Buick PARKAVENUE 1996 User manual

The 1996 Buick Park Avenue Owner’s Manual
SeatsandRestraintSystems ............................................................. 1-1
FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 2-1
ComfortControlsandAudioSystems ..................................................... 3-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. Italso 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.
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and howto drive under different conditions.
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 5-1
This section tells you what to do if you have a problem whiledriving, such as a flat tire or
overheated engine, etc.
Here the manual tells you howto keep your Buick’ running properly
and looking good.
This sectiontells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
ServiceandAppearanceCare ............................................................ 6-1
Maintenanceschedule .................................................................. 7-1
CustomerAssistanceInformation ........................................................ 8-1
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.
Index ................................................................................ 9-1
Here’s an alphabeticallisting of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want
to read.
i

GENERAL MOTORS, GM and theGM Emblem,
BUICK, theBUCKEmblem 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 tomake changes in the
product after that time withoutfurther notice. For
vehicles first sold inCanada, substitute the name
“General Motors
of Canada Limited” for Buick Motor
Division whenever it appears in this manual.
Please keep this manual in yourBuick,
so it will be there
if you ever need it when you’reon the road. If you sell
the vehicle, please leave this manual init
so the new
owner can use
it.
We support voluntary
technician certification.
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux proprietaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ceguide en franqaischez
votre concessionaire
ou au:
DGN MarketingServicesLtd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5T 1C7
Lithoin
U.S.A. @CopyrightGeneral MotorsCorporation 1995
Part No. 2563945 1 B First Edition AllRightsReserved
ii

WalterMaur 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 successfulFlint-Detroit
round trip in July1904.
David Buick was buildinggasoline 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 movedfrom
Detroit to Flint. Buickhas always beena product
innovator. Buick engineers developed the
“valve-in-head” engine, a light, powerful and reliable
engine which would eventuallyinfluence 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 or a
giant distribution system. He knew the Buick asa
“self-seller.”
If automobiles could be this good,he
thought, maybe
it was time to switch from the horse and
buggy business to automobiles.
1.
At the 1905 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.
William C. (Billy) Duvant

Durant also created a racing team that won 500 racing
trophies in 1909and 19
10, including successes at
Indianapolis two years before the Indy
500 began.
The success of Buick engines was visible not onlyon
the race track, but in endurance tests across the country
and around the world. Buick was theonly car to
complete a 1,000-mile Chicago-to-New York race in
1906.And
a Buick was thefirst car to travel across
SouthAmerica, driven from Buenos Aires, Argentina,
over the Andes to Santiago, Chile in 1914.
I9II Model 21 Touring Car on Buick’s Test Hill
Buick drew plentyof attention because it could climb
hills and run through mud like
no other car. Buick’s
endurance and reliability were worldfamous.
During World War I, Buick builtLiberty aircraft engines
as well as Red Cross ambulances so successfully that
one Buick ambulance was awarded the Croixde Guerre
by the Frenchgovernment.
As a builder of premier automobiles, Buick was hard hit
by the Great Depression. However, newGeneral
Manager Harlow
H. Curtice created popular new models
including the Special and the Roadmaster.Buick sales
soon flourished.
I :
First Buick Factory
V

In World War 11, Buick built aircraftengines, tanks and
other military hardware.This post-war period brought
great styling andengineering changes which resulted in
increased sales.The torque converter automatic
transmission, Dynaflow, was introduced in the1948
Roadmaster. Buick’sfamous “portholes” came along
in1949.
1949 Roadmaster
vi
A high-compression V-8 engine was introduced in 1953.
And Buick’sfamous vertical pillar “toothy” grille,
(introduced in
1942)’ became more massive in the
post-war
era.
I953 Skylark
Motor Trend magazine named the1962Buick Special
“Car
of the Year.” The first production V-6 engine was
used
in the Special.

1962 Buick Special
Built inside the walls of theold buildings in Buick’s
former Flint complex, which formed the cornerstone of
General Motors, Buick City is a state-of-the-art
assembly facility withmore than
200 robots and other
high-tech equipment.
It was completed in thefall
of
1985.
Buicks are, and willcontinue to be, premium American
motorcars with smooth power,high performance, rich
detail and comfortable accommodation.
Ed Mertz,‘GeneralManager-,Buick Motor Division
Our mission is simple:
“Buick willprovide Premium American Motorcars
backed with services that exceed our customers’
expectations, throughout the purchase, ownership,
service andrepurchase experience.”
Buicks are SUBSTANTIAL.
Buicks are DISTINCTIVE.
Buicks are
POWERFUL.
Buicks are MATURE.

How to Use This Manual
Many people read their owner’s manualfrom beginning
to end when theyfirst receive their new vehicle. If you
do this, it will help youlearn about the features and
controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good placeto look forwhat you need is the Index in
the back of themanual. It’s an alphabetical list of all
that’s in the manual, and thepage number where you’ll
find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will finda number of safety cautions in this book.
We use a box andthe word
CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you if you wereto
ignore the warning.
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazardis. Then
we tell
you what to do to help avoidor reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If
you don’t, you or
others could be hurt.
I You will also find a circle
~~~
with a slash through it in
this book.This safety
symbol means “Don’t,”
“Don’t dothis,” or “Don’t
let this happen.”
~~ ~

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you willfind these notices:
NOTICE:
These mean there is something thatcould
damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell youabout something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not be covered byyour 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.

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
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols
have todo with
your lights:
SIGNALS e e
TURN
WARNING A
HAZARD
FLASHER
RUNNING
0
DAYTIME -
LAMPS '**
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on
some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used
on
warning and
indicatorlights:
COOLANT
TEMP
-
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
I
LIGHTER I
HORN h=r
SPEAKER
b
FUEL n3
X

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your
Buick and howto 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 youabout the seats -- how to adjust them,
and also about memoryseats, reclining seatbacks and
head restraints.
Manual Seat
You may have a manual seat on the passenger side of
your Park Avenue.Move the lever under thefront seat
to unlockit. Slidethe seat
to where you wantit. Then
release the lever and try tomove the seat withyour
body, to make sure the seat islocked into place.
Power Seat
Front Tilt Control(F): Raise the front ofthe seat by
pressing on the left side of theswitch. Press on the right
side of the switch to lower the front of the seat.
Center Controls (C): Move the seat forwardor back by
pressing the control on thefront or back. Raise the seat
by pressing the control on the left.Press the control on
the rightto lower the seat.
1-1

Rear Tilt Control (R): Raise therear of the seat by
pressing the switchon the left. Pressing the switch on
the right lowers the rearof the seat.
Mc or: rnd Mi1 5 (( n)
If your Buick hasthis option, the control on the driver’s
door armrest looks like this:
You can use this memory function to save your seat and
mirror adjustment settings by using
the following procedure.
Adjust the driver’s seat to a safe and comfortable
driving position. Adjust bothoutside mirrors to suit
you. See“Outside Mirrors” inthe Index.
Press the SET button. You will hear one beep.
Press one of the two MEMORY buttons within
five seconds. You will hear two beeps to confirm
that the mirror and seat positions have been entered
into memory.
Now it’s set. When your Buick
is in PARK (P) withthe
ignition on, push the memory button youjust stored
and the seat and mirrors willmove to the set position.
With the ignition
OFF, the system will work in any shift
lever position.
To set the seat and mirror positionsfor a second
driver, follow the previous steps, but use the other
MEMORY button.
If you press the wrong MEMORY button,or if there is
a third driver, the seat adjuster will still work.
The
EXIT button allowsfor easy exit from the vehicle.
Push the
EXIT button while in PARK (P) with the
ignition on, or anytime while the ignitionis
OFF and the
seat will move all the way down and
back. You will hear
a beep when theEXIT button is pressed.
1-2

Remote Keyless Entry Personal Choice
Feature (Option)
If your Park Avenue
is equipped with the
Remote Keyless
Entry System, each
transmitter can be
programmed to move
the driver’s seat and
outside mirrors to a set
memory position when
the transmitter’s
UNLOCK button
is pressed.
For programming instructions, see “Personal Choice
Features” in the Index.
ieated Front Seats (Option)
If your vehicle has this option, the controls are located
to the side of the driver andfront passenger seats.
Push the switch closest to thefront
of the driver’s seat
forward and the driver’s seat will start to warm up.
Push the switch closestto the front
of the front
passenger’s seat forward and
the front passenger seat
will begin to warm up.
1-3

The light on top of the switch will turn orangefor low or
red for high. Push the switch rearward tostop the seat
from warming.
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, it works with
the switchon the side
of the
seat. Pushit back to recline
the seat,push it forward
to return the seat toits
upright position.

I
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion canbe dangerous. Evenif you buckle
up, your safety beltscan’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulderbelt can’t do itsjob because it
won’t be against yourbody. Instead, it
will be in
front
of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neckor 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 wouldbe there, notat your pelvic bones.
This could causeserious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, havethe seatback upright.Then sit well
back in the seat and wear yoursafety belt properly.
But don’thave a seatback reclined if yourvehicle
is
moving.
ead Restrain’-
Slide the headrestraint 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 neckinjury in acrash.

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. Italso tells yousome things you should notdo
with safety belts.
And
it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or air bagsystem.
A CAUTIOI..
r
-
Don’t let anyone ride where he or 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 hit thingsinside the
vehicle or be ejected from
it. You can be seriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not beif
you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt,and check that yourpassengers’ belts
arefastened properlytoo.
1
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt ReminderLight” in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the lawsays to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never knowif you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a badone.
A few crashes are mild, andsome crashes can be
so
serious thateven buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between.
In many of them,
people who buckle upcan survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts theycould have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In mostcrashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Put someone
on it.
Take thesimplest vehicle. Suppose it’s
just a seat
on wheels.
1-7

Get it upto 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 ...