2005 Chevrolet AVEO Owners Manual

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If the light does not come on then, have it ﬁxed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem. 3-29 Hold Mode Light If your vehicle has this feature, this light will come on when the hold mode is active. If the HOLD mode light ﬂashes, have your vehicle checked. See “Hold Mode” under Automatic Transaxle Operation on page 2-21 for additional information on this feature. Malfunction Indicator Lamp Check Engine Light Your vehicle is equipped with a computer which monitors operation of the fuel, ignition, and emission control systems. If you keep driving your vehicle with This system is called OBD II (On-Board Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended to assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner environment. The Check Engine light comes on to indicate that there is a problem and service is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated by the system before any problem is apparent. This may prevent more serious damage to your vehicle. This system is also designed to assist your service technician in correctly diagnosing any malfunction. Notice: this light on, after awhile, your emission controls may not work as well, your fuel economy may not be as good, and your engine may not run as smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that may not be covered by your warranty. Notice: Modiﬁcations made to the engine, transaxle, exhaust, intake, or fuel system of your vehicle or replacement tires that do not match your vehicle’s original tires can affect your vehicle’s emission controls and may cause this light to come on. Modiﬁcations to these systems could lead to costly repairs not covered by your warranty. This may also result in a failure to pass a required Emission Inspection/Maintenance test. 3-30 When the ignition is on, this light should come on and should go out after a few seconds as a check to show you it is working. If the light does not come on, have it repaired. This light will also come on during a malfunction in one of two ways: • Light Flashing — A misﬁre condition has been detected. A misﬁre increases vehicle emissions and may damage the emission control system on your vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be required. • Light On Steady — An emission control system malfunction has been detected on your vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be required. If the Light Is Flashing The following may prevent more serious damage to your vehicle: • Reducing vehicle speed • Avoiding hard accelerations • Avoiding steep uphill grades If the light stops ﬂashing and remains on steady, see “If the Light Is On Steady” following. If the light continues to ﬂash, when it is safe to do so, stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle. Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart the engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If the Light Is On Steady” following. If the light is still ﬂashing, follow the previous steps, and see your dealer for service as soon as possible. If the Light Is On Steady You also may be able to correct the emission system malfunction by considering the following: Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle? If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install the cap. See Filling Your Tank on page 5-7. The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few driving trips with the cap properly installed should turn the light off. Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water? If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition will usually be corrected when the electrical system dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off. 3-31 Have you recently changed brands of fuel? If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See Gasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality will cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed. You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling when you put the vehicle into gear, misﬁring, hesitation on acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration. (These conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.) This will be detected by the system and cause the light to turn on. If you experience one or more of these conditions, change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off. If none of the above steps have made the light turn off, your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to ﬁx any mechanical or electrical problems that may have developed. Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Programs Some state/provincial and local governments have or may begin programs to inspect the emission control equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle registration. Here are some things you need to know to help your vehicle pass an inspection: Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the Check Engine light is on or not working properly. Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD (on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical emission control systems have not been completely diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be considered not ready for inspection. This can happen if you have recently replaced your battery or if your battery has run down. The diagnostic system is designed to evaluate critical emission control systems during normal driving. This may take several days of routine driving. If you have done this and your vehicle still does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare the vehicle for inspection. 3-32 {CAUTION: Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If you do, your engine can become so hot that it catches ﬁre. You or others could be burned. Check your oil as soon as possible and have your vehicle serviced. Notice: Lack of proper engine oil maintenance may damage the engine. The repairs would not be covered by your warranty. Always follow the maintenance schedule in this manual for changing engine oil. Oil Pressure Light If you have low engine oil pressure, this light will stay on after you start your engine, or come on when you are driving. This indicates that your engine is not receiving enough oil. The engine could be low on oil, or could have some other oil problem. Have it ﬁxed immediately by your GM dealer. The oil light could also come on in three other situations: • When the ignition is on but the engine is not running, the light will come on as a test to show you it is working. The light will go out when you turn the ignition on. If it does not come on with the ignition on, you may have a problem with the fuse or bulb. Have it ﬁxed right away. • If you are idling at a stop sign, the light may blink on and then off. • If you make a hard stop, the light may come on for a moment. This is normal. 3-33 Fog Lamp Light If your vehicle has this feature, the fog lamps light will come on when the fog lamps are in use. A ﬂashing DRL light indicates a possible burned out headlamp, or that the vehicle may need service to repair a defective DRL relay. See your GM dealer. See Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) on page 3-10 for more information. Door Ajar Light The light will go out when the fog lamps are turned off. See Fog Lamps on page 3-11 for more information. Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) Indicator Light This light will come on when the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) are on. When the ignition is on, this light will stay on until all doors are closed and completely latched. If the key is in the ignition while the driver’s door is open, you will also hear a warning chime. 3-34 Audio System(s) Notice: Before adding any sound equipment to your vehicle, like a tape player, CB radio, mobile telephone, or two-way radio, make sure that it can be added by checking with your dealer. Also, check federal rules covering mobile radio and telephone units. If sound equipment can be added, it is very important to do it properly. Added sound equipment may interfere with the operation of your vehicle’s engine, radio, or other systems, and even damage them. Your vehicle’s systems may interfere with the operation of sound equipment that has been added improperly. Figure out which audio system is in your vehicle, ﬁnd out what your audio system can do, and how to operate all of its controls. AM-FM Radio Playing the Radio O (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off. u (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume. VOL will appear on the display. 3-35 4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons for longer than two seconds. Ch will appear on the display when the station has been set. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return. 5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton. Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) f (Bass/Treble): Press this button until BAS appears on the display. Then turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the bass. The display will show the bass level. Press this button until TRE appears on the display. Then turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the treble. The display will show the treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. Finding a Station AM/FM: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, or AM. The display will show the selection. p (Tune): Turn this knob to select radio stations. t u (Scan): Press this knob until SCAN ﬂashes on the display, then press either the up or the down arrow buttons to determine the direction for the radio to scan the stations. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press either arrow button again to stop scanning. The radio will only scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. Setting Preset Stations Up to 18 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM) can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press AM/FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. 3. Tune in the desired station. 3-36 Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) Radio with CD (Base Level) f (Balance/Fade): To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, press this button until BAL appears on the display. Then turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the balance between the right and the left speakers. The display will show the balance level. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, press this button until FAD appears on the display. Then turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the fade between the front and the rear speakers. The display will show the fade level. Playing the Radio ON/OFF: Press this knob to turn the system on and off. VOL (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume. Finding a Station AM/FM: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, or AM. The display will show the selection. TUN (Tune): Turn this knob to select radio stations. SCAN: Push and release this knob to scan radio stations. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Push this knob again to stop scanning. The radio will only scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. 3-37 Setting Preset Stations Up to 18 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press AM/FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons for longer than two seconds. The pushbutton number will ﬂash on the display when the station has been set. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return. 5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton. Automatic Store Six FM1 preset stations with the strongest reception in the region can be automatically stored. Press the AST button for longer than one second. Once the stations are stored, the radio will switch to FM1 and the ﬁrst preset station will begin to play. FM-A will appear on the display when listening to the automatic stored stations. Press the AM-FM button to cancel automatic store. Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) SOUND (Bass/Treble): Press this button until BAS appears on the display. Then turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the bass. The display will show the bass level. When ﬁnished making the selection, press this button to select the bass level. Press this button until TRE appears on the display. Turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the treble. The display will show the treble level. When ﬁnished making the selection, press this button to select the treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. SOUND (Equalization): Press this button until EQ OFF appears on the display to select customized equalization settings designed for classic, pop, rock, jazz, and voice. Turn the volume knob until the desired equalization setting appears on the display. When ﬁnished making the selection, press the SOUND button to select the equalization setting. To cancel an equalization setting, press the SOUND button until EQ OFF appears on the display, turn the volume knob until OFF appears on the display, then press the SOUND button again to select the equalization setting. 3-38 Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) SOUND (Balance/Fade): To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, press this button until BAL appears on the display. Then turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease. The display will show the balance level. When ﬁnished making the selection, press this button to select the balance level. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, press this button until FAD appears on the display. Turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the fade between the front and the rear speakers. The display will show the fade level. When ﬁnished making the selection, press this button to select the fade level. Playing a CD Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing. You can insert a CD with the ignition off. When the CD is inserted, CDP will appear on the display. As the CD is loading Filecheck will appear on the display. As each new track starts to play, Track and the track number will appear on the display. If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner. If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. You may experience an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a known good CD. Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught in the CD player. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. 2 RPT (Repeat): Press this pushbutton to repeat the current track. RPT will appear on the display. Press this pushbutton again to turn off repeat play. 3 INT (SCAN): Press this button to listen to the ﬁrst few seconds of each track on each CD inserted. INTRO will appear on the display. To stop scanning press this button again. The current track will begin to play. 3-39 4 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM will appear on the display. Press this pushbutton again to turn off random play. TRACK (Previous/Next Track): Turn this knob one notch to go to the start of the current track or to go to the next track. The track number will appear on the display. The player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD with each turn of the knob. TUN (Forward/Reverse): Push and hold this knob to fast forward or to reverse through the current track. AM/FM: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. CD: Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. CDP will appear on the display when the CD player has been selected. Press this button while a CD is playing to pause the CD. Track and the track number will ﬂash on the display. Press this button again to start playing the CD. X (Eject): Press this button to eject a CD. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CD Messages CHECK CD: If this message appears on the display and/or the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons: • It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play. • You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play. • The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down. • The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again. • There may have been a problem while burning the CD. • The label may be caught in the CD player. If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason, try a known good CD. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer when reporting the problem. 3-40 Radio with CD (MP3) Playing the Radio ON/OFF: Press this knob to turn the system on and off. VOL (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume. Finding a Station AM/FM: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, or AM. The display will show the selection. SCAN: Push and release this knob to scan radio stations. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Push this knob again to stop scanning. The radio will only scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. Setting Preset Stations Up to 18 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press AM/FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons for longer than two seconds. The pushbutton number will ﬂash on the display when the station has been set. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return. TUN (Tune): Turn this knob to select radio stations. 5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton. 3-41 Automatic Store Six FM1 preset stations with the strongest reception in the region can be automatically stored. Press the AST button for longer than one second. Once the stations are stored, the radio will switch to FM1 and the ﬁrst preset station will begin to play. FM-A will appear on the display when listening to the automatic stored stations. Press the AM-FM button to cancel automatic store. Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) SOUND (Bass/Treble): Press this button until BAS appears on the display. Turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the bass. The display will show the bass level. When ﬁnished making the selection, press this button to select the bass level. Press this button until TRE appears on the display. Turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the treble. The display will show the treble level. When ﬁnished making the selection, press this button to select the treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. SOUND (Equalization): Press this button until EQ OFF appears on the display to select customized equalization settings designed for classic, pop, rock, jazz, and voice. Turn the volume knob until the desired equalization setting appears on the display. When ﬁnished making the selection, press the SOUND button to select the equalization setting. To cancel an equalization setting, press the SOUND button until EQ OFF appears on the display, turn the volume knob until OFF appears on the display, then press the SOUND button again to select the equalization setting. Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) SOUND (Balance/Fade): To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, press this button until BAL appears on the display. Turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease. The display will show the balance level. When ﬁnished making the selection, press this button to select the balance level. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, press this button until FAD appears on the display. Turn the volume knob to increase or to decrease the fade between the front and the rear speakers. The display will show the fade level. When ﬁnished making the selection, press this button to select the fade level. 3-42 Playing a CD Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing. You can insert a CD with the ignition off. When the CD is inserted, CDP will appear on the display. As the CD is loading Filecheck will appear on the display. As each new track starts to play, Track and the track number will appear on the display. If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner. If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a known good CD. Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught in the CD player. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. 2 RPT (Repeat): Press this pushbutton to repeat the current track. RPT will appear on the display. Press this pushbutton again to turn off repeat play. 3 INT (Scan): Press this button to listen to the ﬁrst few seconds of each track on each loaded CD. INTRO will appear on the display. To stop scanning press this button again. The current track will begin to play. 4 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM will appear on the display. Press this pushbutton again to turn off random play. TRACK (Previous/Next Track): Turn this knob one notch to go to the start of the current track or to go to the next track. The track number will appear on the display. The player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD with each turn of the knob. TUN (Forward/Reverse): Push and hold this knob to fast forward or to reverse through the current track. AM/FM: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. 3-43 CD: Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. CDP will appear on the display when the CD player has been selected. The CD symbol will appear on the display when a CD is loaded. Press this button while a CD is playing to pause the CD. Track and the track number will ﬂash on the display. Press this button again to start playing the CD. X (Eject): Press this button to eject a CD. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. Using an MP3 CD MP3 Format This MP3 player will accept MP3 ﬁles that were recorded on an up to 700 MB CD-R CD. The ﬁles can be recorded with the following ﬁxed bit rates: 32 kpbs, 40 kpbs, 56 kpbs, 64 kpbs, 80 kpbs, 96 kpbs, 112 kpbs, 128 kpbs, 160 kpbs, 192 kpbs, 224 kpbs, 256 kpbs, and 320 kpbs or a variable bit rate. Song title, artist name, and album will be available when recorded using ID3 tags versions 1 and 2. The player will be able to read and play a maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, 10 sessions, and 255 ﬁles. Long ﬁle, folder, or playlist names or a combination of a large number of ﬁles and folders or playlists may cause the player to be unable to play up to the maximum number of ﬁles, folders, playlists, or sessions. If you wish to play large numbers of ﬁles, folders, playlists or sessions minimize the length of the ﬁle, folder or playlist name. You can also play an MP3 CD that was recorded using no ﬁle folders. The system can support up to 11 folders in depth, though, keep the depth of the folders to a minimum in order to keep down the complexity and confusion in trying to locate a particular folder during playback. If a CD contains more than the maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, 10 sessions, and 255 ﬁles the player will let you access and navigate up to the maximum, but all items over the maximum will be ignored. Root Directory The root directory will be treated as a folder. If the root directory has compressed audio ﬁles, the directory will be displayed as F1 ROOT. All ﬁles contained directly under the root directory will be accessed prior to any root directory folders. However, playlists (Px) will always be accessed before root folders or ﬁles. Empty Directory or Folder If a root directory or a folder exists somewhere in the ﬁle structure that contains only folders/subfolders and no compressed ﬁles directly beneath them, the player will advance to the next folder in the ﬁle structure that contains compressed audio ﬁles and the empty folder will not be displayed or numbered. 3-44 No Folder When the CD contains only compressed ﬁles, the ﬁles will be located under the root folder. The next and previous folder functions will have no function on a CD that was recorded without folders or playlists. When displaying the name of the folder the radio will display ROOT. When the CD contains only playlists and compressed audio ﬁles, but no folders, all ﬁles will be located under the root folder. The folder down and the folder up buttons will search playlists (Px) ﬁrst and then go to the root folder. When the radio displays the name of the folder the radio will display ROOT. Order of Play Tracks will be played in the following order: • Play will begin from the ﬁrst track in the ﬁrst playlist and will continue sequentially through all tracks in each playlist. When the last track of the last playlist has been played, play will continue from the ﬁrst track of the ﬁrst playlist. • If the CD does not contain any playlists, then play will begin from the ﬁrst track under the root directory. When all tracks from the root directory have been played, play will continue from ﬁles according to their numerical listing. After playing the last track from the last folder, play will begin again at the ﬁrst track of the ﬁrst folder or root directory. File System and Naming The song name that will be displayed will be the song name that is contained in the ID3 tag. If the song name is not present in the ID3 tag, then the radio will display the ﬁle name without the extension (such as .mp3) as the track name. Track names longer than 32 characters or 4 pages will be shortened. The display will not show parts of words on the last page of text and the extension of the ﬁlename will not be displayed. Preprogrammed Playlists You can access preprogrammed playlists which were created by WinAmp™, MusicMatch™, or Real Jukebox™ software, however, you will not have editing capability. These playlists will be treated as special folders containing compressed audio song ﬁles. Playing an MP3 With the ignition on, insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in, Loading, then Filecheck, then MP3 will appear on the display. The CD should begin playing. You can insert a CD with the ignition off. As each new track starts to play, F001, the track number, and the song name will appear on the display. 3-45 If you turn off the ignition or radio with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When you turn on the ignition or radio, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner. If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a known good CD. Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught in the CD player. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. All of the CD functions work the same while playing an MP3, except for those listed here. See “Playing a CD” earlier for more information. 5 DN (Down): Press this pushbutton to go to the previous directory. 6 UP: Press this pushbutton to go to the next directory. 3-46 TRACK (Previous/Next File): Turn this knob one notch to go to the ﬁrst track in the previous or to go to the next folder. The player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD with each turn of the knob. DIR (Directory): Press and release this button to repeat the tracks in the current directory. DIR will appear on the display. Press and release this button twice to repeat the tracks in all of the directories. ALL will appear on the display. Press and release this button again to turn off repeat play. CD Messages CHECK CD: If this message appears on the display and/or the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons: • It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play. • You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play. • The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down. • The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again. • The format of the CD may not be compatible. See “MP3 Format” earlier in this section. • There may have been a problem while burning the CD. • The label may be caught in the CD player. If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason, try a known good CD. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer when reporting the problem. Radio Reception AM The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM, especially at night. The longer range, however, can cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try reducing the treble to reduce this noise. FM FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing the sound to come and go. Care of Your CDs Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight and dust. If the surface of a CD is soiled, dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge. Be sure never to touch the side without writing when handling CDs. Pick up CDs by grasping the outer edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge. Care of Your CD Player The use of CD lens cleaners for CD players is not advised, due to the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism. Fixed Mast Antenna The ﬁxed mast antenna can withstand most car washes without being damaged. If the mast should ever become slightly bent, straighten it out by hand. If the mast is badly bent, replace it. Check occasionally to make sure the mast is still tightened to the antenna base located on the roof of the vehicle. If tightening is required, tighten by hand. 3-47 ✍ NOTES 3-48 Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..........4-2 Defensive Driving ...........................................4-2 Drunken Driving .............................................4-3 Control of a Vehicle ........................................4-5 Braking .........................................................4-6 Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) .........................4-6 Braking in Emergencies ...................................4-8 Steering ........................................................4-8 Off-Road Recovery .......................................4-11 Passing .......................................................4-11 Loss of Control .............................................4-12 Driving at Night ............................................4-14 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads ..................4-15 City Driving ..................................................4-18 Freeway Driving ...........................................4-19 Before Leaving on a Long Trip .......................4-20 Highway Hypnosis ........................................4-21 Hill and Mountain Roads ................................4-22 Winter Driving ..............................................4-23 If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow ..............................................4-28 Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out .................4-28 Loading Your Vehicle ....................................4-29 Towing ..........................................................4-35 Towing Your Vehicle .....................................4-35 Recreational Vehicle Towing ...........................4-35 Towing a Trailer ...........................................4-36 4-1 Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Defensive Driving The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defensively. Please start with a very important safety device in your vehicle: Buckle up. See Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone on page 1-10. Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.” On city streets, rural roads, or freeways, it means “always expect the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might do. Be ready for their mistakes. Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following distance. It is the best defensive driving maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn suddenly. Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving task — such as concentrating on a cellular telephone call, reading, or reaching for something on the ﬂoor — makes proper defensive driving more difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or pull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself. These simple defensive driving techniques could save your life. 4-2 Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year. Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a vehicle: • Judgment • Muscular Coordination • Vision • Attentiveness Police records show that almost half of all motor vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases, these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking and driving. In recent years, more than 16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured. Many adults — by some estimates, nearly half the adult population — choose never to drink alcohol, so they never drive after drinking. For persons under 21, it is against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical, psychological and developmental reasons for these laws. The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But what if people do? How much is “too much” if someone plans to drive? It is a lot less than many might think. Although it depends on each person and situation, here is some general information on the problem. The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone who is drinking depends upon four things: • The amount of alcohol consumed • The drinker’s body weight • The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking • The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol 4-3 According to the American Medical Association, a 180 lb (82 kg) person who drinks three 12 ounce (355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the same BAC by drinking three 4 ounce (120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka. It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, 4-4 the person’s BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who consumes food just before or during drinking will have a somewhat lower BAC level. There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have a lower relative percentage of body water than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a man of her same body weight will when each has the same number of drinks. The law in most U.S. states, and throughout Canada, sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent. In some other countries, the limit is even lower. For example, it is 0.05 percent in both France and Germany. The BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the United States is 0.04 percent. The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we have seen, it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how quickly the person drinks them. But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater! The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need to take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street? A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the collision. There is something else about drinking and driving that many people do not know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means that when anyone who has been drinking — driver or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the person had not been drinking. {CAUTION: Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reﬂexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment can be affected by even a small amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking. Please do not drink and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if you are with a group, designate a driver who will not drink. Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering, and the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at the places where the tires meet the road. Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle. 4-5 If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means better braking and longer brake life. If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push. Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced electronic braking system that will help prevent a braking skid. If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this warning light on the instrument panel will come on brieﬂy when you start your vehicle. Braking Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That is reaction time. Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a second. But that is only an average. It might be less with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surface of the road (whether it is pavement or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied. Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. 4-6 The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster than any driver could. The computer is programmed to make the most of available tire and road conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle while braking hard. Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely. Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what happens with ABS: A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will separately work the brakes at each wheel. As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly. 4-7 If you do not have anti-lock brakes, use a “squeeze” braking technique. This will give you maximum braking while maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure. In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This will help you retain steering control. If you do have anti-lock brakes, it is different. See Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-6. In many emergencies, steering can help you more than even the very best braking. Steering Power Steering If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but it will take much more effort. Remember: Anti-lock does not change the time you need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in front of you, you will not have time to apply your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have anti-lock brakes. Using Anti-Lock Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down ﬁrmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but this is normal. Braking in Emergencies At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that requires hard braking. If you have anti-lock brakes, you can steer and brake at the same time. However, if you do not have anti-lock brakes, your ﬁrst reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it down — may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle cannot respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic. 4-8 Steering Tips Driving on Curves It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed. A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on the news happen on curves. Here is why: Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The traction of the tires against the road surface makes it possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn the front wheels. If there is no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If you have ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you will understand this. The traction you can get in a curve depends on the condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you are in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control. Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve. Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control systems — steering and braking — have to do their work where the tires meet the road. Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard braking can demand too much of those places. You can lose control. The same thing can happen if you are steering through a sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those two control systems — steering and acceleration — can overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road and make you lose control. What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it to go, and slow down. Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are based on good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable conditions you will want to go slower. If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front wheels are straight ahead. Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then accelerate gently into the straightaway. 4-9 Steering in Emergencies There are times when steering can be more effective than braking. For example, you come over a hill and ﬁnd a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can avoid these problems by braking — if you can stop in time. But sometimes you cannot; there is not room. That is the time for evasive action — steering around the problem. Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like these. First apply your brakes — but, unless you have anti-lock, not enough to lock your wheels. See Braking on page 4-6. It is better to remove as much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or right depending on the space available. 4-10 An emergency like this requires close attention and a quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have avoided the object. The fact that such emergency situations are always possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at all times and wear safety belts properly. Off-Road Recovery You may ﬁnd that your right wheels have dropped off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you’re driving. If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go straight down the roadway. Passing The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a two-lane highway waits for just the right moment, accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver? Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the worst of all traffic accidents — the head-on collision. So here are some tips for passing: • Drive ahead. Look down the road, to the sides and to crossroads for situations that might affect your passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever about making a successful pass, wait for a better time. • Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken center line usually indicates it is all right to pass, providing the road ahead is clear. Never cross a solid line on your side of the lane or a double solid line, even if the road seems empty of approaching traffic. 4-11 • Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass while you are awaiting an opportunity. For one thing, following too closely reduces your area of vision, especially if you are following a larger vehicle. Also, you will not have adequate space if the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a reasonable distance. • When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up, start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and do not get too close. Time your move so you will be increasing speed as the time comes to move into the other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a running start that more than makes up for the distance you would lose by dropping back. And if something happens to cause you to cancel your pass, you need only slow down and drop back again and wait for another opportunity. • If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait your turn. But take care that someone is not trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and check the blind spot. • Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your left lane change signal before moving out of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal and move back into the right lane. 4-12 Remember that your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther away from you than it really is. • Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next vehicle. • Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are not ﬂashing, it may be slowing down or starting to turn. • If you are being passed, make it easy for the following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you can ease a little to the right. Loss of Control Let us review what driving experts say about what happens when the three control systems — brakes, steering, and acceleration — do not have enough friction where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked. In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer and constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger. While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration, or braking, including engine braking by shifting to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues — such as enough water, ice, or packed snow on the road to make a mirrored surface — and slow down when you have any doubt. If you have the anti-lock braking system (ABS), remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have ABS, then in a braking skid, where the wheels are no longer rolling, release enough pressure on the brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels are rolling, you will have steering control. Skidding In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by not overdriving those conditions. But skids are always possible. The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin. A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a second skid if it occurs. Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you will want to slow down and adjust your driving to these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control more limited. 4-13 Driving at Night Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaired — by alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue. 4-14 Here are some tips on night driving. • Drive defensively. • Do not drink and drive. • Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the glare from headlamps behind you. • Since you cannot see as well, you may need to slow down and keep more space between you and other vehicles. • Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your headlamps can light up only so much road ahead. • In remote areas, watch for animals. • If you are tired, pull off the road in a safe place and rest. No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old. What you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you are driving, do not wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot of things invisible. You can be temporarily blinded by approaching headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When you are faced with severe glare, as from a driver who does not lower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps, slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into the approaching headlamps. Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean — inside and out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass can build up a ﬁlm caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and ﬂash more than clean glass would, making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly. Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night blindness — the inability to see in dim light — and are not even aware of it. Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road, you cannot stop, accelerate, or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction is not as good as on dry roads. And, if your tires do not have much tread left, you will get even less traction. It is always wise to go slower and be cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your reﬂexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement. 4-15 The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, and even people walking. It is wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in good shape and keep your windshield washer tank ﬁlled with washer ﬂuid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to separate from the inserts. Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going through some car washes can cause problems, too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles. But if you cannot, try to slow down before you hit them. {CAUTION: Wet brakes can cause accidents. They will not work as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to one side. You could lose control of the vehicle. After driving through a large puddle of water or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until your brakes work normally. Hydroplaning Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires that they can actually ride on the water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road. 4-16 Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on the road. If you can see reﬂections from trees, telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops dimple the water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning. Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down when it is raining. Driving Through Deep Standing Water Notice: If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or standing water, water can come in through your engine’s air intake and badly damage your engine. Never drive through water that is slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you cannot avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive through them very slowly. Driving Through Flowing Water {CAUTION: Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces. If you try to drive through ﬂowing water, as you might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can be carried away. As little as six inches of ﬂowing water can carry away a smaller vehicle. If this happens, you and other vehicle occupants could drown. Do not ignore police warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious about trying to drive through ﬂowing water. Some Other Rainy Weather Tips • Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by road spray. • Have good tires with proper tread depth. See Tires on page 5-48. 4-17 City Driving Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving: • Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an unknown part of the city just as you would for a cross-country trip. • Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. You will save time and energy. See Freeway Driving on page 4-19. • Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light is there because the corner is busy enough to need it. When a light turns green, and just before you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have not cleared the intersection or may be running the red light. One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on them. You will want to watch out for what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to traffic signals. 4-18 Freeway Driving Mile for mile, freeways — also called thruways, parkways, expressways, turnpikes, or superhighways — are the safest of all roads. But they have their own special rules. The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic ﬂow. Treat the left lane on a freeway as a passing lane. At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as you drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to blend with the ﬂow. Try to merge into the gap at close to the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check your mirrors, and glance over your shoulder as often as necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic ﬂow. Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it is slower. Stay in the right lane unless you want to pass. Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use your turn signal. 4-19 Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your shoulder to make sure there is not another vehicle in your blind spot. Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night. When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper lane well in advance. If you miss your exit, do not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to the next exit. The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply. The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going slower than you actually are. Before Leaving on a Long Trip Make sure you are ready. Try to be well rested. If you must start when you are not fresh — such as after a day’s work — do not plan to make too many miles that ﬁrst part of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you can easily drive in. Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it serviced and maintained, it is ready to go. If it needs service, have it done before starting out. Of course, you will ﬁnd experienced and able service experts in GM dealerships all across North America. They will be ready and willing to help if you need it. Here are some things you can check before a trip: • Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are all windows clean inside and outside? • Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape? • Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked all levels? • Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean? 4-20 What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be aware that it can happen. Then here are some tips: • Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a comfortably cool interior. • Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your instruments frequently. • If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service, or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or both. For safety, treat drowsiness on the highway as an emergency. • Tires: They are vitally important to a safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread good enough for long-distance driving? Are the tires all inﬂated to the recommended pressure? • Weather Forecasts: What is the weather outlook along your route? Should you delay your trip a short time to avoid a major storm system? • Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps? Highway Hypnosis Is there actually such a condition as highway hypnosis? Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever. There is something about an easy stretch of road with the same scenery, along with the hum of the tires on the road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Do not let it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can leave the road in less than a second, and you could crash and be injured. 4-21 If you drive regularly in steep country, or if you are planning to visit there, here are some tips that can make your trips safer and more enjoyable. • Keep your vehicle in good shape. Check all ﬂuid levels and also the brakes, tires, cooling system, and transaxle. These parts can work hard on mountain roads. • Know how to go down hills. The most important thing to know is this: let your engine do some of the slowing down. Shift to a lower gear when you go down a steep or long hill. {CAUTION: If you do not shift down, your brakes could get so hot that they would not work well. You would then have poor braking or even none going down a hill. You could crash. Shift down to let your engine assist your brakes on a steep downhill slope. Hill and Mountain Roads Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from driving in ﬂat or rolling terrain. 4-22 {CAUTION: Coasting downhill in NEUTRAL (N) or with the ignition off is dangerous. Your brakes will have to do all the work of slowing down. They could get so hot that they would not work well. You would then have poor braking or even none going down a hill. You could crash. Always have your engine running and your vehicle in gear when you go downhill. • Know how to go uphill. Drive in the highest gear possible. • Stay in your own lane when driving on two-lane roads in hills or mountains. Do not swing wide or cut across the center of the road. Drive at speeds that let you stay in your own lane. • As you go over the top of a hill, be alert. There could be something in your lane, like a stalled car or an accident. • You may see highway signs on mountains that warn of special problems. Examples are long grades, passing or no-passing zones, a falling rocks area, or winding roads. Be alert to these and take appropriate action. Winter Driving Here are some tips for winter driving: • Have your vehicle in good shape for winter. • You may want to put winter emergency supplies in your trunk. Also see Tires on page 5-48. 4-23 Driving on Snow or Ice Most of the time, those places where your tires meet the road probably have good traction. However, if there is snow or ice between your tires and the road, you can have a very slippery situation. You will have a lot less traction, or grip, and will need to be very careful. Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a supply of windshield washer ﬂuid, a rag, some winter outer clothing, a small shovel, a ﬂashlight, a red cloth, and a couple of reﬂective warning triangles. And, if you will be driving under severe conditions, include a small bag of sand, a piece of old carpet, or a couple of burlap bags to help provide traction. Be sure you properly secure these items in your vehicle. 4-24 What is the worst time for this? Wet ice. Very cold snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet ice can be even more trouble because it may offer the least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it is about freezing, 32°F (0°C), and freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there. Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed, blowing, or loose snow — drive with caution. Accelerate gently. Try not to break the fragile traction. If you accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and polish the surface under the tires even more. Unless you have the anti-lock braking system (ABS), you will want to brake very gently, too. If you do have ABS, see Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-6. This system improves your vehicle’s stability when you make a hard stop on a slippery road. Whether you have ABS or not, you will want to begin stopping sooner than you would on dry pavement. Without ABS, if you feel your vehicle begin to slide, let up on the brakes a little. Push the brake pedal down steadily to get the most traction you can. Remember, unless you have ABS, if you brake so hard that your wheels stop rolling, you will just slide. Brake so your wheels always keep rolling and you can still steer. • Whatever your braking system, allow greater following distance on any slippery road. • Watch for slippery spots. The road might be ﬁne until you hit a spot that is covered with ice. On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in shaded areas where the sun cannot reach, such as around clumps of trees, behind buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the surface of a curve or an overpass may remain icy when the surrounding roads are clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before you are on it. Try not to brake while you are actually on the ice, and avoid sudden steering maneuvers. 4-25 If You Are Caught in a Blizzard If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could be in a serious situation. You should probably stay with your vehicle unless you know for sure that you are near help and you can hike through the snow. Here are some things to do to summon help and keep yourself and your passengers safe: • Turn on your hazard ﬂashers. • Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police that you have been stopped by the snow. • Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket around you. If you do not have blankets or extra clothing, make body insulators from newspapers, burlap bags, rags, ﬂoor mats — anything you can wrap around yourself or tuck under your clothing to keep warm. 4-26 You can run the engine to keep warm, but be careful. {CAUTION: Snow can trap exhaust gases under your vehicle. This can cause deadly CO (carbon monoxide) gas to get inside. CO could overcome you and kill you. You cannot see it or smell it, so you might not know it is in your vehicle. Clear away snow from around the base of your vehicle, especially any that is blocking your exhaust pipe. And check around again from time to time to be sure snow does not collect there. Open a window just a little on the side of the vehicle that is away from the wind. This will help keep CO out. Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster than just idle. That is, push the accelerator slightly. This uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the battery charged. You will need a well-charged battery to restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while. Then, shut the engine off and close the window almost all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as little as possible. Preserve the fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get out of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises every half hour or so until help comes. 4-27 If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will need to spin the wheels, but you do not want to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as rocking can help you get out when you are stuck, but you must use caution. {CAUTION: If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can explode, and you or others could be injured. And, the transaxle or other parts of the vehicle can overheat. That could cause an engine compartment ﬁre or other damage. When you are stuck, spin the wheels as little as possible. Do not spin the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer. Notice: Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels too fast while shifting your transaxle back and forth, you can destroy your transaxle. See Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 4-28. For information about using tire chains on your vehicle, see Tire Chains on page 5-61. Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will clear the area around your front wheels. Then shift back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, or with a manual transaxle, between FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R), spinning the wheels as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal when the transaxle is in gear. By slowly spinning your wheels in the forward and reverse directions, you will cause a rocking motion that may free your vehicle. If that does not get you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out. If you do need to be towed out, see Towing Your Vehicle on page 4-35. 4-28 Loading Your Vehicle It is very important to know how much weight your vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle capacity weight or maximum load amount and includes the weight of all occupants, cargo and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels on your vehicle show how much weight it may properly carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and the Certiﬁcation label. {CAUTION: Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your vehicle can break, and it can change the way your vehicle handles. These could cause you to lose control and crash. Also, overloading can shorten the life of your vehicle. Tire and Loading Information Label Label Example - United States Version A. Vehicle Capacity Weight 4-29 The Tire and Loading Information label is attached to the driver’s side, center pillar, below the door latch. There is also important loading information on the Certiﬁcation label. It tells you the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for the front and rear axle; see “Certiﬁcation Label” later in this section. Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit 1. If your vehicle has the Tire and Loading Information label, United States version, locate the “Vehicle Capacity Weight” (A). If your vehicle has the Tire and Loading Information label, Canadian version, locate the “Maximum Load” amount. 2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your vehicle. 3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from Vehicle Capacity Weight (United States version) or subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from Maximum Load (Canadian version). Label Example - Canadian Version The Tire and Loading Information label shows your vehicle’s seating capacity, the total weight it can properly carry and the original equipment tire size and the recommended cold tire inﬂation pressure for those tires. For more information on tires and inﬂation see Tires on page 5-48 and Inﬂation - Tire Pressure on page 5-54. 4-30 4. The resulting ﬁgure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if the Vehicle Capacity Weight or the Maximum Load amount equals 1400 lbs (635 kg) and there will be ﬁve 150 lb (68 kg) passengers in your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs (295 kg). 5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4. Example 1 Item Description Total Vehicle Capacity Weight or Maximum Load, for Example 1 = Subtract Occupant Weight 150 lbs (68 kg) × 2 = Available Occupant and Cargo Weight = 1,000 lbs (453 kg) 300 lbs (136 kg) 700 lbs (317 kg) 4-31 Example 2 Example 3 Item Description Total Item Description Total Vehicle Capacity Weight or Maximum Load for Example 2 = Subtract Occupant Weight 150 lbs (68 kg) × 5 = Available Cargo Weight = 1,000 lbs (453 kg) 750 lbs (340 kg) 250 lbs (113 kg) Vehicle Capacity Weight or Maximum Load for Example 3 = Subtract Occupant Weight 200 lbs (91 kg) × 5 = Available Cargo Weight = 1,000 lbs (453 kg) 1,000 lbs (453 kg) 0 lbs (0 kg) Refer to your vehicle’s tire and loading information label for speciﬁc information about your vehicle’s capacity weight and seating positions. The combined weight of the driver, passengers, and cargo should never exceed your vehicle’s capacity weight or maximum load weight. 4-32 Certiﬁcation Label Label Example - United States Version Label Example - Canadian Version A vehicle speciﬁc Certiﬁcation label is attached to the center pillar (B-pillar), below the driver’s door latch. This label tells you the gross weight capacity of your vehicle, called the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). The GVWR includes the weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo. Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle, or the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the front or rear axle. 4-33 And, if you do have a heavy load, you should spread it out. Do not carry more than 110 lbs (50 kg) in the trunk. {CAUTION: Things you put inside your vehicle can strike and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in a crash. (cid:127) Put things in the cargo area of your vehicle. Try to spread the weight evenly. (cid:127) Never stack heavier things, like suitcases, inside the vehicle so that some of them are above the tops of the seats. (cid:127) Do not leave an unsecured child restraint in your vehicle. (cid:127) When you carry something inside the vehicle, secure it whenever you can. (cid:127) Do not leave a seat folded down unless you need to. {CAUTION: Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your vehicle can break, and it can change the way your vehicle handles. These could cause you to lose control and crash. Also, overloading can shorten the life of your vehicle. Notice: Overloading your vehicle may cause damage. Repairs would not be covered by your warranty. Do not overload your vehicle. If you put things inside your vehicle — like suitcases, tools, packages, or anything else — they will go as fast as the vehicle goes. If you have to stop or turn quickly, or if there is a crash, they will keep going. 4-34 Towing Towing Your Vehicle Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if you need to have your disabled vehicle towed. See Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-6. If you want to tow your vehicle behind another vehicle for recreational purposes (such as behind a motorhome), see “Recreational Vehicle Towing” following. Recreational Vehicle Towing Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle behind another vehicle, such as behind a motorhome. The two most common types of recreational vehicle towing are known as “dinghy towing” (towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground) and “dolly towing” (towing your vehicle with two wheels on the ground and two wheels up on a device known as a “dolly”). With the proper preparation and equipment, many vehicles can be towed in these ways. See “Dinghy Towing” and “Dolly Towing,” following. Here are some important things to consider before you do recreational vehicle towing: • What is the towing capacity of the towing vehicle? Be sure you read the tow vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations. • How far will you tow? Some vehicles have restrictions on how far and how long they can tow. • Do you have the proper towing equipment? See your dealer or trailering professional for additional advice and equipment recommendations. • Is your vehicle ready to be towed? Just as you would prepare your vehicle for a long trip, you will want to make sure your vehicle is prepared to be towed. See Before Leaving on a Long Trip on page 4-20. If you tow your vehicle with all four wheels Dinghy Towing Notice: on the ground, the drivetrain components could be damaged. The repairs would not be covered by your warranty. Do not tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground. Your vehicle was not designed to be towed with all four wheels on the ground. If your vehicle must be towed, you should use a dolly. See “Dolly Towing” that follows for more information. 4-35 Dolly Towing Notice: Towing your vehicle from the rear with the front wheels on the ground could cause transaxle damage. Do not tow the vehicle from the rear with the front wheels on the road. 3. Put the vehicle in NEUTRAL (N). 4. Set the parking brake and then remove the key. 5. Clamp the steering wheel in a straight-ahead position. 6. Release the parking brake. Towing a Trailer Do not use your vehicle to tow a trailer. The vehicle is not designed or intended for such a use. Towing a trailer can adversely affect handling, durability and fuel economy. Your vehicle can be towed using a dolly. To tow your vehicle using a dolly, follow these steps: 1. Put the front wheels on a dolly. 2. Turn the ignition to ACC. 4-36 Section 5 Service and Appearance Care Service ............................................................5-3 Doing Your Own Service Work .........................5-4 Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your Vehicle ...........................................5-4 Fuel ................................................................5-5 Gasoline Octane ............................................5-5 Gasoline Speciﬁcations ....................................5-5 California Fuel ...............................................5-5 Additives .......................................................5-6 Fuels in Foreign Countries ...............................5-6 Filling Your Tank ............................................5-7 Filling a Portable Fuel Container .......................5-9 Checking Things Under the Hood ....................5-10 Hood Release ..............................................5-10 Engine Compartment Overview .......................5-12 Engine Oil ...................................................5-13 Engine Air Cleaner/Filter ................................5-17 Automatic Transaxle Fluid ..............................5-18 Manual Transaxle Fluid ..................................5-20 Hydraulic Clutch ...........................................5-20 Engine Coolant .............................................5-21 Coolant Surge Tank Pressure Cap ..................5-24 Engine Overheating .......................................5-24 Cooling System ............................................5-26 Power Steering Fluid .....................................5-31 Windshield Washer Fluid ................................5-32 Brakes ........................................................5-33 Battery ........................................................5-36 Jump Starting ...............................................5-36 Headlamp Aiming ...........................................5-41 Bulb Replacement ..........................................5-41 Halogen Bulbs ..............................................5-41 Headlamps ..................................................5-42 Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps ..............5-43 Turn Signal Lamps (Side) ..............................5-44 Fog Lamps ..................................................5-44 Sidemarker Lamps (Front) ..............................5-45 Sidemarker Lamps (Rear) ..............................5-46 Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps .........................................5-46 Replacement Bulbs .......................................5-47 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ..............5-47 Tires ..............................................................5-48 Tire Sidewall Labelling ...................................5-49 Tire Terminology and Deﬁnitions .....................5-51 Inﬂation - Tire Pressure .................................5-54 Tire Inspection and Rotation ...........................5-55 When It Is Time for New Tires .......................5-57 Buying New Tires .........................................5-58 5-1 Section 5 Service and Appearance Care Uniform Tire Quality Grading ..........................5-58 Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance ..................5-60 Wheel Replacement ......................................5-60 Tire Chains ..................................................5-61 If a Tire Goes Flat ........................................5-61 Changing a Flat Tire .....................................5-62 Removing the Spare Tire and Tools ................5-64 Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the Spare Tire ..........................................5-65 Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools ............5-69 Compact Spare Tire ......................................5-70 Appearance Care ............................................5-70 Fabric/Carpet ...............................................5-71 Vinyl ...........................................................5-72 Instrument Panel ..........................................5-73 Interior Plastic Components ............................5-73 Glass Surfaces .............................................5-73 Care of Safety Belts ......................................5-73 Weatherstrips ...............................................5-73 Washing Your Vehicle ...................................5-74 Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses .....................5-74 Finish Care ..................................................5-74 Windshield and Wiper Blades .........................5-75 Aluminum Wheels .........................................5-75 Tires ...........................................................5-76 Sheet Metal Damage .....................................5-76 Finish Damage .............................................5-76 Underbody Maintenance ................................5-77 Chemical Paint Spotting .................................5-77 Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials ..................5-77 Vehicle Identiﬁcation ......................................5-78 Vehicle Identiﬁcation Number (VIN) .................5-78 Service Parts Identiﬁcation Label .....................5-79 Electrical System ............................................5-79 Add-On Electrical Equipment ..........................5-79 Headlamp Wiring ..........................................5-79 Windshield Wiper Fuses ................................5-79 Power Windows and Other Power Options .......5-79 Fuses and Circuit Breakers ............................5-80 Instrument Panel Fuse Block ..........................5-80 Engine Compartment Fuse Block ....................5-82 Capacities and Speciﬁcations ..........................5-85 Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ..........5-86 5-2 Service Your dealer knows your vehicle best and wants you to be happy with it. We hope you will go to your dealer for all your service needs. You will get genuine GM parts and GM-trained and supported service people. We hope you will want to keep your GM vehicle all GM. Genuine GM parts have one of these marks: California Proposition 65 Warning Most motor vehicles, including this one, contain and/or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Engine exhaust, many parts and systems (including some inside the vehicle), many ﬂuids, and some component wear by-products contain and/or emit these chemicals. 5-3 Doing Your Own Service Work If you want to do some of your own service work, you will want to use the proper service manual. It tells you much more about how to service your vehicle than this manual can. To order the proper service manual, see Service Publications Ordering Information on page 7-12. Your vehicle has an airbag system. Before attempting to do your own service work, see Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-54. You should keep a record with all parts receipts and list the mileage and the date of any service work you perform. See Part E: Maintenance Record on page 6-26. 5-4 {CAUTION: You can be injured and your vehicle could be damaged if you try to do service work on a vehicle without knowing enough about it. (cid:127) Be sure you have sufficient knowledge, experience, the proper replacement parts and tools before you attempt any vehicle maintenance task. (cid:127) Be sure to use the proper nuts, bolts and other fasteners. English and metric fasteners can be easily confused. If you use the wrong fasteners, parts can later break or fall off. You could be hurt. Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your Vehicle Things you might add to the outside of your vehicle can affect the airﬂow around it. This may cause wind noise and affect windshield washer performance. Check with your dealer before adding equipment to the outside of your vehicle.

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2005 Chevrolet AVEO Owners Manual