2002 SAAB 9-3 roof rack

4Exterior Sunroof _______________ 132
Convertible _____________ 48
Washing the car ________ 220
Waxing and polishing ____ 221
Touching-up of paintwork _ 221
Anticorrosion treatment ___ 222Taillights ______________ 202
Stop lights _____________ 202
Light switches ___________ 75
Changing bulbs _________ 200Towing ________________ 179
Towrope attachment eyes _ 179
Towing a trailer _________ 173Trunk lid lock ___________ 138
Lowering the rear seat ____ 138
Trunk _________________ 141
Spare wheel ___________ 143
Tools _________________ 143
Lighting _______________ 202
Driving with a roof rack load ____ 176
Mounting of roof rack __________ 176
Maximum loads ______________ 234
Hood release handle __________ 186
Engine compartment: washing __ 220
Central locking __________ 36
Interior locking buttons ____ 37
Trunk lock ______________ 40
Child safety lock catch ____ 39
Car alarm (Anti-theft system) 41Headlight switches _______ 75
High/low beam control stalk 75
Turn signal & lane change
indicators ______________ 76
Headlamp wipers _______ 198
Changing bulbs ________ 200Fuel filler door __________ 151
Refuelling _____________ 151
Fuel grade ____________ 239
Fuel gauge _____________ 68
Fuel economy __________ 170
Tires & Rims _____________ 211 / 242
Tire pressure ___________ back cover
Driving in cold weather ________ 171
Brakes and braking ___________ 164
Compact spare wheel _________ 214
Changing a wheel ____________ 215
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48 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 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).
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145 Starting and driving
IB943
Starting and driving
Ignition switch ................. 146
Starting the engine .......... 147
Important considerations
for driving....................... 148
Refueling .......................... 151
Engine Break-in Period... 155
Manual transmission ...... 155
Automatic transmission . 156
Cruise Control ................. 163
Braking ............................. 164
Traction Control System 166
Parking ............................. 168
Economical motoring ..... 170 Driving in cold weather ... 171
Driving in hot weather ..... 173
Towing a trailer ................ 173
Driving with a roof rack
load .................................. 176
Driving with the trunk lid
open ................................ 179
Driving in deep water....... 179
Towing the car.................. 179
Jump starting ................... 181
Driving considerations
with compact spare
wheel/tire fitted............... 184
For long trips .................... 184
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170 Starting and drivingEconomical 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). 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.
WARNING
Never switch the engine off while driving
as the effect of the brakes and power
steering will be greatly reduced.
IB311
Percentage increase in fuel consumption
of engine starting from cold compared to
engine at normal temperature
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176 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, whenever possible, con-
centrate the load over the axle and keep it
as low as possible.
The trailer should be loaded so that the
maximum load on the towbar ball is 5% to
7% of the trailer weight with a maximum per-
missible tongue weight of 165 lbs (75 kg).
Note that this load must be added to the total
load for the car. If this now exceeds the
specified load capacity, the load in the trunk
will have to be reduced by a corresponding
amount.
Driving with a roof rack
loadThe maximum permissible roof load is
220 lbs (100 kg). Note that the roof load is
included in the car’s maximum permissible
load (see page 235).
Strong, sturdy roof carriers designed spe-
cially for the car are available from your
Saab dealer. Always secure the roof load
safely.
WARNING
 A roof load will affect the car’s center
of gravity and aerodynamics. Be
aware of this when cornering and driv-
ing in crosswinds.
 Adjust your speed to the prevailing
conditions.
 Due to higher aerodynamic drag, fuel
economy may suffer when driving with
a roof rack.
IB880
Distribution of load in trailer aLight
b Moderate
cHeavy
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249 Index
MMain beam
_____________________ 75
Main instrument panel
_____________ 60
Maintenance schedule ___________ 230
Manual climate-control system
______ 80
Manual raising of the soft top,
Convertible
____________________ 52
Manual transmission
_____________ 155
Manually opening the fuel filler door,
Convertible
____________________ 58
Manually opening the fuel filler door,
Coupé and 5-door
______________ 144
Maxi fuses
_____________________ 207
Memory, driver’s seat
____________ 128
Motoring abroad
________________ 184
NNight Panel
_____________________ 73
OORVR
________________________ 189
Odometer ______________________ 66
Oil specification
_________________ 237
OnStar
________________________ 111
Opening handle
__________________ 36
Owner assistance _______________ 231
PPaint touch-up
__________________221
Parcel shelf
____________________141
Park Brake Shift Lock
____________158
Parking brake
__________________168
Parking lights ____________________75
Plates and labels
________________243
Power steering fluid, check
________195
Power steering oil, grade
_________241
Pressure gauge
__________________67
Programmable driver’s seat
_______128
Programming, ACC
_______________90
RRadio
__________________________98
Raising the soft top, Convertible
_____51
Rear fog light
____________________77
Rear seat
______________________138
Rear seat, tipping
_______________138
Rearview mirrors ________________137
Rear-window wiper _______________79
Recirculation
____________________82
Recycling
______________________224
Refuelling _____________________151
Relay table ____________________209
Release handle, hood
____________186
Remote control
__________________36
Remote control battery, changing
____39
Removing the key
_______________146
Reporting safety defects
__________232Rev counter
____________________ 66
Reversing lights
_________________ 77
Roof rack
_____________________ 176
Rotating the tires
_______________ 212
Running-in
____________________ 155
SSAHR, head restraint
____________ 18
SID (Side Instrument Display)
______ 69
SRS (airbag)
___________________ 28
Saab Audio System
______________ 93
Saab Trionic engine management
system
______________________ 189
Safety belts ____________________ 12
Safety belts, care of
_____________ 218
Seat belts
_____________________ 12
Seat-belt pretensioners
___________ 13
Seats
________________________ 124
Service costs
__________________ 231
Service information
_____________ 232
Service intervals
_______________ 230
Service record retention
_________ 231
Side airbags
___________________ 30
Ski hatch
_____________________ 141
Snow tires ____________________ 242
Soft top storage, Convertible
_______ 56
Spare wheel
__________________ 143
Speedometer ___________________ 66
Starting the engine
_____________ 147
Steering-wheel adjustment
_______ 131
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