2005 SAAB 9-3 Owners Manual

263 Customer Assistance and Information
Engine oil and filter changesChanging the engine oil and filter is required
at every service point. Use only a Saab
approved long-life oil filter and engine oils
meeting the SAE viscosity ratings and API
service classifications stated in the “Techni-
cal data” section of this Owner’s Manual.
The use of extra additives in the oil is not
necessary and is not recommended, and
may be harmful to turbochargers.
More frequent oil changes are recom-
mended if your vehicle is operated under
any of the following conditions:
 Most trips are less than 5–10 miles (8–
16 km). This is particularly important
when outside temperatures are below
freezing.
 Most trips include extensive idling
(frequent stop-and-go traffic).
 Most trips are through dusty areas (such
as construction zones).
 If the vehicle is used for delivery service,
police, taxi or other commercial applica-
tions.
If your driving habits match this description,
have the engine oil and filter changed in-
between normal services. These conditions
cause the engine oil to break down faster.
The Warranties and Service Record Book-
let has provisions to record extra oil
changes.
Service record retentionIt is the owner’s responsibility to retain ser-
vice records. If possible, you should keep
copies of all shop work orders for all service
and repairs, whenever performed. As indi-
cated in the new car and emission control
system warranties, it is important to docu-
ment that all necessary maintenance has
been done.
HOW THE SERVICE RECORD IS ORGA-
NIZED
The service record is comprised of a series
of coupons on which to record services as
they are performed. There are additional
coupons for documenting extra engine oil
and filter changes, extra automatic trans-
mission fluid services necessary for severe
service conditions, and brake fluid changes.
HOW TO USE THE SERVICE RECORD
COUPONS
When the car is brought to a Saab dealer for
scheduled maintenance, present the War-
ranties & Service Record Booklet to the ser-
vice manager. When the technician has
completed the service, the technician will
sign the maintenance record. The person
responsible for quality assurance at the
dealership will also sign and stamp the
record with the dealer identification stamp.
Service costsDealer pricing practices and labor for ser-
vice work vary. Saab’s recommended ser-
vice times for each service point do not
include the labor required to replace wear
items, such as wiper blades, brake pads or
tires. Nor is labor to perform other service or
repairs found to be necessary as a result of
the inspections included in these times.
Additional labor and parts will be charged
for such work when necessary, except as
covered under an applicable Saab warranty
or any optional extended service contract.
Transmission fluid changes or suspension
alignment, when necessary, are also addi-
tional.
Dealer charges for general shop material,
regulated hazardous waste removal, recy-
cling expenses or other operation costs may
also be applied to service and repair
invoices and are apt to vary by dealer and
location.
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264 Customer Assistance and InformationOwner assistanceWarranties and service problem
assistanceFor complete information about all applica-
ble warranties, including the New Car War-
ranty, Perforation Warranty, Vehicle Emis-
sion Warranty and Emission Perforation
Warranty, consult the Warranties and Ser-
vice Record Booklet which accompanies
this Owner’s Manual. It also contains owner
assistance information including Saab
Roadside Assistance. If the booklet is lost or
misplaced, a new one may be ordered
through a Saab dealer or by contacting
Saab.
In the U.S. there is a national Customer
Assistance Center at Saab Cars USA, Inc.
The toll-free number to call from all 50 states
is 1-800-955-9007.
In Canada, please call the Saab Customer
Assistance Centre at 1-800-263-1999.
A list of authorized Saab sales and service
dealers is available for those planning to
travel in the United States and Canada.
Canadian or U.S. travelers may call the
Customer Assistance Center in the country
in which they are traveling.
Change of Address Notification
(U.S. and Canada)Two change of address cards are provided
at the end of the Warranties and Service
Record Booklet. Knowing your current
address allows Saab to contact you in the
event of a recall or service campaign.
Please help us keep our records up to date
for your own peace of mind.Service informationFactory Service Manuals for the Saab 9-3
and 9-5 car lines can be ordered through
your dealer. These are comprehensive
manuals on CD rom, geared to use by pro-
fessional technicians. Consult your Saab
dealer for prices for your model.
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265 Customer Assistance and Information
Reporting Safety
Defects (USA)If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause
injury or death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) in addition to noti-
fying Saab Cars USA, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it
may open an investigation, and if it finds that
a safety defect exists in a group of vehicles,
it may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become involved
in individual problems between you, your
dealer, or Saab Cars USA, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the
Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-800-424-
9393 (or 202/366-0123 in Washington D.C.
area) or write to: NHTSA, U.S. Department
of Transportation, Washington, D.C. 20590.
You can also obtain other information about
motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.
Reporting Safety
Defects to the Canadian
governmentIf you live in Canada, and believe that your
vehicle has a safety defect, you should
immediately notify Transport Canada, in
addition to notifying General Motors of
Canada Limited.
You may write to Transport Canada at Box
8880, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 3J2.
In addition to notifying Transport Canada in
a situation like this, we certainly hope you
will notify us. In Canada, please call our
Saab Customer Assistance Centre at 1-
800-263-1999.
Or write:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Centre,
1908 Colonel Sam Drive,
Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 8P7.
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266 Customer Assistance and InformationVehicle Data Collection and
Event Data RecordersYour vehicle, like other modern motor vehi-
cles, has a number of sophisticated com-
puter systems that monitor and control sev-
eral aspects of the vehicle’s performance.
Your vehicle uses on-board vehicle comput-
ers to monitor emission control components
to optimize fuel economy, to monitor condi-
tions for air bag deployment and, if so
equipped, to provide anti-lock braking and
to help the driver control the vehicle in diffi-
cult driving situations. Some information
may be stored during regular operations to
facilitate repair of detected malfunctions;
other information is stored only in a crash
event by computer systems commonly
called event data recorders (EDR).
In a crash event, computer systems, such
as the Air Bag Sensing and Diagnostic
Module (SDM) in your vehicle may record
information about the condition of the vehi-
cle and how it was operated, such as data
related to engine speed, brake application,
throttle position, vehicle speed, steering
wheel angle, lateral acceleration, safety belt
usage, air bag readiness, air bag perfor-
mance, and the severity of a collision. This
information has been used to improve vehi-
cle crash performance and may be used to
improve crash performance of future vehi-
cles and driving safety. Unlike the data
recorders on many airplanes, these on-
board systems do not record sounds, such
as conversation of vehicle occupants.To read this information, special equipment
is needed and access to the vehicle or the
SDM is required.
Saab will not access information about a
crash event or share it with others other than
 with the consent of the vehicle owner or, if
the vehicle is leased, with the consent of
the lessee,
 in response to an official request of police
or similar government office,
 as part of Saab’s defense of litigation
through the discovery process, or
 as required by law.
In addition, once Saab collects or receives
data, Saab may
 use the data for Saab research needs,
 make it available for research where
appropriate confidentiality is to be main-
tained and need is shown, or
 share summary data which is not tied to a
specific vehicle with non-Saab organiza-
tions for research purposes.
Others, such as law enforcement, may have
access to the special equipment that can
read the information if they have access to
the vehicle or SDM.
If your vehicle is equipped with OnStar®,
please check the OnStar® subscription ser-
vice agreement or manual for information
on its operations and data collection.
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267 Technical data
General data __________ 268
Engine _______________ 270
Engine oil _____________ 270
Fuel__________________ 271
Engines ______________ 271
Electrical system_______ 272
Drive belt _____________ 272
Manual transmission ___ 272
Automatic transmission _ 273
Suspension ___________ 273
Steering ______________ 273
Brake system__________ 274
Wheels and tires _______ 275
Plates and labels _______ 278
Technical data
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268 Technical dataGeneral dataOverall length, including bumpers: ___ 182.5'' (4635 mm)
Overall width, including door mirrors __ 80.2'' (2038 mm)
Maximum height _________________ 57.8'' (1468 mm)
Wheelbase _____________________ 105.3'' (2675 mm)
Tr a c k :
Front ____________________________ 59.8'' (1521 mm)
Rear ____________________________ 59.3'' (1506 mm)
Ground clearance at GVW _________ approx. 120 mm
Number of seats (incl. driver):
Sport Sedan ______________________ 5
Convertible _______________________ 4
Turning circle:
Measured at vehicle extremities _______ 37.4 ft. (11.4 m)
Curb to curb ______________________ 35.4 ft. (10.8 m)
Trunk length:
Rear seat raised ___________________ 40.8'' (1036 mm)
Rear seat lowered__________________ 69.8'' (1774 mm)
Convertible _______________________ 29.1" (740 mm)
Trunk volume (SAE):
Sport Sedan ______________________ 15.0 cu.ft. (425 l)
Convertible, soft top raised ___________ 12.4 cu.ft. (352 l)
Convertible, soft top folded ___________ 8.3 cu.ft. (235 l)
Permissible load (in addition to the driver) = GVW minus curb weight. The maximum
permissible axle load, front or rear, must not be exceeded.
The precise curb weight of the vehicle and load capacity are specified in the vehicle
registration documents.V.I.N. labelCurb weight
(i.e. with full fuel tank, full washer fluid res-
ervoir, standard tools and spare wheel):
Sport Sedan ______________________ 3200–3420 lbs.
(1450–1550 kg)
Convertible _______________________ 3570–3700 lbs.
(1620–1680 kg)
Gross vehicle weight (GVW):
Sport Sedan ______________________ 4120–4340 lbs.
(1870–1970 kg)
Convertible _______________________ 4460–4520 lbs.
(2025–2050 kg)
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269 Technical data
Maximum axle load:
Sport Sedan, front _________________ 2480 lbs. (1125 kg)
Sport Sedan, rear __________________ 2230 lbs. (1010 kg)
Convertible, front __________________ 2540 lbs. (1150 kg)
Convertible, rear ___________________ 2310 lbs. (1050 kg)
Weight distribution:
Curb weight + driver (150 lbs. (68 kg)),
front/rear (Sport Sedan and Convertible) approx. 60/40 %
GVW, front/rear (Sport Sedan and Con-
vertible) __________________________ approx. 50/50 %
Maximum roof load, Sport Sedan ____ 220 lbs. (100 kg)
Maximum load in trunk:
Sport Sedan ______________________ 175 lbs. (80 kg)
Convertible _______________________ 220 lbs. (100 kg)
The combined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed:
Sport Sedan ______________________ 925 lbs. (420 kg)
Convertible _______________________ 820 lbs. (372 kg)
Maximum combined weight of driver and
passengers ___________________
Sport Sedan (5x150 lbs.) ____________ 750 lbs. (340 kg)
Convertible (4x150 lbs.) _____________ 600 lbs. (272 kg)
WARNING
 The GVW and maximum axle loads must not be exceeded.
Note that if some accessories (e.g. towbar, CD changer) are
fitted, the available load capacity is reduced by the weight of
these.
 When carrying a load in the trunk, make sure that it is lashed
down securely, particularly when part or all of the rear seat is
folded down.
Trailer:
Trailer with brakes ________________ Max. 3500 lbs.
(1588 kg)
Trailer without brakes _____________ Max. 1000 lbs.
(450 kg)
Recommended towball load ________ 110–165 lbs.
(50–75 kg)
See also page 186.
Maximum theoretical towing speed, trailer
with brakes ____________________ 60 mph (100 km/h)
When towing a trailer, increase the pressure
of the rear tires by 20 kPa (3 psi).
The above speed and weight restrictions are those specified by
Saab Automobile AB.
Note that national restrictions may apply to trailer speeds and
weights (see page 184).
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270 Technical dataEngine Engine oilType: Four cylinders,
double overhead
camshafts,
16 valves, two
balancer shafts
Cylinder bore____________________ 3.386'' (86 mm)
Stroke _________________________ 3.386'' (86 mm)
Swept volume ___________________ 122 cu.in. (1.998 l)
Idling speed_____________________ 720 rpm.
When the engine
load increases, e.g.
the steering wheel is
turned, the idling
speed is raised to
900 rpm.
Antifreeze ______________________ Saab-approved
antifreeze
Coolant capacity _________________ 7.5 qts. (7.1 l)To meet demands in Saab's extended service intervals all en-
gines are filled with specially designed synthetic factory fill oils.
Long service intervals, fuel economy and environmental issues
are the base for our choice of oil. By using oils approved by
Saab you minimise the tendencies for oil sludge build, by that
protecting the engine from harmful, wear increasing, deposits.
Approved oils:
All gasoline engines - Fully Synthetic Engine Oil fulfilling GM-
LL-A-025 requirements.
To ensure being able to take advantage of the Saab specified
service intervals, be sure to select a fully synthetic engine oil
fulfilling GM-LL-A-025 requirements.
Servicing/Oil changes:
To be able to use recommended service intervals the need to
use only approved engine oils is vital. Use only engine oils ap-
proved for your engine. Service should be done according to
the recommended service intervals to optimize your engine's
function through out its entire life. Saab Automobile AB will not
take responsibility for any damage that might occur due to ne-
glecting to meet above mentioned requirements.
At your Saab dealers you can find Saab Genuine or Mobil en-
gine oils. Among those there are oils specially designed to meet
your engines specific needs. We recommend that you, with the
help of our skilled service personnel, choose your oil from that
selection.
Other oil companies also have engine oils approved according
to GM specifications. Oils meeting these standards may be
identified as synthetic. However, not all synthetic oils will meet
your engines requirements. You should only use oil that meets
your engines specific requirements (GM-LL-A-025).
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