3
Instrument panel High/low beam ________________ 71
Parking lights __________________ 71
Daytime running lights ___________ 71
Changing bulbs _______________ 181High/low beam control stalk 71
Direction indicators _______ 72
Cruise Control __________ 148Rear fog light ___________ 73
Front fog lights ___________ 73Instrument lighting ________ 74
Warning and indicator lights _____ 54
Tachometer __________________ 59
Speedometer _________________ 59
Odometer and trip meter ________ 59
Gauge showing turbo pressure ___ 60
Fuel gauge __________________ 61
Temperature gauge ____________ 60
IB731
Ashtrays ___________________ 123
Cigarette lighter ______________ 123
Tr i p c o m p u t e r
(Saab Information Display, SID) __ 62
Night panel __________________ 63
Clock ____________________ 64, 70
Washers and wipers ______ 74
Rear-window wiper _______ 75
Replacing wiper blades __ 179Audio system____________ 90
Cassette player __________ 96
CD player ______________ 99Hazard warning lights _____ 72Climate control system:
manual _______________ 76
Climate control system:
automatic _____________ 80
Car care ______________ 167Seat heating controls ____ 118
Steering-wheel-mounted
controls, Audio System __ 105
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4Exterior Sunroof _______________ 120
Convertible _____________ 42
Washing the car ________ 201
Waxing and polishing ____ 202
Touching-up of paintwork _ 202
Anticorrosion treatment ___ 203
Service program ________ 215Taillights ______________ 183
Stop lights _____________ 183
Light switches ___________ 71
Changing bulbs _________ 181Towing ________________ 160
Towrope attachment eyes _ 160
Towing a trailer _________ 156Trunk lid lock ___________ 125
Lowering the rear seat ____ 125
Trunk _________________ 128
Spare wheel ___________ 130
Tools _________________ 130
Lighting _______________ 183
Driving with a roof rack load ____ 158
Mounting of roof rack __________ 158
Maximum loads ______________ 220
Hood release handle __________ 168
Engine compartment: washing __ 201
Central locking __________ 30
Interior locking buttons ____ 31
Trunk lock ______________ 33
Child safety lock catch ____ 33
Car alarm (Anti-theft alarm) 35Headlight switches _______ 71
High/low beam control stalk 71
Turn signal & lane change
indicators ______________ 72
Headlamp wipers _______ 180
Changing bulbs ________ 181Fuel filler door __________ 138
Refuelling _____________ 138
Fuel grade ____________ 224
Fuel gauge _____________ 61
Fuel economy __________ 153
Tires & Rims _____________ 192 / 227
Driving in cold weather ________ 154
Brakes and braking ___________ 149
Compact spare wheel _________ 195
Changing a wheel ____________ 196
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42 ConvertibleConvertibleGeneral safety instructions• Never touch the hinges and struts of the
soft top nor the upper beam of the wind-
shield while operating the soft top.
After raising the soft top, always check
that it is properly secured to the top beam
of the windshield with the soft top locking
device before driving the car away.
After folding it down you should check that
the tonneau cover latches have engaged
properly. Otherwise it may come loose
while you are driving and cause injury.
Do not operate the soft top with passen-
gers in the rear seat or bystanders right
next to the car. There is a risk of head inju-
ries while the soft top is in motion.
Remove child car seats and children
before operating the soft top.
Don’t operate the soft top in temperatures
below 23°F (-5°C). Note that certain automatic carwashes
can do damage to fabric soft tops. This
applies to carwashes that use mechanical
feelers bearing against the body. We
advise against washing a Saab 9-3 Con-
vertible in automatic carwashes.
Note that certain automatic car washes
can cause water to leak in places that nor-
mally would not leak. Do not direct high
pressure streams of water at the seals for
the conver tible top.
Roof racks and ski holders must not be
mounted on the soft top.
Under no circumstances should anything
be put into the storage space for the soft
top (under the tonneau cover) since this
could cause obstruction when the soft top
is being folded away.
See that no luggage is resting against the
soft top stowage space since this could
interfere with the rasing and folding of the
soft top. When the soft top is being operated, low-
ering or raising should be completed. Do
not leave the soft top partially raised or
lowered: after 20 seconds it will quickly
"settle down" when the hydraulic pres-
sure is automatically released.
It is important that the telescopic locking
handle is completely pushed in when the
soft top is closed.
Fold down any auxilliary mounted
antenna before raising the top to avoid
possible antenna or top damage (e.g.,
OnStar cellular antenna on windshield of
Conver tible)
ProCarManuals.com
47 Convertible
9 (ill. 1) Stand at the side of the car and
open the tonneau cover by grasping its
black part.
10 (ill. 2) Get into the car and stand on the
lowered backrest.
11 (ill. 3) Take hold of the handle and pull
the soft top up. 12 Climb down onto the floor and pull the
soft top towards the windshield. Raise
the 5th bow (rear window).
13 Stand at the side of the car and close the
tonneau cover.
14 Tip down the 5th bow/rear window as far
as possible.
Note: In manual raising it is not possible
to completely secure the 5th bow in the
recess of the tonneau cover.
15 Shut the valve of the hydraulic system,
without making it too tight. Replace the
cover over it. Raise the rear-seat back-
rest again. See that the safety belts don’t get caught. Be sure the seat back locks
in place on both sides.
16 Sit down in the front seat, open the
handle and lock the soft top to the wind-
shield beam. Make sure that the hooks
engage in the beam.
17 In the trunk: replace the tool in the soft
top mechanism and lock the soft top ton-
neau by pushing the tool forward until
the stop point.
18 Take the tool out.
The soft top system must be checked and
repaired by an authorized Saab dealer as
quickly as possible.
WARNING
Do not touch the hinges and struts of the
soft top during raising. Keep your hands
clear of the upper beam of the windshield
- this is a pinch hazard area. Do not oper-
ate the soft top with passengers in the
rear seat or with bystanders right next to
the car.
NOTEClose the cover carefully so as not to
damage the small flaps in the front.
IB939
Manual raising of the soft top
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48 ConvertibleFault messages in SIDThe following CHECK messages are
included in the soft top system and can be
displayed on the SID together with a beep.
SID displays Cause Action
CHECK SOFT
TOP STORAGE The soft top storage bag is hooked up.
An item in the trunk under the soft top is
obstructing the soft top. Unhook and lower the soft top storage bag, see page 50.
Make sure that no item in the trunk is lying against the soft top
storage.
CLOSE TRUNK
LID The raising or lowering of the soft top is
obstructed because the trunk lid is not closed. Close the trunk lid so it is latched securely.
CHECK SOFT
TOP LATCHES The soft top is not latched to the top beam of the
windshield.
Somebody is trying to lower the soft top while it
is still locked to the windshield beam. Lock the soft top with the locking handle, see page 45.
Release the soft top with the locking handle, see page 43.
FINISH SOFT
TOP MOTION Raising or lowering was stopped before the
cycle completed. Finish the soft top motion completely.
CHECK SOFT
TOP COVER The soft top cover is not being locked.
The soft top cover doesn’t open. Make sure that the valve for manual raising of the soft top is
closed, see page 46.
Try to slide the ROOF button backwards once more.
SOFT TOP FAIL-
URE Serious fault in soft top mechanism. Try to slide the ROOF button once more.
BE VERY CAREFUL AND MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING IS
OBSTRUCTING THE OPERATION OF THE SOFT TOP.
Remove anything that can obstruct the operation of the soft top.
Operate the soft top manually, see page 46.
CHECK SOFT
TOP Something is in the way and is obstructing the
operation of the soft top by the electro- hydrau-
lics.
The soft top cover has not locked at the front on
both sides.
The 5th bow (rear window) has not locked to the
soft top cover on both sides. Try to slide the ROOF button once more.
BE VERY CAREFUL AND MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING IS
OBSTRUCTING THE OPERATION OF THE SOFT TOP.
Remove anything that can obstruct the operation of the soft top.
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49 Convertible
The following fuses should be checked if the
soft top cannot be operated and no fault
messages are shown by the SID:
MAXI-fuse 5 in the engine bay, see page
188.
7, 14, 21 and 23 in the fuse panel on the
end of the instrument panel, see page
189.
Central operation of the
windows,
9-3 Convertible On the center console is a switch (see illus-
tration) for the simultaneous closing or
opening of the four side windows.
Using the ROOF-button
When folding the soft top down, you can
lower all windows by continuing to hold the
ROOF button backwards after the soft top
has been folded down.
When the soft top is being raised, all side
windows are automatically lowered an inch
or two (a few centimetres) to protect their
seals. After the "beep" is heard, the hooks
of the soft top have been secured to the
windshield beam, hold the ROOF switch for-
ward again and all 4 windows will close.
WARNING
Remember the risk of personal injury
when raising the windows. Check that all
persons travelling in the car have their
head, hands and fingers away from the
windows before raising them.
IB301
Switch for central operation of the win-
dows, Conver tible
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58 Instruments and controls
CHECK message
indicator
This light indicates that there is a message
in the SID. A chime will also sound
(see page 63).
Automatic transmission
fault indicator
On a car with an automatic transmission,
this warning symbol is illuminated if a fault
has been detected in the transmission.
Switch the ignition off and on again to check
if the fault persists.
Even if the fault persists, it is still possible in
most cases to drive the car (see page 144).
Have the automatic transmission checked
by an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
Rear fog light Indicator
This light shows when the rear fog light is on
(see page 73).
The rear fog light is switched off automati-
cally when the engine is switched off. When
the fog light is next needed, it will have to be
switched on manually again.
High beam Indicator
The symbol is lit when the high beam
is on.
Open door Indicator
If a door has not been closed properly, the
pictogram will indicate the door concerned
(or trunk).
Autochecking of lights,
main instrument panel The above warning and indicator lights
should come on when the ignition is
switched on. They go out after about 3 sec-
onds.
The following lamps light up until the engine
starts, as long as no faults exist:
Central warning light .
Oil pressure warning light .
Charge warning light .
NOTEIf the control module has actuated the
Limp-home function for the automatic
transmission, the car will remain in 4th
gear when D is selected, making it very
sluggish. To overcome this, move the
selector lever to position 2.
When the indicator light is on, the car
must not be driven with a trailer attached.
IB1279
1 Cars with automatic transmission
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71 Instruments and controls
SwitchesThe parking lights and daytime running
lights come on automatically when the igni-
tion switch is in the ON position.
Note to owners in the U.S.: If you do not
want Daytime Running Lights, this feature
can be disconnected: switch off the engine
and remove fuse No. 15 (see page 189).
Note to owners in Canada: Daytime Run-
ning Lights must not be disconnected as
they are a Canadian Federal legal require-
ment.
The parking lights can be switched on
regardless of the position of the ignition
switch. Do not use parking lights when driv-
ing.
Note:
The lighting switch must be in parking or
headlight position to operate the rear fog
light (see page 73).The headlights come on when the ignition
switch is in the OFF, ON or START posi-
tions. Note that they go off again when the
ignition switch is turned to LOCK.
High/low beam To switch from high to low beam, move the
control stalk towards the steering wheel to
position 2. Headlight flasher To flash your headlights, move the control
stalk towards the steering wheel to
position 1. The high beam will remain on
until you release the switch.
Daytime running lights
Parking lights
Headlights
IB745
Light switches
1 Headlight flasher
2 High/low beam
IB746
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