoto
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 I905 New York
Auto Show, Durant took
orders for 1,000Buicks
before
the company had
built 40. On Buick’s
success,Durant created
a
holding company,
September
16, 1908. He
called
it General Motors.
iv

Durant also created aracing team that won 500 racing
trophies
in 1909and 1910,including successesat
Indianapolis two years beforethe 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 I ,000-mile Chicago-to-New York race in
1906. And a Buick was the first car totravel across
South America, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina,
over the Andes to Santiago, Chilein
19 14.
I
1.911 Model 21 Touring Car 011 Buick’s Test Hill
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.
First Buick Factory
V

In World Wdr 11, Buick built aircraft engines, tanks and
other military hardware. This post-war period brought
great styling and engineeringchanges which resulted in
increased sales. The torque converter automatic
transmission,Dynaflow, was introduced in the 1948
Roadmaster.Buick’s famous “portholes” came along in
1949.
I949 Roadmaster
A high-compression V-8 engine was introduced in 1953.
And Buick’s Famous vertical pillar “toothy” grille,
(introduced
in 1942), became more massive in the
post-war era.
1953 Skylark
Motor Trend magazine named the 1962Buick Special
“Car
of the Year.” The first production V-6 engine was
used in the Special.
vi

I962 Buick Special
Built inside the walls of the old buildings in Buick’s
former Flint complex, which formed 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.
“Buick
will provide Premium American Motorcars
backed
with servicesthat exceed our customers?
expectations,throughout the purchase, ownership,
service and repurchase experience.“
Buicks are SUBSTANTIAL.
Buicks are DISTINCTIVE.
Buicks are POWERFUL.
Buicks are
MATURE.

How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle. This
will help you learn about the featuresand controls
for
your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find that pictures
and words work together to explain things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need isthe Index in
the back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of all
that’s
in the manual, and the page number where you’ll
find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautionsin this book.
We use a
box with gray background and the word
CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if
you were to ignore the warning.
In the gray caution area, we tell you whatthe hazard is.
Then we
tell you what to do to helpavoid or reducethe
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t, you or
otherscould 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.”
viii

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 youabout something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not be covered by
your warranty, and it couldbe costly.
But
the notice will tell you what to do to helpavoid 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
yellow for cautions,blue for notices and
the words
CAUTION or NOTICE.
ix

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACIDCOULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
wheneveryour
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
FASTEN SEAT
.&
BELTS
SIGNALS
e 9
TURN
HIGH
LAMPSoR BEAM = -0
FOG LAMPS $0
Thesc symbols
are 011 some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
45 e5
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT F-
TEMP --
ENGINE
CHARGING
1’1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
RADIATOR
COOLANT
a
FUEL
ENGINEOIL
PRESSURE
Wb
TEMP OIL &b
ANTI-LOCK (a)
BRAKE
-
Here are some
other
symbols
you may see:
FUSE
RADIO
k
VOLUME a
CONDITIONING AIR 33
LIGHTER
HORN
)tT
SPEAKER
b
X

Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
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 part tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them,
and also about memory seats, reclining seatbacks and
head restraints.
Manual Seat
Move the lever under the front seat to unlock it. Slide
the seat to where you want it. Then release the lever and
try to move the seat with your body,
to make sure the
seat
is locked into place.
1-1

Power Seat CenterControls (C): Move the seat forward or backby
holding the control to the front
or back. Raise the seat
by holding the control to the left. Hold the control
to the
right to lower the seat.
Rear Tilt Control (R): Raise the rear of the seat by
holding the switch to the left. Holding the switch to the
right lowers the rear of the seat.
Front Tilt Control (F): Raise the front of the seat by
pushing on the left side of the switch. Push on the right
side of the switch
to lower the front of the seat.
1-2

Memory Seat and Mirrors (Option)
If your Ruick has this option, the control on the driver’s
door armrest looks like this:
You can
use this when you’want to save a seat and
mirror ad-justment.
Here’s how
to make it work:
I. Adjust the driver’s seat,including the recliner, to a
comfortable position. Adjust both outside mirrors to
suit you. See “OutsideMirrors’’ in the Index.
2. Press the SET button. You will hear one beep.
3. Press one of the two MEMORY buttons within five
seconds.
You will hear two beeps to confirm that the
mirror and seat positions are entered
in memory.
Now it’s set. When your Buick is
in PARK (P) with the
ignition
ON, push the MEMORY button you just stored
and the seat and
mirrors will go to where you’vejust set
them. With
the ignition OFF, the system will work in
any shift lever position.
To do the same thing for
a second driver, follow the
steps above but use the other MEMORY button.
If you
hit the wrong MEMORY setting, or if there is a
third driver, the seat adjusterwill still work, so you can
adjust the seat to where you want it.
The EXITbutton allows you
to get out of the car more
easily. Push
it while you’re in PARK (P) with the
ignition ON, oranytime with
the ignition OFF, to make
the seat
go all the way down and back. You will hear a
beep
when the EXIT button is pushed.
1-3

Remote Keyless Entry Personalization
Feature (Option)
If your Park Avenue isequippedwith this personalization
feature, each key fob can be programmed
to move the
driver’s seat andoutside mirrors to a set memory position
when the key fob’s UNLOCK button is pressed.
To program the system:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Adjust the driver’s seat, including the recliner, to a
comfortableposition. Adjust both outside mirrors to
suit
you. See “Outside Mirron” in the Index.
Press the
SET button on the driver’sdoor armrest.
You will hear one beep.
Press one
of the two MEMORY buttons on the
armrest within five seconds.You will hear two beeps
to confirm that the mirror and seat positions are
entered
in memory.
Press the
UNLOCK button on the appropriate fob
within five seconds. You will hear two beeps.
The second key fob
can be programmed to record a
different seat and mirror position by following the same
steps.
1-4

Tf you prefer to program the EXIT seat position on one
of the key fobs, follow these steps:
1. Press the SET button. You will hear one beep.
2. Press the EXIT button on the armrest. The EXIT seat
position is pre-set to
go completely down and back.
You will hear one beep, but
the seat will not move at
this time.
3. Press the UNLOCK button on the appropriate fob
within five seconds. You will hear two beeps.
This personalization featurewill work only when the
vehicle
is in the PARK (P) position. A beep will sound
inside thevehicle when
the UNLOCK button on the fob
is pressed to move the seat and mirrors.
To
turn off this feature, press SET, then UNLOCK
within 5 seconds.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift
the lever on the outer side
of the seat. Release the lever
to lock the seatback where
you want
it. Pull up on the
lever and the seat
will go to
its upright position.
If you have the power
recline option, itworks with
the switch on
the side of the
seat. Push
it back to recline
the seat, push
it forward to
return the seatback to
the up
position.

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
A CAUTION:
1-6

Heated Seats (Option)
Push the switch closest to the front of the driver’sseat
forward and the driver’s seat
will start to warm up.
If your vehicle has this option, the controls are located
to the
side of the driver and front passenger seats.
Push the switch closest to
the front of the front
passenger’s
seat forward and the front passenger seat
will begin to warm up.
The light
on top of the switch will turn orange for low or
red for high. Push the switch rearward to stopthe seat
from warming.
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.
1-7

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the rnarlual 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, or
“air bag” system.
A CAUTION:
Don’t let anyoneride where heor she can’t wear
a safety belt properly.
If you arein a crash and
you’re not wearing
a safety belt,your injuries
can be much worse.You can hitthings insidethe
vehicleor
be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured orkilled.
In the samecrash, you might
not be
if you arebuckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt,and check that your passengers’ belts
arefastened properly too.
Your car has a light
that
comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
(See “Safety Belt
Reminder Light”
in the
Index.)
In many 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 bea 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 hcts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!