2000 SAAB 9-3 roof rack

fuel cooling weight snow chains gearbox fuel type

Page 4 of 236

SAAB 9-3 2000 Owners Manual 4Exterior Sunroof _______________ 120
Convertible _____________ 42
Washing the car ________ 201
Waxing and polishing ____ 202
Touching-up of paintwork _ 202
Anticorrosion treatment ___ 203
S

Page 42 of 236

SAAB 9-3 2000 Owners Manual 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 sof

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

Page 133 of 236

SAAB 9-3 2000 Owners Manual 133 Starting and driving
IB943Starting and drivingIgnition switch ................. 134
Starting the engine .......... 135
Important considerations
for driving....................... 136

Page 153 of 236

SAAB 9-3 2000 Owners Manual 153 Starting and driving
Economical motoringFactors affecting fuel consumption Fuel consumption is greatly affected by the
general driving conditions, the way in which
the car is driven and at what

153 Starting and driving
Economical motoringFactors affecting fuel consumption Fuel consumption is greatly affected by the
general driving conditions, the way in which
the car is driven and at what speeds, the
weather, the state of the road, the condition
of the car, etc. Breaking-in Fuel consumption may be somewhat higher
during the break-in period (the first 3,000–
4,000 miles (5,000–7,000 km) than stated
under ”Technical data”. Weather conditionsFuel consumption can be as much as 10 %
lower in summer than in winter. The higher
consumption in cold weather is explained by
the longer time it takes for the engine to
reach normal operating temperature, and
for the transmission and wheel bearings to
warm up. Fuel economy is also affected by
the distance driven: short journeys of
3-5 miles (5-8 km) do not give the engine
enough time to reach normal temperature.
Strong winds can also affect fuel consump-
tion. How to read the graph:
If fuel consumption with the engine at
normal temperature is 28 mpg
(10l/100 km), the actual fuel consumption 3
miles (5 km) after the engine has started
from cold will be:
– 23.5 mpg (12l/100 km) at outside temp.
of 68°F (20°C) (increase of 20%)
– 17.7 mpg (16l/100 km) at outside temp.
of 32°F (0°C) (increase of 60%)
– 14 mpg (20l/100 km)) at outside temp. of
–4°F (–20°C) (increase of 100%)
As can be seen, both the distance travelled
by the car and the outside temperature have
a major impact on fuel consumption after the engine has started from cold. Thus, if the
car is mainly used for short journeys of
3–5 miles (5–8 km), the fuel consumption
will be 60–80 % higher than normal.
Driving technique To obtain the best running economy, not
only regarding fuel consumption but gen-
eral wear also, regular service is required.
High speed, unnecessary acceleration,
heavy braking and much low gear work all
gives rise to higher fuel consumption.
Frequent gear changing in traffic, starting
in cold weather, the use of studded tires
and roof racks, and towing a trailer all
increase fuel consumption.
Do not run the engine when the car is sta-
tionary.
If idling, it will take much longer before the
engine becomes hot. Engine wear is
greatest during this warming-up phase.
Therefore drive away as soon as possible
after the engine is started and avoid high
revving.
IB311
Percentage increase in fuel consumption
of engine starting from cold compared to
engine at normal temperature
ProCarManuals.com

Page 158 of 236

SAAB 9-3 2000 Owners Manual 158 Starting and drivingTrailer hitch loadThe weight distribution on the trailer makes
a lot of difference to the handling properties
of the car and trailer combination.With sin-
gle-axle trailers,

wheel size ECO mode wheel bolt torque ignition fuel pressure snow chains